Chapter 77: Murderer Appears

The night was dead silent.

The moonlight, like water, poured over the desolate land, but it was as cold as ice, utterly devoid of warmth.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, a sudden chill creeping up their spines from their feet. They instinctively looked up, and beneath the moonlight, saw countless cats, a black tide surging across the ground.

Zhuo Qingfeng, holding his long sword, smiled and said, "Gu Mo, Miss Chudong, it’s quite embarrassing to admit, but since I met you both, I’ve always been rather disheveled and never had the chance to truly display my skills. Actually, my swordsmanship is far from weak. Tonight, allow me to set an example and test the true nature of this cat demon."

"No need to rush!"

Gu Mo suddenly interjected, "Actually, ever since my initial, brief encounter with the cat demon at Dongshan Sword Sect that day, a question has been on my mind."

"What question?" Zhuo Qingfeng inquired.

"Why does the cat demon always appear accompanied by so many cats?"

"Because it uses Lingling Thyme."

"What’s the purpose?"

"To create a façade of the supernatural, of course," Zhuo Qingfeng replied.

"I recall that during the previous escort robbery at the inn, all thirteen survivors from the Changfeng Escort Agency claimed they were attacked by countless cats. Yet, in the end, there were no traces of cats at the scene. Were they truly attacked by felines?"

"But Uncle Qu and the others all saw them," Gu Chutong stated.

"I see it now too." Gu Mo pointed towards the sky above the Divine Cat Temple. "Up there, I see a white cat, a giant white cat. You all should have seen it too. But is what we see real?"

"What do you mean by that?" Zhuo Qingfeng asked.

Gu Mo continued, "Do you remember what I said when you asked me whether I believed in the cat demon back at Dongshan Sword Sect?"

"You said you both believed and didn't believe."

"Precisely. I believed because I saw it. I didn’t believe because, even though I saw it, I couldn’t hear anything. Not that I couldn’t hear human voices, but I couldn’t hear the cats."

Gu Mo paused briefly, then continued, "It’s just like now. I can see the cat demon, but I can’t hear the sounds of the cats anymore."

Zhuo Qingfeng paused, then said, "I can’t seem to hear them either."

"So," Gu Mo continued, "that brings us back to the original question: why does the cat demon always appear accompanied by so many cats, especially when numerous cats are howling?"

Zhuo Qingfeng’s pupils constricted slightly. "So, that’s why I found Lingling Thyme at the Dongshan Sword Sect. The cat demon first uses Lingling Thyme to attract a multitude of cats, then ignites it to provoke them into a frenzied howling. It must be that many cats need to howl for it to manifest!"

Gu Mo continued, "It can make us see the cat demon – even a blind man like me can perceive it. So, if this phenomenon lasts longer, could it make us perceive cat groups attacking us? Could it create more illusions, ultimately leading us to turn on each other?"

Zhuo Qingfeng stated gravely, "Therefore, in the inn escort robbery case, the survivors all claimed they were attacked by hordes of cats. But in reality, the evidence at the scene indicated they had killed each other. The two inn servants who hid in the cellar were unaffected by the cat sounds, and thus, what they witnessed was the Changfeng Escort Agency members slaughtering one another. So, these cat sounds are either concealing something, or they are working in conjunction with some sinister martial art!"

Just then,

Beneath the moonlight, countless cats surged from all directions, a black deluge rushing towards them. Their speed was astonishing, like a dark squall sweeping through, kicking up sand and stones in its wake.

The cats' eyes shimmered with an eerie green glow, flickering like ghostly flames, revealing a chilling ferocity. They surged forward to pounce, reminiscent of a nocturnal procession of demons.

These cats moved so quickly that they appeared as mere afterimages, like specters flitting between the realms of yin and yang. In the blink of an eye, they were upon them.

Gu Mo took a step forward.

His robes billowed around him without a breeze, flapping wildly. The internal energy within him, like a tumultuous river, began to surge rapidly. He took a deep breath, then unleashed a thunderous roar: "Begone!"

The roar was like a clap of thunder, carrying an overwhelming force that rolled outwards. As his shout reverberated, potent internal energy surged forth like an invisible, colossal wave, sweeping towards the cat horde with unstoppable power.

The air seemed to tear under this force. Sand and stones on the ground were lifted by the powerful current, swirling wildly through the air.

Under the impact of this surging internal energy, the menacing cats that had been lunging forward were instantly as if swept into an endless abyss. Their bodies, like illusory phantoms, dissolved into mere afterimages before the immense power, vanishing into thin air.

The overwhelming horde of cats vanished completely in that instant, as if they had never existed.

In that very moment,

The cat calls, which had momentarily vanished, resurfaced.

The cats were still congregated on the rooftops and ledges of the Divine Cat Temple, all howling frantically and piercingly.

Simultaneously, Gu Mo forcefully hurled the torch in his hand into the air. The torch, whistling through the wind, shot upwards like a burning meteor. At the same time, he rapidly pressed his palms downwards, his internal energy, like boiling magma, surged violently through his meridians.

As his internal energy erupted wildly, a tremendous force burst forth from his palms. Exploding sparks, propelled by the powerful internal energy, scattered madly in all directions, like a flock of enraged fire-ravens.

In the blink of an eye, these sparks converged into a fiery expanse, like dancing serpents of flame, surging outwards with waves of blistering heat. Wherever they spread, vegetation instantly ignited with crackling sounds, and the dilapidated Divine Cat Temple itself caught fire.

Fire possesses a suppressive effect on all animals, even the most ferocious. In that moment, all the cats on the rooftops, in the courtyard, and along the ledges scattered and fled.

As the sounds gradually faded, at this moment,

Gu Mo could no longer perceive the giant white cat,

And neither could Zhuo Qingfeng and the others.

Instead, from within the now-burning Divine Cat Temple, two masked figures in black robes shot into the sky. They swiftly flew out of the temple and landed on a large rock not far away. One of them had a large bell slung over his shoulder.

Zhuo Qingfeng’s pupils narrowed as he stated coldly, "Indeed, someone is pulling strings and creating this illusion!"

"Clang!" "Clang-clang!" "Clang-clang-clang!" "…"

The individual bearing the large bell on his shoulder began to strike it.

Strangely, however, as the striking accelerated, the bell’s chime, rather than growing louder, seemed to be muffled by an invisible barrier, its volume steadily decreasing. The sound appeared to be gradually swallowed by the darkness, becoming faint, ethereal, and barely perceptible, as if emanating from behind a thick curtain of mist.

Yet, even as the sound gradually diminished, an unseen force silently spread. Amidst the faint, intermittent chimes, everyone’s minds began to cloud over without warning.

They felt a powerful sense of oppression assailing them from all directions. Their temples throbbed, and their heads felt as if tightly gripped by an unseen hand. The world before their eyes began to blur, and everything around them seemed to be enveloped in a dense fog.

"That's what's causing all this trouble! Destroy that bell!"

Zhuo Qingfeng glanced at Gu Mo, who nodded in agreement. The two prepared to charge forward.

However, in that very instant,

An unforeseen turn of events unfolded.

Mo Qingxian and his servant suddenly made their move. Both their blades were incredibly swift; as they struck, fast as lightning, the wind abruptly ceased, and the entire world seemed to freeze. Only the cold gleam of their blades remained, deeply etched into the onlookers’ eyes.

Mo Qingxian lunged at Gu Mo, while the servant attacked Zhuo Qingfeng!