Chapter 1389: Chapter 4: Unholy Abomination

When the two arrived at Jiayong Pass, it was already late at night the next day.

In the darkness, the Northern Border Great Wall looked like the spine of a roaming dragon, with the light illuminating "Jiayong Pass" like the long tail of a giant dragon.

Though this year had been peaceful,

the defense of Jiayong Pass was quite strict.

The Iron Cavalry patrolled the pass, and the city was silent.

The woman, a Yin God of the Xu Family, had been waiting for a long time and led the two to a secluded corner outside Jiayong Pass. This place was located in a deep valley, heavily guarded by soldiers and shrouded in layers of great arrays.

"Aunt You, is this the source of the ’demon energy’?"

The wind and sand swept by.

Xu Nianning stood on the suspended sword, frowning as she looked down at the small courtyard enveloped by the formation.

This small courtyard was isolated from the world.

Although protected by the great array, it still emitted a disturbing aura.

"Yes."

Guest Elder Xu You sighed: "Although the Northern Territory has been peaceful recently, the Xu Family has never relaxed its vigilance and has been dispatching scouts... But the scouts sent out recently all returned without a sound, with the Communication Orders shattered. It was hard to wait for a team to return, yet they were all severely injured."

"Now... only four are still alive."

Xu Nianning stared at the small courtyard.

"The team originally had thirteen members."

Xu You sighed again: "The death and injury are already severe enough, but this scout team returning to Jiayong Pass did not bring back any useful information... They were all incoherent when they returned, unable to even speak the most basic words."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Zhao felt a sudden unease in his Heart Lake.

"At first, the Family Head brought them back into the city for the best formation and medical treatment..."

"But things didn’t get better, they worsened instead."

"The maids and attendants in charge of these survivors all felt unwell and fell ill one after another."

"Just yesterday, I moved these people outside the pass."

Xu You’s expression was complicated, and she smiled bitterly: "This issue has already been reported to the Imperial City, but Mr. Jingxuan is occupied with many matters and has not yet responded. If I’m not mistaken, this might be a plague..."

"A plague?"

Duan Zhao squinted his eyes.

"On the side of the Demon Country, there are many filthy divine skills that can create such a scene."

Xu You looked at the young man and explained, "Years ago, your Master annihilated the Three Great Sects. Within the Heavenly Puppet Sect was a Yin God Venerable named ’Wen Daoist’. Although his realm was not equivalent to the Yang God, the harm he could cause, if unrestrained, was no less than a Great Cultivator in the Yang God Realm. Such divine skills are extremely harmful to the natural order and possess great destructive power. Though Wen Daoist is dead, and the Three Great Sects have been exterminated, they corresponded to ancient evil cultivators from a thousand years ago. Naturally, similar inheritances exist in the Demon Country."

"Something doesn’t add up."

Duan Zhao shook his head and said, "If it were a Great Cultivator from the Demon Country... why not conceal the ’plague’ a bit deeper?"

Xu You was taken aback.

"If the agent’s goal is to use filthy divine skills to accomplish a ’massacre,’"

"then..."

"Isn’t it better to keep these scouts alive?"

Duan Zhao asked seriously, "Striking so heavily at the outset only raises vigilance, doesn’t it?"

Xu You had handled this incident swiftly.

In just two or three days, she managed to isolate and transfer the injured outside the city.

If the scheme was truly about inciting an epidemic... then the plan had already failed.

"What do you mean?"

Xu You frowned and fell into deep thought.

She initially thought it was a probing attempt by a Great Cultivator from the Demon Country on Jiayong Pass. Now, it seemed more complex than she imagined.

"Let’s go down and take a look first."

Duan Zhao took a deep breath, and the uneasiness in his Heart Lake became stronger.

Accompanied by Xu You, the three activated their Dao Domain and entered the small courtyard. Even with the great array’s cover and the treasure’s purification, the courtyard still emitted a nauseating stench of decay. Four scouts lay on the beds, their faces pale and eyes tightly shut. Though still alive, there was no divine soul fluctuation, like withered wood.

The injuries they suffered were minor.

One merely had a cut on the arm.

Another had only a slight scratch.

Yet...

These seemingly minor wounds emitted a visible black qi.

"This doesn’t seem to be Taoist Intent?"

Duan Zhao squinted his eyes.

"Indeed, it’s not Taoist Intent."

Xu You rubbed her temples in frustration: "We also don’t know what this is... Initially, we thought it was an abnormality caused by ’Divine Skills’..."

If the harm these four suffered was not the work of a Great Cultivator from the Demon Country,

then things were becoming complicated.

"What about the sick maids?"

Duan Zhao asked gravely.

"They’re recuperating not far away... Though ill, they can still take care of themselves and show no other symptoms..."

Xu You quickly replied, "You can rest assured, all contacts have been relocated to this deep valley."

As for herself, there was no need for concern.

A Yin God Venerable, with a Dao Domain as protection, what was considered an ’overwhelming calamity’ for the mundane was insignificant to a Yin God Venerable.

Even if affected by divine skills, one could resist it by manifesting Taoist Intent.

"Should we kill them?"

Xu Nianning suddenly spoke up.

From the moment they stepped into this courtyard,

her heart was filled with intense unease. While the truth behind the event was still unknown, she already had the simplest solution in mind. The aura these four exuded was extremely dangerous, better to kill them than keep them.

Xu Nianning looked at Duan Zhao, knowing that the two were always highly in sync. What she felt, he likely felt too.

"Killing them... is certainly an option..."

Yet Duan Zhao did not immediately concur.

He stared at the four individuals and lowered his voice: "Wouldn’t it be better if we could save them?"

"Save..."

This was an unexpected thought to Xu Nianning and Xu You.

In fact,

Xu You wasn’t particularly concerned about the life and death of these four.

She was keen to uncover the truth behind the scout attack. However, if the spread of this ’plague’ couldn’t be contained, she wouldn’t hesitate to kill all those infected.

"I want to try."

Duan Zhao took something out from his sleeve.

It was the Lotus Token.

He was the world’s only "Lotus Walker," with a token containing the Divine Artifact coveted by all.

The Undying Spring.

"Wait, you wouldn’t..."

Just as Xu Nianning was about to speak, Duan Zhao had already begun his action.

He summoned a tiny wisp of pure white vapor from the Lotus Token, holding it between his fingers.

Gently, he pressed his fingertip on the unconscious scout’s forehead.

With a snap!

The withered figure, dead to the world, suddenly opened his eyes wide, coming back to life with an expression of extreme pain—

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

The room filled with black qi suddenly burned fiercely like a fire!