Holy Church Plot

The appearance of Lin Langtian was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring ripples in Nightmare's heart.

This Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator of the Sacred Sect had actually appeared in Black Mountain City at this moment, and was acting so furtively; he must be plotting something significant! It was very likely related to the disturbances deep within the Black Mountain Range, or even that Demon-sealing Altar!

Nightmare did not hesitate, combining the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique with the trace of Wind Law he had just comprehended. His figure seemed to transform into a faint, barely perceptible breeze, silently trailing behind Lin Langtian.

Lin Langtian was clearly extremely vigilant, choosing to weave through crowded streets and alleys. He would occasionally stop abruptly, pretending to inspect items at stalls while actually scanning behind him with the corner of his eye. Sometimes, he would suddenly accelerate, darting into winding, labyrinthine alleys.

His anti-tracking methods were quite seasoned; if it were an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, they would likely have been shaken off or discovered long ago.

However, Nightmare's Divine Sense far exceeded those of his same rank, and his locking onto the aura was incredibly precise. Combined with the profound nature of the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique, he could always anticipate the opponent's movements in advance. Like a shadow, he kept a safe distance, following firmly.

One after the other, the two staged a silent chase through the intricate streets and alleys of Black Mountain City.

Gradually, Lin Langtian left the relatively prosperous area and headed towards the depths of the shantytown in the west of the city, a place that was more dilapidated and had a more complex mix of people.

The buildings here were low and crowded, sewage flowed freely, and the air was permeated with the smell of low-quality alcohol and rotting food. Everywhere one looked, there were Mortals with numb expressions and low-level Cultivators with withered auras.

Lin Langtian seemed quite familiar with this place. He navigated through several narrow secret passages that could barely fit one person with ease, finally stopping in front of an unremarkable, rusted iron door.

He looked left and right, and after confirming no one was following, he tapped his fingers on the door rhythmically and quickly.

The iron door slid open silently, leaving a gap. Lin Langtian slipped inside, and the iron door closed immediately after.

Nightmare hid in a corner piled with debris in the distance, his eyes slightly narrowed. He did not rashly approach; there must be a Restriction behind that iron door, and forcibly probing would only alert the enemy.

He waited patiently, his Divine Sense acting like the most sensitive sensor, capturing any trace of energy fluctuation around the building.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the iron door opened again.

It was no longer just Lin Langtian who came out, but three people. Besides Lin Langtian, there were two other Cultivators also wearing black robes with cold auras, both at the Middle Golden Core stage. The three exchanged a few low words before quickly separating and leaving in different directions.

Lin Langtian returned the way he came, while the other two walked towards two different directions in the shantytown.

"Splitting up?" Nightmare thought to himself. After a brief weighing of options, he gave up on tracking Lin Langtian and instead chose one of the Middle Golden Core Cultivators who appeared to have a slightly weaker aura, silently following him.

This Sacred Sect Cultivator was also very cautious. After circling the shantytown a few times, he actually arrived at a deserted residence, skillfully opened a hidden underground entrance, and slipped inside.

Nightmare followed suit, waiting patiently outside.

This time, the wait was longer.

It wasn't until night fell and the lights were lit (though the lights in Black Mountain City were mostly dim) that the Middle Golden Core Cultivator emerged from underground. After vigilantly observing his surroundings, he left quickly.

Nightmare did not continue to follow; his target was that underground stronghold!

After confirming the other party was far away, Nightmare slid into the deserted residence like a shadow, his Divine Sense carefully scanning the hidden entrance.

At the entrance, there was a rather ingenious concealment Formation and a trigger-based Restriction. But for Nightmare, who had powerful Divine Sense and was proficient in various unconventional methods from the Myriad Poison Demonic Scripture, it was not impossible to break.

He formed his fingers into a blade, his fingertips wreathed in faint Xiangliu Poison and Demonic Essence, and carefully began carving on the nodes of the Restriction. In just a moment, the light of the Restriction trembled slightly and quietly ceased to function.

Nightmare pushed open the secret door at the entrance, and a set of stone steps extending downwards, emitting a musty smell, appeared before his eyes.

He slipped inside, and the secret door closed silently behind him.

Below the stone steps was a small basement with simple furnishings: only a stone table, a few stone stools, and some glowing fluorite embedded in the walls emitting a faint light.

The air retained the aura of the Sacred Sect Cultivator, as well as a faint... scent of blood and Devilish Qi!

Nightmare's gaze swept across the stone table, where several animal skin papers were scattered. They were drawn with complex topographical maps, seemingly of a certain area of the Black Mountain Range, marked with a few red dots and a large skull symbol. Beside them was a used talisman pen with dark red stains remaining on it.

He picked up the animal skin papers to examine them carefully.

The maps were drawn in great detail, especially the area marked with the skull, which was exactly near the sinkhole altar he had visited before! And those few red dots seemed to be some kind of energy nodes or patrol routes?

Looking at the talisman pen again, the dark red stains on the tip emitted a faint scent of blood and pure Devilish Qi; it seemed to be some kind of... refined demonic blood?

What were these guys plotting? Drawing maps, marking them with demonic blood... it was like they were planning an operation targeting the altar?

Thoughts raced through Nightmare's mind. He firmly memorized the map and then restored the animal skin papers to their original state.

He carefully searched the entire basement again and discovered a hidden compartment in the corner. Opening the compartment, he found a few pitch-black Jade Slips and a palm-sized black compass inside.

The Jade Slips recorded some incomplete secret techniques, mostly related to Blood Sacrifice and communicating with demons, clearly methods of the Sacred Sect. As for the black compass, its needle kept trembling, always pointing towards the depths of the mountain range. A distorted flame rune was engraved on the surface of the compass.

Nightmare tried to inject a trace of Demonic Essence into the compass.

Hum!

The compass suddenly lit up with a dark, ghostly light. The needle spun crazily for a few turns before finally pointing firmly in one direction—exactly the location of the sinkhole altar where the skull was marked on the map! At the same time, a line of tiny ancient demonic script appeared on the compass: "Demonic source agitated, Seal gradually weakening, Sacred Artifact guiding, awaiting heavenly timing."

Demonic source? Sacred Artifact? heavenly timing?

A flash of realization crossed Nightmare's eyes. These heretics of the Sacred Sect had indeed come for whatever was beneath that Demon-sealing Altar! They seemed to possess some kind of "Sacred Artifact" (perhaps this compass) that could sense the agitation of Devilish Qi and the strength of the Seal, and they were waiting for a suitable opportunity to prepare for another action!

And their drawing of maps and marking them with demonic blood was likely planning some kind of Blood Sacrifice ritual, attempting to forcibly weaken or even break the Seal!

"What a... bunch of lunatics!" Nightmare sneered inwardly. The demonic heart beneath that altar was terrifyingly powerful; once it completely lost control, the first ones to suffer would be themselves!

But thinking about it from another perspective, this might also be an opportunity for him!

If the Sacred Sect wanted to perform a Blood Sacrifice, they would inevitably need manpower and resources, and it would also attract the attention of the Sky Patrol Alliance. The situation would certainly be chaotic then...

Perhaps he could play the role of the oriole once again?

Just as Nightmare was pondering, his powerful Divine Sense suddenly captured two auras rapidly approaching this deserted residence from above ground! One of them was indeed the Middle Golden Core Cultivator who had left earlier, and the other was none other than Lin Langtian, who had returned!

Not good! Was he discovered?!

Nightmare's heart skipped a beat. He instantly put everything away, erased any traces of his presence, and his figure merged into the shadows of the basement like a ghost. He pushed the Demonic Shadow Evasion Technique and the concealment characteristics of the demonic vine to their absolute limit!

Almost the very next second after his figure disappeared!

Click!

The secret door to the basement was violently pushed open!

Lin Langtian and the Middle Golden Core Cultivator rushed in with grim expressions!

"Are you sure you felt an abnormal fluctuation in the Restriction just now?" Lin Langtian asked in a cold voice, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire basement like a hawk.

"I am sure, sir!" the Middle Golden Core Cultivator quickly replied, "Although the fluctuation was extremely weak and fleeting, there is no doubt! Someone touched the Restriction outside!"

Lin Langtian's eyes grew even colder. His Divine Sense meticulously scanned every inch of the room, not even sparing the dust under the stone table.

Nightmare held his breath, his mind merging into one with the shadows, his Demonic Essence restrained to the extreme, even his heartbeat almost stopping. The perfect control over his body after reaching Minor Achievement in the Myriad Poison Demonic Body played a crucial role at this moment.

Lin Langtian's Divine Sense scanned back and forth like a comb several times, but found nothing. His gaze finally landed on the animal skin papers on the stone table. He walked over to carefully inspect them, and then checked the hidden compartment.

"Nothing is missing..." Lin Langtian frowned, a trace of doubt flashing in his eyes. "Could it be that the Restriction itself is unstable? Or was it triggered by some passing small animal?"

"Sir, should we strengthen security? Or move to another place?" the Middle Golden Core Cultivator suggested.

"No need." Lin Langtian pondered for a moment and shook his head. "The plan has reached a critical stage, and we should not invite unnecessary trouble. This place is still safe for the time being; the attention of those fools from the Sky Patrol Alliance has all been drawn to the Blackwater Stream."

He paused, his tone turning cold: "However, we must still be more careful! The Sacred Sect's grand plan must not fail! If any mistakes occur, both of us will have our souls extracted and refined, understand?"

"Yes! I understand, sir!" The Cultivator trembled in fear and quickly bowed his head to reply.

"Let's go, and confirm the preparations at the other locations. The 'key' will be delivered soon, and we must be fully prepared before the 'heavenly timing' arrives!" After Lin Langtian finished speaking, he turned and left the basement.

The Cultivator quickly followed, restarting the Restriction at the entrance.

Inside the basement, deathly silence returned.

After a long while, confirming that the two were truly far away, Nightmare's figure slowly emerged from the shadows, his expression grave.

"Key"? "heavenly timing"? "Sacred Sect's grand plan"?

It seemed that the Sacred Sect's operation targeting the altar was even more meticulous and urgent than he had imagined! They seemed to be waiting for a specific opportunity, as well as a crucial "key" item?

Moreover, judging by Lin Langtian's tone, he seemed extremely confident in success?

They must not be allowed to succeed!

Once the Seal is completely broken and the demonic heart appears, the first to suffer will be Black Mountain City and even all living beings within ten thousand miles! Moreover, such a terrifying demonic entity is definitely not something the Sacred Sect can control; it will surely be a catastrophic disaster then!

Both for public and private reasons, he must stop them!

A cold light flickered in Nightmare's eyes, and a plan gradually took shape.

He carefully searched the basement again, and after confirming there were no omissions, he silently left this Sacred Sect stronghold, disappearing into the pitch-black night of Black Mountain City like a drop of water into the ocean.

He needed more information about the "key" and the "heavenly timing".

And the best source of information might just be—the City Lord's Mansion!

Since the Sacred Sect could collude with the City Lord's Mansion, then inside the City Lord's Mansion, there must be relevant records or... someone who knows the truth!

The night was deep, and a new undercurrent began to surge beneath Black Mountain City.