Chapter 169: Moon Moth Cave

Beneath Feather Immortal Peak.

Yu Fei and Bai Zhi rummaged through the corpses, collecting a pile of flying swords, immortal sect tokens, and storage rings.

While the two were busy, Yu Ye walked down from the mountain.

The three gathered together, all silently shaking their heads.

The fifteen dead were all outer disciples of the Hundred Rivers Hall, killed by flying swords with a single fatal blow. Whether out of haste or some other reason, the perpetrators had not taken any of the belongings.

Furthermore, Yu Ye had searched Feather Immortal Peak twice and found nothing, naturally failing to catch any trace of his imparting master, Xin Jian.

According to their prior agreement, Xin Jian was supposed to wait here for twenty days. Tomorrow was the final deadline, yet not a single person remained, only this ground full of corpses.

What on earth had happened at Feather Immortal Peak?

Was the imparting master, Xin Jian, dead or alive?

Who had killed the immortal sect disciples?

Should they wait here for another day, or leave immediately...

"Let's wait for a day; fellow disciples might still arrive."

"I'll follow Senior Sister's suggestion. If any fellow disciples arrive, the two of you and I can still provide some support."

"The belongings of the fifteen fellow disciples should be handled by the sect elders."

"In that case, Senior Sister should keep these belongings and transfer them to the sect another day. Junior Brother Yu and I will bear witness for you."

"Yu Ye..."

Among the three, Bai Zhi was slightly older and possessed the highest cultivation. Whenever indecisive, she, as the senior sister, would make the initial proposal. Yu Fei naturally raised his hands in agreement, and Yu Ye had always silently complied. But at this moment today, he realized he could no longer continue in blissful ignorance.

"In my opinion, we must leave this place immediately!"

"Oh?"

"Junior Brother Yu..."

Bai Zhi and Yu Fei looked at Yu Ye.

Yu Ye, however, crossed his arms and stood to one side. He gazed at the corpses on the ground, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly as he spoke with a resolute tone: "Foundation Establishment experts have infiltrated the Kongtong Realm, and there is more than one."

Bai Zhi and Yu Fei were slightly startled.

"Ah?"

"Junior Brother Yu, one must not speak recklessly..."

"To tell you the truth, the one who injured me was a Foundation Establishment expert. I thought it was the work of an enemy, so I didn't make a fuss. Now it appears that not only is someone deliberately trying to kill me, but someone is also targeting the Yunchuan Immortal Sect!"

Yu Ye raised a hand to point at the corpses on the ground and continued, "Even a Foundation Establishment expert would find it difficult to deal with Senior Xin Jian and the numerous Qi Condensation disciples. And what is the situation now? Fifteen lives are gone, and Senior Xin Jian's life or death is unknown. This shows that the experts who infiltrated the Kongtong Realm are not just one. If the two of you keep waiting here, I'm afraid what we'll wait for won't be surviving fellow disciples, but a fatal calamity!"

Bai Zhi nodded slightly, unable to help stealing a glance upward.

Yu Ye had changed into a new Daoist robe and looked much fresher, yet the sword wound wrapped around his shoulder remained clearly visible. So he had crossed paths with a Foundation Establishment expert and actually managed to survive.

Yu Fei's expression changed drastically, and he urged, "Senior Sister, this place is not to be lingered in for long!"

The three reached a consensus once more.

After Yu Ye burned the corpses on the hillside, he, Bai Zhi, and Yu Fei hurriedly left Feather Immortal Peak...

Along the way, no unexpected events occurred.

Night fell, and darkness enveloped all directions.

The three did not dare to press on rashly; moreover, after days of traveling, they were exhausted. Coincidentally passing by a river valley, they stopped to rest for the night. Yu Fei set up an array formation and invited his two fellow disciples to share it. Yu Ye declined his kindness and walked alone to a mound beside the river valley.

The night in the Kongtong Realm lacked even a shred of starlight. Pitch-black and devoid of light, it appeared exceptionally gloomy.

Yu Ye sat on the mound, attentively monitoring the movements near and far.

Although he had reached the fourth layer of Qi Condensation and his divine sense had improved, he could still only see fifty or sixty zhang away; anything further remained shrouded in chaos. Vaguely, the sound of wind and the roars of fierce beasts drifted over, momentarily unsettling his mind.

Yu Ye turned his gaze toward the river valley.

Yu Fei and Bai Zhi were hidden within the array formation, their figures equally invisible.

The reason he had shared his encounter with the two of them was, firstly, that he was unwilling to keep playing along, and secondly, that peril had already arrived. With people likely to die at any moment, it was better to tell the truth so they could be on guard.

Yet what was the true reality?

He had been ambushed twice successively, knowing that one faction of cultivators was related to the Ten Thousand Beast Manor. As for that mysterious Foundation Establishment expert, where did he hail from?

However, since that Foundation Establishment expert had come for him, he would not easily leak his whereabouts, let alone violate Feather Immortal Peak and slaughter fifteen immortal sect disciples.

Just as previously surmised, another group of people had sneaked into the Kongtong Realm not to seek fortuitous encounters, but to deal with the Yunchuan Immortal Sect.

He remembered Gan Xing saying that because of the matter regarding the overseas treasures, the Yunchuan Immortal Sect had offended various large and small immortal sects across the five nations. If someone seized the opportunity to exact revenge, it should be within expectations.

If this were truly the case, the two imparting masters were facing more misfortune than fortune.

Yu Ye cast a restriction to seal the surrounding area, took out a spirit stone, and clasped it in his palm. As he regulated his breathing, his thoughts remained turbulent...

Early morning.

The three continued on their journey.

Two hours later, a gorge appeared ahead. The rocks on both sides of the gorge presented an ash-white color, looking rather bizarre.

A hundred zhang away, the three descended.

The gorge was more than ten zhang wide, flanked by steep cliffs and continuous mountains. Looking down its length, no figures were in sight, nor was there any abnormality.

"I wonder if Senior Uncle Xin has reached Moon Stone Gorge. Asking Senior Uncle Mo will make it clear. Senior Sister, Junior Brother Yu—"

Yu Fei looked around briefly and took the lead, walking toward the gorge.

Yu Ye and Bai Zhi followed behind, seizing the opportunity to ask, "Senior Uncle Mo Xiao has been waiting here for many days. Does she have a dwelling, and do we know her exact location?"

After entering the Kongtong Realm, he had become separated from his fellow disciples, had not passed by Moon Stone Gorge or Feather Immortal Peak, and knew nothing of the details of either place.

"There is a cave in the valley known as Moon Moth Cave, which is Senior Uncle Mo's temporary residence. Once we return, we will rendezvous with her at Moon Moth Cave."

"I see..."

"Why the abstraction? Did you think of something?"

"No... Senior Brother Yu, hold on!"

Seeing that Yu Ye seemed somewhat distracted, Bai Zhi asked a question. After Yu Ye denied it, he suddenly called out to stop Yu Fei.

The three stopped in their tracks before the gorge.

At that very moment, a group of figures suddenly emerged from the mountain forest on the right side of the gorge, heading directly toward them in a hurry.

Judging by their clothing and attire, they should be disciples of the Hundred Rivers Hall. Before even reaching close quarters, they called out in greeting.

"Haha, greetings to all Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!"

Yu Fei and Bai Zhi were quite encouraged.

Yu Ye followed suit with a hand gesture of greeting, feeling immensely fortunate as well. He had worried that more immortal sect disciples would meet a tragic end, and never expected to encounter survivors.

"Why are there only three Junior Sister and Junior Brothers here?"

"It's a long story; we'll talk after seeing Senior Uncle Mo. But since you, Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, are returning only today, you must have reaped a great harvest!"

"To be frank, we got lost and didn't venture deep into the Kongtong Realm, so we can hardly speak of any harvest."

"Haha, let's head to Moon Moth Cave..."

Among this group of fellow disciples, there were ten male cultivators and two female cultivators, all of whom were experts above the seventh or eighth layers of Qi Condensation. Perhaps emboldened by numbers, Yu Fei's speech and demeanor also regained their natural ease, chatting happily with the senior brothers and senior sisters. Bai Zhi was remarkably beautiful and possessed impressive cultivation, naturally receiving affectionate greetings from several senior brothers. Only Yu Ye, young and of low cultivation, could only accompany them with a silent smile on the side, following behind the crowd toward the gorge.

Moon Stone Gorge was over ten miles deep.

Four or five miles in, a cave could be seen nestled among the cliffs on one side. Characters were engraved beside the cave entrance, faintly legible: Moon Moth Cave.

"It is said that several hundred years ago, a senior was trapped within the Kongtong Realm and forced into seclusion here, accidentally becoming a Golden Core expert. The cave was named accordingly..."

The disciples walked to the cave entrance, observing the characters on the stone wall, recounting the related legends, and entering the cave in groups of threes and fives.

Once out of Moon Stone Gorge, one could leave the Kongtong Realm. This Yunchuan Heavenly Decision was nearing a successful and complete conclusion. Thus, everyone let down their guard, feeling as relaxed and joyful as tourists sightseeing.

In the blink of an eye, only Yu Ye remained outside the cave.

He looked left and right, then slowly walked into the cave.

The cave was a full twenty or thirty zhang in circumference, connected to other caves of varying sizes, with a mountain stream flowing endlessly and green grass and vines growing. Compared to the desolation outside the cave, this place was vibrant with life and possessed a unique charm of its own.

Yet Mo Xiao's figure was nowhere to be seen.

"Senior Uncle Mo, Senior Uncle Mo—"

"Could it be that Senior Uncle has already left..."

"There are still five days left until the final deadline..."

"Everyone, do not be impatient. Perhaps Senior Uncle Mo has stepped away for a moment..."

Yu Fei and Bai Zhi gathered with the senior brothers and senior sisters. Believing themselves safe, yet failing to find Mo Xiao, Yu Fei could not help exchanging a glance with Bai Zhi beside him.

Fearing to cause panic and unable to explain it all at once regarding the events at Feather Immortal Peak, the three kept their mouths tightly shut.

And this scene and setting were so remarkably similar to Feather Immortal Peak.

Yu Ye was still hugging his arms and wandering around, either examining the several connected caves or viewing the flowing stream with keen interest. Then he saw Yu Fei and Bai Zhi approaching, their faces revealing worried expressions. He looked back past the crowd, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Amidst the crowd stood a bluestone measuring over a zhang square. Atop the bluestone sat a rush mat.

That was Mo Xiao's resting place, but the person had vanished without a trace.

Yu Ye raised an eyebrow, lowering his head in thought.

At that very moment, a flash of light suddenly erupted outside the cave, and several disciples collapsed into pools of blood. Simultaneously, from deep within the connected caves, another stream of light rushed out—a flying sword—piercing through the chests of two disciples with *thud, thud* sounds...

The cave instantly descended into chaos, filled with cries of agony.

Moon Moth Cave might once have been a legendary place, but now it had become a death trap. With formidable enemies attacking from both inside and outside, there was no room to break through or escape; it was clearly intended to exterminate these disciples to the last man.

Yu Fei and Bai Zhi were already panic-stricken.

Yet the more chaotic things became, the calmer Yu Ye grew. He raised a hand to slap out three talismans, abruptly grabbing the two of them and plunging into the ground.

The power of the Earth Escape Talisman took effect, and the three of them, wrapped in a faint layer of light, instantly sank ten zhang, twenty zhang into the earth...

Yet Yu Ye dragged the two of them to change direction midway, speeding away through the darkness. Just as the power of the Earth Escape Talisman was exhausted, the three tumbled into an underground water current and drifted downstream with the flow.

Unexpectedly, within the current were two other figures plummeting straight down from above.

Yu Ye was terrified, shoving Yu Fei and Bai Zhi away, raising his hand to pinch a sword incantation, preparing for a desperate fight.

*Bang, bang—*

Suddenly two loud booms sounded, and the space to their left and right abruptly cleared.

Yu Ye's sword incantation was primed and ready, but he couldn't help plunging downward. To his surprise, the two figures pursued relentlessly, smashing straight down toward him...