"Yes, Master!" the disciples answered in unison, their faces filled with fear.
Only then did Elder Matriarch Long let out a sigh of relief. She added, "All right, you may leave now. Qin Shaofeng, come with me. I have something to tell you."
Hearing this, Qin Shaofeng's heart stirred. He hurriedly nodded in assent.
He gave Qing Daoxun a meaningful look, then followed Elder Matriarch Long briskly into the depths of the inner hall.
Once they entered a quiet chamber, Elder Matriarch Long sighed and slowly said, "It is a long story. Not long after you left that day, I sensed demonic aura surging in all directions around the sect. Clearly, something ominous was about to happen."
"Sure enough, merely three days later, the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect sent word that traces of the demonic path had been discovered within their sect. They suspected some plot was afoot. Several other sects reported similar news as well."
"What?" Qin Shaofeng's expression changed drastically. "The demonic cultists have become this brazen, openly appearing in all the major sects? What exactly are they trying to do?"
"This is the second matter I wanted to tell you about." Elder Matriarch Long's expression was grave as she took out a scroll of bamboo silk from her robes and slowly unfurled it.
An eerie diagram was drawn upon the bamboo silk, covered in faces both monstrous and savage. Countless fine lines connected them, interweaving into a massive net.
"What is this?" Qin Shaofeng frowned tightly, faintly sensing an ominous premonition.
"It is the Demonic God Catalog." Elder Matriarch Long drew a deep breath, her tone growing heavier. "It records every expert of the demonic path who has hidden in the human realm over the past several thousand years."
Qin Shaofeng's pupils contracted, and his heart was