Chapter 250 Cuiwei Peak
"Yinluo Sect...evil spirits..."
Chen Mo withdrew from the Moon Concealment Realm, removed his mask and put it away, his expression shifting between light and dark.
If it were man-made disaster, that would be one thing, but the destruction of many ancient sects was mostly caused by human actions.
But if it's a supernatural disaster...
Chen Mo frowned.
In the world of cultivation, the word "mystery" represents unpredictability.
Those things vary in strength; some of the more powerful beings can even reach the level of rules, making them impossible to defeat.
"This site doesn't seem like a must-see..."
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room a few times.
Chen Mo didn't really care about the ten contribution points from Ksitigarbha; his main goal this time was to target Master Baidu.
However, if you risk your life for revenge, it will be a losing proposition.
"Let's go take a look, and then we'll decide whether or not to go inside the ruins."
After hesitating for more than ten minutes, Chen Mo decided to first go and check the situation near Cuiwei Peak.
There shouldn't be any danger on the outskirts.
......
Boss Liu was behind the counter working on his abacus when he saw Mr. Chen coming down with his bag on his back. He smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, are you leaving already?"
"Um, something came up."
Chen Mo placed a few silver dollars on the counter, saying, "I'm sorry to have bothered you these past few days."
"Not at all," Boss Liu said with a smile, pushing the two silver dollars back. "That's too much."
"Okay then."
Chen Mo put away the money, waved to Boss Liu, and turned to leave the inn.
By this time, most of the morning mist had dissipated, and the river surface was sparkling.
He didn't stay in town long. He went straight out of town, walked to a deserted riverbank, and released his kite.
Southern Jiangxi is mountainous, and the further south you go, the more undulating the terrain becomes.
The hills stretch endlessly, with towering peaks and winding streams that flow from the mountains into the Gan River.
Chen Mo sat on the kite, looking down at the mountains and rivers below, silently planning his next move.
Cuiwei Peak, located in Ningdu, southern Jiangxi, is a spur of the Wuyi Mountains.
It is said that the mountains there are steep and the peaks are verdant, hence the name Cuiwei.
The former site of Yinluo Sect is located deep within Cuiwei Peak.
[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name 1110 ...
Master Baidu invited him to meet there, five days later.
He set off early to check out the situation and scout out the location.
After flying for two hours, Chen Mo saw a continuous mountain range in the distance.
The mountain peaks are steep, the forests are dense, and the clouds and mist swirl around the mountains. From a distance, it truly has a beautiful and serene atmosphere.
He did not approach rashly, but landed outside a small town more than ten miles away from Cuiwei Peak, put away the kite, and walked into the town.
The town is small, with only one main street and a few shops scattered on both sides.
Chen Mo found a guesthouse on the main street in town to stay in.
Although it's called an inn, it's actually just a two-story wooden building. The storefront downstairs sells some sundries, and the upstairs has been partitioned into several rooms to serve as guest rooms.
The proprietress was a woman in her forties, whose voice was so loud it could lift the roof off.
After collecting three days' rent from him, he yelled for a young waiter, about fourteen or fifteen years old, to lead him upstairs.
The room on the second floor was small; after putting in a wooden bed, there wasn't much space left. Yellowed newspapers were pasted on the walls, and the window faced the street below.
Chen Mo opened the window and glanced out. The streets were sparsely populated, and he didn't see any conspicuous outsiders.
He put down his bag, went downstairs, and went out the door.
The town has only one main street, with fewer than twenty shops on both sides, all of which exude an old and worn atmosphere.
The street was paved with bluestone slabs, worn smooth and shiny from being stepped on, with fine weeds growing in the cracks.
The eaves of the houses facing the street stretched out long, providing shade. Several old men squatted under the eaves, smoking their pipes and squinting at the pedestrians on the street.
When Chen Mo reached the end of the street, he saw a teahouse, which was probably the liveliest place on the entire street.
As you step inside, a wave of heat carrying the aroma of tea hits you.
The teahouse was small, with seven or eight square tables set up, and five or six tables were occupied by customers, mostly middle-aged and elderly people, wearing short jackets with their heads wrapped in cloth.
There was a small stage against the wall. There was no one on the stage, and a yellowed New Year picture was pasted on the wall below the stage, depicting the three gods of fortune, prosperity, and longevity.
He found an empty table in the corner and sat down. A young man with a white towel draped over his shoulder immediately came to greet him.
"What would you like to drink, sir? We have Longjing, Maojian, Tieguanyin, and local high mountain tea."
"Takayama, please."
"Okay."
The waiter left with a drawn-out voice, and soon returned with a purple clay teapot and a rough porcelain teacup.
The tea is dark brown, bitter at first taste, but with a slightly sweet aftertaste. It's not a good tea, but it quenches thirst.
Chen Mo slowly sipped his tea, his gaze sweeping over the teahouse without making a sound.
It was noisy inside, with people talking about trivial family matters.
Whose son got married? Whose sow gave birth? Whose harvest was bad this year?...
Chen Mo listened to gossip for a while, but didn't hear any useful information.
Two middle-aged men, dressed respectably, sat at the table by the window; they looked like businessmen from the town.
One of them, dressed in a gray silk robe, was whispering to the other. Chen Mo listened intently and heard that they were talking about rising rice prices.
This year, the south suffered a severe drought, resulting in poor harvests. Grain merchants began hoarding grain to drive up prices, making life difficult for ordinary people.
Further away, near the entrance, sat an old man drinking tea alone.
The old man was wearing a faded gray cloth robe, his hair was gray, and he was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.
The teacup in front of him was empty, but he neither refilled it nor left. He just leaned back in his chair, as if he were asleep.
Chen Mo glanced at the old man again.
This old man looks so ordinary, the kind of ordinary you wouldn't notice if you threw him into a crowd.
But in this kind of small town, an old man in a Taoist robe sitting alone in a teahouse is somewhat unusual.
However, Chen Mo did not rashly use his divine sense to investigate.
In places like this, it's better to avoid trouble.
He called over a waiter, had another pot of tea, and casually asked, "Waiter, how do I get to Cuiwei Peak?"
The waiter was pouring him water when he heard this, and his hand paused, almost spilling the water.
"Sir, are you going to Cuiwei Peak?"
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," the waiter said, placing the kettle on the table and lowering his voice. "I just want to advise you that you shouldn't go there."
"Can't we go?"
Chen Mo looked puzzled. "I heard that Cuiwei Peak has beautiful scenery when I was out of town, so I thought I'd go and take a look since I'm in southern Jiangxi."
"The scenery is nice, but that place is eerie."
The waiter looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, leaned closer and whispered, "None of us dare go near that area; it's really eerie."
"A few days ago, some people from out of town went there, but they haven't come back yet."
"An outsider?" Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat. "What kind of person?"
"Who knows?" The waiter shook his head. "His clothes and appearance are similar to yours, but he doesn't look like a local."
"They chartered two horse-drawn carriages and hauled a lot of stuff into the mountains, but neither the people nor the carriages came out."
Chen Mo seemed to be deep in thought.
It seems someone has already beaten them to it.
He didn't ask any further questions, paid for the tea, and got up to leave the teahouse.
After leaving the town, I went straight to a deserted mountain hollow and released the kite.
The kite flapped its wings and took off, carrying him high into the sky.
Chen Mo sat on the kite, not in a hurry to go deeper into Cuiwei Peak, but first circled around the outer edge of the mountain range, looking down at this strange mountain range from a high place.
This angle makes it much clearer.
Cuiwei Peak is not an isolated peak, but a mountain range stretching for dozens of miles, with layers upon layers of crimson Danxia cliffs. outer.
The mountain peaks are shrouded in mist, and the valleys are filled with a deathly stillness.
Chen Mo maneuvered the kite to lower its altitude, skimming low over the mountain ridge, his divine sense silently scanning the area below.
After this round, I did find several places where the atmosphere was gloomy and gloomy.
He didn't approach them, but simply noted their locations and maneuvered his kite to avoid them from a distance.
Master Baidu previously said that some places here are quite dangerous, and it seems that he wasn't just making things up.
...
The kite glided along the mountain ridge, and the deeper it flew into the Cuiwei Peak, the dimmer the surrounding light became.
Chen Mo looked down and saw that the forest below was no longer its normal green.
The branches and leaves of those trees had a sickly dark gray color, as if they had suffered from some kind of disease.
The tree trunk was covered with dense fungi, which trembled slightly in the still air.
He lowered the kite's altitude and moved slowly, skimming the treetops.
The mountains ahead grew increasingly steep, the crimson Danxia cliffs appearing as if cleaved open by a giant axe, revealing jagged rock layers.
Between the two enormous mountain peaks, a narrow canyon appeared, with a stone pillar standing on each side of the canyon entrance.
The stone pillars were in ruins, and each top was carved with a ferocious-looking statue, like some kind of guardian deity, but now they have been weathered away and only a blurry outline remains.
Mountain gate.
The mountain gate of the Yinluo Sect.
As soon as Chen Mo's spiritual sense reached out, an indescribable chill exploded from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
Deep within the secret realm, something seemed to be staring at him with greedy eyes, wanting to skin him alive and devour him whole.
This was something he had never encountered before in his entire cultivation journey.
Chen Mo's expression changed drastically, and without saying a word, he suddenly pulled up the kite.
The kite shuddered, almost skimming the treetops in an arc, and flew back the way it came without looking back.
The chill followed him out of the vicinity of Cuiwei Peak before slowly dissipating.
Chen Mo landed on a hilltop more than ten miles away, his back soaked in cold sweat, his heart pounding like a drum.
"What exactly is hidden inside...?"
He stood atop the mountain, gazing at the mountain range shrouded in mist, his face grim.
The mind does not lie.
The warning I received just now was stronger than any danger I had encountered before.
It's definitely not just some ancient sect's former site.
Chen Mo took a deep breath, turned around, and went down the mountain.
.......
For the next two days, Chen Mo stayed in the inn in town, not going anywhere else.
Every day I would go to the teahouse to drink tea, listen to the gossip on the street, and occasionally release a kite to circle around the outer perimeter of Cuiwei Peak, searching for traces of Master Baidu.
However, he did not go any closer to the depths of that mountain range, but only observed it from the outside.
However, he did not go any closer to the depths of that mountain range, but only observed it from the outside.
Now Chen Mo's appearance has changed to that of an old man in his sixties. Even if he stood in front of Master Baidu, the other party probably wouldn't recognize him.
Three days later, Chen Mo sat by the window in the teahouse, holding a rough porcelain teacup in his hand, his gaze sweeping across the street through the window.
A group of about twenty people were coming in from outside the town, all dressed in black short-sleeved shirts and with short knives at their waists.
The leader was a lean, middle-aged man with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a brisk walk.
The teahouse fell silent for a moment.
"The Green Bamboo Gang..." the waiter said in a low voice as he brought over a kettle. "The one in the lead is their leader, Zhu Yeqing, Liu Sandao."
Chen Mo nodded slightly and didn't ask any further questions.
The Green Bamboo Gang is the largest unorthodox force in southern Jiangxi. On the surface, they deal in medicinal herbs, but behind the scenes they are involved in smuggling, escorting, and all sorts of other illegal activities.
The disciples in the gang practice poison skills. It is said that Zhu Yeqing Liu Sandao's poison palm technique has reached the point of injuring people from a distance.
The group didn't stay in town for long. They hired more than a dozen mules and horses, carrying large and small bags of goods, and headed straight towards Cuiwei Peak.
That afternoon, two more groups of people arrived.
There were more of these people than the Green Bamboo Gang, a full fifty or sixty of them. They wore all sorts of clothes, but their waists were bulging, clearly indicating that they were hiding weapons.
The two leading men were a bald, burly man with a string of skull prayer beads around his neck.
The other was a short, stout old woman who walked with a limp, leaning on a cane.
"Will the Iron Bones Society be involved with the Five Poisons Sect?"
Chen Mo watched the group pass by, silently making plans in his mind.
The Green Bamboo Gang, the Iron Bone Society, and the Five Poisons Sect—three local unorthodox forces in southern Jiangxi—have all arrived.
It seems they weren't after each other, but rather both had their eyes on what was inside Cuiwei Peak.
......
On the morning of the fourth day, Chen Mo was still practicing his martial arts in his room when he was awakened by a strange ringing sound.
He opened the window and saw a group of people dressed in mourning clothes slowly walking towards him on the main road outside the town.
The leader was a tall, thin man wearing a black Taoist robe. His face was deathly pale, and he was shaking a string of copper bells in his hand, shaking them once every three steps.
A dozen or so figures draped in black cloth followed behind, hopping and skipping, their every step eerily synchronized.
Street vendors quickly moved away, and several children were pulled into houses by adults, with the sound of doors closing echoing around them.
They passed through the town, went straight out of South Street, and headed towards the mountain road in the direction of Cuiwei Peak.
The sound of the bell gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the mountain mist, leaving the townspeople looking at each other in bewilderment, and for a long time no one dared to speak loudly.
"The corpse-transporting people of western Hunan..."
As evening fell, Chen Mo finally saw Master Baidu at dusk.
The group of people came from the official road to the south, followed by seven or eight people, both men and women, dressed in different ways.
Chen Mo stood at the window on the second floor of the inn, watching the procession walk past on the street.
When Master Baidu passed by the inn, he suddenly stopped and looked up in his direction.
The two stared at each other silently for a second.
Master Baidu shifted his gaze expressionlessly, his face clearly showing annoyance.
The people following behind him sensed something was wrong and slowed their pace.
"There's been no response to the contact token all day; that middle-aged man must have run away."
Bai Du Shangren felt agitated and silently stroked the folded yellow paper talisman in his sleeve with his thumb.
The talisman was ice-cold and showed no reaction whatsoever.
He had assumed the middle-aged man would wait patiently in town, but the man was completely unpredictable.
"I should have kept him by my side."
Master Baidu gritted his teeth inwardly, realizing it was too late for regrets.
Fortunately, I had a few extra precautions.
He glanced back at the seven or eight people behind him; these were the people he had painstakingly recruited...