Chapter 303 - 300: Demonic Chaos on Longevity Mountain

Chapter 303: Chapter 300: Demonic Chaos on Longevity Mountain

Huanglong Prefecture, Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

Bai Yuan sat solemnly on a Grandmaster’s Chair.

Ever since his promotion to General, he and Kong Sen had been working in separate locations, giving off the impression that they wanted nothing to do with each other for the rest of their lives.

It was common for the Prefect and the General to be at odds, so this situation was hardly unusual in Xuan Yang. The common folk were long used to it.

Many officials who had previously sided with Kong Sen now wished to switch their allegiance to Bai Yuan.

However, Bai Yuan did not accept them all without question.

He only picked out and accepted some of the more capable officials.

Li Huan had sent word back from Ling Province, and Grand Protector Yan Shao’an had personally written a letter of recommendation, which was why his appointment to the position of General had gone so smoothly.

Since Yan Shao’an had no intention of making things difficult, it wouldn’t be right for him to suppress Kong Sen too harshly.

Besides, Kong Sen was indeed a talented man. As long as Bai Yuan weakened his influence, he could then have Kong Sen help manage the affairs of Huanglong Prefecture, leaving Bai Yuan with more time to grind mobs.

Today, an acquaintance arrived from Lingzhou City.

"Brother Yan?"

Bai Yuan looked with some surprise at Yan Lei, who had appeared in the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

He, Yan Lei, and Li Huan had once traveled south to Jiangnan to recruit soldiers, so they were fairly well-acquainted.

Yan Lei cupped his fist toward Bai Yuan. "Lord Bai."

He couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.

’Bai Yuan was even a bit younger than him, yet now he had left him far behind.’

’A Third-Grade Official... Even in the Yan Family, that was an absolutely major figure.’

Bai Yuan asked, "Brother Yan, is there a reason for your visit to Huanglong Prefecture this time?"

Yan Lei pushed aside his stray thoughts and solemnly took a letter from his robes, handing it to Bai Yuan.

"This is a letter my grandfather asked me to deliver to Lord Bai."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan was quite surprised.

Yan Lei’s grandfather was, of course, the Grand Protector.

Bai Yuan took the letter.

"Demonic Qi has suddenly appeared at Longevity Palace. Take men at once and investigate the cause."

’Longevity Palace... Demonic Qi...’

’The matter Yan Shao’an tasked me with is actually related to Longevity Palace.’

As the former number one sect in Ling Province, Longevity Palace once possessed first-rate strength and resources.

But after its Palace Master, Master Longevity, was insidiously killed by Bai Yuan using the Raccoon Demon, and Chunyuan Zhenren also died mysteriously, Longevity Palace completely sealed its mountain gates and cut itself off from the world.

Even Bai Yuan had rarely heard any news of Longevity Palace since.

Yan Lei said in a low voice, "Someone discovered that Longevity Palace is shrouded in Demonic Qi, and the situation is bizarre. That’s why my grandfather sent me to ask you, my lord, to go and investigate the situation together."

Bai Yuan nodded.

As the General of Lingzhou, this was part of his duty.

In truth, Longevity Palace was closer to Lingzhou City, but most of the experts in Lingzhou City had already gone to Dingzhou.

Given the status of Yan Shao’an and the King of Qingzhou, it was naturally impossible for them to handle everything personally.

So, the matter naturally fell to Bai Yuan.

"Alright. I’ll make some preparations and depart immediately."

"Thank you, Lord Bai."

Bai Yuan found Yang Fangyu, then led five hundred Demon Cavalry toward Longevity Palace.

This time, the entire force consisted of Demon Cavalry, who were extremely mobile. By the very next morning, the group had arrived at Longevity Mountain, which was just over ten li outside of Lingzhou.

Longevity Mountain was actually just an unremarkable small mountain in Ling Province.

The only reason the mountain was famous throughout Ling Province was because of Longevity Palace, which was situated upon it.

Longevity Palace had been the number one sect in Ling Province for a thousand years. Its strength and resources were naturally not to be underestimated; otherwise, it would have been impossible for it to consistently suppress the Divine Mansion Sect.

The group gazed at the mountain gate of Longevity Palace from a distance.

Yang Fangyu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’It really is Demonic Qi!’

The Demonic Qi in front of Longevity Palace’s mountain gate was already so dense it was visible to the naked eye.

This Demonic Qi was extremely strange. If an ordinary Martial Artist was tainted by it, they would lose their mind and suffer from Qi deviation. It was truly terrifying.

Yan Lei’s expression was grim as he slowly said, "There’s even more Demonic Qi than before."

The last time he came to investigate, the Demonic Qi had only been a faint black, but now it was much deeper.

Bai Yuan said, "Brother Yang, take some men and clear the Demonic Qi first."

"Alright."

Yang Fangyu immediately led over a hundred men toward the mountain gate.

Xuan Yang had fought the Demon Sect for years and had initially suffered greatly because of the Demonic Qi.

Later, the Supervisor of the Astronomical Bureau developed a method to counter the Demonic Qi: using a peculiar stone called "Na Shi" in conjunction with a special tool to seal the Demonic Qi within the stone.

This practice had long since become widespread in the war.

It was precisely because of this invention that Xuan Yang no longer feared the Demonic Qi, and far fewer people died.

Bai Yuan wanted Yang Fangyu to lead his men to clear out the Demonic Qi first, and then ascend Longevity Mountain in a steady and cautious manner.

Although he wasn’t afraid of the Demonic Qi with his current strength, he would still be affected by it, after all.

He had never been an arrogant person.

Furthermore, this situation at Longevity Palace was bizarre through and through; caution was paramount.

Yan Lei had no objection to Bai Yuan’s cautious attitude.

’He’s strong enough, yet still so cautious. No wonder he was promoted so quickly.’

Yang Fangyu led over a hundred men to the base of Longevity Mountain.

He and his subordinates each held a tool that looked like a rice scoop; this was the instrument used to capture Demonic Qi.

This arm-sized iron scoop was forged from special Divine Iron and could capture the formless Demonic Qi.

The men swung the iron scoops to capture the Demonic Qi within them, then brought the scoops close to a large black stone that was as tall as a person. That large stone was the Na Shi.

After the iron scoops drew near the Na Shi, the Demonic Qi within them was automatically absorbed by the stone, eventually dissipating completely.

The process was very slow, lasting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

They repeated this process over and over until all the Demonic Qi was cleared.

Even with a hundred men clearing the Demonic Qi together, the speed was still not fast; in one shichen, they had only advanced a hundred meters.

Bai Yuan walked in the middle of the procession.

He surveyed the scenery of Longevity Mountain around him.

Longevity Mountain was truly worthy of being the base of a great sect. Although it wasn’t built in a grand and majestic style, it was very much in line with the Daoist Sect’s philosophy of the Unity of Heaven and Man. The mountain forests were beautiful and elegant, a pleasant sight to behold.

If not for the lingering Demonic Qi, it would certainly be a wonderful place for an outing.

Come to think of it, this was Bai Yuan’s first time visiting Longevity Palace.

He had a great deal of history and grievances with Longevity Palace. After Master Longevity and the other experts died, he had not pursued them to the point of extermination.

However, looking at Longevity Palace’s current situation, the disciples living on the mountain were likely more dead than alive.

Yan Lei stood beside Bai Yuan.

His face was full of apprehension.

"Several days ago, a disciple from Longevity Palace came to Lingzhou City. He claimed that something strange had happened at the palace."

"It started with an Elder of Longevity Palace who suddenly went mad and injured many of the sect members. At first, the people of Longevity Palace thought it was just a case of Qi deviation, so they simply imprisoned the Elder and had him take pills to clear his mind and calm his Qi."

"But things escalated. More and more people in Longevity Palace went mad, and in the end, nearly half of the sect members turned into crazed killers who knew nothing but slaughter."

"The people of Longevity Palace gradually realized something was wrong. Just as they were about to go down the mountain to seek help, a huge cloud of Demonic Qi suddenly appeared on the mountain, and only a few disciples managed to escape."

Bai Yuan’s brow gradually furrowed into a knot.

’Such methods are truly bizarre.’

’Although I could achieve a similar effect with my poison arts, it wouldn’t be as covert as what the Longevity Palace disciple described.’

’After all, Longevity Palace’s foundation still remains. There are still quite a few powerful masters in the palace, and there must be people who understand antidotes. It’s unlikely they wouldn’t have noticed anything unusual for several days straight.’

’Strange...’

Yan Lei said, "Perhaps we’ll find some clues once we get up the mountain."

Bai Yuan nodded.

The clearing of the Demonic Qi lasted from dawn until dusk.

The group finally reached the mountainside.

"Someone’s there!"

A City Guard Army soldier shouted.

Bai Yuan looked in the direction the soldier was pointing.

A figure could be seen moving within the black miasma, but its movements looked very stiff.

Bai Yuan, Yang Fangyu, and Yan Lei all narrowed their eyes slightly.

They were all Knowledge and Sensation Martial Masters, their Jin power long since converted into perceptive force.

Using this perceptive force, they could clearly see that the person was wearing the clothes of a Longevity Palace disciple, but his gaze was vacant, like a walking corpse.

Yang Fangyu asked, "Ah Yuan, what’s the plan?"

He didn’t act rashly.

Bai Yuan paused in thought for a moment, then suddenly leaped into the air, flying a hundred meters in a single breath before landing directly in front of the Longevity Palace disciple.

The disciple’s previously vacant expression suddenly turned ferocious. His body was no longer stiff as he lunged at Bai Yuan like a starving ghost from hell.

Bai Yuan snorted coldly and waved his left hand casually.

An invisible poison gas instantly caused the Longevity Palace disciple to collapse limply to the ground.

Bai Yuan grabbed the disciple, leaped again, and returned to the group in an instant.

Seeing Bai Yuan’s actions, Yang Fangyu and Yan Lei were both secretly astonished.

’What an incredible Lightweight Technique!’

’They knew they couldn’t leap a hundred meters in a single bound, but Bai Yuan not only did it, he made it look effortless.’

Bai Yuan threw the Longevity Palace disciple he was holding onto the ground.

He needed to find clues from this disciple.

Yang Fangyu and Yan Lei both stared at the Longevity Palace disciple. They had witnessed the scene just now, and such symptoms were indeed extremely rare.

"Could it be some kind of advanced poison?"

Yang Fangyu guessed.

Bai Yuan shook his head.

"It’s not poison."

His poison arts were already at a sublime level. Not only was he skilled at administering poison, but no poison in the world could escape his notice.

He was almost certain that this Longevity Palace disciple had not been poisoned.

Unless the poisoner was several times stronger than Bai Yuan.

But such a situation was too rare, and a poison master of that caliber would have no need to go to such lengths against Longevity Palace.

Yan Lei suddenly thought of another method. "Could it be the Gu arts of the Southern Border?"

Yang Fangyu’s eyes lit up.

But Bai Yuan shook his head again.

He was also proficient in Gu arts. Although he couldn’t compare to the Great Witches of the Southern Border, he could still tell whether someone had been afflicted by Gu.

"How bizarre."

Yang Fangyu couldn’t help but scratch his head. ’If it’s not poison and not Gu, then how was it done?’

Demonic Qi could only drive people mad and into chaos; it couldn’t turn them into walking corpses.

Even though they knew this must be the work of the Demon Sect, they still didn’t know how it was accomplished.

"The Celestial Heart Sect’s methods are bizarre. Perhaps it was the work of those Demons."

Yan Lei offered another guess.

Yang Fangyu nodded in agreement.

Although the Celestial Heart Sect hadn’t killed as many people as the Soul-Chasing Tower, its methods were indeed endless and always unexpected.

The Xuanyang Soldiers had suffered greatly because of it.

It wouldn’t seem surprising if the Celestial Heart Sect were behind something like what happened at Longevity Palace.