Seeing Sect Master Duan again, Tang Yao felt her eyes grow damp. Although she had spent little time in the Profound Heaven Sect, the sect master's concern for her had been genuine.
Duan Xiangyuan's attitude was nowhere near as friendly as Yan He's. He swept an indifferent glance around, then found himself a seat and sat down.
At the sight of him behaving that way, Ren Linfeng bristled and glared.
Then a huge, gourd-shaped Law Artifact abruptly stopped outside the doors. A young man in dark green robes leaped down from it and strode inside.
If Sect Master Ren disliked the Profound Heaven Sect fifty percent, then his dislike for the Luo River Sect was five hundred percent.
Heaven knew how devastated he had been when Song Tinglan, who possessed an Innate Sword Bone, had already reported to the Azure Cloud Sect, only to be snatched away by the Luo River Sect after saying something about following his heart.
Yang Zhouman wore dark green robes with golden bamboo patterns embroidered along the sleeves. His black hair hung partly loose, the rest secured with a bamboo hairpin. He lifted his robes slightly as he stepped through the doors, laughing. "What a rare occasion! Uncle Ren actually contacted me first."
Ren Linfeng silently rolled his eyes inwardly. If he had a choice, he would not have contacted this fellow either.
"Now that everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point. Last..."
Sect Master Ren sat at the head, his expression solemn.
"Hold on." Seated below him, Sect Master Yang propped his cheek on one hand and casually pointed toward Tang Yao. "Who's this? Is he joining our meeting too?"
Sect Master Duan immediately turned his gaze toward Tang Yao as well. Clearly, Sect Master Yang had voiced his question too.
Suppressing his anger at being interrupted, Sect Master Ren offered a smile.
"This is my eldest disciple, Tang Yao. He was there last night too."
Sect Master Yang's lips curved, but his smile did not reach his eyes. "Now, that's unfair. None of the rest of us brought our eldest disciples."
He then turned to the others. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Ren Linfeng's temples throbbed. Unable to bear it any longer, he slapped the table and rose angrily. "We may both be sect masters, but you're a generation below me in seniority. As a junior, kindly keep your mouth shut right now."
"This is no ordinary matter. Last night, remnants of the Moon Worship Cult were discovered at the boundary of the Azure Cloud Sect." He then added, "Tang Yao and several disciples of the Beast Taming Sect saw them too."
At the mention of the Moon Worship Cult, Sect Master Yang's flippant expression instantly vanished, replaced by disbelief. Even his eyes grew slightly bloodshot, and he straightened in his seat.
Ignoring Sect Master Yang's reaction, Sect Master Ren continued, "Why your master fell all those years ago-surely no one knows the Moon Worship Cult better than you."
"It took the strength of nine oxen and two tigers from all four sects to wipe out the Moon Worship Cult back then, and we lost many disciples and elders." Sect Master Duan no longer remained silent either. This was no longer a matter of whether their two sects were on good terms.
After a moment's thought, he said he would summon his eldest disciple as well. "The younger generation must learn about them. Otherwise, the enemy will always remain in the shadows. This could very well be planned revenge by the Moon Worship Cult. Perhaps this is only the beginning."
The other two nodded in agreement with Duan Xiangyuan and immediately sent voice transmissions to their sects.
An incense stick's time later, the sects' eldest disciples arrived one after another.
The fastest was the Profound Heaven Sect. Talismans and formations had always gone hand in hand. The lines of the earlier teleportation formation shone with starlight once more, and as the light flowed, space rippled and warped like water. The next instant, a figure in pale purple stepped out of the talisman light, robes fluttering, his expression indifferent, neither servile nor overbearing.
"This junior, Jiang Yueyan of the Profound Heaven Sect, greets the seniors." The young man had handsome, refined features. Lowering his head slightly, he finished his bow and stood behind Sect Master Duan.
The moment Jiang Yueyan looked up, he saw Tang Yao, and his face visibly darkened at lightning speed.
Last time, this damned cut-sleeve had spouted outrageous remarks at him in the inn...
Jiang Yueyan narrowed his eyes, an inexplicable irritation rising within him.
Feeling that murderous stare, Tang Yao dared not meet his eyes. She pressed her lips together and turned her head away.
Can I not take the blame for the original owner's mess? Senior brother... it's me!
Outside, Chu Song jumped down from a crane, keeping both hands still, his right hand wrapped in gauze. He walked forward somewhat helplessly.
Could someone spare a thought for the wounded? Why call me to a meeting of the four great sects?
When Chu Song entered, he saw not only the four sect masters, but also a dark-faced Jiang Yueyan and the boy from last night, whose face was full of "guilt."
Chu Song: Huh?
His mouth fell slightly open. Forgetting even to bow, he moved over to Jiang Yueyan.
Sect Master Yan wanted to cover his face. Without comparison, there was no pain-why did his disciple look less clever than everyone else's?
"Hey, Jiang Yueyan, what's this about?" Chu Song asked quietly.
Seeing this former junior brother, Jiang Yueyan's expression eased somewhat. After all, he still shared some affection with Chu Song. He shook his head slightly. "I don't know."
Xiao Rong arrived last. The girl's black hair was unpinned, and a faint smile rested on her face. A gourd hanging at her waist rattled with her movements. After cupping her hands in greeting, she quietly stood beside her master.
Sect Master Ren raised a hand, motioning Tang Yao over from the corner. "Yao'er, why are you standing so far away?"
Once Tang Yao drew closer, Sect Master Ren began.
"I summoned you here today because of-the Moon Worship Cult."
"Everyone, please look." Ren Linfeng swept his long sleeve, and a recording stone floated into the air, projecting the scene from the dense forest last night: purple flames within black eyes, distorted bodies, and that distinctive crescent-shaped mark.
Yang Zhouman's fingers suddenly tightened, his knuckles whitening. He stared fixedly at the blurred black figure in the image. It was a nightmare buried deep in his memories of his youth.
"How could..." His voice was hoarse. "Back then, I saw their cult leader being..."
"Ground to dust and his ashes scattered?" Sect Master Duan finished. "I thought so too. But their methods are bizarre and unpredictable. We don't know what contingencies they left behind. I'm afraid we're in some trouble now."
The juniors were all lost in a fog. Ren Linfeng sighed. "You may not know this, but the four great sects used to be five. The fifth was the Moon Worship Sect, which specialized in artifact cultivation. But they colluded with the Devil Realm and used living people to refine artifacts."
"Or they used Devil Qi to refine living people into 'living dead,' subject to the refiner's commands. From then on, they broke away from the five great sects and renamed themselves the Moon Worship Cult."
Sect Master Duan continued, "The most terrifying thing about the Moon Worship Cult is their ability to turn the dead into combat puppets. Back then, three elders of our Profound Heaven Sect were taken under their control after dying in battle, and turned around to slaughter their own disciples..." His voice was low. "In that battle, the Profound Heaven Sect lost half its younger generation."
Sect Master Yang sank deep into his memories and closed his eyes. "My master... in the end, my martial uncle ended his life with his own hands. By then, he had already become a mindless machine."
The young disciples' expressions changed abruptly. Chu Song instinctively touched his gauze-wrapped right hand.
His voice trembled slightly. "Those withered black figures last night... were they these monsters?"
"Worse than that," Ren Linfeng said gravely. "Most of those that appeared last night were dead puppets, but their leader was a living puppet. They retain the memories and combat skills they had in life, yet have no choice but to obey their refiner's commands completely."
"What's even more troublesome is that they look no different from ordinary people. Only when activated do their bodies change and reveal Devil Qi."
Xiao Rong tightened her grip on the gourd-shaped jade pendant at her waist. "Then... could there already be puppets like that among us?"
A chill swept down everyone's spine.