The boat landed, and the morning mist outside Kunlun was so thick that water could be squeezed out.
Chu Xuan jumped off the deck, his soles sinking into the wet mud with a "cooing" sound as if the earth were greeting him. He stretched and turned back, Shouting, "Rest here for two hours, replenish what needs to be replenished, relieve what needs to be relieved, don't let me down!"
The Inner disciples responded in unison, their voices shaking the fog.
Ling Qingxue stood with her hands behind her back, her snowy eyes swept over the crowd, and finally landed at the end of the line - Zhou Mo was lowering his head to pack his bags, his movements meticulous but deliberately avoiding her gaze.
"Is that man still there?" She asked softly.
Chu Xuan spat out the grass stem from his mouth and laughed with sharp teeth, "Stay, of course stay. Fishing requires a long line. If the line breaks, the fish will jump happily."
...
The campfire was lit, and the copper pot "gurgled, gurgled," with the aroma of meat and the scent of medicinal herbs wafting far away.
Zhou Mo, holding a bowl of hot soup, crouched beside the fire, lowered his head and looked like a harmless quail.
But on closer inspection, his sleeves were slightly wet and his knuckles were pale, clearly nervous.
Chu Xuan, holding a big bowl, swayed to his side and plopped down. "Senior Brother Zhou, where's the soup?" Is it exciting?"
Zhou Mo hurriedly bowed and smiled with a simple smile, "Deputy Leader, please, the soup smells good."
"Drink more of the fragrant soup." Chu Xuan, smiling, suddenly lowered his voice, "It's cold at night. After drinking the soup, don't wander around. Be careful not to step on the snake."
Zhou Mo's eyes flickered slightly. He lowered his head to drink the soup and covered the twitching corners of his mouth. "Thank you for the reminder."
...
The night was deep and quiet, the campfire was fading, and the snoring of the campsite rose and fell.
Zhou Mo, however, got up quietly, wrapped his cloak tightly, crouched down and slipped into the woods as lightly as a fallen leaf.
As soon as he left, Chu Xuan opened his eyes, his eyes clear and bright, not a hint of sleepiness.
"The fish come out of the nest." The young man chuckled softly, tiptoed, and followed like a ghostly figure.
...
In the depths of the woods, Zhou Mo took out a bronze mirror, made a gesture with his fingertips, and ripples appeared on the mirror surface, a blurry figure emerged - a black robe rolled with gold, the cuffs "ground four".
"The target has reached the outside of the Kunlun mountains. Will we do it at night?" Zhou Mo lowered his voice, with suppressed excitement in his tone.
On the other side of the bronze mirror came a deep voice, "At Zi hour, near the evil eye, create chaos, take advantage of the chaos to get rid of Chu Xuan, throw the corpse into the evil eye, once and for all."
A fierce look flashed in Zhou Mo's eyes. "All right!"
Just as he was about to cut off the communication, he suddenly felt a chill in the back of his neck as if he were being targeted by a venomous snake.
Suddenly turning back - In the night, a figure in a white robe stood still, his snowy eyes unwavy, yet terrifyingly cold.
"Ling... Elder Ling? !" Zhou Mo's voice trembled and he stepped back subconsciously.
Ling Qingxue raised her hand, with a touch of her fingertip, the ice-like law condensed instantly, and a wisp of ice-blue mist spread along the ground, instantly enveloping Zhou Mo's ankle and climbing up!
"Ice Prison, sealed!" "
Click --
Where the ice mist passed, blood froze instantly. Before Zhou Mo could even scream, he was frozen into an ice sculpture, maintaining a frightened expression and unable to move.
Chu Xuan emerged from behind the tree, blew on the ice sculpture, and the heat condensed into white mist on the ice surface. "TSK, frozen into a work of art, Elder Ling, good craftsmanship."
Ling Qingxue glanced sideways at him and said in a soft voice, "Catch him in the act and try him now?"
"Not in a hurry." Chu Xuan grinned, and with a stroke of his fingertip on Zhou Mo's body, the chaos vaporized into fine threads, drilled into the ice, followed the meridians all the way to the dantian, firmly locking the qi sea of the other person. "First search the body, then pry the mouth, the process must be complete."
He raised his hand, felt it in Zhou Mo's arms, and took out a black jade slip. The surface was engraved with the number "Di Zi Si", but the back was embedded with a tiny rune - exactly the same as the rune on the forbidden area's murals!
Chu Xuan's eyes froze. "Sure enough, the Heavenly Dao Pavilion also wants the Dao deed."
Ling Qingxue's snowy eyes narrowed slightly. "Search and pry, pry and kill?"
"No killing." Chu Xuan shook his head, laughing freely, "Spare him half his life, bring him back to the sect, publicly judge him, let everyone see - what happens to betray the Qingyun Sect."
He raised his hand and slapped the ice sculpture with a palm. The chaotic energy shook, and seventy percent of the meridians in Zhou Mo's body were instantly destroyed, but he didn't die. The ice cracked, and he collapsed on the ground like mud, blood gushed from his mouth and nose, and his eyes were filled with terror.
"Take it away." Chu Xuan turned his back to the moonlight, his voice cold, "From today on, the team cleansing officially begins."
Ling Qingxue raised her hand, and the ice mist condensed into chains, dragging Zhou Mo like a dead dog all the way back to the camp.
In the moonlight, the ice marks shone like a road dividing black and white.
...
In the center of the camp, Chu Xuan stood high on the platform, holding the black jade slip in his hand, and his voice echoed throughout the place --
"The secret line of the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, Zhou Mo, has been captured! From today on, anyone who colludes with the Heavenly Dao Pavilion, come forward and I will keep his body intact; If exposed - crippled cultivation, banished from the sect, never to set foot in the Qingyun Sect for life!"
The crowd was in an uproar, and then there was a deafening cheer --
"The deputy leader is awesome!"
"Well cleaned! The sect is pure!"
"Traitor, to die!"
The faces of those who were named turned pale in an instant, and some of them went limp and knelt down to beg for mercy. Some turned and tried to escape, but were kicked over by Lin Hao, who had been prepared in advance, and tied into zongzi.
After a night of hard work, the hidden line was uprooted. Five of them were all stripped of their cultivation and locked in the ground floor cargo hold.
The campfire was reignited, shining on the young man's tall and straight back, as if gilding him with a layer of gold.
Chu Xuan stood on the high platform, with his back to the firelight, his voice clear but with an unquestionable determination --
"From today on, there will be no more hidden lines within the exploration team;
From today on, the traitor will end up with just one --
Life is worse than death!"
A flash of fire shone on his young side face, sharp and piercing like a freshly drawn sword.
In the distance, Ling Qingxue stood in the shade, her snowy eyes reflecting the firelight, whispering to herself:
"He no longer hesitates... The prototype of the leader has been formed."
At the bottom of the airship, a makeshift cell converted from a cargo hold.
Zhou Mo was tied into a zongzi by purple fire rope and hung in mid-air, with his toes an inch off the ground, like a dried salted fish.
His face was pale, his lips quivered, but there was a fierce look in his eyes - typical of a dead pig not afraid of boiling water.
Chu Xuan took a stool and sat down, throwing the "Ground Four" jade slip in his hand, throwing it high and then catching it, in a leisurely rhythm like teasing a cat.
"Brother Zhou, have a chat? Chat well, I'll give you a good time; If you don't chat well, I'll make your life worse than death, and I won't repeat it."
Zhou Mo gritted his teeth and spat through his nostrils, "Kill or scrape, whatever you want! Want me to betray the Heavenly Dao Pavilion? Dream!"
"TSK, have backbone." Chu Xuan raised an eyebrow, flicked his fingertip, and a wisp of chaos vaporized into a fine needle that slipped through Zhou Mo's fingernail. "Then let's play slowly."
The fine needle moved along, and wherever it passed, the meridians were pulled back and forth like wire brushes, and the intense pain made Zhou Mo twitch all over his body, but he couldn't make a sound - the purple fire rope had already sealed his hoarse point.
After three breaths, Zhou Mo's eyes began to wander, and cold sweat dripped down his chin, forming a small pool on the ground.
Chu Xuan raised his hand, the fine needle stopped, and the young man's voice was as gentle as a neighbor's brother. "Do you want to speak?"
Zhou Mo panted like a broken bellows, his eyes filled with terror, but still gritted his teeth.
Chu Xuan sighed, "All right, I'll serve you some main course."
He turned his palm and a wisp of ice-blue flame rose up - Ling Qingxue's "Cold Spirit Flame", which burns the soul and is extremely painful but not fatal.
The flames were close to Zhou Mo's brow, icy and piercing, like countless ice needles piercing the sea of consciousness.
"Ah --!" Zhou Mo finally broke through his hoarse cavity and let out a shrill scream, which echoed in the cargo hold like the cry of a night owl, making one's scalp tingle.
"Stop! I say! I'll say it all!" He wept and snot, his voice hoarse, "The Heavenly Dao Pavilion has set up the 'Great Array of Seizing the Contract' in the secret realm, specifically to strip the holders of the contract! Xihe himself is in charge, and everyone above the earthly character participates!"
Chu Xuan's eyes narrowed. "Where is the core of the great array?"
"Kunlun Secret Realm, core layer, beneath the altar!" Zhou Mo panted like a bellows, "I... I'm just on the periphery. The exact coordinates are known only to No. 1 and No. 2 of the ground!"
"No. 1, No. 2?" Chu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "Where are they?"
"Already... I've sneaked into the secret realm, disguised as a hermit, waiting for you to fall into the trap!" Zhou Mo's voice trembled and his eyes were filled with terror. "I've told you everything I know. Give me a quick answer!"
Chu Xuan withdrew his hand, the cold spirit flame extinguished, he rose, turned his back to Zhou Mo, and said in a soft voice, "Don't worry, I keep my word."
He raised his hand and pointed a finger on Zhou Mo's brow. The chaotic qi shook and instantly destroyed the other's sea of consciousness, but spared his life - from then on, his cultivation was completely ruined and he was foolish all his life.
...
Outside the cargo hold, Ling Qingxue leaned against the railing, her snowy eyes reflecting the lights. Seeing Chu Xuan come out, she asked softly, "How?"
"The big fish is in the core layer." Chu Xuan threw the jade slips in his hand, his eyes cold. "Seize the great Array, Xihe personally in charge, all the people above the earth character participate."
Ling Qingxue's eyes turned cold. "Then let's break through the core layer and make sure they never come back." "
Su Mei 'er leaned against the doorframe, purple fire danced on her fingertips, laughing seductiedly, "Add me, and it will make a 'couple three fights'."
Chu Xuan grinned, laughing unrestrainedly, "Just to my liking."
He raised his hand, pointing to the peak of the distant snow-capped mountain, his voice clear but with an unquestionable determination --
"Kunlun Secret Realm, here we come!"
The sun broke through the clouds, shining with golden light on the backs of the three men standing side by side, as if they were dressed in battle robes, their sharpness was overwhelming.