“The Butterfly Sorrow!!”
“This is the Butterfly Sorrow!! It must be Night!!”
Those who recognized the technique cried out in horror.
But soon, someone refuted: “No, if it was Night, why would they kill members of the Black Flame?”
“Wouldn’t it be a good thing to let them sacrifice their souls to the Night King??”
“The Night Organization never had those ridiculous ideas of protecting people!”
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone began to hesitate.
Gu Yan also nodded at this moment: “Right, all of you thought this was the real Night, but... you’re all wrong.”
“Originally, I didn’t want to believe my own theory either.”
“But..... after witnessing the tragedies of Rose’s Love and the disciples of the Wang Family.”
“I’ve come to a conclusion.”
Gu Yan said in a deep voice, “There’s more than one Night.”
“Because their methods and styles of operation are different.”
“The victims of Rose’s Love were all ordinary people, but they had one thing in common—all of them were lawbreakers.”
“There were no traces of techniques being used at the scene, but the message ‘Night will extinguish all evil’ was left behind.”
“On the other hand, the Black Flame in the campus was a group of lunatics. The user of the Butterfly Sorrow saved everyone in the campus and left no message.”
“As for the Wang Family, it was the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect who killed them. According to the video, he could absorb their souls to cultivate.”
“And at the scene.... a message was also left.”
“Let’s go back to the initial case involving the leader of the King of Hell Palace... no message was left at the scene, but the method was brutal.”
As Gu Yan spoke up to this point, everyone’s faces showed expressions of concern.
The identities of these victims were all extraordinary, but traditionally, Night always left a message to take responsibility for the deed.
So..... why were there cases that seemed related to Night but did not have any messages left behind?
Bai Jun looked at Gu Yan: “Gu Yan, do you have any ideas?”
Gu Yan nodded and slowly said, “So, I suspect that these people are all Night, but none of them are truly Night.”
“Not truly Night means that they are all inferior imitators, actors trying to become Night!”
“Like the Black Flame, they all want to resurrect the Night King and follow him, so they’ve caused disturbances, hoping the Night King would invite them into his ranks.”
“But there’s another possibility, one I guessed when I saw the footage of the Wang Family’s disciples being killed.”
“And that is......”
Gu Yan took a deep breath and slowly said, “The dagger of the Night King has found them and granted each of them strength.”
“It has lured them to corruption, making them choose to consume biological souls to grow stronger. The one who survives might be the Night King!”
“And right now.... Every martial artist from the ancient martial world who has come to the secular realm! Even every person in every city, might.... be their target!”
As soon as these words were spoken.
Boom!
Everyone’s minds went blank.
Their faces turned as pale as paper.
A martial artist exclaimed in shock: “The dagger!! Yes!! It must be the dagger!”
“The self-aware dagger named【Night】!!”
“The one the Night King always wielded!”
Thanks to this martial artist’s reminder.
Another ancient martial world elder, with a dignified status, also spoke with a grim expression: “The Night Organization only recognizes the dagger, not the person.”
“Back then, none of us knew how the Night King was born.”
“Perhaps....... what Gu Yan is saying now is the answer.”
He looked at the crowd with pale faces and said in a heavy tone: “The dagger.... disappeared after the Night King’s death.”
“We all thought the dagger vanished along with the Night King.”
“But..... after Gu Yan’s reminder, maybe the dagger still exists.”
“And that dagger is still searching for the next Night King!”
“They are not Night, but they are all Night.”
“When they grow strong enough, maybe..... the past events will repeat!”
After this statement.
Everyone couldn’t help but gasp.
Their faces were pale, their pupils shaken.
First, the leader of the King of Hell Palace died, then the disciples of the Wang Family.
Was there anything more enticing to these passionate martial artists eager to improve their strength?
Gu Yan, seeing that almost everyone had been convinced, slowly spoke up: “That dagger..... must have chosen many heirs.”
“I have two guesses: first, the dagger’s purpose is to select the Night King from among these chosen ones.”
“Second..... it might be the dagger seeking to recruit members for the Night King who hides behind the scenes!”
“No matter the outcome, it will cause irreversible damage to the world.”
“And....”
“Besides the known enemy, the Heavenly Demon Sect, perhaps........ there are even people here who have been chosen by that dagger!”
“In other words, every person present is a suspect connected to【Night】!”
As Gu Yan finished speaking.
The atmosphere in the room turned extremely eerie.
Everyone couldn’t help but look at the people around them, each pair of eyes filled with a hint of fear.
Bai Jun, seeing this, panicked and quickly said: “Wait! Gu Yan, don’t say something that’s detrimental to unity!”
“We all know each other’s backgrounds; how could any of us be related to Night?”
Guo Tianyun of the Free and Untethered Mountain was even more furious, yelling: “Gu Yan! Stop spouting nonsense!”
“We’re here to discuss the combat plan properly! How could any of us be related to Night?”
At this.
Gu Yan shrugged: “Combat plan? What if there’s someone from Night among us? Wouldn’t the plan be exposed?”
“Moreover.......”
Gu Yan gave Guo Tianyun a dubious look: “I’ve heard it said that Guo Tianyun of the Free and Untethered Mountain hasn’t been able to breakthrough for decades, with rumors even saying he’s stopped at the peak of the Primordial stage for life.”
“So....... how come you happened to breakthrough to the Sage stage right at this crucial moment?”
“I’ve heard that members of the Night Organization have incredibly fast cultivation speeds..... Could it be that you.........”
Guo Tianyun’s face turned flustered as he interrupted: “Nonsense! I’ve been stuck at that stage for so many years; with my life almost spent, finally breaking through is perfectly normal!”
As soon as he said this.
A devilish martial artist sneered: “Well then, you’d be even more susceptible to the dagger of Night’s temptation, wouldn’t you? Just absorb souls and break through to Sage stage to extend your life.”
“Guo Tianyun, are you really connected to Night?”
Upon hearing this, a martial artist sitting next to Guo Tianyun silently stood up and moved away.
Guo Tianyun was so angry his face turned red and green: “Ridiculous! All of you are ridiculous! Why would I ever get involved with Night! What status do I have!”
However, the more he defended himself and the more agitated he became, the more suspicious the others looked.
Even casting doubtful glances at him.
Guo Tianyun was left speechless in anger.
Gu Yan then spoke up, smiling: “Everyone, just a joke, just a joke. No need to worry, how could Guo Lao be involved with Night?”
He then collected his smile and said seriously: “Actually..... distinguishing whether someone has been lured by the dagger of Night is very simple!”
Upon hearing this.
Everyone was stunned, all eyes eagerly looking towards Gu Yan: “What method does Master Gu have?”
The latter smiled slightly.
Then his gaze turned to Bai Jun.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Bai Jun, upon hearing this, also recalled something and said with joy: “Yes! I remember! Two years ago, the Martial Arts Department developed a magic tool called【Searchlight】.”
“It contains a precisely engraved formation, making it extremely rare in quantity.”
“The effect is that if you input a stream of energy into it, then when someone with the same source energy approaches, the Searchlight will glow. If they are standing right in front of you, the light will be even brighter.”
“Originally, it was used to find a certain invisible demonic beast.”
Upon hearing this.
Some people reacted, excited: “That means, as long as we input energy related to【Night】into the Searchlight! Then we can identify who has been lured by the dagger!?”
"Exactly! The aura of that group from Night is identical! Very easy to recognize!"
"But.... have you guys thought about one issue? Where can we find the aura related to 【Night】?"
This statement caused everyone to fall silent once again.
To input the aura, they would first need to find members of Night or individuals empowered by Night's dagger.
But... where could they possibly find them? And even if they did... could they even defeat them?
Suddenly, someone reacted, turning to Gu Yan: "Young Master Gu, couldn't we use that finger from earlier as a medium for the aura?”
"Maybe they too were corrupted by Night's aura?"
Hearing this, Gu Yan sighed and looked at Old Gao.
The latter produced numerous similar fingers. Gu Yan explained: "Everyone, please feel the aura of these fingers."
Upon hearing this, one person cautiously sensed it. In an instant...
His expression turned incredibly grim. He looked at the surrounding martial artists, who were somewhat hopeful, and sighed: "These fingers... carry no aura at all. It's likely that the aura has dissipated over time."
Everyone's spirits sank.
However, some felt that Gu Yan's earlier forward-thinking remarks were quite useful and turned their gaze towards him: "Young Master Gu, what should we do now?"
The others also realized that since Gu Yan had said so much, he must have already thought of a solution, right?
Gu Yan, hearing this, nodded and said: "It's simple. We should form teams with familiar people."
"And use the communication devices of the secular world to stay in touch."
"If we encounter members of Night or those beguiled by the dagger, we should immediately call for backup. We'll rush over as quickly as possible."
"But if, unfortunately, someone you trust turns out to be related to Night, then... I'm sorry, but your sacrifice will be meaningful. At least it will give us a direction to search."
"Everyone, sacrifices are inevitable when fighting against Night. So, think carefully."
"And when we encounter Night, it will be simple. We'll join forces to defeat them, obtain their aura, and then have the Martial Arts Department step up production of searchlights."
"That way, the next time we meet someone from Night, we won't be so passive!"
With these words,
Every person's eyes showed signs of struggle.
It was as if the enemy was in the dark, while they were in the light—extremely dangerous.
But......
"I agree. I came here to wipe out Night. Death and separation among martial artists are commonplace. I agree with this plan!"
"I agree too!"
"Me too!"
"I'm in! Just go for it!"
"If we don't take the lead, who else will?"
"Let's do it, brothers!"
Seeing this scene, Gu Yan's heart couldn't help but gloat.
No wonder these are characters from a hot-blooded novel; the positive side is always filled with righteous emotions.
However... he glanced at some of the demonic factions.
Each of them had an expression that suggested they no longer wanted to participate in this matter.
But it didn't matter; reaching this point was enough.
On the surface, he showed a moved expression: "Seeing everyone so concerned for the world really touches me deeply."
"I will also participate in this campaign. If there's any need for the Gu Family to contribute, feel free to make a request!"
The others nodded in approval, praising Gu Yan's righteousness.
Guo Tianyun, because Gu Yan had spoken up for him, also looked better and his gaze towards Gu Yan softened.
Gu Yan looked at the crowd and, while appearing amiable, said: "Let's divide into groups then. Time is of the essence; the sooner the better."
Alright... let me think, what should I do next?
Shangguan Miaoyin had remained silent from the beginning, quietly watching Gu Yan's performance.
Her heart was filled with disdain. Hmph... such reasoning is completely wrong!
After all... the Night King is her master, and the dagger is with the master.
From the very beginning, there has only been one Night King!
What a laughable man. However, thanks to him, it will be even more convenient for them to move in the dark.
She must report this to the master...