vrcanaries Chapter 1762 Blackwater City
Chapter 1762 Blackwater City
Upon hearing this, Ah Xiong immediately became serious: "Sister Jinman, what is it?"
Jin Man spoke in a deep voice: "First, strengthen the vigilance and patrols throughout the sect, paying special attention to the various nodes of the sect's protective formation to prevent any possible infiltration or sabotage. Zhao Hu is seriously injured, so let him rest and recuperate. You can assign other capable people to patrol."
"Second, continue to screen the sect's disciples, especially those who have recently joined. Although Lin Yi is dead, it is hard to guarantee that there are no other spies controlled by Su Hongzhen lurking in unknown ways. The screening must be thorough, but we must also pay attention to the methods and approaches, so as not to create panic among the people."
“Third, and most importantly,” Jin Man’s voice was unusually serious, “keep a close eye on the Sect Master. Leng Xi, Ran Qianqian, and Dong Chuyan will stay by his side at all times, but the outer defenses must be foolproof. The Sect Master’s coma is our Wanchuan Sect’s greatest weakness. We must not give anyone an opportunity to exploit this.”
Ah Xiong nodded repeatedly, patting his chest to assure her, "Don't worry, Sister Jinman! Leave the family to me, I'll make sure nothing goes wrong! As for Brother Ming, I'll risk my life to make sure no one gets close enough to bother him!"
"Alright." Jinman's voice softened a bit. "You've just broken through yourself, so take the time to stabilize your realm. If there's anything urgent, you can contact me directly through the Mirror of Heaven."
After giving his instructions, Jinman cut off the communication.
She took one last look at the images of the three potential hazard locations on the astronomical mirror, and then gazed deeply towards the direction of the quiet chamber in the rear hall…
There, Mingchuan was still unconscious, while his brothers had begun to do everything in their power to protect him.
"Wait for me to come back, Mingchuan," Jin Man murmured to herself, a determined glint in her eyes.
She turned around, her purple skirt billowing as it transformed into a streak of light, heading straight for the passage on the other side of the platform leading to the teleportation array to the outside world.
Even as the sect leader fell, the Wanchuan Sect, this sophisticated and powerful machine, continued to operate at high speed and in an orderly manner, driven by its loyal and reliable core members, to meet the hidden crises in all directions of the Spirit Realm.
Almost simultaneously, across the Spirit Realm, the elite forces of the four major sects were rapidly gathering and deploying, like four unsheathed swords piercing the malignant tumor in the darkness.
……
Northern Plains, Blackwater City.
This enormous city, built on a vast tundra, resembled a black behemoth lying prostrate on the snow-covered plain under the thin midday sunlight.
The city walls, built from the black geese, a specialty of the Northern Plains, are tall and thick, engraved with ancient runes to resist the cold and snow, and emit a faint earthy yellow spiritual light all year round.
In the center of the city, three huge square stone wells are arranged in a triangular pattern, with a diameter of three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and the edges polished smooth as a mirror.
Blackwater City got its name from these three bottomless ancient wells. The water is clear, sweet, and contains a faint spiritual energy. It is one of the best water sources in the entire Northern Plains, nourishing nearly 100,000 permanent cultivators and mortals in the city. It is also the most important supply point for dozens of nomadic tribes in the surrounding area during the winter.
The well area has been temporarily sealed off at this moment.
A group of law enforcement disciples dressed in the standard blue robes of the Zixiao Jingyuan Temple stood solemnly guarding the area twenty feet around the well, prohibiting anyone from approaching.
Their actions were swift and well-trained; they neither caused a large-scale disturbance nor disturbed the crowds that had come to fetch water, but instead used the excuse of routine maintenance of the deep well array.
The Blackwater City Lord was cautiously following behind the Zixiao Pure Courtyard Enforcement Captain, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead: "Captain Qin, what... what exactly is going on? How long should we seal off the city? We do have some reserves of water for daily use, but if it goes on for too long, things might get out of hand."
Captain Qin, a middle-aged cultivator with a stern face, said in a deep voice, "City Lord Li, this matter is of great importance, and details cannot be disclosed. You only need to know that this is an order personally given by Sect Master Lin. All water supplies in the city will be temporarily allocated by my Zixiao Pure Land Academy, and junior brothers have already gone to each water storage point to set up purification arrays."
"We will give the city lord an explanation within half a day at most. During this time, we must maintain order and strictly prevent anyone from gathering or causing conflict near the well area."
Although Lord Li was uneasy, seeing how seriously the Zixiao Pure Courtyard was taking the matter, and that even the sect leader was personally inquiring about it, he dared not say anything more and repeatedly agreed. He then turned around and arranged for people to help maintain order.
Deep underground in the well area, in the icy cold groundwater, three dark red crystals still lay quietly in the crevice, seemingly unresponsive to the changes in the outside world.
High in the sky, a hundred miles away from Blackwater City, a pure white, exquisitely crafted flying boat shaped like a crane spreading its wings is breaking through the clouds and hurtling northward at an extremely fast speed.
The flying boat is covered with light blue water patterns, and a lifelike white jade crane statue stands at the bow. The crane's eyes are inlaid with two rare azure gemstones, which faintly shimmer with a clear light.
Inside the cabin, Mu Yaoyao, dressed in a light blue dress, stood beside Sect Master Mu.
Her beautiful face was unusually solemn as she looked out the porthole at the silhouette of the black city on the horizon.
"Yaoyao, is the Pure Source Holy Water ready?" Sect Master Mu's voice was calm, yet it carried an air of authority.
"Reporting to Master, as you instructed, I have placed three portions of Pure Source Holy Water in the core array eye of the Nine Transformations Furnace for nurturing, and they are ready for use at any time," Mu Yaoyao replied respectfully. After a pause, she couldn't help but ask, "Master, is that Soul-Devouring Plague... really that powerful?"
A cold glint flashed in Sect Master Mu's eyes: "Su Hongzhen is far more vicious than ordinary people. This plague is not an ordinary disease, but is made by using fragments of vengeful spirits as a catalyst, the bodily fluids of demonic insects as a base, and mixing several kinds of filthy spiritual materials. It specifically devours the spiritual power and vitality of living beings, spreads extremely quickly, and those who are poisoned die miserably and the poison will spread even more rapidly."
"If it were to break out in a densely populated area like Blackwater City... the consequences would be unimaginable."
She looked at her most prized disciple: "In this operation, you will accompany me to the bottom of the well and personally control a portion of the Pure Source Holy Water. Remember, although the Holy Water has a strong purifying power, it must be guided by pure spiritual energy and proceed slowly. Do not be impatient."
"A slight mishap could trigger the premature explosion of the crystal."
"Disciple understands." Mu Yaoyao nodded emphatically, though her palms were slightly sweaty.
She knew that this was not only a test of her cultivation, but also a heavy responsibility concerning the lives of all the people in the city.
Almost at the same time that the Heaven-Mending Holy Sect's flying boat arrived above Blackwater City, another purple streak of light sped in from the southeast and landed steadily on the city wall.
It was Kingman.
"Sect Leader Mu." Jin Man bowed respectfully to Sect Leader Mu as he approached, her gaze sweeping over the sealed-off well area below. "What's the situation?"
"Captain Qin of Zixiao Pure Courtyard has initially brought the situation under control, and no abnormal energy fluctuations have been detected for the time being." Sect Master Mu said succinctly, "There's no time to lose, let's go down immediately."
“Okay.” Jin Man nodded, then looked at Mu Yaoyao, “Saintess Yaoyao, thank you for your trouble.”
Mu Yaoyao met Jin Man's gaze, and thinking of the unconscious Ming Chuan, her heart ached slightly, but she still remained calm: "Vice Sect Master Jin, you are too kind. It is my duty."
The three women said no more, and their figures transformed into three streams of light, falling straight into the largest ancient well in the center!