Chapter 37: The Conspiracy Within Yunfeng Ridge

The woman, a ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator, pondered for a moment after hearing those words.

“Heh, interesting. It seems someone within Spirit Sword Mountain has hired us to kill their own disciples. And these people still pride themselves on being righteous cultivators—truly disgusting.” The woman sneered dismissively.

Ran, the man surnamed Ran, neither confirmed nor denied it when he saw the woman had guessed the employer’s identity.

“That’s not our concern. We just need to complete the assassination mission. Find a place to lock these people up, then assign the next tasks.” Ran instructed.

This group was a rogue cultivator organization, essentially a small collective formed by cultivators without formal sects or factions. While not demonic cultivators, they occupied a space between the righteous and the demonic paths.

As long as someone was willing to pay, they cared not for righteous or demonic ways. There was no turning back once one entered the cultivation world; to survive, they inevitably clashed with sect cultivators.

This was because most resource-rich areas in the Southern Wilderness were controlled by major sects. Rogue cultivators had only two ways to acquire cultivation resources.

The first method involved ambushing other cultivators and seizing their treasures.

The second method was to accept commissions from others, earning rewards for their services.

Both methods carried immense risks.

****

Half an hour later, at the edge of a mountain range shrouded in mist, Lin Xue and the other Spirit Sword Mountain disciples arrived outside Yunfeng Ridge.

“This… is this Yunfeng Ridge? What a peculiar place,” Lin Xue murmured, gazing at the mountain range enveloped in a swirling vortex of clouds.

This was a rare public resource area in the Southern Wilderness, attracting many cultivators, primarily rogue cultivators and those from smaller sects.

Upon seeing so many Spirit Sword Mountain cultivators hovering outside, these observers knew that something significant was likely to unfold within Yunfeng Ridge.

“Let’s go.” The leading female disciple from Heavenly Sword Peak gestured to the group, then led everyone soaring into Yunfeng Ridge, quickly vanishing into the mist.

Not long after they entered, Su Yun and Fan Yang also arrived at the location.

“Whoa, what a magnificent sight! Senior Brother, how did this place form?” Su Yun exclaimed, marveling at the cloud vortex below.

Fan Yang began to explain.

“I heard there’s a massive spiritual energy spring inside Yunfeng Ridge. The eruption of spiritual energy created this wondrous spectacle. Years ago, our Ten Great Sects even vied for control of this area, but ultimately, neither side conceded, and it became a public resource region.”

Indeed, if multiple factions refuse to yield, the best solution is often for no one to obtain it.

After a brief conversation, Fan Yang immediately led Su Yun flying into the ridge as well.

Lin Xue and her party did not act rashly. Instead, they proceeded to a resting point within Yunfeng Ridge, which also served as a cultivator encampment.

In fact, the moment those disciples sent out a distress signal, the Spirit Sword Mountain disciples who were nearby on training missions immediately rushed over. They had already roughly pinpointed the area where their fellow disciples had gone missing.

However, they dared not act recklessly. The fact that the adversaries could handle a team with a ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator meant either a significant number of opponents or the presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This was not a rescue mission their team could complete alone.

The sensible choice was to report to the sect, requesting stronger cultivators be dispatched from the main sect to join the operation.

Yunfeng Ridge, Chaotic Cloud Knoll.

At Chaotic Cloud Knoll, a formation stood, with cultivators moving in and out. This was the cultivator encampment.

The encampment was in the outer regions of Yunfeng Ridge, where it was relatively safe.

Lin Xue and her companions descended from the sky, landing at the encampment’s main gate. Several Spirit Sword Mountain disciples immediately emerged, bowing respectfully.

“Greetings, Senior Sister Zhou, and all Senior Brothers and Sisters.”

This time, the leading disciple was Zhou Xueqi, an inner disciple from Heavenly Sword Peak.

“How is the situation, Junior Brother? Have you found any trace of the missing disciples?” Zhou Xueqi inquired.

The disciple promptly produced a map, a general distribution map of Yunfeng Ridge. Though not detailed, it at least pinpointed a general area and direction.

“The signal was sent from this area. We rushed over immediately, but upon arrival, we only found faint traces of a cultivator battle. The limited evidence suggests they were likely attacked by unknown cultivators in this region, were overwhelmed, and taken captive.” The disciple offered a concise analysis.

Zhou Xueqi and the others glanced at the designated area, then frowned.

“This area is known for rogue cultivator activity. Could they have been attacked by a rogue cultivator group?” Zhou Xueqi asked.

“It’s hard to say. If it were rogue cultivators, they usually wouldn’t take captives. Furthermore, their soul imprints within the sect didn’t immediately dissipate, indicating the opponents likely have other motives. I sense a conspiracy.” The disciple calmly stated.

Zhou Xueqi nodded. To capture without killing—the motive was clear. She suspected demonic cultivators were behind it.

“It seems things are more complicated than we imagined. Junior Brothers and Sisters, prepare yourselves mentally; there might be an ambush.” Zhou Xueqi looked at the Foundation Establishment cultivators from other factions.

All of these Foundation Establishment cultivators nodded in agreement.

“When we departed, our masters all bestowed upon us trump cards to handle unforeseen circumstances. Unless a Golden Core cultivator is involved, we should be fine.” A direct disciple from Thunderbolt Peak affirmed.

Zhou Xueqi wasted no time, directly addressing the disciples who had come to meet them.

“Gather all our fellow disciples here in Yunfeng Ridge. We will search this area together for the missing disciples. If we are attacked, transmit a message immediately.”

The disciple who had greeted Zhou Xueqi and her group nodded in earnest.

Soon, nearly a hundred Spirit Sword Mountain disciples, a formidable force, set off from the cultivator encampment towards the target area.

“Aren’t those Spirit Sword Mountain disciples? So many of them! What’s happening?” Cultivators they encountered on the road quickly made way, conversing amongst themselves.

“Hard to say. The leader appears to be a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Such a large formation either indicates a great opportunity has appeared within Yunfeng Ridge, or someone has provoked Spirit Sword Mountain.” Another person analyzed.

As they conversed, two figures flashed past them: Su Yun and Fan Yang.

Upon reaching the area where the disciples disappeared, the group descended from the sky. This region wasn’t deep within Yunfeng Ridge; at most, it was just inside the outer perimeter, primarily the activity range of first-tier demonic beasts. Deeper areas would likely be deadly without a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“Senior Sister Zhou, this is the place. There are lingering marks on this tree from our Spirit Sword Mountain’s sword arts. Beyond this area, there are no further combat traces.” The leading Spirit Sword Mountain disciple pointed to a large tree.

Zhou Xueqi glanced at it and nodded.

“I’ll first sense the power fluctuations of their identity tokens.” Zhou Xueqi took out her own identity token, then used a special spell to infuse it with spiritual power.

This was Spirit Sword Mountain’s tracking technique, only usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators. It allowed one to sense the power fluctuations of nearby Spirit Sword Mountain disciples’ tokens, centered around their own token.

However, its range was limited, extending a maximum radius of 500 meters.

“Nothing. Junior Brothers and Sisters, let’s split into seven groups and conduct a carpet search in seven different directions. This is our only option.” After her investigation yielded no results, Zhou Xueqi proposed an alternative plan.

The group nodded, then began to act.

Meanwhile, on a cliff roughly 3,000 meters away, Su Yun was secretly observing them through her binoculars.

“Is that guy here too?” Su Yun spotted Deng Wenqing. She always felt that things wouldn’t be simple whenever she saw him.

If he intended to harm Lin Xue, this operation would be the perfect opportunity.

Fan Yang looked at Su Yun in bewilderment. From such a distance, even he couldn’t clearly discern the situation using his divine sense, yet his Junior Sister, using this strange tool, seemed to see everything.

“Junior Sister, can you see that far?” Fan Yang asked curiously.

Su Yun knew her Senior Brother was very interested, so she didn’t hide it, instead handing the binoculars to Fan Yang.

“See for yourself.”

Fan Yang immediately took the binoculars and, following Su Yun’s instructions, looked towards Zhou Xueqi and her group. He was stunned by what he saw.

“This? What kind of magical treasure is this? It actually allows one to see scenes five or six li away with just the naked eye?” Fan Yang assumed it was a magical treasure.

Indeed, this object was beyond his comprehension.