Chapter 131 The Grave Mound "I'm not letting you escape, I have a mission to complete..."

"Run! Don't worry about me, get out of here..."

"Why did you have to be the only one to survive! It's all your fault! You're the one who ruined everyone!"

"I find this knife very handy to use."

...

Jiang Yuhuo found herself lying in a sea of ​​fire, with many faces appearing before her at the same time.

Jiang Liuyun, Qingdai, Jia Qianyang, the people of Liyue Village, and the fully armed soldiers...

They questioned her, pleaded with her, threatened her... The cacophony of voices exploded in her head, leaving her nowhere to escape, and weighed heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

Suddenly, a clear voice pierced through the chaos, reaching the depths of her mind and forcefully driving away all those who had passed by.

Jiang Yuhuo opened her eyes to find herself facing a slightly chubby-cheeked girl with dark, bright eyes staring intently at her. Memories of reality returned, and Jiang Yuhuo immediately felt a sharp pain in her forehead; she had just had another nightmare.

Xiao Jing squatted in front of her, blowing a jade whistle. It must have been the sound of this thing that woke her up.

"Auntie, you scared me to death! I called you for so long and you didn't wake up. I almost thought something had happened to you. Luckily, this thing is somewhat useful."

Jiang Yuhuo glanced at the whistle she wore on her chest; it couldn't be an ordinary whistle, as it could penetrate a cultivator's sea of ​​consciousness.

But now is not the time to ask where it came from.

She sat up, holding her forehead.

Jiang Yuhuo remembered that after she set up the barrier for Xiao Jing, she originally just wanted to sit down and meditate for a while before finding an opportunity to leave the group and go to the island to investigate. How could she have fallen asleep again, and so soundly at that?

This is very unusual.

What's even more unusual is that when she looked around, she realized that only she and Xiao Jing were left.

A thick fog had risen on the island sometime earlier, spreading slowly and deeply, obscuring the trees and bushes, making it impossible to discern whether they were human figures or tree shadows.

Jiang Yuhuo asked, "Where are the others?"

Xiao Jing was a little scared. "I don't know. I didn't see them when I woke up. Only Auntie was by my side, but I couldn't wake her up no matter what I did."

She glanced around, even more frightened, and unconsciously shrank closer to Jiang Yuhuo. "Auntie, are there...ghosts here? Were they taken away by ghosts?"

"No." Jiang Yuhuo pressed her temples, and her headache was soothed by her spiritual power.

Xiao Jing is a mortal, which is why he is afraid of ghosts. But for cultivators, ghosts are just the souls of people who have died but have not yet gone to the underworld. They have no power to harm people, nor do they have the power to take away cultivators.

Jiang Yuhuo released her spiritual sense. After inheriting Situ Xin's spiritual power, her cultivation level increased dramatically, and the range she could perceive with her spiritual power was now many times larger than before. At this moment, with the release of her spiritual sense, she could see all the movements on the entire island.

The presence of six cultivators could be detected in the southwest; they should be Wen Yizhan and Senior Shoujiang.

"It's okay, don't be afraid," she comforted Xiao Jing. "I found them. They're still on the island, and nothing happened to them."

Jiang Yuhu got up to meet up with the others. Xiao Jing hesitated for a while, but in the end, she went into the thick fog with Jiang Yuhu.

The fog in the woods was even thicker, making it almost impossible to see the path. Jiang Yuhu lit two torches, one for her and one for Xiao Jing, but even so, the range of sight was still very limited.

There was nothing unusual during the day, but such a thick fog suddenly appeared at night. Although Jiang Yuhuo didn't say anything, he was already very vigilant.

The two walked in the fog for a while, and before they knew it, they had passed through the forest. When their clothes were soaked by the fog, they finally saw the immortal who had come in first.

Mo Huaiqing stood with her hands at her sides, unaware of Jiang Yuhuo and the other person. She must have been there for quite some time. Jiang Yuhuo noticed the white magnolia in her hair, with water droplets already forming on the petals.

"Senior Mo," Jiang Yuhuo called out to her.

Mo Huaiqing seemed not to hear, only lowering his eyes and quietly staring at a spot in front of him.

Jiang Yuhuo walked closer and followed her gaze. He couldn't see anything before, but now he saw a wooden tablet standing on the ground. Because of the dampness in the fog, the words on the tablet were very clear: "Tomb of Mo Huaijing, the chief disciple of the Kunlun Ziyun Peak of the Immortal Sect."

Behind the tombstone, there was a raised mound.

Jiang Yuhuo had never heard of the name Mo Huaijing before, but she had heard Wen Yizhan mention why Mo Huaiqing had come to Moyu River—her younger sister had perished in the great battle, and the elder of the twins had come here to keep her company. Presumably, the younger sister was this Mo Huaijing.

But the immortal died and his body disappeared without a trace. Not to mention that a tomb could only be a cenotaph, even if his relatives insisted on building a cenotaph to comfort their remembrance, why would they build a tomb here?

Just as Jiang Yuhuo was about to ask Mo Huaiqing a question, her arm was suddenly grabbed tightly.

Xiao Jing hid under her arm and whispered tremblingly, "Auntie, why are there so many graves? I'm scared..."

Jiang Yuhuo suddenly looked up. The fog had dissipated considerably, and she could see that the endless mounds on the wasteland were actually a cluster of graves and tombstones, which looked particularly desolate under the night fog.

For a moment, Jiang Yuhuo even thought he had entered an illusion.

She crouched down and used her spiritual power to examine the nearest tomb. It was a real tomb, not an illusion. Then she saw the remaining River Guardians. Like Mo Huaiqing, they were either standing or kneeling beside a mound, clearly having found the tomb of their deceased friend there.

At this moment, Wen Yizhan also saw her. He looked somewhat surprised, and there was also a hint of anxiety that was hard to detect.

Wen Yizhan crossed the burial mound and came to Jiang Yuhuo's side.

"How did you find your way here, Junior Sister?" When he left, he saw that Jiang Yuhuo was still sleeping, so he didn't wake her up.

Jiang Yuhuo didn't reply. Instead, she asked, "Are these the graves of our predecessors who died in battle back then?"

The tombstones were inscribed with words. Jiang Yuhuo might not be familiar with the names of those people, but she recognized the immortal sects they came from, the twenty-four peaks of Kunlun, the thirteen palaces of Tianque, and the surnames of various noble families.

Wen Yizhan nodded, "Yes."

Were these graves always here?

Wen Yizhan glanced at the people in the graveyard, then looked at another open space.

Jiang Yuhu understood his meaning, and the two tacitly walked to the side. Wen Yizhan set up a soundproof barrier before speaking, "I have been to this island many times, and I have never seen a grave before, not a single one. If it weren't for the sudden fog in the forest tonight, which prompted my seniors and me to come and check, and follow the fog all the way here, I would probably still be in the dark."

"You should be able to tell that this is not an illusion."

Jiang Yuhu was startled and suddenly understood what he meant.

Wen Yizhan's expression was solemn. "That's right. What I saw during the day was an illusion. Even what I saw every year when I came to the island before might have been an illusion."

An island without any unusual features is a fake; an island covered with the graves of immortals is the real one.

In other words, someone built a tomb on the island and has been hiding it with illusions all these years.

Jiang Yuhuo blurted out, "But why did we all see it tonight?"

Wen Yizhan said, "Either that person doesn't want to hide anymore, or they can't hide it anymore."

As soon as he said it, Jiang Yuhuo frowned.

The reason for no longer wanting to hide it might be that they've come to a realization, but more likely, it's because they're certain that those who know won't have the chance to tell anyone.

If it can't be hidden...

After arriving on the island, the River Guardian originally intended to leave, but she deliberately said that she had the purification materials in hand, using this as an excuse to delay everyone.

So, if everyone had left, it would have been possible to hide.

So, could the people who have been trying to get them to leave be the ones building graves on the island?

Jiang Yuhuo instinctively reached for her sword, only to find her hand empty. The Moonlit Dust Star had already been returned to Jia Yue.

Wen Yizhan didn't see the little movement in her hands, but he saw her expression and knew that she had figured it out. "Your previous guess was right. The person who took the purification materials should be among the seniors who guarded the river." He paused and said solemnly, "No matter who it is, junior sister, it is not advisable to stay here for long."

Over the years, he had spent time with the River Guardians, practicing swordsmanship with them and learning a great deal from them. He was well aware of their cultivation levels and knew that none of them were easy to deal with.

"This is their past, it has nothing to do with us. Whatever that person wanted to do, since he wanted to drive us away in the first place, he didn't necessarily have the intention to kill us to silence us. It's not too late to leave now."

Wen Yizhan's words were very clear. At present, they could only guess that someone among the Guardian River Immortals was trying to do something, but they could not be sure who it was or what the person's intentions were. In fact, this person could not be considered exposed.

But if we stay here, it's hard to say what will happen next.

Building tombs for fallen immortals is nothing special, but such concealment suggests a larger scheme.

"Junior sister, you take Xiao Jing and leave first."

Jiang Yuhuo asked, "What about you? Aren't you leaving?"

She had originally thought he would suggest they go together.

Wen Yizhan smiled, then reverted to his former carefree demeanor. He shook his head and said, "It's my fault that the old man entrusted me with the exorcism task. I can't watch these seniors get into trouble, nor can I let this river get into trouble. Don't worry, Junior Sister, they are very kind to me. In a way, they are all my masters. They won't do anything to me."

His words were utterly unconvincing; if he had been planning this for so long, he wouldn't care about such a trivial matter. But out of consideration for Xiao Jing, Jiang Yuhuo neither exposed him nor told Wen Yizhan about her plan.

"Okay, I'll take her away first."

After saying that, Jiang Yuhuo scooped up Xiao Jing. This time, she used her spiritual power to ride the wind and quickly passed through the dense forest, crossed the river, and arrived at the shore.

Xiao Jing couldn't understand what they were saying. She only felt that her intuition was right; this island was indeed very dangerous. But with her aunt by her side, she wasn't so afraid. Now that they were at the riverbank, she felt even safer. She was just a little worried about Wen Yizhan, so she asked, "Aunt, should we wait for them here?"

Jiang Yuhuo didn't reply to her. She just flicked her finger, and a large bird fell from the sky in their direction. This time it was an eagle that was already circling over the river, so it arrived very quickly.

Xiao Jing didn't realize anything at first, until Jiang Yuhuo put her on the eagle's back but didn't get on herself. She hurriedly tried to get down, but Jiang Yuhuo used magic to freeze her. She was anxious and angry, her eyes immediately reddening, and she roared, "You're trying to get rid of me again! I don't want to go alone! I won't go! I'm not afraid anymore! Auntie, please put me down!"

"I'm not telling you to run away; I have a mission for you."

Jiang Yuhuo knew her temperament. If he always made her obey, it would only backfire. It would be better to give her some responsibilities.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the girl, who was still angry, calmed down.

Jiang Yuhuo took off the communication talisman and tied it to her waist.

"This is our sect's communication talisman. If my senior brother and I don't return, you'll use this to contact our master and ask him to come and rescue us." She demonstrated how to activate the talisman and how to send a message. "Of the three of us, one of us must act as a liaison outside, so this is a very important task. Have you learned it?"

She knew that Xiao Jing had an extremely high talent for magic, and could learn a minor spell like a communication talisman in a glance. She said this only to make her believe that she really had a reason not to go in.

She spoke with such seriousness that Xiao Jing, somewhat bewildered, believed her. At that moment, she also felt that her mission was of great importance and nodded firmly.

But she was still worried about her aunt and asked, "How long has it always been?"

Jiang Yuhuo blurted out, "Three days."

That person's intentions are already clear. Even if a battle is to break out, fights between cultivators usually last only a moment. Whatever that person wants to do, three days should be enough to quell the conflict.

"After you return to Xidu City, be good and don't run around anymore. I know where your home is."

Xiao Jing's eyes widened in surprise. She had never let anything slip before. Her aunt clearly didn't remember anything, so how did she find out?

Jiang Yuhu smiled and patted her head. "Wait for us to come back."

After saying that, she patted the eagle's back and watched it spread its wings and take off.

Jiang Ying flew towards the western capital and gradually disappeared into the night sky.

Jiang Yuhuo rode the wind across the river, heading towards the mist-shrouded Jiang Island.