Chapter 873: Finally Returning to Cang Yun
The Tian Xuan Continent was a full nine million miles away from the Cang Yun Continent, and the distance between the Huan Yao Realm and the Cang Yun Continent was similar. Mo Li had once told him that with the remaining power of the Primordial Mystic Ark, it could only make at most one round trip to the Cang Yun Continent.
But for Yun Che in his current state, one trip was enough.
Leaving the Jinwu Thunder Flame Valley, Yun Che did not return to Yao Huang City. Instead, he directly activated the Primordial Mystic Ark. Mo Li had already left the location of the Cang Yun Continent imprinted in his memories.
As for what the outcome of this journey to the Cang Yun Continent would be, he could not predict. But if he didn't go, it would become a great regret in his life.
A spatial shuttle spanning nearly ten million miles still only took an instant.
Leaving the Primordial Mystic Ark, Yun Che's mind was momentarily dazed… because beneath his feet was the familiar yet immensely distant Cang Yun Continent.
"Cang Yun Continent…" he murmured softly. His revered master, his Linger, everything he had experienced in this world—countless memories and images surged like a tidal wave in his heart, churning violently. No one could comprehend his two lives, and no one could understand his feelings at this moment.
A cool mountain breeze blew in his face. Yun Che calmed his emotions and looked around. Before him was a winding mountain slope, its towering peak piercing the clouds. Turning around, he could see a thousand miles of scenery at a glance… He had landed on the mountainside of a high peak.
Yun Che silently surveyed his surroundings. Soon, a name flashed like lightning through his mind.
This is…
Tai Su Mountain!!
His heart shuddered violently… The location information Mo Li had imprinted in his soul not only pointed to the Cang Yun Continent but had also accurately positioned him near this Tai Su Mountain!!
And the Tai Su Sect, where Su Linger resided, was at the foot of this Tai Su Mountain!
His emotions surged, impossible to calm. Yun Che had no heart to appreciate the scenery of Tai Su Mountain. He flew straight down from the mountainside and, in no time, arrived at the foot of Tai Su Mountain.
At the foot of Tai Su Mountain lay a vast expanse of verdant bamboo forest. Entering the bamboo forest, Yun Che's pace slowed down gradually, becoming slower and slower. Six years ago, in that world like a dreamscape, there had also been a large bamboo forest here, where Su Linger had hopped and skipped, pulling him along to this place… because this was her favorite spot.
Here, too, was a bamboo forest.
If…
If everything was real, on the other side of the bamboo forest was the Tai Su Sect where she lived.
Yun Che's steps became light, as if afraid that his movements might disturb the breeze here. He desperately yearned to see Su Linger, yet grew increasingly terrified that everything would still turn out to be just a dream…
The bamboo forest was strangely quiet. Aside from the sound of wind and the swaying of bamboo branches, there was no other noise, and not a single human or animal shadow could be seen. It wasn't just quiet; it was eerily silent.
Yun Che walked through it, not knowing how long he had been walking, when his steps suddenly stopped.
In the dense bamboo forest, there was a small clearing. In the center stood a small bamboo cottage, built entirely from bamboo.
The cottage was tiny, simple, and looked somewhat old. Every bamboo stalk had taken on a withered yellow hue.
Looking at this small bamboo cottage, Yun Che's vision spun. He staggered forward and pushed open the half-closed bamboo door.
Inside the cottage were a small bed and a small table, both made from bamboo. Yun Che extended a trembling hand and gently pressed it against the bamboo bed. The bed was simple and hard, letting out a soft "squeak" at his touch… and there was not a speck of dust on it.
Lifting his head, he saw a round hole in the cottage roof. At night, the pure moonlight would pour through it, illuminating the entire interior.
For six whole years, aside from the bamboo turning yellow, the cottage had not changed at all… like a carefully cherished baby held in the palm of a hand, with not a single bit of damage for six years.
"Linger… it's Linger… it's Linger… it's really Linger…"
Yun Che's mind exploded into chaos, his vision completely blurry. His thoughts were in utter turmoil, his soul trembling wildly, every drop of blood in his body churning violently… Although Mo Li had repeatedly told him with absolute certainty that the "dreamscape" six years ago could never have been a mere illusion, he still harbored a sliver of disbelief—disbelief that a reality as beautiful as a dream could exist in this world, disbelief that he could dare to hope to embrace Linger, whom he had thought lost forever.
But this bamboo forest, and the small bamboo cottage he had built for Su Linger here, proved to him that everything six years ago was not a dream, but a reality he had never dared to wish for even in his wildest dreams.
"Linger… Linger… LINGER!!"
A wave of warm heat rushed to his head. Yun Che burst out of the cottage, calling Su Linger's name again and again, rushing madly toward the direction of the Tai Su Sect as he remembered it.
Bamboo stalks were knocked down by him, but he cared about nothing, his speed only increasing.
Just as he was about to leap into the air, the wind blowing from ahead suddenly carried an unusually pungent smell.
Yun Che was all too familiar with this smell… It was the stench of rotting corpses!!
As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, Yun Che's mind quickly sobered from its intense excitement. This place was clearly very close to the Tai Su Sect… How could there be such a heavy stench of rotting corpses here?
Yun Che hurried forward, and the smell in the air grew stronger. Gradually, the bamboo forest ahead was no longer intact. There were traces of widespread destruction. The ground and the bamboo stalks were covered with patches of long-dried bloodstains.
"…" Yun Che's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Just then, a corpse appeared in his line of sight.
In a bamboo forest like this, corpses wouldn't decompose too quickly. Judging by the decomposition level of the corpse before him, it had been dead for at least half a month. But what made Yun Che's heart jolt violently was the bloodstained outer garment on the corpse…
It was clearly the attire of the Tai Su Sect!
And this was far from the only corpse. As Yun Che continued forward, the bamboo forest ahead was almost completely destroyed. Dried blood stained the ground and the broken bamboo. The farther he went, the more corpses there were. Eventually, piles of corpses lay stacked together, a sight that chilled the heart. The pungent stench of decay completely overwhelmed the fresh fragrance of the bamboo forest.
The corpses he had seen along the way numbered nearly a thousand. They had all died around the same time, and their clothing all belonged to the Tai Su Sect!
Yun Che's expression turned extremely ugly. His earlier excitement and ecstasy were replaced by a bone-piercing coldness. It wasn't that a thousand corpses meant anything to him—even tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands piled before him would not change his expression. But these were bodies of Tai Su Sect disciples, lying here for half a month, completely unattended!
This was undoubtedly proof that a tragic calamity had befallen the Tai Su Sect!!
And that meant Linger…
A chill ran from his spine straight to his scalp. His hands clenched tightly, his scalp tingled, and then he shot up like lightning, charging toward the Tai Su Sect.
What had happened to the Tai Su Sect?
Linger… Please don't let anything happen… I beg you, please be safe!!
Yun Che fully activated the Phantom Lightning Extreme. Soon, the Tai Su Sect as he remembered it from six years ago appeared before his eyes.
Staring at the southern gate of the Tai Su Sect from afar, Yun Che's heart was burning with anxiety, but he did not lose his composure. He did not force his way in immediately. Instead, he stopped, concealed his aura using Flowing Light Thunder Concealment, and silently approached the Tai Su Sect.
Figures moved about within the Tai Su Sect. It didn't look like it had suffered a great catastrophe, nor was there an overly tense atmosphere. Everything seemed fairly normal. Yun Che infiltrated the Tai Su Sect and quickly sensed several auras that were abnormally powerful.
Thirty-two Wang Zuos, two second-level Overlord Xuan, and one eighth-level Overlord Xuan!!
Yun Che's gaze turned icy cold.
In the Jiang Dong region of the Fu Su Kingdom, the Tai Su Sect and the Hei Mu Fortress were the two overlords, with the Tai Su Sect slightly ahead of the Hei Mu Fortress. In this area, the Heavenly Xuan realm was the pinnacle. A single Wang Zuo coming here would be enough to sweep the entire Jiang Dong region. Even the two overlords, the Tai Su Sect and the Hei Mu Fortress, had no Wang Xuan-level experts in this generation.
And now, within the Tai Su Sect, there were suddenly an extra thirty-two Wang Zuos and three Overlord Xuans!
Moreover, their profound aura signatures were definitely not those of the Tai Su Sect.
Yun Che ground his teeth slightly, his unease swelling intensely. He could only pray frantically in his heart that nothing had happened to Su Linger… Otherwise, he couldn't predict just how crazy his actions would become!!
Taking a deep breath, Yun Che swiftly moved through the Tai Su Sect, heading directly toward the location of those few Overlord Xuan auras. As he passed by two outer disciples of the Tai Su Sect, he overheard their conversation.
"…Back then, if the Sect Master hadn't taken me in out of kindness, I would have died long ago, let alone achieved the accomplishments I have now. And yet I betrayed the Sect Master… Ah, sometimes I think I'm not even human."
"You made the right choice. You saw what happened to those stubborn fools who insisted on being 'loyal.' They're all dead. After all, this is the Seven Star Divine Palace. Only an idiot would be stupid enough to oppose the Seven Star Divine Palace."
Seven Star Divine Palace!?
The name made Yun Che's pupils contract slightly.
"Alas, why does the Sect Master have to be so stubborn? If he just goes along with the Young Sect Master's wishes and latches onto the Seven Star Divine Palace's coattails, other sects would dream of such an opportunity…"
"I heard the Sect Master has been locked up for days, and he still won't say anything. I wonder what he's holding out for. Throwing away a golden opportunity, choosing to court death instead—I don't know whether to call that righteous or just plain stupid…"
Their conversation suddenly cut off, because two ice-cold hands had reached out from the void like specters, firmly locking onto both their throats.
The two outer disciples of the Tai Su Sect widened their eyes in terror, as if they had seen a ghost.
"The Sect Master you mentioned—is it Su Hengshan?" Yun Che asked coldly.
The two nodded in fear, unable to utter a single sound.
"Tell me, where is he imprisoned?" Yun Che's voice was bitingly cold, but knowing that Su Hengshan was not dead was at least some comfort.
He loosened his grip slightly on the right-hand man, allowing him to force out a hoarse, strained voice: "In the… dungeon… deepest part…"
"And where is Su Linger?" When Yun Che asked this question, his chest rose and fell heavily.
The two stared wide-eyed, their pupils slightly unfocused, and both shook their heads.
"Heh…" Yun Che laughed with eerie darkness. "Remember, in your next life, don't be ungrateful beasts again!"
With a soft "crack," he mercilessly crushed their throat bones, his fury boiling over.
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