Chapter 81: Pounced
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei couldn’t help but smile as his face lit up. However, instead of resting, he immediately returned to the encampment and sat down to continue his cultivation, crossing his legs.
He still had unfinished inner strength cultivation tasks and needed to improve his proficiency in the second level of the Origin Connection Technique. Resting was not part of his plan. He was determined to stay up all night.
The next morning, the herb gatherers resumed their work, and the disciples dispersed to supervise them. The morning passed without any other incidents, and the encampment was now filled with carriages overflowing with freshly picked medicinal herbs. It was crucial to transport them back to Immortal Cloud City promptly for processing.
The Immortal Cloud Sword Sect held a superior stance towards other sects when it came to pill refining, which meant they had stricter requirements for medicinal ingredients. Daily transportation of medicinal herbs was therefore necessary.
“Martial Uncle Qian, everything is ready,” Guo Linshan approached Qian Lindu and whispered.
“Mm, you stay here, and I’ll bring a few Marrow Tempering disciples with me,” Qian Lindu nodded.
Yesterday, Qian Lindu had visited the other sects to inquire. It turned out that not all sects had been attacked; only the Big Dipper Tower had suffered an assault.
…..
Due to their cultivation technique, members of the Big Dipper Tower were known for their hot temperaments. Only those who had reached a high realm could keep them calm.
Therefore, the Big Dipper Tower had already launched a vigorous search for the attackers. They were determined to find them and perhaps prevent any members of the Divine Flame Sect from showing up that day.
In less time than it took to brew a cup of tea, the carriages were prepared and set off. Disguised as an ordinary disciple, Qian Lindu joined the convoy while the rest of the people in the encampment carried on with their usual tasks. An hour later, a messenger pigeon arrived, and Guo Linshan retrieved the message attached to its foot.
“Senior Brother Guo, what’s the situation?” A few disciples couldn’t help but surround him, eager for news.
“The convoy has safely arrived at Immortal Cloud City. Martial Uncle Qian and the others didn’t encounter any attacks,” Guo Linshan raised his head and replied.
“That’s good.” The disciples nodded, their emotions mixed.
On one hand, they hoped that such attacks wouldn’t happen again, as casualties were a possibility. On the other hand, they secretly wished that members of the Divine Flame Sect would continue to come. With Qian Lindu present, there might be a chance to avenge the two disciples who had lost their lives the day before.
Chen Fei happened to be nearby and noticed the calm expressions of Guo Linshan and the others. It seemed that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.
One day, two days, three days. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. The collection mission proceeded smoothly, and the convoy was no longer attacked. Everything seemed to have returned to normal.
Qian Lindu had asked the other sects, and they hadn’t encountered any more attacks. It appeared that the incident on the first day was merely a surprise attack by the Divine Flame Sect.
However, the Divine Flame Sect was known for such tactics, often launching sudden attacks without warning. Sometimes, when the situation seemed favorable, and others expected the Divine Flame Sect to continue their pursuit, they would suddenly withdraw.
At other times, even when they were on the brink of defeat, the Divine Flame Sect would go berserk and send their members to their deaths. It was quite puzzling.
Under the night sky, Chen Fei sat in meditation with his legs crossed.
Suddenly, he felt a chill on his arm. Opening his eyes, he examined his arm and noticed that the gangrene was becoming active.
Standing up, Chen Fei scanned his surroundings, but there was nothing unusual, and the gangrene activity was still low. However, Chen Fei was unfamiliar with such phenomena, so he decided to report it.
“Senior Brother Guo?” Chen Fei walked over to Guo Linshan and called out in a low voice.
“What’s wrong?” Guo Linshan opened his eyes and looked at Chen Fei curiously.
“There might be something evil nearby. Should we inform Martial Uncle Qian?” “Evil?” Guo Linshan stood up in surprise.
Chen Fei nodded and extended his arm, revealing a faint black mark.
“Is that gangrene?” Guo Linshan recognized it and finally understood the situation.
“Yes, I was marked by an evil creature. Later on, I discovered that this gangrene poison is very sensitive to unusual auras, so I left a trace of it on my body,” Chen Fei explained briefly.
“Junior brother, you’re quite fortunate. That evil thing didn’t target you?” Guo Linshan asked curiously.
“No, that monster had a larger target,” Chen Fei shook his head, thinking about Pingyin County.
Observing Chen Fei’s expression, Guo Linshan refrained from asking further questions. After a moment of silence, he said, “Since your gangrene is reacting, there must be some evil things nearby, but they shouldn’t be powerful. For the safety of the encampment, we’ll investigate. If the danger becomes too great, we’ll retreat.”
As Guo Linshan spoke, he took out a red candle from the bag behind him and added, “With this, even if we encounter something evil, we can hold out for a while.”
“Senior Brother, I have my own method as well,” Chen Fei looked at the red candle and produced one from his sleeve.
“Haha, then we have nothing to fear,” Guo Linshan couldn’t help but laugh.
Chen Fei nodded, and they both began searching based on the intensity of the gangrene’s reaction.
The gangrene’s response was indeed weak. Compared to the evil Chen Fei had encountered before, it was much milder. This is why Chen Fei agreed to take the initiative to investigate.
They moved cautiously, alternating between walking and stopping. The evil presence seemed to be on the move as well. Before long, they had traversed nearly ten miles.
“No need to pursue further. That evil thing is either passing by or someone is controlling it. Besides, at this distance, it would be challenging for them to pose a threat to our encampment,” Guo Linshan halted. It wasn’t necessary to kill the evil; as long as it didn’t endanger them, there was no need to take any risks.
Chen Fei nodded, about to speak when he suddenly stopped. His ears twitched as a faint voice reached his ears from a distance.
Chen Fei turned to Guo Linshan, who had clearly heard the sound as well.
“Senior Brother, is that the temporary encampment of some sect?”
“No, it’s in a shady area over there. This time, there are no herb-growing sites or sects stationed there,” Guo Linshan shook his head.
“Could it be the Divine Flame Sect?” Chen Fei suggested suddenly.
Guo Linshan’s eyes brightened. That was highly probable. However, if they wanted confirmation, they would have to investigate further.
“Junior brother, your cultivation level isn’t sufficient. Go back and find Martial Uncle Qian,” Guo Linshan looked into the distance and spoke in a deep voice.
“Senior Guo, do you want someone to go and check? It’s too dangerous!” Chen Fei couldn’t help but voice his concern.
“It’s alright. I’ll simply observe from a distance without taking any risks. We need to understand the situation; otherwise, it will be even more dangerous when Martial Uncle Qian and the others arrive,” Guo Linshan reassured him with a smile.
Chen Fei opened his mouth to protest but eventually nodded. It was the most appropriate course of action.
Determined not to waste any time, Chen Fei sprinted back in the direction they came from. The sooner they returned and informed the others, the less danger Guo Linshan would be in.
Chen Fei’s feet flew like the wind. However, after running a few miles, his expression suddenly changed. The gangrene that had been dormant began to show activity once again. Another evil creature was nearby.
Moreover, the intensity of the mark’s activity was increasing. The creature was heading straight for Chen Fei’s location..