MTLNOVEL Chapter 655: Jade Cicada
In the dead of night, the starry sky stretched endlessly.
The radiant moonlight gently drifted over the mist hovering above the Mist Forest, serene and mystical, like an illusion realm from the celestial palace.
The forest was eerily quiet, absent even the faintest chirping of insects.
Suddenly.
Crack!
The sound of a dry leaf breaking shattered the silence.
As the mist roiled, a ragged white-haired elder emerged from its depths.
His hair was disheveled and grey, his thin frame seemingly just skin and bones. Yet, his movements were agile, steps firm and powerful. His complexion was ruddy, resembling a robust man in his prime.
At this moment, the elder's eyes were half-open, his pupils dull and listless. His face was vacant, as though sleepwalking.
Step, step, step...
A rhythm of synchronized footsteps approached from afar. A group of people broke through the mist, appearing just as dazed as the elder, wandering aimlessly into the forest.
They were men and women, old and young, tall and short, fat and thin—every imaginable type you could think of. Among them were even two or three black water buffaloes and a handful of large yellow dogs.
At this moment, every one of them drooped their eyelids, silent and expressionless, marching uniformly deeper into the Mist Forest like marionettes on strings.
Further away, moonlight pierced through the gaps in the mist, streaking into the woods.
The silhouettes of countless figures loomed faintly, hidden within the mist, moving forward in slow procession.
Step, step, step...
The uniform footsteps echoed through the deathly still forest at midnight, eerie enough to send chills down the spine.
...
Several days later, Peach Blossom Valley.
Chen Mu was mingling with the crowd of the Hundred Illusions Division, going through the motions of practicing the Sealing Demon Curse. From the direction of the peach grove near the entrance, a sudden commotion erupted.
The group halted their movements and stared distantly. Immediately, they saw a crowd of over a hundred mortals, walking dazedly into the valley.
Accompanying them were a few disciples from Taoshan Temple, shouting harsh orders to direct the group forward.
"What batch is this?" someone asked from among the crowd.
"The twenty-third. There must be at least a thousand mortals in Peach Blossom Valley now, if not eight hundred," someone replied.
"They say the Mist Forest outside is covered in footprints. No one knows how many mortals have already gone to Qingqiu Mountain," another person voiced anxiously. "To see living beings willingly walk into disaster—the Outer Heaven Demons are truly insidious!"
This doesn't seem like the work of Lan Zhang.
Standing at the edge of the crowd, Chen Mu frowned as he watched those ordinary people from afar.
Their faces were ruddy, their movements appearing normal at first glance.
But upon closer examination, their behavior revealed occasional absent-mindedness, their reactions slower than those of typical people.
The soul comprises the spiritual deity, spiritual consciousness, and various spirit segments. The spiritual consciousness governs awareness. These individuals' sluggishness resembled signs of soul damage.
"This feels disturbingly similar to the Yellow Millet Plague Poison I encountered back at the Heavenly River Water Mansion of Dingyou!" Chen Mu's heart tightened.
The mere recollection of that toxic affliction sent a shiver through his core.
If not for the Heavenly Demon Armor and the Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles technique, he might have ended up as a mindless living corpse.
"I hope it's not that thing."
...
Only two days later, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse.
Over a dozen Night Patrol Daoist Soldiers mysteriously vanished. Despite repeated investigations, all signs led to the conclusion that these individuals had left Peach Blossom Valley of their own accord.
In the following days, during the dead of night, more and more people disappeared. Word spread, and suddenly anxiety gripped the valley's inhabitants.
Afraid of becoming unknowing victims, many Daoist Soldiers chose to remain indoors, abandoning the Sealing Demon Curse practice sessions arranged by the Thousand Mechanisms Sect.
Likewise, Chen Mu stayed inside his stone house, refusing to venture out.
Late at night, he stood by the window of his stone house.
The sky was clear, stars glittering brightly, the pale moonlight pouring through the window and illuminating half his face.
Despite the tranquil and pristine night sky, his heart was utterly unsettled.
He activated the Truth Listening Divine Power, enveloping the surrounding area where the Hundred Illusions Division resided.
Suddenly, a figure cloaked in grey appeared at the edge of the Truth Listening Divine Power's range.
The person showed no expression, their eyes half-closed. Without hesitation, they moved aimlessly toward Peach Blossom Valley's outskirts.
But just as they reached the edge of the peach grove, several streaks of Escape Light descended, blocking their path.
Judging by their attire, the new arrivals were clearly from Taoshan Temple's Inspection Courtyard.
One of them, a burly man, stepped forward and lightly patted the shoulder of the afflicted Daoist Soldier.
The previously dazed Daoist Soldier instantly jerked awake.
Looking at the black-garbed men around him, he appeared bewildered, as though he truly had been sleepwalking moments prior.
After a brief exchange of words, the Soldier then followed the black-clad inspectors back deeper into Taoshan Temple.
Chen Mu observed the entire scene from beginning to end, only withdrawing his gaze once everyone had completely vanished.
This wasn't the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Clearly, those black-garbed inspectors were specifically assigned to handle incidents like this.
"At least Taoshan Temple isn't sitting idly by," Chen Mu thought, a measure of relief creeping into his heart.
...
Indeed, in the following days, no more people disappeared. The strange illness that compelled individuals to sleepwalk into the Mist Forest ceased.
The inhabitants of Peach Blossom Valley gradually regained their peace of mind, resuming their daily activities and organized practice sessions of the Sealing Demon Curse.
"Word has it that a Thousand Mechanisms Sect Elder surnamed Yan intervened," someone in the Hundred Illusions Division's demonstration area whispered conspiratorially. "The root cause lies within those mortals. They've been afflicted by an Evil Secret Technique planted by the Outer Heaven Demons, which makes them contagious. The Daoist Soldiers who fell victim to it had all come into contact with that group of mortals beforehand."
"Lucky for us we kept our distance," remarked someone in the crowd with a sigh of relief.
"But it's all sorted out now. Elder Yan has deployed a Barrier Technique to seal the infected people deep within the valley, eliminating any risk of further contamination for us," another person added.
The crowd buzzed with discussion, their accumulated worries dissolving, laughter beginning to surface.
Not far off, Chen Mu, who had been eavesdropping, let out a sigh of relief as well.
...
Late at night, Thousand Lanterns City.
Chen Mu reclined in a rocking chair on the wooden terrace of a tall building, idly swaying.
A palm-sized, intricate Candle Dragon Dharma Body spiraled playfully around him.
It darted into Chen Mu's hair, then zipped up into the air, curiously gazing at the luminous eye hanging high in the sky.
Ever since the bizarre illness broke out, Chen Mu dared not sleep within Peach Blossom Valley at night.
Even though the infection risk had theoretically been eliminated, the preventative measures felt temporary, with no concrete solution yet in place. Chen Mu resolved to linger in Thousand Lanterns City a few extra days.
"Figures—there's no way the Thousand Mechanisms Sect would stand idly by and let all the Daoist Soldiers be wiped out."
"After all, they still rely on the soldiers to mount a counterattack against Qingqiu Mountain."
Recalling the intelligence he had gathered earlier in the day, Chen Mu felt slightly more at ease.
"But it's hard not to pity those ordinary mortals," he muttered with a shake of his head.
While the Thousand Mechanisms Sect Elders intervened within Peach Blossom Valley to isolate the infestation, countless defenseless mortals beyond its boundary remained neglected.
Under the thrall of the Evil Secret Technique, they trudged mindlessly toward Qingqiu Mountain, fated to meet grim ends.
Chen Mu could only speculate on how far the infection had spread. According to reports from the Patrol Daoist Soldiers, the Mist Forest teemed with footprints, their numbers increasing by the day.
Is the Thousand Mechanisms Sect truly incapable of saving these mortals?
Chen Mu shook his head faintly.
"I fear the Sect's Qi Cultivators simply don't care about the plight of ordinary people."
For the humble mortals, their wails and suffering had never garnered attention from Qi Cultivators.
"Let's just hope the Thousand Mechanisms Sect can banish Lan Zhang back to Nether Demon Heaven soon."
"Ultimately, I'm too weak," Chen Mu sighed inwardly.
Though his River Chariot had recently reached Perfection, and he had successfully forged a Yin Spirit Divine Fetus, complemented by potent techniques like Candle Dragon Transformation, he still felt like a lone skiff adrift in the vast chaos engulfing Hai Province.
"At least years of arduous cultivation haven't been in vain."
"With the Heavenly Demon Armor and refuge in Thousand Lanterns City, I can at least ensure my own safety."
He chuckled softly, an overwhelming fatigue creeping through his being.
Lifting his arm, he made the Candle Dragon Dharma Body coil into a bracelet, clearing his mind of distractions as he prepared to sleep.
But the next instant, his eyes snapped open.
Something's wrong!
Having cultivated for so many years, his body had undergone layer after layer of metamorphosis. Unless severely depleted, he could go ten days or more without feeling fatigued.
Now...
Damn it, I've been infected too!
As the thought crossed his mind, before he could take any countermeasure, faint streaks of black and green light flickered at the center of his brow.
Several lines materialized there, sketching out what appeared to be a vivid jade-green cicada.
A crushing wave of exhaustion surged forth.
Chen Mu's eyelids grew unbearably heavy, beyond his ability to resist, drooping halfway shut.
His pupils slowly broadened and lost focus. Within mere breaths, Chen Mu had transformed into a dazed sleepwalker.
As dark mist spiraled, the gates of Thousand Lanterns City loomed.
Chen Mu stumbled forward without hesitation, blindly shuffling toward the city's boundary.