Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 472 The Real Person is Injured
————Shanbei Road
Master Yueyin acted much faster than everyone expected. Of the eleven Golden Core cultivators of Wumu Mountain, only the sect leader and the elder of the Punishment Hall remained at the mountain and did not go out. The other nine cultivators, under the leadership of Master Yueyin, began to completely pacify the northern part of the mountain.

While there are no real masters stationed in other parts of Shanbei Road, the combined cultivation of various factions is not much inferior to that of Wumu Mountain and its vassals, both in terms of quality and quantity.

Even though Master Yueyin was a Nascent Soul cultivator, no matter how powerful he was, he was still overwhelmed and had to abandon most of the territory and select his elite troops to go to Santing Prefecture.

In its early years, Santing Prefecture was one of the most prosperous places for Taoist practices in the northern mountain region, and it was no less prosperous than Zhenxiong Prefecture, the capital of the northern mountain region and where Wulao Mountain is now located.

However, after a true master emerged from Mount Wumu, Santing Prefecture in the northern mountain region never regained its former status as a force to be reckoned with, comparable to Zhenxiong Prefecture. After being severely weakened by Mount Wumu, the place gradually declined into an ordinary prefecture in the northern mountain region.

Only when a prodigy who can rival the Taoist of Wumu Mountain appears from time to time can others vaguely glimpse the shadow of the past glory.

However, even Wu Laoshan itself has never had two True Immortals standing side by side, so it is naturally difficult for San Ting Prefecture to produce a True Immortal. They can only remain silent and let others bleed them dry.

The immortal gates of Santing Prefecture are numerous and orderly.

For nearly a thousand years, the cultivators in the state have always been governed by two major Golden Core sects: the Li Gu Jin family and the Bei Kui sect.

It's quite strange, actually. These two major sects of the Golden Core cultivation method, one righteous and one evil, are surprisingly harmonious, almost like family. There has never been any discord between them.

As a result, Santing Prefecture was gradually managed by these two powerful families to the point that it was as solid as an ironclad wall, impenetrable and unassailable. Especially in the last hundred years, even the Wulao Mountain above these two families generally only accepted the usual offerings and rarely interfered in other matters.

The fact that a mere Golden Core sect could make the Nascent Soul sect of Mount Wumu hesitate to act has something to rely on.

Jin Fengqing, the eldest son of the Jin family head in Ligu, became a disciple of Song Yangzi, the leader of the Lietian Sword Sect in Guanzhong. After sixty years of study, he was promoted to a personal disciple and achieved a mid-grade Golden Core.

Jin Feng, who is not yet two hundred years old, has already reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, which is enough to make most cultivators in the world extremely envious.

Even if True Immortal Yueyin didn't care about Songyangzi, a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, he would only consider Jin Fengqing himself. The latter was one of the most likely people to reach the Nascent Soul stage in the entire Dawei Immortal Dynasty within the Jiazi year, and he should not be underestimated.

In the past, Master Yueyin was concerned about what would happen after his death, so he naturally did not want to provoke such a family.

This is because after a major upheaval within the Wu Lao Mountain sect, its vitality was greatly damaged, and it originally had no spare capacity to govern the entire northern part of the mountain. Maintaining a semblance of order was already considered acceptable.

After all, if a talented person like Jin Fengqing were to achieve the Nascent Soul stage, even if he were a bit younger, his combat skills might still surpass those of the frail and elderly Master Yueyin.

However, things are different now. The Rift Sky Sword Sect has become quite close to the Blood Sword Sect, a core sect of the Extinction Guard faction, and has many grievances against the Kuang family clan, but it has not openly rebelled like the latter.

When Wang Beixing, a remnant of the Blood Sword Sect, wandered to Shanbei Road and stirred up trouble, the Li Gu Jin family and the Bei Kui faction did not directly join the rebellion, but secretly colluded with him. Shu Zhengde, the Imperial Guard General, caught them with a lot of evidence, but he kept quiet because he was also worried about the people behind these two families.

Master Yueyin knew that Kuang Liuting, the newly appointed Duke of Qin, was completely different from seasoned military strategists like Shu Zhengde who knew how to endure temporary setbacks.

This nobleman was intolerant of any dissent, and he couldn't stand such forces that showed no respect for the Celestial Dynasty remaining in the world. Therefore, he decided to offer this fertile land as a preparation for the southward advance of the Hehuan Sect.

The Hehuan Sect is one of the major sects in Guandong, with its strength only slightly inferior to that of the leading sects like Taiyi Temple and Benying Temple. The sect still has two True Persons and dozens of advanced cultivators.

After Emperor Wei took the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect as his concubine, the Hehuan Sect completely lost its affectation and devoted itself solely to serving the Immortal Dynasty.

Master Yueyin knew the news that, in order to support Kuang Liuting, the Hehuan Sect's leader, Xiao Wan'er, had selected five top cultivators and over a thousand disciples when she first went south.

There were even rumors that Xiao Wan'er, the leader of the Hehuan Sect, intended for her master, the True Person Jiangxue, to also travel south from Guandong to assist Kuang Liuting, the heir to the throne, in achieving great things.

Those within the family know their own affairs. Master Yueyin knew that his Wumu Mountain was far less powerful than the Hehuan Sect, and that the Kuang family clan still harbored the intention to recruit Zhaixing Tower.

Bai Canhong was, after all, one of the top figures below the late-stage True Immortals in the world, far surpassing ordinary True Immortals, and thus naturally received much favor from the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Duke of Qin's mansion carved out five prefectures from the Shannan Road. If nothing major happens in the future, it wouldn't be surprising if there were no wars in the Shannan Road area for decades.

However, the situation is different in Shanbei Dao. After the lifespan of the Nascent Soul cultivator, Master Yueyin, ends, even Wumu Mountain, the number one sect in Shanbei Dao, will probably not be worth much in Kuang Liuting's eyes.

Even if Kuang Liuting still remembers Yueyin Zhenren's kindness in protecting him, this favor will eventually run out.

Afterwards, can the remaining disciples of Wumu Mountain safeguard the legacy passed down from their ancestors? Master Yueyin was not very optimistic about this.

Therefore, rather than facing the extinction of the tradition in the future, it is better to make a generous sacrifice now.

As for whether the Hehuan Sect will devour all the fertile land of Wumu Mountain after it enters the northern mountain path, Master Yueyin is not concerned about that. He has already lowered his stance so much that as long as Kuang Liuting remembers the old friendship in the future, he can always find a way out for the Wumu Mountain lineage.

"Elder, we have arrived in Xiaoshan."

At the gentle call of a Golden Core cultivator with braided hair from Mount Wumu, True Immortal Yueyin opened his eyes, feeling the flying boat beneath him pause slightly, and looked up at the towering mountain range a hundred miles away, shrouded in mist and with its peaks appearing and disappearing.

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the stern of the ship. His wide sleeves hung on the ground, and as they brushed against the deck, a few wisps of pale white spiritual energy spilled out.

Master Yueyin knew that the Jin family of Ligu and the Beikui Sect must have received the news long ago and were gathering their vassals to cower in their formation in preparation for his army's attack from Mount Wumu.

The real man carefully examined the protective light formed by the third-order top-grade array outside Xiaoshan, revealing a complex and indescribable expression in his eyes. Finally, he murmured, "Greet him first, then speak to persuade him to surrender."

"Yes!" The braided golden core replied respectfully, turned his head and waved the command flag. The magical restrictions on the twelve black tiger cannons on the bow of the ship suddenly disappeared. The dozens of Foundation Establishment cannonmen who landed in their positions shouted in unison. At the same time, the black tiger cannons lit up with cyan-purple lightning patterns, and the surrounding clouds were torn open with spider web-like cracks by the boiling spiritual energy.

Then, the black iron dragon bone of the third-tier flying boat emitted a piercing whistle, and the cannons deeply embedded with runes successively shone with a blazing red light, as if a ferocious beast slowly opened its crimson eyes filled with killing intent.

Xiu Jiangxuan's braided hair reflected the runes flowing on the Xiaoshan Mountain Protection Array in his pupils. A crimson light condensed at his fingertips, floating on the tip of the command flag and cutting his palm. The blood droplet splashed in the void and condensed into golden runes. At the same time, twelve Black Tiger Cannons simultaneously shot out black beams of light.

The moment the beam of light collided with the array, most of the hundreds of defensive runes flowing on the array suddenly exploded.

The powerful airflow overturned a cluster of low peaks surrounding Xuanxiao Mountain, and even cultivators standing on flying boats a hundred miles away could feel the aftershocks.

The Tier 3 Supreme Nightmare Hunting Boat was facing the Tier 3 Supreme Zhou Tian Star Guiding Array in just the first round, so it was difficult for it to achieve any results.

The one guarding the core of the formation among the two allied forces was Jin Fangze, another Golden Core cultivator from the Jin family of Ligu. He was quite skilled. He led dozens of true cultivators and, following the instructions of several second-tier formation masters, poured their spiritual power into the formation flags around them. The formation patterns, which were originally flickering, suddenly trembled.

The defensive runes, which had been mostly destroyed by the black beam of light, suddenly reappeared, flowing continuously, and upon closer inspection, they seemed to be even brighter than before.

However, no matter how confident the braided cultivator of Wumu Mountain was in his own flying boat, he never thought that he could break the third-order top-grade formation that the Jin family of Ligu had been building for hundreds of years with just a few rounds of artillery bombardment.

However, after this volley of fire and the spray of thousands of spirit stones, Master Yueyin had already accomplished his goal of greeting those in the formation. But the braided cultivator was clearly not satisfied with that; he then took out a short gun from his storage bag.

The gun was slender and shiny silver; even an ordinary person could immediately tell at a glance that it was a rare magical weapon. The man with the braided hair murmured, "Imperial decree!"

"Imperial command!" After landing, the runes on the gun body, which were coated with third-order spirit ink, flickered continuously, and a blazing flame shot out from the muzzle, which was even more fierce than the previous tiger cannons.

The flames were incredibly swift, and Jin Fangze's reaction was a beat too slow. In his haste, he could only lead the flag bearers in the formation to wave the formation flags, drawing down a ray of sunlight to condense into a fire barrier, attempting to keep the flames out.

However, in this battle of fire against fire, the method of braiding hair cultivation ultimately prevailed. The fire barrier was scorched open with a gap several feet wide, and the power of the Xuan light falling on the main body of the Zhou Tian Guiding Star Array was still there, showing a few fine lines on it.

Although it only took a short while for Jin Fangze to lead his disciples to repair the damage, the few true cultivators whose bodies had been shattered by the raging flames were unlikely to survive.

The braided-haired cultivator took in the entire scene, a smug look appearing in his eyes. However, after just one strike, the runes on the short gun he had painstakingly crafted with considerable resources dissipated, and the spiritual light on it dimmed considerably, making it clearly unusable.

Master Yueyin sighed with some displeasure, thinking that all his disciples had gone astray. How could they waste so much effort on the Hundred Arts, thus delaying their cultivation of the true Dharma and making it difficult for them to reach the Nascent Soul stage?

Before he could speak out to persuade them to surrender, he shaved the front of his braid and leaped out of the flying boat. With a light step, he landed steadily on the colorful clouds outside the Zhou Tian Guiding Star Array.

"Everyone in the formation, if you surrender now, it may still be in time."

Nascent Soul cultivators are fewer than a hundred in the entire Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, making them extremely prestigious. Even though most of the rebel cultivators in the formation are acting under the orders of their masters, they couldn't help but feel uneasy upon seeing the legendary Moon Concealment cultivator appear today.

Although some noise and chaos arose in the formation, there was no situation where the few words spoken by Master Yueyin could incite people to rebel.

Master Yueyin knew that the two families in charge of the formation had long harbored resentment towards Wumu Mountain. After doing everything he could, he gave up hope and attacked the Zhou Tian Gui Xing Formation in front of him together with Yeyan Yinshouzhou.

As a top-tier, third-order formation, the Zhou Tian Star-Guiding Formation is naturally not only for protection. This formation can draw upon the sun as a screen, and it can also use stellar power to condense endless rain of swords.

The disciples of Wumu Mountain who landed on the Nightmare Hidden Hunting Ship had a barrier, but the other affiliated sects suffered heavy casualties. Even a Golden Core cultivator who had been recruited was injured by several star swords and was in a sorry state.

Master Yueyin has always only been wary of the future Nascent Soul cultivator in the Jin family of Ligu, and he doesn't care at all about Golden Core sects that dare to overestimate themselves and defy him.

As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he naturally possesses such qualifications.

There was a cold snort from Master Yueyin, his brows furrowed slightly, and after muttering a few words, he lightly waved the jade ruler in his hand three times.

In the next instant, three beams of jade-colored light ignited the sky, and at the same time, the crimson barrier formed by the sun's rays of the Zhou Tian Guiding Star Array was torn apart, exposing the array's light screen.

The Wu Lao Mountain group had a large population, and despite suffering some minor losses, their morale soared after witnessing the true master's power.

Countless Taoist spells, talismans, and magical artifacts flew out from outside the formation, striking the array's mystical light and causing the array's patterns to tremble incessantly. The cultivators within the formation did not give up their resistance; despite the pressure from the Nascent Soul cultivator, True Person Yueyin, they continued to urge their star swords to fall in rapid succession.

In an instant, blood-red light bloomed both inside and outside the formation.

However, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that, unlike the outside of the formation where all the vassals of Wu Lao Mountain suffered, the first to fall inside the formation were many elite disciples of the Li Gu Jin family and the Bei Kui sect. If the two families did not have any backup plans, then it would probably not be long before this rare third-tier top-grade formation was broken.

Just as the battle was in full swing, another unexpected event occurred outside the battleground.

Master Yueyin wielded the jade ruler and struck a few times, shattering a magic weapon belonging to an early-stage cultivator within the formation and tearing apart several array flags. Just then, he felt a sword light approaching from behind.

Looking up, it seemed as if thousands of silver snakes suddenly exploded in the clouds, and clumps of clouds rolled irrationally, obscuring the bright sun.

The sound of the sword was clear and melodious, and the light of the sword was bright.

As the sword light suddenly fell from the sky, the rivers within a hundred miles boiled and insects and birds perished.

"Sword Essence Completed, Golden Wind Azure!" Master Yueyin narrowed his eyes, showing no fear on his face. He simply extended the jade ruler in his hand to gently block the sword light. After the spiritual light on the sword light dimmed, he pinched it with his fingers and easily crushed it.

"Junior Jin Fengqing, here to greet Senior on my master's orders!" The one wielding the sword in the clouds was an unremarkable, dark-skinned, and thin man. After speaking, his hands did not stop moving. Jin Fengqing, who had mastered the "Sky-Splitting Sword Manual," a mid-grade sword technique of the Universe Rank, unleashed three sword energies in succession. However, his target was not True Person Yueyin, but rather the Golden Core cultivator from another family who was attacking the formation most vigorously.

This cultivator had been cultivating for nearly four hundred years. After achieving the Golden Core, he became a sect leader and ancestor. He rarely encountered Nascent Soul cultivators, and even when he did, he rarely met someone of the same level who would take his life without saying a word.

It wasn't until the Sky-Splitting Sword Qi tore through the clouds and fell like a rain of star swords that the cultivator suddenly realized that the last time he faced such a life-or-death crisis was probably sixty years ago.

But if you react too slow at this moment, it can be fatal!
Even though he knew that his defensive magic treasures were probably no better than paper against the sword energy, Shang Xiu still used them all to protect himself, clinging to a sliver of hope.

Fortunately, Master Yueyin did not sit idly by. He released his Jade Ruler Spiritual Treasure and easily dispersed the sword energy, saving the cultivator's life. At the same time, he muttered, "This is at least a Lesser Completion level of the 'Heaven-Splitting Sword Manual'."

However, no matter how talented he is, Jin Fengqing is still only a Golden Core cultivator, and Master Yueyin does not think there is anything about him that is worth his attention.

Without further ado, he asked, "Young friend Jin, is it possible to persuade your father to surrender? Duke Qin has a compassionate heart and truly does not wish for further bloodshed in this world. I can promise you here that if the Jin family of Ligu can relocate to this region, I can also spare the lives of your entire family."

"Ha, senior is content to be a lackey of the Immortal Dynasty. We disciples of the Rending Sky Sword Sect just want to live an honest life and don't want anything else!"

The moment the word "think" landed, streaks of sword energy crisscrossed the sky, falling with a sense of rage.

"Excellent swordsmanship!" Master Yueyin's turbid eyes lit up, and he lamented in his heart why his family did not have such an outstanding successor to inherit the sect.

However, a Golden Core cultivator is still a Golden Core cultivator. Even though Master Yueyin felt that the dark and thin man in front of him was actually comparable to the old bird of the Fei family, he still did not take him too seriously.

As expected, even though Master Yueyin had many concerns and did not go all out, Jin Fengqing still did not surrender easily. After the two fought for the time it takes to smoke a pipe, Jin Fengqing ran out of tricks and quickly created an opening to escape.

In Master Yu Yueyin's view, the life of Jin Fengqing, this Nascent Soul seed, was far more valuable than all the other cultivators combined, so he could not be let go.

"This boy's sword escape technique is quite good. Does he think that this will allow him to remain undefeated? He has probably forgotten my abilities!"

Master Yueyin confidently rode his dragon-shaped jade chariot in pursuit. Meanwhile, since the braided golden elixir from Mount Wumu took over command, the allied forces of the various families in Santing Prefecture, who had previously been silently taking hits, actually began to boldly launch a counterattack.

After a long and fierce battle, the bronze corpses refined by the Bei Kui Sect and a spirit beast from the Li Gu Jin family led a group of cultivators from San Ting Prefecture who were full of fighting spirit to launch a surprise attack. The Braided Golden Core cultivator had made preparations in advance.

The Nightmare Hunting Ship turned its Black Tiger Cannon around, and the two Golden Core cultivators from their own sect and three vassal Golden Core cultivators who accompanied them, along with their disciples, formed a military formation and fearlessly stepped forward to meet them.

Amidst the thunderous roar of cannons and the spray of blood, the cultivators on both sides were unaware that they were using their lives to usher in a corner of a chaotic era.

The fighting continued until the next morning before it seemed to subside slightly. The ceasefire was not due to either being unable to continue, but rather because neither Master Yueyin nor Jin Fengqing had yet returned.
Two days later, Xiao Huanshan
Kang Dabao frowned, looking at the battle report sent by the Duke of Qin's mansion with a sigh: "Master Yueyin was actually injured, who could have imagined that?"

Before the other junior disciples could ask any questions, they passed the battle report around for a while. Only then did the most experienced Ye Zhengwen sigh:
"After the Blood Sword Sect of Lianghedao was destroyed, the only remaining True Person, Wen Fengzi, could not be found for many years. Who would have thought that he had been taken in and worshipped by the Jin family of Ligu in Shanbeidao?! Fortunately, True Person Yueyin was cautious. Even though Wen Fengzi and Jin Fengqing worked together to devise a plan, he only suffered some minor injuries."

“But in this way, Master Yueyin will be trapped in Xuanxiao Mountain with most of his disciples, unable to escape.” Yuan Jin keenly noticed this, his tone tinged with worry: “The other parts of Shanbei Road, relying solely on the few remaining cultivators from Wumu Mountain, will likely be insufficient to pacify them; perhaps even more…”

"We might even suffer a great loss!"

Headmaster Kang also sighed. Heaven knows how Wu Laoshan has managed Shanbeidao all these years, how much they have exploited each family, that even the elderly Nascent Soul cultivator, Master Yueyin, couldn't wait for his death, and they all rebelled after being slightly provoked by outsiders!

Apart from a few close relatives and friends, Wu Laoshan was practically friendless and surrounded by enemies in the northern part of the mountain. No wonder Master Yueyin was so worried about what would happen after his death. Now it seems that his words were quite insightful.

Kang Dabao then took out another letter and said, "According to the letter from my brother-in-law this morning, Ancestor Tianqin has already led several cultivators to Xuanxiao Mountain to provide reinforcements. It's likely that Wen Fengzi's injuries have improved considerably, and with Jin Fengqing joining forces, True Person Yueyin is finding it difficult to subdue him."

Jiang Qing, who had remained silent, didn't want to appear out of place in the hall, so he deliberately started a conversation and asked, "Then, Senior Brother, what should our Chongming Sect do?"

"If the situation truly spirals out of control, the Duke's Mansion will naturally conscript cultivators from its jurisdiction to fight in the northern mountain region." Kang Dabao paused here, thought for a moment, and then said:
“In the past, according to the words of Ancestor Tianqin, even if we were to go to Shanbei Road, it would only be to fight a battle with favorable conditions and help Wu Laoshan clean up the remnants of the enemy after the war. But judging from the current situation, it may not be so comfortable.”

Everyone frowned, knowing how dangerous this battle, now led by various powerful figures, was.

It should be noted that the situation is quite different now that the rebels in Shanbei Road have Nascent Soul cultivators in charge.

To put it bluntly, even if the Venerable Wen Fengzi from Lianghedao had no power to actually do anything, just having him there as a signboard would still embolden the various families in Shanbeidao and cause Wu Laoshan a lot of trouble.

"Old Ye, the Sword Debate Tournament and the Sect Competition should be held as soon as possible, because we may not have much time left."

"Yes!"

"Second brother, after the Sword Tournament, quickly select talented individuals to urgently expand the Crimson Guard and train them diligently. Even one more person is a good thing."

"Yes"

"Third brother, come with me," Kang Dabao beckoned Ye and Yuan to disperse, while he led Jiang Qing into the cloud room, taking out an exquisite iron box containing a glowing inner core and a bundle of jade slips imbued with spiritual light.

After taking the jade slip, Jiang Qing quickly scanned it, then looked up and exclaimed in surprise, "The method of external alchemy?!"

(End of this chapter)