Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 222 Situation

Ever since the evil cultivators invaded Qi State, the gate of Lingyun Sect has become much quieter.

At least 70% of the core disciples went to the Demon-Slaying Desert to participate in the war, and the remaining 30% were mostly scattered in Lingyun Market and several spirit stone mines. Only a few cultivators stayed in the mountain gate.

The number of core disciples has been greatly reduced, and the deacon disciples only need to deal with matters related to the Qi Refining disciples, so they naturally have a lot more free time.

Wang Ran, who returned to the mountain gate from the Demon-Slaying Desert two months ago, seized this precious free time, practiced diligently, and improved his cultivation bit by bit.

He stayed in the Demon-Slaying Desert for two full years. He had to assist Zhang Zian, who was in charge of the Hall of Good Deeds, issue and verify tasks to a group of core disciples, and communicate with cultivators from the other five sects. He was extremely busy and had almost no time to practice.

This is the price that deacon disciples have to pay for not having to fight in the battlefield. They need to deal with almost endless chores and face the dissatisfaction of many core disciples, which is quite embarrassing.

In the past, as a deacon of the Hall of Good Deeds, Wang Ran could privately intercept tasks and assign them to people he was close to, making friends with many fellow disciples and feeling high spirits.

But in the Demon-Slaying Desert, the Lingyun Sect has nearly ten Jindan elders in charge, as well as Zhuge Qi, who is fair and clear in rewards and punishments, in charge of all affairs. The disciples in charge can only obey orders and have no room to abuse their power privately.

Over the past two years, Wang Ran has worked diligently and has not dared to slack off in the slightest. Finally, he got Zhuge Qi's permission to return to the clan to recuperate for a year.

But after Wang Ran returned to the sect, he still couldn't concentrate on his practice.

Another deacon of the Good Deeds Hall who stayed at the mountain gate was transferred to the Demon-Slaying Desert. He was temporarily in charge of the Good Deeds Hall. Fortunately, there were not many foundation-building monks in the sect, and the tasks of the Qi-refining disciples were handled by the on-duty disciples, so he had a lot of free time.

One day, Wang Ran was meditating and practicing when he suddenly heard the disciple on duty calling him. He slowly ended his practice, stood up and walked out of the meditation room, went down to the first floor and opened the door.

A disciple on duty was standing outside the door with a respectful look. He slightly turned sideways to make way for a young cultivator behind him, then looked at Wang Ran with a smile on his face.

Wang Ran was startled when he saw the person coming, but then he smiled and said, "Junior Brother Chen!"

The young cultivator was none other than Chen Yuan, who had once killed seven demon cultivators. Wang Ran did not dare to be negligent at all. He quickly dismissed the disciples on duty and welcomed Chen Yuan into the small building.

He was the only deacon left in the mountain gate by the Hall of Good Merits. He was required to be on duty in the Hall of Good Merits at all times. Since returning to the sect, he had never entered the cave.

The two of them came to the second floor and sat down as host and guest. Wang Ran personally served them spiritual tea and they exchanged a few words. The atmosphere was very harmonious.

Chen Yuan took a few sips of the spiritual tea, put down the teacup in his hand, and said with a smile: "Chen had received a sect mission before, and finally completed it recently. I came here to hand in the order."

At this time, eight months had passed since he entered Mingcang Lake to look for the descendants of the true spirit.

During this period, he encountered more than a dozen aquatic monsters, landed on several large islands in the lake, and fought with several level five monsters.

He even encountered a level six black turtle, but fortunately this monster was gentle and non-hostile, allowing him to escape.

But he walked all over Mingcang Lake, and Yu Jue still had no reaction. There were only a few more demon pills and some demon beast materials in his storage bag.

Chen Yuan touched his storage bag, and a task talisman and a wooden box appeared out of thin air on the table.

Wang Ran raised his hand and took up the mission talisman. He probed inside with his spiritual sense, then opened the wooden box. His expression changed slightly: "Is this... the Blood Spirit Sect's demon cultivator Yue Zishan?"

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Senior Brother Wang has a good eye."

Wang Ran took another closer look at the ferocious head in the box and nodded, "It is indeed Yue Zishan, in the late stage of foundation building."

He closed the wooden box and said with a smile: "I remember all the people on the Six Sects' bounty list clearly. Yue Zishan is ranked twelfth, and the reward is 10,000 merits. With this sect mission, the total is 19,000 merits. Junior brother, do you have any objection?"

Chen Yuan frowned slightly: "I remember that Yue Zishan should be ranked eighth, right?"

Wang Ran explained, "Recently, several demon cultivators have become very notorious, while Yue Zishan has disappeared and has fallen a few places on the Six Sects' bounty list. If Junior Brother can get the head of this beast earlier, he can get more rewards for his good deeds."

Chen Yuan's expression relaxed a little. He stroked his storage bag, took out his identity jade token and handed it to Wang Ran.

Wang Ran transferred 19,000 merits to Chen Yuan's identity jade token, then took out a jade slip and handed them to Chen Yuan: "This is the latest bounty list of the six sects. If you are interested in being a ghostwriter, you can refer to it."

Chen Yuan put the jade slip and the identity jade card into the storage bag and smiled slightly: "Brother, you are thoughtful, but I just met this beast by chance, and I will go to the Demon Desert in another year, so I have no intention of being a ghostwriter."

When Wang Ran heard the words "Demon Desert", a trace of fear flashed across his eyes, and he sighed, "Brother, before you go back to the Demon Desert, you'd better prepare more healing pills and mid-grade spirit stones."

Chen Yuan asked, "What do you mean, Senior Brother?"

Wang Ran lowered his voice slightly, as if he was worried that others might hear him, and said, "Junior brother has been staying in the mountain gate for the past two years, so he doesn't know the situation in the Demon-Slaying Desert."

"In recent months, the offensive of the Demon Sect has become increasingly fierce. The six sects have found it increasingly difficult to resist, with casualties increasing day by day, and gaining merit has become increasingly difficult."

"Moreover, no matter how great the merits of the monks of each sect are, they are not allowed to leave the Demon-Slaying Desert. Only one or two deacons can be rotated. Junior brother, prepare more healing pills, which can save a lot of good deeds."

Chen Yuan was shocked. Before, when Mo Jingchun returned to the sect, he had told him about the situation on the front line. At that time, the six sects of Qi State were evenly matched with the demon cultivators. He did not expect that in less than two years, they had fallen into a disadvantage.

He asked, "Brother, can you explain it in more detail?"

Wang Ran whispered, "In the past, the Six Sects of Qi State were on par with the Demon Cultivators, and sometimes even had the upper hand. But in the past year, the number of Demon Cultivators has suddenly increased, and their strength has become stronger, and the situation has gradually become unfavorable to us."

"Before I returned to the sect, the two sides fought a major battle every ten days, a minor battle every three days, and the fighting continued every day. Our side lost more than it won, and the casualties increased. The number of people who gained anything also decreased..."

Wang Ran described the situation in detail, and Chen Yuan bowed and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, for telling me the truth. Otherwise, I would not have known the inside story and would not have been well prepared, and I would have suffered a great loss."

Wang Ran smiled and said, "Junior brother, you are being polite. This is not a secret. You will know it sooner or later. Moreover, Junior brother is very powerful. As long as you are careful, the demon cultivators will not be able to do anything to you."

Chen Yuan smiled, stood up and said goodbye. Wang Ran saw him out of the small building and exchanged a few words before they parted.

Chen Yuan rode on the light of escape and flew towards Yunyin Peak, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

The demonic cultivators were gaining the upper hand, the losses of the six sects of Qi State were increasing, and the situation was becoming increasingly bad.

Fortunately, he had prepared a backup plan. Even if the six sects were defeated, they could escape to Jiuxianzhou.

However, from what Wang Ran said, although the six clans of Qi were at a disadvantage, they were not in danger of defeat and could hold on for a long time, so there was no need to leave in a hurry.

The spiritual power of Jiuxianzhou is far superior to that of Donghuazhou, and the strength of the cultivators is also far greater than that of Donghuazhou, so you should not go there rashly.

The most important thing is that the monster power in Jiuxianzhou is far greater than that in Donghuazhou, and it is also ruled by the monster royal family, with strict control. It is very risky to find the descendants of the true spirit among them. He plans to search as much as possible in the territory of Qi first, and it will not be too late to leave when the situation becomes irreversible.

Chen Yuan made up his mind and returned to the cave to meditate and recuperate.

While he was in Mingcang Lake, he needed to spread out his spiritual sense and stay alert at all times. Maintaining this state for such a long time made him mentally and physically exhausted. This was a good opportunity for him to have a good rest.

But not long after Chen Yuan entered into meditation, a sound transmission note flew into the cave and woke him up.

He frowned, raised his hand, took the sound transmission talisman into his hand, and spread out his spiritual sense to check it out.

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly, he stood up and left the house, flying towards Jiangzhen Peak.

This sound transmission note was actually sent by Jin Luoheng. He had been away from the sect for several years and just returned to the mountain gate a few days ago and asked Chen Yuan to meet him.

Of course Chen Yuan did not dare to delay. He increased his speed and soon arrived at the top of Jiangzhen Peak.

The door to Jin Luoheng's cave was opened. Chen Yuan walked in, passed through the winding passage, and came to the stone hall.

Jin Luoheng sat upright on the jade bed, wearing a Tai Chi Taoist robe, with his hair loose and a smile on his lips, his aura becoming increasingly ethereal and unpredictable.

Chen Yuan bowed deeply and said respectfully: "Disciple Chen Yuan, I pay my respects to the Master!"

Jin Luoheng looked at Chen Yuan carefully and suddenly said, "Have you broken through the bottleneck in the late stage?"

Chen Yuan was shocked. He didn't expect that Jin Luoheng could see through his cultivation level at a glance.

But he also knew that this matter could not be hidden from Jin Luoheng, so he thought of an excuse after the breakthrough and explained immediately: "My disciple accidentally entered the cave of a cultivator in the early stage of Jindan a few years ago and obtained a few pills..."

Jin Luoheng said calmly: "You don't need to explain. The path of cultivating immortals is to go against the will of heaven. To achieve anything, chance is indispensable. Your chance has nothing to do with me, your teacher."

"But you must remember that for those who cultivate immortality, the most important thing is the heart of Tao. You cannot just rely on chance, otherwise you will not go far."

"Of course, although the heart of Tao is important, without the opportunity, there is no way to cultivate the Tao. The two complement each other and are indispensable."

Chen Yuan said solemnly: "Disciple will follow the master's teachings."

Jin Luoheng continued, "Before I returned to the sect, I went to the Demon-Slaying Desert. You killed seven cultivators of the same level in one battle. Is that true or not?"

Chen Yuan felt relieved and replied, "Yes, I got a secret technique from the cave of that Jindan cultivator. When I used it, it was extremely powerful and killed seven demon cultivators in the middle stage of foundation building."

Jin Luoheng didn't know that he had killed Xu Feiqing. It seemed that Shen Danmei really kept her mouth shut and didn't tell Jin Luoheng that he was a physical cultivator.

Otherwise, as a physical cultivator, he would need to strengthen his body to improve his cultivation, which is ten times more difficult than that of an ordinary cultivator. However, his cultivation progress was so fast that he went from the early stage of foundation building to the late stage of foundation building in just over a decade. There is no way to explain it.

Jin Luoheng smiled and said, "You have earned a lot of honor for me. In the past few years, there are few disciples like you who can kill cultivators of the same level as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. Senior Brother Zhuge is quite impressed by you."

Chen Yuan said: "I was just lucky enough to get some opportunities. When I took action, I only targeted those demon cultivators who were not strong. There is nothing to boast about."

Jin Luoheng smiled and said, "You don't have to be modest. These seven people are all cultivators from the Blood Spirit Sect and the Joyous Union Sect. No matter how weak they are, how weak can they be?"

"However, the strength of the foundation-building cultivators of the two major demon sects has increased a lot recently. When you go to the Demon Desert again, you must be careful and don't let the demon cultivators target you."

"Disciple will remember Master's teachings." Chen Yuan responded respectfully, paused for a moment, and then said, "But disciple has one thing that I don't understand. The six sects fought against the demon cultivators for nearly a year and never lost the upper hand. Why has it been getting worse recently?"

Jin Luoheng said in a deep voice: "The Blood Spirit Sect and the Joyous Union Sect are great sects of the devil path that have been around for tens of thousands of years. They each have a large spiritual vein and a profound foundation. They each have thousands of foundation-building disciples, and the number of Jindan cultivators is even more than that of the six sects. There are also countless small sects and independent cultivators who can be driven. With all their strength, they will naturally have the upper hand."

Chen Yuan was puzzled and asked, "Since the two sects are so powerful, then the six sects will definitely lose. Why do they still want to fight with the two major demon sects in the Demon Desert?"

Jin Luoheng said: "Although the Demon Sects are strong, they also fight a lot with each other and are wary of each other. If not for this, the six sect leaders would not agree to fight the two major Demon Sects in the Demon Desert."

“But the two major demon sects sent all their cultivators this time. Even more than half of their Nascent Soul cultivators came to the Demon-Slaying Desert. Almost all of them came out. Naturally, the six sects were at a disadvantage.”

Chen Yuan's heart trembled: "Then the six sects are..."

Jin Luoheng said calmly: "The demon cultivators are all cruel and brutal. With the two major demon sects coming out in full force, changes are bound to happen in the rear. As long as the six sects hold on, there is a chance of victory."

"And even if we lose, our sect has a way out, so you don't have to worry."

Chen Yuan's expression finally relaxed, but he became even more pessimistic about the situation.

The two great demonic sects have been passed down for tens of thousands of years, how could they not leave a way out?

Since they dared to go all out, they must have made complete preparations. Even if the Six Sects of Qi had a chance of winning, it would be very slim.

But since Jin Luoheng had said so much, Chen Yuan did not dare to ask any more questions and turned to Jin Luoheng for advice on the difficulties in cultivation.

He obtained all the memories of Master Qingyou, and had very few difficult problems in cultivation, and they were all related to physical cultivation, which he could only understand by himself.

But he had been in seclusion for several years. If he did not encounter any difficulties, it would definitely arouse Jin Luoheng's suspicion. He could only ask some questions that a cultivator in the late stage of foundation building would encounter. After an hour, he stopped.

Jin Luoheng realized that the questions raised by Chen Yuan were quite difficult, and that he must be very diligent and serious in his usual practice, so he praised him and let him leave.

Chen Yuan was also quite shocked. Jin Luoheng's answer was very ingenious. Although it was slightly inferior to the cultivation experience he got from the memory of Master Qingyou, it was not far behind.

True Man Qingyou is a cultivator in the late Jindan stage, only one step away from the Yuanying stage. The immortal cultivation world in Jiuxianzhou is also far more powerful than that in Donghuazhou.

But Jin Luoheng's knowledge is surprisingly not far different from that of True Man Qingyou. Could it be that he is also a cultivator in the late Jindan stage?

Chen Yuan never knew Jin Luoheng's cultivation level. He once asked Sun Congyao and Shen Danmei, but they didn't know either.

He had always thought that Jin Luoheng was a cultivator in the early stage of the Jindan period, or at most in the middle stage of the Jindan period.

After all, Jin Luoheng was a casual cultivator with poor aptitude. He relied entirely on himself for cultivation and did not receive much support from the Lingyun Sect.

But if he is a cultivator in the late Jindan stage, then Chen Yuan would have to think carefully about whether he should still flee to Jiuxianzhou.

(End of this chapter)