Zhao Ning turned around and saw Ji Xiu approaching, but she didn't make the usual little gesture of waving the folding fan.
"Uncle Ji, what's wrong?"
Ji Xiu twitched the corners of his lips, his smile was not obvious, "It's nothing, it's just that in this expedition against human demons, every disciple has distributed something. Although you came in temporarily, you should have it according to the rules."
As he spoke, he took out a storage bag from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Zhao Ning.
Zhao Ning's consciousness sank into the bag, but it contained a lot of things. Sure enough, there was a bottle of foundation-building pills that he heard about just now, as well as a dozen bottles of practice pills, hundreds of spiritual talismans, and thousands of spiritual stones. In addition, In addition, he was actually given a second-level spiritual weapon and two volumes of Taoism.
Zhao Ning was extremely shocked. The contents in this storage bag were almost as much as the savings of a small cultivator family. Even if she was doing tasks in the sect, she couldn't easily get so many things.
"Uncle Ji Xiu, what does the sect mean? There are so many things." Zhao Ning couldn't help but feel a sense of fear in her heart, as if... there seemed to be an intention for her to leave the sect and establish her own family.
"Don't think too much about it." Ji Xiu looked like he was smiling but not calmly. "In fact, the encirclement and suppression of human demons this time is of great importance. It has the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul realm as soon as it is born. Even if He was seriously injured by the Golden Core Elder, and his cultivation level has dropped, and he is almost half a step closer to the Golden Core. There is no Golden Core Elder to help him this time, and it all depends on our joint efforts, so naturally the reward is indispensable."
Zhao Ning clutched the storage bag and murmured "Really?" She couldn't accept it calmly for a moment, and her mind was extremely swaying.
"Of course." Ji Xiu's voice became brighter, as if to give Zhao Ning confidence, "Okay, let's go back to the cabin and rest. This trip is long, and practicing more will be more helpful."
After the Yunzhou sailed for ten days, Zhao Ning opened his eyes from practicing. He couldn't stay in the cabin any longer, so he went to the Yunzhou for a walk.
The disciples on Yunzhou also became familiar with each other, and the outer disciples also made friends with the inner disciples.
Looking far away from the corridor on the second floor, I heard an outer sect disciple gossiping with an inner sect disciple below, "Senior Brother Wang, I heard that an uncle from the inner sect who inherited ancient sword skills committed suicide mysteriously in the cave. But is there really such a thing? What's going on?"
Zhao Ning paused, wondering whether they were talking about Mu Shuyi or someone else in the sect who also had the ancient sword technique.
The inner disciple was described as casual, with his Tai Chi bun casually combed, and a strand of white hair hanging down from the corner of his forehead like a dragon's beard.
Senior Brother Wang sighed and nodded, and the outer disciple suddenly looked incredulous.
"It's what you heard, but we can't believe it. A good foundation-building master, with a special physique and the inheritance of ancient sword skills, he just committed suicide. And this time he committed suicide. This matter has not been heard of in Qingxiao Sect for almost decades."
"The Qingxiao Sect has never heard of it. The entire Kunxu cultivation world has never heard of it." Another inner disciple joined their conversation. He was dressed in silver and white clothes and was extremely puzzled. "I heard that before Master Mu committed suicide, he went A trip to the Punishment Hall, could it be possible that you made some mistake?"
"I know this matter." The disciple surnamed Wang said, "The matter is big or small. Master Mu personally killed the inner disciple, the prodigal Pei, without reporting it to the sect. Ti. Talking about this matter, Master Mu was too irritable in handling this matter. According to the sect’s rules, he should be punished for the state of mind test. However, I heard that the punishment hall did not do much to deal with it. They just reprimanded Master Mu and sent Master Mu away. Uncle left. When I heard about it at the time, I was quite dissatisfied with the fawning attitude of the Penal Hall."
"It's really inappropriate to do this in the Punishment Hall. I felt it right after I came out of seclusion this time. Many people seemed to have been stimulated, and their behavior was not what they used to be." The inner door of the long coat just complained a little more, and then continued after the words. Turning to Mu Shuyi, "I heard that people from the sect used the round light retrospection technique and checked it three times. I also considered the information in the soul lamp repeatedly. There is nothing abnormal at all. All the circumstances indicate that Master Mu used it by himself." The ancient sword technique injured oneself ninety-nine and eighty-one times, until the flesh and blood collapsed, the sea of consciousness collapsed, and it was completely wiped out. Such a suicide method is really chilling."
"That's right, it doesn't look like committing suicide. Instead, it looks like he is so angry that he kills the most vicious person."
Zhao Ning listened to their exchange, her thoughts were confused, and she walked in front of a few people uncontrollably.
"Several junior brothers."
Their cultivation was inferior to that of Zhao Ning. When they heard Zhao Ning's voice, they were slightly startled. They all bowed their hands to Zhao Ning in greeting. Zhao Ning asked, "Junior brothers, do you know how Uncle Mu was dealt with after his death?"
The disciple surnamed Wang said, "Sister, I don't know something. The body of Uncle Mu was chopped too many times by the ancient sword. When it was discovered, the body had turned into mud, and even the bones were shattered."
Zhao Ning couldn't help but step back. A trace of fear suddenly rose in her heart. She didn't even have time to think about the source of this fear. She only felt that the picture they painted seemed so familiar.
"This is really terrible." The outer disciple couldn't help but murmured after hearing this, "How could Master Mu be so cruel to me? I heard that Master Mu is actually a casual and gentle person. After being punished by the Inner Sect Hall of Punishment and regretting it, can’t you get out of the shadow of impulsively killing fellow disciples of your sect?”
This actually sounds a bit illogical, but there is no other reason. I just heard the disciple surnamed Wang say, "It seems like this. I heard that Master Mu has been in retreat in the cave since he came out of the Punishment Hall. Senior Brother from the same peak They also heard that fighting and painful screams often came from the cave. At first, they were worried that something would happen, but they found that Uncle Mu seemed to be venting his anger, so no one dared to disturb him."
Listening to them talking about the details of Mu Shuyi's suicide, Zhao Ning slowly retreated, fear overwhelming her heart.
Zhao Ning finally caught the source of his fear. Didn't Tian Jiu and others turn into a pool of blood that day in the Lin Family Mansion and completely lose their life?
And she also accidentally discovered the situation of Tian Jiu and others at that time. It was the demon that invaded the sea of consciousness and was swallowed by the demon.
Mu Shuyi...Uncle Mu...could it be that...
Was he invaded from the sea of knowledge, but his consciousness was still under control, so he trapped himself until he was unable to recover, so he killed himself to become a demon?
Zhao Ning stepped back uncontrollably. This thought suddenly came to his mind, as if something started to string together.
She turned around suddenly and left. Several disciples called her several times in surprise, but she seemed not to hear them and walked faster and faster until she started running.
When she was about to approach the cabin of Ji Xiu and others, Zhao Ning paused and suppressed her chaotic emotions. However, she couldn't hide it. She had to restrain her breath and calm herself down on the surface. But when she took two steps closer to Ji Xiu's cabin, she , she suddenly heard a noisy sound inside.
Several True Foundation Establishment disciples were arguing with Ji Xiu.
Zhao Ning didn't know what she was worried about, so she subconsciously unfolded Yunsi Qianhuan's cloak, and the cloak instantly hid her breath.
Several Foundation Establishment True Disciples were so focused on arguing that they did not notice Zhao Ning approaching, and now they were even less aware of Zhao Ning's eavesdropping.
Only one person shouted, "Ji Xiu, please tell us clearly what is going on in the siege and suppression of human demons. The sect has handed out so many things, and we even got the sect's inheritance of the Dafa. This kind of suppression of the sect How could Dafa be given to us so easily and let us be taken out of the sect? Is it possible that Chief Qin wants us to establish our own sect outside?"
"It's a joke. We have been in Qingxiao Sect for nearly a hundred years. Not to mention our contribution to the sect, almost all our relationships are with the sect. How can we be driven away? In such a weird and ambiguous way, Qin Keyuan and others What do you want to do?"
Ji Xiu didn't answer a word during the questioning. He sat cross-legged in front of the table, closed his mouth tightly, and refused to say a word.
"Okay, you two calm down." A calm true disciple comforted them and pulled them back to their seats. He asked softly, "Ji Xiu, we all know that a lot of things have happened in our sect recently. First of all, The spiritual beasts in the Royal Beast Garden were in chaos and attacked the inner disciples. Then Master Mu Shuyi cut himself to death with seventy-seven forty-nine cuts. In addition, from what I observed secretly, I knew that there were a series of disciples in the sect. Fights to death were suppressed by the sect."
"But even in such a chaotic situation, the leader of Qin still agreed to the proposal of Yuhua Zong Yunwei. One month later, he launched the challenge of the four major sects and invited all the sects in Kunxu to watch the battle in the sect. He also gave the hundred-day gold The Dan Ceremony was held at the same time, and the actions of these two parties attracted almost everyone in Kunxu to the sect, but we were kicked out at this time."
The use of the word "rush" was so subtle that the two people who had just calmed down became violent again.
"Ji Xiu, tell us honestly, does Qin Keyuan want to cause trouble and take Qingxiao Sect as his own?!"
"Han Xu!" Hearing what the other party said about Qin Keyuan, Ji Xiu couldn't bear it anymore, "How dare you slander the First Senior Brother like this! You have forgotten that you were besieged by evil cultivators before, and it was the First Senior Brother who saved you from evil. Rescued from Xiu's lair!"
The sounds in the room stopped for a moment, and Han Xu sat back in his chair, panting and weakly.
"I'm sorry." He held his head, "I was really confused. I was wondering if some force in the sect wanted to split the sect, so they had to abandon us useless disciples. Is the sect going to be destroyed, so we are all sent out under the pretext of encircling and suppressing human demons in order to preserve the sect’s last strength.”
This sentence exploded in Zhao Ning's mind.
She had never thought of this possibility. She had spent too much time in the sect, and she even knew very little about the sect. Her impression of the sect was still that it had been inherited for nearly ten thousand years and had everlasting prosperity. The magnificent sect, I never thought that the sect would suddenly be destroyed.
Just as Grandmaster Huo Rong said at the time, the sect now has stricter sect rules and more balanced forces than it did decades ago. What's more, Qin Keyuan is here and he has formed a high-grade golden elixir. No force will cause chaos in the sect at this time. All appearances point to the latter, and Qingxiao Sect is about to end.
"Our Qingxiao Sect has been standing in Kunxu for nearly ten thousand years. Master Yuanying has given birth to nearly ten people, Master Jindan has also given birth to hundreds of people, and there are three high-grade Jindan. How can it be destroyed?" There was no reason in the room. Knowing who was suddenly angry, he grabbed Han Xu, who was hanging his head in annoyance, "You are telling me who can be destroyed, even if the great power in the Heavenly Palace comes to this world, destroying our Qingxiao Sect must be carefully weighed." Lei Jingshang We are still guarding the sect under Yunxiao Peak, the Master is here, and the sect is here!"
"Master Lei Jing is no longer here."
But I don’t know who murmured.
There was a crisp sound in the cabin, and something fell to the ground.
"The Master passed away twenty years ago. It was the sect master who used his lifelong cultivation to forcibly leave behind a trace of the Master's soul, which shocked Xiao Xiao who was peeping outside."
"Then there is Master Lingxiao!"
"Master Ling Xiao is only in the Qingxiao Sect in name, and has been wandering around without caring about the sect. What's more, he got the Haoyang Order and went out to look for Haoyang's tomb, but there was no news again."
There was dead silence in the cabin for a long time.
Someone fell to the ground uncontrollably, "Is our Qingxiao Sect really about to face a powerful liquidation?"
"It's not a liquidation." Suddenly a voice took over his words. It was Zhao Ning muttering to himself. Everyone in the cabin was startled, and then they realized there was someone outside the room.
Ji Xiu stepped forward, waved his sleeves to catch the strong wind, and blew open the door.
"Why are you here?"
Zhao Ning stood in front of the door, not caring about the astonished and wary looks in the room.
She looked at Ji Xiu, "It's internal erosion, they have been demonized."
When he said these words, Zhao Ning's mind surged, and all the suppressed uneasiness, fear, panic, and confusion came up.
It's because she doesn't understand the terror and pervasiveness of demons, and it's because she doesn't understand the fragility and inferiority of human monk consciousness.
"You...what did you say..."
Ji Xiu spoke tremblingly, unable to believe what Zhao Ning said, and everyone in the room could no longer care about Zhao Ning's sudden appearance. The blood on everyone's faces had faded, and they were full of paleness and fear.
But Zhao Ning didn't speak anymore. She took two steps back and murmured, "I want to go back, back to Kunxu, back to the sect."
Before the words could be fully finished, Zhao Ning turned around and walked away against the wind.
But he was suddenly stopped by Ji Xiu. He grabbed Zhao Ning's arm and forced Zhao Ning into the cabin. The door of the cabin was slammed shut.
Ji Xiu shouted, "Zhao Ning, don't be impulsive."
Zhao Ning stood there, staring at him. Thousands of emotions were pressed in her throat, as if she screamed out when she opened her mouth slightly. She was so suppressed that she didn't make a sound, but her emotions came out through her eyes. Her eyes were already red. .
Ji Xiu seemed to be affected as well. He could not speak steadily, but he still controlled himself and remained calm.
"Zhao Ning... things may not be what you think. You see, those casual cultivators who were possessed by demons were affected by the evil Dafa of seven emotions and six desires, and their bodies were transformed into demons. However, these situations did not occur in our sect. They were just... They are just more impetuous and extreme than before, and they are normal."
"Yes, yes, yes." I don't know why, but other people who were questioning Ji Xiu just now unanimously agreed with Ji Xiu, "All the disciples we have come into contact with these days are normal. Sensing the slightest bit of demonic energy, and no sign of demonization, you are overthinking, Master Nephew Shen."
"Exactly, maybe it's influenced by the outside cultivators who are eager for quick success and instant gain, so there is no demonization, haha."
"..."
These words of defense sound so obvious.
Zhao Ning closed her eyes tightly and shook her head, "No, because the devil is not on their body surface, but in their consciousness, starting from the soul."
"No...the only ones that can invade the divine soul and invade the sea of consciousness are the demons. The demons are blocked outside the void. Even if our sea of consciousness is connected to the void, they cannot reach the boundary of our sea of consciousness. Even if they use secret methods to attract the demons, the demons will be trapped in the void." The sea gray fog will also shield the demon from outside, and it will not be easily captured by the demon."
The mutual refutations from both sides are actually no longer about arguing who is right, but about seeking a situation that is acceptable to the heart.
Zhao Ning also wanted to agree with what Ji Xiu and others said, but she could no longer convince herself with these statements. At this moment, she no longer believed in anyone. She only believed in the truth that was gradually extracted from all the chaos in her heart. This truth was Blinded by appearances, ignored by real people's persuasion, deflected by other people's hints and speculations with incomplete information, until later, he was deceived by Qin Keyuan and his series of serious explanations.
Only now did Zhao Ning understand that the statements in the Mangrove Courtyard were all white lies, and it was impossible to tell whether they were true or false. Uncle Qin just wanted her not to explore the truth anymore and used the harm of human demons to capture her heart. responsibility, and let her follow Ji Xiu and others to leave the sect and Kunxu with peace of mind.
The Feiming Chen family's demonization, the soul boy of the Qi Molin family, Mu Shuyi's brutal suicide... everything shows that the Qingxiao Sect, and even Kunxu, have been invaded by demons.
Zhao Ning didn't know where the demon came from, and she was no longer able to investigate. At this moment, she just wanted to go back, to Kunxu, to Qingxiao Sect, and to Master Qin to ask him why he wanted to hide the truth.
She was about to leave the cabin in an instant, but she didn't expect the cabin's ban to suddenly open, blocking the unexpected Zhao Ning in the room.
Ji Xiu stretched out his hand to pull Zhao Ning again, but Zhao Ning turned around and attacked. Zhao Ning couldn't practice Qi perfectly. How could he survive a few moves under Ji Xiu's hands and be imprisoned in place instantly.
"Zhao Ning, we can't go back." Ji Xiu said to Zhao Ning, "Since senior brother has made such arrangements, he doesn't want us to be involved in this disaster. Before leaving, senior brother told me that everyone must leave midway All disciples will be punished as traitors to the sect. If you, Zhao Ning, want to force your way back, you will no longer be a member of our Qingxiao sect!"
Other Foundation Establishment Uncles also endured grief and said, "We are the seeds chosen by the sect. As long as we are still here, Qingxiao Sect will reappear in Jiuzhou. If we go back, it will be complete destruction!"
Some people also said, "We are not escaping from Kunxu. Have you forgotten? We still have humans and demons to deal with. The mundane world is the foundation of the world of cultivation. We must not let them run wild in the mundane world. By then, it will not only be Kunxu that will be troubled by demons." It’s empty, it’s the entire Kyushu.”
"..."
Countless words of dissuasion rang in Zhao Ning's ears. From their initial doubts, they now reversely advised Zhao Ning. No matter why they changed, whether they were considering the overall situation or selfishly, they all convinced themselves, but the questioning of conscience , and asked them to try to persuade Zhao Ning, the only dissenter among them, to approve their approach. It seems that if Zhao Ning agrees, it means their approach is correct.
But Zhao Ning said, "So what?!"
"Whether it's Kyushu or the devil, I can't abandon everything and escape and ignore it. I will never be able to do it."
As she said that, she drew out the Moonlight Sword regardless, and the silver light flowed. The double spirit sword exploded suddenly due to the forcible driving of all the spiritual power. Zhao Ning could not hurt them, but it could make them lose their mind for an instant.
In just this moment, Yunsi Qianhuan's cloak turned around, and Zhao Ning's entire figure disappeared into the cabin.
