Just as Wu Taeyong passed by the vast underground area where the Pishacha army was secretly kept under the guise of being imprisoned, countless tiny insects quietly crawled into the darkness.
It wasn’t that he failed to notice them.
He simply didn’t care.
To a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator like him, they were nothing more than ordinary insects. His attention was occupied by far more important matters, and he walked past them without sparing a second glance.
What Wu Taeyong didn’t know...was how deeply he would regret that decision in the near future.
Leaving the underground area, he concealed his presence and personally began searching for the three escaped rats.
For his plan to reach completion, Su Mo and Song Meilin were indispensable. Even if every remaining Golden Core cultivator in the White Moon Sect were sacrificed, the ceremony would still be incomplete without them.
As his spiritual sense spread across the sect, Wu Taeyong soon noticed something unusual.
’Hm?’
The number of disciples within his sensing range seemed noticeably fewer than expected.
’Did Haruto relocate them?’
The thought crossed his mind only briefly before he dismissed it.
Considering the disturbances inside the sect today, such arrangements weren’t impossible. Besides, Qi Condensation and Foundation Building cultivators had never been worth his attention. As long as every Golden Core cultivator remained within the sect when the sacrificial ceremony began, nothing else mattered.
What Wu Taeyong didn’t know...was that the disappearance of the disciples had nothing to do with Wu Haruto. Instead, it was the work of one of the very people he was searching for.
Song Meilin.
Along with her personal disciple, Shen Xing.
Under Shen Kai’s secret arrangements, they had already evacuated a large number of disciples from the sect.
As for why the protective barriers hadn’t raised any alarm, the answer was equally simple.
The elder currently overseeing the barrier formations and intelligence network was secretly one of Shen Kai’s trusted subordinates.
Even now... Wu Haruto remained completely unaware of it.
---
Far outside the White Moon Sect, hidden among the snow-covered mountains a considerable distance away from the tabletop peaks where the sect stood, hundreds of cultivators quietly remained concealed.
Song Meilin’s brows remained tightly furrowed.
Her spiritual sense had already detected numerous Foundation Building cultivators stationed around the mountain ahead. Judging from their positions, they were most likely Wu Haruto’s people guarding the outer mountain range under Wu Taeyong’s orders.
Fortunately... None of them had discovered this group.
Song Meilin’s spiritual sense was stronger than theirs, allowing her to stop everyone just outside the limits of their detection.
The disciples remained hidden in silence.
However, their confusion only continued to grow.
One disciple finally lowered his voice and asked, "Elder Song... Why are we hiding?"
Another couldn’t help asking, "You said the sect was in danger..."
"But where is this enemy?"
A third disciple looked increasingly uneasy.
"Elder Song..."
"You aren’t making us betray the sect... are you?"
They had been hurriedly evacuated without receiving any prior explanation.
All they had been told was that the sect faced an emergency and that they had to leave immediately.
After secretly leaving the White Moon Sect, they had hidden themselves once again.
Naturally... Questions began appearing one after another.
"Elder Song..."
"What about the arrest order?"
"Why are you being wanted by the Sect Master?"
More disciples began whispering among themselves.
Song Meilin’s expression gradually darkened. The constant questioning was beginning to irritate her.
"Enough!"
Her cold voice instantly silenced everyone.
At the same time, the majestic aura of a genuine Golden Core cultivator spread across the surroundings.
The disciples immediately broke out in cold sweat.
Fortunately, Song Meilin controlled her aura with great precision, preventing any spiritual fluctuations from spreading into the distance. The last thing she wanted was for Wu Taeyong to discover their location.
Her cold gaze slowly swept across the crowd.
"I’ll only say this once. A very powerful enemy has infiltrated the sect. He has already taken control of the Sect Master."
"At this very moment, the Great Elder and the other elders are preparing to defeat that enemy. I brought you here because I don’t want your lives to be wasted."
"So don’t create unnecessary trouble."
The atmosphere immediately became solemn. The weaker disciples couldn’t hide the panic on their faces.
Meanwhile, several experienced Foundation Building cultivators remained relatively composed.
One of them stepped forward and respectfully asked, "Elder Song... Who exactly is this enemy?"
Song Meilin recognised him as one of the stronger Foundation Building disciples.
After remaining silent for a brief moment, she answered in a grave voice.
"The true leader of the Pishachas...and the source of their existence."
Her answer immediately shocked everyone present.
"What?!"
"That’s impossible!"
"Aren’t Pishachas born from humanity’s collective hatred?"
Someone immediately refuted.
Another disciple frowned.
"That’s only a rumour."
"Did you actually believe it?"
Several others exchanged uncertain looks.
"We’ve always thought so."
One disciple suddenly frowned in thought.
"If that’s really true..."
"Then why do Pishachas only appear around the Frostspine Mountains and nearby regions?"
"What did these mountains ever do to attract the hatred of all humanity?"
Those words immediately caused several nearby disciples to fall silent.
"...That’s true."
Before the discussion could continue, one of the stronger Foundation Building cultivators raised his voice.
"Enough!"
"This isn’t the time for idle discussion."
He looked toward everyone present.
"If Elder Song is telling the truth...then what we’re about to face will be the cruellest battle in the history of the White Moon Sect."
"It may very well become our final battle against the Pishachas."
Song Meilin slowly nodded.
"You’re right."
"This battle will be extremely dangerous."
Her voice remained calm, yet every word carried weight.
"But I don’t need you to face the main force of the Pishachas. We have stronger allies for that."
"Your responsibility is to deal only with the enemies within your capabilities while keeping yourselves alive."
The disciples quietly nodded.
Although fear still lingered in many of their hearts, none of them doubted Song Meilin’s character.
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