The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Chapter 333 Investigation clues

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen entered the town that was ravaged by a mysterious organization with a heavy mission. The town was more desolate than they had imagined, and the streets were filled with a depressing silence. The houses were dilapidated, and the walls were full of mottled marks left by years and disasters. Occasionally, a few wisps of smoke rose weakly, but they were also swaying in the wind, as if they would be swallowed by the haze at any time.

They walked along the main street, the stone pavement under their feet was bumpy and uneven, with gravel hitting their feet from time to time. Most of the shops on the street had their doors and windows closed tightly, and occasionally a few had their doors half-closed, letting in a faint light, but not many people were seen. When they reached a slightly busier corner, they saw a few ragged children squatting on the ground, scratching something in the dust with branches, their eyes revealing a gloom and fear that was inconsistent with their age.

Yun Yao felt a pang in her heart, and she walked forward and asked softly, "Children, do you know what strange things have happened in this town recently?"

The children looked up, a trace of panic flashed in their eyes. After looking at each other, the older boy timidly said: "Sister, there are bad guys... They come out to catch people at night, and many uncles are missing."

Chu Mochen squatted down, looked at the children gently, and then asked: "Then did you see the appearance of those bad guys clearly, or do you know where they went?"

The children shook their heads. The little boy added, “They all had their faces covered, so we couldn’t see their faces clearly. They appeared very quickly every time and took the person away in an instant. We only know that they were heading out of town.”

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen looked at each other and had a preliminary direction in their minds. After thanking the children, they continued to explore outside the town.

After leaving the town, the road became more difficult to walk on. The weeds on both sides grew taller than people, rustling in the wind, as if hiding countless pairs of prying eyes. As they walked, Yun Yao sensed a strange fluctuation of spiritual power. She stopped and signaled Chu Mochen to be quiet. The two of them approached the source of the fluctuation carefully. After pushing aside a clump of dense weeds, they saw several figures in black robes in the open space ahead, sneaking around a simple magic circle and muttering something.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen hid their bodies and approached quietly, trying to hear their words. However, these people seemed to be extremely alert. Just when Yun Yao and the others were about to approach, one of them suddenly stopped and looked around vigilantly: "I feel something is nearby, everyone be careful."

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen did not dare to move forward rashly, and could only observe quietly from a distance. After a while, seeing that the black-robed men did not find anything, they started to perform the magic again. As the magic circle flickered, a strange aura spread, and a faint groan of pain came from the magic circle. Yun Yao was startled, and she whispered to Chu Mochen: "This magic circle looks very evil, as if it is draining someone's spiritual power. Could it be related to the missing people?"

Chu Mochen nodded solemnly: "It is very likely. Let's see what they will do next."

After a while, the light of the magic circle gradually dimmed, and the men in black robes seemed to have completed their mission. The leader took out a black bag from his arms and put a glowing object in the magic circle into it. Then the group left quickly.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen waited until they were far away before they showed up at the magic circle. Yun Yao squatted down and carefully checked the remaining traces of the magic circle. She gently touched the ground with her fingers and felt the remaining spiritual power fluctuations: "This spiritual power fluctuation is very obscure. It doesn't seem to be the work of a decent practice. It seems more like some kind of forbidden evil magic."

Chu Mochen was also searching carefully on the side, and suddenly found a unique badge on the ground. There was a twisted symbol engraved on the badge, which looked like a snake but was not a snake, and exuded a gloomy aura. He picked up the badge and handed it to Yun Yao: "Look, could this be the symbol of their organization?"

Yun Yao took the badge and examined it carefully, frowning: "I have never seen such a strange symbol. It seems that this mysterious organization is very hidden."

They continued to follow the direction the black-robed man left, keeping an eye out for clues along the way. When they reached a forest, they found that many trees in the forest had been cut down, and the cutting method was extremely rough, as if they were cut off in an instant by a powerful force. There were also some messy footprints on the ground, of varying sizes and depths, which were obviously left by many people passing by.

Yun Yao squatted down and measured the size of the footprints: "From these footprints, it can be seen that there are quite a few of them, and they are carrying heavy loads. They must be carrying something important."

Chu Mochen raised his head and looked deep into the forest: "They went to so much trouble, I'm afraid their nest is in this forest. We have to be extra careful and must not alert them."

The two of them moved more cautiously into the depths of the forest. The forest was filled with fog, obstructing their vision, and they had to be extra careful with every step they took. Suddenly, a faint cry for help reached their ears. Yun Yao was refreshed, and she and Chu Mochen quickly ran towards the direction of the sound.

In a hidden valley, they found a group of imprisoned people, including men, women, old and young, all with haggard faces and eyes full of despair and fear. When the people saw someone coming, a glimmer of hope ignited in their eyes and they called for help.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen hurried forward and untied the ropes that bound the people. Yun Yao gently comforted them, "Don't be afraid, everyone. We are here to save you."

An old man trembled as he grabbed Yun Yao's hand and said, "Girls, you have to be careful. These damn demons have captured us here and are draining our spiritual power every day. Many people can't stand it..." As he spoke, the old man was already in tears.

Yun Yao was furious and clenched his fists: "Master, don't worry, we will definitely eradicate these villains. Do you know where their lair is, and what other patterns of action they have?"

The old man tried to recall: "Their lair is deep in this valley. Every day, several groups of people go out to capture people or collect things. At night, the defense is the most stringent. They seem to be afraid of being discovered their secrets."

Chu Mochen pondered for a moment and said to Yun Yao, "It seems that we can't attack rashly. We must first find out their details and then find an opportunity to defeat them in one fell swoop."

Yun Yao nodded in agreement, and the two decided to move the people to a safe place first. While escorting the people out of the mountains, Yun Yao noticed some strange marks in the forest, like some kind of secret code to guide the direction. She secretly memorized these marks in her mind, guessing that this might be related to the internal communication of the mysterious organization.

After the people were settled, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen returned to the forest. Following the strange marks, they gradually approached the depths of the valley. Along the way, they avoided several secret sentries and quietly approached the core area of the mysterious organization with their superb concealment skills.

Deep in the valley, a gloomy castle stood in the middle. Thick black fog filled the air around the castle, and the spiritual barrier was looming. It was obvious that a powerful protective ban had been imposed. The gate of the castle was closed, and two teams of black-robed guards patrolled back and forth at the door. Their eyes were grim, and the weapons in their hands emitted a cold light.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen hid in the nearby bushes, observing the movements of the castle. Yun Yao whispered to Chu Mochen, "This castle is heavily guarded, and we can't force our way in. We have to find a way to sneak in."

Chu Mochen looked around and found a drainage pipe at the back of the castle. Although the opening of the pipe was small, they could barely get in with their skills. He pointed at the opening of the pipe, and Yun Yao understood. The two took advantage of the guards changing shifts and quickly ran towards the opening of the pipe.

After entering the pipe, a pungent stench hit them in the face. The sewage was over their ankles, and there seemed to be some unknown slippery creatures wriggling inside. Yun Yao endured the discomfort and groped forward carefully with Chu Mochen. The pipe was dark and damp, and the walls were covered with moss. It was easy to slip if you were not careful.

After finally climbing out of the pipe, they came to the backyard of the castle. The backyard was filled with all kinds of debris, as well as some cages with some injured monsters locked inside. The monsters screamed in pain, obviously suffering from inhuman torture.

Yun Yao was distressed and wanted to rescue the monsters, but was stopped by Chu Mochen: "Don't worry, our first task is to find the key information of the mysterious organization. Saving these monsters may alert the enemy."

Yun Yao gritted her teeth and resisted the urge. The two continued to sneak into the castle. Passing through the backyard, there was a long corridor. On the walls on both sides of the corridor were some strange portraits. The faces of the people in the portraits were distorted, as if they were telling endless pain. Occasionally, a few people in black robes hurriedly passed by, and Yun Yao and Chu Mochen hurriedly hid in the room next door.

The room was filled with the aroma of medicine, and the table was filled with various bottles and jars filled with unknown medicines and herbs. Yun Yao picked up a bottle of medicine and examined it carefully, and found that the medicine contained extremely violent spiritual power, as if it was forcibly compressed and refined.

"These potions are probably used to enhance their strength or control others. The methods of this mysterious organization are becoming more and more cruel." Yun Yao said in a low voice.

Chu Mochen was rummaging through a drawer when he suddenly found a worn-out diary. The pages were yellowed and the handwriting was sloppy, as if it was written in a hurry. He opened the diary and quickly read through it, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.

"Yun Yao, take a look." Chu Mochen handed the diary to Yun Yao, "It records some of their experiments. Not only did they extract the spiritual power of the people, they also tried to fuse the power of different races to create an invincible warrior for them to dominate the world of cultivation."

Yun Yao took the diary and read the shocking contents. Her anger reached its peak: "They are simply crazy and mad. We must not let their conspiracy succeed."

At this time, footsteps were heard outside, getting closer and closer. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen quickly put away their diaries and hid in the corner of the room. The door was pushed open, and several people in black robes walked in. The leader looked like a leader. He paced in the room, muttering to himself: "The superiors are urging us to speed up the experiment. If we can't find a suitable fusion partner, no one will be happy."

The others responded timidly, and then began to search for something in the room. Yun Yao and Chu Mochen didn't dare to breathe, and they pressed tightly against the wall, fearing that they would be discovered. Fortunately, these black-robed people didn't notice the abnormality in the corner, and after searching around, they left the room.

After they left, Yun Yao and Chu Mochen breathed a sigh of relief. Yun Yao said softly, "It seems that time is running out. We must find the key evidence as soon as possible, notify the sect, and wipe out this evil organization in one fell swoop."

Chu Mochen nodded, and the two continued to explore the castle. They went up the stairs and came to the second floor of the castle. There were more rooms on the second floor, and the layout was more complicated. In a room that looked like a study, they found a large number of ancient books and files, which recorded the development history, personnel structure and various action plans of the mysterious organization.

Yun Yao was overjoyed and quickly flipped through the book. She discovered that this mysterious organization had been developing secretly for decades, and there seemed to be a powerful force behind it, and they were inextricably linked to the forces behind Liu Yan'er. Many key figures had correspondence with each other, mentioning that they wanted to use Liu Yan'er's position in the sect to obtain more cultivation resources and serve their conspiracy.

"Now the evidence is conclusive. Liu Yan'er is indeed their accomplice." Yun Yao said gritting her teeth.

Chu Mochen also had a stern expression on his face: "When we return to the sect, we will make sure she gets the punishment she deserves. But now, let's take these important materials away and formulate a plan to eliminate them as soon as possible."

The two sorted out the ancient books and files, put them into storage bags, and prepared to evacuate the castle. However, just as they reached the stairs, an alarm suddenly sounded, and the entire castle was instantly brightly lit.

"Oh no, we've been discovered!" Yun Yao exclaimed.

It turned out that when they were looking for information in the study, they triggered a hidden ban and set off an alarm. Suddenly, the black-robed people in the castle rushed towards them, blocking the staircase.

Yun Yao and Chu Mochen looked at each other, with a look of determination in their eyes. Since they had been discovered, they had no choice but to fight! They quickly drew their weapons, ready to face the upcoming fierce battle, to protect the truth and justice they were pursuing, and they would never retreat even if the road ahead was full of thorns.