劍問蒼天 - 第159章 寂寞 - 翰墨軒

All eyes fixed on the two of them, and everyone could see that Xiao Yichen's expression was grave, far from ordinary; and as he spoke, what little smile had remained on Daoist Yanyan's already stern face vanished entirely, leaving only solemnity. Gradually the hearts of all present were lifted, and they sensed vaguely that some nameless pressure seemed slowly to be settling upon this place as well.

When Xiao Yichen had finished, Daoist Yanyan looked at him and quietly pressed one further question; Xiao Yichen nodded silently, his look one of certainty. Daoist Yanyan let out a long breath and nodded. Xiao Yichen turned without a word and took his place behind Daoist Yanyan. Beside them, the Venerable Pucheng and Yun Yifeng now also looked over. The Venerable Pucheng intoned a prayer, "Amitabha. Sect Master Yanyan, can it be that there is news of the beast demons?"

Daoist Yanyan nodded and rose to his feet, and a stir ran through the ranks of the righteous cultivators below. Daoist Yanyan steadied himself, and a look of firm resolve gradually surfaced on his face. He said in a clear voice, "Fellow cultivators, word has just come: a great host of beast demons has appeared on the wild plains two hundred li from Canglan Mountain, and will arrive within days. And at the foot of the mountain, outside Heyin City, scattered traces of the beasts have already begun to be found."

At these words a commotion broke out at once. In that moment panic, dread, shock and fury, sighs and lamentations—every manner of expression appeared on the faces of the crowd. The catastrophe that had weighed on every heart for days had come at last to their very door.

Daoist Yanyan surveyed the faces before him, pressed down with both hands, and the clamor slowly subsided. When all around had grown quiet, he said in a clear voice, "Fellow cultivators, the great calamity is now before our eyes, and the fate of all living things under heaven rests upon the battle we shall fight against these demon hordes. All of you seated here are masters of the Way whose hearts are set upon the righteous path. For the sake of all living things, when the day of battle comes, you and I must give our utmost. As the saying goes, Heaven's heart is at peace within us—surely Heaven will not leave men without a road. These monsters may be rampant for a time, but they cannot endure forever."

For a moment the crowd was silent, then voices rose one after another: "The Master speaks truly."

"Rest assured, Master—with so many masters gathered here, if we all stake our lives together, surely overcoming these beast demons will not be so hard!"

"Just so, just so..."

For a time it seemed they took heart, and the faces of the crowd slowly began to relax and brighten. After all, whatever else might be said, here were still the three great sects, still these masters; and looking further, upon this Canglan Mountain there was still that legendary Slaying-Immortals Sword Formation, unbreakable and ever-victorious. Seeing the confidence brimming in Daoist Yanyan's face, what was there left to worry about?

Under the gaze of countless righteous cultivators, Daoist Yanyan smiled slowly, exchanged a few words with the assembly, and then withdrew with the Venerable Pucheng, Yun Yifeng, Xiao Yichen and the others into the inner chamber of the Yuheng Hall. Once out of sight of the crowd, Daoist Yanyan's face at once grew heavy, and the faces of the Venerable Pucheng and Yun Yifeng were no lighter. The party came to a quiet room in the inner hall, Xiao Yichen bringing up the rear and closing the door behind them.

Daoist Yanyan turned to Xiao Yichen and said, "Yicai, tell us the details."