Chapter 54 A cold hand covered her lips
Sheng Zhiyi sat cross-legged in meditation, the energy in her meridians flowing throughout her body, eventually slowly entering her dantian.
After completing the mental cultivation technique, she jumped off the bed, grabbed the "Surprising Feather" from the table, and rushed out the door.
For the past three days, she has been staying in the villa, practicing swordsmanship and meditating to accumulate spiritual energy.
After all, spiritual power is her weakness, so even if she has to cram at the last minute, it's better than doing nothing.
Rushing outside, I saw a figure in white standing beside a slender cherry blossom tree on the bluestone square.
Ji Fuguang reached out and touched the cherry blossom petals, his eyes half-closed, revealing a small red mole in the crease of his eyelid.
Sheng Zhiyi slowed her pace, walked over gently, and spoke softly:
"Senior brother."
Ji Fuguang turned his head, glanced at her, his face still carrying a gentle smile, but it seemed somewhat distant.
"Junior Sister, let's go."
Ji Fuguang made a hand seal to summon clouds, and the two flew through the air.
Sheng Zhiyi sat down cross-legged and took out the mission scroll to look at it again.
The scroll reads: Recently, news has been received that several hundred people in a village not far from Yingzhou City have been completely wiped out.
Demons are known for their ferocity and cruelty, and there are many examples of them slaughtering an entire village in a single night. However, this particular village is quite unique.
It is said that when the cultivators who discovered this place arrived, the entire village was already a river of blood, with no survivors. They only saw the cause and effect after using the Source Tracing Mirror.
Unlike the unruly and restless low-level demons, what appeared here were a large number of elite demons. They had arrogant and cruel faces and were no different from ordinary people. Only when they circulated their demonic energy did they emit a thick black mist.
They surrounded each household in the village, ordered the people out, questioned them one by one, and if they did not get satisfactory answers, they would wave their hands and turn the people into a cloud of blood mist.
It looks like they're looking for something.
But there was no sound in the tracing mirror, and their questions could not be heard.
The sect considered this matter of utmost importance. Unlike the previous massacres by the demons in a fit of rage, the demons' elite forces had been mobilized in full force. If they were truly searching for some magical treasure, then the immortal sect would naturally seize it first to prevent the demons from succeeding.
Ji Fuguang felt obligated to investigate the matter.
Sheng Zhiyi stared at the line of words on the bamboo slip:
One of them waved his finger, and the villager who had been questioning him instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist.
He couldn't help but make a bitter face.
If one person possesses such ability, then according to the bamboo slips, there must have been at least a dozen elite demons involved.
She's just a new inner disciple; there's no way she could beat me.
While it is our duty to fight against evil and uphold justice, we cannot try to stop a chariot by our own strength and throw our lives away in vain.
It's all Ji Fuguang's fault!
If he hadn't taken on this mission, she wouldn't have had to risk her life along with him.
but……
Alas, as the chief disciple of the Tianyan Sect, Ji Fuguang naturally had to bear this responsibility; in the end, it wasn't his fault.
In fact, many of the rules and regulations of the Tianyan Sect are quite unreasonable. Many elders are self-protective, enjoying the sect's resources on a daily basis, but only know how to cultivate behind closed doors, and ignore all other miscellaneous matters.
Ji Fuguang handled many things on his own.
The invasion of the demon race was a matter of great importance, and Ji Fuguang naturally wouldn't trust anyone else to handle it, so he had to take charge himself.
Sheng Zhiyi rested her chin on her hand, sometimes gritting her teeth, sometimes sighing helplessly, lost in her own thoughts, seemingly forgetting that she was on a mission with Ji Fuguang.
Ji Fuguang glanced at her, his face expressionless, and Liuyun quickly landed.
Sheng Zhiyi plopped down on the ground with a soft "Ouch!"
Ji Fuguang seemed to glance at her out of the corner of his eye, but quickly quickened his pace and walked forward, leaving Sheng Zhiyi with only her back view.
...What are you holding in your anger for? It's been so many days and you're still not feeling better.
Sheng Zhiyi stood up, patted her long dress, and quickly followed.
The two landed on a small hillside outside the village.
It was late spring, early summer, and the intertwined branches of the trees on both sides of the mountain path shaded the sky above, creating a cool and pleasant atmosphere.
Sheng Zhiyi took a deep breath, but her expression froze for a moment.
The fresh scent of mountain grass and trees was mixed with a hint of blood.
The two walked along the winding mountain path, leaving the hillside and heading towards the village.
At the entrance of the village stands a stone tablet, its four corners damaged and worn, looking quite old, with the three characters "Wangjia Village" written on it.
The two walked around the stone tablet and entered Wangjia Village.
The yellow earth was purplish-black in color, and the blood that had seeped into it still emitted a strong stench of blood after several days. Several severed limbs could still be seen on the street.
The further you go in, the stronger the smell of blood becomes.
The thatched houses in Wangjia Village are now just ruins, collapsed with a crash.
The crack still looked quite fresh. Before the demon elites left, they destroyed it, perhaps to vent their anger or to find something.
Along the broken walls facing the street, many families had farm tools laid out, covered in fresh mud. It looked as if the villagers would soon head out, pick up their tools, and head to the fields to farm.
But Sheng Zhiyi knew that none of this would ever happen again.
These hundreds of lives, this Wangjia Village, have long since turned into a blood-soaked mess.
Amidst the dilapidated ruins, Sheng Zhiyi, with her sharp eyes, spotted a thatched hut in the distance that remained intact, and pulled Ji Fuguang toward it.
This courtyard was dilapidated and remote. Unlike the bloody smell in other courtyards, it seemed to be uninhabited and overgrown with weeds.
This is probably why the demons didn't take them seriously.
Thick thatch hangs down from the eaves, and a small stream meanders beside the house.
A flash of inspiration seemed to pass through Sheng Zhiyi's mind, and she felt that this place was somewhat familiar.
But soon, as Ji Fuguang opened the door with a creak, the idea that had just surfaced slipped into a deep pool like a fish with a splash, leaving ripples that could not be captured.
Ji Fuguang stepped inside, and Sheng Zhiyi followed behind him.
The thatched hut had long been abandoned, and the room was filled with village clutter: wooden frames, discarded farm tools, a crippled incense table... It seemed that this place had become the warehouse of Wangjia Village.
Thick dust particles floated in the air, visible to the naked eye.
Sheng Zhiyi subconsciously made a hand seal, and a thin layer of spiritual energy barrier was placed in front of Ji Fuguang.
She couldn't let the young master's germaphobia flare up; what if he got so angry that he turned around and left? She didn't want to be alone here.
A fleeting sense of irritation flashed through Ji Fuguang's mind, but he acted as if he hadn't seen it and walked straight over, causing the barrier to shatter silently into pieces.
?
Good intentions are misunderstood?
What did she do to offend him that he's been giving her the cold shoulder these past few days?
Sheng Zhiyi was furious and decided not to look at him. He turned around abruptly and walked to the other end of the room.
I had only taken a few steps when suddenly a strong force grabbed my arm, and I was pulled into a warm embrace.
Sheng Zhiyi stared wide-eyed at Ji Fuguang, feeling both angry and wanting to curse.
"Are you... um..."
Before she could say more than a few words, Ji Fuguang's cold hand covered her lips, swallowing her words.
He lowered his head slightly, his voice low and deep, close to her ear:
"Someone's coming."
Ji Fuguang pulled her along, and the two hid behind a wooden plank leaning against the wall.
Between the earthen wall and the wooden planks, there was only a narrow, tight gap. The two people were pressed tightly together, so close that they could feel each other's body temperature under their clothes and their heartbeats suddenly accelerating.
Ji Fuguang's warm breath brushed against Sheng Zhiyi's hand, bringing an indescribable tingling sensation. She had an extremely slight urge to pull her hand back a little.
They were so close that Ji Fuguang sensed even the slightest movement. He frowned slightly, and a voice transmission carrying an undeniable sense of urgency pierced her ears:
"Silence! Hold your breath!"
Sheng Zhiyi froze instantly, even holding her breath unconsciously, and all her senses were amplified at that moment.
After waiting for a while, there was still no sound outside the wooden plank.
Sheng Zhiyi slightly lifted her eyelids and glanced at Ji Fuguang.
Could this just be the young master creating a diversion? But such a trick is far too childish...
As she was filled with doubt and uncertainty, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside.
Ji Fuguang's perception was so sharp that he could detect those people even though they were so far away.
Footsteps echoed heavily on the blood-soaked mud. There was more than one person, but their steps were unusually synchronized, carrying a chilling, disciplined quality.
Through the narrow gaps in the wooden planks, Sheng Zhiyi saw several pairs of oddly styled black leather boots stopped in front of the ruins of a collapsed house not far away.
The boots were stained with dark brown dirt, which gleamed ominously in the twilight.
A cold voice rang out:
"...Search again. The last trace disappeared here; there must be something we missed!"
Sheng Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat.
Demons! And judging from their tone, they are elite demons.
The demon's voice wasn't unpleasant; on the contrary, it was melodious and sounded indistinguishable from a human's. But it was precisely this that made her heart tremble.
High-ranking demons are no different from humans. If demonic energy is not used, can their identities still be distinguished?
With a "hum," the sound of the magic weapon activating came from outside.
The cold voice spoke again:
"The spirit compass shows fluctuations in spiritual energy?...Three days ago?"
Another slightly hoarse voice responded:
"It's the Origin Tracing Mirror. People from the Immortal Sect have come here to check it out."
These are traces left by the Tianyan Sect disciples who explored this place before. The Demon Clan's Spirit Disc can even sense the residual spiritual energy fluctuations from three days ago?!
Did they use any spiritual power along their journey?
Sheng Zhiyi's heart almost jumped out of her throat. She subconsciously gripped Ji Fuguang's shirt, her fingertips icy cold.
She could feel Ji Fuguang's steady heartbeat, one beat after another, as if even these terrifying demons could not stir his emotions.
Ji Fuguang's arms remained firmly wrapped around her, with great force and an unyielding strength that left no room for escape.
His gaze pierced through the crack, fixed on the few blurry figures outside, while the smile on his lips grew increasingly deep and cold.
The sounds of rubble and broken wood being rummaged through came from outside; the demon elites were clearly searching carefully for something in the ruins.
“No.” The slightly hoarse voice said, “The bloodstains have dried, and there’s nothing there except these dirty bits of debris.”
“Impossible.” The first voice carried a hint of barely perceptible anxiety. “The initial fluctuations were right here, but unfortunately, Jingfeng seized the initiative… But my scouts say he didn’t find him either… Finding him would be a huge achievement! The clues must still be there! Keep searching!”
It sounds like they're looking for... one person?
As the sounds of rummaging grew closer, Sheng Zhiyi instinctively held her breath, her whole body stiffening, and dared not move an inch.
Suddenly, the first cold voice exclaimed in surprise:
"There was a fluctuation of spiritual energy! Just now!"
Oh no! It was because she had just used her spiritual power to create a barrier to shield Ji Fuguang from the dust that the demonic artifacts discovered her presence.
"who?!"
A cold, hoarse shout suddenly rang out, and several spiritual senses filled with murderous intent instantly swept into the room!
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