Chapter 581 - 469: Discovery (Part 2)
Searching is a thankless task, but under the supervision of the Nascent Soul Daoist Monarch, no one dared to slack off.
Wey Tianyou coughed and said:
"We are still in favor of continuing the search, but the awkward situation now is that we cannot confirm if the demon cultivator is still in this area.
Our hard work and that of our disciples don’t matter, but we fear it might end up being futile."
He was the patriarch of the Wey Clan, with a cultivation at the Third-Layer Golden Core. For the past two months, the Golden Core cultivators have been personally involved, which has drawn numerous complaints from those Golden Core cultivators born into prominent families.
In their view, the demon cultivator should have already fled.
Tianshui Daoist Monarch coughed and solemnly said:
"Demon cultivators have not appeared in the Northern Land for many years, and you can only glimpse their dangers from the records.
Written accounts are too lifeless, and as time goes on, many may not feel the bloodiness and gravity of it all.
Snow Dragon Ridge must be searched thoroughly; if nothing is found, it will be like a thorn that cannot be removed.
Has anyone considered that as long as the demon cultivator remains in the Northern Land, it poses a potential threat to us all?"
Demon cultivators do not engage in honest labor, and given their nature of plundering, they will inevitably cause harm to one side.
In a situation where they sustain themselves through war, as long as they continue to win, the strength of the demon cultivators can grow rapidly.
If it’s merely a demon cultivator without much foundation, at most they would rise to the Golden Core level, and as long as there’s definite information, dispatching Golden Core cultivators could immediately besiege them.
At most, some low-tier cultivators would suffer casualties, and the Northern Land’s Cultivation Realm would not be critically harmed.
But if it’s a demon lord with advanced inheritance, things become difficult.
"Let me speak frankly; two demon cultivator puppets bore a Demon Infant, which suggests that the demon cultivator behind them likely has profound inheritance knowledge.
The growth rate of a demon cultivator is irrational; breaking through to the Nascent Soul level within a hundred years is completely possible.
If this demon cultivator luckily breaks through to the Nascent Soul level, I might have to show my hand, as your families’ Mountain Protection Array would not withstand a Nascent Soul level attack for many days before being breached."
All the Daoist Masters fell silent; the Northern Land has been peaceful for many years, and though conflicts between families might erupt, it hasn’t yet reached the point where Golden Core cultivators turn against each other.
The records speak of demon cultivators as dreaded as tigers, but a few light sentences cannot truly make them feel it.
Tianshui Daoist Monarch scanned the circle to observe their expressions, then continued:
"Everyone has worked hard during this period, pass the order, rest for three days, and only maintain necessary patrols."
"Understood."
Tianshui Daoist Monarch waved his hand: "You may all leave now."
Before he finished speaking, panicked shouts came from outside the grotto mansion.
"Daoist Masters, a signal talisman has been activated, and we can’t contact two patrol teams to the north."
To prevent the demon cultivators from escaping under the cover of darkness, cultivators have been patrolling at night continuously for two months.
Night patrols are divided into hidden posts and mobile posts. Hidden posts observe from a high vantage point, while mobile posts move around for inspections.
The Dharma Prohibition of the grotto mansion opened, and Tianshui Daoist Monarch swiftly swept to the stone gate outside, sternly asking:
"Which direction?"
Being quite urgent, spiritual pressure from the Nascent Soul cultivator faintly radiated from him, causing the reporting cultivator to feel a tightness in the chest and difficulty breathing.
Realizing his mistake, Tianshui Daoist Monarch immediately restrained his spiritual pressure and kindly said:
"Take a breath, then show me."
The signal talisman’s mark could last for two double hours, and his speed was quick enough that, as long as the direction was not wrong, he could certainly reach the scene.
It was currently night, compounded by the fierce snowstorm, making visibility quite low.
If he were the demon cultivator, choosing this time to escape would be completely normal.
The Golden Core cultivators also came outside, sensing an invisible aura. The messenger swallowed hard, struggling with emotions not clear if from excitement or fear.
He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then extended his arm to point to the northwest.
"The missing team is in that direction."
Tianshui Daoist Monarch said in a deep voice:
"I’ll go ahead, and you all split into groups of three to search. If you find anything, activate the signal talisman immediately."
With that, he flew into the blizzard like a large bird.
...
The next day, the wind stopped, the snow cleared, and the weather turned sunny.
The blinding light scattered by the snow reflected brilliantly under the sunshine. Cangmiao Zhenren and the others gathered, their moods far from cheery.
They did not track down the demon cultivator the night before, and now they had a new problem.
Several cultivators previously attacked and missing reappeared, and while everyone knew something was wrong, they couldn’t discover what that was.
These cultivators showed no anomalies, only mentioning that they fainted after the attack and remembered nothing afterwards.
The attacked cultivators knew who they were and could recognize friends; everything seemed perfectly normal.
Daoist Master Chi Yun coughed, "What should we do next?"
Tianshui Daoist Monarch had not yet returned. Though they were not worried about the Daoist Monarch’s safety, they all knew this mission ended in complete failure.
The demon cultivator hid their traces and fled, nearly leaving no signs, and with last night’s snowstorm, everything was buried under it.
The demon cultivator hiding in the shadows had escaped, yet left them with a problem.
Cangmiao Zhenren gave a wry smile, "Let’s wait and make plans after the Daoist Monarch returns."
The situation had become tricky as the demon cultivator escaped the encirclement, and they now had to be wary of the demon cultivator causing trouble from the shadows.
Cold Qilin True Man furrowed his brows and said:
"We can’t just sit and wait; leave two people here on guard, and the others should search around the incident site.
If we find the demon cultivator’s lair, we might discover something else."
The demon cultivator’s hasty escape indicated one issue: the enemy thought they would be discovered.
He suspected that the sentry’s attacked location shouldn’t be far from the demon lair.
Cangmiao Zhenren sighed, "Then let’s split up and take action."
...
Cold Qilin True Man glided through the sky, with the Ice Chilong flying close to the ground.
Possessing a trace of dragon bloodline, the Ice Chilong resembled a long snake without horns, with light blue scales glistening in the sunlight.
A dozen or so disciples followed behind them, spreading out to search.
The weakest of these disciples had late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. They extended their divine senses, leaving no suspicious place unchecked.
Eventually, they stopped at a valley where fierce howling winds roared, with countless tornadoes swirling snowflakes harshly within.
"Daoist Master, should we continue searching?"
"Continue, the more hazardous the environment, the more likely it is a hiding spot for demon cultivators."
Cold Qilin True Man’s eyes held a scrutinizing light, saying:
"Lower your altitude, search close to the cliffside, and I will support from above.
The wind speed is rapid; be careful, everyone."
Having said that, he led the way into the valley, followed closely by the Ice Chilong.
About half an hour later, the low-flying Ice Chilong came near a cliff face resembling a monkey’s head and immediately let out a warning roar, having caught a faint scent of blood.
It found the spot where the blood was strongest, exhaled a massive airflow from its mouth, blowing away the snow beneath the cliff.
After a couple of such breaths, a square, tall cave entrance revealed itself under the snow, flanked by two gray-white qilin stone sculptures.
On top of one sculpture, faint black-red blood stains remained.
Though the blood had coagulated, the Ice Chilong could sense its relative "freshness," likely left several hours earlier.
Upon the Ice Chilong’s warning, Cold Qilin True Man had descended. On seeing the entrance, he immediately cleared away the snow, discovering a passageway.
On the ground, black-red blood residue remained every few feet.
He promptly issued a soft whistle, and the disciples converged on him immediately.
When the disciples gathered, he said gravely:
"Zhang Dong and Wey Xiangfeng, you two return to report, we have made a discovery here."
"Understood," Zhang Dong and the other responded in unison, then rode their spiritual artifacts away.
Cold Qilin True Man mused aloud:
"The situation inside is unknown, so let’s not act rashly. Let’s hold the entrance and wait for reinforcements."
He was almost certain this was the demon cultivator’s lair; indeed, it was well-hidden. Without Ice Chilong’s detection, he wouldn’t have found it unless flying directly past the cliffside.
Though the demon cultivator had fled, the situation inside was unclear, and there was no need to take risks by venturing in now without urgency.