Chapter 292: Chapter 9: A Thick Fog Descends, An Unexpected Attack Comes
After receiving the message, Lin Duanshan and others quickly returned to Lixi Town.
“Sima Changyan said that?” Guan Shanyue exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes.” Ling Yunpo nodded and relayed everything Sima Changyan had said, without omitting a single detail.
“I see.” Guan Shanyue chuckled, “So he was deliberately trying to curry favor.”
“Curry favor?” An Zhisu asked, furrowing her brow.
“Searching for swords.” Guan Shanyue stated.
Suddenly, everyone understood.
This Sima Changyan, having somehow learned that the Guan family’s ancestor held Ling Yunpo in high regard, must have been trying to establish a relationship deliberately.
Looking at Guan Shanyue’s sardonic expression, it was apparent Sima Changyan had been putting quite an effort with the Guan Family.
“If that is the case, then the information about the Misty Forest must be largely free of fabrication,” Lin Duanshan analyzed.
“What, you initially suspected he was fabricating the information?” Duan Fenhai asked with a frown.
“Sima Changyan is quite scheming,” Lin Duanshan said in a low voice.
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“He has built up his peak into a formidable force while forming connections with elite disciples from all over. It seems he has prioritized expanding his influence,” Guan Shanyue said with a cold laugh.
“I heard this person comes from a branch family of the royals,” Duan Fenhai pondered, “It’s normal for him to have such thoughts… But his strength is decent, at least he can withstand my attack for ten breaths.”
Everyone tacitly ignored his boast, only to hear Ling Yunpo say:
“Regarding the Misty Forest, there’s something I don’t understand: What exactly did the Jade Capital Sect Leader discover when he ventured deep into the forest?”
“Don’t know.” Guan Shanyue said bluntly, “He never spoke of it publicly.”
“Then who said there’s no danger in the Misty Forest?” Ling Yunpo said in astonishment.
“Some Golden Core True Person from the Sect Leader’s branch mentioned that,” Lin Duanshan replied, “However, firstly, the Sect Leader did not particularly deny this rumor; secondly, the Sword Immortals from Shushan who went to the Misty Forest indeed came back unharmed… just that no one knows how they managed to get out.”
“Is it possible,” Ling Yunpo said with concern, “that the Sword Immortals from Shushan who entered were detained, and all those who came out were their clones?”
“What’s a clone?” Guan Shanyue asked, perplexed.
“It’s like…” Ling Yunpo paused, then explained, “A person who is copied based on your body and memories, completely identical, and with controlled thoughts…”
“If someone could detain the Sect Leader, then replicate him as well, and even Immortals couldn’t detect it, then our Shushan would have been destroyed long ago,” Lin Duanshan shook his head, “Besides, if the hidden powers in the Misty Forest truly possessed such capability, why would they confine themselves to the forest?”
“Exactly,” said Duan Fenhai impatiently, “Even guessing wildly must be backed by minimal evidence.”
“Enough!” An Zhisu said sternly, “My junior brother is just worried, what’s the harm? We don’t have much time, let’s hurry to the Misty Forest!”
So everyone rode their swords into the mountains, where close to the miasma they landed their Sword Light and started trekking through the jungle again.
Perhaps due to the exposed location of the Misty Forest, the group encountered no battles along the way but found a large number of bodies, mostly dressed in the garb of the Demon Cult.
Of course, this does not mean that there were no losses on the side of the Shushan Sword Immortals, but rather that most of the battles were won by Shushan, so any fallen were taken away by their peers.
Upon nearing the Misty Forest, they saw a dense fog slowly enveloping the surroundings.
It wasn’t the peach-colored miasma, but a kind of condensed, fine mist of floating water droplets in the air.
Not only was the line of sight restricted, but divine sense was also compressed around his body, unable to spread out.
Ling Yunpo suddenly thought of something and asked the Green Duckweed Sword mentally:
“Green Duckweed, don’t you think the environment of the Misty Forest is very similar to the effect of your first layer of Daoist magic ‘Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains’… No, it’s exactly the same.”
“What’s so strange about that?” responded the Green Duckweed Sword nonchalantly, “Rain, fog, frost, and snow are the four states of the postnatal negative Water Clan, and corresponding Daoist magic naturally has similar forms and features; just like rivers, lakes, seas, and oceans are the four states of the innate positive Water Clan. You have studied so much Daoist magic theory at Penglai Jade Pure and possess the Postnatal Five Elements Great Extermination Divine Light. How do you not know this?”
“Green Duckweed.” Ling Yunpo said seriously, “Although you are my bonded Flying Sword, it doesn’t mean you cannot be replaced…”
“Cough cough!” The Green Duckweed Sword hastily said, “Sword Master, I seem to recall something about this place!”
“You’ve been here before?” Ling Yunpo asked with a frown.
“Not really,” said the Green Duckweed Sword vaguely.
This damn sword is trying to evade my questions again! Ling Yunpo became furious.
If you’ve been here, say you’ve been here. If you haven’t, say you haven’t. What does “not really been here” mean? Do you believe I will use the Five Elements Divine Light right now, dig vertically down a kilometer, and bury you in it?
“You shouldn’t ask so many questions about a Flying Sword!” scolded the Green Duckweed Sword, “But if I’m not mistaken, there shouldn’t be any danger here. Even if you don’t trust me, at least you believe in Yao Yao, right? How could she just watch you fall into my trap?”
“I’ve said it already, I don’t keep watch over the future every moment of every day!” complained the Kunlun Mirror, “I can only say that this path won’t lead you into a deadly situation because if you were to die, your traces would no longer appear in the timeline that follows.”
“But as for things like losing an arm or a leg, a shattered Dantian, being trapped or imprisoned, cruel torture, parasitic soul possession, contamination, and mutation… unless I expend a great amount of spiritual power for a detailed observation, I definitely can’t judge!”
Ling Yunpo: ………
His silence made both the mirror and the sword somewhat uneasy, so they rushed to reassure him:
“Hey, if you really encounter such a situation, we will certainly save you!”
It’s precisely because I don’t trust you that I’m worried! Ling Yunpo sighed to himself.
But since he had already reached the Misty Forest, it wouldn’t make sense to shrink back without any evidence of danger.
Since we’ve come this far! He mustered his courage and stepped into the forest alongside Senior Sister An.
As everyone continued to venture deeper, the surrounding fog grew denser, to the point of seeing virtually nothing at hand’s reach.
Ling Yunpo was worried when suddenly Senior Sister An reached out her hand, tightly interlocking her fingers with his.
“Be careful, follow closely, Junior Brother!” she instructed carefully.
“Senior Sister…” Ling Yunpo felt deeply touched.
This was the unique sense of security that only Senior Sister An could provide! Like a bastion on the battlefield, a rock in the waves, a peak in the storm, always worthy of trust!
With Senior Sister by my side, I fear nothing!
The next second, An Zhisu suddenly collapsed into his arms.
Ling Yunpo: ???
“Illusion Technique!” As if in a rush to prove its worth, the Kunlun Mirror immediately shouted out a warning, “It’s a powerful Illusion Technique!”
“Mirror Flower Water Moon, Silent Photographic Void! Break for me!”