205: Chapter 205 Moon Guard

Zhao Luo listened in silence, his rough fingers tapping twice on the table.

"Several small Sects in the vicinity joined forces to enter the mountain for a sweep. The leader was at the Peak Foundation Establishment stage, but just three days after entering, they were cornered in a ravine by a squad of Yao Race soldiers under Horned Dragon. Most of them died, and the leader's body couldn't even be recovered."

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing sighed.

"Now, the gentry, village heads, and managers of the small Sects in the surrounding towns have submitted a joint petition, requesting us to step in and rectify the situation."

"If we accept, the two Tier 3 Great Yao in Black Stone Ridge are not opponents that the two of us at the Early Stage Golden Core can handle. But if we don't, I fear these towns won't last much longer."

Zhao Luo looked up, his dark face expressionless. "Are we going to intervene or not?"

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing did not speak.

The candlelight flickered, casting shifting shadows across their faces.

On the map on the table, the words 'Black Stone Ridge' had been circled several times in cinnabar, glaringly red.

"Sigh..."

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip; the tea was already cold and tasted astringently bitter.

He put down the teacup and slowly ran his fingers along the rim, as if weighing his words.

"Although our Xuanqing Sect and the Iron Mountain Sect are cultivation Sects, at our roots, we are the eyes and ears placed here by the Dynasty."

"A hundred years ago, when the border was drawn between the Dachuan Dynasty and the Youyue Dynasty, this area of Black Stone Ridge became a no-man's-land."

"The Dynasty established our two Sects at the border; nominally to guard the region, but in reality, to keep an eye on the movements of the Yao Race within Black Stone Ridge. We must prevent them from crossing the border to harm the common people, and also stop anyone from the Youyue Dynasty from sneaking through."

"To put it bluntly, we are just sentries placed here by the Dynasty. We usually manage small Yao, gather intelligence, and report that everything is peaceful. If something major really happens, the Dynasty will naturally send experts."

He paused, his rough palm pressing down on the secret letters on the table, his knuckles turning white.

"But this time is different."

"Horned Dragon is at the Peak of Tier 3, and E Kuang is at the Late Stage of Tier 3. If those two Great Yao start fighting, the two of us at the Early Stage Golden Core, with fewer than two hundred people under our command combined, would just be serving ourselves up on a platter if we go in."

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing also nodded and sighed.

"How about this: I will try sending a letter to the prefecture city, requesting the Dynasty to send reinforcements."

"But you also know that the prefecture city is currently overwhelmed. Shangguan Hong of the Dachuan Dynasty has gone mad and slaughtered several noble families. The Dachuan Dynasty is in turmoil, and the Dynasty likely has designs on it. The experts in the prefecture city have all been mobilized and their whereabouts are unknown; how could they possibly spare any attention for us?"

Zhao Luo was silent for a moment, his voice dropping.

"So the situation is: we can't handle it, but we have to."

"If we don't, the towns and villages at the foot of the mountain won't last half a year before being devoured by the Yao hordes. The massive loss of population will affect the incense offerings at the Faye Temple, and when the punishment comes down, we will still be implicated."

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing did not respond, knowing this to be true as well.

The candlelight flickered between the two, illuminating the map on the table with shifting light and shadow.

The words 'Black Stone Ridge' had been circled several times in cinnabar, like a branding iron heated red-hot, pressed onto the table; it was so searing that one couldn't tear their eyes away.

The two were sitting in silence, when suddenly.

The candlelight in the hall suddenly flared violently.

It wasn't the wind; the floor of the entire meeting hall was trembling slightly, and the teacups on the table emitted a faint clattering sound.

Immediately after, three terrifying auras pressed in from outside the hall, like three mountains falling from the sky simultaneously, stifling their breathing.

"Who goes there!"

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing stood up abruptly, and Zhao Luo did the same. The two exchanged a glance, their expressions changing.

This aura far exceeded the Early Stage Golden Core; it was at least the Late Stage Golden Core. The two dared not delay and quickly walked out of the meeting hall.

Outside the hall, under the moonlight, three figures stood in the courtyard in a triangular formation.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a slender build, wearing a dark black robe with dark golden cloud patterns embroidered on the hem, which appeared and disappeared in the moonlight.

He wore a silver silk belt around his waist, from which hung a palm-sized token. The token was jet black, with a gold rim inlaid around the edge, and the character 'Yue' engraved in the center.

One person stood on each side behind him.

The one on the left had a stern face and a sturdy build. He also wore a dark black robe, but the hem had no cloud patterns. A bronze token hung from his waist, and he had no silver silk belt. A long, narrow-bladed saber was strapped to his waist; the scabbard was jet black and devoid of any ornamentation.

The one on the right was small and thin, with a fair complexion, looking like a scholar. He also had a bronze token hanging from his waist and carried no weapon in his hands, but his sleeves were slightly puffed out, as if concealing something.

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing saw the dark black robe and the gold-rimmed Black Xuan Token, his pupils constricting sharply. He bowed and saluted: "Subordinate Zhou Xuanqing of the Xuanqing Sect, pays respects to the Lord Yuexuan Guard!"

Zhao Luo also followed suit, cupping his fists and bowing, his voice gruff: "Zhao Luo of the Iron Mountain Sect, pays respects to the three Lords!"

Yuexuan Guard.

A special agency directly under the Dynasty of the Youyue Dynasty, not subject to the jurisdiction of local prefecture cities or the rules of the Sects, but taking orders only from the central Dynasty.

They specialized in monitoring the Sects of the world, suppressing disturbances, and gathering intelligence, wielding immense authority.

The dark black robe combined with the Black Xuan Token was the symbol of the Yuexuan Guard. The silver silk belt represented the Commander rank, governing an entire prefecture and having at least several dozen elites under their command.

The bronze token was the identification mark of an ordinary Yuexuan Guard officer.

The leader nodded slightly, acknowledging them.

His voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear, driving into the air like nails.

"This official is surnamed Su, a Yuexuan Guard Commander, here under the orders of my superior."

Commander Su did not engage in pleasantries. His gaze swept over Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing and Zhao Luo, like two blades scraping across their faces.

"This official asks you: recently in the Black Stone Ridge area, has there been any foreign Yao Race?"

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing was stunned for a moment, exchanged a glance with Zhao Luo, and bowed to reply: "Reporting to the Lord, this subordinate has not received any news of foreign Yao Race entering the territory. The ones entrenched in Black Stone Ridge have always been the two local Yao groups of Horned Dragon and E Kuang. Although conflicts have been frequent recently, no new faces have appeared."

Zhao Luo nodded in agreement from the side: "The Disciples of the Iron Mountain Sect have also been patrolling the periphery, and indeed, no traces of foreign Yao Race have been found. In the past few months, the only ones entering the mountain have been the joint cleanup teams from the various Sects; there has been no residual strange Demonic Qi."

Commander Su's mouth set slightly, and his gaze turned cold.

"Useless."

Two words, not heavy, like a pebble falling into water, but the hearts of everyone present sank simultaneously.

"The Yuexuan Mirror has already detected violent spatial fluctuations here. This is not a disturbance that the local Yao Race could create; it must be an intrusion by a foreign force."

"If your people can't even keep track of this, what right do you have to talk about guarding the region?"

Sect Master Zhou Xuanqing and Zhao Luo lowered their heads, not daring to respond. The Yuexuan Mirror was a unique Magical Artifact of the Yuexuan Guard, specialized in tracking spatial fluctuations and cross-border auras with extremely high precision; it could detect any anomaly. Since the Yuexuan Mirror said there was one, there must be one.

Commander Su did not waste any more words. He turned to look at the two Yuexuan Guards behind him, then turned back, his gaze landing on the two of them.