69novels Chapter 845 Being Led Astray by the Fourth Brother
Chapter 845 Being Led Astray by the Fourth Brother
As the Ye family disciples arrived at this point, the leading youth suddenly stopped, frowning. "It seemed like a presence just passed by?" The junior brother beside him leaned closer to sniff, only smelling the fragrance of grass and trees, and shook his head. "Senior brother, you're overthinking it. It's probably just a normal fluctuation of spiritual energy in the mountains. This place is full of spiritual creatures." The group didn't delve into it further and continued on their original plan towards the demon clan's settlement, their steps hurried, the tassels of their swords swaying gently at their waists.
The fourth brother, observing from the shadows, saw clearly that their route led directly to the demon settlement at the heart of Ten Thousand Demon Ridge, and his heart tightened. He remembered that before their departure, the sect leader had specifically instructed him to protect the demons during this descent and not let them fall into the hands of the Ye family. As for the true nature of the sect leader's relationship with the demons—whether it was a past acquaintance or a deeper secret—he didn't know, but he understood the weight of this mission and knew he couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake.
After a moment's thought, the fourth brother took out a tuft of golden fur from his sleeve—it was the fox fur that had accidentally fallen from the fox's tail when the little fox was in a hurry to escape during their fight. It was soft, fluffy, and carried a faint demonic aura. He flicked his finger, gently scattering the fur on the ground, and then deliberately kicked a rock in the bushes not far away, making a rustling sound, as if a spirit fox had been startled and was fleeing. After doing all this, he held his breath and silently retreated to the side, hiding behind a higher rock to observe what would happen next.
As expected, the Ye family disciples were drawn by the noise. The young man in the lead had his eyes light up and noticed a conspicuous tuft of fox fur on the ground. He immediately perked up: "It's the aura of the demon race! It must be those fox demons lurking here!" He shouted and drew his sword. "Quickly, chase them! Don't let them get away! If we catch one, we can find out the location of the demon race's lair!" The group rushed off like arrows, hurriedly following the sound. Their footsteps were messy as they trampled through the grass, completely unaware that they had already deviated from their original route and were running towards the opposite valley.
The fourth brother watched their departing figures from behind the rock, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. This charade, though simple, was incredibly effective, perfect for dealing with these eager-to-claim-credit types. He turned and leaped away in the opposite direction from the Ye family disciples—he needed to get a message to the demon race before they could react.
The fourth brother lightly touched the treetop with his toes, using the recoil to leap several meters away. Only when the relentless pursuit of the Ye family members had completely disappeared from his perception range did he dare to stop. He leaned against the shadow of a thousand-year-old pine tree, his chest rising and falling slightly, and raised his hand to wipe the thin layer of sweat from his forehead—the escape had almost exhausted most of his spiritual energy.
Having confirmed that he was completely out of the Ye family's search area, the fourth brother's eyes narrowed, and his hands quickly formed hand seals. In an instant, a faint silver-white halo enveloped his body, like morning mist spreading over bluestone. His figure gradually became transparent within the halo, eventually disappearing completely, even the scent of his clothes brushing against the grass was concealed by the magic. This invisibility technique was a skill he had honed over thirty years of cultivation. As long as he didn't actively release spiritual energy fluctuations, even a Golden Core cultivator scanning him with their divine sense would only see him as an ordinary breeze in the forest.
Sure enough, in less than half an incense stick's time, several figures in cyan robes swept over like a gust of wind. Leading them was Ye Jinghong, the eldest disciple of the Ye family, wielding a longsword that gleamed coldly. Behind him followed three junior brothers, each with a solemn expression. "I clearly sensed his aura nearby just now, how could he suddenly disappear?" Ye Jinghong frowned, scanning his surroundings. He twirled his longsword in his hand, the sword energy sweeping through the grass, creating a rustling sound. Even ants in the cracks of rocks had nowhere to hide, yet it still couldn't penetrate the fourth brother's invisibility barrier.
"Senior brother, could it have run far away?" a junior brother couldn't help but ask. Ye Jinghong gritted his teeth, kicked the boulder beside him hard, and cursed, "Damn it!" "Search! Search carefully! Even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we must find this traitor!" But the group searched the vicinity for half an hour, and apart from startling a few birds, they didn't see a single ghost. Ye Jinghong knew that continuing was futile, so he could only lead his men away dejectedly. Before leaving, he didn't forget to leave behind a few tracking talismans, unaware that they had already been silently neutralized by the fourth brother's magic.
Only after the several azure figures completely disappeared into the depths of the forest did the fourth brother dispel his invisibility spell, his figure slowly reappearing on the spot. He let out a long sigh of relief; his back was already soaked with cold sweat—the Ye family's tracking skills were indeed well-deserved. If it weren't for the exquisite nature of his invisibility technique, he would probably have been captured long ago. He dared not delay, took out a jade slip from his robes, infused it with spiritual energy to determine his direction, and then transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the sect. This mission was personally arranged by Elder Qingyi, concerning the movements of the demon race, and he had to return as soon as possible to report back.
A day later, in a side hall of the main hall of the Qingyun Sect, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The fourth brother bowed respectfully to Elder Qingyi, who sat at the head of the table, his movements meticulous. His face still bore the weariness of traveling all night, and his eyes were dark and swollen, but his voice was unusually firm: "Elder, I have found the traces of the demon race."
Elder Qingyi paused slightly in his teacup, the pale golden tea swirling gently within. He looked up at the fourth elder, his gaze calm and unwavering, as if able to see right through one's heart: "Oh? Where are they hiding now? How many are there, and what is their cultivation level?"
The fourth brother bowed his head and replied, "Elder, they are hiding in the abandoned Kaiyuan Ancient Temple in the west of the city. I have been secretly observing them for half a day. There are about seven or eight demons, including three wolf demons, two fox demons, and a few that look like mountain spirits. Most of them are at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, but the black fox that is the leader has a faint aura of the late Foundation Establishment stage."
He paused, recalling the harrowing experience of the previous day, and couldn't help but clench his fists, his knuckles turning white. "It's infuriating," he said, "I wanted to gather more information, but I didn't expect that the leader of the black foxes to have such an exceptionally keen sense of smell, able to detect my concealed aura. A fight broke out on the spot. Although I gained some advantage using my magic and didn't suffer a major loss, I still alerted them. In my opinion, they must have already sensed something was wrong and have probably changed their hiding place." As he said this, his face was full of regret. If he hadn't been careless, he could have found out much more details.
After listening, Elder Qingyi gently traced the rim of his teacup with his fingertips, the coolness of the celadon pendant seeping through them. He pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "It's alright. It's already quite an achievement that you were able to find their tracks." His tone suddenly shifted, a hint of inquiry appearing in his eyes. "However... I wonder why the Sect Master is suddenly so concerned about the movements of these demons. In the past, such investigations were handled by outer disciples, but this time you, an inner sect steward, have to personally take charge, even I have to be at your beck and call. This is quite unusual."
The fourth disciple couldn't figure out the details either, so he just lowered his head and replied, "The sect leader has his own considerations. We disciples just need to follow his instructions."