"Since when did Gu Ling Mountain belong to Wuxiang Sect?"
Yao Ranran suddenly cut him off.
Nie Rong thought for a moment, looking puzzled.
"I don't know either!"
Yao Ranran: "…"
"Can you find a way to look up Gu Ling Mountain's records in Wuxiang Sect?"
Yao Ranran faintly suspected that the genius Mu Xin had exploded and died at Gu Ling Mountain.
Nie Rong's face showed hesitation, but when he met Yao Ranran's expectant gaze, he folded his jade fan and said, "Leave it to me, Master!"
Yao Ranran secretly thought that neither of her disciples had been taken in vain.
"Good. Once you find something, send word to me as quickly as possible!"
After instructing Nie Rong, she returned to Gu Ling Mountain.
Nie Rong furrowed his brows tightly. "Strange. I've never even heard of this Gu Ling Mountain. If Master hadn't been punished and sent here, I might never have known that Wuxiang Sect had property in this place at all!"
He muttered to himself a few lines, then immediately decided to take his flying boat back to Central Domain.
"Hehehe, finally it's my turn to make a move!"
The night was dark as ink, wind and snow stilled.
"The moment of calm before the storm."
Yao Ranran sighed in the black mist.
No wonder Li Luoqi had chosen this day. The celestial hound devoured the moon, not a single star in the sky, heavy night fog — it was the perfect cover for the demons to conceal their aura.
"I should set out as well."
She didn't notify Xiao Rong and the others. Alone in the black mist, she took out her flying boat and set the teleportation staff upon it.
Violent, frenzied demonic qi surged around the flying boat, fearful of Yao Ranran's presence yet coveting the spiritual energy infused in the vessel.
Before leaving, Yao Ranran cast one last glance toward the depths of the black fog.
Occasionally a few demonic bats appeared, but she knew they were not the same as the old Bat Clan.
"There must be things hidden deeper in there that even I don't know of."
She thought this silently, then activated the teleportation staff, consuming half a supreme-grade spirit stone. In an instant she arrived at the gates of Yun Gu Sect.
"Who goes there? Report your name!"
The disciples guarding the gate shouted nervously, their voices trembling.
In such dire times for the righteous path, even the slightest disturbance could snap their strained nerves.
Yao Ranran stepped out of the night fog and politely replied, "I am a friend of Zhao Lingyi Daoyou. Please inform him that Yao Ranran has come."
The two disciples looked at each other in confusion.
"Demon cultivator, don't think you can fool us! When has Senior Brother Zhao ever had a friend like you? To rush here from outside without the slightest fluctuation of spiritual qi — you must be a spy sent by demon cultivators!"
Yao Ranran frowned slightly.
These days, being too strong was a problem too. If it had been some poor fellow, how could they have reached Yun Gu Sect unscathed in the blink of an eye?
Aside from the lands Yun Gu Sect had cultivated for years, every road and path had long been sealed off by the three great Demon Sects and Piao Miao Sect.
For one so young to appear here so calmly was indeed suspicious.
"Never mind, if you won't report me, so be it. My message talisman is already on its way. It should reach Zhao Daoyou shortly."
She wasn't angry. She simply chose a corner, sat down cross-legged, and quietly waited for Zhao Lingyi to come meet her.
The two disciples continued staring blankly at her.
"Do you think this woman is really a demon cultivator? She seems rather confident."
"Idiot. If she weren't a demon cultivator, she could have already sent a message talisman inside. Why would she wait for one to reach Senior Brother Zhao? I'd say there's an eighty percent chance she's a demon cultivator!"
"And the other twenty percent? What do you think she is…?"
"The other twenty percent… I suspect she could be a celestial fairy from the Nine Heavens, descending to save the righteous path from destruction!"
"…"
The corner of Yao Ranran's lips curved slightly.
"These two disciples are actually kind of cute!"
She forgave them for blocking her at the gate.
"Senior Brother, I still think we should go report just in case. Maybe she really isn't a demon cultivator."
"What, you also think she's a Nine Heavens Fairy here to rescue Yun Gu Sect?"
"…"
Rumble! Rumble!
Yao Ranran withdrew her smile and calmly turned her gaze to a mass of black qi forming in the night fog.
"Damn, it's the Demon Sect making their move!"
The disciples guarding the gate, seeing the black qi surge into the sky, hurriedly sent one to report to the sect master.
"Fairy—bah, witch! You led the enemy here, didn't you?"
Yao Ranran looked at him in surprise.
"I've been sitting here since I arrived. How could I have led the enemy?"
The disciple had no time to argue, his face tense as he stared at the black qi.
"The demon cultivators are coming. Judging from this, there must be at least a thousand!"
"Three thousand three hundred and one."
Yao Ranran casually reported the exact number.
The disciple gasped. "So it really was you who brought them!"
Yao Ranran: "…This is something I can tell at a glance. How can you accuse me of bringing them?"
"Ridiculous. To know the number with just one glance, what do you think you are, a Divine Transformation Zūnzhě?" The disciple sneered.
Yao Ranran paused.
"Maybe I actually could stand against a Divine Transformation Zūnzhě."
Ever since defeating both the male and female leads, her confidence had been swelling day by day.
The disciple naturally didn't believe her. "You think a Divine Transformation Zūnzhě is like a cabbage in the market, that any Qi Refinement cultivator could fight them?"
Yao Ranran rubbed her nose. No matter what she said, this disciple had already decided she was a demon cultivator.
Seeing her silent, the disciple shouted at her, "Don't think we'll lose to you. Our sect master has recovered from his injuries, and sooner or later you will pay for what you've done!"
"It was me who saved your sect master. He certainly does owe me a debt."
Yao Ranran replied lazily.
If he hadn't mentioned it, she would have forgotten about it herself.
The disciple was furious.
Demon cultivators were hateful enough, but this one's tongue was sharp as well!
"Hahahaha! Yun Dehe, come out and fight me!"
The night fog was torn apart by thick black qi. Clouds split as a massive, broad-shouldered demon cultivator rose into the sky, his voice booming as he called out to Yun Gu Sect.
Yao Ranran raised her head curiously. "Who is that?"
"He came… he really came… that's the sect master of Yin Luo Sect, Hei Yangjiu!"
"Hei Yangjiu… Black Sheep Pigeon? What an amusing name…" Yao Ranran covered her mouth with a laugh.
The disciple panicked. "Don't mock his name to his face! The one thing he hates most in life is being called Black Sheep!"
"Eh? Wait, why am I telling you all this? You're one of them, aren't you, still pretending here!"
The disciple suddenly realized, retreating a step from her.
Yao Ranran spread her hands innocently. "I really don't know this Black Sheep Pigeon…"
Then she added with a smile, "Nor do I know White Sheep Pigeon!"
The disciple: "…"
He believed her. This woman could not possibly be a demon cultivator. Because even a demon cultivator wouldn't dare call Hei Yangjiu by name to his face, much less risk death by joking about White Sheep Pigeon.
"Who—who is mocking my name?"
Hei Yangjiu roared in rage, his voice shaking the land in every direction.