132Chapter 123 Change at Mengxing Villa_1
Translator: 549690339 I
Though called Mengxing Villa, it’s actually a large village.
Its geographical location is special, connecting the north and the south, and it’s one of the very important passages.
It’s not far from East Saint’s base.
A regular Qi Refining cultivator could reach it by flying for about two to three Shichen, but it’s difficult for them to maintain their mana for that long. So, Wang Ba and his group took two breaks on their journey.
By the time the five of them finally arrived at Mengxing Villa, it was midnight.
But as cultivators, they didn’t get tired easily. Just as they were about to settle in the villa, they were stopped by the old man named Huo.
“The Incense Fire Dao is eerie and mysterious, and it’s difficult to guard against. Mengxing Villa is highly populated and it’s unknown whether there are followers of the Incense Fire Dao here. If we expose ourselves, it may not end well.”
Fear reflected in the old man Huo’s eyes.
Wang Ba, on his part, had come to know the origin of the elder Huo and the other two people on their journey. The three of them turned out to be Heresy Cultivators from Jiantao Station, compelled to undertake this mission.
Bu Chan always maintained his poise. Upon hearing this, he responded with a slight frown:
“So, Mr. Huo, are you suggesting that we don’t enter?”
“That’s not it. If we don’t go in, how can we find out if there are any followers of the Incense Fire Dao here.”
The old man Huo slightly shook his head, then proposed a plan:
“Before we came, I made inquiries. This place serves as a passage between the south and the north, with many caravans passing by. We could disguise ourselves as a small mercantile team, blend in, make careful inquiries, and once we have all the information, we can launch a decisive attack.”
This plan immediately got the approval of the middle-aged female cultivator.
“Senior Brother Huo’s plan is very good.”
The young cultivator named Pan didn’t object either.
The trio then looked at Bu Chan.
As for Wang Ba… during the journey, they had indirectly figured out his identity. He was just a small cultivator who raised Spirit Chickens and couldn’t even properly use his mana to fly. So, they completely ignored Wang Ba.
Bu Chan calmly nodded in approval: “Mr. Huo is experienced and cautious. This plan indeed seems reliable.”
In agreement, the younger cultivator named Pan volunteered to go out for a while.
After a long while, he returned with a satisfied expression.
From his storage bag, he tossed out several common merchant costumes.
“The carriage and horses are not far from here. We can go directly there later.” The young cultivator named Pan casually wiped off a spot of blood that was on his clothes.
He glanced at everyone with a common expression.
Wang Ba and Bu Chan exchanged glances. They could smell the slight scent of blood on him, but they remained silent.
Old man Huo and the middle-aged female cultivator didn’t react, as this seemed to be normal for them.
As all of them were Heresy Cultivators, they didn’t have to maintain any facade. They quickly changed into the costume, concealed their auras, and they indeed looked like a small caravan.
As it was already midnight, they decided to enter Mengxing Villa in daylight. So, they waited till dawn, and with the carriage and horses, they clattered into the town.
True to its reputation as a major passage connecting the north and the south, Mengxing Villa was bustling early in the morning with the scent of food and tea, and the sound of people selling youtiao (Chinese doughnuts) filled the bustling market.
There was absolutely no indication that this place could have been infiltrated by the Incense Fire Dao.
They didn’t linger for long and casually found an inn, left their carriage there, and as planned, they went their separate ways to inquire about the Incense Fire Dao.
The young cultivator named Pan suggested a different plan. He proposed to confine the entire Mengxing Villa with a formation, and sacrifice everyone here in the name of the Incense Fire Dao. Under such a blood sacrifice, even if there were any Incense Fire Dao cultivators around, they would be unable to escape death.
However, his proposal was immediately vetoed by the old man Huo.
“If we do this and the Foundation Establishment Deacons of the sect find out, they would be the first ones to massacre us!”
Even though the Tianmen Cult was of the Demon Dao, some rules couldn’t be broken randomly.
Murdering an entire town of mortals was something unacceptable. If no one knew about it, it didn’t matter. But if people found out, it would quickly invite the combined backlash of all the other sects and religions.
Although the Tianmen Cult wasn’t afraid of this, they wouldn’t let off the troublemaker that easily.
Seeing that the others were against it, the young cultivator named Pan had to give up on his plan.
They then scattered in different directions.
Not long after Wang Ba and Bu Chan parted ways, they checked that they weren’t being followed and quickly reunited.
They decided staying in a place like this was too dangerous.
They acted like travelers from other places, wandering around Mengxing Villa, while discreetly gathering information.
However, until evening, they didn’t find any trace of the Incense Fire Dao.
“Something isn’t right… according to the information given by our sect, the surroundings of East Saint’s base have already been infiltrated by the Incense Fire Dao. Logically, since Mengxing Villa is a vital corridor with unending influx of people, there should be followers of the Incense Fire Dao passing through here. But oddly, we didn’t find a single trace of them even after watching them for an entire day,” said Wang Ba, frowning.
Upon hearing this, Bu Chan responded thoughtfully, “Are you suggesting that it’s so normal that it’s abnormal?”
“Exactly.”
Wang Ba gave Bu Chan an approving look, which excited Bu Chan.
However, Wang Ba then raised a question that made Bu Chan turn pale:
“And there’s another point. If we are sure that there have to be followers of the Incense Fire Dao here, then why haven’t we seen them? Have they been hidden all along, did they start hiding recently, or are they hiding specifically from us?”
Bu Chan was taken aback and looked around,” Are we being watched?!”
“I am not sure.”
Wang Ba shook his head slightly.
When they first entered Mengxing Villa, he had already used the Power of the Yin God to create a small camouflage.
It was easy to deceive mortals, and it didn’t drain him much.
Moreover, ordinary people often overlook the details, and only other cultivators, due to their extraordinary perceptions, can notice them.
But to Wang Ba’s disappointment, the consumption of the Power of Yin God was very normal, and there was no sudden acceleration.
This means there is no cultivator watching him nearby.
This was what puzzled him.
What can be certain is that there is definitely a problem in Mengxing Villa.
At the very least, it could disguise itself so secretly that even a Stage VIII Qi Refining cultivator like Wang Ba wouldn’t detect any abnormalities.
This alone is telling.
Bu Chan speculated:
According to the information given by the Sect, it is very difficult for the Incense-burning Dao Cultivator to resist the temptation of large-scale preaching. Since there is an Incense-burning Dao Cultivator here, there should also be many believers here according to this…”
Wang Ba, hearing Bu Chan’s words, suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up, he quickly said:
“Think about it the other way, who in Mengxing Villa has such ability to help conceal these believers’ information?”
Wang Ba and Bu Chan looked at each other, and at the same time said: “Lizheng!”
At this moment, Wang Ba suddenly looked up at the distance.
Bu Chan reacted a little slower but also quickly sensed the movement and looked into the distance.
From the northeastern corner of the village, a yellow light suddenly rose to the sky!
Immediately after, there was the surprised and delighted voice of Senior Huo:
“Haha! I knew it was here!”
A wave of intense battle noise erupted.
Yet at the same time, Wang Ba keenly noticed that under the dim yellow sunset, rigid and eerie figures were shooting out of every corner of the village!
The aura of these figures was obscure, even with his eyesight, it was hard to make out their specific realm.
Not only that, the mortals who had been haggling, walking, and selling around…
At this moment, they suddenly turned cold, turning their heads, their eyes eerily fixed on the two of them.
In just an instant, this mortal village full of mundane hustle and bustle turned into a silent and eerie place!
“The mortals in Mengxing Villa have all been contaminated by the Incense-burning Dao!”
At this moment, even though both of them were cultivators, they couldn’t help feeling deeply shocked at the sudden turn of events.
The only thing that slightly relieved Wang Ba was that most of these rigid, eerie figures were all rushing towards the northeastern corner
That was unmistakably the area where Senior Huo was located.
And only about twenty figures quietly melted into the surrounding crowd, like venomous snakes hiding in the grass, their tongues flicking, ready to strike.
“Be careful.”
Wang Ba cautioned in a low voice.
“Hmm, you too, Brother.”
Suddenly facing such a scene, Bu Chan didn’t show too much panic on her face.
Perhaps her experience in Jingyue Mansion had already enabled her to face many things calmly.
She activated her mana, quietly energizing the upper-grade defensive tool that Wang Ba had given her under her clothes.
At this point, those hidden eerie figures also quickly lost patience, abruptly rushing out from the blind spots!
More than half of them were aiming directly at Bu Chan. Only six or seven, like fierce stabs, were heading towards Wang Ba!
Confronting them head-on, Wang Ba finally saw what these eerie figures looked like.
They have an uncanny form, rigid and dull, but the violent whistle in their actions is quite startling.
They all appeared to be ordinary mortals at a glance, but fanaticism, bloodthirsty, and unreserved taunts of mockery filled their eyes when they looked at him.
“Cultivator?”
“HaHaHa! How dare you deliver yourselves?”
“May High Deity bless!”
“Kill them! Sacrifice them for the resurgence of High Deity!”
Speed increased!
“They are the fanatical followers of the Incense-burning Dao!”
Wang Ba recognized these people’s identities at a glance.
In the few days in the sect, in addition to learning spells, he also gained much about the Incense-burning Dao.
Which includes part of the information about fanatical followers of the Incense-burning Dao.
These believers were essentially mortals, but after worshipping the evil god of the Incense-burning Dao, they would gradually possess the power bestowed by the deity.
The more devout the belief, the more power they could gain.
Some of the devout followers even gained the favor of the deity, and in a short time, they could possess a power comparable to a high-class Qi Refining cultivator.
Of course, since it was a sudden gain of power, it was difficult to fully control it. This was why these fanatics seemed to move rigidly.
Regardless, the many fanatical followers still gave Wang Ba a big start!
He had never faced so many opponents on his own before.
Actually, strictly speaking, he had never engaged in a personal fight with anyone before!
Without any hesitation, he automatically activated his mana.
Jade Armor immediately covered his whole body, Soul Suppressing Jade Talisman blocked his chest, Feihuang Ruler was on standby; then a pale life-saving Qi shield covered him quickly, afterward, he hurriedly summoned Jia 7 from the Spirit Beast Bag.
And…
Top-grade Spirit Chicken Jia n, top-grade mutated Spirit Turtle Fantong, six top-grade female Azure Spirit Turtles, two top-grade Azure Spirit Turtles… The fanatic followers charging to reap Wang Ba’s head,
The fanaticism, bloodthirstiness, and taunting mockery in their eyes turned into an inexplicable emotion after a moment of astonishment: