mtl008 Chapter 227: The Crisis of the Sect Begins
Chapter 227: The Crisis of the Sect Begins
Back at the sect, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen were immediately overwhelmed by a depressing and tense atmosphere as soon as they entered the mountain gate. The sect that used to be peaceful and harmonious, with disciples either practicing or chatting, was now in chaos.
Some disciples were panicking, running around like headless flies, shouting and yelling. Some disciples were terrified, shouting, "The mountain protection formation has been broken, what should we do!" Others were anxiously looking for their fellow disciples, or hurriedly moving some items, as if they were preparing for an emergency.
Yun Yao and Chu Mochen frowned and quickened their pace as they walked deeper into the sect. Along the way, they saw that many of the sect's buildings were damaged, with traces of magic attacks on the walls, broken doors and windows of some pavilions, and rubble scattered all over the ground. The flowers, plants, and trees that had been carefully cared for were now leaning to one side or the other, and many were burnt and withered, as if silently telling of the disaster that had just happened.
When they arrived at the sect's meeting hall, many elders and core disciples had already gathered inside. Everyone's faces were extremely solemn, and they were talking in low voices. The atmosphere was so depressing that it was hard to breathe. The appearance of Yun Yao and Chu Mochen attracted everyone's attention.
The sect's great elder slowly stood up. His face looked particularly haggard, and his eyes revealed deep worry. He looked at Yun Yao and Chu Mochen, and said in a low and hoarse voice: "You are finally back. This time the sect encountered a great disaster. Just last night, a part of the mountain protection formation was quietly destroyed by a mysterious force. That force was extremely strange. It seemed that it took advantage of the gap between our on-duty disciples to cast an extremely hidden spell, silently eroding a corner of the formation."
The elder said, pacing slowly, and continued: "After the formation was broken, a group of black shadows quickly sneaked into the sect. They had a clear goal and went straight to our treasure house and scripture pavilion. Some precious cultivation resources in the treasure house were stolen, including several thousand-year-old spiritual crystals, several rare spiritual herbs and medicines, and some magic weapons and elixirs made by senior masters. These are the foundation accumulated by the sect over the years, and are crucial to the cultivation of disciples and the development of the sect. The scripture pavilion was also turned into a mess by them, and many precious classics and secret books disappeared. Those classics recorded the sect's cultivation experience, unique spells, and some ancient array mechanism techniques."
Yun Yao was shocked. She knew the significance of these resources and classics to the sect. These cultivation resources could help disciples quickly improve their strength and break through bottlenecks, and those secret classics were the core of the sect's inheritance and the crystallization of the wisdom of countless predecessors. Now that they were stolen, it would not only affect the current cultivation of the sect's disciples, but also might cause some of the sect's unique inheritance to be cut off.
"Moreover," the elder's voice became heavier, "we found some clues at the scene, and there are signs that this is not accidental, but a premeditated and organized conspiracy. Judging from the power that destroyed the mountain protection formation, its method is very similar to some evil forces we have known before. It is very likely that the evil forces outside the sect colluded with the traitors in our sect, and the disaster happened because of the cooperation between the inside and the outside."
When the word "traitor" was heard, there was a slight commotion in the meeting room. The disciples looked at each other, their eyes full of suspicion and uneasiness. No one dared to believe that someone in their own sect would betray and do such a cruel thing.
Yun Yao and Chu Mochen looked at each other, and both saw anger and determination in each other's eyes. Yun Yao stepped forward, clasped his fists and said, "Grand Elder, we are willing to fully assist the sect in investigating this matter, uncovering the traitor, recovering the stolen items, and restoring peace to the sect."
The Great Elder looked at them and nodded slightly, with a hint of relief in his eyes: "I trust the strength and wisdom of the two of you. But the enemy this time is extremely cunning and insidious, so you must be careful. From now on, you will start the investigation. Start with the destroyed mountain protection formation and see if you can find some useful clues."
Yun Yao and Chu Mochen followed the order and left. They came to the place where the mountain protection formation was destroyed, and saw that the corner of the formation that was originally shining with light and contained powerful spiritual power had become dim. Some runes at the base of the formation were distorted and damaged, and cracks appeared on the surrounding ground, as if it was torn apart by a powerful force.
Yun Yao squatted down and carefully observed the damaged runes. With the special ability granted by the system, she could see some subtle traces that ordinary people could not detect. In her eyes, there was a faint dark aura flickering around the runes, and this aura seemed to be mixed with some evil magic fluctuations. She reached out her hand and gently touched the array base, feeling the residual spiritual power fluctuations, and silently analyzed it in her heart.
"This power is very strange," Yun Yao said with a frown, "It is not simply violent destruction, but first uses an extremely hidden dark magic to erode the runes, weaken the defense of the formation, and then launch a powerful attack, which leads to the damage of the formation. This method is definitely not something that ordinary minions can perform. There must be a master behind the scenes."
Chu Mochen listened carefully at the side. He looked at Yun Yao's focused look and secretly admired her. He knew Yun Yao's wisdom and ability very well. At such a critical moment, she could always calmly analyze the problem and find the key.
"Then what should we do next?" Chu Mochen asked.
Yun Yao stood up and said with a firm gaze: "Following the traces left by this dark aura, I believe we will be able to find some clues. Although this aura is weak, with the help of the system, I can still track its whereabouts."
So, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen followed the faint dark aura and moved forward in the sect. They crossed mountains and passed through forests, being careful along the way and not missing any possible clues.
As they tracked deeper, they found that the aura gradually pointed to a remote corner of the sect's back mountain. Few disciples usually set foot there. It was a quiet valley with steep cliffs all around and only a narrow path winding into it.
As they walked into the valley, a strong dark aura hit them in the face. Yun Yao's heart tightened, she knew that they were getting closer and closer to the truth.
Deep in the valley, they found a hidden cave. The entrance of the cave was covered by vines and weeds. If they hadn't followed the scent, it would have been hard to find that there was a hidden cave here.
Yun Yao and Chu Mochen slowly approached the cave. They could feel a strong evil force in the cave. The two looked at each other and saw vigilance and determination in each other's eyes. They knew that the key secret of this sect crisis might be hidden in the cave, and they were about to face an extremely powerful and dangerous enemy. But for the safety of the sect, in order to protect the justice and beliefs in their hearts, they stepped into the cave without hesitation, ready to uncover the truth of this conspiracy and meet unknown challenges.