Zhao Yunxiao Two rubbed his chin in contemplation while observing the large group gathered near the city gate.
176.
That was the total number of cultivators who had joined the Righteous Coalition organised by the city hall. It was a surprisingly large number, though the actual strength of each individual remained to be seen.
Some of them joined in groups, while others joined as individuals. Yet despite all of them now being under the same banner, it was rather apparent that collaboration was the last thing on everyone's mind.
Everyone stood in their own groups, with distinct separation between one another. People were constantly checking others out from head to toe, using glances that would usually only be cast upon competitors.
That's right, competitors.
In their eyes, this coalition was nothing but a farce.
From the very beginning, the majority of these cultivators had come to Thousand Autumn City with the intention of taking down the Scarlet Leaf Sect's unit all by themselves, aiming to claim the entirety of the loot. This alone was enough proof of just how confident they were in their own capabilities.
To go as part of a larger coalition would only mean that they now had to compete for any treasures that were uncovered during the strike on the Scarlet Leaf Sect.
In that case, precision and speed mattered most.
They had to be faster and more efficient in their actions, at least in comparison to the others in the coalition. Only then would they be able to claim a larger share of the pie.
In fact, had the exact location of the ritual been communicated to them in advance, many of them would have secretly left in the middle of the night, just to get a head start!
Yet despite the obvious lack of unity among the coalition members, General Tie Huaheng sent them off without hesitation, getting one of his soldiers to lead the way.
In the eyes of the cultivators, having to follow a mere soldier's lead made things rather frustrating. But at the same time, they were also relieved to see that General Tie Huaheng would not be coming along with them. After all, his individual combat strength was undeniable. If he were to join in as well, that would just translate to another strong competitor for the eventual loot.
Zhao Yunxiao did not care about all these matters. Instead, he was just feeling thankful about the fact that the members of the coalition were constantly scanning one another with their spiritual senses.
This allowed Zhao Yunxiao Two to do the same without alerting anyone, etching each of their faces in his mind. Should an opportunity arise in the future, he could try to fish some information on this strike out of them.
After doing so, the earthen clone returned to his room before crumbling to the ground. Only then did Zhao Yunxiao depart for the Hei Residence.
***
"Once again, I would like to seek Young Hero's help in checking things through before I proceed," Gang Yeshan said.
Zhao Yunxiao nodded before proceeding to do exactly that.
Similar to the materials for the curse purification rites, these were not items that should have been easily attainable for ordinary mortals. Yet once again, the Hei Clan had managed to acquire them in the span of a single day.
Their resourcefulness was truly undeniable.
"Seems about right," Zhao Yunxiao concluded. "We can begin with the ceremony."
With that, he stepped back and remained in a corner of the temple. On his left was Old Ping, and on his right, Hei Lao, who had insisted on joining in this time.
"Oh? Are you going to be the one doing it, Granny Gang?" Hei Lao asked in surprise.
"The young hero is only here to deliver the solutions. It is already graceful enough of him to have agreed to watch over the process," Gang Yeshan explained.
"I see," Hei Lao nodded in understanding. "I guess this is good as well. If Young Hero Zhao doesn't have to exert too much energy here, we can still go have fun later."
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
It seemed like he would have to start thinking of a way to politely excuse himself.
Gang Yeshan ignored Hei Lao's words as she stepped in front of the statue. In one hand was a bronze censer that emitted light incense smoke, while in the other was a bronze bell.
Cling-! Cling-! Cling-!
Bell chimes filled the temple as Gang Yeshan began the ceremony.
"The air shifts, the weight deepens, this vessel does not sit alone. Sentinel of jade, watcher of the land, who is it that resides within your noble form?"
The essence energy-imbued incense smoke slowly shrouded the statue, as though guided by the consistent chiming of the bell.
"By the heavens and the earth. By the laws of the underworld. Let the smoke answer where words cannot."
Cling-!
Gang Yeshan continued to ring the bell as she observed the incense smoke. Zhao Yunxiao narrowed his eyes as well, not wanting to miss even the slightest change in the smoke.
This was a ceremony to call out the spirit that was possessing the jade statue.
If things went according to plan, the spirit would take form with the incense smoke as a medium. This would allow them to determine the identity of the spirit as a starting point to work towards relieving it of its lingering obsessions.
Yet even as time slowly ticked away, it remained that there were no visible changes to the incense smoke.
After around two hours, Gang Yeshan finally lost her patience.
A fierce light flashed across her eyes as numerous talismans flew forward and attached themselves to the jade statue. She placed the bell down and picked up a ceremonial sword instead.
"By the heavens and the earth, reveal yourself!" she shouted while pointing the sword towards the jade statue.
Since the spirit within the jade spirit refused to reveal itself when asked nicely, she would just have to force it to do so!
Zhao Yunxiao furrowed his brows.
This was not part of the plan. From the looks of it, Gang Yeshan had decided to skip many of the initial steps and jump straight into performing spirit exorcism!
Crackle-!
A bolt of lightning shot out from the tip of the sword, splitting to form some sort of electric cage upon nearing the multitude of talismans. All over this electric cage, trickles of electricity extended out to connect with the talismans, which in turn sent the lightning-element energy into the jade statue itself.
In such a manner, the talismans softened the violent nature of the lightning element, allowing it to enter the statue without harming the statue itself. Still, there was enough lightning energy within for the statue to emit a red glow that grew increasingly brighter.
Lightning energy had always been the bane of spirits.
Should there be a spirit possessing the statue, it would surely show some form of reaction after being subjected to this baptism of lightning!
But at this point, Zhao Yunxiao suddenly sensed something amiss. "Not good! Stop!"
Whoosh-!
He threw out a dagger without hesitation, right as the red glow of the statue vanished all of a sudden.
Only then did Gang Yeshan react. She hurriedly retreated, raising the ceremonial sword in front of her as a guard.
Boom-!
A powerful blast of energy shot out from the jade statue.
The talismans attached to it were instantly shredded to pieces, unable to withstand the pure force with which they were struck. The electrical cage was pierced through like paper, causing bright sparks to be thrown out like confetti.
Even then, the blast of energy continued unabated as it headed straight towards Gang Yeshan.
But in its way was now a dagger – one that was carrying along a small talisman.
Boom-!
Another loud explosion could be heard as the explosive talisman on the dagger activated, creating a small shockwave of its own.
Unfortunately, this blast of energy from the statue was much stronger than the one that Zhao Yunxiao had witnessed when he first visited two days ago. The shockwave from the exploding dagger was not nearly enough to stop this blast of energy in its entirety, though it did manage to take away a good part of its momentum.
What remained of the blast of energy continued towards Gang Yeshan. Thankfully, Gang Yeshan was not just some defenceless old woman either.
With a quick wave of her hands, essence energy materialised into a shield that emitted blinding rays of golden light, appearing just in time before the incoming blast struck.
Bang-!
The golden shield trembled under the might of the blast, but eventually held firm without breaking apart. It was only after the blast completely died down that the golden shield slowly dissipated.
Pu-!
Just as the shield disappeared, Gang Yeshan spat out a mouthful of blood and started staggering a little.
"Granny Gang!" Old Ping rushed forward to support her by the arm. "Are you all right?"
"What was that? Is it safe now?" Hei Lao asked from behind a structural pillar.
"I am all right," Gang Yeshan said weakly while leaning on Old Ping for support. "Thank you for your assistance earlier, Young Hero."
"I didn't do much," Zhao Yunxiao waved it off, though his eyes remained focused on the statue. "But you shouldn't have rushed things."
It would appear that the statue had viewed the spirit exorcism as an attack, thereby answering with force. That much was to be expected. However, why were there no signs of any spirits in the process?
Considering how even the statue itself had reacted so strongly, the spirit exorcism should definitely have induced some sort of response from the spirit possessing the statue as well. But there had been absolutely no indication of that earlier.
Unless... this was not a case of spirit possession?
Zhao Yunxiao felt his head hurt.
This sect mission ended up being a lot more troublesome than he had thought.
"So, are we safe now?" Hei Lao raised his voice a little this time, perhaps out of frustration from being ignored.
"That seems to be the case," Gang Yeshan answered before looking at Zhao Yunxiao. "My apologies, it is my fault for getting impatient."
That said, while she had indeed put herself in danger by acting rashly, this did not change the conclusion here. At this point, the steps recommended by the Black Tortoise Sect had both proven ineffective.
"Are you sure that you reported everything truthfully in your request letter?" Zhao Yunxiao questioned.
"I dare not lie to the great Black Tortoise Sect!" Gang Yeshan insisted. "If I did, may the heavens strike me down with the coming of the next thunderstorm!"
"Is there something wrong with the statue that Granny Gang failed to find?" Hei Lao asked.
Zhao Yunxiao observed Gang Yeshan's solemn countenance, then glanced at Hei Lao and Old Ping. From the looks of it, they did not seem to be lying. However, it was impossible to know for sure.
He let out a helpless sigh.
"It's all right. Let's rest for now, and perhaps allow the statue to cool down as well," Zhao Yunxiao suggested. "I will take another look at it later."
"As you say, Young Hero," Gang Yeshan agreed. She could hardly stand by herself anymore, so that was exactly what she wanted as well.
"In that case, shall we go have some fun in the meantime, Young Hero Zhao?" Hei Lao asked.
"I'd have to politely decline," Zhao Yunxiao answered without hesitation. "I would prefer to get some rest before returning to investigate the statue in the evening."
"Ahha! I see, I get it. It seems like Young Hero Zhao really enjoyed your rest the other time. Don't worry, I will definitely see to it that you get the same good rest again today!" Hei Lao winked slyly at him, and hurried out of the temple without waiting for his response.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
"Well then, we will take our leave now. Enjoy your... rest," Gang Yeshan said awkwardly before leaving with Old Ping's help.
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
He stepped out of the temple and looked up at the sky.
Forget it.
In the end, it was not uncommon for cultivators to indulge in matters of the flesh. As long as it was not being viewed upon as something illegal or overboard, this was just a small matter that would not have any real impact on the reputation of the Black Tortoise Sect.
Rather than worrying about the trivial opinions of others, he would be better off thinking about how to deal with the jade statue of the Untethered Sage.
If worse came to worst, he might have to just leave the Hei Clan to their own devices.
That might not be the ideal outcome, but it would still technically mark the completion of the sect mission, as it was supposed to be a mere delivery of the sect recommendations.
It was just that if he could solve this issue once and for all, that would not only reflect well on his capabilities, but also prevent any future investigations into the matter that could potentially lead others to his real intention of coming here.
With that thought in mind, Zhao Yunxiao followed a servant's lead to the same room that he had been assigned yesterday.
This time, Xiao Chan was already waiting in the room when he arrived.