Mountain fog

When Yin Heng and his companions arrived at Lianyun Sect, the atmosphere was completely different from their last visit. Last time, it was filled with lingering spiritual energy, but this time, it was filled with only deathly energy and a faint stench of blood.

The main gate of the Lianyun Sect stood wide open, stained with blood. Two disciples, guarding the gate, lay nearby. Xiao Yuan took a closer look and saw holes gouged out in their chests and eye sockets, and a winding red line running down their necks.

The death was no different from that of Yu Xian and Yu before.

The crimson and bloody scene is everywhere.

The other three had obviously witnessed their deaths as well, and with a wave of pity in their hearts, they slowly made their way deeper into the Lianyun Sect. The bloody aura grew thicker the deeper they went, and it wasn't until they reached the council hall that they could truly see the current state of the Lianyun Sect.

Corpses were scattered all over the ground, and blood was seeping into the ground, which had now dried up and turned dark in color.

And the corpses died in the same way.

What was the real grudge that had led to this? They didn't know. They only knew that if it was just a feud with the Lianyun Sect, there was no need to worry too much. But if it involved the entire cultivation world, how could any sect remain unscathed?

The answer is beyond doubt. If the entire cultivation world is involved, the murderer is probably slaughtering the Lianyun Sect just to warn the world. Even though Yin Heng and the entire Lingcang Peak know that they have nothing to blame, they still need to be cautious.

Ye Qingci stood straight, his back muscles stiff, his eyes fixed in a certain direction. Jiang Yun followed his gaze and saw Li Chonghui mingling with many disciples not far away. How could he not feel the tragic death of his old friend?

Jiang Yun held Ye Qingci's hand, but he couldn't say the words of comfort because he knew that words were the most pale and powerless things in the world.

The dead cannot be resurrected, how could he not know the truth?

But the grief in his heart was hard to dispel. Ye Qingci could only bury Li Chonghui's body under the peach tree they had seen on the day they first met. That year, the peach tree was only as tall as his shoulders. Years later, the pavilion is now covered with a canopy.

He buried him like that, without even a proper coffin.

After completing this, the four of them planned to enter the Council Hall. Yin Heng stepped forward and pushed the door. It wasn't locked, but he felt a resistance. He added a little more strength and pushed the door open. The moment the door opened, he saw a body hanging from the beam.

The leader of Lianyun Sect.

His body was hung on the beam by the strings of the zither. The only difference between his death and that of the other disciples was that the skin on his face was completely peeled off, revealing the meridians underneath the skin, which was a shocking sight.

Xiao Yuan flicked his sleeves, and the corpse of the leader of Lianyun Sect fell to the ground. In an instant, the three words "Dabie Mountains" appeared in the air, as if waiting for them to come.

After seeing these three words, several people fell into deep thought, and suddenly footsteps were heard behind them.

Slow and steady, it seems out of place in the silent atmosphere.

"Who?" Yin Heng tilted his head and shouted in a low voice.

The man was wearing a dark blue robe, not the uniform of a disciple from any sect. It was obvious that he had no sect or affiliation, so his appearance here made it hard not to be suspicious.

"My name is Xie Zhuoyun. I have no ill intentions. I just heard that Lianyun Sect was attacked by a murderer and came to check it out." Xie Zhuoyun said in a clear voice.

"Xie Zhuoyun..." Jiang Yun muttered softly, thinking for a moment, and then he looked as if he had suddenly realized something. He said, "Are you the wandering cultivator Xie Zhuoyun who went down the mountain to do good deeds?"

Xie Zhuoyun smiled and replied, "That's right, but you're exaggerating. I only helped a few people, and I don't know how the story got spread like this."

This wasn't an act of deliberate modesty; he was a casual cultivator who had simply helped a few mortals while traveling. Word of mouth spread, and over time, with embellishments, he became known as the "immortal who does good deeds everywhere."

Since Xie Zhuoyun came up and introduced himself and stated the purpose of his visit, it was not appropriate for the others to be too distant. After each of them told their name, they relaxed a little.

The words that had just appeared in the air had not yet disappeared. After seeing them, Xie Zhuoyun asked the others, "Are you planning to go?"

Go to Dabie Mountains.

Of course they had to go, so Xie Zhuoyun suggested going with them, and the five of them went to Dabie Mountains.

Dabie Mountain was close to Lianyun Sect, so it only took half an hour to fly the sword. Half an hour later, they arrived at the foot of Dabie Mountain.

The Dabie Mountains are shrouded in mist. It's still pleasant at the foot of the mountain, but as you ascend the path, the smog grows thicker. Spending too long in this place makes you feel uneasy, but you can't quite pinpoint what's wrong.

A few people walked up the mountain road. The trees were lush and overgrown, blocking out the sunlight and adding to the eerie feeling.

There is a cave not far ahead, with many strange rocks beside it. Vines grow wildly at the entrance of the cave, winding around the stone walls, giving it an eerie aura.

"Let's go in and take a look." Xiao Yuan said.

He walked ahead, and several others, led by him, explored the cave. The cave was damp, with uneven stone walls and gullies rising and falling.

Tick-tick——

The sound of dripping liquid echoed in the cave. By the time he reached this point, it was already dark. Xiao Liang condensed spiritual fire at his fingertips. The spiritual fire swayed at his fingertips, the flames swaying with his steps, emitting a shimmering brilliance.

In the darkness, Yin Heng could vaguely see something hanging in the air behind Xiao Yuan. It wasn't clear, but its shape didn't look like a stalactite. He took a few quick steps and held Xiao Yuan down. Xiao Yuan stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Wait a moment, I'll go check out the front." Yin Heng lit up his spiritual fire and walked forward. The sound of liquid dripping onto the ground became more and more obvious, and he immediately sensed something was wrong.

I previously thought it was just the sound of water, but now that I listen carefully, the sound is somewhat different from the sound of water dripping, and it seems that the water is more viscous.

Yin Heng fueled the spiritual fire even more vigorously. When the flames spread into the darkness, illuminating the area ahead, he could finally see clearly. What he had mistaken for stalactites suddenly became apparent—a few fox pelts. Some were dried by the wind, others still dripping with sticky blood. Beneath the pelts lay hundreds of fox carcasses.

Judging from its fur color, it is a red-tailed fox. Its whole body is snow-white except for the tail which is red. However, now the snow-white fur has also been stained red by blood.

The red-tailed fox corpses, some of which had been skinned, were piled up on the ground, and the smell of blood was overwhelming. The four people behind walked forward and saw this scene.

Yin Heng collected the spiritual fire, unsheathed Yu Xiu's sword, and used the tip of his sword to pick up the corpse of a red-tailed fox. The corpse was lifted up, and its limp body drooped downwards.

A few people suddenly remembered that the strings of the zither left by the murderer were made of the tendons and bones of red-tailed foxes.

These are red-tailed foxes whose tendons and bones were pulled out by the murderer to make strings for the guitar.

Yin Heng sheathed his sword, squatted down, and squeezed the body of a red-tailed fox. Sure enough, all the flesh had been drained out. It wouldn't be surprising if there were only a few, but with so many red-tailed foxes, the number of bones and tendons was innumerable.

What does that person need so many strings for?

As they were thinking this, they suddenly heard a rustling sound. The fox corpses on the ground stood up in a strange posture. They bared their fangs and stared at them intently, their eyes emitting an extremely strange red light.

Yin Heng looked down. The red-tailed fox in front of him had its mouth stretched to the back of its head, a smile that seemed neither smile nor smile. It suddenly pounced on Yin Heng, and just as it was about to bite his hand, he unsheathed his green silk and pried away its sharp claws, driving the red-tailed fox back.

Yin Heng immediately drew his sword and retreated in a defensive posture, shouting, "Back off!"

The number of red-tailed foxes was too large, and several people mobilized their spiritual power and found that their spiritual veins were blocked.

Jiang Yun spat and said, "Why is my spiritual vein blocked? What about you?" It turned out that several people had the same problem.

Yin Heng suddenly thought of something and said, "It's the fog!"

The fog from the Dabie Mountains that they had previously absorbed actually took effect. The fog blocked their spiritual veins, and they were currently unable to mobilize their spiritual power at all.

But all the red-tailed foxes have already jumped up, and it is impossible to resist these foxes without using spiritual power!

The five were forced to retreat step by step by the red-tailed fox that kept charging forward. Yin Heng, standing in the front, fought side by side with Xiao Yuan, and the sharp blade pierced the red-tailed fox's body. Yin Heng swung his sword to his side, shaking off the blood beads on the sword.

Xie Zhuoyun threw a talisman at the foxes and shouted, "Break!"

Dust flew up, and the nearby fox corpse was blown to pieces. The foxes fought to the death, and the red-tailed fox that had just been pierced stood up again.

Several people had been forced to the cave entrance, and they couldn't use their spiritual power, so going back and forth seemed a bit strenuous.

Outside the cave, the smoke was thicker than before they entered. They couldn't breathe any more, but now they were in a dilemma. The red-tailed foxes were chasing them too closely. The most urgent task was not to kill them all, but to find a way to calm them down.

Xiao Yuan glanced outside the cave while fighting off the red fox, and saw a person standing in the fog. The person seemed to notice his gaze and quickly left.

Xiao Yuan didn't even say hello and chased after the man. Yin Heng didn't understand why and wanted to follow Xiao Yuan, but he was too busy to do so.

Xiao Yuan chased after him relentlessly, his clothes fluttering against the wind. The man suddenly stopped. He turned around and saw the young man. Xiao Yuan stopped at a distance from him.

The man approached Xiao Yuan, suddenly transforming into a red-tailed fox and pouncing on him, swinging his sharp melon at him. Xiao Yuan blocked it with his sword, and with a "clang" sound, the sharp claws and the blade collided and rubbed against each other, making a crisp sound.

The red-tailed fox was knocked to the ground, then stood up again, staring at him with its strange eyes.

The red-tailed fox transformed into human form, drew its bayonet from its waist, and leaped to strike at Xiao Yuan. Xiao Yuan nimbly dodged sideways, and the red-tailed fox tossed its blade horizontally to its left hand, slashing at his waist. Every strike was parried, but Xiao Yuan was on the defensive. The red-tailed fox's attack was too fierce, and he had no opening to attack.

The red-tailed fox took advantage of Xiao Yuan's unpreparedness and swiped a handful of sand at him, sending sand flying into his eyes. The red-tailed fox then transformed into a fox form and pounced on Xiao Yuan, raising its sharp claws and scratching his right arm, leaving it bleeding.

Warm blood instantly soaked through his sleeves, causing unbearable pain. Grabbing too deep might have damaged his tendons and bones. Xiao Yuan couldn't lift his right hand, let alone his sword, so he sheathed it.

The red-tailed fox pounced on Xiao Yuan at an even faster speed. He raised his left hand and grabbed its throat. The red-tailed fox struggled hard, but Xiao Yuan shook it off and took a step back.

Xiao Yuan quickly pulled a few talismans from his pouch. A gust of wind swept past, and his wide sleeves billowed. He strained his strength to mobilize his thin spiritual power, and the talismans glowed from his fingertips.

"Set up the formation, close it!"

The talisman paper turned into powder and flew away with the wind. In a moment, dozens of invisible hands stretched out from under the red-tailed fox's feet, scrambling to bind it, and no matter how hard it tried, it could not break free.

Xiao Yuan threw the Soul-Locking Bag into the air and sealed the captured red-tailed fox in. He held the Soul-Locking Bag and glanced sideways at the wound on his right hand.

The blood from his right arm dyed the entire sleeve red. He was bleeding too much and his face was pale as paper. He had just forcibly mobilized his spiritual power to set up a formation with talismans and had consumed too much energy. He could not support himself and knelt on one knee on the ground, supporting himself with his left hand.

He suddenly felt a warmth coming from his wrist, from the inside out, but he had no time to care about the reason.