Swing the sword at the future female devil

Chapter 334 A hero cannot desert his post!

The Demon-Subduing Bell, silent for a thousand years, struck nine times in succession, its bronze sonic waves shattering the purple lightning that filled the sky. The numerous sects who hadn't yet left Longhu Mountain watched in horror as the small figure bathed in divine lightning appeared in the sky, their hearts filled with doubt.

What's going on? Is there some internal strife within the Celestial Master's Mansion?

The contemporary Celestial Master leaped onto the eaves to the sound of the bell, his snow-white Taoist robe billowing in the wind, revealing seven golden magic bells inlaid with the Big Dipper at his waist.

"Five Thunder Envoys, arrayed in the front courtyard!"

With this decree, thirty-six purple-robed Taoist priests simultaneously bit their fingertips. The blood beads floated in the air, condensing into crimson talismans that transformed the entire Celestial Master's Hall plaza into a massive pool of lightning. The Chaofeng Beast on the roof suddenly opened its stone eyes, and the lightning-avoiding pearl in its mouth emitted a blinding white light.

Taiqing chuckled and extended her index finger, causing the purple lightning snakes coiling around her to suddenly swell. Twelve twisted ghost-face banners appeared behind her, and with each rotation, more ghostly spirits rushed out from the banners.

The old man in the crane cloak, Zhang Mingyi, first met the ghost with his peach wood sword, but the lightning talisman on the tip of the sword shattered the moment it touched the purple lightning. A flood of living souls surged toward his chest, which he angrily slashed away, and a crack appeared on the magic sword made of thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood in his hand.

The old Celestial Master traced his sword finger across his third eye, finally seeing the true nature of the purple lightning—each bolt was wrapped in densely packed netherworld incantations. His pupils constricted sharply; this was clearly the "Soul-Devouring Thunder Fiend" recorded in the "Celestial Master's Demon-Subduing Record" written by Patriarch Zhang Daoling, a forbidden technique that required the sacrifice of a living soul.

"Witch, what exactly do you intend to do! Do you really think that no one in this world can stop you?!"

Seventy-two golden talismans flew from the old Celestial Master's sleeve, forming a rotating primordial Bagua in the air. The disciples moved in the steps of Yu, and nine coiled dragon jade pillars suddenly rose from the Thunder Pool. The witch was about to laugh when she discovered that the surface of those jade pillars was actually the "Evil-Slaying Thunder Seal" personally drawn by the first Celestial Master.

The moment the first golden lightning dragon struck her ghostly banner, the entire Longhu Mountain's geological ley lines roared. The supremely yang and powerful Longhu Mountain Heavenly Thunder clashed with the supremely yin and evil Nine Netherworld Thunder in mid-air, the bursts of plasma etching honeycomb-like holes into the white marble ground.

"The old man is quite interesting." Taiqing finally put away her mocking expression and formed a lotus mudra with her hands. The blood-red lightning array that appeared under her feet was exactly the same as the pattern of the mountain-protecting array, except that all the talismans were mirrored and reversed. With one step, ten thousand red lotuses were generated under her feet, revealing an eerie beauty.

"Hand over the incomplete map, and you can die," Taiqing said coldly. "Otherwise, you'll face the same fate as the Shu Mountain sect: your lineage will be destroyed, and you and your sect will be wiped out!"

The people from various sects below were shocked when they heard the news—Shushan had been destroyed? Why hadn't they heard a single sound?

Although the old celestial master was somewhat prepared, he still couldn't help but glare at the news: "Witch, with such a heavy sin to commit, aren't you afraid that the people of the world will rise up against you?"

"Why should I be afraid? There are still too many people in this world. Once you are all under my Heavenly Demon Banner, I believe no one will dare to oppose me." Taiqing smiled slightly, her mad beauty aura becoming even stronger.

Hearing Taiqing's extremely arrogant and bloodthirsty words, everyone's heart trembled. Before, they might have had a limited understanding of how terrifying Taiqing was because of the causal array, but now that they were facing her real pressure, the demon's fierce power shocked everyone!

Such a clash of titans was something Duan Huaige had absolutely no intention of joining—after all, getting wiped out by an area-of-effect attack while in a guild leader's ranks would be a laughingstock for life. What surprised him was that the Old Celestial Master, despite his formidable strength, was so wary of Taiqing. Why would he choose to back down and hand over the fragments of the Jiangshan Sheji Map, when he could have used the terrain advantage of Longhu Mountain to suppress Taiqing's ferocity? The Old Celestial Master was being far too cautious.

Although they didn't need to participate in the main battle, the ghostly spirits within the Heavenly Demon Emperor's Soul Banner of Taiqing were still a considerable problem. A dark, swarming mass of them forced the other disciples and sect members to intervene and defend themselves. Duan Huaige remembered Xiao Jiang and Yan Wang still lying in the Demon Subduing Hall behind him and quickly rushed back.

"Duan Huaige! Duan Huaige, what happened? Why is there such a loud thunder outside? Please take me out to see what's going on!" Miss Yan Wang asked excitedly, as if she wanted to stir up trouble.

"Stop just watching the show! Think about how to recover, the Taiqing have already attacked the mountain!" Duan Huaige said, feeding each of them a spiritual medicine to quickly restore their health. Xiao Jiang perked up as well: "I told you Under One Person is a documentary! After the Luo Tian Grand Ceremony, the Demonic Sect will definitely attack the mountain! It's the norm!"

"Now is the time for us to uphold justice! Duan, a hero cannot desert his post!"

"..."

The issue now is no longer whether we can desert in the face of battle, but whether we can seize a prime location within the Taiqing Soul Banner and, if things go well, become a minor leader within the Soul Banner.

……

As the endless stream of wandering spirits seemed poised to engulf Longhu Mountain, a resolute glint flashed in the Old Celestial Master's eyes. He suddenly removed the lotus crown from his head, his white hair whipping wildly like silver snakes in the thunderstorm. The Old Celestial Master bit his tongue, spitting out a mist of blood, and used his blood essence to draw a three-meter square "Five Thunder Command" talisman in the air. When the last talisman was completed, the swords of all the surviving disciples trembled with a dragon's roar.

"All gods pay homage, and thunder is commanded!"

Seventy-two ancient swords broke through the ground in the Celestial Master's Sword Tomb, with the Three-Five Male and Female Evil-Slaying Swords worn by the old Celestial Master as the main ones, carrying the righteous sword energy nurtured by the Celestial Masters of all generations, and piercing towards the core of the Red Lotus!
"Boom boom boom!"

The red lotuses withered and reborn repeatedly. The witch finally took a half-step back. The moment a section of her hair was cut off, Zhang Zhiyao's eyes seemed to suddenly regain their clarity: "Master, it hurts so much!"

The old Celestial Master shuddered. Although he knew this might be a cunning scheme by Taiqing, he couldn't help but withdraw some of his power. Humans aren't plants or trees; how could he, at his age, bear to kill his own granddaughter whom he had watched grow up…

When Duan Huaige brought Xiao Jiang and Yan Wang out and saw this scene, he immediately felt that something was wrong. The strongest fighting force here was the old Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain. If even he was defeated by Taiqing through trickery, then every single one of the remaining ones would have to become brothers in the Heavenly Demon Banner.

We had no choice but to take the risk! Just as Xiao Jiang said, a hero cannot desert his post!

A streak of azure light tore through the purple clouds. Duan Huaige leaped into the battlefield, stepping on the Mountain and River Map. Under the domain's influence, Taiqing's purple divine lightning seemed to suddenly lose its target. His body was ablaze with a golden and red light, making him appear as dazzling as the sun, piercing through the thick leaden clouds that shrouded the top of Longhu Mountain.

(End of this chapter)