Panic spread through the population like a plague.
"Going...possessed by demonic possession?"
"How could this happen? Senior Brother Zhao, he..."
"It's a cultivation technique! I've felt my spiritual energy circulation hasn't been smooth lately!"
"Me too! My meridians feel a bit swollen and painful!"
"Could it be... could it really be that there's something wrong with the Condensing Essence Technique?"
"Impossible, right? I've cultivated for so many years and nothing's happened..."
"What happened to Senior Brother Zhao Mang? He was perfectly fine just now!"
The whispers grew louder and louder, and doubts spread like wildfire.
Xuan Chengzi listened to the discussions below and saw the doubtful and frightened looks in everyone's eyes, and his heart sank.
"Silence!" He used his spiritual power, his authoritative voice drowning out all the noise, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire scene. "Don't panic! Zhao Mang's foundation is unstable, and his temperament is impetuous! He must have been secretly practicing forbidden techniques of the sect, being greedy for quick success and eager for achievement, which led to the backlash of his spiritual power and his demonic possession! It has nothing to do with the 'Condensing Yuan Technique' itself!"
He forcefully pinned the blame on Zhao Mang, clearing him of any suspicion regarding the martial arts technique.
"Elder Xuancheng is right!" another elder immediately chimed in, pointing at Zhao Mang on the ground, "Look at him! This is the consequence of disobeying the sect rules and being impatient for quick success! You should all take this as a warning! Don't let your imagination run wild and throw yourselves into chaos!"
His voice was stern, and he tried to quell the panic with his intimidation.
However, once the seeds of doubt are sown, they are difficult to eradicate.
Especially with the vivid and tragic example of Zhao Mang right before our eyes.
It was true that his cultivation had increased dramatically before, but his current miserable state was even more shocking. The more the sect leader and elders said this, the deeper the doubts in the hearts of the disciples below became, and the atmosphere became more oppressive and eerie.
In the chaos, no one paid any attention to the cold "corpse" in the corner.
Two disciples who were nearby looked at the mess and blood around Jiang Chan's "corpse" with disgust and muttered a few words under their breath.
"Damn it! This little piece of trash couldn't even die peacefully, he's taking up space!"
"Get her out of here! Throw her in the woodshed behind the mountain, so she won't be an eyesore!"
"Okay, hurry up, don't let the elders see and get upset!"
Finding it troublesome and disregarding any respect for the deceased, the two men, one lifting their head and the other their foot, roughly dragged Jiang Chan's stiff "corpse" away from the altar square like a bundle of firewood, through the edge of the chaotic crowd, all the way to the remote and dilapidated woodshed in the back mountain.
Her body was dragged across the uneven ground, crashing into rubble and debris, but under the protection of the system, Jiang Chan's consciousness remained as clear and cold as an iceberg lurking underwater.
[WARNING: The [Momentary Death] state is about to end! Countdown: 10, 9, 8...]
The cold, system-wide countdown echoed in my mind.
【3, 2, 1! Release!】
The moment she was thrown onto the cold floor of the woodshed like trash, Jiang Chan's tightly closed eyes snapped open!
There was no trace of death within, only a calm and sharp stillness, like a frozen pool.
"Ugh..." A sudden wave of intense weakness and excruciating pain, as if her bones were falling apart, washed over her, causing her to groan involuntarily.
She struggled to sit up, leaning against the cold woodpile, panting heavily.
The woodshed was small and dark, piled with clutter, and filled with dust and the rotten smell of old wood.
A faint commotion could be heard coming from the direction of the altar outside.
It was a success.
Zhao Mang is a perfect example of this! The seeds of panic have been sown.
Next comes the most crucial step—finding the original jade slip that contains the fatal flaw! We must take this "root out the problem" approach to the end!
Time is of the essence! The chaos at the altar won't last long. Once the higher-ups have a basic grasp of the situation, they will inevitably remember her as the "spirit stone." If they discover the "corpse" is missing, things will get really messy.
“System… [Stealth and Invisibility]…” Jiang Chan called out in her mind.
She doesn't even have the strength to stand up.
[Stealth activated!]
A cool breeze instantly enveloped Jiang Chan's entire body, as if draping her in an invisible veil.
Although the pain and weakness were still there, a faint sense of strength supported her as she managed to stand up.
She looked down at herself and felt that even the light falling on her was somewhat blurry.
Taking a deep breath to calm her surging blood, Jiang Chan gently pushed open the creaking, dilapidated door of the woodshed.
Relying on the original owner's vague and fragmented memories, she made her way towards the forbidden area deep within the Qingyun Sect—the Sutra Repository.
The effect of [Shadowless Stealth] was truly magical. She moved like a real shadow, clinging to the wall and avoiding the occasional passing patrolling disciples.
On several occasions, the patrolling disciples walked right past her, seemingly oblivious to her presence, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant shadow in the corner.
The Sutra Repository is an ancient and imposing tower, its body radiating faint spiritual energy fluctuations, with two Qi Refining stage disciples on duty at the entrance.
But at this moment, the two disciples also craned their necks, staring nervously in the direction of the altar, whispering about Zhao Mang, and had no mind to carefully explore their surroundings.
Jiang Chan held her breath and went around to an inconspicuous corner on the side of the Sutra Pavilion. She reached out her hand, and her icy fingers touched the cold tower wall.
In the original owner's memory, it seemed that Xuan Chengzi brought her here once, and she saw her from afar...
Just then, a faint, extremely weak fluctuation, which resonated strangely with her immaculate spiritual body, quietly emanated from the spot where her fingertips touched!
"Here!" Jiang Chan's heart skipped a beat.
The special restrictions on the original jade slip of the "Condensing Essence Technique" have a certain reaction to pure, immaculate spiritual power!
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