[Book II Chapter 136] DYLAN: A New Mission
------------------------------------------------
Commander Varon was waiting for them when they landed on the deck of his airship. “Good, you’re here.” He surveyed the four members of team Necessity. “We’ve received a call from the cultivating realm. Yaozu Gao is ready to speak with you. You can use my office.”
“We don’t want to impose.” Nang objected gently, wary of monopolizing the only one long range projector in the entire fleet. “Our matters could wait until we arrive in Waceria.”
Varon shook his head. “We have more leeway now that there will be no further demonic beast attacks, so it’s fine.”
“Yes, everything worked out.” Free agreed joyfully. The girl was wasting no opportunity to remind him that, against all odds, they’d broken through Sekken’s ambush. While Dylan was relieved at the outcome, his concern over his companion’s optimism remained as firm as ever.
“Besides, Sarah is the one who insisted I summon you, and I don’t question her, not after…” His voice trailed off.
“She’s inside.” He added.
Rumors were swirling about the former steward of the Isle, a saint who had chased off a paragon-level immortal. It was beyond absurd, yet Dylan had witnessed the maelstorm. Somehow, she had traded her sight for an incredible power.
The woman in question was sitting on a bench, staring off into the distance with white pupil-less eyes. He felt unnerved at her presence in a way he hadn’t before.
“Your hair is a mess.” Free observed.
“What?” Sarah frowned, reaching up with an uncertain hand. “How do I…?” She mumbled, struggling with what to do next.
“So you really went blind…” Free walked up and arranged the out-of-place strands. “Do you want me to fix your eyes too?”
Sarah brushed her away. “You wouldn’t be able to, no more than you could help Lily grow taller. Even if you could, I would refuse. What I gained is too valuable to pass up.”
She sighed. “Even if it’ll take some getting used to.”
Free studied her with curiosity. “Mother is leading an assault against mount gull as we speak. Can you tell us if it’ll be successful?”
“It will.” Sarah answered immediately. “I discovered this as soon as I woke.”
“That’s great.” Free gave a small victory clap. “Perhaps life will calm down a bit.”
Sarah shook her head. “It won’t… I’ve spent all morning exploring the ‘tapestry of fate’ I’m now able to see. It isn’t today that’s important. It’s tomorrow. The real trouble is still ahead, although I can’t make out its shape.”
“What I can tell for certain is it’s critically important that you speak with the leader of the Ghost Corrosion Sect and depart for Neon immediately.”
“Neon?” Free asked,
“The next focal point.” Sarah revealed, rubbing her head. “It’s somehow crucial you be there.”
“But why…?” Free pressed.
“Go speak with Yaozu Gao.” Sarah gestured to shoo them away. “He’ll will answer that.”
Her confident attitude caused Dylan discomfort. “How much do you know?” he asked.
Sarah grimaced. “Too much and too little. From the vibrant tapestry, I can sense which threads are important, but puzzling out why is its own challenge. It’s overwhelming.”
Left with that enigmatic reply, they descended to Varon’s office. <
Dylan nodded, glancing at his companions. He would’ve preferred keeping his history to himself. Regrettably, Free already knew, and sharing with Nang was unavoidable. There’s also no point in excluding Darius, especially if we are about to be embark on a mission related to it.
Almost instantly they were put through to the leader of the Ghost Corrosion Sect. The old man gave a tired smiled. “It’s good to finally speak. We’ve much to catch up on.” Dylan and Nang bowed, with Free and Darius joining in.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
“How is Xia Ning?” Dylan asked. Ghost Corrosion Sect members were acting as the Great Assembly’s representative in the outside world. The one assigned to Tulven had been passing on reports on the little mistress, but it’d been days since the last update.
“Asleep. It’s late on this side of the world.” Yaozu answered. “What was the matter you urgently needed assistance with?”
Dylan took a deep breath and gestured. “This is Nang Wang, the cousin of Bao Pan who passed recently. I was hoping you could convey the truth to her.”
“What’s this?” Nang demanded, demeanor clouding. “Bao is officially missing. Why do you sound certain she’s dead?”
Free put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s listen calmly to what they have to say.”
Yaozu recounted his first meeting with Dylan and what they had discussed. The story of the duel in the Silent Valley had Nang on the edge of violence, but she gradually settled down as she heard more. By the end, she wore an uncertain look.
“If I understanding correctly…” She said slowly. “Dylan went after Bao for her role in slaughtering the Sacred Cloud Sect. In the process he discovered that the spirits of ancient demonic practitioners have been possessing disciples from Sanwue’s leading sects and that my cousin was among their victims.”
“I realize it sounds unbelievable.” Yaozu admitted.
“And you’ve confirmed this yourself?” Nang asked.
“I have.” Yaozu replied. “Which brings me to recent developments in the Cultivating Realm.”
“After Morning Dew Sect arrived safely, I recruited Lin Xiao to assist me in my investigation. Her martial arts, the Heavenly Mist, are truly remarkable at sensing the esoteric. She pointed out many individuals who felt wrong to her, and I was able to detect the abnormalities in their souls myself upon closer inspection, becoming familiar enough to recognize them.”
“Does that mean you didn’t need her anymore?” Dylan asked. It’d be for the best if Lin involvement could be kept to a minimum.
Yaozu shook his head. “What requires me a thorough examination, she can do effortlessly from a distance. To screen large numbers, she remains essential, which is what I brought her to Wushan to do. In the capital, we could inspect visiting disciples without arousing suspicions.”
“Our findings were surprising and troubling. The infection was widespread, especially in the Radiant Sight, the Divine Serpent Sect, the Red Sky Sect, and the Water Dragon Sect. Only my own Ghost Corrosion Sect had no victims. I surmise this was due to my presence.”
“To root out the scourge, I had to alert my peers and elicit their cooperation. To that end, I had a few of the younger ones confined, planning to present them as evidence before the Great Assembly. That’s when Xiu Ryuuken, the youngest immortal of the Water Dragon Sect, announced he’d caught a night phoenix.”
A shocked silence fell over the room, and Dowart took the opportunity to chime in. <
“Haven’t those been extinct for millennia?” Nang objected.
“Indeed,” Yaozu replied. “And the reaction was much like when panacea was recovered from the Spiritual Herb Garden. News spreads swiftly to the four corners of Sanwue. That was Xiu intention.”
“Out of the list I’d compiled, all went missing, and the disciples I’d confined took their own lives. Two immortals were among those who absconded. The infiltration had been deeper than I’d imagined.“
Yaozu turned to Dylan. “My apologies. It appears Xiu somehow got wind of my efforts.”
Dylan shook his head. “Much of the blame falls on me. I put them on edge by killing their saints. How did Great Assembly react?”
“It was chaos.” Yaozu sighed. “The excitement from the night phoenix turned to confusion at the sudden disappearances. The Great Assembly was in an uproar, and explaining what had happened was arduous task. If I hadn’t taken the oath, no one would’ve been convinced.”
“They were furious. All the sects are on lockdown until Lin and I can visit. In their anger, the patriarchs of the Water Dragon Sect and Divine Serpent Sect, who had each lost an immortal, scoured Twisted Darkness for the Hoshindai. They were the ones who confirmed the curse rock is no longer there.”
“How is that possible?” Dylan inquired. “From what you told me, it was the size of a small mountain.”
Yaozu shrugged. “Salazar Rook is a necromancer. With enough time, he could’ve constructed a portal to transfer it anywhere he wanted. For now, we’ve given up locating it.”
“The Great Assembly’s focus is on capturing one of these ‘rekindled’ alive——That’s the name they call themselves. Although I will be searching the major sects with Lin, it’s unlikely any are left there. This leaves the five saints who traveled to the outside world.”
“Dylan killed one of them, Yuena Fengchun, in Tulven. Three more vanished at the same time as the rest. However, there might be an opportunity with the fifth one, Teng Ling, formerly of the Water Dragon Sect.”
“Teng Ling deserted his team shortly after leaving Bastion and has been spotted in Neon. Isolated from the Cultivating Realm, there is a decent chance that the news of the night phoenix never reached him.”
“And you want us to hunt him down?” Dylan guessed.
“Precisely.” Yaozu agreed. “You are nearby and have proven yourself capable of dealing with them. May I entrust this mission to you?”
“Of course,” Nang cut in. “If everything you said is true, I’d love nothing more than to beat down one of these bastards.”
“Remember, he must be taken alive.” Yaozu fixed his gaze on Dylan.
“I understand.” He replied. We need to learn more of their plans… And that of their backer, Salazar Rook.
The call ended, and Sarah greeted them on their way up from Varon’s office. “Your ride is waiting outside.” She pointed to an airship hovering nearby. “I arranged for it before calling you over.”
“Thank you.” Free replied. “Since you’ve become so talented at reading the future, any chance you could tell us where our quarry is hiding?”
“Ask around for a necromancer named Lucy Vance when you arrive, she’ll lead you to him.”