DDT - Chapter 162
Chapter 162: Immortal Venerable × Meow Meow Cat (17)
Immortal Venerable Qingyun reviewed the day's events from the beginning. From the time she returned to Qingyun Peak yesterday until she was summoned by the Sect Master this morning, neither her little disciple nor her eldest disciple had shown any unusual behavior. Now, Chi Junluo had already left the Xianyuan Sect and was at the mission location. They didn't spend much time together on a daily basis, so she had no way of guessing what her little disciple was truly thinking.
Carefully analyzing their previous conversation in Yun Qian's cave dwelling, she found nothing out of the ordinary. Immortal Venerable Qingyun had practically raised Yun Qian herself. He was gentle, upright, and even a bit simple and honest. She didn't harbor even a sliver of suspicion toward her eldest disciple.
Having ruled out her own disciples, Immortal Venerable Qingyun focused her attention on Heiyun Hall.
The Nine Nether Profound Sky had been relatively peaceful these years. Ever since breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had never set foot in Heiyun Hall again, nor had she taken on any of its missions for many years. Thus, she was unaware of the recent personnel changes there. But the disciple who issued the mission today seemed extremely out of place. Having been a shrewd judge of character for many years, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had noticed his peculiarity the moment she came face-to-face with him.
During their conversation, the disciple had clearly recognized her identity from the start, yet he remained neither servile nor overbearing, showing no signs of timidity just because he was facing a Peak Master of the Xianyuan Sect.
In any other context, such a quality would be admirable. But this was Heiyun Hall. The disciples responsible for issuing missions were all at the bottom of the inner sect, with extremely low cultivation that was difficult to advance. To put it bluntly, they were disciples with no future and no room for development. These disciples would be assigned by their respective peaks to positions that were extremely time-consuming for cultivation but had to be filled. The mission issuance post was one such position.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun had hardly visited Heiyun Hall in the last few centuries. Disciples whose cultivation stagnated at the Qi Refining or low-level Foundation Establishment stages generally did not live very long. This disciple should not have seen her before. That was one suspicious point. But even if he had seen her by chance, and the first point was invalid…
Then there was the pressure unique to the Nascent Soul stage that Immortal Venerable Qingyun had unconsciously released when she questioned him. That strange disciple had actually managed to maintain his calm and composed demeanor without a change in expression. This was the biggest flaw in his act.
No matter how resilient a cultivator's mind was, how high their comprehension, or how detached from worldly affairs they claimed to be, the gap in cultivation was insurmountable. The difference between each major realm was like that between heaven and earth. Even a cultivator at the peak of the Golden Core stage might not have been able to withstand the Nascent Soul pressure she had just released without flinching. There was something very wrong with this disciple who had been putting on an act the entire time.
And then there was her little disciple. There were two possibilities. One was that her disciple didn't understand the differences between missions and was misled when asking for information, ultimately accepting a mission that had been specifically designated by someone else. The one who misled her would be the disciple who issued the mission. As for the motive behind guiding her disciple's choice, there was surely a deeper conspiracy. But it was undeniable that her little disciple did have a plan to leave the Xianyuan Sect.
The other possibility was that her little disciple had hidden her true strength and background. The choice to go to the Southern Xuan Kingdom was her own, because there was something she needed there, or she had some intricate connection to the Demon Realm.
As for the first theory, the various sects in the cultivation world and the Nine Nether Profound Sky were currently interdependent. Faced with resource scarcity and the instability of the passage to the Demon Realm, no sect with any sense would make a move against a behemoth like the Xianyuan Sect right now. Any schemes would have to wait until the threat from the Demon Realm was completely eliminated. This was an unwritten rule, a tacit understanding, in the cultivation world.
In that case, no matter which theory or possibility it was, it was inextricably linked to her little disciple's hidden reasons for leaving the Xianyuan Sect and the suddenly turbulent Demon Realm. The frown on Immortal Venerable Qingyun's face hadn't eased all evening. Things, she thought, were getting more and more complicated.
Regardless, Immortal Venerable Qingyun did not want anything to happen to the little disciple she had just picked up—who was very likely her fated person—or for her to get embroiled in the great troubles of the Demon Realm.
After sorting through her thoughts, Immortal Venerable Qingyun immediately sent a sound transmission to the Sect Master, briefly explaining her little disciple's departure and some of her speculations regarding the Demon Realm. As for the Sect Master's previous order for her to guard the Xianyuan Sect, it was utterly insignificant compared to her adorable little disciple.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun sat at the round wooden table in the small hut, looking at the empty room, and sighed unconsciously. The reason things had developed to this point was, in fact, mostly her own fault. If she had spent more time with her little disciple, instilled in her the dangers of the world, spent more time understanding everything about her, broken through her disciple's emotional defenses, and told her not to be afraid of anything because she, her master, would always be there to protect her, perhaps her disciple wouldn't have thought of taking on missions to gain experience and find opportunities to improve her cultivation. Instead, she would have stayed on the safe Qingyun Peak, cultivating happily and growing up healthy.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun recalled the scene of finding her little disciple a few days ago. The child had clearly suffered a great shock and fright, yet she herself had been so distracted by her disciple's talent and Myriad Spirit Root, so eager for results, that she had rushed around searching for cultivation techniques while neglecting the poor child's psychological well-being.
Could that foolish child have gone to the Southern Xuan Kingdom to carry out some reckless act of revenge?
Unconsciously, Immortal Venerable Qingyun had become fraught with worry, sighing over and over again.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun, who had never cared about the passage of time, was now, for the first time in her long life, anxiously waiting for the dawn.
For once, Immortal Venerable Qingyun simply lay on the small bed, facing the black sky, counting the twinkling stars through the gaps in the thick, gloomy clouds.
She wondered if, during the days she was away from Qingyun Peak, her lonely little disciple had spent every solitary night just as she was now, counting the struggling, flickering stars in the sky.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun discovered that since her little disciple had entered her life, she had started to become sentimental. This truly seemed to be the first time in her long life that she had cared so much for someone. Even though this person was just a child, she could now feel the immense weight this child held in her life and in her unclear future.
She briefly fell into a rare sleep. Bizarre and fantastical scenes flashed rapidly through her dream. She felt as if she were someone else, yet also herself.
In the dream, the indistinct figure of a woman gradually became clearer, her face slowly revealing itself.
Just as Immortal Venerable Qingyun was about to see clearly, the dream suddenly dissipated. She was awake.
Dazed, Immortal Venerable Qingyun sat up. The sights and sounds in the dream had been so real, as if she had traveled to those strange worlds in her sleep, as if she had experienced those tumultuous lives.
A faint, cool breeze blew past, and she felt a long-forgotten coolness on her temples. She subconsciously reached up to touch them; her hair was still slightly damp. The turbulent dream had unsettled her spirit, and she had sweated quite a bit during that short sleep.
Although she had dreamed of many things, only half a shichen had passed in reality.
She casually cast a cleansing spell on herself and looked up at the still-dark night sky. Immortal Venerable Qingyun decided not to wait any longer. She walked out of the small wooden hut, summoned her life-bound flying sword, and sped towards the Southern Xuan Kingdom. She was truly worried about her little disciple being out there alone. It was obvious that she didn't expect the twenty-odd people traveling with her to be able to protect her disciple. If the seal to the Demon Realm was truly broken, those little Foundation Establishment kids wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between the demons' teeth. They were like clay idols crossing a river—unable to even save themselves.
Chi Junluo, who had been on the road for many hours, had no idea what kind of emotional journey her heroine had gone through after discovering her missing that night.
She followed the small team of about twenty people, flying nonstop on their swords toward the Southern Xuan Kingdom.
The team members were all stone-faced. From the time they gathered until now, they hadn't spoken a single unnecessary word. After several hours, the total number of words spoken by everyone in this strange team could be counted on two hands.
Upon entering the border of the Southern Xuan Kingdom, the cool, poker-faced leader, who had the highest cultivation, slowed his sword and raised his right hand, signaling for everyone to slow down and "park."
It was late at night. As the one with the highest cultivation, the leader scanned the surrounding forest with his divine sense. After confirming the area was safe and free of threats, he found a large tree and leaned against a branch, closing his eyes to rest.
The others all found a branch or a clean patch of grass to lie or sit on, closing their eyes to replenish the energy they had spent on the journey.
Chi Junluo also found a slightly more secluded large tree and leaned against the back of its trunk. Her body was still small, and the wide trunk completely concealed her. A nearby teammate glanced at her choice but quickly looked away.
Chi Junluo had originally planned to stick with this small team all the way to their destination. But once she stopped and had enough mental capacity to think, she felt that this was somewhat inappropriate. She had snuck out. With her heroine's personality, she would surely discover her disappearance and quickly find traces of her departure. After all, the missions from Heiyun Hall were all recorded, so it would be easy to find out which way she had gone. With a Nascent Soul's strength, catching up to her team would be as easy as turning over a hand. She might be caught not long after dawn.
That wouldn't do. She wasn't going to bet that her heroine would let a little Qi Refining kid like her run wild outside. Given Immortal Venerable Qingyun's responsible nature, it was a certainty that she would come after her. She couldn't just sit and wait. If she was dragged back, it would be impossible to run out again on the night of the full moon. Plans change faster than circumstances, it seemed. She had to alter her plan on the fly.
With this in mind, Chi Junluo quickly rested to recover her energy and stamina while the team's vigilance was still high. When the latter half of the night came, she would find a way to leave the group.
This team had probably completed other missions together before. Every so often, different people would take over patrol and night watch duties. Perhaps because Chi Junluo was a newly added external member, or perhaps because they felt her cultivation was too low to be of any use, no one came to inform her of a watch schedule.
This was perfect, saving Chi Junluo a great deal of trouble.
After about an hour, the person on watch stopped moving around. Everyone remained quietly in their chosen spots, and most of the team members had already entered a meditative state. Chi Junluo could feel the fluctuations of spiritual energy from their cultivation. This was the perfect time for her to leave.
Chi Junluo poked her head out from behind the tree trunk, but unexpectedly, this small movement caused the person on watch high up in the branches to look over.
Chi Junluo: ...
She nodded somewhat awkwardly and shrank back.
The disciple on watch didn't think much of it and continued to stand guard.
Seeing how alert the members of this small team were, Chi Junluo realized that leaving stealthily would be too conspicuous.
Maybe she could try the bathroom excuse?
The person on watch couldn't possibly be so perverted as to keep his divine sense on someone going to take care of their physiological needs, right?
This time, Chi Junluo stood up openly. Sure enough, the team member on watch shifted his gaze to her again.
Seeing the watchman's questioning look, Chi Junluo clutched her stomach and put on a somewhat urgent expression. The watchman had a moment of realization and waved his hand, letting Chi Junluo go take care of it herself. They could all see that this external member had not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so she naturally hadn't achieved abstinence from food. It was only natural that she had physiological needs to attend to. He couldn't just spy on her with his divine sense while she was using the toilet. Besides, this part of the forest was quite safe and shouldn't pose any major problems. Even if she encountered a dangerous spirit beast, they would be able to reach her in time if they heard her cry for help.
Chi Junluo clutched her stomach and walked, neither too fast nor too slow, into the depths of the forest. Soon, her figure disappeared into the night.
After walking a considerable distance, Chi Junluo didn't feel like she was being watched. It seemed they weren't paying attention to her.
The bathroom excuse: Success!
But it wasn't time to celebrate yet. This was within the borders of the Southern Xuan Kingdom. In such a dense, ancient forest, there was no telling where a miasma or a heavily guarded restricted area might pop up. It would be very troublesome if she ran into one. And it would be bad if her heroine managed to track her down through people who had accidentally seen her.
Although this was just a hypothetical scenario, it was better to be safe than sorry. She had to be prepared on all fronts.
After some serious thought, Chi Junluo decided not to travel through this forest in human form. This ancient forest was teeming with all sorts of spirit beasts and wild animals. A small Nine-Tailed Cat like her blending in would be much less conspicuous.
Having made up her mind, a black mist rose from Chi Junluo's body with a thought. Her entire body shrank rapidly, and soon her robes went limp. The black clothes lay collapsed on the ground. The bulge in the center moved. Having experienced this before, Chi Junluo expertly crawled out from the collar of the clothes. Her glossy black fur shimmered with the glow of spiritual power under the moonlight. Two small, pointed ears twitched atop her head. Her sapphire-blue cat eyes were wide and round. Her figure was agile, and she had four fluffy, bushy tails. It seemed that mastering the use of the Myriad Spirit Root, combined with her application of the golden energy within her body, had restored a significant portion of her strength.
With a thought, Chi Junluo stored the clothes scattered on the ground into her storage bag. These were clothes her heroine had specially custom-made for her. They were cool and handsome, and she couldn't bear to throw them away.
She swayed the few large tails on her rear. Unlike the last time when she was forced into her beast form, this time she had transformed into this body's original form willingly. There was no one around to influence or threaten her. In this ancient forest teeming with spirit beasts, she could finally be a free and unrestrained Nine-Tailed Cat. This time, she wasn't forced by circumstances; she had time and space. Chi Junluo first jumped in place a few times, then walked slowly for a few steps to get used to this cat body. Feeling the abundant strength in her four limbs, she gradually quickened her pace until she was running with the wind at her heels. This body had excellent night vision; walking in the dark forest was like walking in broad daylight, completely unimpeded. After gradually mastering how to move in her beast form, Chi Junluo sped through the ancient forest, not paying attention to the direction, just running desperately into the depths. The farther away from people, the better. The farther away, the safer she would be when the full moon arrived.
As for the other spirit beasts in the ancient forest? When the full moon came and she had repaired the hidden injuries in this body and recovered her strength, what blind spirit beast would dare to come and disturb her? At that point, it wouldn't matter even if she walked sideways through this world. As for whether she would attract the attention of this world's Heavenly Dao, Chi Junluo was originally about to think arrogantly, "Who cares?"
But then she remembered that she hadn't made a contract with her heroine yet, hadn't done this and that with her heroine yet. She'd better keep a low profile.
She was getting a bit ahead of herself. The biggest goal right now was to find a safe and hidden place and quietly wait for the arrival of the full moon. Once her strength was restored, she could just find an excuse to return to Qingyun Peak. After all, the most useful excuse in the cultivation world was a "fortuitous encounter." It was a panacea...
Chi Junluo, having reverted to her cat form, left happily and carefreely, completely unaware that her bathroom excuse had left the twenty-odd members of the mission team in a state of unease. When the two guards on duty were changing shifts, the one who had been on watch earlier realized that the external member with the stomachache had gone and never returned.
A missing team member was no small matter. The members of this mission team were all rather elite figures among the inner disciples of their respective peaks. They prided themselves on their outstanding cultivation among their peers. Yet, right under their noses, a living person had just vanished without a trace. To say they weren't shocked would be a lie. The guard on watch reported the situation to the leader. The leader, at the eighth level of Foundation Establishment, quickly released his divine sense, covering the largest possible area. Unfortunately, he found no trace of a person, not even a piece of cloth or a single bone. The external member was only a disciple at the eighth level of Qi Refining. In the short time since she had left, it was impossible for her to have run beyond the range his divine sense could cover. The faces of the mission team members who had gathered upon hearing the commotion turned grim. A living person couldn't just vanish into thin air, and it was unlikely she had run away on her own. This could only mean one thing: in the vicinity of the forest where they were resting, there was a spirit beast so powerful that they couldn't even detect it, waiting for an opportunity to strike the mission team. With such a disparity in strength, it was beyond the scope of a spirit beast hunting its prey. It was very likely that a spirit beast of that level was just toying with them—a game that could cost them their lives.
The leader immediately woke up all the team members. They formed a tight formation and began moving together toward the military camp stationed by the Southern Xuan Kingdom's soldiers in the forest. Only when they entered the soldiers' patrol range could they relax. Until then, they could only proceed with their lives on the line, carefully advancing, lest that powerful, unknown spirit beast launch a sudden attack and wipe them all out.
Chi Junluo, who had already penetrated deep into the heart of this ancient forest, had no idea that her bathroom excuse had scared the mission team witless. She was currently flicking her four fluffy tails, happily playing in a hot spring she had just found in the heart of the forest.
Based on her knowledge, in such ancient forests, the spirit beasts that occupied the territories closer to the center were increasingly powerful. Logically, the huge hot spring she was currently swimming in should be guarded by a tremendously powerful spirit beast. Given the nature of spirit beasts, if someone dared to intrude on its territory and enjoy its hot spring, it would surely be enraged and teach the impertinent intruder a lesson.
Unfortunately, she had been soaking in the hot spring for quite a while now, but she hadn't seen any powerful spirit beast come out to chase her away.
Chi Junluo felt a little regretful. She had originally wanted to test the strength of this body's current four tails.
The four-tailed cat, frolicking in the steaming hot spring water, naturally had no idea that the moment the pressure from her ancient divine beast bloodline approached this territory, the spirit beast lord of this part of the forest was so scared its six legs began to tremble. It was scared to death, let alone coming over to drive away the intruder.
Chi Junluo had still underestimated the innate pressure of an ancient divine beast's bloodline.
Chi Junluo's earlier guess was correct. With Immortal Venerable Qingyun's Nascent Soul stage strength, she had set off before dawn. Just as the sky was brightening, she found the mission team moving cautiously in formation through the forest.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun had sharp eyes. With a single glance, she saw that the person she was looking for was not in this group.
Immortal Venerable Qingyun stopped the foolish team that was scaring itself. With a grim face, she listened to what had happened a few hours ago. She thought to herself, her worst fear had come true. She was a step too late.
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