Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 837 Defend Without Fighting
Can I borrow your sword and play with it?
Chen Yanwei indeed flew into a rage, flicked his sleeves, and coldly rebuked:

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"I'm serious," Yan Yu said with a smile. "Sect Leader, you wouldn't want our Shushan Shangqing Sect to be breached by the demonic cult because your cultivation level is insufficient, would you?"

"I think you're delusional!" Chen Yanwei's expression twisted rapidly as he said in a cold voice, "You're only at the Golden Core stage, how can you possibly unleash the full power of the divine sword?"

"Isn't the sect leader also at the Golden Core stage..." Before Yan Yu could finish speaking, Chen Yanwei raised his hand and pointed.

The sword energy of the Sun True Essence Sword was extremely bright, intense, and scorching. Yan Yu only felt a blur before his eyes, and then he lost all sensation in his body.

The third rebirth!
Resurrected atop Mount San'e, Yan Yu couldn't help but complain:
"This Chen Yanwei is really petty. He can't handle the current situation himself, and he won't let others point it out."

“Your words are also problematic,” Mei Yingxue said with a wry smile. “Who comes up and says, ‘You can’t do it, let me do it’? What’s the difference between asking the Sword Master for the divine sword to his face and asking your husband for your wife?”

“I think the relationship between the sword master and the divine sword might be quite complicated, but let’s rule out a marital relationship first,” Yan Yu explained. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made this request; after all, I’m a warrior of pure love. Speaking of which, is there any other way?”

“There are five principles of warfare: fight if you can, defend if you can't, flee if you can't defend, surrender if you can't flee, and die if you can't surrender,” Mei Yingxue pondered. “The enemy is too strong to fight, so let’s try defense.”

“Okay,” Yan Yu agreed.

Just as the two took off on their swords, Yan Yu suddenly said:

"Something's wrong; I'm losing some of my vital energy."

"Essence?" Mei Yingxue quickly scanned her inner energy. "Are you sure?"

“I’m sure,” Yan Yu said seriously. “I often lose vital energy, so I’m quite sensitive to fluctuations in my essence.”

"Why do you often lose your vital energy?" Mei Yingxue asked curiously.

"That's mainly their fault..."

"Alright, just pretend I didn't ask." Mei Yingxue was somewhat speechless.

She checked her body again and found that she had indeed lost a small amount of vital energy.

Essence and Qi refer to the life force of the physical body. Ordinary people replenish their essence and Qi with the essence of food and water, which fluctuates due to hunger, injury, disease, aging, etc. However, cultivators have achieved innate fasting, do not need food and water, and are immune to disease. In theory, their essence and Qi should not be lost.

Is it...

"Each time we are resurrected, our vital energy will be depleted?" Mei Yingxue asked in surprise and doubt.

"Based on the specific quantities, we can only revive no more than 20 times," Yan Yu said solemnly. "In fact, when the vital energy is depleted by more than half, it will begin to affect bodily functions."

"Then we'll have to be careful," Mei Yingxue said worriedly.

The two continued with the procedures and headed to the Ancestral Hall to attend the sect meeting.

“The enemy is too powerful. Since we cannot fight, we should defend Mount Shu to the death,” Yan Yu suggested. “If I am not mistaken, the enemy will definitely set up a large formation around Mount Shu. If we take the initiative to fight, we will be entering the formation and being attacked; but if they attack us, they will be entering the formation and being attacked.”

“You make it sound so easy,” Elder Bing, who had previously advocated breaking up the main force into smaller units, shook his head and said, “The enemy hasn’t started their siege yet, so we still have room to choose our tactics. Once the siege officially begins, we’ll have no choice but to defend to the death.”

"How can the elders know that what seems like a choice now isn't actually a trap deliberately left by the enemy?" Mei Yingxue retorted. "Surrounding three sides and leaving one open is a common principle of military strategy. If I were a demonic cultivator, I wouldn't be in a hurry to concentrate my forces to besiege them, letting Shu Mountain think they have a chance to break out or escape, and then setting up a grand formation to wipe them all out!"

The elders were speechless. The opposing side held an absolute advantage in both the number of cultivators and their overall strength, yet they were deliberately delaying their attack. The reason was not hard to guess.

"What the enemy fears most is what we should do most," Yan Yu concluded. "Although we are outnumbered, with the Sect Leader, the Sun Sword Master, in our ranks, we have the advantage in high-level combat."

"Defend Mount Shu to the death! Activate the sect's protective formation to cut off and disperse the enemy. If there are any powerful enemies that the formation cannot handle, simply have the sect leader take action!"

"Excellent, this plan is brilliant!" Chen Yanwei stroked his beard and smiled, his expression immediately becoming much more amiable as he looked at Yan Yu.

Although he was the master of the Sun Sword, he dared not go into battle easily, for fear that he would be surrounded and outnumbered, or trapped by some kind of formation, and slowly worn down until his true essence was exhausted and he died.

The Sun True Essence Sword is unparalleled in the world, but unfortunately, the sword master's cultivation level is insufficient and his true essence is limited. Even if he kills too many pigs, he will eventually become weak from killing. What's more, his opponents are all treacherous and cunning demonic cultivators.

However, if we defend Emei to the death, activate the great formation, and only engage in one-on-one battles without group fights, this problem will not exist.

“In that case, let’s hold out to the death,” Elder A sighed. “If we can hold out for many days, the news will eventually spread throughout the land, and then we can get support from other orthodox sects. Then this game will finally have a chance to survive.”

"As long as we can fight, that's all that matters," Elder B, with his fiery temper, grumbled. "What do you mean by hiding our identities... We are sword immortals, not spies!"

Elder Bing's face was grim, but he didn't speak, only cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

As for Elder Ding, who remained silent throughout, he was still lost in thought, his face showing an expression that said, "I have no idea, do whatever you want."

"In that case, we'll hold out to the death!" Chen Yanwei made the final decision, instructing, "Lu Gan, you're in charge of activating the mountain-guarding formation."

“Alright,” Elder A said.

"Pei Li, you are in charge of all the necessary arrangements for the formation to function."

"Hmm," Elder Bing said sullenly.

"Tian Yue, organize the men and guard all parts of the sect to the death."

"Leave it to me!" Elder B laughed heartily.

Chen Yanwei glanced one last time at the silent Elder Ding, then turned and said:
"That's settled then! Let's unite as one, defend Mount Shu to the death, and not give the enemy any opportunity to take advantage!"

The crowd dispersed. Mei Yingxue suddenly transmitted her voice:

"All three elders have tasks to complete, but the last elder isn't being assigned any. Could there be something wrong with him, and the Sun Sword Master doesn't trust him?"

"Maybe it's someone with connections," Yan Yu guessed. "It's quite normal for someone with connections to just occupy a spot without doing any work."

As disciples of the sect, the two were assigned to Elder Yi to patrol the area around the sect on their swords. High in the sky, the wind howled and the air was chilling. Many clouds and mists rose up, shrouding the four peaks of Mount Emei, like smoke veiling the delicate eyebrows, or clouds obscuring the verdant snail shell.

"This is the Heavenly Thunder Unbridled Myriad Swords Grand Formation," Elder Yi pointed and laughed. "When the formation is activated, it can generate endless sword energy, with a sound like thunder and speed like lightning. No matter how many enemies you have, once you enter the formation, you will be cut into several pieces!"

"How powerful is this formation?" Yan Yu secretly asked Mei Yingxue via telepathy.

“A youthful version of the Yin-Yang Micro Dust Sword Formation,” Mei Yingxue replied. “Its destructive efficiency is relatively limited, but it has the advantage of being powered by spirit stones, so it’s not without its benefits.”

The group flew through the sky on their swords for half a day without incident. Suddenly, they heard a scream and rushed over to find several demonic cultivators being surrounded and killed by the Myriad Swords Formation, their shattered corpses falling into the mountain stream.

Just like the Yin-Yang Micro Dust Sword Formation, the sword energy of the Myriad Swords Formation is generated out of thin air and arrives instantly. Unless one is a sword immortal with extremely fast reaction speed, there is simply no time to defend against it.

Seeing the great formation achieve victory in killing the enemy, the disciples of Shu Mountain were overjoyed and eager to fight back, wishing they could immediately protect their sect and join the battle.

Yan Yu sensed something was wrong and secretly transmitted his voice to Mei Yingxue:
"This great formation is indeed not very effective. The Yin-Yang Dust Sword Formation directly cuts through space, and anyone who touches it will die; there is no way to defend against it. However, the sword energy of this great formation is aimed at vital points with every move, which means it does not have the ability to penetrate armor."

"If the number of enemies increases, making it impossible for the formation's commander to protect both ends, then it will be difficult to hold the line."

“If the power of the great formation is not limited, why ask us to assist in the defense?” Mei Yingxue sighed and said, “We cannot fight, nor can we defend. This path is not a good one either. We can only try to continue.”

The two stayed up until late at night when another group of disciples came to relieve them.

Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue were taken back to the disciples' quarters. Originally, each person had their own room, but now, because the demonic sect was attacking the mountain, the disciples needed to take turns patrolling frequently. Therefore, they were all gathered in the Diligence Hall and made to sit down and meditate to regulate their breathing and recover. Every half hour, the number of people was counted, and those who needed to be woken up were woken up without any mercy.

Mei Yingxue took a few breaths and then transmitted her voice:

"There is no spiritual energy in this secret realm. True essence cannot be restored, and vital energy cannot be replenished."

"Let's just hold on for now," Yan Yu comforted her. "If guarding the mountain doesn't work, we'll think of other ways."

The two continued their meditation, and when it was their turn to take turns, they would fly out on their swords. Most of the time, they would watch the Ten Thousand Swords Formation slaughter the invading enemies, but occasionally some would slip through the net and use defensive magic treasures to withstand the attacks. In such cases, the disciples would have to go and fight them in person.

Yan Yu keenly noticed that the cultivation levels of these uninvited guests were all quite ordinary, with many even still in the Foundation Establishment stage. It was clear that they were deliberately sent in from outside to be tested and used as cannon fodder.

As for those with exceptionally high cultivation, such as the demonic monk who previously set up the Red Lotus Karmic Fire Formation outside, not a single one was seen this time.

“They did it on purpose,” Mei Yingxue said, frowning. “Each time the formation is activated, it requires spirit stones as energy. If they are all wasted on killing these cannon fodder, it may not be able to be activated when the real enemy arrives.”

“If we reverse our thinking, could this be a trap the enemy is trying to lure us into?” Yan Yu had a different opinion. “According to your line of thinking, the best way is to temporarily shut down the great formation, save spirit stones, and let the disciples deal with the lower-level opponents.”

"If a powerful demonic sect member were to infiltrate the Foundation Establishment disciples and suddenly attack them, it would inevitably cause everyone to feel insecure. At that time, morale would be greatly damaged, forcing the sect to activate the mountain defense formation again, running it non-stop for twelve hours a day, which would play right into the enemy's scheme."

"This won't work, that won't work," Mei Yingxue said irritably. "Being too weak is a cardinal sin! A sect this weak might as well just go under!"

Fortunately, she transmitted the message to him telepathically; otherwise, if the Sun True Sword heard it, Yan Yu highly suspected it would become enraged and give Teacher Mei a script to teach her a lesson.

The two continued to defend the great formation. Several days later, the demonic attacks became increasingly frequent, with dozens or even hundreds of demons frequently joining the fray, confirming Yan Yu's earlier predictions:

The formation is too busy to manage!
With no other choice, they had to join the battle themselves. On the first day of this escalating conflict, although they repelled the enemy's invasion once again, two disciples tragically lost their lives.

The sect's morale had clearly plummeted. While resting in the Hall of Diligent Affairs, Yan Yu even overheard whispers in a corner, with some saying that they were now in a deadly situation and needed to find a way to escape from Mount Shu.

Don't try to escape! I've tried for you, you can't get out!
Several days passed in the secret realm, while time in the real world also flowed by.

With the help of the Purple Cloud Array, the sorcerers of the Southern Territory finally entered the world inside the belly of the high-temperature giant serpent. It took more than half of their manpower to completely annihilate the Flame Demon Lord inside.

In this way, it's as if the Lu Kingdom's plan has already eliminated three giant serpents. Although the Western world is still stubbornly refusing to admit it, orders for the Zhou Tian Zi Yun Grand Array are pouring in from the Lu Kingdom like snowflakes.

Some members of the royal family from other countries, who were wearing headscarves, even proposed to rent monks to help operate the formations in their territory for a long period of time, with contracts starting at ten years. They were truly very wealthy.

In the Pear Blossom Courtyard, the Purple Cloud Formation was finally completed, and it began to press down on the path of the Gale Serpent from two directions.

Unable to withstand the power of the formation, the latter began to slowly retreat into the sea.

The swordsmen swarmed forward, directly approaching the giant serpent's head. Zhou Hongyu, Zhao Yuanzhen, and Li Minghu then unleashed their attacks, forcefully shattering the serpent's long snout, revealing a passage to its inner world.

The reason the three of them stepped in to help was naturally because, under pressure from within the country, Ewha-won finally compromised with Park Chang-min's opinion and signed a comprehensive military alliance agreement with South Korea.

As for Mitchell, he is now powerless to interfere in the situation in East Asia.

The giant serpent of light has landed on the west coast. The intense sunlight has caused the surrounding trees and vegetation to wither and die, forcing the superheroes to wear highly filtered sunglasses just to get close to the serpent.

As they got closer, their movement slowed down, and even the sunglasses and closed eyelids couldn't block the strong light from penetrating, instantly burning their eyes.

The National Strategic Bureau urgently contacted Europe, requesting that, in the name of the military alliance, the Shroud of Turin project in North America be accelerated.

Limited by the attack on its own soil and negotiations in Europe, Mitchell is currently overwhelmed and naturally cannot interfere with China's integration of East Asia.

With Goryeo yielding, Silla also wisely followed suit and quickly applied to join the alliance.

Thus, the new order alliance led by the Lu Kingdom finally brought the entire East Asia and Southeast Asia into its territory.

Next, the Privy Council turned its attention to Australia.

Of the eight-headed serpent, only one traveled south across the sea. It is said to possess the power to control lightning, and its body is always surrounded by thick clouds of electrical charges.

The snake is currently still in coastal waters and has not yet reached the Australian mainland. Therefore, the other side remains defiant, insisting that it does not need "the malicious interference of foreign powers in their defense affairs."

The Privy Council dispatched two Golden Core cultivators to inspect the landing of the giant lightning serpent from northern Australia.

One is Su Yunjin, the invincible sea monster, and the other is Xie Ruoxi, the Thunder and Lightning King.

(End of this chapter)