Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 839 Obey My Command
Mei Yingxue brushed aside her wet bangs and realized that what was sticking to her hair wasn't sweat at all.

It was dirty blood.

The strategy for conquering the secret realm is still not fully clear. Initiating combat results in being crushed and destroyed; choosing to flee is deemed ineffective. Therefore, it seems the only option is to defend the sect to the death.

However, the difficulty of this route far exceeded her original expectations.

The demonic cult has been besieging Mount Shu for half a month, and their offensive is growing fiercer every day. At first, they only infiltrated and probed with small groups, but after figuring out the power of the mountain's defensive formation, they began to launch organized and continuous attacks.

They would deploy eight times the number of the defending troops at once, using some kind of defensive magic weapon, to fight against the Shu Mountain sword immortals under the Ten Thousand Swords Formation.

The Shu Mountain sword immortals, backed by their sects, had no choice but to fight with their backs against the wall, hence their soaring morale. The Demonic Sect, on the other hand, was a mixed bag, with varying strengths and a significant number not yet having formed their core. Often, they would suddenly realize they had no chance of winning and turn tail and run.

But there are many of them.

Despite their repeated victories, the Shu Mountain swordsmen achieved none of their strategic objectives. Even after killing hundreds of enemies, they couldn't even reduce the enemy's strength by 1%.

On the contrary, every increase in the loss of true essence and mental energy increases the chances of Shushan's ultimate and complete defeat.

Mei Yingxue held out until her shift ended, finally able to leave the front lines. She returned to the sect with disheveled hair and a blood-soaked face, startling the outer disciples who quickly sought treatment from the alchemy room.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that there was no injury; the blood on the head was actually from the enemy on the other side, which had gotten into the hair and flowed down along the bangs.

Whether it's one's own blood or the enemy's blood, a swordsman who needs keen insight shouldn't confuse or misunderstand this. It can only be said that Mei Yingxue's mental state has severely deteriorated after such a long and continuous battle.

I urgently need to rest and recuperate.

The number of soldiers on the front lines dwindled as the fighting continued, while those resting in the rear had not yet recovered, and the battle situation had reached a critical point.

The elder guarding the mountain waved his hand and called out by name: Yan Yu, come with me!
This elder's surname is Tian and his given name is Yue. He has a very typical martial arts fighting style. It is said that he once competed with Chen Yanwei for the position of Sun Sword Master, but unfortunately lost.

According to Elder Tian, ​​it wasn't that he was less capable than the sect leader, but rather that the Sun True Sword favored the Chen family. This preference can be traced back to a previous Sun Sword Master of Mount Shu, who passed the divine sword to his grandson before ascending to immortality. After that, the divine sword began to "choose the Chen family if available, and appoint the capable if not."

What else could Yan Yu say? He could only lament that the old man, Zhenmei Sword of the Sun, was too attached to his former master, which was not a good thing.

If I become the master of the Sun Sword in the future, I will definitely not treat the divine sword as some kind of Yan family heirloom; such thinking is too backward.

It would be better to make a will: if something unexpected happens to me someday, I can hand it over to the state!
Getting back to the main point, Elder Tian is at the Nascent Soul stage, and his strength is formidable enough. Even if he isn't the Sun Sword Master, he can still hold his own against three or four Nascent Soul cultivators with the support of the Myriad Swords Formation.

The reason why Elder Tian kept Yan Yu by his side was very simple: he was the strongest in combat.

"The reason I chose you to accompany me is because I believe your swordsmanship is the most outstanding among Golden Core cultivators," Tian Yue told him before setting off. "However, this journey is dangerous. If you change your mind now, I will not force you to go into battle."

“We sword immortals are all very loyal,” Yan Yu immediately said righteously. “We were born to defend Mount Shu to the death. Please take back your probing remarks just now.”

Elder Tian remained silent, continuing to control his sword.

According to intelligence gathered by the frontline disciples, the enemy possesses a formidable magical artifact, shaped like a golden bell. Each strike generates tangible yet intangible sound waves, which counteract the sword energy generated by the Myriad Swords Formation.

With the cover of this golden bell magic weapon, the enemy can ignore the formation and recklessly increase the number of troops deployed at one time, easily forming an encirclement of the Shu Mountain Sword Immortals with overwhelming numbers.

Therefore, Elder Tian has decided to strike at the heart of the matter and destroy this magical artifact.

Yan Yu was worried about this, because it was unlikely that the enemy would not have set up defenses around the magic weapon. If they accidentally entered some kind of formation or were ambushed, it would be troublesome.

Elder Tian said that's why I brought you along. If we really encounter any formation, I'll become one with my sword and use the sword light to envelop you, then charge around in the formation to attract the enemy's attention.

Your swordsmanship is formidable, and your reaction speed is impressive. Just strike that magical weapon when it's off guard.

This is indeed a good idea. Although Yan Yu is only at the Golden Core stage, his ability to seize opportunities and his cunning and ruthless swordsmanship are top-notch in this world, making him almost invincible against enemies of the same level.

His Golden Core realm cultivation level actually became his best cover. If his sword light and Tian Yue's sword light were intertwined, the enemy would mostly only see the latter and wouldn't be able to see the former at all.

Therefore, the two immediately reached a consensus and rushed to the front line at full speed on their swords.

At this time, only five or six sword immortal disciples remained on the front line, surrounded by dozens of demonic cult members, struggling to hold on. Most of these guys were not strong enough, only a few Golden Core Realm demon cultivators were quite powerful, controlling thirty-six tangible, mighty demon gods, tall and strong, with immense strength, capable of knocking flying swords away with a single punch.

Yan Yu was about to offer his assistance when Elder Tian Yue raised his hand to stop him:

"You should save your true energy for more crucial purposes!"

He casually flicked out several sword intents, killing all those demonic cult members.

The disciples quickly bowed and thanked him, and Elder Tian Yue waved his hand, signaling them to continue their patrol.

Yan Yu had no experience fighting against Nascent Soul cultivators in his previous life, so he naturally observed very carefully: before Elder Tian Yue unleashed his sword intent, he first made a sword incantation with his hand, but did not guide the flying sword. He simply flicked his finger, and the enemy was shot dead.

He was pondering silently while riding his sword when he suddenly heard Elder Tian Yue say:
"Hold your breath and concentrate, memorize the incantation!"

Yan Yu was slightly taken aback, but then he heard Tian Yue transmit his voice and begin reciting a sword technique mantra.

The sword manual is short, but its content is extremely profound. It tells the story of how the way of the sword does not have to be bound by external things. It goes from the metal sword shattering jade and striking stone to the plucked leaves and flying flowers that are meant to injure people. It goes from the tangible and material to the tangible and intangible. The former is about the sword that injures the enemy, while the latter is about the sword intent that injures the enemy. It directly transitions from materialism to idealism.

Yan Yu listened intently, feeling as if a veil had been lifted from his face in his past life, obscuring the true meaning of swordsmanship, revealing the moon through the clouds.

Growing up on Earth, many ingrained beliefs are as natural as eating and drinking. For example, how does a sword immortal kill enemies? The training instructors of ordinary martial artists will tell you that you use your true energy to guide the flying sword, piercing the enemy like a bullet.

But if you think about it this way, you will never understand why a sword immortal can injure people with sword intent.

To put it bluntly, the cultivation world is an idealistic world, where strong willpower can interfere with reality.

Yan Yu pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand amidst the flashing sword light. He waved his hand downwards without making any other movements, but suddenly a large piece of rock crumbled off the cliff below, as if someone had slashed it hard with a sword.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior," Yan Yu said sincerely.

"You little rascal..." Tian Yue was surprised for a moment, "You have quite the talent. You actually managed to hone your skills at the last minute."

"Is it difficult to learn?" Yan Yu asked.

"You think it's sword energy?" Tian Yue chuckled. "The way of sword intent is both difficult to learn and difficult to master, but..."

"...If you survive this battle, your sword intent will surely improve."

"Thank you for your kind words," Yan Yu said.

I'll definitely survive, given the save/load system. But was Elder Tian Yue's statement a hint from the Sun True Sword?

Yan Yu felt as if he had grasped some kind of clue, some key that could lead directly to the end, but he didn't have a very clear idea yet.

In the distance was the edge of the Ten Thousand Swords Formation, and another group of demonic cultivators charged into the formation.

Sword energy emerged densely from all around, but soon a faint bell sound came from afar, blocking all the sword energy shooting towards the cultivator in mid-air.

Tian Yue, having pinpointed the direction from which the bell tolled, swiftly activated the unity of man and sword, enveloping Yan Yu in sword light and launching himself into a burst of speed!
A Nascent Soul Realm expert is truly terrifying; a hundred miles is covered in the blink of an eye, and they arrive at a mountain peak in no time.

On the mountaintop, the trees had been completely cleared away, and many green-clad warriors moved about. Some waved flags, some swirled umbrellas, some carried incense burners, some burned incense, and others stood in two rows, holding up cast-iron dragon hammers and striking the giant bell.

The giant bell is about eight meters tall and made entirely of gold and bronze. It is hung on a towering bell frame. Every time it is struck and shaken, the entire mountain seems to tremble and shake for a long time.

"Be careful, it might be a trap!" Yan Yu quickly warned telepathically. "If we're not on guard, there's definitely an ambush!"

"I know!" Tian Yue ignored everything and charged straight to the summit, roaring, "You bastard! Your grandpa Tian Yue is here!"

How intense and powerful was the sword light of the Nascent Soul cultivator! The first sword cleaved all the magical flying swords thrown out by the green-clad warriors; the second sword cut all the green-clad warriors in half at the waist.

Just as Tian Yue was about to unleash his full power with his third sword strike, shattering the giant bronze bell, a Taoist priest suddenly rushed out from the distant mountains, laughing loudly:
"It's actually an elder from Mount Shu! It wasn't in vain that I've been waiting here for so long. Let's see how my insect fares!"

With a casual wave of his sleeve, he scattered thousands of golden rays, twinkling and shimmering, each ray of golden light representing a hundred-poison golden silkworm gu!

Tang Xiaolian only had one Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, yet she was able to transition from a supporting reconnaissance role to a main damage dealer in the Lu Kingdom's front-line team. Now, this Taoist priest is clearly also at the Nascent Soul stage, and the number of Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu he has released is as high as tens of thousands, densely packed, enough to make even the elders of Shu Mountain's scalp tingle.

Tian Yue was indeed shocked, but he quickly regained his senses and used all his strength to drive the sword light to fight against the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

The Taoist priest opposite him stood with his hands behind his back in the air, manipulating the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu with his mind. On one hand, he tried to attack and block Tian Yue's sword light, while on the other hand, he intentionally or unintentionally blocked Jin Zhong and the sword light, so as to prevent Tian Yue from being cornered and rushing over to perish together with Jin Zhong.

Hidden within Tian Yue's sword light, Yan Yu could tell at a glance that the Taoist was deliberately putting on a show of wanting to kill Tian Yue, but in reality, he was still mainly protecting the Golden Bell. This indicated that the Demonic Sect camp probably had no other means to deal with the Shu Mountain Formation besides this magic weapon.

Elder Tian was in a state of perfect harmony with his sword, and the speed and impact of his sword light were terrifying. Dealing with a dozen or so Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu was not a problem. However, the Taoist's micro-management skills were too high. Each time, he would scatter the Golden Silkworm Gu into countless small clusters like a celestial maiden scattering flowers. But no matter which direction you approached from, there would always be hundreds of Golden Silkworm Gu that could intercept you, bite you as soon as they touched you, and forcibly slow down the sword light.

This made Elder Tian extremely anxious. No matter how skilled his swordsmanship was, it was impossible for him to completely ignore the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu, a ferocious insect. In addition, the number of the enemy was simply too large, blocking all attack routes from all directions, making it impossible for him to break through.

"Elder, listen to me," Yan Yu suddenly offered a suggestion. "The enemy has clearly come prepared, using insects to form an array that is watertight. The only variable is that I am hiding in your sword light, which is something the enemy does not know."

"Just tell me what you want me to do!" Tian Yue said impatiently.

"Since there are no weaknesses, let's stretch the line and force him to reveal an opening!" Yan Yu immediately took command, "Up to the left, pine trees welcome guests!"

Tian Yue cursed inwardly, thinking, "I, a dignified elder of Mount Shu, have now been reduced to being bossed around by juniors." Jian Guang did as he was told, pulling the Pine Tree Welcoming Guests towards the upper left.

The vast swarm of Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu immediately pounced, and then Yan Yu said again:

"The antelope hangs its horns, the white crane spreads its wings close to the ground."

The rising sword light suddenly stopped and tilted upside down, shaking off the swarm of golden silkworm gu that couldn't stop in time. It then quickly fell to the vicinity of the ground, making a 90-degree right angle that ignored inertia, and tried to rush straight towards the golden bell along the ground.

However, the Taoist on the other side was still prepared. He had deliberately left a ball of golden silkworm gu to linger near the low position. Now, with a slight thought, the ball of golden silkworm gu immediately attacked and blocked the sword light.

"Left, charge!" Yan Yu transmitted his voice.

Tian Yue's sword light swiftly moved to the left, intending to create space laterally. The golden silkworm gu swarm in front of him also moved to the left, trying to continue intercepting him... Suddenly, these golden silkworm gu began to cry out angrily.

"Hmm?" The Taoist's usually calm expression suddenly shifted, because the thoughts transmitted back by these golden silkworm gu indicated that they had sensed something unseen emerging from the sword light of the Shu Mountain elder opposite them.

He quickly scanned the area with his divine sense, but found nothing there. Just as he was wondering if the Golden Silkworm Gu had made a mistake, he turned to command the Golden Silkworm Gu to surround and kill Tian Yue. But then he saw a sword light suddenly emerge from the ground near the Golden Bell!
Actually, Yan Yu took advantage of the moment when Tian Yue's flying sword spun rapidly close to the ground, using the sword light as cover to land on the ground, and immediately used his wall-penetrating technique to slip inside.

Although it happened in the blink of an eye, the surrounding Golden Silkworm Gu were alerted. However, earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to escape through the earth) was a rare and uncommon technique, and none of the Shu Mountain Sword Immortals were skilled in the Five Elements Escape Technique. Therefore, the Taoist priest never thought of extending his divine sense deep into the earth.

The technique of passing through walls is different from the earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of technique that involves moving within a physical body). It consumes a great deal of true energy and is much slower. However, Yan Yu had the patience to slowly move to the vicinity of the Golden Bell in a little over half a minute, and then suddenly appeared and burst out of the ground!

The Taoist priest tried to command the Golden Silkworm Gu to intercept it, but it was too late.

Yan Yu first thrust out his sword intent with all his might, breaking a small hole in the outer shell of the giant bronze bell.

Immediately afterwards, the powerful sword light, a perfect blend of man and sword, struck the previous crack precisely, instantly shattering the giant bronze bell in half.

The radiant spiritual energy flowing on its surface also quickly dissipated and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)