Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1363: Meteoric Moon Mountain

At dawn, there was a noise outside that was out of place in Siming Prefecture.

Lu Ning was easily awakened by the sound. She thought someone was making noise downstairs, but later she realized that the sound was actually quite far away. Her ears and eyes were more sensitive than before.

The sound came from the city gate. A large number of people and horses were passing through the city gate. Lu Ning immediately turned over and jumped off the bed.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for so many people to ride into the city. Siming Prefecture is still far away from the battlefield, and the prefectural city must also be on guard against strong men breaking into the city gates. At the very least, people must be allowed to lead the horses in, rather than riding horses into the city like this.

I'm afraid something has happened.

After Lu Ning went downstairs, she found that many people who were alarmed had come to the street. Of course, they all subconsciously gave way to the main road to guard against possible horses.

Then Lu Ning saw Yuchi Long and a dozen cavalrymen rushing past him, raising a cloud of dust. A group of people followed behind him. In Lu Ning's opinion, these people were unkempt, but they were all full of energy. They had no horses, but they still insisted on following Yuchi Long.

What happened next... made Lu Ning feel a little speechless.

A group of people who ran out of the city to see what was going on also followed behind for some reason. Perhaps it was because Yuchi Long and his gang did not look like soldiers, but more like tired travelers, and they did not act in a rude manner, so this group of people followed with the intention of watching the fun.

The most ridiculous thing is that the line is getting longer and longer! Lu Ning even felt that there were two people around her who were warming up and ready to join in.

"Hey man, what are you doing?" Lu Ning couldn't help but ask.

"Girl, are you from out of town? They rushed straight into the prefect's residence. It's obvious that something big is going on." The man said with a smile, and then joined the team.

...That's right, this prefect has ruined everyone's New Year, and now he's here to entertain them. Lu Ning asked himself that if he were in their place, he would have to go and take a look too.

But it would be useless to follow such a team. Lu Ning could naturally take a shorter route.

At this time, the prefect had just gotten up and hadn't even had time to wash his face when a servant came running over, yelling, "My lord, something's wrong!" Before he could ask what happened, his front door was slammed open. Just as the prefect was about to turn around and run away, Yuchi Long had already rushed into his yard on horseback, jumped off his horse with a swift move, and rushed into the room to pull the prefect out.

"Mr. Prefect, do you know who I am?" Yuchi Long shouted.

"This gentleman, no, this hero, I... I don't recognize you as a hero?"

"That's right, I don't know you."

"Ah... ah?"

"To save you from revenge later, come out!" Yuchi Long grabbed the prefect and brought him out like a chicken. When the prefect came out, he discovered that the security guard he had hired had been pinned to the ground by another group of people.

Lu Ning arrived quickly and basically saw how this group of people broke into the prefect's house. To be honest, the martial arts of those guards were not too bad, but the people brought by Yuchi Long seemed to have practiced martial arts for decades to deal with these guards, but these people were obviously not that old.

When Yuchi Long brought the prefect out, the runners in the prefect's office hadn't even received the news yet. This man acted really quickly.

Seeing so many people gathered around, Yuchi Long immediately pulled the prefect forward and sneered, "Prefect, now in front of so many elders and villagers, you have to answer whatever I ask, otherwise, I'm afraid everyone will take revenge for their grievances."

"Good man, good man, if you ask, I will definitely answer you well." The prefect begged for mercy.

"Okay, let me ask you, do you know about the spread of the poison in Meteoric Moon Mountain?"

"Ah? This... I don't know..."

"Still not telling the truth?" Yuchi Long kicked him. "I have caught all the spies you sent to keep an eye on me, and you still dare not admit it? How can you sleep well without knowing about this hidden danger right next to your bed?"

"I know! I know, I know!" The prefect nodded quickly.

"Well, tell us everything you know in front of the elders and fellow villagers. If you can explain it clearly, we can still discuss it. If you can't explain it clearly, your position as prefect will end today!"

Lu Ning found it interesting, so she continued to watch the development of the situation with an attitude of watching a good show.

The prefect trembled and said, "In fact... before the New Year, we discovered that the poison in the Meteoric Moon Mountain had begun to spread outward, but the speed was not fast. We just wanted everyone to have a good New Year..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Yes! Yes... After I knew this, I immediately contacted the secret agents in the inner palace, but for some reason, there was no response. In this case, I think... this is not a big deal. Although the poison is spreading, at that rate, I don't know when it will reach Siming Prefecture."

"Ha, is this what you, as an official, should say?" Yuchi Long let go of his hand and snorted disdainfully, "Let alone the fact that you didn't tell anyone about the spread of the poison, just based on your poor judgment, I don't know how you became a prefect."

"Good man, please forgive me. I have only been here as an official for a few years. Although the people under my rule do not have enough food and clothing, at least there is no case of fleeing famine..." The prefect kept begging for mercy, "It is better to live a hard life than to have no life at all. I have not imposed heavy taxes or extortion..."

What a coward.

However, Lu Ning also agreed that this prefect was not that bad. Although he was good at tormenting the people, there was no chaos under his rule. In this period of constant natural disasters and man-made tragedies, he had some ability. However, this ability was probably only in the prefecture city, and he could not take care of the villages outside.

Thanks to what Lu Qingxu had told her, Lu Ning had a lower bottom line for judging the ability of officials. The prefect's answer obviously did not satisfy Yuchi Long, but he did not continue to embarrass him. He just looked at the people around him and clasped his fists.

"Excuse me, fellow villagers. I have traveled all the way north from the south, and I have witnessed the snowstorm and encountered the chaos in Xingyin. Because of this, the situation cannot tolerate more chaos. You may not understand what I said, so I will explain it in a simpler way. If the toxins on Yunyue Mountain really spread, the surrounding land products will drop sharply, and your fields may yield half the harvest next year. In the worst case, you will need to leave your homes, and I am afraid that Siming Prefecture will no longer be able to accommodate people."

After he said this, the people who were originally watching the excitement immediately became panicked.

"Good man, if you say that, there will be a civil uprising..." the prefect whispered, but Yuchi Long didn't hear it. Instead, he summoned his strength and shouted louder, "Everyone, just listen to me!"

Everyone immediately quieted down.

"Since I have discovered this problem, there is no reason for me not to take action. This prefect may have limited ability, but I think I still have some skills and can try to clean up the toxins. However, I am short of manpower, and the toxin cleaning also requires everyone present to do a good job of post-processing. This matter also involves some civilians and the rich. Everyone is facing this disaster. Everyone should contribute a little. What do you think?"

"Then how can we contribute?" someone asked.

"I need a hundred strong young men to follow me to Meteoric Moon Mountain to check the actual spread and impact of the toxin. I want young people because they can withstand the poison. I won't say anything nice to you. This trip may be dangerous. I can only protect you from death, but you may suffer from some diseases. I don't know the true nature of the toxin, but as an outsider, I can risk my life to help you solve this problem. Are there any of you who dare to follow me?"

Immediately, several people stood up.

Yuchi Long's words really hit the nail on the head. The fields are their foundation. If it really comes to the point where the fields will be damaged, these farmers will go for it even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire.

"Everyone, let's find a place to discuss this in detail. The prefect should not stay out of this matter. After all, the people's livelihood in Siming Prefecture should also have your share, right?"

He gave the prefect no room to object and took the man away directly.

After listening to the whole thing, Lu Ning felt that there was something strange going on.

The Meteoric Moon Mountain was not originally a place where no strangers were allowed to enter, and it didn't even have this name originally. It was just that the leader of the Demon Cult chose this place as his headquarters and changed the name.

The cult's methods were brutal and cruel, and during that period, almost no one dared to live in the surrounding towns and cities. Siming Prefecture, as the nearest prefecture to there, had a high frequency of changes in its governors in those years.

But in the final analysis, that was a thing of the past. The old site of the Demon Cult in Yunyue Mountain had long been deserted. Even if the toxins that exploded at that time were still active, they should have slowly settled and disappeared. If we consider that Qiu Weishuang is a master of refining weapons, then this is even more true - magic weapons that have not been nourished for a long time will slowly lose their spiritual energy. Lu Ning also has some knowledge of this and knows some of the flaws of this craft.

In this case, if there was no hidden secret in the war at that time, then someone still entered Meteoric Moon Mountain after the war to nurture the fragments of the magical weapons inside.

"Maybe we should go explore first?"

Lu Ning was going to Saibei eventually, and facing this war, she felt that no matter how many means she prepared, it would not be enough. The situation at the Demon Cult's old site was probably still under her control, so this was an opportunity.

She did it right away. Once she had this idea, she went back to the inn to pack some things and set off while there was still time.

It only takes six hours to ride a horse from Siming Prefecture to Yunyue Mountain. When the Demon Cult was at its peak, this distance basically meant living under the shadow of the Demon Cult all the time.

When it was dark, Lu Ning had already seen the top of the Meteoric Moon Mountain. She found a forest nearby, tied up her horse, and camped out for the night. The next day, she set out for the Meteoric Moon Mountain.

As soon as she arrived here, she saw what was going on with the so-called spread of toxins. It was too obvious - the soil and stones on the ground were a little green, while the plants growing on them were reddish-brown, and even had a metallic color when reflecting the sunlight.

There was a strange and unpleasant smell in the air. Lu Ning couldn't quite describe it, but every breath made her feel stuffy. As she walked towards Meteoric Moon Mountain, this feeling gradually worsened. She had to constantly adjust her breathing to keep her breathing in and out.

After walking about five or six hundred steps, Lu Ning saw a green stone tablet with the words "Meteoric Moon Mountain Realm" engraved on it. Lu Ning turned his head slightly and glanced at the place where he began to see the green stone and soil, but it was already somewhat invisible.

There were some words engraved on the back of the stone tablet, but they were a little blurry. Lu Ning carefully identified them and could only barely make out the five words "Gao Mengxi left his words" in the signature.

"Gao Mengxi... the best master in the palace back then."

Lu Ning stood up and looked towards Yunyue Mountain. The sky seemed red, and the clouds were gray. Did this place become like this after the decisive battle? The battle at that time might have been more brutal than the rumors in the martial arts world.

She had seen Tian Lubai's kung fu, and frankly speaking, the level was very high. His martial arts could be considered first-class in the world. However, in the presence of demons and various magic techniques, that level of martial arts was not enough.

Gao Mengxi broke the magic sect that had the method of refining weapons. The martial arts of the two may not be at the same level. But now probably no one knows where this former top master has gone.

Walking up the mountain path, Lu Ning found that the air did not become more turbid. There were dense plants on the mountain, and apart from the strange reddish-brown color, there seemed to be nothing wrong with these plants. There were some dark marks on the damaged stone steps, and the marks left by the weapons were still there. After so many years, they were just weathered a lot, and some of the darker ones could still be seen.

After walking up from the foot of the mountain for a distance, we arrived at the mountain gate. However, there were only two pillars left at the mountain gate, and a plaque was split in half and leaned to one side. The words "Feast of Fire Altar" could still be seen on it.

The Demonic Cult is of course an external name. They are officially called the Holy Cult of the Fire Feast, a sect that worships fire to the extreme. Furnaces are very common here, and there are even some decorations of refining furnaces on both sides of the mountain road. There are not many of them left now, but Lu Ning keenly observed that the changes that were everywhere on this mountain did not appear on these furnaces.

Besides, it's quiet here.

The entire Meteoric Moon Mountain seemed to have only plants and dead objects. There were no animals, not even flying insects. Apart from the occasional wind blowing and shaking the branches of the trees, making some creaking sounds, there was no other sound.

However, in Lu Ning's demonic vision, the mountain was very lively.

Groups of demonic energy were lying motionless in blind spots. Each group of demonic energy emitted the silvery-white luster unique to gold-type demons, and there was no other color.