Chapter 398 307: Forging Soldiers Sect 2

'What's going on... Don't they post disciples on guard duty at the Forging Soldiers Sect?'

Han Yuan frowned.

Generally speaking, even smaller sects would have disciples standing guard at the mountain gate.

A situation like this at the Forging Soldiers Sect was rare.

Han Yuan's gaze grew vigilant as he cautiously stepped into the Forging Soldiers Sect.

He saw rows upon rows of metal houses.

This was the style of the Forging Soldiers Sect; nearly every metal house had a forge out front.

Within the Forging Soldiers Sect, every disciple was an excellent blacksmith.

Normally, the Forging Soldiers Sect would be filled with the sound of disciples hammering away at weapons in front of their doors, a cacophony of CLANG CLANG CLANG.

But now, Han Yuan couldn't see a single soul.

'Where did everyone from the Forging Soldiers Sect go?'

Han Yuan narrowed his eyes.

A sense of unease suddenly surfaced in his heart.

Given his current Cultivation, there were very few things that could make him feel uneasy.

"Meow~~"

"I feel like something's off, too."

The Orange Cat's eyes widened as well.

"Yes. Be careful."

Han Yuan secretly circulated his Innate Great Demon Qi and walked toward the dense cluster of metal houses.

He first entered the metal house closest to him.

Various weapons hung inside, along with a giant hammer. Aside from a bed in the corner, it looked more like a blacksmith's shop.

'No signs of a struggle...'

'And there's no accumulation of dust... which means someone was living here recently.'

'So where did they all go...?'

Han Yuan frowned.

He proceeded to check the other metal houses, and the situation was identical in every one. There was no difference at all.

It was as if all the disciples of the Forging Soldiers Sect had vanished into thin air overnight.

Han Yuan decided to investigate deeper into the sect.

This area seemed to be where the ordinary disciples lived.

Heading to the more important areas of the Forging Soldiers Sect might yield different results.

"Who's there!"

A loud roar suddenly erupted.

A figure shot out from a metal house beside Han Yuan. A pair of palms, seeming to roil with the aura of wind and thunder, surged forward and blasted toward him.

"Your father!"

Han Yuan roared, instantly mobilizing the immense power within his body and throwing a punch forward!

BOOM!!!

The moment the fist and palm collided, countless currents of wind and thunder surged and erupted.

Han Yuan didn't retreat a single step.

But the figure who had attacked him was forced back seven or eight steps.

'What terrifying Qi Power!'

Ji Chong was horrified.

He felt his entire arm go numb instantly.

"Who are you?"

Han Yuan said coldly.

"I am Ji Chong, Director of the Yan Province Celestial Net Department."

Once Ji Chong confirmed Han Yuan was not a Source Evil Seed, he didn't continue his attack. He cupped his fist and spoke.

'Ji Chong...'

Han Yuan sized up the other man. After also confirming he wasn't one of the Evil Spirits, he took out his Token. "I am Han Yuan, a True Disciple of the Great Demon Palace."

"A disciple of the Great Demon Palace?" Ji Chong's expression was one of shock and suspicion when he heard this.

He had, of course, heard of the Great Demon Palace.

But the Great Demon Palace's Sect was in Changming Province. Why would one of its disciples suddenly appear in the Forging Soldiers Sect?

The distance between them was thousands upon thousands of miles.

"I came here to have the people of the Forging Soldiers Sect forge a Divine Weapon for me."

"I didn't expect everyone from the sect to be gone."

Han Yuan had prepared this excuse long ago.

And it was a flawless one.

After hearing it, Ji Chong didn't seem to doubt him.

Although the Forging Soldiers Sect sold their weapons to outsiders, and their quality was top-notch...

...they weren't, after all, a Divine Blade.

To request a Divine Blade, it was indeed best to make a personal visit.

"I also just arrived... I don't know what's happened to the Forging Soldiers Sect at the moment either."

Ji Chong explained.

"How strong is the Forging Soldiers Sect?"

Han Yuan asked.

"To be honest... the Forging Soldiers Sect has an old ancestor at the Divine Sea Realm."

"With him overseeing things, for a strange incident to still occur... it's highly likely related to a Source Evil Seed."

Ji Chong conjectured.

But an even worse idea formed in Han Yuan's mind.

"Director Ji, I want to confirm something with you."

Ji Chong nodded. "Go ahead..."

"Is there a piece of Source Seed Shredded Meat being suppressed within the Forging Soldiers Sect?"

Han Yuan asked in a low voice.

"Source Seed Shredded Meat?!"

The moment Ji Chong heard this, his expression changed drastically.

"As of now, I don't know if there's any Source Seed Shredded Meat inside the Forging Soldiers Sect."

"That would be a sect secret, something they would never reveal to outsiders."

Ji Chong said seriously.

"You don't know... Then I hope I'm wrong."

Han Yuan said softly.

"Brother Han, why don't we go scout the important areas of the Forging Soldiers Sect first?"

Ji Chong invited.

He had just crossed blows with Han Yuan and knew the man's strength was by no means inferior to his own—and possibly even greater.

Teaming up with him would be much safer.

"That's just what I was thinking."

Han Yuan also wanted to know what had happened to the Forging Soldiers Sect.

Especially the armory.

'It's fine if everyone is dead, but I can't have something happen to the armory.'

'Otherwise, this whole trip would be for nothing.'

Having reached an agreement, the two of them quickly left the area and began to explore deeper inside.

Before long, they arrived before a large metal hall.

The entire hall was forged from metal, with sharp eaves that exuded a powerful, cutting aura.

"I've been to the Forging Soldiers Sect a few times before."

"This is the hall where they receive their guests."

Ji Chong said in a low voice.

"Let's go in and see."

Han Yuan said softly.

The two of them cautiously entered the metal hall.

It was completely empty; not a single person could be seen.

Even though they were on the slopes of a volcano, Han Yuan felt an indescribable, sinister chill, as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar.

"Still no one..."

"Could it be that everyone from the Forging Soldiers Sect died so silently?"

Ji Chong's expression was grim.

He suddenly felt that this metal hall was like a metal coffin, radiating an unspeakable, cold stillness.

"To make a Divine Sea Realm Martial Artist die without a sound... I'm afraid not even a fully awakened Source Evil Seed could do that."

Han Yuan said softly.

"That's true..."

"Brother Han, I have a feeling you might be right."

"It's highly likely the Forging Soldiers Sect really was suppressing a piece of Source Seed Shredded Meat."

"And then, for some unknown reason, that piece of Source Seed Shredded Meat erupted, causing this strange incident."

Ji Chong voiced.

From the looks of it now, Han Yuan's guess was very likely true.

"If that's the case, where did the Source Seed Shredded Meat go?"

Han Yuan asked.

"It devoured everyone in the Forging Soldiers Sect, then left this place to find more to feed on."

Ji Chong's face was grim.

If that were true, it would be a huge problem.

Because no one knew what kind of terrifying monster the Source Seed Shredded Meat would become if it was allowed to grow like this.

"Not necessarily. Let's check the other areas."

Han Yuan, of course, had no intention of leaving just yet.

"Alright."

Ji Chong nodded.

Next, Han Yuan and Ji Chong searched every corner of the Forging Soldiers Sect.

They didn't find a single living person, not even a corpse.

"It seems they were really all devoured by the Source Seed Shredded Meat."

Ji Chong was increasingly convinced this was the answer.

"What about the armory?"

"According to rumor, doesn't the Forging Soldiers Sect have a special place for storing Divine Weapons?"

Han Yuan asked in surprise.

He had come to the Forging Soldiers Sect precisely for that armory.

But now, after searching the entire sect, he hadn't found this so-called armory.

Ji Chong was also taken aback. "So you're saying there's a part of the Forging Soldiers Sect we haven't found yet?"

He had also heard that the Forging Soldiers Sect had such a place.

But he had no idea where it was specifically.

After all, in any sect, a place like that would be considered a top secret.

Han Yuan nodded. "Right... I plan to keep searching to see if I can find this armory."

Ji Chong mused for a moment. "We've already searched everywhere around here..."

"With the Forging Soldiers Sect's craftsmanship, they could have hidden the armory extremely well."

"It won't be easy to find in a short amount of time."

Han Yuan smiled. "Actually, we could try to deduce it. Director Ji, if you were the Sect Leader of the Forging Soldiers Sect, where would you build the armory?"