Chapter 159 — Loneliness

When Xiao Yichen had finished, Daoist Yanyan looked at him and quietly pressed one further question; Xiao Yichen nodded silently, his look one of certainty. Daoist Yanyan let out a long breath and nodded. Xiao Yichen turned without a word and took his place behind Daoist Yanyan. Beside them, the Venerable Pucheng and Yun Yifeng now also looked over. The Venerable Pucheng intoned a prayer, "Amitabha. Sect Master Yanyan, can it be that there is news of the beast demons?"

Daoist Yanyan nodded and rose to his feet, and a stir ran through the ranks of the righteous cultivators below. Daoist Yanyan steadied himself, and a look of firm resolve gradually surfaced on his face. He said in a clear voice, "Fellow cultivators, word has just come: a great host of beast demons has appeared on the wild plains two hundred li from Canglan Mountain, and will arrive within days. And at the foot of the mountain, outside Heyin City, scattered traces of the beasts have already begun to be found."

At these words a commotion broke out at once. In that moment panic, dread, shock and fury, sighs and lamentations—every manner of expression appeared on the faces of the crowd. The catastrophe that had weighed on every heart for days had come at last to their very door.

Daoist Yanyan surveyed the faces before him, pressed down with both hands, and the clamor slowly subsided. When all around had grown quiet, he said in a clear voice, "Fellow cultivators, the great calamity is now before our eyes, and the fate of all living things under heaven rests upon the battle we shall fight against these demon hordes. All of you seated here are masters of the Way whose hearts are set upon the righteous path. For the sake of all living things, when the day of battle comes, you and I must give our utmost. As the saying goes, Heaven's heart is at peace within us—surely Heaven will not leave men without a road. These monsters may be rampant for a time, but they cannot endure forever."

For a moment the crowd was silent, then voices rose one after another: "The Master speaks truly."

"Rest assured, Master—with so many masters gathered here, if we all stake our lives together, surely overcoming these beast demons will not be so hard!"

"Just so, just so..."

For a time it seemed they took heart, and the faces of the crowd slowly began to relax and brighten. After all, whatever else might be said, here were still the three great sects, still these masters; and looking further, upon this Canglan Mountain there was still that legendary Slaying-Immortals Sword Formation, unbreakable and ever-victorious. Seeing the confidence brimming in Daoist Yanyan's face, what was there left to worry about?

Under the gaze of countless righteous cultivators, Daoist Yanyan smiled slowly, exchanged a few words with the assembly, and then withdrew with the Venerable Pucheng, Yun Yifeng, Xiao Yichen and the others into the inner chamber of the Yuheng Hall. Once out of sight of the crowd, Daoist Yanyan's face at once grew heavy, and the faces of the Venerable Pucheng and Yun Yifeng were no lighter. The party came to a quiet room in the inner hall, Xiao Yichen bringing up the rear and closing the door behind them.

Daoist Yanyan turned to Xiao Yichen and said, "Yicai, tell us the details."

Xiao Yichen nodded and said, "Yes. This disciple was patrolling Heyin City at the foot of the mountain, and reports came in one after another throughout the day. Above all, upon the walls of Heyin City I saw with my own eyes a giant bird demon appear; from its appearance and form, it closely resembles the 'Asura Bird,' one of the Thirteen Demon Beasts said to be among the beast demons in these recent rumors."

Daoist Yanyan exchanged a glance with the other two masters, and all their faces were grave. Xiao Yichen continued solemnly, "Furthermore, the other junior brothers who have been secretly scouting the surrounding lands have all sent back word: every one of them has found scattered traces of the beast demons, and they are thickest to the southwest, some two hundred li out. But of the several junior brothers who went to scout beyond two hundred li, this disciple has waited a long while, and there has been no word from them at all."

As he spoke, Xiao Yichen's face gradually darkened. Daoist Yanyan's expression was heavy, and beside him Yun Yifeng heaved a sigh, while the Venerable Pucheng softly chanted the Buddha's name.

Daoist Yanyan pondered a moment, then nodded and said to Xiao Yichen, "It seems there can be no mistake. The beast demons have indeed come. Yicai," he said, looking at this most beloved disciple, "go down the mountain once more and tell all the disciples stationed at the various scouting posts to withdraw entirely, holding a line roughly within a hundred li of Canglan Mountain. Be sure to warn them: they must not cross the boundary to scout on their own, and still less may they rashly trade blows with the beast demons, lest mishap befall them."

Xiao Yichen nodded, then seemed to recall something and said, "Master, what of the common folk in Heyin City?"

Daoist Yanyan was silent a moment, then turned to look at the Venerable Pucheng and Yun Yifeng. The Venerable Pucheng pressed his palms together and bowed his head; Yun Yifeng said mildly, "As matters stand, all must follow the Sect Master. Let the Sect Master decide."

Daoist Yanyan inclined his head slightly, as if to express his thanks, then after a moment's thought said to Xiao Yichen, "This matter is indeed thorny, but Heyin City is truly too dangerous, and we in truth have no way now to go down the mountain and guard the people. Go down at once to Heyin City, take charge of all the Qingyun disciples there, and tell the people of Heyin City to flee north as quickly as they can—at the least they must cross the Canglan range. The beast demons' greatest target at present seems to be us of the righteous path upon Canglan Mountain, not those common folk; thus perhaps they may be kept safe for a time."

Xiao Yichen was taken aback a moment, but looking at Daoist Yanyan's expressionless face, in the end he nodded silently and said in a low voice, "Yes. This disciple will go at once."

Daoist Yanyan said, "One thing more: inform the heads of the other six branches of Qingyun as quickly as you can, and have them come to Jietian Peak at once. I must see them immediately—there are matters to discuss."

Xiao Yichen nodded and said, "This disciple will go at once."

Daoist Yanyan sighed and said, "Take care on the road. Go."

Xiao Yichen nodded and withdrew.

********

"The Phantom Moon Cave?" Zhou Yixuan started in surprise, his brows knitting together, and a rare gravity settled over his face. He hesitated a moment, then said, "Why do you ask about that?"

Ming Li said mildly, "Aren't you the one who's always known everything under the sun? I've suddenly taken an interest in that cave, so I'm asking you. How much do you know about this Phantom Moon Cave?"

Zhou Yixuan glanced at Ming Li, whose expression gave away nothing, revealing not a hint of what he was thinking, wearing an air of unfathomable mystery. They were still in He Yin City, but the mood there had already changed utterly with the arrival of that enormous monstrous bird-beast the night before. The fears that had plagued the people had at last come true, and under the crushing weight of terror, more and more of the panic-stricken populace had reached the breaking point. Now and then people could be seen on the streets muttering gibberish and shouting aloud, carrying on like madmen.

Zhou Yixuan withdrew his gaze, turned the matter over in his mind, and said slowly, "You, you're not thinking of doing something absurd, are you?"

Xiao Wan and the Wild Wolf Daoist both fixed their eyes on Ming Li, and little Grey on his shoulder seemed to sense something too, baring its teeth at them and pulling a face. Ming Li said calmly, "What do you think I could do?"