A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 260 The Righteous Path Forms an Alliance
Three hours passed in the blink of an eye. The cloud of resentment was finally refined by the Yin-Yang Refining Divine Array. The demonic energy crystallized, the resentment was exorcised, and the essence was absorbed by the Soul Purifying and Mind Cleansing Mirror. With the help of this essence, the Soul Purifying and Mind Cleansing Mirror could be upgraded to a higher level and reach the grade of a Xuanbao (mysterious treasure).

Putting away the floating magic crystals and magical artifacts, Gu Xu swept his sleeve, and the gloomy sky instantly revealed the sun, exposing the bright and clear world. Although this battle seemed to last a long time, it only lasted a few hours.

"This matter is now settled, the demonic calamity has finally subsided, and I can leave in peace."

Gu Xu stood firmly in the void, looking down at the tiny city below. He couldn't help but sigh. Unbeknownst to him, he had been in this world for more than forty years. He still remembered a sentence that his nominal master, Shenyang Zhenren, had said to him when he first came to this world.

"Since you're here, then walk this path well. From now on, you will be my last disciple, and the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect will be your home."

“Master, you didn’t ask about my background, but only trusted me and treated me with sincerity. How could I not appreciate it? Breaking through the demonic tribulation is a complete relief from my burden. With Junior Brother Jin Guang and Liu Yun Hongye by our side, the Xuanxin Sect can be guaranteed to prosper for a hundred years. As for what happens after a hundred years, that depends on the fate of the disciples in the sect. I have fulfilled my responsibilities and it is time for me to leave.”

Transforming into a rainbow of light, Gu Xu soared towards the capital city below. At the same time, Jin Guang, who was controlling the Xuanqiong Formation, suddenly sensed that the pressure of the formation had decreased sharply. With a wave of his hand, the demonic spirits attacking the formation on the outside vanished instantly, and the area that was originally covered with turbid energy also began to dissipate.

Upon seeing this, Master Tianyun's face lit up with joy, and he exclaimed with delight, "It must be Daoist Guxu who has slain the demonic star! The demonic force is steadily receding!"

Master Tianyun calculated with his fingers, and the originally chaotic secrets of heaven began to become clear. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the prosperity of the righteous path could last for a hundred years.

"The demonic path has been eradicated, but the world will not allow one to dominate. Behind this prosperity, there must be undercurrents. Miaoyun Palace must be restored within the next hundred years, otherwise, when the next calamity comes, it will not be so lucky today."

Even if he didn't admit it, Master Tianyun had to say that the fact that they were able to safely overcome this demonic tribulation was largely due to the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect, or more precisely, to Gu Xu.

Without him confronting the Demon Star and tying down most of its power, these people would surely become the Demon Star's prey, the capital would fall, the dragon vein would be defiled, and the entire Central Plains would be completely transformed into a demon realm, with no mortals left to survive.

"Sect Master Jin Guang, the demonic calamity has receded, and I have fulfilled my mission. I still need to rebuild the mountain gate, so I will take my leave today."

Master Tianyun knew that after the Demonic Tribulation, the credit would be distributed, but what he wanted most now was to return to his sect, make preparations in advance, and complete the task a day earlier so that he could be one step ahead of others. Even if he couldn't compare to the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect, he couldn't let the other sects catch up. As for the reward, Master Tianyun believed that the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect would not be so despicable.

"May you rest in peace, Master. Please send a message once the mountain gate is rebuilt."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guang already understood. Since Master Tianyun said so, he had no reason to keep him. Moreover, without Tianyun, there would be fewer entanglements when distributing the benefits later, which would be entirely beneficial to Jin Guang.

The others exchanged a few words with Master Tianyun as he prepared to leave. Then, Master Tianyun bid farewell to everyone, waved his jade ruler, and with a flash of silver light around him, he vanished in a flash of light.

Not long after Master Tianyun left, Yan Chixia suddenly saw a beam of clear light shoot down from the sky. It was so fast that it arrived in front of everyone in the blink of an eye. When the light dissipated, the figure inside was revealed.

"Junior Brother Gu Xu!"

"Senior Brother Gu Xu!"

"Master Gu Xu!"

When everyone saw Gu Xu appear, their faces lit up with excitement, especially Jin Guang, who breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that his senior brother Gu Xu had no blood on him and that his breathing was normal.

If it weren't for Senior Brother Gu Xu, even if all of them joined forces, they wouldn't be a match for that demon star. It can be said that Senior Brother Gu Xu single-handedly changed the entire battle situation.

Gu Xu saw everyone nod in greeting, and then summoned the Guardian Demon-Suppressing Shuttle. Apart from Jin Guang, everyone else looked puzzled. Gu Xu activated his magic power, and the shuttle hummed. A magic seal appeared with talismans flashing on it and five-colored light flowing around. It shattered after half a breath.

Upon seeing this, Jin Guang's vigilance vanished, and he hurriedly stepped forward, bowing respectfully to Gu Xu.

"Senior Brother Gu Xu."

Seeing this, Gu Xu reached out and helped him up, saying, "Sect Master, there's no need for such formalities. The demonic calamity has subsided, but there are still many matters to attend to. I'll leave the rest to you, Sect Master."

Upon hearing this, Jin Guang said solemnly, "Senior brother, don't worry. Junior brother will handle the following matters properly. Senior brother must have lost a lot of magic power fighting with the Demon Star. You should return to the Xuanxin Hall to recuperate."

As he spoke, Jin Guang handed a golden token to Gu Xu. "Senior brother, this is the token of the Xuan Guan. With this, you can go to the deepest level, where the spiritual energy is abundant. It will definitely help you recover your magic power as soon as possible."

When Sima Sanniang and Yan Chixia saw Jin Guang hand the sect leader's token to Gu Xu, they exchanged a glance and were both greatly shocked. This token was a symbol of the sect leader's authority and had always been held by the sect leader. There had never been a precedent of handing it over to someone else. When Yan Chixia was the sect leader, although Sima Sanniang was not the sect leader's wife, she had never touched this item.

"Junior Brother Jin Guang truly deserves to be the most suitable person to be the sect leader, yet he remains flexible in adhering to principles."

Sima Sanniang sighed inwardly. If this sect leader's token had fallen into the hands of someone with ill intentions within the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect, it could have instantly brought down the sect leader, Jin Guang. However, Gu Xu was clearly not that kind of person. Moreover, this junior brother Gu Xu had always been a strong supporter of Jin Guang, so it was only natural that he would make a move this time.

Gu Xu accepted the sect leader's token, nodded to the golden light, and then transformed into light and left. In a few breaths, he returned to the Xuanxin Hall. When the token was lit, a vortex appeared in the hall. Gu Xu stepped forward, and his figure was instantly swallowed up.

"Everyone, although the magic array has successfully been corrupted by the demonic energy, there will inevitably be some residual forces. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, we must completely destroy this array. The Xuanqiong Magic Array will completely dissipate in three quarters of an hour. To prevent you from being drawn in by the array's power, you can take out the Chengxuan Jade to replace yourselves."

Upon hearing this, Master Muyang and the others all agreed. Although the Xuanqiong Formation was incredibly powerful, it had a drawback: the person guarding the key positions had to deeply implant their Qi into the formation, otherwise they would not be able to unleash their full strength, and it might even cause uneven distribution of the formation's power, creating loopholes. To leave the formation, the only options besides using an avatar to temporarily take their place were to use the Chengxuan Jade.

This item has no offensive or defensive capabilities; it can only be considered an auxiliary magical artifact. When this item is used, it can take damage in place of the main body and avoid the loss of the avatar. This is extremely valuable to Mu Yang Zhenren and the others.

After returning to their positions, Master Muyang and the others retrieved their avatars and then each summoned a hexagonal jade. A flash of white light appeared on the jade, followed by a surge of pure energy. A moment later, everyone felt a repulsive force. Jin Guang immediately instructed them not to resist, but to let nature take its course. Master Muyang and the others relaxed upon hearing this. In an instant, the repulsive force reached its peak, pushing them out of the formation. With a flash of spiritual light, hundreds of people were moved out from the outer perimeter of the formation.

Jin Guang watched as the magic array guarded by the five people in front of him gradually lost control. He pointed forward, and a golden talisman struck the array wall. With a soft sound, the flow of the array's energy became chaotic, and then the array suddenly shrank inward. In just a few breaths, to everyone's astonishment, the Xuanqiong Magic Array condensed into a black dot, and the surrounding area turned into a white expanse.

With a deep shout from the golden light, the black light spot suddenly brightened, then exploded and disappeared.

"Gentlemen, let's return to the main hall first. Azure Dragon and White Tiger, you two go to the palace immediately and inform His Majesty of what happened."

After giving instructions to Qinglong and Baihu, Jin Guang led everyone back to Xuanxin Sect.

Inside the Xuanxin Hall, the golden light released the restrictions, and the hall was filled with spiritual energy. Everyone present breathed in the pure spiritual energy to make up for their previous losses. In just a short while, their magical power had been greatly restored. Master Muyang drank a cup of pure spiritual tea and exclaimed, "This pure tea is truly extraordinary. If one drinks it for many years, it will surely improve one's cultivation."

The others agreed, as their sect did possess such spiritual items, but their quality was far inferior.

Jin Guang and Yan Chixia, the couple, showed no expression upon hearing this. This Qingling Tea Tree was planted within the Xuan Guan (mysterious gate), bathed in the clear light, absorbing yin and yang, and aided by the four spirits. A sip from it was enough to make mortals feel light and healthy, and prolong their lives. A sip from it could also allow cultivators to comprehend the mysteries and increase their cultivation.

The tea tree yields only about one pound of tea leaves every ten years. Apart from the necessary storage, only half a pound is left outside. If it weren't for everyone's hard work this time, Jin Guang wouldn't have been willing to take it out. This time, he took out all the tea leaves. Even though Xuanxin Sect is rich and powerful, it still made Jin Guang feel extremely pained.

After everyone had enjoyed tea, various delicious dishes were served. After exchanging toasts, Jin Guang ordered the banquet to be cleared away. Everyone's expressions turned serious, knowing that the most crucial moment had arrived.

"I am delighted that you have traveled a long way to the capital to help us vanquish the demon. The success of this extermination would not have been possible without your concerted efforts. These items are just a small token of my appreciation."

Jin Guang first exchanged a few pleasantries, then got straight to the point. With a clap of his hands, the hall was filled with spiritual light, and altars appeared before everyone's eyes. The spiritual light on them was dazzling, and their specific appearance could not be seen clearly, but everyone knew that these things were extremely precious.

However, they were all sect leaders, and even if they were excited, they had to remain calm. Therefore, Master Muyang and the others only had slight smiles on their faces and looked very composed.

Seeing this, Jin Guang swept his sleeve, and the spiritual light on the altar dissipated, revealing the rare treasures hidden within. After the spiritual light restriction was removed, True Person Mu Yang immediately felt the blazing pure Yang energy on the altar. He looked up and his face showed disbelief. He exclaimed, "Pure Yang Heavenly Fire!"

Fang Kong stared intently at a long sword with dazzling blue light floating on another altar. To others, the sword was merely a superior divine weapon, but to Fang Kong, it was almost the Dao itself. In the flash of its light, it contained the pure essence of the Dao of the sword.

The others were also dazzled by the other strange objects on the altar.

"Green mulberry branch!"

"True water from Heavenly Lake!"

"Amber and Jade Bottle!"

Each of the wondrous objects radiated its own spiritual light, and everyone gazed at the treasures with intense interest.

“Take any one item from the list, as a token of our sect’s gratitude.”

As soon as Jin Guang finished speaking, Mu Yang Zhenren and the others bowed solemnly. Then they each chose what they wanted. In the blink of an eye, most of the treasures on the altar were gone. Seeing this, Jin Guang waved his sleeve again, and the altar slowly sank into the ground.

"Sect Master Jin Guang's generous gift is truly appreciated. If you need any assistance in the future, please feel free to ask. The entire Yun Song Temple will go through fire and water for you!"

Master Muyang put away the Pure Yang Heavenly Fire, stood up and bowed to the golden light. This Pure Yang Heavenly Fire was of great use to both himself and his sect. If it were refined over several decades, it could be made into a treasure that would protect the sect. Its power would be hundreds of times stronger than that Samadhi Fire Lotus.

Although Jin Guang said it was a reward, Master Mu Yang knew its value, which is why he made such a promise; otherwise, he would have felt uneasy.

Seeing this, Jin Guang said gently to Mu Yang Zhenren, "Zhenren, you are too kind. We are all of the same path and should help each other. Although the demonic calamity has receded and the righteous path is being promoted, the heavenly secrets are changing and we do not know what the situation will be a hundred years from now. However, as long as our sects work together, we will surely be able to protect the righteous path in the human world!"

"What Sect Master Jin Guang said is very true. Although this calamity has passed, as the leaders of our sects, we cannot only look at what we see now. We must also consider the changes in the future. Just now, I, Duan, used my divine calculations to predict that another calamity will occur in the human world a hundred years from now. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, why don't we make a covenant to overcome this calamity together in the future?"

Duan Jing, the master of Cangzhen Mountain, made the suggestion. The others pondered for a moment before turning their gazes toward the golden light on the seat.

"What Sect Leader Duan said makes sense. If we establish an alliance, it will not just be a matter for one family. As long as our sects work together with one heart and one mind, we can overcome any crisis. I wonder what Sect Leader Jin Guang thinks?"

Among the sects present, only the Xuanxin Orthodox Sect possessed formidable strength. With its leadership, it could gain the recognition of other sects at the meeting. Otherwise, before the alliance was even finalized, internal chaos would ensue.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Jin Guang said in a deep voice, "This matter is of great importance, and I cannot give a hasty reply. You may all return to the mountain gate for now. I will send a message to you once I have considered it carefully."

Although Jin Guang already had a plan in mind, he still reserved some time to ask his senior brother Gu Xu for his thoughts.

"This is the case. If that is so, Sect Master Jin Guang, if you have a decision, just send a message. I will take my leave now."

Master Muyang bowed to the golden light again, and the others also stood up and bowed solemnly. After returning the bow, the golden light watched them leave the main hall, and then a flash of mysterious light appeared around him, and he disappeared.

(End of this chapter)