A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 211 The Demon's Footprints Reappear
As White Bone True Monarch and Lie Mingzi were flying towards the teleportation array, they felt a sudden chill. Turning around, they saw two golden talismans right in front of them, and the murderous aura emanating from the talismans made them tremble.

"Oh no, it's the 'God-Slaying Talisman' of the Xuanxin Sect!" Lie Mingzi exclaimed in surprise. He immediately shot out more than a dozen fiery cloud sword energies from his hand, trying to stop the God-Slaying Talisman from getting close. However, his movement caused him to be delayed for a moment.

The moment the fiery cloud blade energy collided with the God-Slaying Talisman, a shocking explosion occurred, and the two forces canceled each other out. However, before he could relax, Lie Mingzi sensed a binding force on his body. After struggling to break free, he was horrified to find that the teleportation array had been sealed off by a cloud of light. Tianyun Zhenren's jade ruler shone brightly as he looked at him indifferently.

Behind him, several more God-Slaying Talismans attacked. Lie Mingzi immediately sensed something was wrong. The one coming must be that golden light. He alone could hardly fight against two righteous masters. If he made a mistake, he might also be left here.

He glanced at the White Bone True Lord, who was startled by the look in his eyes. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly felt his body relax and realized that he was already in front of the Heavenly Cloud True Man.

"Lie Mingzi!"

White Bone True Lord hurriedly drew the Senluo Sword, unleashing streaks of sword energy. However, Heavenly Cloud True Man remained calm, lightly waving his jade ruler. A cloud of light shone upon White Bone True Lord, and at the same time, the Demon-Refining Flame ignited once more, causing White Bone True Lord to scream in agony.

While Tianyun Zhenren was dealing with Baigu Zhenjun, Lie Mingzi released dozens of fiery cloud sword energies to the rear. At the same time, his escape light increased, and a fierce sword energy carrying unparalleled force rushed towards the teleportation array. Upon seeing this, Tianyun Zhenren immediately moved his figure with Baigu Zhenjun.

After the fiery cloud blade energy struck the cloud light seal, the teleportation array reappeared. Lie Mingzi was overjoyed and threw himself into the teleportation array with a whoosh. However, just as he entered the teleportation array, a golden light arrow followed him in. In less than half a breath, a miserable scream came from the teleportation array.

"Jin Guang, Tian Yun, I am your sworn enemy!"

Jin Guang watched the teleportation array slowly and rapidly closing, his face expressionless. This time, Lie Mingzi was hit by the "Two Extremes Arrow," and he wouldn't be able to reappear for several months.

Looking at the White Bone True Monarch who was still groaning under the Demon Refining Fire, Jin Guang said calmly, "True Man Tianyun, it would be best to deal with this fiend as soon as possible."

"I understand." True Man Tianyun nodded, pointed with his jade ruler, and the Demon-Refining Fire suddenly intensified. True Man Baigu's body instantly turned into white smoke and dissipated, while the Senluo Sword fell down.

"Without Fellow Daoist Jin Guang's help, I would have had no chance to capture Bai Gu. I will hand this evil weapon over to you. If you can remove its evil aura and refine it, it may be able to be transformed back into a righteous divine weapon."

Master Tianyun used his magic to lift the Senluo Sword and handed it to Jin Guang. The latter glanced at it and said, "Then thank you very much, fellow Daoist. The matter of Skull Mountain is over, and I must return to my sect. Farewell."

Jin Guang readily accepted the Senluo Sword, bowed to Tianyun Zhenren, and then vanished in a flash of light.

After the golden light left, Master Tianyun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At the place where True Monarch Baigu disappeared, Master Tianyun swept his sleeve, and a ball of pure spiritual light slowly floated up.

"Jin Guang seemed to have sensed something, but he appeared dismissive. Could it be that he wasn't interested in this exquisite jade bone?"

Master Tianyun shook his head repeatedly, collected the essence of True Monarch White Bone, and headed towards Skull Mountain.

After Jin Guang returned to Skull Mountain first, the four Xuanxin generals were already waiting at the foot of the mountain. They all bowed when they saw their sect leader return.

"metropolitan!"

Jin Guang nodded and said, "The White Bone True Lord is dead, and Skull Mountain is destroyed. Let's return to the mountain immediately."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the four members of the Azure Dragon Clan felt a sense of relief. With the elimination of the White Bone True Monarch, a monstrous evil of the demonic path, the disciples who sacrificed themselves for the Dao could finally rest in peace.

After tidying up briefly, everyone left Skull Mountain. However, not long after the people from Xuanxin Sect left, Xianyun Zhenren of Miaoyunque felt uneasy.

He led his disciples to search the entire Skull Mountain, but they still couldn't find the exquisite jade bone. He wondered if it had fallen into the hands of the Xuanxin Sect.

"I hope the sect leader will have some success." That was all I could think. If it fell into the hands of the Xuanxin Sect, it would truly be a case of doing all the work for someone else.

Just as he was feeling restless, a streak of light descended upon the camp. When Master Xianyun saw his senior brother return, he was overjoyed and quickly took a few steps. Seeing the faint smile on his senior brother's face, Master Xianyun felt reassured and softly said, "Senior brother?"

Tianyun Zhenren met his junior brother's expectant gaze and said, "I have already obtained the essence of the White Bone True Lord. As long as I use the Soul Searching Technique, I can find out the whereabouts of the Jade Bone. Junior brother, instruct the disciples to return to the mountain immediately. We, Miaoyun Que, do not want this Skull Mountain."

Master Xianyun was taken aback upon hearing this, but he still responded and came down. A moment later, all the remaining disciples of Miaoyunque returned, and with a command, the people of Miaoyunque also withdrew from Skull Mountain.

With the two factions gone, Skull Mountain became very quiet. Underneath the ruins, Bai Ying, who had survived by chance, emerged. After waiting for several more hours, Bai Ying descended Skull Mountain and rode his escape light towards Nine Yin Valley, which was tens of thousands of miles away from Skull Mountain.

Lie Mingzi staggered out of the teleportation array, startling the four sages of the Demon Palace. The Evil Dragon Sage looked at the "Two Extreme Arrows" stuck in Lie Mingzi's back, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

Without saying a word, he placed his hand on Lie Mingzi's chest. The other three also took action, and the righteous energy of the "Two Extremes Arrow" was gradually worn down by the four of them. After a while, the Two Extremes Arrow was finally neutralized. However, the righteous energy that had invaded Lie Mingzi's body was very troublesome. The four of them were powerless to do anything about it and could only rely on Lie Mingzi to resolve it on his own.

"Thank you all for your help." Lie Mingzi's complexion had improved considerably, and he bowed to the four of them.

"Fellow Daoist Lie Ming, what exactly happened? Where is True Monarch Bai Gu?"

Upon hearing this, Lie Mingzi took a deep breath and slowly recounted the events that had transpired. Finally, with lingering fear, Lie Mingzi said, "If I hadn't used the Nine Yang Heavenly Flame Diagram to block the erosion of the Two Extremes Arrow, I would probably be a corpse by now. It seems that the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect has really gone all out."

After hearing this, the Sage of Evil Dragons looked very grim. With the death of the White Bone True Monarch, the strength of the demonic path had been weakened even more. If things continued like this, it would probably be the Yin Moon Dynasty's turn in the end.

Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Shura said, "This move by Xuanxin Zhengzong is not entirely a bad thing for the Holy Dynasty. If other demonic cultivators know that Xuanxin Zhengzong is constantly besieging them, they may seek help from the Holy Dynasty in order to protect themselves. In this way, it will actually strengthen our strength. Isn't this what the Holy Emperor has always wanted to accomplish?"

The evil spirits and the Boundless Ones were delighted to hear this, agreeing with what the Asura said. However, the evil dragon was somewhat worried. The Holy King wanted those demonic cultivators to be sincerely convinced, not to come knocking when they were in danger. This was certainly not a source of pride for the Holy King, who was always aloof.

However, compared to the personal face of the Holy Emperor, the overall Yin Yue Dynasty was more important. The evil dragon had already made up his mind. He glanced at Lie Mingzi and then instructed the Wujian Sage to take him to heal his wounds.

"Fellow Daoist Lie Ming, come with me."

After the Sage of No End left with Lie Mingzi, the Evil Dragon nodded to Shura and the Evil Ghost, and the three of them went to Jing Wuyuan's residence together.

"Imperial Tutor, what Shura said makes a lot of sense. The righteous path is pressing us step by step. As long as we release the previous information, those people will accept the Holy Dynasty's rule even if they are unwilling, in order to protect themselves. It's just that the Holy Emperor..."

After the evil dragon finished speaking, Jing Wuyuan stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before solemnly saying, "The Holy Emperor is currently in seclusion at a critical moment and cannot be disturbed. In that case, I will go and see the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager agrees, this matter will be settled. If not, we can only deal with it after the Holy Emperor comes out of seclusion."

"But the righteous path won't give us much time, what if..."

Shura's tone suddenly became agitated as he tried to persuade Jing Wuyuan.

Jing Wuyuan naturally understood the meaning behind Xiu Luo's words and explained, "Although the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect has eliminated two great masters, the Black Mountain Demon and the White Bone True Monarch, it has also suffered losses. It will not launch any more campaigns in the short term. We still have time. Although the Empress Dowager and the Holy Monarch are somewhat at odds, they share the same goal regarding the future of the Holy Dynasty. You all do not need to worry too much."

After a pause, Jing Wuyuan continued, "If it really comes to the worst possible time, Jing Wuyuan will stand with the four of you and risk the Holy Emperor's punishment to complete the great task of unifying the demonic path!" Upon hearing this, the evil dragon, the evil ghost, and the asura exchanged glances, then bowed respectfully to Jing Wuyuan and said in unison, "We entrust this to the Imperial Tutor."

Jing Wuyuan nodded. After seeing the three off, he went to the palace where Empress Dowager Yinyue was located. After announcing his arrival, he quickly went inside. Half an hour later, he slowly walked out. Turning around and looking at the inner palace behind him, Jing Wuyuan took a deep breath and showed a determined expression on his face.

The four evil dragons were waiting for news in the Hall of Four Sages when a subordinate announced that the Imperial Tutor Jing Wuyuan had arrived. Upon hearing this, the evil dragon immediately got up to greet him, with the other three following behind. After some pleasantries, the four invited Jing Wuyuan into the Hall of Four Sages.

"Imperial Tutor, how is the situation?" the evil dragon asked with a solemn expression.

The other three also looked at Jing Wuyuan, who nodded and said solemnly, "The Empress Dowager has agreed. We need to come up with a plan as soon as possible to gather all the scattered demonic sources together."

Upon hearing this, the four evil dragons were all excited. With the Empress Dowager's permission, they felt more confident. The five of them then discussed how to make the arrangements in the hall for several hours before they finally stopped.

"If I'm not mistaken, the righteous path's next target should be the Yuan Shi Master of Nine Yin Valley. Evil spirits, inform the Yuan Shi Master of this immediately and see what he decides."

This Yuan Shi Shangren's cultivation level is second only to the Black Mountain Demon, and he is also a hegemon of the demonic path. However, he has no dirty dealings with the Yin Yue Dynasty. The Evil Ghost Sage once cultivated here for a period of time, and the two sides have a fairly good relationship.

"Yes."

The evil spirit, having received his orders, went down to the back hall and stopped in front of a mirror stand. On this stand stood a crystal-clear, round jade disc, its surface shimmering with light, rippling like waves. The evil spirit sage pointed a finger, and a faint light spread across the jade disc. Then the scene shifted, and a dark cave appeared in the light screen of the jade disc, with eerie green ghost fires burning on both sides.

Directly in front of the cave, a middle-aged man dressed in black robes with a pale face seemed to sense something and looked towards the light screen.

"Greetings, Venerable One!"

The evil spirit hurriedly bowed, as this Yuan Shi Shangren was his mentor, and it was not wrong for him to perform the disciple's salute.

"It's an evil spirit! You're using the spirit communication wall to send a message, is there something you need?"

Listening to the gentle words of the Corpse Immortal, the Demon Sage organized his thoughts and then gave a general account of what had happened.

Upon hearing that both the Black Mountain Demon and the White Bone True Lord had been killed by righteous people, Yuan Shi Shangren sat up straight, and his eyes sharpened.

"Both Black Mountain and White Bone are quite powerful. It seems the righteous path is preparing to eliminate them completely and not let us remain in the mortal realm."

Yuan Shen Shangren's heart sank. He had secluded himself in Jiuyin Valley, and although he did not concern himself with worldly affairs, he could not place his hopes on the righteous people.

"Doesn't the Yin Yue Dynasty plan to take any action?" Yuan Shi Shangren didn't believe that the Yin Yue Dynasty, which had fought against the Xuanxin Zhengzong for thousands of years, would sit idly by, so he asked.

"Your Excellency may not know this, but the Holy Monarch fought a battle with the Golden Light Sect of the Xuanxin Sect to rescue the Black Mountain Demon. Both sides suffered injuries. Now the Holy Monarch is in seclusion to cultivate. When he comes out of seclusion, he will teach those righteous people a lesson."

"Your Excellency is a giant of the demonic path, with a highly respected position. Even the Holy Emperor holds you in high esteem. Now, Lie Mingzi of the Blazing Fire Cave has become a guest elder of the Holy Dynasty. If Your Excellency is willing to accept this position, the position of Chief Elder of the Holy Dynasty will be yours."

As Yuan Shi Shangren listened to the evil spirit's words, he couldn't help but ponder. He was all alone and had no burdens. With Hei Shan and Bai Gu dead, the only demonic masters left outside besides himself were the Water Demon. If Xuan Xin Zheng Zong wanted to eradicate the demonic path, he would definitely be the next target.

"The Venerable One has been in seclusion for many years and probably does not know that, apart from the sect leader Jin Guang, there is another person in the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect whose cultivation is far superior to his. This person killed the Black Mountain Demon with just one move, which is truly terrifying."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shi Shangren jumped up in shock, his face filled with disbelief. Although he didn't know the exact strength of the Black Mountain Demon, if he could kill him with a single blow, how powerful must his cultivation be? Yuan Shi Shangren stared intently at the light screen and said in a deep voice, "Who is this person?"

"This man is named Gu Xu. He is the junior brother of Yan Chixia and his wife, and the senior brother of Jin Guang."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shi Shangren fell silent for a moment. He didn't know the strength of the golden light, but Yan Chixia and his wife were both top-notch experts. This person was able to kill Heishan, so his strength far exceeded that of Yan Chixia and his wife, which made him wary.

"Tell the Holy Lord that I will go to the Yin Moon Dynasty in three days." Yuan Shi Shangren finally made his decision. This place was no longer safe to stay. If it were attacked, he would suffer the same fate as Hei Shan and Bai Gu.

"Rest assured, Your Excellency, this junior will certainly convey these words to the Holy Emperor. We will then sweep the steps to welcome you and await your arrival!"

Upon hearing this, the evil spirit was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed.

The Primordial Corpse Master nodded, waved his hand to wipe away the light screen, and the evil spirit pressed down on the spiritual mechanism of the Spirit Jade Wall with one palm before turning and leaving the back hall.

In the Nine Yin Valley, after pondering for a moment, the Yuan Shi Master came to a huge, smooth stone wall. He reached out and flicked his hand, and a flash of light appeared. One after another, corpses hanging from vines emerged from the stone wall. These corpses included humans and birds and beasts, and each one was full of flesh and blood, as if they had just died.

"After nourishing for sixty years, in two more days it will be the time to gather Yin energy. Sacrificing the blood and flesh of living beings to the black coffin will surely allow my Spirit Gathering and Netherworld Gathering Divine Skill to reach a higher level!"

Yuan Shi Shangren raised his right palm, and a small, exquisite black coffin appeared in the eerie light. He tossed it, and the black coffin floated in mid-air, suddenly growing to about ten feet long. The coffin lid opened, and a black vortex appeared, its powerful suction swallowing all the corpses. In just a moment, the stone wall was completely bare.

Having devoured a great deal of flesh and blood, the black coffin began to shrink slowly, and finally, with a whoosh, it burrowed into the stone wall. Upon seeing this, the Primordial Corpse Immortal immediately formed hand seals and chanted incantations. Rays of dark light shot into the stone wall, and in no time, the smooth stone wall turned as if it had been stained with ink, becoming pitch black.

The capital city, the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect

When Jin Guang arrived at the Earth Fire Cave, he saw Gu Xu continuously refining the "Guardian of Righteousness and Demon-Slaying Shuttle". After a while, a flash of purple light appeared on the shuttle and then it returned to its original black color. Gu Xu cast a few spells on it and then slowly sank the shuttle into the furnace that had been prepared in advance.

"Senior brother, it seems that the Guardian of Righteousness and the Demon-Suppressing Shuttle has absorbed almost all of the Heart-Eating Demon Light."

Gu Xu nodded upon hearing this. "After this period of continuous refinement, the Treasure Shuttle has already incorporated demonic light into it. With a little more nurturing, the Treasure Shuttle will be able to acquire another demon-slaying divine power. Did the Sect Master's trip go smoothly?"

Gu Xu hadn't inquired about the battle situation during this time, but judging from the sect leader's expression, the trip shouldn't have resulted in too many losses.

"Three people died in the battle, more than ten were seriously injured, and there are still many others who were injured. However, the results were gratifying. The White Bone True Monarch's physical form has been destroyed, and as for his soul, it may have fallen into the hands of True Man Tianyun."

"Tianyun took the initiative to help Xuanxin Zhengzong besiege Skull Mountain. It's normal that he had a purpose. However, as long as it doesn't harm the righteous path's fortune, Junior Brother will turn a blind eye. As long as Xuanxin Zhengzong continues to move forward, what is there to fear from Miaoyun Que!"

Hearing Jin Guang's confident words, Gu Xu smiled and said calmly, "That's right. Tian Yun may have some minor flaws, but he can at least distinguish between what's important and what's not. By the way, there might be some changes on the Yin Shi You Quan side. The sect leader should keep an eye on things recently. The demonic path has lost two great experts in a row, so they are probably already on guard."

"What you say is absolutely right, Senior Brother. We can put the matter of the demonic path aside for now and deal with the matter of the Netherworld Spring first. Do you have any countermeasures, Senior Brother?"

"In the short term, sealing it is the best option, but to solve the problem once and for all, we must completely destroy the spring. However, this requires a very powerful thunder pearl, which I am afraid I cannot accomplish on my own. We need the sect leader's help."

(End of this chapter)