From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 429 The Truth Revealed, Dawn Breaks

"Where have I seen you before?" I pressed, my voice low and deep, as if it came from underground.

Elder Xuanfeng frowned, his brows furrowed like a crumpled piece of silk. He repeatedly stroked his chin with his fingers, his eyes darting around before finally settling on the token.

“If I remember correctly… this… this is the symbol of the ‘Eclipse Cult’…”

"The Eclipse Moon Cult?!" I gasped. The Eclipse Moon Cult, a taboo name erased from the annals of the immortal sects, a cult known for devouring the essence of the sun and moon and cultivating evil arts, was said to have been eradicated hundreds of years ago.

How can this be?

The appearance of this token was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves and making my already chaotic thoughts even more turbulent.

We immediately headed to the forbidden area of ​​the Immortal Sect, where the notes and secret manuals of the elders of past generations are kept, where we might find clues about the Eclipse Moon Sect.

The forbidden area was cold and damp, with an ancient musty smell permeating the air, making one shiver involuntarily.

Elder Xuanfeng lit an oil lamp, its dim light flickering in the empty forbidden area, casting long, twisted shadows that resembled monsters lurking in the darkness.

We searched through countless yellowed scrolls and finally found a record of the Eclipse Cult in a tattered notebook.

The followers of the Eclipse Moon Cult use the moon as a totem and practice an evil art called "Eclipse Moon Technique," which allows them to absorb the spiritual power of others for their own use; it is extremely insidious.

The notes also record a secret stronghold of the Eclipse Cult—a hidden cave located behind Sunset Peak.

Behind Sunset Peak, the mountains are rugged with strange rocks and overgrown with thorns, shrouded in thick fog all year round, and rarely visited by people.

We carefully made our way through the thick fog. Mingyue was pale and followed closely behind me. Her hands were cold and trembling, and it was clear that she was terrified.

I gently patted her hand and gave her an encouraging look.

"Don't be afraid, Mingyue, everything will be alright."

Although Deacon Wu had not fully recovered, he insisted on coming along. His face was pale and his lips were chapped, but he forced himself to be cheerful and occasionally cracked a joke in an attempt to liven up the atmosphere.

"Senior Sister Xiao, do you think the people from the Eclipse Moon Sect might be hiding in some cave practicing evil arts, and then suddenly jump out to scare us?"

I forced a smile, but I didn't feel any relief at all.

The terrain behind Sunset Peak is complex and full of traps; a slight misstep could trigger one.

We've encountered several dangerous situations along the way. If it weren't for Elder Xuanfeng's extensive experience, we probably would have been caught off guard long ago.

"Watch out!" Senior Brother Lin suddenly shouted and shoved me aside.

I staggered a few steps before regaining my balance. I saw a sharp arrow fly past where I had just been standing and embed itself deeply in the stone wall beside me.

"There's an ambush!" Elder Xuanfeng's face darkened. He drew his sword and cautiously looked around.

More than a dozen men in black jumped out from the surrounding bushes. They were armed with sharp blades and had fierce eyes; they were clearly well-trained assassins.

A fierce battle inevitably broke out.

Senior Brother Lin was the first to be attacked, and he got into a fight with one of the men in black.

His swordsmanship was fierce and deadly, but his opponent was no less skilled. The two fought back and forth, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.

Senior Brother Lin gradually felt his strength failing and had many bruises on his body.

I was anxious, but I couldn't leave to help him because I had Mingyue to protect.

Although Deacon Wu was physically weak, he still fought back with all his might. Although his movements were somewhat slow, he used all his strength in every move, not giving the enemy any chance to take advantage.

While dodging an attack from a man in black, he accidentally tripped over the vines under his feet and fell to the ground.

"Deacon Wu!" I exclaimed and quickly went to help him up.

A sharp splinter had cut his leg, and blood was flowing freely.

"I'm fine, Senior Sister Xiao, you should go help Senior Brother Lin quickly," Deacon Wu said through gritted teeth.

I was grateful, knowing that now was not the time to be sentimental, so I handed Steward Wu over to Mingyue to take care of, and then drew my sword and rushed toward Senior Brother Lin.

After a fierce battle, we finally eliminated all the men in black.

However, we also paid a heavy price. Senior Brother Lin and Deacon Wu were both injured, and Mingyue was so frightened that she turned pale and trembled all over.

We continued on and finally found the secret stronghold of the Eclipse Cult—an underground palace hidden deep in a mountain cave.

At the entrance to the underground palace, the symbol of the Eclipse Cult—a moon swallowed by darkness—is prominently engraved.

"This is it," Elder Xuanfeng said in a deep voice.

I took a deep breath, gripped my sword tightly, and followed Elder Xuanfeng into the underground palace.

The underground palace was dark and damp, and the air was filled with a putrid smell that made people nauseous.

The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with strange runes that shimmered with an eerie green light.

We proceeded cautiously, afraid of triggering any traps.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead.

"Who goes there?" Elder Xuanfeng shouted sternly.

A dark figure emerged from the darkness and stood before us.

"Heh, I didn't expect you to actually find this place." The dark figure let out a chilling laugh. "Now that you're here, don't even think about leaving alive."

"Who are you?" I asked.

“I am…” The shadowy figure paused, then slowly removed the mask from his face, revealing a familiar face. “I am… a remnant.”

He gave a strange smile and gently pressed his hand against the wall...

The runes on the wall lit up instantly, emitting a bright green light that stung my eyes.

Immediately afterwards, the ground began to shake violently, and stones fell from above, making the entire underground palace seem like it was about to collapse.

"Oh no, this is a self-destruct mechanism!" Elder Xuanfeng's expression changed drastically. He rushed to the wall, trying to stop the mechanism from activating.

"Too late!" Yu Nie grinned maliciously, his figure flashing as he disappeared into the darkness.

Elder Xuanfeng's fingers flew across the wall as he tried to decipher the mechanism, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and soaking his clothes.

The air was thick with the smell of dust, which made me cough incessantly.

My heart was pounding like a drum, and fear gripped my throat like a cold hand.

Mingyue gripped my arm tightly, her nails almost digging into my flesh, and I could feel her body trembling.

"No, this mechanism is too complicated, I need time!" Elder Xuanfeng's voice trembled slightly, and the veins on his forehead bulged, clearly indicating that he had exhausted all his strength.

A huge boulder fell from above. Elder Xuanfeng couldn't dodge in time and was hit on the shoulder. He groaned and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

"Elder!" I exclaimed and rushed forward to support him.

At that critical moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

The Eclipse Cult uses the moon as its totem; could their mechanisms also be related to the moon?

I looked up and saw a star map carved on the dome, with one star shining particularly brightly—it was…the moon!

A thought struck me, and I pointed to the star and said, "Elder, look at that star!"

Elder Xuanfeng looked in the direction I was pointing. “So that’s how it is!” He endured the pain and poured his spiritual power into the star.

The miracle happened!

The shaking of the underground palace stopped, the falling rocks stopped, and the green light on the walls gradually dimmed.

"Xiao Yao, you're so smart!" Senior Brother Lin hugged me excitedly, almost choking me.

"Cough cough... Senior Brother Lin, be gentle... be gentle..." I managed to utter a few words.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Senior Sister Xiao, I got too excited." Senior Brother Lin quickly let go of me and scratched his head awkwardly.

"Now is not the time to be happy, we need to find the remaining villains as soon as possible!" I pushed away Senior Brother Lin, my gaze resolute.

We continued deeper into the passage and finally found the remnants in a large hall.

He was standing in front of an altar, muttering incantations, as if performing some kind of ritual.

"You remnant, you can't escape!" I shouted sternly.

The remaining enemy turned around, a crazed smile on his face.

"Heh, do you think you can stop me like this? I have already cultivated the Eclipse Moon Technique to its highest level. None of you are my match!"

"Is that so? Then let's give it a try!" I drew my longsword and charged forward without hesitation.

After a fierce battle, the remaining rebels were finally subdued. He lay on the ground, barely alive.

"Why...why..." he murmured to himself.

"Why did you betray the Immortal Sect?" I asked coldly.

"Betrayal? Heh..." the remnant sneered. "I just...want...power..."

After saying that, his head lolled to the side, and he died.

We searched the corpses of the remaining demons and found some clues about the conflict between immortals and demons. On a scroll, there were several words written: "The conflict between immortals and demons is about to break out." The signature was a strange symbol that I had never seen before.

I frowned, a sense of unease rising within me... What... what exactly is going on?

What does this symbol represent?