Chapter 549: Human Heart

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

For many years, the Shadow Abyss Sect had not suffered such heavy losses. Several disciples in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm had directly perished, and the Elder Jiang Yongzhou was gravely injured.

Even for a top-tier force like the Shadow Abyss Sect, each Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator had been an extremely precious asset, not to be lost easily.

Now, several had unexpectedly perished, and the crucial point was that it was still unclear whether anyone’s mind had been tainted.

Before the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul truly activated its seeds, no one had known if their minds were tainted. Everyone had believed themselves to be innocent, while those around them had seemed suspicious.

It had been precisely because of this that merely from their demeanor, it had been impossible to discern who might potentially betray them.

The once tight bonds of camaraderie among fellow disciples had suddenly become tinged with suspicion that day, and this matter had been perceived as an anomaly caused by their resources.

To spend all day setting traps, only to be ensnared by one’s own trap, had indeed been a bitterly ironic affair.

Jiang Yongzhou’s face had been pale, sheltered alone by Xin Hongdu behind him.

The loss of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators had deeply pained the Shadow Abyss Sect, but at least it hadn’t broken their bones or harmed their vital organs.

If Jiang Yongzhou were to die here, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing several Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators; the entire Shadow Abyss Sect would be shaken. The value of a peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator is incomparable to that of a few ordinary ones.

That’s why Xin Hongdu stood guard beside Jiang Yongzhou at this moment, fearing that another disciple might betray them suddenly and launch a surprise attack on Jiang Yongzhou.

“Retreat!”

Jiang Yongzhou whispered, realizing that killing the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul here and now was no longer feasible.

Without identifying the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators tainted within the Shadow Abyss Sect, it would be impossible to fight together in unity. Relying solely on the strength of Xin Hongdu was insufficient to accomplish this task.

Moreover, Xin Hongdu still had to protect him.

Compared to refining a peak third-tier anomaly, Jiang Yongzhou was naturally more important.

The members of the Shadow Abyss Sect dispersed, orderly retreating without any chaos.

The myriad eyes all over the anomaly continued to blink incessantly, emitting a frenzied and chaotic light all around. In the end, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul remained motionless, allowing the members of the Shadow Abyss Sect to withdraw.

The Shadow Abyss Sect couldn’t do anything to it, and likewise, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul couldn’t do anything to so many Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators of the Shadow Abyss Sect.

Among the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators with seeds planted within them, they were still in the minority. Since Xin Hongdu remained uninjured, allowing the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul to continue its stalemate with the members of the Shadow Abyss Sect would yield no favorable outcome.

Most crucially, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul had never intended to confront the members of the Shadow Abyss Sect so early on. Today, it had purely been lured to the outskirts of the Shadow Abyss Sect by that human’s scheming.

These warriors with seeds planted within them were usually unaware because the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul had always employed a silent approach, passively receiving certain information.

Normally, it wouldn’t disturb these hosts in the slightest.

Because of this, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul itself was unaware of where these hosts usually resided.

After all, constant monitoring of these hosts would require forcibly sensing their minds.

The minds of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, especially those in the middle stage or above, were extremely sensitive. Even the slightest movement would be detected. The fact that the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul could plant seeds within their minds was purely because it acted while these individuals’ cultivation levels were still relatively light.

The seed within Kou Yuanheng’s mind had activated purely because he was on the verge of death, stimulating the seed and prompting an automatic response, leading to this series of events.

Transforming into black mist, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul fled into the distance, leaving the members of the Shadow Abyss Sect to watch as it departed.

Many members of the Shadow Abyss Sect had complex expressions. In the past, it would have been impossible for an anomaly to leave so brazenly in front of them.

As long as there was a confrontation, they wouldn’t allow the anomaly to leave unscathed. At the very least, they would forcibly retain a part of the anomaly.

“Report the situation to the headquarters of the Thousand Feathers Alliance. We, the members of the Shadow Abyss Sect, have all fallen victim to this. I suspect other sects have suffered as well. Only the alliance leader can decide on this matter!”

Jiang Yongzhou declared solemnly upon returning to the mountain gate, addressing everyone present.

“Yes!” everyone murmured in agreement.

“Everyone, conceal your cultivation levels. Follow me to the Shadow Abyss Peak!” Xin Hongdu swept his gaze over everyone, pondering for a moment before speaking.

Relying solely on observation, not even Xin Hongdu could discern which disciple had a seed planted in their mind. Yet resolving this issue was pressing; otherwise, the potential threat would be too significant.

The elders of the Shadow Abyss Sect exchanged glances and nodded. With a flow of elemental energy, the Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivation of everyone was completely sealed off.

Xin Hongdu glanced at everyone but didn’t notice anything unusual.

The issue within their minds might not be discernible, but whether their cultivation had been sealed off was something Xin Hongdu could see clearly. Seeing everyone cooperating well, both Xin Hongdu and Jiang Yongzhou felt a slight relief.

Removing this kind of mental contamination was extremely troublesome. It involved forcibly severing the mind because it had completely merged with it. So-called “removal” actually meant forcibly cutting the mind.

The mind is one of the three treasures of a warrior’s cultivation, much more fragile compared to the physical body and elemental energy. Even minor damage requires a considerable amount of time to recover.

Forcibly severing the mind would harm one’s own essence. This kind of damage was almost irreparable.

For a warrior, it could mean a lifetime with no improvement in cultivation, making further breakthroughs virtually impossible. In severe cases, it could result in a direct regression of cultivation, even falling back below the Combined Aperture Tempering realm, where the scattered harmony is normal.

After all, a damaged mind could no longer control the surging elemental energy, and the dispersal of harmony was only natural.

After examining these Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators, the Shadow Abyss Sect would continue to inspect those in the Aperture Tempering realm and even those in the Body Tempering realm, ensuring that no one within the sect had been contaminated by anomalies.

The silent contamination of warriors, rendering them unaware, showcased the formidable power of this third-tier anomaly.

While other anomalies might be strong in terms of physical prowess, this Thousand-Eyed Ghoul was terrifying not only for its strength but also for its ability to inhabit the minds of warriors.

If this Thousand-Eyed Ghoul were allowed to continue developing, the entire Thousand Feathers Alliance would likely suffer severe damage. Eventually, even the warriors it inhabited would turn around and aid the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul’s cultivation.

At the critical moment of the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul’s breakthrough to the fourth tier, these warriors would burn themselves to fuel its advancement.

The Shadow Abyss Sect began a comprehensive inspection of its members, while Chen Fei flew in another direction, heading towards the trench where Kou Yuanheng had gained the Binding Mountain Technique from his memories.

It was there that Kou Yuanheng had been gradually lured by the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul into the trench.

Kou Yuanheng had learned the Binding Mountain Technique but had also had a seed planted in his mind at the same time.

The fact that the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul wasn’t slain by the Shadow Abyss Sect somewhat exceeded Chen Fei’s expectations.

Before heading to the Shadow Abyss Sect, Chen Fei had assessed its strength. With two peak Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators as the top-tier combat forces, supported by dozens of others in the Combined Aperture Tempering realm.

Even if the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul was powerful, it would have difficulty escaping death.

In contrast, while other top-tier forces might be on par with the Shadow Abyss Sect in regular circumstances, when it came to the expertise of slaying anomalies, the Shadow Abyss Sect was undoubtedly superior.

Chen Fei’s original intention was to kill this anomaly because anomalies and humans are inherently on opposing sides. This kind of opposition is almost irreconcilable.

However, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul didn’t die, and both sides ended up avoiding direct conflict.

Nevertheless, after this battle, the covert status of the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul was shattered. It wouldn’t take long before everyone in the Thousand Feathers Alliance knew about this third-tier evil.

The leader of the alliance would probably personally intervene to slay this highly dangerous anomaly to prevent any further trouble within the alliance.

Given this situation, Chen Fei decided to visit that trench.

That trench wasn’t the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul’s lair; it was just one of the places used to lure warriors and plant seeds.

Similar locations likely existed in abundance, considering how many warriors had been affected.

Currently, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul was undoubtedly fleeing towards the outskirts of the Thousand Feathers Alliance, seeking refuge before the arrival of powerful experts in the Mountain Sea Realm.

Therefore, the possibility of danger at these places where the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul usually lured humans was low. There might even be some unexpected gains.

After flying for nearly three hours straight, Chen Fei finally arrived at the location from Kou Yuanheng’s memories.

In mid-air, Chen Fei’s right hand brushed over his forehead, and with his divine eye activated, he took in the entire scene below.

After a moment, Chen Fei’s brows twitched slightly as he found a peculiar location.

With a flicker, Chen Fei disappeared into the air and reappeared in the trench.

Upon arrival, even without using his divine eye, Chen Fei could sense some unusual energies.

It wasn’t cold or gloomy; instead, it felt vast and completely devoid of evils.

However, Chen Fei didn’t sense any tempting forces, indicating that he wasn’t the target audience. Or rather, all warriors in the middle stage of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm or above weren’t the target audience.

Planting seeds in the minds of Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivators in the middle stage was difficult. It’s not that it couldn’t be done successfully, but once successful, those in the middle stage would become aware.

Once detected, it would render the entire endeavor meaningless for the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul.

The beam of light at Chen Fei’s forehead grew brighter, repeatedly scanning the area in front of him. After a moment, Chen Fei didn’t detect any larger dangers. He walked forward.

What was once an empty space suddenly became obstructed by a barrier. However, Chen Fei effortlessly dispelled it with his elemental energy.

When Chen Fei observed with his divine eye earlier, he had already discerned the secret within, so the barrier failed to obstruct him at all.

The barrier rippled, and Chen Fei’s figure vanished.

Beyond the barrier, Chen Fei stepped out, finding himself in a cave.

A righteous aura pervaded the cave, not particularly potent but definitely characteristic of righteous warriors.

Chen Fei’s lips curled into a smile. Regardless of anything else, the Thousand-Eyed Ghoul had indeed excelled in concealing itself.

When other warriors entered here and sensed this aura, they would naturally lower their guard.

The control over the human mind was indeed extraordinary..