Chapter 160 — The Recluse
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 1 of 9
The rain had let up for the moment, but the black clouds at the horizon still pressed low, layer upon layer, giving one a suffocating feeling. The north gate of He Yin City stood wide open, and countless common folk poured out of the city, heading north. Weeping rose without cease along the road; no one knew where this journey would ultimately lead.
Xiao Yichen led the Qingyun disciples in keeping order along the way, constantly comforting the anxious and frightened people, telling those around him again and again that this was only a temporary departure—that once the beast demons were defeated in a few days and the catastrophe had passed, everyone could return to their homes once more.
After a whole day of this, he was truly parched and exhausted. Gazing at the long, slow-moving dragon of humanity before him, Xiao Yichen shook his head silently. Just as he was about to rest a moment, he caught sight of Lin Jinghong of Longji Peak standing not far off, also looking worn out. He knew Lin Jinghong fairly well, so he walked over and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
Lin Jinghong turned, showed a faint smile, and opened his mouth to speak—but his voice came out hoarse: "Senior Brother, you're here too..."
Xiao Yichen grunted in reply. Their eyes met, then both looked at the people around them, and for a moment they could only shake their heads and smile bitterly.
Far off along the old road leading north, the sky seemed just as leaden, without a sliver of light to be seen.
Zhou Yixuan, Xiao Wan, and the Wild Wolf Daoist were also mixed in among the crowd. Because there were so many Qingyun disciples about and his own features were so peculiar, the Wild Wolf Daoist had pulled a cloth cap down over most of his face and followed behind Zhou Yixuan and Xiao Wan. Zhou Yixuan walked amid the throng, glancing left and right, brows tightly knit, heaving a sigh now and then.
Xiao Wan said softly, "Grandfather, what is it?"
Zhou Yixuan shook his head and said, "This battle decides the fate of all the common people under heaven, but I fear the righteous path on Canglan Mountain has little chance of victory."
Xiao Wan fell silent, knowing well enough why Zhou Yixuan spoke so. Since the beast demons had appeared in the mortal world, in but a short time they had swept from the southern wilds into the Central Plains, crushing all before them across the land, invincible wherever they went. Their strength was immense and their methods savage, and the ruin they had wrought already surpassed all the natural calamities of former days. To this day, the last resistance under heaven was largely concentrated on Canglan Mountain, and most of the world's hope rested upon that legendary, indestructible Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation of the Canglan Sect.
Xiao Wan forced a smile and said, "Isn't there still the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation? There's still hope."
Zhou Yixuan shrugged and said, "That... heh heh, never mind. We common folk might as well leave it to fate." He paused there, then suddenly turned his head toward the distant, towering Canglan Mountain—now hidden in the heavy black clouds, its jagged peaks jutting out and lending it a somewhat sinister look—and said slowly, "But these righteous-path folk had better not have a fire break out in their own backyard..."
Xiao Wan started and said, "What do you mean, a fire in their backyard?"
Zhou Yixuan gave a strange laugh, shook his head without answering, and walked on. Xiao Wan shot him a glare but could not be bothered to press him—after all, in this moment and this scene, who had the heart to worry about the righteous path? Only the Wild Wolf Daoist, following behind the two of them, seemed to give a slight shudder; beneath the cloth cap, in the shadow, his eyes flickered without rest.