Kapitel 353: Chapter 353: Nasty rumors
Several days passed. The new year of the Wubei Sect arrived at last. All the bodies and all the rubble had been evacuated. However, the buildings had not all been repaired yet. Indeed, they couldn't just rebuild the structure, many array formations also had to be inserted in them. The alchemy pavilion for example wasn't just a large building, there were many special rooms to isolate an alchemist during his work.
The array formation masters were essential for the reconstruction. Sadly, their chief elder had died during the fights and his Soul Embryo was now trapped inside the Palace of Supreme Wisdom. Since all this was kept secret no one could talk about it but his sacrifice was known to the public, although all the details were unknown. Despite the time that had passed, no one had been chosen to take his place as chief elder.
The array formation masters got an unexpected help however. Sun Liao had finally broken through to Mortal Warrior. After using Mei Hua's pill, his progress had improved exponentially. He was trying to stabilize his cultivation right now in order to safely open his Five Prodigious Gates later on. Besides, he had heard about Cao Yun's injury and didn't want to suffer the same fate. His brother was able to work miracles. But Sun Liao was not sure whether he would be able to get over this kind of injury if it happened to him.
As soon as he became a Mortal Warrior, Sun Liao found an elder to take the exam in order to officially become a Human array formation master. He had passed with flying colors. Just as Mei Hua had become a 5-star Human alchemist, he was also a 5-star Human array formation master. Chief Elder Suxian would have been proud of him. Hopefully, he might be able to see what was going on in the Wubei Sect. From time to time, Sun Liao even went in front of the Palace of Supreme Wisdom to talk to him even though he could not know whether he was heard or not.
With Sun Liao as a great addition, the array formation masters became much faster in their work. Sun Liao was fully dedicated to this task. Mei Hua was also dedicated to her craft and to helping the physicians deal with those who were still injured. Evil Qi had left many injuries in a lot of disciples. Some had their cultivation impaired while others were still threatened by an early death.
Finally, Ren Chao who was the last one of the group still to be a late Mortal, was helping with the physical aspect of the repairs. His strength was absolutely phenomenal. Not only had his Golden Silk Body been fully awaken, but his new cultivation, 'Golden Saint Bones', had pushed it further and further. Right now, he could rival in strength a late Mortal Warrior. Even with Qi Manifestation, most Mortal Warriors would not be able to restrain him. Unfortunately, that didn't mean they would not be able to kill him. But if they were to fight him at close quarters, they would probably be pummeled to near death before the end of the fight.
All Cao Yun's brothers were busy with the sect's repair in some way while also dedicating some of their time to some form of cultivation. He, on the other hand, was keeping to himself in the Heavenly Swallow Faction. Since most of what he did during the crisis was kept a secret and that no one had seen him, there were many rumors. He soon started to understand the point of Sect Leader Xuan. If he were to be named Young Sect Master right now, there would probably be a large opposition. As much as he wanted to get out and help since he was a good alchemist and a good array formation master, as well as very strong, he felt compelled to cultivate.
What he had heard had changed his way of seeing things. Since talking with Matriarch Huang, he had started to question who had really massacred his family. But now it was clear that it was highly possible that orthodox cultivators had done it. Worse than that, they could be in the Imperial City, or even the Imperial City itself. Maybe the Emperor knew about it or ordered it. Another family had been killed. Cao Yun knew that Sect Leader Xuan had the same doubts as he had right now. Was it possible that his own mother had been part of this family? Was her mother the real target?
Maybe the massacre was a cover-up for the Shui massacre. They had slaughtered everyone to hide what they had done by the past. But if that was the case, Cao Yun had to know why the Shui family had been massacred. Or maybe they were after something that had belonged to the Shui family. If they hadn't found it, they might have thought that Cao Shui had it.
After speaking with Xiao Xuefeng in more details, Cao Yun learned that her mother's identity was clad in many mysteries. Thanks to her connections in the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall, she had been able to determine that someone had done everything possible to hide her past. She had been given a complete backstory, not dissimilar to what Chen Guo had. An entire fake life had been invented for her. And it would have fooled her, and even her contacts, if they had not been carefully looking. Only someone within the Myriad Cherry Blossom Hall could have done such a thing. Unfortunately, they had found nothing at all. Someone had hidden all possible traces.
In fact, it felt as though someone had deliberately left a trail for them to uncover the massacre of the Shui family and the possible connection to Cao Shui. This trail was leading back to Baziyun City. Someone was clearly trying to attract Cao Yun there. And he was eager to respond to this strange invitation.
Since it would be vital, Cao Yun spent a lot of time on 'Ashen Feather Seal'. It had fooled a 9th-grade Spirit Warrior, but Mo Tian had been in the middle of battle. Against a late Spirit Warrior who would be calm and actively looking, hiding his very existence would be tough. But he knew he could hide his identity at least. Right now, he was thinking about what he would do. He still had not all the facts but he had good leads. At last, he would stop reacting and finally go on the offense.
The only problem right now was the injury to his Bai Hui. Although it seemed to be healed, he was still feeling some discomfort around it, as though it was weak. As such, he was a bit afraid of using his Qi Manifestation. But the physicians had examined him and found nothing. Even Chief Elder Qinghe confirmed he was fine. His Bai Hui was a bit weaker than his other Prodigious Gates so it would delay his cultivation, but it could be used in a fight without any problem. The issue was psychological, not physical. Although Cao Yun knew it, he had not used his Bai Hui fully yet.
-
Xiao Xuefeng was speaking with Sect Leader Xuan. There were many reports to deal with.
"Right now, the total death toll is two hundred fifty-seven cultivators killed in the initial strike by Mo Tian. Eight hundred forty-one were then killed during the fights. Finally, there are ninety-six cultivators still missing. We believe that a third of them are demonic cultivators while the others might be either dead or kept as hostages. Thankfully, the outer sect was spared. Less than ten percent of the outer disciples have been killed."
The outer sect was a way for the Wubei Sect to make bonds with the influential families of the Hongchen Kingdom. It was also a way to maintain its prestige. Although the inner sect was the true core of the Wubei Sect, losing too many outer disciples would have been a disaster. It could have even created deep grudges with some families. After all, the Wubei Sect was in charge of protecting its own disciples within the walls of the sect. A disciple killed outside was another matter entirely.
"Many operations are being lead right now to try and find them. We'll attempt to rescue as many hostages as possible."
"Your priority is to kill the demonic cultivators! We can't afford such a threat while the demons are getting restless. Otherwise, many more will die."
Xiao Xuefeng could sense that that decision was really heavy for Sect Leader Xuan. He firmly believed that mankind had to be protected. That obviously included all of his disciples. But they would never be able to be sure whether those 'hostages' were not sleeper agents in disguise. After all, the Demon King was maybe still alive. Nothing was certain about Mo Tian's real standing among the demonic cultivators. Maybe he was the Demon king and had hidden it, or maybe he was really working under him.
Sect Leader Xuan had to think about protecting his Wubei Sect as well as all of mankind. The Wubei Sect was the greatest rampart against the demons. It could not afford to appear weak. Although they had not attacked the Heidai Peak for a very long time, the demons might get some ideas if they were to learn what had happened.
"I understand, Sect Leader. There are also news about some of the other demonic cultivators. Director Ge found out who Mo Tian sent into our institute. His demonic name is Gu Song. We believe he was a teacher of Mo Zi. In fact, it's highly possible that Gu Song was his first master before Mo Tian took him in. Indeed, they both hail from the Subei Province near the Sunmen Province."
"We can't intervene there... This is too close to the border, the Imperial City has many eyes there. But I think your young protégé might be interested."
"Sect Leader, are you really serious about Chen Guo being your direct disciple or are you just using him?"
"If I wanted to use him, I would have many other ways. Miss Xiao, you misunderstand my character. I am not like your Director Ge or like Matriarch Huang. The Wubei Sect stands above all. Even the Imperial City would think twice before antagonizing us. I would not stoop so low as to manipulate a junior. And I am too old for that anyway. My intentions toward this kid are sincere! This boy's talent is truly prodigious, and we both know he also got an incredible gift from some expert. I suspect that this expert was way beyond the Sage realm. Although he might be bored of being a sect leader in a century or two, I know he won't ever forget my Wubei Sect. And I'm sure he'll find a competent replacement when he gets bored of the position.
"But more than all that, I do wish to see how far he can go. Without him, you would not have tried to make a Spirit pill. And he also befriended the most extraordinary young people of our Hongchen Kingdom. Besides, I've seen his mind cultivation. Everything around him is impressive. He might be the first one for generations to break the cycle of the Forsaken Dao Era. And I am sure he will open it for everyone else. His character is good. He won't forget about his fellow humans."
"But why did you want him to fight with Zhi Yin? You're not worried about any opposition and Chen Guo would probably not care about it either. After all, we're all going to be very busy in the years to come."
"It's still good to create a strong image in the eyes of his fellow cultivators. But this is just a side effect. My goal is to help him overcome his Bai Hui. Chief Elder Qinghe is categorical. It's been healed. Yet he's afraid to use it to its fullest. I know that Zhi Yin will fight with all her ardor. She's a great fighter and an honorable woman. She's really the best opponent for Chen Guo to reclaim his vigor."
"I see... You might be right."
"About Gu Song, keep it quite for now. Make it so that no one can know of it. We'll send Chen Guo there. I am certain he'll be eager to learn more about the matter. And it might even help him prepare for the Alchemy Conference."
"You're certain he'll participate?"
"I'm not, but this is a great opportunity to get close to the Imperial City and maybe the Emperor himself. Besides, he'll go there anyway, even if only to meet his Dao companion."
-
In the Heavenly Swallow Faction, Cao Yun finally went to Zhi Yin. The duels were in one month from now. Since he didn't want any surprise, he talked to her about his challenge. He had chosen a moment where Ling Hui wasn't there because he didn't want to deal with the little brat. However, she heard about it. In fact, everyone heard about it. It wasn't easy to hide such an intense fight.
Zhi Yin was now a 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior, just like Cao Yun. There would be no advantage of cultivation in the fight. While Cao Yun was in the Palace of Supreme Wisdom, Zhi Yin had fought in the ranked duels. She had become the first fighter in the entire outer Wubei Sect. Since then, she had been challenged by Long Huafang who had become a 1st-grade Mortal Warrior and had placed second in the duels. Even this incredible fighter had lost against Zhi Yin's sword mastery.
Many rumors spread through the Wubei Sect about this fight. There were also many people sneering at Cao Yun. Although Sun Liao, Mei Hua and Ren Chao claimed to have seen him protect everyone in the Palace of Supreme Wisdom, they were sworn brothers so people started to think they were covering for him. After all, no one had seen him in the Demon Palace. There were nasty rumors going around in the Wubei Sect about Cao Yun. Some even went as far as claiming he had run away from the crisis.
Cao Yun was completely unaware of these baseless rumors as he was training in the Heavenly Swallow Faction. Contrary to his expectations, Ling Hui did not assault him with her words. She was way more calm and composed now. But they barely saw each other during that period and every time, she had a frown on her face. For once though, she kept whatever was annoying her to herself. He also barely saw Zhi Yin or any of his brothers. He was solely focused on his cultivation while everyone else was busy with the fallout of Mo Tian's attack, which didn't improve his reputation.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein