Chapter 78 — Six
劍問蒼天 · Page 7 of 8
Daoist Daoyan spared them only a few glances, paid them no further heed, and walked straight on. In this assault upon Qingyun the Demonic Cult had indeed sent forth its finest; even the followers prowling here were of no small cultivation, and Qi Hao, Lu Xueqi, and the rest could not make short work of them.
Song Dayi and the others kept escorting Daoist Daoyan forward, leaving Qi Hao and Lu Xueqi to hold off the enemy. In every heart there was in truth a question—why did Daoist Daoyan not simply fly through the air? Could his wounds truly be so grave as that?
But none dared ask him now. Before long there came a clatter, and again several Demonic Cult followers rushed out from both sides. Song Dayi, Wen Pei, and Tian Lingsu blocked them, and Zhang Qingyue and Lin Jinghong were about to step forward too when Song Dayi said urgently, "The three of us are enough—go quickly and guard the sect master!"
Lin Jinghong gritted his teeth, seized Zhang Qingyue by the arm, and ran forward with him, catching up again with Daoist Daoyan. This time, unexpectedly, they met no more Demonic Cult followers; Daoist Daoyan led them along a secluded path into the back mountain for a while, then came to a halt at a three-way fork.
Lin Jinghong and Zhang Qingyue halted as well. Zhang Qingyue said not a word, but Lin Jinghong lifted his head and looked toward Daoist Daoyan.
Daoist Daoyan turned to look, and suddenly started, a change passing over his face—as though by some coincidence of Heaven's design, these two were none other than the two orphaned survivors of Liutemple Village from years ago.
"Past this point lies the Phantom Moon Grotto-Heaven, the sacred ground of our Canglan Mountain, and I must enter it. You two stand guard here, and let no man of the demon cult force his way inside! The other path leads to the Ancestral Hall. You—"
Lin Jinghong's expression was resolute; he nodded firmly and said aloud, "Rest assured, Sect Master!"
Daoist Daoyan glanced at him, but his gaze quickly fell upon the "Dragon-Slaying Sword" in his hand. Here in this secluded place of quiet mountain hues, the Dragon-Slaying Sword shimmered with flowing green light, as though it too yearned for something.
This youth was full of passion and resolve. In that faint instant Daoist Daoyan suddenly turned around and gazed for a moment down the path toward the Ancestral Hall; then, saying no more, he walked straight on along the other road.
Lin Jinghong watched Daoist Daoyan vanish down the small path before he at last turned back, his sword-like brows tightly knit, his heart surging with unrest, even his breathing grown heavier. Small wonder—the Canglan Sect had met with sudden catastrophe, and Daoist Cangyan, whom he had ever regarded as a father, had turned traitor. How could this not leave him reeling?
Zhang Qingyue slowly raised his head and looked toward the distant foot of the mountain, in the direction of the Yuheng Hall, but saw only dense forest—not even a corner of eaves or roof was visible. On the other path, however, the one leading to the Ancestral Hall, faint traces of buildings could be made out behind the trees, and the distant sound of bells and chimes drifted faintly through the air.
From the battlefield of such extreme tension, they had suddenly come to this utterly secluded place, and for a time neither of them was quite used to it. Lin Jinghong gasped for breath, then drew a deep lungful of air and slowly stilled his breathing.
Suddenly, from the front of the mountain came a furious roar like the cry of a dragon; even across such a distance the wave of sound surged toward them like overturning seas and toppling mountains, and heaven and earth seemed almost to change color. Both were startled. Lin Jinghong was the first to react, and said with delight, "It's the Spirit Lord!"