Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 357 One move is missing

Dark clouds obscured the moon, and torrential rain poured down. The spirit ship, fluttering the banner of the Hunyuan Sect, sped through the air.

Inside the cabin, a man dressed in the attire of the Hunyuan Sect saw that the moon was high in the sky and it was around midnight. He then went to a room in the cabin and knocked on the stone door.

There was no response from inside, so the man knocked harder a few more times, but still there was no response.

"Master, it's already midnight." The man called out after knocking twice without getting a response.

After a while, the interior remained silent without any sound. The man was puzzled. After Song Xian boarded the ship, he summoned him to the room and instructed him to stand guard outside, saying that there was something important and no one was allowed to approach or disturb him. He was to be called back at midnight.

It's already past midnight, and he's knocked on the door three times already, but there's been no response. Surely he's not sleeping like a log!

The man did not dare to do anything rash, but continued to knock on the door and raise his voice to report, but there was no response for a long time.

A sudden sense of foreboding rose in the man's heart.

"Sect Leader, Sect Leader, can you hear me?" the man shouted, but there was no response. This made his ominous premonition grow stronger. He couldn't care less about anything else. He said "Forgive this disciple for being rude" and pushed open the heavy door. The room was empty, without a soul in sight. There was only a jade slip on the table.

Where are they? The man was shocked. He clearly saw Song Xian and Su Zhirou enter the stone chamber, and he didn't see them leave. How could they have disappeared?

Looking at the jade slip on the table, he seemed to understand something. He immediately took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and then his expression changed drastically. He quickly left the cabin and came to the lower level of the spirit ship's control room.

"Stop immediately."

"What's wrong, Senior Brother Zhu?" The man in charge of piloting the spirit ship looked at him with surprise.

"This is the sect leader's order," the man said solemnly.

"But where should we stop?"

"Don't ask where to stop, just stop right below."

The spirit ship sped down and came to a stop on the open ground.

The man summoned everyone, his face solemn: "Fellow disciples, the sect leader has left this place, leaving behind this jade slip. We are to immediately abandon the spirit ship and disperse to Humen City to reunite with Uncle Hu Xiaobao."

"What? When did the sect leader leave?"

"Why did we abandon the spirit ship and scatter to Humen City to reunite with Uncle Hu Xiaobao? Without the spirit ship, are we supposed to run to Humen City on foot?"

"Why go to Humen City? Isn't Uncle Hu Xiaobao leading people to participate in the Beast Taming Sect's conscription and fight against the Windwalking Sect? Are they going to send us to the battlefield?"

Everyone looked astonished and started talking all at once.

It's no wonder everyone was puzzled, as the order came as a complete surprise.

"Stop asking. Someone is going to ambush our spirit ship, so the sect leader has ordered us to disperse and reunite with Uncle Hu Xiaobao," the man shouted sternly.

"Who is planning to ambush our spirit ship?"

"Where has the sect leader gone?"

"Why go to Humen City instead of returning to Luojia Mountain?"

The crowd was even more puzzled.

"That's the sect leader's order. Those who are unwilling to obey can go to the sect leader to apologize and explain later."

After saying this, the man jumped off the spirit boat. The others looked at each other and then also left the spirit boat.

.........

In the desolate mountains southeast of Luojia Mountain, Jiang Jian descended in a beam of light, and a man appeared on the treetops above him, leaping to his side and bowing.

What's been happening at Luojia Mountain lately?

"According to Junior Brother Cheng Yuan's report from the western observation point, a second-tier spirit ship was seen departing from Luojia Mountain and heading west."

Jiang Jian frowned slightly: "When did you leave?"

"Shortly after you left, less than a quarter of an hour later, a spirit ship headed west."

"Never mind, let's ignore it."

……

In the desolate mountains, several beams of light shot down, revealing several figures, the leader of whom was Jin Yuanxing.

Looking at the intact second-tier spirit ship bearing the banner of the Hunyuan Sect, Jin Yuanxing narrowed his eyes slightly, and his expression immediately turned ugly.

"This spirit ship is completely undamaged, so why is it stopped here? Where did everyone go?" A middle-aged man behind him asked with a look of surprise and doubt.

"Could it be that Song Xian has discovered we are looking for him?" Another middle-aged man dressed in Luoyun Sect attire frowned.

“When we found this spirit ship, it was just sitting here, and there was no one on it,” said a burly man with a thick beard.

"Is there even a question? There must be a problem on your end. Either Song Xian wasn't even on this ship, or the news leaked out, and they realized what was happening and abandoned the spirit ship."

The last woman, a burly middle-aged woman, sneered: "You asked me for help, and I agreed. Whether it succeeded or not, that condition is non-negotiable. Now that Song Xian has run away, that's none of my business. If your Luoyun Sect tries to renege on your debt because of this, I won't allow it."

Fearing that Song Xian might not leave Luojia Mountain as planned, and that a full-scale attack on Luojia Mountain would be necessary, Luoyun Sect sought the help of four Foundation Establishment cultivators to ensure everything went smoothly, and promised each of them benefits.

These four people were on good terms with the Luoyun Sect and had previous dealings with them. This time, in order to ambush Song Xian, the Luoyun Sect dispatched a total of seven people, three of whom were Luoyun Sect's own cultivators, and the other four were these four rogue cultivators who were called in as helpers.

The seven people split into three groups, each searching for the Hunyuan Sect's spirit ship bound for Black Turtle Island. They agreed that whoever found it would stay behind to continue tracking the spirit ship and leave marks along the way, while the other person would notify the other two groups to rendezvous.

As a result, the group of men found the docked spirit ship and located them by following the marks left by the group of Jin Yuanxing.

Upon hearing that the Hunyuan Sect's spirit ship had stopped here, Jin Yuanxing immediately came over.

"Senior Brother Jin, could it be that Lu Kui has tricked us?"

Jin Yuanxing's eyes flickered, and he shook his head: "It shouldn't be. He's still in the sect. Unless he's determined to die, how could he dare to talk nonsense? I think the news must have leaked."

"Now what?"

“Lu Kui said he saw Song Xian and Su Zhirou enter the spirit ship with his own eyes, so he should be right. Let’s split up and search. If we can’t find Song Xian, we should at least find the other Hunyuan Sect cultivators. Even if Song Xian ran away, he couldn’t have taken so many Qi Refining disciples with him. Let’s capture one alive and find out what’s going on first.”

...A dozen or so second-tier spirit ships set off from the Luoyun Sect's mountain gate, traveling in a grand procession that attracted the attention of many passing rogue cultivators. Seeing this spectacle, they all knew that something big was about to happen.

Many curious onlookers even wanted to follow the spirit ship to see what Luoyun Sect was really up to.

However, the speed of a second-tier spirit ship was beyond the reach of Qi Refining cultivators, and those rogue cultivators who wanted to follow and watch the excitement were left behind.

"Brother Yu, what are the Luo Yun Sect doing with such a grand display?" One of the two passing cultivators asked curiously as the Luo Yun Sect's spirit ship sailed further and further away.

"Most likely, they're after the Hunyuan Sect." The man beside him had an expression that seemed to know everything.

"Oh? Why do you see it?"

“Didn’t you see that the spirit ship was full of Luoyun Sect cultivators, at least several hundred people, like they’ve mobilized their entire force? What can so many people do? And look at the direction they’re heading, isn’t it towards Luojia Mountain? Apart from attacking Hunyuan Sect, why would they need to mobilize so many people on such a large scale?”

"That can't be! I've heard that the Hunyuan Sect and the Luoyun Sect have always been on good terms. The Hunyuan Sect's leader's wife, Su Zhirou, is the niece of the Luoyun Sect's leader's wife, Wen Yiren. The two families have a very close relationship. Didn't they even work together to drive the Kong family out of Bianxi City before? Moreover, I haven't heard of any conflicts or friction between the Hunyuan Sect and the Luoyun Sect in recent years. How could they suddenly turn against each other?"

"You don't understand. There's no sentimentality between these sects. They're all bastards who'll turn on you for whoever pays them the most. It's perfectly normal for them to turn against each other. But the reason why the Luoyun Sect chose to make a move at this time is probably not just because of any benefits."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

“Think about it! The Hunyuan Sect was supported by the Yushou Sect. I heard that Pang Tong, the head of Bianxi City, personally led the Bianxi City conscription team to Humen City to fight against the Fengxing Sect. While he was away fighting, the Luoyun Sect attacked the Hunyuan Sect. I think it is very likely that they were targeting the Yushou Sect.”

"Targeting the Beast Taming Sect? Brother Yu, do you mean that the Falling Cloud Sect wants to sever ties with the Beast Taming Sect and form an independent alliance like An Yuan City and Yong Ning City? But I heard that the Falling Cloud Sect has also sent a lot of people to Humen City to fight against the Windwalking Sect."

"Who knows? Let them fight like dogs, let's just watch the show. Brother Xu, do you dare to bet with me that the Luoyun Sect has definitely gone to attack the Hunyuan Sect? If I guess right, we'll go to the Stone Ridge gambling house and gamble all day, you pay out the difference. If I'm wrong, I pay out the difference."

"Okay! It's settled then."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

.........

Southeast of Luojia Mountain, amidst the dense forest, Jiang Jian saw more than a dozen spirit ships bearing the flags of the Luoyun Sect approaching in a grand procession. He immediately rose into the air and went to meet them, arriving at the central spirit ship.

Tao Jinyuan stood on the bow of the ship, gazing at Luojia Mountain in the distance: "Send the first, second, and third teams to flank it and surround the south, west, and north sides of Luojia Mountain."

"Yes." A man responded and left.

"Sect Leader." Jiang Jianxing walked up to him and bowed.

Is there any activity at Luojia Mountain?

"After I left this place and returned to the mountain gate, a second-tier spirit ship went west. It should be a spirit ship carrying supplies or something similar."

Tao Jinyuan nodded, not paying much attention. After all, he had already received news that Song Xian and Su Zhirou had taken the spirit ship to Black Turtle Island. Only Lin Zixiang, the only Foundation Establishment cultivator left in Hunyuan Sect, was in charge of Luojia Mountain. The rest were just a motley crew. So what if they left? He didn't care at all.

The spirit ship sped along and soon arrived at Luojia Mountain. In the distance, huge flames could be seen rising, which was a warning signal released by the dark guards.

However, there was no movement within Luojia Mountain, and the great formation of Luojia Mountain was not fully activated.

"Sect Leader, something seems amiss. Why aren't the Hunyuan Sect's guards stationed at Luojia Mountain reacting at all?" A middle-aged man behind Tao Jinyuan said.

"Junior Brother Jiang, Junior Brother Wang, you lead the fourth and fifth teams to scout out the situation."

"Yes." The two responded and then transformed into streaks of light, quickly followed by disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect from two spirit ships who arrived at the mountain gate.

Silence reigned both inside and out. There were some ordinary people guarding the area outside, but they had all vanished upon seeing the warning fireworks.

.........

"Sect Leader, Luojia Mountain is completely deserted." Jiang Jian landed with a somewhat grim expression. He was responsible for monitoring the movements of Luojia Mountain, but he was unaware that everyone inside had fled, which made him feel very embarrassed.

Tao Jinyuan's eyes twitched slightly, and he narrowed his gaze.

A man behind him asked in confusion, "Could it be that our information was leaked to the Hunyuan Sect, which is why they escaped?"

“We have disciples monitoring the area around Mount Luojia. If a large number of Hunyuan Sect disciples were to flee Mount Luojia, I would definitely know. There is only one possibility: during the time I returned to the sect, a second-tier spirit ship sailed out of Mount Luojia, and the Hunyuan Sect members stationed at Mount Luojia were all on that ship.”

"If that's the case, then they already knew our sect was going to attack Luojia Mountain. Could the spirit ship that Song Xian and Su Zhirou were on also be a trap?"

Upon hearing this, the Foundation Establishment cultivators all reacted with varying expressions.

Tao Jinyuan's face was ashen. After a long silence, he uttered three words: "Go to Tianshan."

.........

Under a clear sky and gentle breeze, a second-tier spirit ship bearing the banner of the Hunyuan Sect sped through the air. Song Xian emerged from the cabin and looked back towards the direction of Bianxi City.

The foundation laid by the Hunyuan Sect over several decades was wiped out in a single day, and the future of the sect was uncertain. He had no idea whether they would be able to return to Bianxi City in the future.

Su Zhirou sensed his emotions and squeezed his hand.

The two did indeed board the spirit ship bound for Black Turtle Island, but it was just a smokescreen. They deliberately let Lu Kui, a spy sent by the Falling Cloud Sect, see them. After entering the cabin, the two used a concealment talisman to quietly leave the spirit ship.

Song Xian instructed everyone not to disturb him, and then left a jade slip in the cabin. He estimated that Luo Yun Sect might not be able to wait for him to go to Black Turtle Island and would take action on the way. This was because the round trip from Bianxi City to Black Turtle Island would take too long and many things might happen.

So he told his disciple leader to contact him again after midnight, which would give him enough time to evacuate.

As for the fate of the disciples on the spirit ship, it all depends on their own luck. It's possible that the Luoyun Sect will attack the spirit ship before midnight.

Song Xian couldn't possibly do everything perfectly; some people had to be sacrificed. For example, he couldn't recall the sentry disciples guarding the vicinity of Luojia Mountain to take them with him, because there must be Luoyun Sect disciples nearby monitoring Luojia Mountain's every move. If he suddenly recalled those disciples responsible for guarding the sentry posts, Luoyun Sect would definitely suspect that the matter had been exposed.

"Sect Leader." Lin Zixiang walked over quickly.

"Senior Brother Zixiang is back. How was it? Did things go smoothly in Tianshan?" Song Xian withdrew his gaze.

After everyone left Luojia Mountain, Lin Zixiang went to Tianshan to meet up with Zhang Ningyuan and the others.

Song Xian had previously sent Huang Ye to Tianshan, instructing them to evacuate in an orderly manner according to plan. They were to first disguise the sect's treasury as supplies and head towards the Muhe Grassland to mislead the disciples of Luoyun Sect who were sent to monitor the area near Tianshan. They were to turn around the spirit ship halfway through the journey and leave Bianxi City to reunite with them.

After the sect's treasury and valuables were transported away, the personnel were then picked up in batches by spirit boats.

The Tianshan Mountains are quite far from the Luoyun Sect, and it would take a considerable amount of time to travel there and back. By the time the Luoyun Sect disciples monitoring the Tianshan Mountains realized something was wrong and went to report to the Luoyun Sect, the Tianshan side had already completed their evacuation.

(End of this chapter)