Wanfa Daojun, starting from the Little Cloud and Rain Technique

Chapter 679 'Old Friends'

As the group approached, Ji An discovered that the 'spiritual energy vortex' was a deep, dark color, lacking any of the shimmering, watery quality of typical cloud formations.

The black area was like an abyss that swallowed light, and staring at it gave one the illusion that one's soul was leaving the body and drifting away.

This area is extremely vast, with the gathering black clouds covering hundreds of acres. Even a cultivator who has broken through to the Golden Core stage can only condense a spiritual energy vortex of a few dozen acres in size.

It contains ethereal hissing, roaring, shouting, and lingering, decadent music, which arouses the mind and spirit, making one feel very uncomfortable.

Above the dark clouds, purple tribulation clouds were gathering, clearly the chaotic divine lightning.

Noticing that his disciple beside him was showing signs of mental confusion, Ji An activated his mental roar and let out a low shout.

His mastery of magic was exquisite enough that a soul attack of this level would not harm disciples in the Chaoyuan stage, but would only shake their minds.

The disciple was startled awake, drenched in a cold sweat. "Thank you, Master Uncle. Otherwise, I might have developed a soul-loss disorder."

Judging from the sheer strangeness of this place, those afflicted with the "loss of soul" disease may never recover.

Qin Yan, standing beside him, looked solemn, his expression as unchanging as an ancient glacier in the far north.

"Senior brother, this is not a normal cultivator at all; rather, it seems more like the path of a demonic cultivator."

The appearance of a demonic cultivator at Yuanhe Mountain, judging from the scene, suggests that he might actually be undergoing the Nascent Soul Tribulation. Such an explosive event happening right before his eyes made him feel that the sky over Xizhou might be about to collapse.

Ji An turned his head and said, "Junior brother, you take the disciples and leave, fly to Qingyun Immortal City as fast as possible."

He instructed his disciples to spread the message and destroy the teleportation array leading to Yuanhe Mountain, then teleport back to the sect to report to their senior brother, the sect leader.

As he spoke, he summoned a top-tier third-order puppet and telepathically explained the control technique.

"Hold it to defend yourself."

The appearance of a puppet, about ten feet tall and covered in scars, gave people an invisible sense of oppression.

Having endured countless battles within the ruins, it exudes a chilling aura.

"And what about you, senior brother?"

"I'll stay here to gather intelligence. Even if the demonic cultivator inside is at the Golden Core Perfection level, and even if he can break through to become a Nascent Soul level demonic cultivator, he will still have a period of weakness."

Ji An was not taking a meaningless adventure, nor was his decision reckless. There had never been a cultivator who survived the tribulation and was still full of energy and able to wreak havoc.

At this moment, the stone tortoise in his dantian disappeared without a trace, undoubtedly going to absorb Dao energy.

The breakthrough of a demonic cultivator also provides Daoist essence, which makes him feel somewhat happy, as it provides another channel to become stronger.

However, the situation at Yuanhe Mountain also shocked him. How could a Golden Core sect have become the territory of demonic cultivators without anyone noticing?

He felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about Yuanhe Mountain closing its gates.

Qin Yan knew the urgency of the situation and understood that staying would only be a burden, so he made a hand seal to control the puppet to jump onto his spiritual cloud, and bowed, saying:
"Senior brother, I'll take my leave now. Take care, and see you at the sect again."

"Goodbye."

Ji An waved goodbye, and the disciple beside him flew onto Qin Yan's spirit cloud. The group then sped south.

In the distance, in a lush, verdant forest, Yun Nianrong gave instructions to the two cultivators dressed in black robes behind her:
“You catch up with the cultivator who left on the cloud, and I will deal with the people left here.”

Both cultivators were at the third level of the Golden Core stage. They broke through to the Golden Core stage in the Demon Cave, so the outside world had no idea about the Xuan Yin Holy Sect's true strength.

A gentle smile appeared on Yun Nianrong's lips, but inwardly she thought fiercely:

"What a small world!"

Although the distance was great, with her cultivation having broken through to the eighth level of the Golden Core stage, she was still able to clearly see the figure that often appeared in her dreams.

No doubt about it, it was that cultivator who had caused her immense harm on two separate occasions.

"Yes, sir. Senior sister, shall we kill the enemy or capture them?"

"It would be best to capture him, but if we can't capture him, we should kill him. We should delay the news of the sect leader's breakthrough as long as possible."

The breakthrough was quite a commotion, but a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators had already been stationed around Yuanhe Mountain to hunt down or drive away anyone who dared to approach.

Those cultivators who were watching from a greater distance could only get a general idea of ​​the commotion and wouldn't know exactly what was happening.

"As you command," the two cultivators said, riding on black clouds that swept across the land. The wind howled through the clouds, as if a gale was sweeping across the graves, overgrown weeds, and wild trees.

Yun Nianrong rode the wind, approaching her target from a blind spot.

At this moment, Ji An found a relatively secluded woodland and waited for the start of the lightning tribulation, while summoning the Golden-Winged Bird to patrol.

Although we don't know what changes have occurred in Yuanhe Mountain, it must have become a den of demonic cultivators.

Frankly speaking, neither the sect nor the Fallen Maple Sect knew about this, which will put them in a very passive position in the future.

The power of Nascent Soul demonic cultivators can be seen from the several demonic calamities they have unleashed in the cultivation world. It is said that they can plant demonic thoughts in the bodies of flesh and blood creatures, and these creatures become their hosts without realizing it.

If the demonic cultivators successfully break through, the situation in the Western Continent will be immediately rewritten. What will become of the sects then?
"Pooh!"

Ji An gritted his teeth and spat. He had traveled thousands of miles back to Xizhou in order to have a relatively stable environment for cultivation.

Upon returning to the Western Continent, they discovered that the situation was perhaps even more perilous than in the Central Continent, and they could not find peace and stability.

What should I do?
Suddenly at a loss, he descended and used earth-遁术 (earth-遁术 is a type of magic that allows one to escape into the ground) to find an underground crevice.

He took out the gourd-shaped stone and probed it into his divine sense, entering the small world.

Yun Nianrong did not notice his departure and continued to slowly approach, thinking about how to torture this enemy.

Ji An appeared below the Gathering Yuan Tree. At this moment, True Monarch Lianshan was awake and was walking around the Heaven and Earth Spirit Tree with his hands behind his back.

"True Lord, I have now arrived in the Western Continent, but when I passed by the gate of a Golden Core sect, I found a demon cultivator undergoing tribulation inside."

Judging from the momentum, it is breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.

If the enemy succeeds in breaking through, it will inevitably have a profound and significant impact on the situation in the Western Continent. What should be the next step in responding?

The demonic cultivators were born during the last True Demonic Calamity, so the other side should know how to effectively deal with this situation.

"A demonic cultivator? Let's go out and take a look."

As the two left the small world, the purple thunderclouds outside grew even thicker.

After watching for a while, True Lord Lianshan spoke:

"The breakthrough has already begun, and no one can stop it at this point. You don't need to be so nervous when facing a demonic cultivator who has just entered the Nascent Soul stage."

The tribulation lightning of demonic cultivators is even more intense than that of immortal cultivators, but the benefits they receive after surviving the tribulation are no less than those of immortal cultivators.

It is extremely difficult to survive the tribulation of lightning; he must spend more time recuperating.

"I estimate it will take at least thirty or forty years, which is enough time for you to make further preparations." "But if the demonic cultivator plunders the cultivator's life force and soul to heal their injuries, I'm afraid no one in the entire Western Continent will be able to cure them."

Lianshan Zhenjun frowned and asked suspiciously:

"Aren't demonic cultivators cultivators who use demonic heads and demonic energy as their cultivation materials?"

Although their personalities might become distorted with cultivation, they couldn't possibly plunder a cultivator's life force and soul, could they?

To his knowledge, he had never heard of such a situation.

Ji An then remembered that the demonic cultivators developed a cultivation method that used the flesh, blood, and soul of cultivators as materials after the True Demon Tribulation, when the Five Elements Sect had already been destroyed.

He recounted the subsequent development of the demonic cultivation and waited quietly for a reply.

Lianshan Zhenjun gently shook his head, "According to the cultivation method you described, later demonic cultivators will inevitably accumulate a great deal of resentment from living beings, which will linger around them."

One or two strands of resentment from living beings are nothing, but too much resentment can have extremely terrifying effects.

I don't know how low-level demonic cultivators would deal with it, but Nascent Soul level demonic cultivators would definitely try their best to avoid getting too involved with too many dead souls.

The most important foundation for cultivation at the Nascent Soul level is a pure soul. Unless there is a secret method to purify resentment, no cultivator would do so.

Demonic cultivators use demonic entities as their cultivation material, which is essentially a yin-attribute energy, and theoretically, a very pure form of energy.

The Five Elements Sect contributed to the compilation of the demonic cultivation techniques, so he knew this very well.

Ji An scratched his head, "Then why do demonic disasters occur so frequently?"

Lianshan Zhenjun snorted coldly and said:
"It must be that some fools think they can purify the resentment, or that high-level demonic cultivators have discovered the drawbacks and have no other choice but to do this."

The cultivation methods of demonic cultivators are inherently unorthodox and have considerable hidden dangers.

Whether we are cultivators or all living beings, our bodies are predominantly Yang in nature, except for those with special constitutions.

Practicing Yin-based techniques with a Yang body will likely lead to death if progress is slow, because demonic cultivators who reach the Nascent Soul stage only have a lifespan of about 1,500 to 1,600 years, half that of normal cultivators.

Upon hearing this news, Ji An nodded inwardly, thinking that this was the normal course of events.

While demonic cultivators enjoy rapid advancement in their cultivation, the price they pay is enormous, which aligns with the natural order.

He asked again:

"Could a demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul level breach a mountain gate built on a low-grade third-tier spiritual vein?"

"Although Nascent Soul cultivators are strong and their magical power is of higher quality, it is not easy for them to break through the mountain-protecting formation."

The quality of a third-tier low-grade spiritual vein isn't very good, but the spiritual energy it accumulates is enormous. Unless it's a miniature or small spiritual vein, a Nascent Soul stage cultivator wouldn't be able to break through a sect's protective formation.

A cultivator at the first level of the Nascent Soul stage can easily deal with a cultivator at the ninth level of the Golden Core stage, because they have an overwhelming advantage in all aspects, including the strength of their soul, the quality of their mana, and the total amount of mana.

How should one defend against a demonic seed of soul?

Ji An asked, and he recounted the rumors he had heard about the demonic pollution.

"The attack method you mentioned can also be used by high-level demons, but they can't condense many demon seeds."

I don't know how many demonic seeds a late-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator can separate, but a first-stage Nascent Soul demonic cultivator can separate at most thirty or forty demonic seeds.

Condensing a demonic seed also comes at a price, and it's not very meaningful for a demonic seed to attach itself to a low-level target. It should at least attach itself to a Golden Core cultivator, right?
In the initial stage of attachment, the hidden dangers can be resolved by using a mid-grade third-tier purification talisman.

Even if all else fails, the Vajra Bodhi tree you planted contains a top-grade third-tier purification talisman, which can completely solve the problem.

He explored the miniature world thoroughly many times and knew the treasures inside very well.

After hearing what Zhenjun said, Ji An felt relieved. He wouldn't go out after returning to the sect, so he was relatively safe.

At this moment, True Monarch Lianshan spoke up, "Put the matter of the Nascent Soul level demonic cultivators aside for now, and focus on dealing with the battle at hand."

Five miles behind, enemies were stealthily approaching. Judging from the oppressive aura emanating from them, they were likely cultivators at the eighth level of the Golden Core stage.

No matter how much a low-level cultivator tries to conceal themselves, they will have nowhere to hide in the eyes of a high-level cultivator. Although Lian Shan Zhenjun's Nascent Soul power is exhausted, he can still reach the late Nascent Soul stage.

Ji An looked back and searched for a moment, then saw a female cultivator who seemed to have seen her somewhere before.

He immediately went into battle mode, summoning the Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner and the Plain Cloud Banner.

His natal magic weapon was damaged, but since it was his main defensive measure, he had no choice but to fight with it injured.

Yellow aura permeated his surroundings, and the plain-colored cloud banner fluttered in the wind, ready to unleash an attack at any moment.

He was not afraid of enemies at the eighth level of the Golden Core stage.

After summoning the magic weapon, he immediately made a hand seal to release the strength of metal and stone. The silver light flashed and then quickly subsided.

Lian Shan Zhenjun suddenly raised an eyebrow. This spell is quite advanced!
Realizing she had been exposed, Yun Nianrong immediately summoned her magic weapon. A lotus leaf shimmered with spiritual light, like flowing cinnabar ink, and a rich fragrance wafted out.

She stopped a hundred feet away from her target and said in an icy tone:
"We meet again. I've been thinking of you all these years, day and night."

Like a cold wind blowing down from the snow-capped mountains, the air felt even colder.

The female cultivator's face overlapped with the image deep in his memory, and Ji An recognized her. Her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze in March.
"Who are you?"

He said it on purpose, and it wasn't exactly wrong. Although they had dealt with each other before, he didn't know the other person's name.

At that moment, he smelled the fragrance wafting over and felt a slight dizziness, as if his nerves were out of control, like when he was drunk.

He immediately sealed his breath and activated his cultivation technique. The speed of the Five Elements Revolving Scripture suddenly increased, and the Five Elements Divine Palace flashed with light, refining the scents that entered his body.

There were no toxins as expected; instead, I felt a sense of vitality.

Without any further hesitation, he immediately began to perform the hand seals again.

Yun Nianrong's lips curled into an even colder smile. "You're still being stubborn. I'll refine you into a flesh and blood puppet to nurture blood beasts."

In less than a century, her cultivation had reached the eighth level of the Golden Core stage, and in her view, capturing the other party was a piece of cake.

Behind him, a river of blood surged, like a mighty river churning up towering waves, from which countless blood-red lotus leaves sprouted, charging towards Ji An.

Ji An's spell was now complete. He smiled confidently and released it, unleashing the Heavenly Blaze.

Snowflakes fell from the sky, and blazing white-purple flames covered the heavens and the earth.

Each flame is the size of a palm, its flames dynamic and carrying a deadly intent.

Before the blood river could reach Ji An, the flames and the blood river met.

In an instant, the blood lotus withered and the blood river evaporated.

Concealing herself, Yun Nianrong discovered that the Blood River was being consumed at a terrifying speed, and at the same time, her magic weapon was being damaged. This was the accumulation of so many years of her life!
(End of this chapter)