Chapter 9: The First Scroll - The Abundant Waterwort and the Layered Clouds of Suspicion

The middle-aged cultivator appeared to be around forty years old.

His complexion was ruddy, with slightly high cheekbones, a hooked nose, and triangular eyes, his gaze stern. His hair was neatly combed.

A thin beard hung from his chin, which he continuously stroked with his fingers, clearly a habit when he was deep in thought.

Another, more robust middle-aged cultivator, standing a bit further away, approached and made a slight bow.

"Brother Yi, it seems that this matter cannot be concealed. It will soon shock the entire Yiyang and Yigao Prefectures. We must immediately take action, otherwise, if it is exploited, it will be detrimental to all of us."

Yu Xianxian led a group of people, carefully circling around from the side.

Although she did not know what had happened, she recognized a few people inside. Judging by everyone's expressions, something horrifying and terrible must have occurred.

The one who spoke about sharing the same boat and weathering the storm together was the Elder Yi of Xiyun Sect. Yu Xianxian did not dare to disturb this usually ill-tempered master uncle, but with a group of people entering, all eyes were on them, so she had no choice but to step forward and greet him.

"Disciple Yu Xianxian and the other disciples pay respects to Master Uncle Yi." Yu Xianxian respectfully crossed her hands, placing her left palm over her right, and bowed deeply.

This was an extremely respectful gesture in the Daoist sect, showing the authority of the Xiyun Sect elder.

The middle-aged cultivator glanced at Yu Xianxian, his expression slightly improving: "Hmm, these are the new disciples being received?"

"Master Uncle, yes." In front of so many people, Yu Xianxian did not elaborate, as Xuan Chimei was already known, but Chen Huisheng was not.

"Ah, I understand. You all stand aside for a moment. I have some matters to attend to."

Elder Yi nodded and then turned to the robust middle-aged cultivator who had been waiting for his instructions: "This matter indeed needs to be investigated. I remember that since the year before last, things in Yigao Prefecture have not been peaceful. At the end of that year, didn't something happen to the Bai Shi Sect?"

The faces of the group changed slightly, and the man with the ruddy face and broad mouth reluctantly nodded: "Brother Yi is correct. Bai Shi Sect's sixth-level Qi Practitioner, Yuwen Tian, died at the foot of Chongwen Ridge in Meng County. However..."

"I know. The Bai Shi Sect's matter is not related to us, and we did not pay much attention. On the ninth day of the third month last year, a direct disciple of the Chonghua Sect's sect leader died at Fengtong Ridge in Liang County. Has the cause been determined?"

The man's face turned even more grim, and he gritted his teeth in hatred: "No, it has not been determined. Only remnants of the body were left, seemingly devoured by a beast, but there are many doubts. If it were truly a beast, why would it leave a part of the body behind?"

At this point, the man with the ruddy face and broad mouth almost shed tears, clearly deeply pained by the loss of such a direct disciple.

"However, in recent years, there have indeed been many traces of beasts in Liang County..." The face of the black-robed cultivator from Lingyun Sect became even more grim.

"My nephew was exceptionally talented, reaching the sixth level of Qi Practice in just twenty-five years, and was about to break through to the seventh level. In recent years, there have indeed been traces of beasts in Liang County, but they were all at the edge of the forbidden zone, far from Fengtong Ridge. Most were first-level beasts, and second-level beasts have never been heard of. What kind of beast could easily devour my nephew?"

Reaching the sixth level of Qi Practice in twenty-five years was indeed outstanding, meaning that he would likely break through to the Foundation Establishment stage by around sixty years old, making him an elite disciple in any sect.

A beast that could easily devour a sixth-level Qi Practitioner would at least be a second-level beast, and even a second-level beast would find it difficult to do so easily unless it was an ambush.

However, second-level beasts are unlikely to appear in the human world. If they did, they would have wreaked havoc and become widely known.

"Are you suggesting it was a beast? What could have done this?" The middle-aged cultivator was visibly moved.

Beasts enjoy eating humans, especially cultivators, as the essence and energy in their bodies are highly attractive. This is not a secret.

Each part of a cultivator's body is a treasure to a beast, so it would not leave any part uneaten. Therefore, the remnants mentioned by the ruddy-faced cultivator are indeed suspicious.

Beasts eating humans is normal, but they cannot easily leave the forbidden zone. They can only move around at the edges and are easily discovered and eliminated.

However, if it was not a beast, then the act of devouring limbs is terrifying.

Apart from evil entities, he could not think of anything else. Evil entities can appear anywhere, especially in places where ordinary people live, making it easy for them to manifest.

"It's hard to say. My nephew left behind a leg and half a skull. His death was gruesome, especially the skull, which was clearly gnawed on, and the brain was completely sucked out... The wound on the leg was jagged, with muscle tissue left behind..."

The vivid description made the faces of the disciples behind Yu Xianxian turn pale, especially the girls, who felt nauseous.

Chen Huisheng also felt a chill run down his spine.

"An evil entity?" The middle-aged cultivator shook his head. "If it were truly an evil entity, it would not have committed just one crime. Even if it could hide, it would not have gone more than a month without acting. Has anything like this happened in Liang County since then?"

"Brother Yi, I have considered this. Later, in September last year, around this time, two wandering cultivators from Sui Prefecture, Master Huo Wenzhong and his disciple, one at the fifth level of Qi Practice and the other a pre-cultivation innate Daoist seed, both disappeared without a trace..."

The middle-aged cultivator could not help but frown.

Disappearance is the most difficult to handle, especially for cultivators.

Yiyang Prefecture is in a special location, situated in the Yushan mountain range, bordering Nanchu to the south.

Apart from the forbidden zone in the Yushan mountains, the border between Da Zhao and Nanchu is also complex and difficult to define.

Fortunately, the population in the mountainous area is not high, and it is adjacent to the forbidden zone, so although there are frequent disputes, they have not escalated to an uncontrollable level.

However, because it is at the edge of the forbidden zone, many cultivator disciples come to these areas, mainly for hunting beasts and gathering medicinal herbs.

Every year, many cultivators meet their end due to greed, so how can one say that the disappearances are related to evil entities?

"Continue." The middle-aged cultivator said expressionlessly.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, the ruddy-faced cultivator steeled himself: "Then, in February this year, during a heavy snowfall, Lü Jinguang, a fourth-level Qi Practitioner from the Lü family in Dingling, disappeared near Anxing Market in Liang County. Only one of his shoes was found at the scene, with tracks similar to those of a tiger or leopard... In July, Xiong Wenren, a fifth-level Qi Practitioner from the Zijin Sect in Nanchu, disappeared near Wusheng Fort in Dingling..."

"Lü family? Zijin Sect?!" The middle-aged cultivator was greatly surprised. "Why would a cultivator from Nanchu disappear here?"

Although cultivators from different regions interact, crossing national borders usually requires reporting to the local Daoist temples to avoid unnecessary disputes.

"It is said that he was originally hunting in the mountains of Nanchu, but somehow ended up here. He even traded some goods at Tianhe Market and stayed at the Chai Gate Inn. On the third day, he went hunting near Wusheng Fort and never returned..."

The middle-aged cultivator followed up: "Why do you think he did not return to Nanchu?"

"Some of his luggage was still at the inn, and he had some goods stored at Tianhe Market, with plans to return in two days to settle the accounts..." the ruddy-faced cultivator explained.

The middle-aged cultivator drew a deep breath.

Calculating this, from the year before last to this year, including today's incident, so many things have happened in Yiyang Prefecture, yet the Jiulian Sect has received very little information.

Even though Yiyang Prefecture is not the focus of the Jiulian Sect, it is an important location in the southeastern corner of Da Zhao, and the Jiulian Sect cannot ignore it.

In the southern part of Yigao Prefecture, the Jiulian Sect has been relying on its quasi-allies, the Lingyun Sect and the Chonghua Sect, to manage the situation, so it has not paid much attention.

As long as nothing major happens, the sects can receive new disciples on time and deliver the special materials they need.

Now it seems that they have been somewhat negligent.

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(End of Chapter)