Chapter 1915 — 1915: Sublime Painter

Shortly after greeting each other, Sect Leader Yun led Sun Ling Cai to her headquarters. Xi Meili and Tan Songyun followed them after receiving the Sect Leader's permission.

"Am I the only Demon Sealer here? What about the Demon Sealing Grotto?"

"You're the only Demon Sealer here."

"I see. I was half-expecting them to be here, too."

A stiff smile appeared on the Sect Leader's face as she spoke, "To be honest, I contacted both the Demon Sealing Clan and the Demon Sealing Grotto. However, only the Demon Sealing Clan responded to my request. I apologize if I did something I wasn't supposed to."

Sun Ling Cai calmly shook her head and said, "No, you're fine. There's no rule stating that you can only contact one of us. I wouldn't mind working with them either if it means dealing with these Demon Worshippers faster."

She turned to look at Xi Meili and Tan Songyun and asked, "Then who are you guys? You don't seem like disciples of this sect."

"We're just guests here. However, if you need help, we're more than willing to lend a hand," said Tan Songyun.

She wasn't offering assistance just because of her friendship with Sect Leader Yun. This was a matter far greater than personal ties.

As a cultivator—as a human—she felt an obligation to stand against the Demon Worshippers, those who had forsaken their morals and humanity in pursuit of corrupt power. Their actions threatened not just sects or families but the balance of the world itself.

Once they arrived at the headquarters, Sect Leader Yun began explaining the situation to Sun Ling Cai in more detail.

"According to those who witnessed the kidnappings, these Demon Worshippers are specifically targeting maidens," Sect Leader Yun stated grimly.

"Maidens?" Sun Ling Cai raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting to one of intrigue and concern.

Sect Leader Yun nodded, her voice steady as she continued, "At first, we believed the Demon Worshippers were simply kidnapping our disciples at random. However, we soon realized there was a clear pattern. All the disciples who managed to evade capture, despite being present at the time of the incidents, were not maidens. Is there a reason why they're specifically targeting maidens?"

Sun Ling Cai pondered for a moment before responding, "Truth is, your Frozen Cloud Ethereal Sect isn't the only place being targetted by the Demon Worshippers. Female cultivators around the Nine Heavens are being kidnapped on a scale we've never witnessed before. Although we don't know why, we do have some speculations."

"The most obvious one is that they require sacrifices for something."

"Could the Demon Worshippers be feeding them to the demons?" Xi Meili asked.

Sun Ling Cai nodded and responded, "It's possible, but there's no reason why they would only go after maidens since demons don't have preferences and eat whatever they get their hands on."

"If they're only going after maidens, maybe they are doing a ritual that requires maidens. I know there are forbidden techniques out there that demand maidens because of their pure essence," said Tan Songyun.

"Yes, the Demon Sealing Clan also believes the Demon Worshippers are gathering maidens for some kind of ritual. As for the purpose of such ritual… we can only speculate."

"So, how can we stop these Demon Worshippers? Unless you know where they are hiding, we can only react to their actions," Tan Songyun asked.

Sun Ling Cai retrieved a black metal compass and said, "This is a treasure that can detect nearby demonic energy."

"What a convenient tool," Xi Meili remarked.

"It was only developed recently, and its uses are still limited, especially its detection range. However, it'll automatically improve as we use it," said Sun Ling Cai.

"How far does its detection reach?" Sect Leader Yun asked.

"About a hundred miles."

"That's not much…"

"It's not, but it can detect even the faintest demonic energy—"

In the midst of Sun Ling Cai's speech, the compass suddenly emitted a red glow, pulsing with an eerie intensity.

A moment later, a red light flickered above it, rapidly condensing into the shape of an arrow, its tip unwavering as it pointed toward a specific direction.

"The compass activated?! So it detected demonic energy nearby?!" Sect Leader Yun stood up in shock.

Sun Ling Cai nodded with a serious expression on her face.

"The arrow… isn't it pointing in the direction of the Extreme Yin Lake?" Xi Meili asked after noticing this.

"It is. Let's hurry to the Extreme Yin Lake," Sect Leader Yun spoke with urgency.

Meanwhile, at the Extreme Yin Lake, the disciples have been staring at the lake for the last few hours.

"It's been hours since he went inside. He's definitely dead, right?"

"If he's dead, why isn't his corpse coming back up?"

"Then he's probably not dead…"

The disciples were in disbelief. They couldn't fathom how a man could endure so long inside the Extreme Yin Lake.

"He definitely has a heaven-defying Yin physique! Maybe he even possesses the legendary Arctic Saint Physique!" one disciple exclaimed in shock.

"That's impossible," another disciple immediately refuted, shaking her head. "Only women can be born with that physique. No man has ever possessed it in history."

Suddenly, another disciple said, "Hey, look over there."

The group instinctively turned their heads, their gazes locking onto the treeline.

There, several cloaked figures stood motionless, their dark robes barely shifting despite the cold wind.

"We sure have a lot of visitors today."

"Snap out of it. They're oozing with malice, and they're not even hiding it."

The two disciples who had been cultivating on the lake suddenly jumped out of it to confront these newcomers.

"Judging by your suspicious appearances and the recent incidents… you must be Demon Worshippers. Are you here to kidnap us?"

"Demon Worshippers?!"

The other disciples immediately became wary and nervous after hearing this.

Meanwhile, the Demon Worshippers wasted no time with words.

Without warning, they lunged forward, their dark cloaks billowing as they charged straight at the disciples, completely unfazed by the Extreme Yin Lake's deadly cold.

Seeing this, one of the disciples immediately retrieved a red talisman and tore it up.

"I have notified the sect! We just need to last until they arrive!"