Chapter 196 Who Will Save Us?
Behind the main hall of the Lingjing Sect's main peak lies a hidden dungeon, specifically for holding high-ranking criminals. These prisoners are special individuals, the kind who were in a meeting in the main hall one day and were imprisoned the next.
It goes without saying that every sect, faction, and even cultivation family has such prisons near their main hall, ancestral hall, and clan hall. These prisons are for detaining those who lost in internal power struggles. These people once held power and knew many secrets. In order to control them and prevent them from becoming desperate and revealing more core secrets, secret prisons are set up next to these halls of power.
Separated by a wall, one side is the pinnacle of glory, and the other is a dark hell.
Now, Ling Kui was trapped deep in the dungeon by eighteen chains. He hung his head, seemingly dead, his clothes burned to shreds by magic, revealing his mottled skin underneath.
Around him were three sides of impregnable deep-sea black rock and one side of a fence made of black iron. Upon closer inspection, one could see that it was covered with dense runes—capable of resisting most spells and incantations. Even the most powerful magic cultivators would have to expend considerable effort to reach this place. Before the iron fence was breached, the strongest group of people from the sect would arrive here.
Outside the iron fence, in the middle of the only passageway leading to the outside world, the light of torches illuminated the face of Xue Baoshan, the sect leader of the Lingjing Sect, but could not dispel the gloom on his face.
"Sect Master, what do we do now?" an elder asked in a heavy voice. "The fellow cultivators of the Ruthless Path outside are making a fuss, demanding an answer from us. What are we supposed to say?"
"If you ask me, we shouldn't have let Ling Kui in. How can someone who left Wushang Immortal Mountain so long ago represent Wushang Immortal Mountain?"
"What's the point of saying all this now? I think we should just go all the way and say that Ling Kui was possessed by a demon and is talking nonsense. None of his words are credible. They're just something the demon uses to corrupt people's minds. Anyone who believes him is a fool."
Elder Yunfeng couldn't listen any longer: "Then wouldn't we all be fools? Facts are facts. Denying facts will only lead to repercussions sooner or later!"
"Then what do you suggest?" the elder who had made the earlier suggestion retorted.
"This... if I knew what to do, I would have said it already!" Elder Yunfeng flicked his sleeve.
"Pshaw, I think you—"
Seeing that the two sides were about to start arguing again, Sect Leader Xue said impatiently, "Stop arguing!"
The elders quieted down, their anxious and worried eyes fixed on Sect Leader Xue.
"Have you checked him? Does he have any demonic aura?" Sect Master Xue asked.
The two elders who had just thoroughly examined Ling Kui from head to toe in the prison came back to report: "Nothing."
"What?" Everyone was surprised, and Xue Baoshan raised his eyebrows. "So, he wasn't possessed by a monster?"
“It should be…” The two elders exchanged a glance, “No.”
The elder's examination methods were naturally thorough, especially when dealing with a major criminal like Ling Kui. As long as he wasn't killed, he could investigate however he wanted. Ling Kui's sea of consciousness, dantian, and meridians were all thoroughly searched, and there were no signs of demonic possession.
"How is this possible?" "How could this be?" "Could it be that Ling Kui did this on purpose? But we've investigated his actions over the years. Apart from his limited talent, he's clearly a staunch practitioner of the ruthless path!"
The elders began to discuss among themselves, and for a time, the passageway was filled with sounds of confusion and doubt.
“Wait a minute, my apprentice Shu Yang seems to have made another discovery,” Elder Yunfeng suddenly said. “He just told me that Ling Kui may have been bewitched by the Albizia Flower Fairy.”
"Acacia Flower Demon?" The elders didn't understand what Elder Yunfeng was talking about. When they heard about acacia flowers, their first thought was of the Hehuan Sect, a cult of thieves and prostitutes. How could Ling Kui, a ruthless cultivator, be involved with these people? He wasn't like those traitors from Zhilan Ridge who had gone astray.
"Stop arguing." Xue Baoshan silenced the commotion and turned to Elder Yunfeng. "Call your disciple Shuyang in and explain the situation in detail."
"Yes, Sect Master."
A moment later, Shu Yang entered, followed by two other people.
"Shen Bingsi?" Xue Baoshan immediately felt overwhelmed when he saw the person behind Shu Yang.
If there's anything that gives Xue Baoshan an even bigger headache, it's that Shen Bingsi's Dao heart has been shattered and she's switched to cultivating another path.
Not only did he change his path, but I also heard that he got together with his childhood sweetheart, the steward, and they became Daoist partners.
Wait a minute, that familiar-looking young man next to Shen Bingsi, could he be Rong Xie? When they walked over, their sleeves were folded together and never separated, so they were probably holding hands underneath.
Xue Baoshan's vision went black, and he swayed. Fortunately, Yunfeng, who had been paying attention to his emotional changes, reached out and supported him.
"Why did you call those two here?" Xue Baoshan asked, suppressing his agitation.
"Reporting to the Sect Master, it was Junior Brother Rong who discovered it. As for the specifics, I'm afraid we'll have to wait for Junior Brother Rong to explain," Shu Yang explained.
Xue Baoshan then took a good look at Rong Xie. After a moment of contemplation, he seemed to recall that Rong Xie had saved the day in a similar way not long ago. However, at that time, he had considered that Rong Xie's cultivation was low and his talent was limited. Even if he had some intelligence, he had no future, so he did not invite him to the actual celebration banquet.
Now, he's standing right in front of me again. Could this be a coincidence?
"Thank you?" Xue Baoshan pronounced the two words heavily. "Go ahead and say it."
Rong Xie nodded and clearly explained how he discovered the anomaly on Ling Kui, then went on to recount a past encounter with the Hehuan Flower Demon, explaining that the Hehuan Flower Demon's characteristic was that it left a faint rose-like fragrance wherever it went, and that Ling Kui carried this fragrance.
“The power of the Albizia Flower Demon lies in this: its demonic aura is very difficult to detect. Even when Shen Bingsi was still serving as an exorcist, she did not notice that the Albizia Flower Demon was attached to… one of our friends,” Rong Xie paused, adjusted his emotions slightly, and continued, “Moreover, it can control people through illusions. Even if it does not personally possess a person, it can influence them through illusions, dreams, and the like, making them do as it pleases and manipulate people’s hearts at will. This is exactly what it excels at.”
"So that's how it is. That Shang guy from the Xuantian Sect, wasn't he the one who died after falling into hallucinations and acting like a madman?" An elder immediately connected it to the monster rampage that had occurred some time ago.
“Shang Gan, that’s his name,” Elder Jianfeng corrected. “He was a subordinate of Elder Bai of the Xuantian Sect, and the candidate to succeed the Demon Exorcist of the Mirror Palace. I never expected that he would be defeated by a monster, and in such a disgraceful way. Alas…”
Rong Xie thought to herself, "If you had met Shang Gan, you wouldn't feel sorry for him."
“I’ve heard about Shang Gan, but I didn’t see it with my own eyes, so I can’t be sure,” Rong Xie said calmly. “As for the Hehuan Flower Demon, Bing Si and I have both fought against him. I was also once affected by a nightmare spell cast with the fragrance of the Hehuan Flower, so I know a little about it.”
"Oh? You've been under a nightmare spell?" Xue Baoshan became interested. "What does it feel like? Do you uncontrollably say or do things?"
"I fell asleep immediately and slept for a very long time. Moreover, my spiritual energy was flowing out of control. If Bing Si hadn't saved me, I probably would have died from exhaustion of my spiritual energy," Rong Xie said.
The elders sighed in dismay, realizing that the flower demon's methods were truly ruthless.
It's no wonder the elders were so surprised; they've been living in peace for too long. Their ancestors shed blood and sweat to win the war between gods and demons, bringing a century of peace to the cultivation world and the human realm. The people here have almost forgotten what a chaotic world of demons and monsters looks like.
"That nightmare spell wasn't directly cast by the Albizia Flower Fairy, but rather by a villain using the power of the Albizia Flower pollen... I think if the Albizia Flower Fairy had cast it herself, it would have been even more powerful than the nightmare spell she cast on me. It's not impossible for her to control a person's words and actions in a dream," Rong Xie continued.
“Hmm…” Xue Baoshan fell into deep thought, and the elders all nodded in agreement.
"So, Nephew Shen, do you know how to break the spell?" Xue Baoshan looked up at Shen Bingsi, who had been standing to the side listening to Rong Xie's explanation.
The elders also raised their heads and looked at Shen Bingsi, their eyes filled with hope. If Shen Bingsi could break the spell, they could get Ling Kui's firsthand confession and maybe even capture that cunning and cruel flower demon.
“Yes, I do know—” Shen Bingsi was about to agree when Rong Xie stopped her from the side.
"Sect Leader Xue, elders, to lift the nightmare spell, Shen Bingsi needs to enter the victim's dream. This requires sufficient trust and understanding between them. Acting rashly will only result in being excluded, or worse, falling into the abyss of nightmares with the victim, never to awaken." Rong Xie looked at Xue Baoshan. "Sect Leader Xue must know Shen Bingsi's current condition very well. He's not suitable for this task. If Sect Leader Xue insists on finding someone to wake Ling Kui, we can provide the method and tools to lift the spell. Sect Leader Xue can simply find someone trustworthy to rescue him."
"Hey, you little disciple, how dare you speak to the sect leader like that?" an elder said indignantly. "The sect leader has given an order, and the entire sect should obey it. Besides, it's for the greater good. If we can't catch that flower demon, today's events will continue, and innocent people will be sacrificed again. Do you want to see the cultivation world descend into chaos?"
Rong Xie smiled lightly: "Elder, I was expelled from your sect long ago. In fact, I can't be considered a disciple of your sect. So, of course I can disobey your orders. And your moral blackmail can't bind me. After all, I don't know what the Grand Elder left behind, and I didn't help cover it up."
"You!" The elder was speechless for a moment after Rong Xie's words, and his face immediately turned red.
Rong Xie looked at Shen Bingsi: "As for Bingsi, he is indeed one of your people. His decision is beyond my control. I only hope you will consider this carefully. He has sacrificed countless lives to exorcise demons. Do you really want to force him to do such a dangerous thing when his Dao heart is broken? Or do you not care about his life or death at all? You praise him highly when he is useful, but only think about squeezing out the last bit of value from him when he is no longer useful?"
The elder was rendered speechless, and the other elders who had the same idea also fell silent. Xue Baoshan took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "Rong Xie, I really underestimated you. In that case, we absolutely cannot use Shen Bingsi, this great Buddha."
Rong Xie looked directly at Xue Baoshan without flinching.
Seeing the atmosphere reach a stalemate, Elder Yunfeng said, "Actually, what Young Friend Rong said is quite right. Let's find another reliable person and use their method of dispelling the nightmare to inquire with Ling Kui and see if there's any way to awaken him—"
But where can we find a reliable person? Someone who is both highly skilled in magic and understands Ling Kui.
As they were talking, someone walked in from outside, his voice carrying a sense of vicissitude and composure: "No need to search anymore, I'll take care of it."
Everyone looked out in surprise, wondering who could have entered the heart of the Spirit Mirror Sect without disturbing the outer formations and guarding disciples.
Upon seeing these two people, everything became clear.
The Grand Judge of the Mirror Palace walked in first, followed slightly behind by the Registrar.
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