"If the Song family gives in, the other clans will be forced to hand over their resources too. Once the Secluded Families dominate, we'll be right back in the same passive situation as before!"
Song Qingyun's sharp gaze swept across the hall. "My opinion is we should lead the other families to resist the Secluded Families together. Even if we have to throw out a few conditions, at least we know what those families are made of. It's still better than giving everything to the Secluded Families!"
Just thinking about it made his teeth ache with anger.
Those Secluded Families were cunning as foxes. They deliberately targeted the Song family while leaving the others alone, all to keep anyone from helping, avoiding a united resistance. If they really wanted to rally support now, they'd probably have to bleed a little.
The elders fell silent. It was true, this was the worst-case scenario.
If they clashed, both sides would suffer, and the Song family's position would still be shaky.
While everyone was feeling sour about the decision, a disciple suddenly rushed in, covered in dust, clearly just back from far away.
"Patriarch, Patriarch, the Secluded Families are in trouble!"
"What happened?"
Song Qingyun stayed calm, but the elders all stood up at once.
Even Li Ruo rose to her feet, her face tight as she stared at the disciple. She might be a disciple of the Wentian Sect, but she'd grown up in the Song family and saw herself as one of them. She couldn't stand by and watch the Secluded Families bully them.
The disciple didn't even pause for breath, blurting out, "Patriarch, the Secluded Families have been hit by Monsters! These Monsters devour people's hearts. A lot of their disciples have already fallen."
"They say the numbers are overwhelming, endless to kill. Right now the entire Secluded Families' territory is drowning in Monsters!"
He pulled out a recording stone, showing what he'd secretly filmed inside their region.
The moment she saw the familiar Monsters, Li Ruo's eyes widened.
"It's them!"
She stepped forward, turning to Song Qingyun. "Patriarch, I saw these Monsters when I was little!
I almost got dragged away back then, but Master saved me. Later, Master told me he tracked it to an abandoned mine owned by the He family. At the time, he even suspected the He family was raising them…"
Her brows knit together. Back then, that Monster had been lightning fast, even her master hadn't caught it. Now so many were appearing at once, something was very wrong.
The room fell silent after she spoke.
Song Qingyun didn't say a word for a long time, but his gaze grew darker.
"If that's true, then these Monsters may have been spreading all along. It's just that the outbreak started early with the Secluded Families."
He exchanged looks with the elders. They'd all thought of the same terrifying possibility.
"For now, we'll have to set aside dealing with the Secluded Families."
He immediately pulled out a messaging talisman, sending news to the other families and the Wentian Sect sect master, warning them about the Monsters.
Then he ordered the news spread across the cultivation world, urging cultivators to watch for signs of Monsters. Any sightings had to be reported to the Song family at once, with heavy rewards promised.
"Send the notice out immediately. Have the disciples stay sharp, no carelessness allowed!
If you spot one, report right away. Don't play the hero!" He had no intention of helping the Secluded Families, but he couldn't ignore the threat either. Otherwise, his disciples would be in constant danger whenever they traveled.
The whole lower realm quickly launched into Monster hunts.
And once people started looking, they realized countless cultivators had gone missing over the years, with many corpses found missing their hearts.
When Song Qingyun heard the reports, his back went cold.
Fear knotted in his chest.
He couldn't wait any longer. He set out himself to track down the Monsters.
…
In the Spirit Realm, Song Wanníng hadn't yet heard of what was happening below, but unease gnawed at her.
The outbreak in the lower realm had started so early… Could it already be a disaster by now?
Was all this the doing of the Mùsù star system's Heavenly Dao?
She clenched her fists and tilted her head back, as if she could pierce the sky and glare straight at the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao of this realm had never once thought to invade another world, even after its collapse. Instead, it slowly healed itself piece by piece.
But the Heavenly Dao of the Mùsù star system stopped at nothing, gnawing away at others just to keep itself alive. Despicable. It had already abandoned its own Dao principles. Even if it succeeded, would it really be healed?
No.
Even if it managed to buy time, it would only walk toward destruction.
A cold light flashed in her eyes. She was about to step out when a knock came at the door.
She waved her hand, and the door opened.
"There's news."
Baili Shang walked in, his face grim.
"It's close, too close to the Demon Palace. If your guess is right, the enemy's been dancing right under our noses!"
And they hadn't even noticed.
"Let's go check it out."
Song Wanníng nodded, not hesitating as she followed him out.
They didn't bring anyone else. The two of them leapt onto a flying artifact and sped into the distance.
"I didn't let anyone act recklessly. The disciple who found it reported straight back without poking around. But I checked the recording, and it really is the herb you mentioned."
Baili Shang explained quickly. Luckily, that disciple hadn't acted rashly, or they might've scared off the enemy.
"Good."
Her unease only grew heavier. Images of the golden dragon clan sacrificing themselves to kill Monsters flashed in her mind. She could only pray the numbers weren't too many.
At the very least, she hoped it wouldn't be like the dragons' tragedy, where there'd been no chance of victory.
…
A few hours later, they touched down.
They leapt off the flying artifact into a dense patch of herbs.
One whiff, and Song Wanníng instantly recognized the scent she'd found before.
"This is it."
She spread her divine sense wide, leaving no corner unchecked.
Baili Shang did the same, probing even deep underground.
Because no one harvested these herbs for pills, they'd grown thick and lush. But scattered among them were small pits, each with raised mounds beside them. Looking closely, the pits formed a pattern, their spacing regular and close.
The two exchanged glances, realization dawning. They crouched beside the nearest pit.