Mo Qin and Lang Junxian locked eyes, silently staring at each other without a word.
The atmosphere was strangely heavy with silence.
Lang Junxian cleared his throat lightly, and Mo Qin seemed to come back to himself, flashing a roguish smile as he explained to the big shots, “The Qianji Sect…the Qianji Sect is said to be a hidden sect passed down since ancient times.”
The big shots: Lang Junxian: Bai Maomao: Bai Maomao glared at him.
Can this stop?
Weren’t we supposed to be cooperating smoothly?
Mo Qin awkwardly glanced at Bai Maomao and tossed the topic back, “The Qianji Sect has been secluded for too long; honestly, I don’t know much either.”
“…”
Bai Maomao was extremely agitated inside, itching to lash out, but as the aloof Young Master, he had to restrain himself.
He spoke coolly, “The Qianji Sect has long avoided the world. None of you have likely heard of it, so there’s no need to probe further. I’m stepping forward this time because of Junxian.”
Except for the three from the Lang Family, everyone else looked dazed.
They all turned to look at Lang Junxian, their gazes piercing and direct.
What business does your Lang Family have in this?
Lang Junxian smiled modestly, “Hongyuan is my future Dao Companion.”
The big shots were already numb from the shock.
After hearing this, they just blankly turned back to discuss the matter.
Lang Juntian and his son suddenly understood.
Bai Hongyuan’s sudden appearance here made perfect sense now.
Since it concerned others’ private affairs, the big shots didn’t pry further and set aside the topic, moving on to strategize how to resolve the current crisis.
Bai Maomao held a semi-artifact capable of dispelling illusions, so they had to rush over quickly. Until the Demon Clan matter was resolved, none of them could rest easy.
They quickly assigned roles.
Mo Qin stayed in Shangjing to stabilize the government situation.
The Ji Family sent the most people to Rain Marsh Mountain.
The Ji Family Patriarch accompanied Lang Junxian and Bai Maomao to Rain Marsh Mountain.
The Lang Family father and son, along with a few other big shots, took charge of coordinating between cultivation sects and local government.
The immediate problem hadn’t been solved yet, so there could be no chaos in the rear.
With roles clear, Bai Maomao and the others prepared to depart immediately.
The earlier, the better. Mo Family’s private plane was already waiting at the airport.
The three hurried nonstop toward Rain Marsh Mountain.
The area around Rain Marsh Mountain had already been evacuated.
The once prosperous town was now deserted, with only a few stray animals wandering the streets.
The thick fog in the mountain had begun creeping down to the foot, shrouding nearby villages in a thin veil of mist.
Those on standby dared not linger, and the perimeter had to be expanded once more.
Everyone in the team was uneasy.
The fog on Rain Marsh Mountain was extremely strange.
Previously, in a small squad sent into the mountain, five people had gradually lost their sanity.
The remaining three had become suspicious and irritable.
For their safety, the team leader had to detain them temporarily.
When Bai Maomao and the others arrived, they caught one of the men having an emotional breakdown.
Several burly men restrained their frantic comrade with hands tied behind his back, pressing him to the ground.
The man’s bloodshot eyes and bluish complexion were filled with madness.
Even while held down, he kept struggling wildly.
The Ji Family Patriarch stepped forward and gently pressed two fingers to the man’s neck.
The deranged disciple soon fell asleep.
“Patriarch,” several burly men saluted.
The madman was a Ji Family disciple.
The Ji Family’s original intention in sending people here was to train a new generation, but unexpectedly, they met fierce resistance.
Several promising disciples had already fallen inside the mountain.
The Ji Family Patriarch’s expression was grim as the men carefully escorted them into a makeshift tent.
Rain Marsh Mountain was remote, with little development around.
Besides a few villages at the mountain’s base, the rest was an endless stretch of wilderness with no sign of civilization or houses.
They could only make do with temporary tents.
Once the three were seated, the lead burly man recounted everything that had happened in detail.
Bai Maomao listened carefully and soon sensed something was off.
“The fog has spread down the mountain?”
Bai Maomao asked.
“Yes,” the man nodded.
“Have you detected anything unusual in the fog?”
Bai Maomao frowned.
The man shook his head in confusion.
“No.”
“The fog can confuse the mind. How can you be sure,” Bai Maomao retorted, “that there’s truly nothing in it?”
The Ji Family Patriarch’s face paled.
He shuddered.
“Are you saying…?”
“When we first arrived, I sensed something odd. There’s definitely something inside the fog.”
Bai Maomao’s expression was serious.
In truth, he was bluffing, only catching a fleeting whiff of a kindred aura in the mist.
It was chaotic and messy, unlike anything left by the Demon Clan.
The Ji Family Patriarch was horrified.
If Bai Hongyuan’s guess was true, how many Demon Clan members had come and gone under their noses all this time?
“Impossible…” the Ji Family Patriarch muttered, “If there were Demon Clan movements, our detection artifacts would have shown some sign.”
His hands trembled slightly as he spoke—whether trying to comfort others or himself, no one knew.
The Void Realm had been sealed for so many years; the Demon Clan inside had long since gone mad.
If these lunatics escaped to the outside world, the consequences would be unimaginable.
This was a looming disaster!
The Ji Family Patriarch’s face turned pale.
Forcing calm, he took out his phone and called several big shots separately, sharing Bai Maomao’s suspicions.
If true, the mortal realm was in for serious trouble and must prepare in advance.
“Artifacts. Yes, artifacts,” the Ji Family Patriarch said earnestly, looking at Bai Maomao.
“We can’t wait any longer. Let’s disperse the fog first.”
Bai Maomao silently nodded.
They found a high peak on the mountain.
From the summit, they looked down on Rain Marsh Mountain, which was completely shrouded in black fog.
Black fog.
What had been a thin, faint layer now looked unmistakably dark and ominous from above.
Bai Maomao pulled a small jade bottle from his Qian Kun Dai.
The jade bottle was pale blue-white, exquisitely translucent, reflecting a gentle luster in the sunlight.
Chanting an incantation, Bai Maomao tossed the bottle into the air.
The bottle expanded with the wind, quickly growing to the size of a flower vase.
With a light wave of his hand, the bottle’s mouth tilted downward, and a thin stream of water poured out.
The slender water stream scattered mid-air, turning into a fine misty rain.
The hazy raindrops fell into the dense fog.
One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes…
After twenty minutes, the black fog over Rain Marsh Mountain began to fade like a watered-down ink painting, growing lighter and thinner until it gradually dissipated.
Things hidden beneath the fog naturally revealed themselves.
Strange and grotesque monsters raged wildly within the mist, perhaps still unaware that their protective fog had vanished, continuing their frenzy.
Bai Maomao witnessed with his own eyes a mountain of flesh opening its massive mouth and swallowing a smaller monster nearby.
The flesh mound squirmed a few times, then protruded a set of ghastly white bones from what looked like a mouth.
Bai Maomao suppressed his disgust and didn’t look away.
These creatures were no longer even considered Demon Clan.
Sealed for so many years in the Void Realm, they had lost all reason.
They tore each other apart, devouring their own kind, ultimately becoming mindless monsters.
The rain continued, the light drizzle turning into a steady shower.
The original verdant colors of Rain Marsh Mountain gradually reappeared.
Bai Maomao’s hand inside his pocket clenched and relaxed repeatedly, finally falling helplessly to his side.
For a moment, he even wanted to put the jade bottle away.
These senseless monsters were once his own kind, driven to such a state by the greed and scheming of cultivators.
Bai Maomao couldn’t help but hate it.
Lang Junxian, sensing the intense fluctuations of spiritual energy nearby, gently held Bai Maomao’s hand.
Bai Maomao stiffened briefly, then squeezed back, turning his head away.
The Ji Family Patriarch thought Bai Maomao was disgusted and unwilling to watch and joked, “These Demon Clan creatures are vicious by nature, even eating their own kind. Fortunately, the Human Sovereign destroyed the Demon Clan’s old lair and sealed most of them away back then; otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos this would be now.”
Bai Maomao glared at him fiercely, silent.
The Patriarch felt a chill down his spine under the gaze and awkwardly chuckled twice, falling silent.
Almost all the dense fog in the mountain was driven away.
The drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, with hail-sized raindrops pounding the monsters, washing layers of red mud off their bodies and forming a dark red river on the ground.
The frenzied monsters finally sensed something was wrong.
The once pitch-black mountain suddenly became bright and clear.
The mountain of flesh squirmed in confusion.
Seeing a three-headed beast monster opposite, it let out a shrill scream, revealing sharp teeth, then lumbered away.
The monsters looked around bewildered, screaming one after another.
The sharp echoes bounced through the mountain like cries of despair.
The Void Realm was eternal night—they couldn’t see each other, nor themselves.
Only today did these monsters realize they had become monsters…