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Chapter 209 Clouds Lock the Azure Sky, Hiding Deadly Intentions; A Scheme Leads to the Fall of the Nightmare-Emperor [Two-in-One]

In order not to affect the secluded cultivation of disciples at the Core Formation stage and above within the sect.

When the Free and Unfettered Sword Sect specifically established Sword Valley as a venue for exchanges among disciples of immortal sects, it made corresponding considerations.

The location of Sword Valley was chosen at the edge, just inside the mountain gate.

Therefore, to reach Hidden Sword Peak, which is located at the core, one needs to pass through many ordinary sword peaks that tower into the clouds.

Among the thick clouds between a certain sword peak, several cloud platforms, concealed by hidden magic arrays, floated.

The largest cloud platform was packed with people, mostly Hehuan cultivators.

"Ambush them here? Is this a safe place? Won't someone interfere?"

You Ronghuan looked around and saw sword peaks of all shapes and sizes, tall and short.

She was genuinely worried that the wandering cultivators living nearby would come to her aid after the ambush began.

A sword cultivator dressed in the robes of the Free and Unfettered Sword Sect adjusted his half-face mask.

He chuckled and said, "People from outside the sect always think that each of these sword peaks is a cave dwelling, with at least one sword cultivator living on it."

"Is not it?"

Everyone present couldn't help but turn to look at him, wanting to hear what he had to say, because they really thought so.

"Of course not. It's true that each sword peak has a cave dwelling reserved for it," the sword cultivator said with a sneer. "But not all of them are inhabited by cultivators. The Free and Unfettered Sword Sect doesn't have that many disciples."

He drew a circle in the air with his hand, seemingly defining the entire area of ​​the mountain gate.

"In earlier years, we could barely manage to have over a thousand disciples, but by the end of last year, the latest statistics showed that we had less than a thousand." As he spoke, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"That's too little!"

"This number of people is not even a fraction of the number of people in the Qinghua Sect."

"I knew the Free and Unfettered Sword Sect had few members, but I didn't expect it to be this small."

"Dude, are you sure you're not joking?"

The Free and Unfettered Sword Sect occupies a vast area, yet its disciples are extremely few. This is not a top secret, but rather a well-known fact.

No matter what the demonic cultivators present thought, they never expected that this huge sword sect would have fewer than a thousand disciples in total.

For a time, many people felt their mouths were dry.

They wished they could contact the elders of the sect to come and massacre the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect], wiping out the entire sect in one fell swoop.

Seemingly seeing through their thoughts, the sword cultivator couldn't help but sneer.

"I advise you all to wake up as soon as possible. Although the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect] has few people, its combat strength is by no means weak, and its average cultivation level is also extremely high. Otherwise, how could it have secured its position among the five great immortal sects?"

His words carried a hint of pride: "As far as I know, the entire sect currently has fewer than two hands' worth of cultivators who haven't yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and the rest..."

Before he could finish speaking, those who had harbored wicked intentions but had been ridiculed and mocked by him immediately retorted.

"No way, no way, you can't even find ten Qi Refining cultivators?"

"Hey, could it be that they're not able to find any disciples?"

"There's a serious lack of successors here. Is the lineage of the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect] going to end?"

"Alas! The leading position of the Five Great Immortal Sects and Sword Clans has no successor..."

Upon hearing these words, the sword cultivator's expression faltered slightly.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across his eyes: "These Qi Refining disciples were all new recruits last year."

"Actually, when we opened our temple to accept disciples last year, there were quite a few people who came to pay their respects. The main problem was that the requirements for qualifications were too high, so we only accepted a few out of so many people," he added.

The sword cultivator quickly changed the subject regarding the number of Qi Refining cultivators and continued the previous topic: "Of the nearly one thousand disciples, about a quarter are Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the vast majority of the rest are Core Formation cultivators."

"hiss……"

A collective gasp filled the air.

"The Core Formation stage can be considered a watershed moment for sword cultivators. Once they have their natal flying sword, their combat power is on a completely different level!"

"So many Core Formation sword cultivators, it's terrifying, truly terrifying."

"In particular, the Free and Unfettered Sword Sect follows the path of the ancient sword sects, making them stronger than ordinary sword cultivators."

A Core Formation cultivator is a pillar of strength in any sect or faction.

They truly hadn't expected that in the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect], which had fewer than a thousand members, the majority of them were at the Core Formation stage.

Someone then asked curiously, "That Nascent Soul cultivator..."

"Cough cough!"

The sword cultivator quickly waved his hand: "Brother, you're putting me in a difficult position. I've only been a disciple of the sect for a short time. The number of Nascent Soul cultivators is a secret. How could a mere Foundation Establishment sword cultivator like me possibly find out?"

"Indeed, Nascent Soul cultivators are rarely seen, only during celebrations."

"It is said that the five major immortal sects each have their own secret realms where Nascent Soul cultivators, including True Monarchs of the Transformation Realm, cultivate in seclusion. Only a few who need to handle sect affairs are active in the outside world."

Seeing that most of the people nodded in agreement, the sword cultivator breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear someone say impatiently, "We've gone off on a tangent. Let's get back to the ambush."

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault."

The swordsman quickly apologized, circling around.

He cleared his throat and said, "Coming from the Sword Valley, this is the shortest route, which can be considered the only way. What's even better is that there are no Core Formation cultivators living within a hundred miles of this place."

"There are only a few Foundation Establishment sword cultivators scattered around, but I have found out that they all went to Sword Valley early, either to maintain order or to participate in the competition. There is absolutely no one who will interfere with our ambush."

He spoke with absolute certainty, the sword cultivator's expression slightly smug, while his gaze remained impassive as he looked at Lord You Ronghuan.

Upon hearing this, Lord Yourong finally revealed a hint of satisfaction.

She spearheaded this matter, but she was unaware of the situation within the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect].

Since it was difficult to make arrangements immediately, someone recommended this sword cultivator.

Looking back now, it seems quite reliable.

To be able to find such an excellent ambush location in just two days.

The other party had clearly put in a lot of effort and had many connections within the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect].

She had just been inwardly praising him when the other person's words made her face darken.

"Lord Youronghuan, I have gone to so much trouble to help you. Surely, after this is done, I should be worthy of receiving a share of the [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill]?"

The sword cultivator didn't communicate with her via telepathy; instead, he spoke out openly.

He only recently learned about the target's specific information by chance.

His sudden outburst at this moment was an attempt to leverage the power of the demonic cultivators to gain even greater benefits.

"What do you mean? The reward for helping is [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill]?"

"Lord Youronghuan, isn't that a bit unfair? You give others Core Formation Elixirs, but you're just going to give me some spirit stones?"

"Me too, I don't want spirit stones, I want spirit medicine!"

"I want the elixir, not the spirit stones!"

Many of the demonic cultivators present were simply cooperating with You Ronghuan, and had been invited by her to lend their support.

All they knew was that they were dealing with a true disciple of the Qinghua Sect named Tang Hao.

They were completely unaware that Tang Hao had successfully refined the Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill in the alchemy competition.

Yourong Huanzhu, Hufeng Yuzhu, and Yaoguang Huanzhu exchanged a glance and let out a cold snort in unison.

The scene immediately became quiet.

The three of them simultaneously turned their cold gazes toward the sword cultivator.

He watched until the other party shrank back guiltily before scanning the surrounding demonic cultivators one by one.

"The price has already been agreed upon. Are you all going to back out?" Lord Yourong asked coldly. "Then we'll have to ask the three of us, as well as my subordinate Jade Face, whether they agree or not."

Everyone glanced at the central gimbal and immediately fell silent.

The two Joy Masters and one Master were all at the Foundation Establishment stage, plus the three Jade-Faced Cultivator under their command.

There were more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as a large number of Qi Refining Peak cultivators. To be honest, just the Foundation Establishment cultivators alone already surpassed the rest of the group.

They even estimated that these people were more than enough to deal with Tang Hao, the true disciple of the Qinghua Sect.

Even if a true disciple who has been practicing for less than a year has extraordinary talent, he can only reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage at most.

Could he possibly fight ten opponents at once and withstand so many cultivators of the same realm?
Inviting them was probably just a cautious move; the fact that they were willing to contribute some spirit stones was indeed quite generous.

The demonic cultivators communicated through voices and exchanged glances, intending to maintain the status quo.

The swordsman, now acting as a spokesperson, was about to speak after being gestured to by the crowd.

But then You Ronghuan suddenly smiled, and the icy coldness on her face vanished.

She said gently, "However, this time in the [Free and Unfettered Sword Sect], You Rong was fortunate to receive everyone's help, which saved a lot of effort. What do you think of this?"

Unexpectedly, things seemed to have taken a turn for the better, and as everyone looked at each other, a look of joy gradually appeared on their faces.

The sword cultivator, who was about to speak, immediately pursed his lips and swallowed back what he was about to say.

He twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "Please tell us what suggestions you have, Lord Huan. We are all ears."

“Yes, yes, yes, Lord Huan, please tell us.” The demonic cultivators nodded repeatedly.

You Rong Huanzhu chuckled twice. Although she also wore a half-mask, the charm she exuded still made everyone momentarily lose their composure.

"I'm not afraid to tell you all that the so-called 'Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill' is not here with You Rong."

She kept everyone in suspense, but before the demonic cultivators could react, she revealed the answer.

"But it's about today's target, Tang Hao." You Ronghuan looked around. "That's what he refined during the alchemy competition."

"what?"

"If that's how it is, then we'd better put in our best effort."

"That's right, I won't hold back."

"Does Lord Yourong mean that those who contribute more have a chance to obtain the Core Formation Elixir?"

Seeing this, Yao Guang Huan Zhu and Hu Feng Yu Zhu exchanged a glance, both secretly admiring each other's methods.

The sword cultivator's sudden revelation of the [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill] was something neither of them had anticipated.

However, an unexpected event occurred that could have caused significant disruption to the collaboration.

However, You Ronghuanzhu turned it into a bargaining chip to stir up the enthusiasm of the crowd with just a few words.

Just as he was marveling at this, Yao Guang Huanzhu heard a voice in his ear: "I never expected that we would be so destined to meet again here, my junior sister."

The voice came from the Wind Master beside him. The fate he mentioned was naturally the matter of refining the Foundation Establishment Pill together back then.

When they met again, both had already established their foundations.

It was quite a coincidence that part of their purpose in gathering together was related to advancing their cultivation—to obtain the Core Formation Elixir, the Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill.

Thinking of this, for some reason, she felt a vague unease rising in her heart. She calmed herself down before sending the message back.

"My younger sister was also very happy to see her senior brother."

While the plan was being discussed here, the other party was still being held captive by the [Xiaoyao Sword Sect]. This morning, before dawn, they were secretly released by the spies who had been lying in wait here.

While the two were secretly catching up, You Ronghuan saw that everyone's enthusiasm had been stirred up, and she sneered inwardly, but her smile became even more amiable.

“You Rong has already promised one to Junior Brother Hu Feng and Junior Sister Yao Guang, since they have more people and can contribute more.” She smiled and gestured to the group of Hehuan cultivators on her cloud platform.

He continued, "If later, any of you make outstanding contributions, it is not impossible for me to share a portion of the profits."

"As for the others, if you really need anything, you can have priority in purchasing, how about that?" She finished speaking and glanced around.

The demonic cultivators exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

"The Lord's arrangement is reasonable and justified, and I am willing to comply."

"Good, if you want the [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill], then you'll have to perform well later."

"I have no objection."

"agree!"

Lord Yourong nodded slightly, glancing at the sword cultivator almost imperceptibly.

'Although this person caused some trouble, he unintentionally did me a favor. If I can exchange the excess [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill] for resources as soon as possible, it would be a good thing for me.'

The swordsman noticed her gaze and nodded and smiled ingratiatingly at her.

He secretly resolved to put in more effort during the ambush, and with the help of prior intelligence and location planning, he would try to capture a Core Formation Elixir.

Just as he was thinking this, a thought struck him, and he suddenly looked up towards the direction of Sword Valley.

His hidden hand, which he had left in front of him, was activated.

He immediately reminded them, "They're here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone withdrew their magical powers, waiting for their prey to fall into the trap.

'This person is truly skilled.' Master Yourong held back his hand seals, his gaze sweeping once more over the cloud platform where the sword cultivator was located.

Just then, with a "whoosh," a magical flying boat suddenly appeared.

Many people couldn't help but twitch their lips.

Is this the true disciple of the Great Sect?

They had seen many great talents and prodigies.

Those prodigies, even when they are in the Foundation Establishment stage, can have one or two magical treasures by their side, but they would definitely not be flying boats for transportation.

From a single glimpse, one can discern the whole picture; thus, it is clear that Tang Hao possesses a considerable number of magical treasures.

'Fortunately, we had a plan.' This thought arose in everyone's minds simultaneously.

The magical flying boat wasn't very fast; it was clearly not flying at full speed.

Of course, this seemed normal to the people lying in ambush.

It's already a stretch to master the Foundation Establishment stage and control a magical flying boat; unless there's an urgent matter, high-speed flight is the real show-off.

Just as the airship swept past above the clouds.

Suddenly, streaks of cloud-like clouds shot out.

With a series of soft "plop plop plop" sounds, they either stuck to or bound to the hull.

Then, like the tentacles of a giant octopus in the deep sea, the cloud locks suddenly exerted their force all at once, pulling the entire magical flying boat into the clouds.

A faint glimmer of light flashed beneath the clouds, then quickly faded into stillness.

It's obvious that a concealment array has been activated.

"I didn't expect it to go so smoothly."

With a light laugh, Lord Yourong waved his arm, and the clouds and mist in front of him immediately receded to the outer edge.

The thick cloud cover made no difference to the outside world.

Inside, however, lies a spacious area, revealing the flying boat that was imprisoned by clouds.

"We meet again, Tang Hao!"

She stepped out from the crowd and greeted them with a cold smile.

But to my surprise, the other person was standing casually on the deck.

There was no attempt to urge the airship to struggle.

His relaxed and carefree demeanor made it seem as if he had not been trapped in a magic circle, but rather had arrived in a beautiful garden.

Tang Hao's gaze swept over the central platform where the most people were.

Then I glanced at some inconspicuous corner.

He smiled and said, "There are quite a few familiar faces here, and it seems like everyone has come!"

(End of this chapter)