Chapter 94: 90 Sacred Moon Sect

90 Sacred Moon Sect

Splash—

With a burst of water, two people emerged from the river flowing in the sky and fell onto the ground together.

The blood-red sword was stuck in the ground. Tang Zhao let out a "wah" sound and spat out two mouthfuls of water. Si Liyu was also listless, sitting on the ground without moving.

Tang Zhao placed the sword in his hand on the ground and recovered his spirit slightly.

Just now in the river, he had killed his way back and forth through who knows how many strange fish and shrimp, using every sword art he could. With his current strength, simple slashes while holding the Authority Sword did not consume much, but every time he used a sword art, there was a noticeable drain. After all, the sword was too short; just to slash meant he had to engage in close-quarters combat with the monsters, which was disadvantageous to him. Thus, he had to use sword arts repeatedly. Coupled with the inability to breathe underwater, it was extremely draining on his physical strength. Suddenly relaxing, he felt both physically and mentally exhausted.

Sheathing the Authority Sword did not help with physical recovery, but it could relax his spirit and lighten the burden on his body and mind. While relaxing, he circulated his Internal Energy to regulate his breathing, preparing to continue the battle.

The battle of the Demon Cave had not even begun yet.

Si Liyu caught his breath and said, "Let's go find the team. You should sheath your sword first; it can reduce the drain on your spirit. You've already consumed a lot after killing so many Phantoms just now."

Tang Zhao said, "Were those Phantoms just now? I thought they were Fierce Beasts."

Si Liyu said, "They were Phantoms. Phantoms have physical forms inside the Demon Cave, but they turn intangible after being killed. You saw it too; the fish and shrimp you killed all vanished. If they were Fierce Beasts, there would be corpses left behind."

Tang Zhao realized, saying, "Aren't Phantoms only second to Heavenly Demons? Why does it feel like these Phantoms aren't very strong?"

Si Liyu shook his head and said, "Phantoms are also divided into types. Phantoms that look fierce aren't necessarily powerful; rather, the ones that are barely there have tricky methods. Humanoid Phantoms are often more formidable than beast-shaped ones. Furthermore, the Xiezhi Sword inherently has the effect of breaking evil, making it especially easy to kill Phantoms. You took advantage of that."

The two walked forward while talking.

This place was a corner of the mountain, silent and deserted. The two had flown a bit off-course while riding their swords and had not landed in front of the Land Inspection Division's main camp. But the area around the Demon Cave was limited, and Si Liyu had recovered somewhat, so it wouldn't take long for the two to walk together.

Just as they were walking, they suddenly heard a sound coming from the edge of the woods. Si Liyu frowned, pressed down on Tang Zhao's shoulder, and signaled for him to be quiet.

They saw a large rock in the forest being slowly pushed aside, revealing a burrow, and a person crawled out from it.

That person looked up and saw Tang Zhao and Si Liyu. The three stared at each other, and suddenly there was a moment of silence.

In his astonishment, Tang Zhao sized the person up. He saw that this person was wearing a white robe and a strange hat on his head, which looked like a Jade Plate sitting atop a circle of leaves.

A moment later, the person shouted, "Someone is here, it's the Land Inspection Division!"

Si Liyu simultaneously shouted angrily, "Demon Sect!" and drew his sword to step forward.

Tang Zhao suddenly realized that the so-called Demon Sect was the Sacred Moon Sect, an evil sect explicitly wanted by the Imperial Court.

Ever since the Calamity Moon appeared, the Imperial Court had exalted the sun and disparaged the moon, building many Moon-Suppressing Platforms, and the common people even viewed the moon as an "omen of disaster." Only this Sacred Moon Sect revered the moon, even calling themselves Moon Messengers, walking in the Human World with mysterious movements.

Internal Data mentioned that the Sacred Moon Sect ostensibly revered the moon, but actually worshipped Heavenly Demons. They believed the lands beyond the realm were a paradise and that Heavenly Demons were divine beings from the heavens who came to the Human World to deliver the masses. Their doctrine was to obey the orders of the Heavenly Demons, eliminate the Sword Guests who stood in their way, and open a path to the heavens so that all followers could go to paradise together to enjoy bliss.

In short, they were a group of traitors to humanity. To achieve their goals, they would kill, burn, collude with the enemy, and betray their country, stopping at nothing. They even held inhumane sacrifices and many other evil rituals, treating everyone's life as worthless, including their own people. They were the most dangerous rebels.

Actually, this version of the Internal Data didn't have much information on the Sacred Moon Sect because the Sacred Moon Sect had its own range of activities, mainly operating in the Central Plains and the Southeast, with its headquarters rumored to be hidden in the southern mountains. Yunzhou was in the North, and their tracks had rarely been discovered there. This small Demon Cave wasn't very large, so it likely wouldn't have caught the eye of the Sacred Moon Sect.

Yet, they had appeared right before their eyes.

Si Liyu was also very surprised, but he had more experience than Tang Zhao. As soon as he saw the people with laurel leaves and moon plates on their heads, he knew it was the Sacred Moon Sect and shouted in anger on the spot.

He was about to step forward when he saw a group of people scrambling out of the cave, each wearing a Sacred Moon Plate; they were undoubtedly Demon Sect followers.

They were surrounded.

Although he couldn't tell their skill level at a glance, since they dared to plot against a Demon Cave and had even dug a tunnel right to their feet, they couldn't be mediocre.

Si Liyu said, "You go first."

Tang Zhao said, "The mission is important, let's go together."

Si Liyu smiled and said, "No, what I mean is, these rebels are still human; it's not good for you to kill them."

Tang Zhao said "Huh?" and Si Liyu said, "So you will be in the way."

The Sacred Moon Sect followers were startled, then gathered around, emitting cold, sinister laughter, as if mocking Si Liyu for overestimating his own abilities.

But the first to move was Tang Zhao!

The sword light in Tang Zhao's hand lit up, and he formed a seal and shouted:

"Sword Art—Suppress Evil!"

A one-horned divine beast leaped out from the sword. With every step it ran, its body grew larger. It ran extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it had transformed into a massive stone sculpture.

Boom—

The giant rock pressed down on the followers like Mount Tai. None of the followers could stand up; all of them were pinned to the ground. Looking closely, the stone sculpture's color was translucent and not solid; it was even a distance away from the tops of their heads and was definitely not truly pressing down on them. Yet, the followers acted as if they were pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, unable to move.

Tang Zhao didn't expect it to go so smoothly, saying, "They really are wicked criminals with a mountain of crimes!"

Many of the Xiezhi Sword's sword arts were powerful but had strict limitations, and Suppress Evil was the same. The more heinous the crimes a criminal had committed, the more they would be pressed down and unable to move. If it were Tang Zhao, even if he were hit by the sword art, he could break free with a light struggle. These people who were pinned down were essentially crushed by their own crimes.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Being close to Heavenly Demons, loathing humans, and following such perverse doctrines—how could they not have committed all sorts of heinous sins?

These people had met their nemesis in the Xiezhi Sword. The power of the Xiezhi Sword was more than doubled against them. Conversely, if it encountered innocent people, it would be difficult to even wrong a good person.

Since the descent of the Demon Cave, the first and second battles had gone very smoothly, and Tang Zhao also felt relaxed, saying, "Teacher Si, will you do the honors? I don't kill."

Si Liyu was shocked. He had been prepared for a fierce battle and hadn't expected Tang Zhao to take them all down with one sword art. Looking at that group of people who couldn't move, they didn't look like fierce criminals, but rather a group of clowns. He lost the urge to fight, reached out to take out a warning firework, and flicked it upward. The firework exploded with a series of sounds, burning into a crescent shape in the sky.

Tang Zhao said, "This is..." This firework was different from the Land Inspection Division alarm firework he had been issued.

Si Liyu said, "Yes, the Demon Sect has its own special warning fireworks."

That was a high level, at least at the level of a wanted criminal.

Si Liyu carried his sword to the side of the followers. He didn't kill them, but instead severed their meridians one by one. The followers let out loud, miserable cries, yet none begged for mercy; instead, they cursed loudly. Someone said, "Filthy thing, running dog, human sacrifice of the Land Inspection Division! If you have the ability, kill us. The Incense Master will avenge us!"

Si Liyu said, "Incense Master? What kind of thing is that? Did he come with you today? Call him out and let me see."

The follower seemed to realize he had let something slip and kept his mouth shut. Si Liyu didn't ask further, just checked them one by one to ensure no one had intact meridians.

After a while, footsteps sounded, and they heard Peng Yiming's voice calling, "Xiaosi, hold on, we're here."

It was Deputy Envoy Peng Yiming who had brought people himself.

Upon arriving, Peng Yiming was startled. He had thought the two had accidentally encountered the Sacred Moon Sect, fired a warning firework, and were struggling to hold on while waiting for rescue. He had even brought reinforcements himself, but he hadn't expected the situation to be so one-sided, with all the captives already caught.

Tang Zhao withdrew his sword art, and Peng Yiming directed his men to tie up the captives, complaining, "Since you could handle it, why not just kill them all to save time? Do you know how busy we are?"

Si Liyu said, "It was Tang Zhao who suppressed them, not me. Leave the work to them, let's go to the Town Guardian."

Peng Yiming glanced at Tang Zhao and thought: So that's how it is; he wants me to confirm Tang Zhao's contribution. As expected of Xiaosi, he is especially attentive to such matters.

Although the situation was urgent, Peng Yiming was the only one who came from the Land Inspection Division to provide support; the rest were merely bailiffs, who were originally there to assist. Peng Yiming had them clean up the aftermath there and brought the two of them back to the base camp.

At this moment, the Demon Cave had just merged, and countless Phantoms were flowing downstream from the upper reaches.

Xing Ji stood at the very front, draped in that red cloak, allowing the two to come to his side.

Tang Zhao looked up at the Demon Cave; viewed from afar, the Yin He was falling, the river water flowing vertically, which was exceptionally spectacular.

"How is your state?" Xing Ji asked indifferently.

Tang Zhao did not know who he was asking, so he replied, "Not bad."

Xing Ji nodded, did not pursue the matter from just now, and said, "Xiaosi, return to the team; Tang Zhao, follow me. I move, then you move."

Si Liyu cupped his hands in a salute and went off on his own. Xing Ji asked Tang Zhao, "How is his state?"

Tang Zhao was startled, realizing he was asking about Si Liyu's condition, and wondered why he hadn't just asked him directly; he immediately understood—Si Liyu was stern and strong-willed by nature and would never admit it even if something were amiss, so he said, "I think he is fine; his vitality has recovered quite a bit."

Xing Ji nodded slightly, his extra concern for his subordinate stopping at that point.

The two stood together in front of the base camp, quietly watching the water flow, as if admiring a wonder.

Tang Zhao wanted to ask something several times, but intimidated by the solemn atmosphere, he did not speak.

Suddenly, Xing Ji said, "The Heavenly Demon has descended."

In the night sky, the Shadow of a colossal entity was quietly flowing downstream.

The water ripples swayed, its slender figure fluttering like a dance.

It seemed as if some sound was coming from far away, and yet it also seemed as if there was a Silence where all things were hushed.

As its figure drew closer and closer to the river surface, the world became increasingly quiet; all living things were shaken by this incomparably massive Shadow, falling into silent awe.

"It is..." Tang Zhao could barely hear his own voice:

"A Flood Dragon!"