Cultivating Immortality Begins with Rejuvenation.

Chapter 384: Eliminating Demons and Defending the Way
The current head of the Kong family is a newly promoted pseudo-elixir master.

It is said that the previous patriarch had accumulated a great deal of wealth for this person before his death, but unfortunately, the Kong family's descendants were not very talented, and in the end, they only managed to form a false elixir.

The Kong family head was extremely respectful to Li Ji'an, a True Core Realm cultivator and the Supreme Elder of the Biyun Sect, and his words were full of flattery and praise.

Kong Yecheng was slightly moved when Ning Yutan was mentioned.

"You are wise enough to see that my Kong family has always been known for its etiquette and the principle of giving others some leeway. Fairy Ning was far too rude back then, which is why I lost my composure for a moment."

However, after Kong returned to his clan, he was immediately punished and criticized by the clan elders for getting angry because of Ning Xianzi's words. The next day, he went to find Ning Xianzi to apologize, but unfortunately, Ning Xianzi had already left.

Since then, I have never had the chance to see him again, and to this day, not being able to apologize is a regret for me.

Li Ji'an was fully aware of his thoughts and found nothing unusual.

"Where does the Kong family head think he will be?" Li Ji'an asked after a moment's thought.

"This..." Kong Yecheng hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.

“Master Kong, please speak freely.”

"Since that's the case, then I, Kong, will speak frankly and without reservation." Seeing Li Ji'an's resolute attitude and wary of the aura he occasionally emitted that far surpassed his own that of a fake dan cultivator, Kong Yecheng held his breath slightly before gritting his teeth and speaking.

"The reason why Kong had a conflict with Fairy Ning back then was not actually Fairy Ning's fault, but the person who instigated it behind the scenes."

My Kong family has established itself in the cultivation world. In order to ensure the continuation of our family and protect ourselves in chaotic times, although some of our actions are despicable, we have never harmed anyone, nor have we ever relied on the protection of our superior sect to bully others.

The Confucius family believed they had a clear conscience.

As for the rumors and gossip spread by some fellow Daoists, the Kong family mostly turned a blind eye and a deaf ear, and did not bother with them.

However, the Guangming Hall hates my Kong family to the bone and often causes trouble for us. "Kong Yecheng sighed, almost self-humiliatingly.

“Guangming Hall?” Li Ji’an frowned slightly.

I am no stranger to Guangmingtang.

It is a secret force newly established after the Two Domains Demon Sect occupied the Tiancang Domain.

Their banner was to oppose evil and restore righteousness, eliminate demons and defend the righteous path, and restore a bright and clear world for all cultivators in the Tiancang Domain.

The Biyun Sect has used its own preaching slogans in previous years.

If this had happened during the reign of the Wanfa Palace, he would have been wanted throughout the entire region.

However, the Corpse Puppet Sect nowadays pays no attention to its existence and has never issued any wanted notices, which makes it very active.

Unfortunately, it never gained momentum, and mostly only young cultivators who were new to the martial arts world joined.

"Ning Yutan has joined the Bright Hall?" Li Ji'an frowned secretly; that was quite possible.

While Li Ji'an was deep in thought, Kong Yecheng continued, "Back then, Fairy Ning was bewitched by the Bright Hall and harbored a strong prejudice against my Kong family. Therefore, a conflict occurred in the Immortal City."

"Has he joined the Bright Hall?" Li Ji'an asked.

Kong Yecheng shook his head slightly: "Fairy Ning is just a righteous person, but she is not stupid. As far as I know, she has not joined, but one of her close friends should be a member of the Bright Hall."

"Does Patriarch Kong know the location of the Bright Hall here?" Upon hearing this, Li Ji'an immediately understood.

Previously, Ning Yutan and Ning Sujin had communicated that she was returning to the central part of Daoyuan Prefecture to save her old friend.

"I don't know. If I, Kong, knew their stronghold, I would have to go and argue with them. Why are there so many demonic cultivators here, yet they choose to cause trouble for my Kong family? Do they really think my Kong family is weak and easy to bully?" Kong Yecheng shook his head, somewhat indignant.

Li Ji'an didn't press the matter further and left with Ning Sujin.

He didn't have any particular opinion about the Kong family.

The rise and fall of a region has the greatest impact on the ruling class. The lower-level cultivators will continue to suffer. The Kong family sacrificed some infamy and dignity to protect themselves and ensure the family's stable continuation. This did not affect the entire cultivation domain. Those who want to criticize can just say a few words.

Unless one is jealous and wants to take their place, there is no need to keep an eye on them. Their existence has little impact on the world's resources, less than a hair on the head of the ruling class.

After leaving the Kong family, Li Ji'an and Ning Sujin transformed into a seemingly novice Foundation Establishment stage couple.

Upon entering the nearby market, they immediately recognized the missionary name of the Bright Hall.

This confirms Li Ji'an's suspicions from his time at the Kong family: the Kong family was clearly all show and no substance, and now that the Guangming Hall is so blatant, if they truly intended to be enemies, they would surely be able to find out.

They simply adhered to their ancestral precepts and were unwilling to easily get into conflicts with others, especially when they were unclear about the background of the Bright Hall. They would definitely exercise their utmost restraint.

This may be one of the reasons why the Bright Hall targeted them.

"Fellow Daoists, the world is filthy and teeming with evil spirits. Would you be willing to join us in eradicating all evil in this world?"

When Li Ji'an and Ning Sujin left the market after purchasing a bottle of pills to replenish their strength in the early stages of Foundation Establishment, a yellow-faced cultivator who had been following them all the way finally stepped forward just outside the market.

"Cleanse away the filth?" Li Ji'an turned to look at the other party, easily seeing through his disguise.

"Indeed, demonic cultivators have wreaked havoc on our realm, harming countless innocent fellow cultivators. It is the duty of us cultivators to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path." The preaching cultivator was filled with righteous indignation.

Li Ji'an chuckled lightly: "Heh~ Fellow Daoist, are you perhaps not a cultivator from my domain?"

"Born and raised here!"

"If that's the case, could it be that you were a prodigy of the Holy Palace Sect before the arrival of the demonic cultivators?"

"I am just an ordinary rogue cultivator."

"Heh, an ordinary rogue cultivator? If he was just an ordinary rogue cultivator, was there any difference between his spiritual aptitude back then and it is now?"

"This..." The person on the other end was speechless for a moment.

In reality, when the Myriad Laws Palace was in charge, the sect had many methods of governance. It not only controlled and monopolized many spiritual resources, but also had exclusive rights to all the ruins and secret realms within the domain. Very few spiritual resources could actually circulate to the lower levels, especially those in the Foundation Establishment stage.

It often takes at least a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators to compete for a single Foundation Establishment stage resource; as for Core Formation, it's almost impossible.

Nowadays, although the Corpse Puppet Sect and the other major demonic sects act domineeringly and recklessly, they have almost no control over the resources within the domain, and are completely unprepared for any ruins or secret realms within the domain. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and whoever has the ability to seize it gets it.

This led to cultivators fighting fiercely over a single portion of spiritual resources, resulting in a high mortality rate.

But it also gave even the most low-level cultivators hope of achieving the Core Formation stage.

"Whether it's the righteous path or the demonic path, what does it have to do with me?" Li Ji'an snorted coldly, and continued walking forward while holding Ning Sujin's hand.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait." Having confirmed Li Ji'an's attitude, the yellow-faced Daoist quickly caught up.

This time, he changed his previous indignant and righteous attitude, and instead showed a mercenary look: "Fellow Daoist, please wait. Let me apologize first. I misunderstood you earlier, and I hope you will forgive me."

"Huh?" Li Ji'an looked at him in surprise.

“Fellow Daoist, to be honest, those words I just used were only for the dull-witted. Fellow Daoist, you are wise beyond measure and have a lofty mind, so I will speak frankly.”

"Fellow Daoist should also be able to see that although the demonic cultivators have occupied this place, they are lax in their control. If we can win over a powerful force, we may not be without the possibility of driving the demonic cultivators out of this place and then ruling this region again like the Wanfa Palace once did."

At that time, we will be the great contributors, enjoying the spiritual resources of the entire region. Not to mention forming the core, we may even reach the nascent soul stage.

Having come into this world once, why not strive to become a superior person?

Li Ji'an chuckled and shook his head: "So, in that case, the foolish are bewitched by religious righteousness, while the clever are won over by fame and fortune?"

The preacher nodded repeatedly, giving him a knowing look. But before he could say anything more, he felt his consciousness being imprisoned by an invisible force, and then he lost consciousness.

"As expected." Li Ji'an said softly as his divine sense probed into the other party's sea of ​​consciousness.

"Is there a soul restriction?" Ning Sujin asked.

"Not bad. Judging from its level, it's actually equivalent to the mid-stage Core Formation Divine Soul level. Su Jin, you'll have to step in." Li Ji'an nodded and withdrew his divine sense.

There is a restriction in the other party's sea of ​​consciousness at the level of mid-stage Core Formation. If you forcibly search their soul, their sea of ​​consciousness will instantly collapse.

Only those with a spiritual awareness far exceeding this level have a chance to break the inner restrictions and then perform a soul search.

Ning Sujin took action and succeeded instantly.

Before long, Ning Sujin had learned the location of the stronghold.

It is a second-tier Daoist temple located several thousand miles north of Tianhe Immortal City.

This place was once the ancestral home of a small family. After the demonic cultivators invaded, it was occupied by a demonic cultivator known as Huangfeng Sanren.

It is said that he appears to be a violent and ferocious person. It is rumored that he cultivated his soul, which caused his soul to be damaged and made him violent. Normal cultivators keep their distance from his dojo.

On that day, Li Ji'an and Ning Sujin had already arrived at Huangfeng Dojo.

A sweep of divine sense revealed that the soul energy within was turbid, just as rumored. It seemed to be a soul cultivator who practiced soul cultivation techniques, and his soul was disordered.

If Li Ji'an hadn't already searched his soul and learned that this was the stronghold of the Bright Hall, he probably wouldn't have paid much attention to this place.

Soon, Li Ji'an released Guagua, which immediately used its superb stealth and earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical ability) to sneak inside.

As Guagua sneaked in, Li Ji'an's senses changed drastically.

"It turns out that this place is protected by a soul treasure, which has blocked our divine senses!"

Ning Sujin's expression also changed slightly. This was the first time she had ever seen a rare treasure that could even obscure her primordial spirit.

"Yu Tan is indeed here!" Before long, through the sensory sharing with Gua Gua, Li Ji'an felt a stirring in his heart and sensed Ning Yu Tan's presence.

The temple here appears to be the same as rumored, a mid-grade second-tier temple, and its spiritual veins are not very extensive, at most supporting a small Foundation Establishment family.

However, after penetrating the protection of the divine soul, it was discovered that the spiritual energy here was no less than the middle grade of the third rank. Several sets of spirit gathering arrays were working in tandem, and the spirit stones piled up in several basements were constantly turning into powder and releasing spiritual energy, which actually made the core area have the spiritual vein level of the middle grade of the third rank.

Furthermore, although the area above ground may not appear large, a vast space has actually been excavated underground.

At this moment, nearly a thousand people had already gathered in the underground plaza.

At the very front of the square, there are three huge stone pillars, and a person is tied to each of them.

Ning Yutan is on the second stone pillar.

Beside three stone pillars, an elderly man dressed in a simple robe stood with a solemn expression and compassionate eyes.

Behind him were five elderly men dressed in what appeared to be simple, even somewhat tattered, clothing, who followed his lead without question.

"Hmm?" When Li Ji'an recognized one of the five old men through the Guagua's sensory connection, a strange expression appeared on his face.

That was Elder Tian, ​​who, shortly after the Demon Realm conquered the Dongli Sect, had almost completely emptied the Biyun Sect's treasury as a Supreme Elder.

"They didn't escape?"

Immediately afterwards, Li Ji'an saw the two former pseudo-core elders of the Biyun Sect in the front row below the crowd.

They were all people who escaped with Elder Tian back then.

Besides these three, Li Ji'an also sensed familiar auras from his previous life in the other leaders.

The magical power circulating on the leader's body was exactly the same as Fu Xiaochen's magical power aura.

Li Ji'an's faceless mask contains Fu Xiaochen's essence and soul, and he has impersonated him many times, so he is very familiar with this kind of magic.

The Lieyang Sect was destroyed by Master Chunyuan before the Demon Realm invaded, but unexpectedly, some of its members escaped and are hiding here.

The auras of the other four were almost all from the major sects of that time, but none of them were from the Myriad Laws Palace.

"Heroes, we take it upon ourselves to eliminate demons and protect the righteous path. We are willing to sever our own paths to restore a bright and clear world to the cultivation community. However, some people, bewitched by evil spirits, have not only lost our righteousness but also want to abandon the light and turn to darkness."

"What should be done about such behavior?" Just then, the righteous voice of the elder from the Blazing Sun Sect rang out.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

……

In an instant, nearly a thousand people in the square were filled with righteous indignation, and their shouts were deafening.

Seeing this scene from outside, Li Ji'an immediately understood what was going on.

However, upon glancing again at the six real leaders on the stage, he frowned secretly.

There were six people on the high platform. The leader was the former Supreme Elder of the Blazing Sun Sect, whose cultivation had already reached the late stage of Core Formation.

The remaining five people, including Elder Tian, ​​were all at the mid-stage of Core Formation.

With such a lineup, he wasn't very confident he could wipe them all out.

In particular, these people were high-ranking members of the sect back then, controlling a large amount of resources, so it's hard to guarantee that they don't have powerful trump cards up their sleeves.

However, if it's just about saving people, then it's not a big problem.

Boom~
Before the trial in the underground plaza was finished, the protective array above the dojo began to tremble violently.

"Could it be that another hero has arrived?" Through the sensing of the protective array, the six leaders had already seen the young cultivator outside the array with their divine senses.

Sensing his Foundation Establishment cultivation level, as well as his innocent appearance and clear eyes, the six people exchanged glances.

Because of its notorious reputation, this place attracts many young people who want to fight evil and uphold justice, who come here to hone their skills.

Moreover, young people who dare to fight evil and defend the righteous path alone are relatively naive and are very likely to become their loyal followers.

Therefore, the believers in the underground plaza did not care much about the situation above.

This situation surprised Li Ji'an somewhat. He had planned to lure the person out and then have Guagua rescue them in the chaos, but he had miscalculated.

Boom~
With this in mind, Li Ji'an had no choice but to waste a near-third-tier barrier-breaking talisman.

They found the key point of the protective array and completed it in one fell swoop.

Click~
The moment the talisman was activated, a crisp sound rang out from the great formation.

Immediately afterwards, the great formation collapsed with a deafening roar.

(End of this chapter)