Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 841 It's Better to Kill and Steal the Sword

While the two struggled in the secret realm, the situation outside was also rapidly deteriorating.

There are currently five giant snakes, located in five different places.

The giant serpent from Goryeo was prevented from growing for too long due to the timely relocation and evacuation of its inhabitants. Furthermore, the Ewha-won Kingdom had signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the Lu Kingdom, agreeing to deploy the Purple Cloud Array within the country. As a result, the giant serpent no longer posed a significant threat, and the process for eliminating it had begun.

The giant European serpent is currently being suppressed by the Shroud of Turin's barrier. Theoretically, this barrier can achieve the same effect as the Purple Cloud Array, but it is said that there is a problem with the energy supply, which has not yet been resolved. As a result, the serpent is only restricted in its movement, and the barrier around its body has not suppressed it to the point that it can enter the world inside its belly.

The giant Australian snake roams freely and domineeringly along the coastal cities. However, Australia's relatively small population cannot provide enough sustenance for the snake, thus its power has not increased significantly.

There are two giant snakes that pose the greatest risk:
The South American serpent has essentially been given a free meal since landing. Because South America, like North America, lacks its own superhuman system and is not strong in technology or diplomacy, having long served as the Mitch's backyard, it has absolutely no ability to resist the serpent.

While the rapid increase in strength of the South American giant serpent was somewhat expected, the situation with the North American giant serpent was relatively more difficult to understand. There was no attempt to organize the migration of residents, no effort to slow down the giant serpent, and not even any of the typical pirate trash talk directed at the Lu Kingdom, such as "What's the principle behind your Purple Cloud Formation? Share it with all of humanity," or any other impolite demands that would absolutely be ignored.

They did nothing.

Conspiracy theorists claim that the North American serpent landed on the West Coast, which is not only a densely populated area of ​​Mitchell, but also a stronghold of the Blue Party.

The current head of state is from the ruling party, and the next general election is imminent. Considering that the staunch blue camp would never vote for the ruling party, and that the serpent tends to attack densely populated areas, the more it is left unchecked, the more people in blue states will die, which seems to be increasingly advantageous for his re-election...

This is, of course, just a conspiracy theory. The reason why similar conspiracy theories are flying around is, of course, because the Department of Homeland Security really hasn't done anything, and the superheroes haven't started mobilizing, so it's no wonder that everyone is starting to become suspicious.

"Now all the superheroes have gone to Europe." Liu Longtao sent a message in the cultivator chat group. "The two giant snakes in the Americas are completely neglected. They're doomed! North America has 500 million people, and South America has 400 million people. Once they've eaten them all, they can destroy the world."

"No way? Really?" The cultivators quickly began to discuss, "Isn't our Lu Kingdom going to do anything about this?"

“It won’t be easy to manage,” Zhang Huaide chimed in. “It seems that to deal with the giant serpent, we need to set up enough Purple Cloud Array nodes in the area. This is no small project, and it’s absolutely impossible to do without the cooperation of local forces.”

As for why they didn't send in Golden Core cultivators to force the local forces to submit and cooperate, that was a matter of comprehensive consideration by the cabinet after weighing the pros and cons, and it was not something that anyone else could decide.

When Liu Longtao brought this up in the group chat, he was essentially advocating for swift intervention and hoping everyone would put some pressure on those above. Unfortunately, the cultivators clearly weren't very interested in the world situation, and the conversation quickly veered off-topic.

"Speaking of Yan Yu, where is he?" Li Zhaojiang interrupted.

"I've gone to carry out a mission," came the reply from Chen Lingyun.

"Shouldn't you call him brother-in-law?" Qin Meng complained in the group chat.

"Get lost! Get lost! Get lost! Get lost! Get lost! Get lost! Get lost!" Li Zhaojiang replied with a string of "get lost!" "My sister isn't even married to him yet! How can he be my brother-in-law already? If you want to marry him, you go marry him!"

"Then Lao Qin needs to get surgery," Meng Qingxi complained.

“No,” Chen Lingyun replied. “Gender reassignment surgery is also not an option; we can’t accommodate any more people here.”

She lay on the sofa, typing slowly, when she suddenly heard Lin Ning beside her ask:

"Are you sure it's alright? Those two giant snakes in the Americas will become increasingly difficult to deal with if left unchecked."

“Of course.” Chen Lingyun looked at her phone without looking up and said, “In the long run, we must intervene as soon as possible; but in the short term, the later we intervene, the more advantageous it will be for us.”

"Won't things get out of control if we delay too long?" Lin Ning was still worried.

“There are plenty of things in this world that become more troublesome the longer they are delayed,” Chen Lingyun said leisurely. “Nuclear wastewater, the greenhouse effect, Voyager 1, this is just another problem. There’s no need to make such a fuss.”

Lin Ning was speechless. She was the type of person who would finish all her homework as soon as summer vacation started, and she couldn't stand this kind of behavior of procrastinating.

But she couldn't think of a rebuttal, so she could only mutter:

"If the captain were here, he definitely wouldn't say such a thing."

“He’s living such a tiring life.” Chen Lingyun rolled over on the sofa. “If you don’t want to end up like him, you should learn to turn a blind eye to some things.”

"Sigh, the captain's been gone for too long," Lin Ning sighed. "I wonder what he's been doing."

Anna stayed in Lu Kingdom for too long and has now set off to return to the Northern Territory; Tang Xiaolian and Ye Yun asked for leave to go home to see their parents; Zhou Hongyu, Su Yunjin and Xie Ruoxi were conscripted to assist Pear Blossom Courtyard in investigating the Gale Serpent; as a result, the villa is now noticeably quiet.

"I have to go out for a bit," Li Minghu said to Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun as he came down from the second floor. "I've been given a mission by my superiors."

"Why don't you have dinner before you leave?" Lin Ning asked quickly. "I've already cooked your portion."

"No need, it's rather urgent," Li Minghu said with a smile. "Let Sister Zhao eat it for me."

Given Zhao Yuanzhen's appetite, he could certainly eat any amount, so Lin Ning simply said "oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

As Li Minghu set off, his mood grew slightly somber.

Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue had been missing in Chongying for so long that the Privy Council even suspected that Koreichiro had set up an ambush to lure them there and then assassinate them—although upon closer inspection, it seemed unlikely.

Li Minghu's assigned task was to go and confirm the specific situation of the two people.

However, Soichiro met with her through official channels and did not hide anything from her. He directly told Li Minghu that the two of them had gone to the secret realm of the Kusanagi Sword.

"If no one has ever returned from inside, how do you know that the Kusanagi Sword is hidden in the secret realm?" Li Minghu asked skeptically.

“We don’t know,” Soichiro replied. “Throughout the mythology and history of the Sakura Empire, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is the most noble divine sword we can think of. Naming this secret realm after the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi is to show it the utmost respect, and also to warn other Onmyoji that its dangers are extraordinary. If you are not prepared to die, do not venture into it lightly.”

Li Minghu remained silent for a moment, then understood the unspoken meaning in the other person's words:
This secret realm is extremely dangerous. In the past, all the Onmyoji who were responsible for exploring it never returned. I have already told your people about this. They insisted on going in anyway.

"Take me to see it," Li Minghu instructed.

Upon arriving at the cave and stepping into the pool, she swam briefly in the deeper water and soon sensed the faint pressure of swords emanating from her.

It feels as if it can easily cut through clothing and slash the skin, causing a subtle stinging sensation.

The two continued their descent without stopping until they reached the critical depth. Soichiro retrieved the underwater communication board, intending to write a message to Li Minghu to reiterate the dangers below, but saw that she showed no sign of stopping and continued diving straight into the unfathomable depths.

He disappeared from Soichiro's sight.

—————————— Inside the secret realm, no matter how the two tried to persuade him, Sect Leader Chen Yanwei simply shook his head and refused to lend out the divine sword.

The answer to any further questions is, "The divine sword can only be wielded by its master." If you ask again, the answer is, "What are your true intentions?" If you ask any more questions, someone will die.

Yan Yu then offered a compromise, saying, "Since you are unwilling to lend the divine sword, why not take the lead in slaying demons and monsters, and open up a path for survival for the entire Shu Mountain? This is also your duty as the master of the Sun Sword."

Chen Yanwei shook his head again, asking, "I am only at the Golden Core stage and cannot unleash the full power of the divine sword." He then asked, "If I am trapped and forced to seize the sword by a demonic sect member at the Nascent Soul stage, can you bear the responsibility?"

Ask again and someone will die.

Yan Yu was getting impatient and complained:

“We are trapped here. If we wait for the demonic cultists to completely conquer Mount Shu, won’t you still be trapped and unable to seize the sword? Why not take the initiative now? At least we can control the time and place of the battle. What exactly is the sect leader waiting for? Why not tell the elders?”

Chen Yanwei flew into a rage:
"The Shu Mountain sect is still alive and well, how can you start discussing what will happen after it is captured? This brat is undermining the morale of our sect, he will not be let off lightly!"

Reborn on Mount San'e, Yan Yu immediately began to bombard the sect leader:
"This sect leader is a complete baby! He clearly has the Sun True Sword, but he refuses to lend it out or fight. Yet he's decisive and ruthless when it comes to attacking his disciples. I think the Shushan Shangqing Sect was ruined by him!"

“That’s true.” Mei Yingxue, who was usually cold and calm, couldn’t help but get angry at this moment. “In my opinion, he has clearly made up his mind.”

"What idea?" Yan Yu asked.

"Escape." Mei Yingxue said decisively, "The last few times Shu Mountain fell, the sect leader always fled alone with his sword, running faster than anyone else. Did he ever care about us Emei disciples?"

"He clearly planned this all along. The sect could be lost, but the sword could not be lost! That's why he used the sect's wealth and our disciples as bait, creating the most precious opportunity for him to escape at the moment when all the demonic sects and monsters were rushing into Mount Shu and the scene was at its most chaotic!"

Yan Yu frowned, thought carefully, and said:

"What you said does make some sense."

“Of course that makes sense,” Mei Yingxue said. “These are all things that have happened in history, okay? It was for this reason that the Sun True Sword finally couldn’t stand it anymore and abandoned him and ran away.”

A light drizzle began to fall from the sky. Yan Yu, too lazy to find shelter, simply said fiercely:
"Since that's the case, there's no need to try to persuade him. How about we just kill him and take the sword?"

"Kill the sect leader?" Mei Yingxue pondered seriously. "It's almost impossible for the two of us."

“Yes,” Yan Yu sighed, “If all four Nascent Soul elders were on our side, there might still be a chance…”

As they were talking, the two suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Ok?
Chen Yanwei dared not go out to fight because he was only at the Golden Core stage. Even with the power of the divine sword, he was not confident that he could deal with several Nascent Soul cultivators.

Conversely, could it be that if we could persuade the four Nascent Soul stage elders of Shushan to launch a surprise attack on Chen Yanwei and seize the Sun True Sword, we could reverse the current predicament?
"Whom do you plan to start with?" Mei Yingxue asked.

"Tian Yue," Yan Yu said. "Elder Tian belongs to the pro-war faction. He even competed with Chen Yanwei for the title of Sun Sword Master back then. I'll test his attitude when the battle turns unfavorable."

“Then I’ll go ask Pei Li,” Mei Yingxue said thoughtfully. “Since he proposed the strategy of dispersing and lying in wait, he must also value the lives of his disciples. Perhaps we can start from this point.”

The two then flew to the Ancestral Hall on their swords and entered the debate scene as originally planned, proposing a strategy to defend the sect to the death.

As we have learned from previous experiences, choosing to defend one's sect to the death will only lead to being worn down by the opponent's unreasonable human wave tactics.

Of course, the longer the battle drags on, the more anxious the elders become, and the greater the chance of persuading and turning them against their side.

Before proceeding, try to understand each elder's personality as much as possible.

Li Minghu entered the secret realm and appeared at the summit of Mount San'e, where he saw the powerful array of the sect in the distance operating at full capacity.

Amidst the glint of swords and the chilling winds and demonic mists, dozens of cultivators engaged in a chaotic battle, with many sustaining injuries or perishing.

Li Minghu pondered for a moment, thinking to himself that since everyone here was a cultivator, this definitely wasn't some kind of Yin-Yang Master's secret realm. It seemed to be some kind of trial-type secret realm with a storyline.

Just as she was about to take off on her sword, she suddenly saw a sword light fall in front of her.

If Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue were here, they would naturally recognize him as the last elder who remained silent throughout the Ancestral Hall meeting—let's call him "Ding" for now.

"What are you doing here?" Elder Ding asked.

"Senior," Li Minghu bowed respectfully, "I..."

"Oh well, forget it," Elder Ding said impatiently. "Shushan is about to perish, why should I care what you, a mere disciple, are doing? What's the point? Go to the village at the foot of the mountain and fetch me a pot of wine."

Li Minghu caught the gourd of wine that was tossed to him, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"Senior, you said that Mount Shu is doomed..."

"Go get the wine, then I'll come back and talk to you," Elder Ding said, waving his hand.

Li Minghu had no choice but to fly to the village at the foot of the mountain on his sword.

The battle raged fiercely high in the sky, but the villages on the ground were largely unaffected. Li Minghu filled his gourd with wine and flew back to the top of San'e Mountain, where he saw Elder Ding arguing with someone.

"As an elder of Shushan, how can you be so lazy and negligent at this critical moment for the survival of the sect!" Chen Yanwei questioned angrily.

"So what if I'm lazy? So what if I'm negligent?" Elder Ding asked him expressionlessly. "If I were diligent and hardworking, would I be able to save Mount Shu from destruction?"

Chen Yanwei was speechless for a moment before finally saying:

How will you know if you don't try?

"How would I know?" Elder Ding sneered. "Yan Wei, I watched you grow up. Do you think I don't know your personality? You're always hesitant and overthinking things. You're already worrying about what to do if you lose before the fight even starts. Have you already decided to find a chance to escape the sect and protect the Divine Sword?"

"I had no such intention!" Chen Yanwei denied it outright. He wanted to say something more, but seeing Li Minghu approaching, he immediately turned around angrily, flicked his sleeves, and flew away on his sword.

(End of this chapter)