Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 231 Senior Brother

The sound of the wind howling echoed in the Demon-Slaying Desert, like the cry of ghosts. The strong wind blew up the yellow sand all over the sky, and a thick black curtain covered the sky and the earth. Everywhere you look, it is turbid.

This is a celestial phenomenon called the Black Storm, which occurs once a month and ravages most of the Demon-Slaying Desert. It lasts for two days and two nights. When a cultivator is in it, his consciousness will be largely compressed and his body will be cut by the strong winds. Whenever this happens, both the good and the evil will temporarily cease fighting.

The oasis base of the six sects of Qi State was wrapped in a huge curtain of light and remained safe and sound in the black storm. Many foundation-building cultivators were flying and patrolling outside the protective formation to prevent the demonic cultivators from taking this opportunity to sneak into the vicinity of the oasis and spy on the situation.

A monk from the Myriad Beasts Mountain sat on the back of a giant falcon, spreading his spiritual sense and carefully observing the situation around him.

In his hand he held a light yellow jade sceptre, which emitted a soft light and kept the black storm out.

The giant falcon under him was a third-level monster with a strong body, and was not afraid of the cutting force of the strong wind. However, countless tiny grains of sand hit its body, making it quite uncomfortable. It occasionally let out a screech of dissatisfaction, but was gently soothed by the monk from Wanshou Mountain, who would then take out a piece of bloody meat from the storage bag and feed it to the giant falcon.

The monks of Wanshou Mountain seldom interact with other people. They put all their energy and efforts into nurturing spirit beasts. In front of these ferocious and hideous spirit beasts, they always put on a gentle face like a mother.

Just after the monk from Wanshou Mountain took out the thirteenth piece of meat from the storage bag, his expression suddenly changed. He put the meat back into the storage bag, stood up, and stood on the back of the giant falcon.

The giant falcon was extremely dissatisfied when the meat that was about to reach its mouth suddenly disappeared. It let out a sharp whistle and suddenly tilted to one side, as if it was going to throw the monk from the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain down.

This is its way of acting cute to its owner. Whenever it did this in the past, the owner would take out a bigger piece of meat and appease it with kind words, and the giant falcon would then calm down and become well-behaved again.

But this time, its owner did not compromise. Instead, he looked down at the giant falcon and said sternly, "Stop messing around!"

The giant falcon heard the dissatisfaction in the words of the monk from Wanshou Mountain, cried out in grievance, and its flying posture returned to a stable state.

Amid the sharp cry of the giant falcon, a huge boat broke through the black storm, came in front of the monk from Wanshou Mountain, and slowly reduced its speed.

This giant boat is about thirty meters long, pure white in color, with smooth lines. There are white cloud patterns carved on the boat, which is very conspicuous in the black storm, like a white cloud floating in the air.

The monk from the Myriad Beasts Mountain looked solemn and said in a loud voice, "Which Taoist friend is here? Please let us know your name!"

A figure flew out from the giant boat, emitting a faint pressure. He glanced at the monks from the Myriad Beasts Mountain, flicked his finger, and a token flew out. He said indifferently, "Lingyun Sect Elder Ji Bin, along with three Jindan Zhenren and sixty-nine foundation-building disciples, are here to help."

The monk from Wanshou Mountain was shocked. He took the token with both hands and took a closer look. One side of the token was engraved with the words "Lingyun" and the other side was engraved with the words "Dangmo". It was the Demon-Slaying Order recognized by all six sects and issued by the chief elders of the six sects. Seeing the order was like seeing the person.

He bowed and said respectfully, "Please wait for a moment, Elder Ji. I will report to the Jindan Master who is on duty today to activate the formation for you."

Ji Bin nodded slightly, and the monk from Wanshou Mountain immediately urged the giant falcon under him to fly towards the oasis.

After he left, Ji Bin returned to the bow of the giant boat. Beside him stood three Jindan cultivators with serious expressions, looking at the oasis below that was shrouded by a curtain of light.

Behind the four were sixty-nine foundation-building cultivators. Most of them were deacons and disciples who had never been to the Demon-Slaying Desert. When they saw the vast oasis, their originally gloomy faces became much more cheerful.

At any time, great scenes can always inspire the fighting spirit in people's hearts, and monks are no exception.

The fact that the six clans of Qi were able to build this huge oasis in the barren desert gave them some confidence in the upcoming decisive battle.

Yi Jin, Chen Yuan, and Wang Ran stood together, remaining silent. At this moment, they finally smiled: "My six major sects have the power to change the world. Even if we cannot win this battle, we should not be defeated... Senior Brother Wang, do you think so or not?"

Wang Ran stared at the oasis below and sighed softly, but said nothing.

He had been in the Demon-Slaying Desert for two years, when he was in charge of issuing and verifying missions. He was well aware of the strength of the demon cultivators, and his expression was the ugliest along the way.

His reaction made the smile on Yi Jin's face freeze, and then it slowly disappeared, returning to his expressionless and gloomy look.

Chen Yuan glanced at the two frightened people, shook his head slightly, and looked again at the black storm raging outside the giant boat. His eyes became much more solemn.

The mentality of the two can represent the vast majority of deacons and disciples in Lingyun Sect. They used to stay in the mountain gate, dealing with various miscellaneous matters and rarely fought with others. When they heard that they were going to fight against the demon cultivators, they were extremely panicked.

The Lingyun Sect actually summoned these deacons and disciples who had mediocre strength and no fighting spirit to fight in the battlefield. The situation in the Demon-Slaying Desert must be extremely bad.

……

A quarter of an hour later, the monk from the Myriad Beasts Mountain rode a giant falcon back here, accompanied by a Jindan elder from the Mingyin Valley.

This elder is in charge of guarding the formation today, and he actually has some friendship with Ji Bin.

The two men exchanged a few pleasantries, and the elder of Mingyin Valley returned the Demon-Exterminating Order to Ji Bin, opened the defensive formation, and the giant boat slowly flew in and landed in front of the Good Deeds Hall of the Lingyun Sect’s headquarters.

When everyone left the giant boat, Zhuge Qi was already waiting there. Compared with three years ago, he was thinner, but the pressure he exuded was stronger. His slightly dark face was still calm and composed, as if he had everything under control.

Beside Zhuge Qi stood several Jindan elders, including Jin Luoheng.

He was wearing a loose black and white Taoist robe, which made him quite conspicuous among the Jindan Zhenren. However, his face was expressionless and his eyes were extremely serious, completely lacking his usual free and easy temperament.

The other several Jindan cultivators all had solemn expressions. A heavy atmosphere filled the air in front of the Hall of Good Deeds. No one dared to speak, and the only sound was the slight rustling of leaves as they moved in the wind.

Chen Yuan and the other two walked down the giant boat at the end of the crowd. He did not dare to disperse his spiritual sense in front of the Jindan cultivators, and when he saw Jin Luoheng, he quickly bowed and saluted.

Jin Luoheng glanced at Chen Yuan, nodded slightly, then looked away.

After everyone left the giant boat, Ji Bin put the giant boat into the storage bag and handed the Demon-Slaying Order to Zhuge Qi. A group of Jindan cultivators rode on their light and flew towards the center of Lingyun Sect's base.

A group of foundation-building monks entered the Hall of Good Deeds and left a mark on their identity jade cards, so that they could enter and exit the defensive formation in the future. Then, under the guidance of several deacon disciples, they went to their own residences.

Zhang Zian personally led Chen Yuan and the other two to the residence of the foundation-building cultivators and said with a smile, "Brother Chen, the small building you lived in three years ago has been empty. How about arranging it there this time?"

Chen Yuan bowed and said, "Brother Zhang, this is very thoughtful. Thank you."

Zhang Zian's smile became even more intense: "It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."

He still remembered Chen Yuan's achievements. In the past three years, no one else in Lingyun Sect had performed so well. He was in awe. Yi Jin was also treated with courtesy by Zhang Zian because he was traveling with Chen Yuan. He was assigned a three-story building with a good location.

The three-story building where Chen Yuan originally lived was rather remote. After parting with everyone else, he came here alone, only to see Shen Danmei standing outside the door.

She was dressed in scholar's clothes and a scarf on her head, looking very heroic. She looked at Chen Yuan with a smile: "Junior Brother Chen, I have been waiting for half an hour, and you are finally here."

Chen Yuan stepped forward, bowed, and said apologetically: "Thank you for waiting for me, Senior Sister. I will come to visit you myself. Why should I trouble you to come?"

Shen Danmei smiled and said, "Junior brother, why are you being so polite to me? Let's go. Master has ordered me to take you to see Senior Brothers Lin and Sun."

Chen Yuan's heart moved: "Senior Brother Lin is back?"

Shen Danmei explained: "Senior Brother Lin just came back a month ago. He did not go back to the mountain gate, but came directly to the Demon-Slaying Desert to pay respects to the Master."

"He has fought three times this month and killed four late-stage foundation-building demon cultivators. One of them is the eighth-ranked criminal on the wanted list. His fame has spread throughout the six sects, earning a lot of face for our sect..."

Her face showed an expression of unconcealed admiration, but at the end, she paused and glanced at Chen Yuan: "Of course, Junior Brother Chen, you are not bad either. I later found out that the scoundrel Xu Feiqing you killed was actually a true disciple of the Hehuan Sect. He is very powerful and once fought for many years with Liu Fan of the Blood Spirit Sect, who was ranked first on the Six Sects' Bounty List. He was deeply loved by a supreme elder of the Hehuan Sect."

"But don't worry, I haven't told anyone about this, not even Master. The Hehuan Sect will never cause trouble for you."

Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for keeping this secret for me... Let's get going now. I've only heard of Senior Brother Lin but never met him in person, so I'm quite curious."

The two of them did not waste any more time and rode on their flying lights. Chen Yuan followed Shen Danmei and flew towards a three-story building.

This small building has an excellent location and is very close to the courtyard where the Jindan monks live.

The two of them landed in front of the small building, and the door of the small building slowly opened, and two figures walked out.

One of them was Sun Congyao. He looked at Chen Yuan, nodded, and then turned to the person beside him and said, "Senior Brother Lin, this is Junior Brother Chen Yuan who killed seven cultivators of the same level in one battle... Junior Brother Chen, this is Senior Brother Lin Haolin."

Chen Yuan's expression became solemn, and he bowed to the person beside Sun Congyao and said, "Chen Yuan greets Senior Brother Lin."

The man looked to be about thirty years old, short in stature, wearing a dark gown, not very attractive in appearance, but with a gentle demeanor. He carefully looked at Chen Yuan for a while, then reached out his hand to help him up, and said with a smile: "Brother Chen, there is no need to be polite. Come in and talk."

The four of them entered the small building and sat down in the reception room.

Lin Hao sat in the main seat, looked around, and finally his eyes fell on Chen Yuan. He smiled and said, "Brother Chen, I have been away from the sect for decades. When you became my disciple, I was not at the mountain gate. Today I finally see you, and I have to express my gratitude."

He stroked his storage bag, took out a jade slip, and handed it to Chen Yuan: "Junior Brother Chen killed seven demon cultivators of the same level in one battle. His skills are very powerful, so he should not be short of spiritual weapons."

"I have traveled around the world and have had the opportunity to obtain several pill recipes. I will give them to you today. I hope they will be of some help to you."

Chen Yuan took the jade slip with both hands, probed inside with his spiritual sense, and his expression became solemn. He bowed and said, "Thank you for your generous gift, Senior Brother. If you need to refine an elixir, just tell me."

There were only three pill recipes recorded in this jade slip, but there was a precious pill recipe for the Jindan stage, and the other two were pill recipes for the Foundation Establishment stage, which Chen Yuan had never seen before.

One of the elixirs could even improve the effectiveness of the Jindan stage by one point, and was no less effective than a Jindan stage elixir recipe.

When they met for the first time, Lin Hao was so generous that Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel good about him.

Lin Hao raised his hand and said, "Junior brother, you don't have to be polite. Master has few disciples. Since your third senior brother passed away, there are only three left."

"Now that the master has finally accepted another disciple, as the eldest brother, I naturally have to take care of him. As long as you are filial to the master, my kindness will not be in vain."

Chen Yuan nodded and said, "My elder brother taught me that my teacher's kindness is profound, and I dare not forget it in the slightest."

Lin Hao looked at Sun Congyao and Shen Danmei again and said, "I have been away from the sect for decades, traveling around the world, collecting spiritual objects for forming elixirs, and finally gained something. I heard about the invasion of the Demon Sect, so I rushed back to Qi State. I, three junior brothers and sisters, are finally gathered together."

"Unfortunately, the final battle between good and evil is imminent, and there is no time for conversation. Master has ordered that Junior Brother Chen go to his residence to pay his respects after arriving today. It is getting late now, so let's set off now."

He stood up first and walked out the door, and Chen Yuan and the other two stood up and followed him.

The four of them rode on their light and arrived at the courtyard of a Jindan elder in the center of Lingyun Sect’s headquarters.

When Chen Yuan came to the Demon-Slaying Desert three years ago, there were only ten courtyards in the center of the Lingyun Sect’s base for the Jindan cultivators to live in. Now the number has increased to fifteen.

This courtyard is closest to the small building where Lin Hao lives. It is one of the five newly built courtyards and is located in a remote area.

After the four of them landed, Lin Hao bowed deeply and said respectfully, "Disciple Lin Hao, along with three junior brothers and sisters, come to see the Master."

Chen Yuan and the other two followed suit and saluted. After Lin Hao finished speaking, the vermilion lacquered door slowly opened. Lin Hao strode forward and walked in first.

Although he was short, he walked with great imposing manner, and Chen Yuan and the other two followed closely behind him.

The four of them passed the screen wall and came to the main hall. Jin Luoheng sat in the main seat, looking at them with a smile on his face.

The four of them bowed, and Jin Luoheng waved his hand: "Okay, sit down and talk."

The four of them lined up in the order in which they entered, with Chen Yuan sitting at the end.

Jin Luoheng glanced at everyone and said, "I called you here today because I have a few words to tell you."

"In three days, the six major sects will have a decisive battle with the two major demon sects. This battle is extremely dangerous. You must be careful and don't be the first to be targeted by the demon cultivators."

Chen Yuan and the other three responded in unison. Lin Hao said solemnly, "Master, is it true that the six major sects have no chance of winning this battle?"

(End of this chapter)