Chapter 78 — Six

Song Dayi and the others continued to guard Daoist Daoyan as he walked on, leaving Qi Hao and Lu Xueqi to hold off the enemy. In truth, a question now lurked in every heart—Daoist Daoyan did not fly through the air; could his wounds truly be so grave as this?

Yet none dared ask him now. Before long, with a great crash, several more Demonic Sect followers rushed out from either side. Song Dayi, Wen Pei and Tian Lingsu held them off, and Zhang Qingyue and Lin Jinghong made to step forward as well, but Song Dayi said urgently, "The three of us are enough—go quickly and protect the Sect Master!"

Lin Jinghong gritted his teeth, seized Zhang Qingyue, and ran forward, catching up once more with Daoist Daoyan. This time, unexpectedly, they met no further Demonic Sect followers. Daoist Daoyan led them along a secluded path toward the back mountain for a while, then stopped at a fork in the road.

Lin Jinghong and Zhang Qingyue halted as well. Zhang Qingyue said not a word, but Lin Jinghong lifted his head and looked toward Daoist Daoyan.

Daoist Daoyan turned to look, and suddenly started, a change passing over his face—as though by some coincidence of Heaven's design, these two were none other than the two orphaned survivors of Liutemple Village from years ago.

"Past this point lies the Phantom Moon Grotto-Heaven, the sacred ground of our Canglan Mountain, and I must enter it. You two stand guard here, and let no man of the demon cult force his way inside! The other path leads to the Ancestral Hall. You—"

Lin Jinghong's expression was resolute; he nodded firmly and said aloud, "Rest assured, Sect Master!"

Daoist Daoyan glanced at him, but his gaze quickly fell upon the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" in his hand. Here in this secluded place of quiet mountain hues, the Dragon-Slaying Sword shimmered with flowing green light, as though it too yearned for something.

This youth was full of passion and resolve. In that faint instant Daoist Daoyan suddenly turned around and gazed for a moment down the path toward the Ancestral Hall; then, saying no more, he walked straight on along the other road.

Lin Jinghong watched Daoist Daoyan vanish down the small path before he at last turned back, his sword-like brows tightly knit, his heart surging with unrest, even his breathing grown heavier. Small wonder—the Canglan Sect had met with sudden catastrophe, and Daoist Cangyan, whom he had ever regarded as a father, had turned traitor. How could this not leave him reeling?

Zhang Qingyue slowly raised his head and looked toward the distant foot of the mountain, in the direction of the Yuheng Hall, but saw only dense forest—not even a corner of eaves or roof was visible. On the other path, however, the one leading to the Ancestral Hall, faint traces of buildings could be made out behind the trees, and the distant sound of bells and chimes drifted faintly through the air.

From the battlefield of such extreme tension, they had suddenly come to this utterly secluded place, and for a time neither of them was quite used to it. Lin Jinghong gasped for breath, then drew a deep lungful of air and slowly stilled his breathing.

Suddenly, from the front of the mountain came a furious roar like the cry of a dragon; even across such a distance the wave of sound surged toward them like overturning seas and toppling mountains, and heaven and earth seemed almost to change color. Both were startled. Lin Jinghong was the first to react, and said with delight, "It's the Spirit Lord!"

Zhang Qingyue had heard it too—it was indeed the furious roar of the water qilin. Plainly the divine beast that had guarded Canglan Mountain for a thousand years had at last been roused and had entered the fray.

But from this it was not hard to imagine just how fierce the fighting within the Canglan Sect had become!

Each with his own thoughts, the two of them waited here for Daoist Daoyan. But their quiet did not last long; suddenly the sound of footsteps arose, and both were greatly alarmed, thinking it would be best if Qi Hao and the others had arrived—otherwise...

Yet it seemed Heaven itself had set itself against the Canglan Sect. A moment later, five demon cultists appeared, and the leader was none other than that impostor Shangguan Lue who had just ambushed Master Pucheng. Seeing the two of them there, he bared his teeth in a savage grin and rushed at them, while one of the others peered toward the path behind them.

Lin and Zhang paled. Lin Jinghong's thoughts raced. From the look of these five, he knew they were no common fighters; never mind dealing with them—whether the two of them together could even hold against all five was another question entirely. But the Phantom Moon Grotto-Heaven that Daoist Daoyan had entered lay behind them, and under no circumstances could these men be allowed inside. In his anxiety he suddenly hardened his heart, made his decision on the spot, and said in a low voice to Zhang Qingyue, "Xiaofan, I'll draw them off to the other side—you hold fast here!"

Zhang Qingyue was stunned and had not yet understood when Lin Jinghong had already charged out, the Dragon-Slaying Sword transforming into a beam of green radiance as he hurtled straight at the five men in black, his momentum surging mightily.

The false Shangguan Lue and the others frowned, startled, and their faces at once grew grave. They had not expected a mere junior disciple of the Canglan Sect to possess such cultivation. They immediately surrounded him, leaving only the false Shangguan Lue to direct the assault, while he kept watch on Zhang Qingyue's movements as well.

Lin Jinghong exchanged several blows with them, and indeed it confirmed that these demon cultists were no shallow practitioners. Three of them were only slightly inferior to him, but the leader's cultivation was a match for his own. Now, with four attacking at once, he was immediately at a disadvantage.

Lin Jinghong frowned deeply and did not linger in the fight. He at once broke free and retreated toward the other branching path. The false Shangguan Lue pondered for a moment, then took the three and gave chase. A moment later, only one man in black and Zhang Qingyue remained standing where they were.

The man in black gave a cold laugh and looked toward Zhang Qingyue, and saw that the youth seemed to have heard something, and was slowly raising his head.

What met his eyes was a pair of blood-red eyes, brimming with a nameless, savage ferocity!

In the quiet forest of Canglan Mountain, birds suddenly started up in flight and fled, and a clamor arose.

Far off in the distance, faint and distant, came once more the furious roar of the water qilin, echoing across heaven and earth!