Chapter 32: The Long Road Ahead
The shadow of the Evil-Suppressing Seal vanished, and the vast energy fluctuations subsided. Silence returned to the cave, but the three people's hearts could not calm down for a long time. Chu Yun was the first to come to his senses. He withdrew his fingers, and the sketch of the "Heart Knot" lay quietly on the ground. He looked at Li Ge and Mo Li, both of whom had the same shock and solemnity on their faces. "That just now..." Mo Li's voice was a little dry, "Did we all feel it?" "Yes." Li Ge nodded. She pressed her chest, as if trying to calm something down, "A summons, or... a 'recognition'. It's as if something has completely bound the fate of the three of us together." "It's the Evil-Suppressing Seal." Chu Yun's tone was extremely certain, "When we, representing the three forces of 'Key', 'Spirit', and 'Source', achieved true unity for the first time, it was triggered. It is telling us what our mission is." "Stop Shadow Pavilion, gather the Evil-Suppressing Seals, and guard the seal." Mo Li continued, her thinking has always been clear and direct, "But now, we are facing a more realistic problem." She picked up the "Shadow" token on the ground, held it between two fingers, and handed it to everyone: "We killed the people from Shadow Pavilion and ruined their plans in Tianshu Tower. Do you think they will let it go?" "No." Li Ge's answer was cold and quick, "The Shadow Pavilion is an organization that will never let go of any grudge. They either don't know who did it, or once they know, they will mobilize all their strength to nip the threat in the bud and leave no future troubles." "We left a trace," Chu Yun observed. "This thing only appeared after the death of that 'Soul-Eating Gu' monster, which means it's a beacon in itself. Now that we've taken it, the higher-ups at Shadow Pavilion are likely aware of our existence, and even... our approximate location." Mo Li's face darkened. "You mean, we're exposed now?" "Yes," Chu Yun nodded. "From the moment we left the Maze City, we were no longer just covert investigators. We became... the targets of Shadow Pavilion's entirety." This conclusion instantly turned the atmosphere in the cave into something incredibly oppressive. The previous sense of accomplishment from defeating a powerful enemy and solving a mystery was gone, replaced by a suffocating feeling of being enveloped by an invisible web. They were no longer facing a hidden enemy, but a vast organization that had already targeted them as prey. "We know too little about Shadow Pavilion," Chu Yun said...
The shadow of the Evil-Suppressing Seal vanished in a flash, and the vast energy fluctuations subsided. Silence returned to the cave, but the three people's hearts could not calm down for a long time.
Chu Yun was the first to recover. He withdrew his finger, and the sketch of the "Heart Knot" lay quietly on the ground. He looked at Li Ge and Mo Li, both of whom had the same expression of shock and solemnity on their faces.
"That just now..." Mo Li's voice was a little dry, "Did we all feel it?"
"Yeah." Li Ge nodded. She pressed her chest, as if trying to calm something down. "A calling, or... a kind of 'recognition'. It's like something has completely bound the fate of the three of us together."
"It's the Evil-Suppressing Seal." Chu Yun's tone was extremely certain. "When we, representing the three forces of 'Key', 'Pierce', and 'Source', achieved true unity for the first time, it was triggered. It is telling us what our mission is."
"Stop the Shadow Pavilion, gather the Evil-Suppressing Seals, and protect the seal." Mo Li continued. Her thinking was always clear and direct. "But now, we face a more practical problem."
She picked up the "Shadow" token from the ground, held it between two fingers, and handed it to the crowd: "We killed the people from the Shadow Pavilion and ruined their plans in Tianshu Tower. Do you think they will give up?"
"No." Li Ge's answer was cold and quick. "The Shadow Pavilion is an organization that will never let go of any grievance. They either don't know who did it, or once they know, they will use all their strength to nip the threat in the bud and leave no future troubles."
"We left a trace." Chu Yun looked at the token. "This thing only appeared after the death of the 'Soul Devouring Gu' monster, which means it itself is a beacon. We took it. The higher-ups of Shadow Pavilion are likely aware of our existence and even... our approximate location."
Mo Li's face darkened: "You mean, we've been exposed now?"
"Yes." Chu Yun nodded. "From the moment we left the Maze City, we were no longer secret pursuers. We became... the target of the entire Shadow Pavilion."
This conclusion instantly turned the atmosphere in the cave into something incredibly oppressive. The sense of accomplishment they'd felt from defeating a powerful enemy and uncovering a mystery vanished, replaced by a suffocating feeling of being enveloped by an invisible web. They were no longer facing an enemy lurking in the shadows, but a vast organization that had already targeted them as prey.
"We know too little about Shadow Pavilion," Chu Yun said, trying to keep his voice calm. "Li Ge, when your master investigated them back then, did he leave behind any useful information?"
Li Ge's eyes dimmed for a moment, and she shook her head. "My master has always been mysterious, and he never told me anything in detail. I only know that the last time he sent me a message, he told me to leave the sect immediately, to live in seclusion in the most remote place, and never to inquire about anything about the 'Ghost Doctor' and the 'Shadow Pavilion' again. He said it was a behemoth that we couldn't afford to offend."
"Did he mention the internal structure of Shadow Pavilion? Or how they do things?" Mo Li asked.
"He mentioned it a little bit," Li Ge recalled. "He said that the hierarchy within the Shadow Pavilion is extremely strict, divided into eight levels using the eight characters 'Heaven and Earth, Profound Yellow, and the Universe, Undying and Desolate.' The one we killed this time, judging by his strength and the resources he controlled, was at most a 'Yellow'-level leader."
"Yellow-level..." Chu Yun repeated the word, his heart chilled. The formidable enemy who had nearly annihilated their entire army was only one of the lowest-ranking leaders of the Shadow Pavilion. Just how terrifying were the "Xuan," "Di," and "Tian"-level beings above him?
"Moreover," Li Ge continued, a hint of fear in her voice that she herself was unaware of, "My master also said that the most terrifying thing about Shadow Pavilion isn't their strength, but their ability to infiltrate. They are as omnipresent as mercury. They may have members in martial arts sects, wealthy merchants, and even... in the imperial court. You have no idea if the person next to you who greets you with a smile is secretly a minion of Shadow Pavilion."
Mo Li's body trembled uncontrollably upon hearing this. She recalled her family's tragedy. If the Shadow Pavilion had truly infiltrated to that extent, then could it be that the Mo family was framed by more than just one or two scoundrels from the Evil Suppression Division, but rather a force from the imperial court, one she couldn't even imagine, behind the scenes? The thought shuddered at her.
"So, the situation we face now is this," Chu Yun summarized after integrating all the information. "First, we've been exposed and could be hunted down by the Shadow Pavilion at any time. Furthermore, the next enemy will only be stronger than the one in the Tianshu Tower. Second, we can't trust anyone. Any so-called reputable sect or official power could be an accomplice of the Shadow Pavilion. Third, we must rush to that 'Nightmare Village' and find the 'source' of the Evil-Suppressing Seal before we're caught up. This is our only way out."
Each conclusion weighed like a mountain on the hearts of the three. The road ahead was long and filled with danger. They were like a small boat in the vast ocean, surrounded by a bottomless darkness that lurked countless monstrous beasts.
"I need to craft the 'Heart Knot' as soon as possible." Mo Li was the first to speak, breaking the silence. Fear had vanished from her face, replaced by a pressure-fueled, artisan's stubbornness and focus. "We need it to deal with the 'Nightmare,' and to increase our combined strength. I need absolute silence and at least a day."
"This cave is safe for now, but we can't stay here for too long," Li Ge said. "The Shadow Pavilion's tracking methods are unpredictable. We can only stay here for one day at most. After one day, regardless of whether the 'Heart Knot' is completed or not, we must leave."
"Just one day at a time." Mo Li's eyes were extremely firm.
"Okay." Chu Yun nodded. "Li Ge and I will protect you for this day. After that, we will immediately set off for the south."
The plan was set. Without further ado, the three of them each began their own actions. Mo Li spread out all the parts and blueprints, completely lost in his own world. Li Ge, on the other hand, planted some herbal powder, a unique herbal remedy used by the Ghost Doctor lineage, at the entrance of the cave to warn and confuse the enemy.
Chu Yun sat cross-legged. He didn't regulate his breathing, but instead took the token inscribed with the word "Shadow" in his hand, attempting to sense it with his own strength. He wanted to know how Shadow Pavilion was tracking them. As a trace of his strength cautiously penetrated the token, his expression suddenly changed.
"What's wrong?" Li Ge immediately noticed his abnormality.
"There's something... in this token." Chu Yun's voice was extremely solemn. "A kind of... sorcery similar to 'mother-child induction'. We hold it, like a torch in the dark night. No matter where we go, the person holding the other 'mother stone' can clearly sense our location."
This discovery made Li Ge and Mo Li, who had just gotten into the state, gasp at the same time.
"Throw it away!" Mo Li said immediately.
"No." Chu Yun shook his head. "It's too late to throw it away now. Our location may have been locked. Besides... this thing may have other uses."
"What's the use?"
"Since it's 'Mother-Child Sensing', it's bidirectional." A gleam of light flashed in Chu Yun's eyes. "As long as my power is strong enough, perhaps... I can also use it to sense the position of the 'Mother Stone' in reverse."
"Are you crazy?" Li Ge objected immediately, "Your strength has just stabilized. If you forcefully attack the restrictions of this high-level evil technique, you will lose control again!"
"I know my limits." Chu Yun's tone left no room for doubt. "Only by knowing ourselves and the enemy can we win every battle. I don't want to be like in Tianshu Tower, rushing in without even knowing who the enemy is. I must know who is chasing us."
Li Ge looked at his determined eyes and knew that he couldn't persuade him, so he could only say: "Don't force it. If you feel something is wrong, stop immediately."
Chu Yun nodded, closed his eyes, and immersed all his mind in the small token.
Time ticked by. Mo Li was absorbed in assembling the delicate parts. Chu Yun was engaged in a silent, dangerous battle with the evil restrictions within the token. Li Ge stood guard at the cave entrance, vigilantly monitoring every movement around him.
Suddenly, Chu Yun, who had kept his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and a mouthful of blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth.
"Chu Yun!" Li Ge immediately flashed to his side.
"I'm fine." Chu Yun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his face was more solemn than ever before. "I... I saw it."
"What did you see?"
"I saw... the people chasing us." Chu Yun's voice trembled with shock. "It's a pursuit team from the Shadow Pavilion. Their strength is far superior to that of the previous leader. The leader is... a powerful person of the 'Xuan' level."
"Xuanzi level..." Li Ge's face instantly turned extremely ugly. She knew what this meant.
"How many of them are there? How far away are they from us?" Mo Li asked nervously.
"Five people." Chu Yun's answer made the atmosphere drop to freezing point. "They have already entered this mountain range. According to their speed, at most... half a day, they will find this place."
Half a day. This time, like a death warrant, hung over the heads of the three people.
Mo Li glanced at the pile of unfinished parts on the ground, then looked at Chu Yun and Li Ge. A flicker of determination flashed in her eyes: "Time is running out. I have to speed up."
"What we can do," Li Ge looked outside the cave with cold eyes, "is to be prepared to welcome them before they find us."
Inside the cave, a deathly silence reigned. Pursuers were approaching, and danger was imminent. All they could do was to fight tooth and nail to ignite the feeble fire in their hands before endless darkness descended.
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