Madam, please ascend.

Chapter 412 The Cloud Annihilation Tournament
Zhuque and Su Qing exchanged a glance and stopped arguing in perfect unison.

"The Demon Extermination Conference is coming on strong. They've already occupied the Demon Subduing Peak and set up a massive array that reaches the heavens and the earth. Why do I feel like you're not worried at all?" Zhuque complained.

Yun Yi had gone to Da Yan on business recently, so he was unaware of the extent of the preparations made for the Demon Extermination Conference.

The Demon-Subduing Peak occupied by that group was located at the central intersection of the three major sects: Burial Sword Valley, Heavenly Remnant Sect, and Bliss Sect.

Then there are Ye Lingxiao from the Tiangang Sword Sect, Murong Xuan from the Jiuxiao Cloud Palace, Chu Yunfeng from the Chixia Manor, and Jiang Hongye from the Shenxiao Dao. The four Dao Integration Realm experts join forces to set up the Four Symbols Sword Formation, which is terrifyingly powerful once it is activated.

During this period, Zhuque also considered attacking Fumo Peak, but unfortunately, his own strength was insufficient, and he was powerless against the group of righteous masters who came with great momentum.

After Yun Yi returned, he had already carefully analyzed all this information.

It's not hard to see that the Demon Extermination Conference intends to use the Four Symbols Sword Formation to confront the Demon Sect. If the Burial Sword Valley is defeated, the Demon Sect will be doomed forever.

But he remained calm and composed, appearing confident: "Being hasty won't solve the problem."

Zhuque complained, "It's all because the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect and the Yin God Palace are disloyal. If Lan Zhenxin and Gongsun Wuyang were willing to help, with our side plus the old sect leader Qiu Feng, the Four Symbols Sword Formation would be nothing to fear."

Yun Yi said, "It's a good thing that they don't interfere. This way, the righteous path will be embarrassed to 'bully the weak.' That's why none of the righteous sect leaders of the Fuyou Sect have made a move."

"Tell me the truth, have you already come up with a solution?"

“There is definitely a solution, and I won’t have to worry about it. Since Lu Ziwei promised to help me solve the problem, she will naturally keep her word.”

Zhuque clearly didn't believe it: "After all, the Tian Shu Academy is a righteous sect. Can it be trusted?"

Yun Yi: "Tian Shu Academy is unreliable, but Lu Ziwei is reliable."

Su Qing explained, "Yun Yi and I went to Da Yan this time, and Lu Ziwei owes us a huge favor, which we must repay."

Only after hearing the word "human relationships" did Zhuque feel a little relieved.

As a true member of the Demonic Sect, she never believed in any nonsense promises; only "human relationships" and "interests" were reliable.

Yun Yi crushed a jade talisman, and immediately the scene of Subduing Demon Peak appeared out of thin air.

This mountain range, chosen by the righteous sects, has a main peak that is entirely crimson, with rugged rocks. The summit was originally flat, but now it has been further transformed by Jiang Hongye using her mountain-moving and sea-filling techniques.

A palace was even built on top of it, from which streams of light shot out in the four directions of east, west, south, and north, landing on the four jade platforms. The whole thing looked like stars surrounding the moon.

Whenever sunlight shines through the clouds, the entire array reflects a rainbow of light, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Yun Yi: "The Four Symbols Sword Formation is both offensive and defensive. They are forcing us to take the initiative to attack Fumo Peak. Otherwise, once the formation has accumulated enough power, it can draw upon the power of heaven and earth to directly sever the spiritual energy of Burial Sword Valley and trigger the chaos of the earth's veins."

Zhuque sighed, "They are truly ruthless. If we, the Burial Sword Valley, were to attack the Demon Subduing Peak, we would likely suffer many casualties."

"The Four Symbols Sword Formation is extraordinary. In my opinion, there is no need for ordinary disciples to go and die."

"You're not planning to break the formation alone, are you?"

Yun Yi laughed and said, "I'm not interested in that for now. Jiang Hongye's arrangement is actually a kind of self-imposed confinement, forgetting the principle that a tree dies when moved and a person lives when moved. If we really can't hold on any longer, we can have our disciples hide in the mouth of the mirage demon at the Hehuan Sect ruins."

Su Qing agreed: "After all, the Demon Extermination Conference is just a temporary gathering organization, and it won't last long."

"Moreover, I think Jiang Hongye has some old grudges with the Demonic Sect. Her actions seem more like an attempt to vent her anger. I need to ask Feng Mo about the hidden reasons behind this."

Su Qing: "If you really intend to break through the formation, you, me, Senior Qiu Feng, and Lu Ziwei are actually capable of putting up a fight."

Yun Yi: "There's no need for such a big fuss. Actually, I have something else to prepare for besides the Demon Extermination Conference."

"Futian Pavilion?"

"Currently, besides the Heavenly Pillar of the Righteous Qi Sect, there is another Heavenly Pillar hidden in the Absolute Cliff, which is about to appear in the world."

Yun Yi recalled his experiences in his previous life. He and Song Xinci joined forces to unify the Demon Sect and fought a bloody battle with the righteous path. Afterwards, he heard that a rare treasure had appeared in Jue Tian Cliff.

Legend has it that it was a legacy left behind by an ancient immortal, possessing the miraculous effect of "banning all magic." At the time, Song Xinci did not intend to participate in this matter, but Yun Yi felt that this legacy might be able to break the shackles of the "Heart-to-Heart Gu," so he went alone.

As a result, his trip led him right into the trap set by the Futian Pavilion.

It turns out there was no immortal lineage at all; it was all just a rumor spread by the Overturning Heaven Pavilion under the guise of the Heavenly Pillar phenomenon.

As for the purpose... Song Xinci of the Demonic Sect has become the number one person below the Ascension Realm. The Overturning Heaven Pavilion wants to control Song Xinci, thereby triggering an even more brutal death battle between the Demonic Sect and the Righteous Path.

That time, Yun Yi fell into a trap, which led to Song Xinci coming to rescue him, and he was even threatened by Futiange.

That's how the story of falling off a cliff and being reborn came about.

Now that the appearance of the Heavenly Pillar of Jue Tian Cliff is approaching, the Fu Tian Pavilion will surely make a move. Therefore, Yun Yi plans to take this opportunity to send them a great gift.

While it's difficult to directly confront the Ascension Realm experts of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion, we can take advantage of their depleted spiritual energy after destroying the Heavenly Pillar to eliminate these major threats.

Even if things really turn upside down, we must ensure that the Overturning Heaven Pavilion has no more pawns to play.

Yun Yi said, "Mu Lang will most likely flee to Jue Tian Cliff to prepare for shattering the next Heavenly Pillar. Also, the Demon Extermination Conference here may have the shadow of the Overturning Heaven Pavilion."

Su Qing asked, "Won't you be overwhelmed?"

"It's alright. I'll leave this to Lu Ziwei and go plot against Futian Pavilion. With the Demon Extermination Conference as cover, they'll definitely think I'm overwhelmed and will be less vigilant."

In fact, Yun Yi has been having a question on his mind lately: after he and Song Xinci died in his previous life, Futian Pavilion must have shattered the pillar of Jue Tian Cliff.

How did Tianzhu of the Righteous Qi Sect plan this?

Yun Yi was completely unaware of any of this.

And if the Overturning Heaven Pavilion really shatters all the Heavenly Pillars, what will become of the Three Realms? Destruction, or rebirth?
What secrets lie hidden within that allowed him and Song Xinci to start over?
Yun Yi vaguely felt that he was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Zhuque regretted that she had not yet fully comprehended the "Eyebrow Painting Way" and could not help, and looked somewhat dejected.

Yun Yi said, "Each realm has its own things to do. These days, quite a few noisy rogue cultivators have come. We can't let them go too far and think that our Burial Sword Valley is easy to bully."

"You mean, teach them a lesson?"

"The Nascent Soul Realm opponents will be handled by Dou Li. It just so happens that this kid has just entered the Nascent Soul Realm and urgently needs a worthy opponent to hone his skills. The Void Return Realm opponents will be left to you few. In the meantime, Su Qing and my grandfather will stay behind to guard the rear in case the opponent makes a move."

In Yun Yi's opinion, the Demon Extermination Conference was nothing more than a rabble and nothing to fear, except for the leader, Jiang Hongye, who was somewhat troublesome.

After all, he is one of the three Celestial Masters of the Righteous Qi Sect, and his cultivation is probably no less than that of Dao Cheng and Qiu Haoran.

As for the other Dao Integration Realm cultivators... Yun Yi has already killed several of them. Although the three thousand Great Daos are not ranked in terms of superiority, in a life-or-death battle, sword cultivators naturally have the advantage.

Moreover, Yun Yi still has a backup plan, such as a massive, sky-covering treasure ship that is slowly sailing towards the location of Fumo Peak.

Wen Daoxian had already sent a message that he had come alone, without bringing any members of the Wen family or spirit beasts to help him.

But that's enough.

At the critical moment, the Heavenly Sea Treasure Ship could accommodate all the disciples of Burial Sword Valley. In fact, Wen Daoxian even left a message in the jade talisman saying that if they really couldn't defeat the other side, they could just use the Heavenly Sea Treasure Ship to smash the Demon Subduing Peak to pieces.

As expected of the wealthy and powerful Wen family, they are indeed very generous.

When Yun Yi thought about Lu Ziwei's secret schemes, he realized that if he thought the Demon Extermination Conference was troublesome, he would be making a mountain out of a molehill.

His only task at present is to avoid causing too many casualties.

Competitions between people of the same realm are fine, but we absolutely cannot allow others to take advantage of the situation to incite a bloody battle between the righteous and demonic paths—this is what the Overturning Heaven Pavilion most wants to happen.

Having finally managed to stir up the war between the Great Yan and Great Xia kingdoms, the righteous and demonic sects absolutely cannot repeat the mistakes of the previous era.

……

Lu Ziwei had also faced the Futian Pavilion head-on, sacrificing her identity as the "National Preceptor of the Great Yan" in exchange for destroying the arrangements the Futian Pavilion had made in the Great Yan.

That's why she values ​​this Demon Extermination Conference so much, and she knows that she must not start a war between the righteous and the demonic paths under any circumstances.

After learning about Jiang Hongye's arrangements, she couldn't help but admire the Grand Master's extraordinary skills.

Instead of launching a direct attack on the Demonic Sect, she set up the Demon-Subduing Peak to invite them to "be guests." Coming meant certain death, while not coming would be a complete loss of face, effectively diminishing the Demonic Sect's prestige accumulated over the years.

Moreover, Lu Ziwei had also foreseen Jiang Hongye's subsequent plans; she didn't actually think that the Demon Extermination Conference could be accomplished in one fell swoop.

Jiang Hongye's goal was to cripple the Demonic Sect, at any cost. Once the Demonic Sect showed any weakness, it would be attacked by the scattered cultivators, and peace would never return.

As a renowned cultivation family on par with the Wen family, Jiang Hongye was determined to empty her coffers this time.

Killing a member of the Demonic Sect not only allows you to seize his valuables and magical treasures, but also earns you a reward from the Jiang family. It's a win-win situation, so there's no doubt that some rogue cultivator would be willing to do it.

Lu Ziwei remained noncommittal, thinking that Jiang Hongye was being rather foolish. Wasn't she afraid that the Demonic Sect might stage a fake death, or even use someone else's "life" to cheat for the reward?
If the righteous path could truly destroy the demonic sect, it would have accomplished this long ago. How could the two remain locked in a stalemate, maintaining a delicate balance?
This is also a manifestation of the ultimate truth of heaven and earth. When the righteous path is dominant, it will breed many hypocritical people who seem upright but do the same things as the demonic sect. Therefore, they will support the weaker demonic sect.

When the Demonic Sect is at its most powerful, there will also be individuals who, despite being part of the sect, still have principles. Even if such people are not righteous, they will show no mercy when killing members of the Demonic Sect.

In Lu Ziwei's view, the delicate balance between the righteous and demonic sects at present rests entirely on one person.

That's Yun Yi.

Through his years of painstaking efforts, he has built connections in both the righteous and demonic sects, so as long as he is around, it will be difficult for a true war to break out.

Take, for example, these righteous disciples in front of me. From Qi Refining Realm to Void Returning Realm, aren't they all promising talents that the sect is focusing on cultivating?
Even I, at the Dao Integration Realm, am running around everywhere for Yun Yi.
Lu Ziwei found it increasingly amusing, thinking that Jiang Hongye would likely have a very difficult time achieving her goal this time. In fact, her biggest opponent wasn't the Demonic Sect at all, but the righteous path itself.

At this moment, Yunxia Academy was quite lively. Boyue and Lianxin were bickering again, and the little monk Bujie was being pulled aside by Qi Ling'er to ask all sorts of questions. He had heard that the Wen family's Dao Integration Realm patriarch had already gone to support Burial Sword Valley, so he was not here.

Although Xun Ziyu's cultivation level was not high, he was always cautious. Compared to the careless Boyue, he also realized the tricky nature of the Demon Extermination Conference.

The key is how to minimize major issues and resolve minor ones peacefully; if a deadly feud is formed, that would be extremely unfortunate.

He asked, "Senior Sister Lu, do you already have a plan in mind?"

Lu Ziwei nodded and said, "I'm still waiting for someone very important."

"Who is that person?"

"Here it is, just in time."

A sword light descended into the academy; the figure in black robes, coupled with an incomparably sharp sword intent, could only be Feng Mo.

Feng Mo said, "You actually predicted I would come?"

He was somewhat surprised, not expecting that another person of his generation would emerge at the Dao Integration Realm.

Bo Yue and the others were overjoyed to see Feng Mo and came over to pay their respects, wishing they could draw their swords and have a duel on the spot.

Feng Mo said helplessly, "Let's get down to business first."

Lu Ziwei raised an eyebrow slightly: "Did you come to see me not because of Yun Yi?"

Feng Mo seemed a little embarrassed, after all, the person who led the Demon Extermination Conference was his elder. He explained, "The Old Celestial Master wants to take on a closed-door disciple, so he sent me to the Tian Shu Academy to invite Master Qiu to attend the ceremony at the Righteous Qi Sect."

Lu Ziwei: "But how did you end up here again?"

“I did have something to discuss with you, so I asked Master Qiu about your whereabouts.”

"In the end, you're still worried about Yunyi."

Feng Mo sighed and admitted, "That's true. I was also afraid something might happen to Uncle Jiang."

Lu Ziwei was quite tall with long legs, but her scholar's robes covered most of her curves, giving her an air of imposing authority at first glance.

She said confidently, "Since you are willing to lend a hand, I am even more confident."

"What are your plans?"

"It would be best to settle things peacefully, but relying solely on words and your personal connections is unlikely to satisfy those rogue cultivators."

"Does Master Lu intend to..."

"I intend to use the banner of the 'Yun Annihilation Tournament' to claim that all the young disciples of the righteous path have a grudge against Yun Yi and must defeat him personally in order to achieve the perfection of their Dao heart. If anyone else wants to take action against Yun Yi, they will have to get past the 'Yun Annihilation Tournament' first."

Boyue patted his chest: "Sophisticated argument? I'm a master at that!"

He didn't abstain from chanting Buddhist mantras and sighed, "That makes sense. If he can't even beat me, he certainly can't beat Benefactor Yun."

Although Feng Mo felt this was somewhat frivolous, he did not refuse to participate and asked, "Where will this 'Cloud Annihilation Conference' you mentioned be held?"

Lu Ziwei laughed and said, "What a coincidence, you're also at Fumo Peak!"

(End of this chapter)