After Faking Her Death and Fleeing, the Emotionless Daoist Master Regretted It - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Safe and Sound – A False Alarm

Listening to the young girl’s sorrowful plea, Su Lingqing felt unbearable.

Seeing her Master remain silent, she quietly asked: “What kind of place is Misty Demon Island?”

Ling Yunyue gently explained: “It was originally a demon clan territory, but it has been seized by the sect in recent years. Because the island is vast and the soil is fertile, the Sect Leader intends to cultivate spiritual fields there, thus creating relevant tasks within the sect.”

A trace of doubt arose in Su Lingqing’s mind: “If it’s only for cultivating spiritual fields, how could one encounter danger?”

“Since Misty Demon Island was incorporated into the sect’s sphere of influence, the entire island is enveloped by a Rank Six Grand Array, which rules out the possibility of invasion by external enemies. There is a teleportation array on the island for direct travel to and from the sect, so there is no possibility of being intercepted and killed en route. Either there has been an unknown change within the island, or her sister ventured outside the island and encountered danger at sea.”

“Master, can we go and see, please?”

“But Lingqing hasn’t had breakfast yet.”

“Saving a life is more important. We can eat the same thing when we get back.”

The young girl kneeling on the ground heard this and immediately said: “Today’s breakfast has meat-stuffed flatbreads. They are convenient to carry. If Immortal Master likes them, I will go get them right away.”

Su Lingqing was indeed a little hungry, so she did not decline. “Then I trouble you, young lady.”

“It’s part of my duties. Immortal Master, please don’t be so polite.”

The young girl quickly stood up, scurried over to the wooden steamer, selected ten of the largest and thickest flatbreads, carefully wrapped each one in fresh lotus leaves, and handed them to the benefactor who was seeking help for her…

An hour later, at the Heaven-Extending Sect’s Myriad Affairs Peak.

This was the location of the sect’s Mission Hall, and the teleportation array to Misty Demon Island was built at the peak’s summit.

At this moment, the service disciple, Mu Xin, who had sought help, was brought by Ling Yunyue, along with Su Lingqing, to the teleportation array.

An Elder was stationed nearby year-round. Seeing their arrival, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

“Is the Venerable going to Misty Demon Island?”

“Yes. Someone met with trouble there.”

“What?” The Elder looked even more surprised: “I haven’t received any related news. May the Venerable inform me of the name of the person who met with trouble?”

Ling Yunyue glanced at Mu Xin, who understood and immediately said: “Her name is Mu Yao. She is my sister.”

Upon hearing this, the Elder immediately waved his sleeve and retrieved the Mission Jade Register.

“Mu Yao took the mission yesterday at the wei hour (1 PM – 3 PM). The contribution point reward for cultivating spiritual fields belongs to the ‘more work, more gain’ category, with no specific time limit. She is neither an inner disciple nor a direct disciple, so she doesn’t have a Soul Lamp left behind. How did you know your sister met with trouble?”

Mu Xin quickly took out a palm-sized Bl00d Jade.

“Elder, please look. This object is connected to my sister’s life. My sister always gives me the Bl00d Jade whenever she leaves on a sect mission.”

At the side, Ling Yunyue spoke at the right moment: “Regardless of the actual situation, we must go there. If Elder Du has any further questions, he can inquire in detail after Mu Xin returns.”

With the Venerable speaking, the stationed Elder immediately agreed repeatedly and promptly activated the teleportation array.

Su Lingqing stepped onto the array with her Master. As circles of spiritual light illuminated, a slight sense of dizziness instantly emerged.

A moment later, the sound of waves crashing against reefs reached their ears.

What they saw were fields of spiritual land already cultivated, with the azure sea behind them.

Ling Yunyue probed with her divine sense, confirming that there were currently sixty sect cultivators on the island, each with their own duties, looking orderly, not suggesting an unknown change had occurred.

Furthermore, among these sixty people, she saw a woman whose appearance was very similar to Mu Xin’s.

Observing her demeanor and movements, she did not look injured.

She cast a spell, forming a water mirror, and duplicated the woman’s appearance.

“Mu Xin, is this your sister?”

The service disciple looked at it and nodded repeatedly: “May the Venerable tell me my sister’s exact location?”

“Starting from here, head northwest for about ninety li.”

Ling Yunyue formed the Cloud Soaring Art hand seal with one hand, taking Su Lingqing and Mu Xin with her to the corresponding location.

“Based on the divine sense reading just now, your sister is not injured.”

Mu Xin was stunned for a moment, joy and confusion mingling in her heart: “But why did the Bl00d Jade crack?”

“Although this Bl00d Jade’s function is similar to a Soul Lamp, it is much weaker than a Soul Lamp. If it was affected by something, conveying a false judgment is not impossible. The truth will be known once we see your sister and ask her.”

Since hearing her Master say that Mu Yao was not injured, Su Lingqing felt completely relieved. She took out the flatbread she had obtained from the dining hall and slowly chewed it, filling her stomach.

To allow enough time for her disciple to finish her breakfast, Ling Yunyue intentionally slowed her flight speed.

After about half an hour, the three of them slowly landed.

Mu Xin lifted her skirt and ran towards Mu Yao, hugging her only surviving family member tightly like an octopus.

“Sister, you’re fine! That’s wonderful! Promise me you won’t take on any more missions outside the sect in the future.”

Mu Yao, hugged by her sister, was a little confused. “Xin’er, why are you suddenly saying such things?”

Mu Xin loosened her grip slightly and took out the Bl00d Jade again.

“Sister, look, a crack has appeared on the Bl00d Jade.”

“How could this be?” Mu Yao looked at the palm-sized jade piece, a look of surprise on her face.

“Since coming to Misty Demon Island yesterday, I have been focused on cultivating the spiritual fields. I haven’t encountered any danger.”

“Then why didn’t you go back last night, Sister?”

“I brought some food with me. That saves time instead of running back and forth.”

Ling Yunyue looked at the two sisters and asked calmly: “During this time, did you encounter anything unusual?”

Mu Yao was about to shake her head, but at that moment, she seemed to remember something and immediately said: “Reporting to the Venerable, at about the sixth ke of the chou hour (2:15 AM – 2:30 AM), while I was plowing the spiritual field with a spiritual hoe, I found a stone containing rich Yin energy. Worried it might damage the spiritual field, I threw it into the sea.”

“What exactly did that stone look like?”

“It was entirely black, irregularly shaped, about the size of a fist, with many light spots on it. If I were to describe it, it looked a bit like the night sky.”

Hearing this description, Ling Yunyue suddenly understood.

“It is a Nether Stone. No wonder the Bl00d Jade cracked.”

Su Lingqing was curious: “Master, what is a Nether Stone?”

Ling Yunyue smiled and replied: “A Nether Stone is the opposite of a Spirit Stone. It is used by Ghost Cultivators for cultivation, formed by the aggregation of dense Yin energy over thousands of years.”

“Then why did the Bl00d Jade crack upon contact with the Nether Stone?”

“The reasoning is simple. The moment you touch the Nether Stone, your entire body is enveloped by a thick layer of Yin energy. The original living person’s aura is momentarily cut off. The Bl00d Jade, unable to sense it, naturally cracks.”

“I see. Besides having dense Yin energy, is this Nether Stone harmful to cultivators?”

“Long-term possession will have a certain impact, which is detrimental to cultivation. Short-term contact won’t cause problems. However, the appearance of a Nether Stone on Misty Demon Island indicates the existence of an ancient tomb deep underground.”

“Master once said that after death, there is a certain probability of becoming a Ghost Cultivator. If there is an ancient tomb, does that mean there are Ghost Cultivators on this island?”

Ling Yunyue slowly shook her head: “That’s unlikely. Before the sect occupied this island, dozens of Elders jointly investigated the situation on the island. If Ghost Cultivators truly existed, they would have been discovered long ago, unless they have always remained in the ancient tomb and never emerged.”

In her divine sense reading, the Yin energy on the island was extremely faint, indicating that the ancient tomb had not caused any significant impact on the surface. The appearance of the Nether Stone was likely just a coincidence.

“After returning to the sect, I will inform the Sect Leader of this matter via transmission. We will see how the Sect Leader decides.”

Hearing this, Mu Xin bravely asked: “Is the Venerable planning to leave?”

“Since there was no trouble, we should naturally return.”

Ling Yunyue saw through her thoughts and continued: “If you wish to stay with your sister, you can remain here. It’s not too late to return to the sect after the mission is completed.”

“Thank you, Venerable!”

Mu Xin bowed in gratitude, her eyes filled with appreciation.

The Master and disciple quickly left via the teleportation array and returned to Myriad Affairs Peak.

As they left the peak, Su Lingqing brought up a matter.

“Master, are there any cultivation level restrictions for accepting sect missions?”

“Of course. It depends on the mission difficulty, ranging from as low as Qi Condensation Stage Three to no upper limit.”

“Are there any mandatory mission requirements, such as having to complete a certain number each month?”

“The sect has no such regulations. Accepting missions is entirely voluntary. Lingqing is new to the immortal path. I do not recommend doing that. You should focus on cultivation.”

“Master, don’t worry. This disciple understands.”

Su Lingqing smiled brightly and gave her assurance.

She genuinely had no such intention. She asked purely out of curiosity…

Half an hour later, Bountiful Treasures Peak.

Among the Heaven-Extending Sect’s nine hundred and ninety-nine peaks, Bountiful Treasures Peak was the most heavily guarded.

The peak housed the Treasure Depository, the Scripture Imparting Hall, and the Martial Arts Field.

As Su Lingqing followed her Master and arrived at the peak, she clearly sensed dozens of divine senses sweeping over them.

The owners of these divine senses were all the peak guards. Whenever someone came here, they would routinely investigate to prevent the possibility of enemies infiltrating.

The Treasure Depository was located at the peak’s summit. As they approached, the crescent-shaped jade pendant hanging on Su Lingqing’s waist lit up with a beam of green light.

Simultaneously, the identity jade token carried by Ling Yunyue also emitted the same light.

Noticing her disciple slowing her pace, she gently explained: “This is the restriction around the Treasure Depository confirming the identity of the approaching people. If a non-sect cultivator is detected, the restriction will instantly launch a killing blow.”

“Master, if a sect cultivator forgets to carry the identity jade token, will they also be attacked when approaching?”

“That is true. However, this situation rarely occurs. When entering Bountiful Treasures Peak, the peak guards will immediately confirm it. If someone is found not carrying a jade token, someone will come out to remind them.”

Su Lingqing was a little worried: “What if this item is lost and picked up by an enemy outside the sect?”

Ling Yunyue explained with a smile: “The jade token comes with a special protective layer. If anyone else carries it, they will be attacked. If they manage to destroy the protective layer, the jade token will self-destruct simultaneously. Therefore, enemies cannot exploit this loophole.”

Receiving this answer, Su Lingqing’s worries completely dissipated.

At this moment, she had walked to the front of the Treasure Depository door and was about to enter the pavilion when a woman wearing a red gauze skirt and a flying immortal bun came towards them.

She had eyes like a phoenix and eyebrows like willow leaves. Her slightly deep eyes were staring intently at her…