Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 253 Life and Death Pledge (10,000 words, 410 pages)

After exchanging a few words, Song Yan naturally shifted the topic to matters of the demonic path.

"Senior Brother Lin, the demonic invasion you mentioned has been going on for less than a year."

"But after I returned, I paid special attention to the sect's records, the intelligence reports from the Hall of Scriptures, and the movements of all parties, but I found no trace of anything related to this matter."

"If the demonic path is truly going to launch an attack within a year, such a large-scale operation should leave some clues."

"Senior Brother Lin, will this matter... change if you, me, or even the Sect Master find out?"

Song Yan asked out the doubts that had been lurking in his heart for a long time.

Lin Qing remained silent for a moment, a hint of confusion flashing between her brows.

"Logically speaking, the demonic path should already be stirring up trouble by now, and the news should have been leaked out."

"However, according to my analysis, some minor matters may have deviated from the old path, but things such as the sect's major plans and the movements of various forces have not changed..."

"Hi."

Lin Qing suddenly patted Song Yan on the shoulder.

"Now that the sect leader knows about it, he must have his own plans. If there are any unusual movements by the demonic path, he would certainly not be unaware of them with his abilities."

Misfortune comes with blessings, and blessings come with misfortunes.

Since Sect Master Chen Linyuan learned of this matter, Lin Qing's state of mind has become much more open and accepting.

I wonder if they've given up entirely.

Lin Qing knew that he was just an ordinary person with no great ambitions or profound strategies.

Before his rebirth, his greatest wish was to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator and serve as a minor steward in the sect.

He did indeed admire Senior Sister Qin Ying, but he also knew that he was not qualified to stand in front of her.

It wasn't until his sect was destroyed and he was reborn that a slight ambition for the path of cultivation arose in his heart.

However, he still had a deep affection for the Dongyuan Sect.

Otherwise, they would have left long ago upon their rebirth.

"it is good."

Song Yan nodded.

In that case, the most important thing right now is to take advantage of the Dragon Pool Gathering to improve our strength as much as possible.

The more cultivation one has, the greater the chance of survival when demonic forces invade.

After saying that, the two stopped talking and quickly disappeared on the road leading to their respective caves.

Longtan Mountain, Hu family.

A young man returned to his family home and walked briskly toward the ancestral hall.

Hu Haotian, the current head of the Hu family, was kneeling respectfully before the ancestral tablets, holding incense sticks and kowtowing.

Upon noticing the young man's arrival, he glanced at him slightly, then proceeded to perform the proper greeting as required.

Place the incense sticks in front of the altar.

"How's the matter I asked you to handle going?"

"Reporting to the patriarch, on behalf of the Hu family of Longtan Mountain, we paid our respects to the foreign affairs elders of the six major sects one by one."

“The spiritual gifts have also been sent.”

Hu Haotian asked, "How did they react?"

"They didn't say much, so they probably didn't suspect anything."

"Ha ha……"

Hearing the young man's words, Hu Haotian sneered and faced his ancestors: "I had no suspicions..."

"Of course they wouldn't suspect anything, because they don't take the Hu family seriously at all."

Hu Haotian spoke through gritted teeth.

According to family history, our ancestor was a Golden Core cultivator. At that time, our Hu family was quite remarkable in the entire Chu Kingdom's cultivation world.

"Now that we've fallen on hard times, we'll be bullied by anyone who comes along."

“Now that the Yang family has produced a promising young man who can inherit the Nuo mask, where will the Hu family have a place to survive in the future?”

The patriarch's words made the young man's heart sink.

That young man from the Yang family was of the same generation as him and lived in the same Longtan Mountain, so it was inevitable that people would compare them.

But now the other party is already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, while I am still only a Qi Refining cultivator.

How can you compare them?

"Never mind, it'll only be a matter of ten days or so."

"At that time, the Chu Kingdom will usher in a new era, and the Hu family will have a place here."

To collude with demonic cultivators is tantamount to asking a tiger for its skin.

Hu Haotian naturally knew this.

But if the Hu family weren't currently in dire straits, being bullied everywhere, who would give up a peaceful and stable future to take such a risk?
Don't be fooled by the current peace and tranquility; the clan may be overthrown in an instant.

Families of all sizes appear and disappear in the vicinity of Longtan Mountain.

Hu Haotian had seen far too many of them, including many cases in which the Hu family had personally been involved.

In his view, without change, the future of the Hu family is truly predictable.

A hint of resentment and hatred flashed in Hu Haotian's eyes.

Both the Yang and Hu clans are considered vassals of the Xuan Yuan Sect, and both are long-established immortal cultivation families with a long history.

However, compared to the Hu family, which had produced Golden Core cultivators, the Xuan Yuan Sect clearly preferred the Yang family, who were easier to control.

In terms of resources and opportunities, the Hu family will never get anything better.

What if one day they become useless and can no longer hand over spirit stones?
That would be wonderful.

They could use the pretext of taking over to seize the Golden Core inheritance that only existed in rumors.

A vassal family?
It's just something that's dispensable.

Hu Haotian sighed inwardly and said, "You can go now."

"Yes, master."

The ancestral hall has returned to silence.

Hu Haotian faced the memorial tablet and took a deep breath: "Ancestors above..."

"May the Hu family continue on their path..."

……

The next day.

Deep in Longtan Mountain, north of Wanglingxian Valley.

A mountain range, like the spine of a giant beast, lies dormant among the clouds and mist.

The mountains are magnificent, with layers upon layers of peaks.

This is the place where the 118 new generation disciples will be selected for this Dragon Pool Gathering.

The new generation of disciples are more numerous and reside in the Qishan Mountain Range in the north of Wangling Immortal Valley, while the previous generation of disciples reside in Luohan Forest in the south of Wangling Immortal Valley.

The two sides are separate.

On the edge of the mountain, there is a huge open plaza that has been artificially created.

A large crowd gathered, and the air was filled with spiritual energy.

The cultivators, dressed in various colored robes, representing the different forces of the nine lineages of the Chu Kingdom, gathered here.

Among these people, some appeared calm, while others were excited and nervous.

Excitement, fear, and eagerness.

Various emotions surfaced on faces that were equally young but different in appearance.

Whispers filled the square, creating a somewhat noisy atmosphere.

A group of more than ten people from Dongyuan Sect stood on one side of the crowd. Li Yi crossed his arms, his sharp eyes sweeping over the opponents with extraordinary auras.

Song Yan stood beside him.

Several cultivators dressed in Lingfu Sect robes stood on the high platform, one of whom was explaining the rules in a very detailed manner.

It's basically the same as what Elder Zhang Guangyuan said last night.

The crowd appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, many cultivators were secretly observing and sizing up their peers.

The most eye-catching were naturally the three leaders of the Xuan Yuan Sect.

Zhou Liu, Xi Shuyan, and Fan Dongchen.

All three are at the Foundation Establishment stage.

There are even rumors that Zhou Liu is about to break through to the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, his talent and aptitude are truly terrifying. Besides that, the most attention is focused on a rogue cultivator named Jiang Ming.

It's not that this person is particularly outstanding, but rather that his master is Jiang Chaosheng, a rogue cultivator who has recently attained the Golden Core stage and whose fame is unparalleled.

As a dark horse in the Foundation Establishment realm, Song Yan has attracted the attention of many.

"Hehe, this Song Yan is really good-looking, I can't help but feel happy looking at her."

Xi Shuyan smiled broadly, making no attempt to hide her gaze: "It would be wonderful if you could be my furnace."

"Tch." Fan Dongchen snorted. "I can make this kind of person kneel down and beg for mercy within ten moves."

"..."

Xi Shuyan rolled her eyes, too lazy to say another word to this person.

Zhou Liu kept his eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in anything.

Anyone who can stand here has undoubtedly won all the way.

No one would submit to anyone else, let alone the prodigy of the Xuan Yuan Sect.

The rules for the selection had already been communicated to the leaders of each branch last night, and today it was just a reiteration, with few people listening attentively.

A few moments later, it finally ended.

"The rules have been stated. Now, all participating cultivators, please step forward and sign the life-or-death pledge."

Most of those who have reached this point are not mediocre people.

Once it comes to fighting and seizing, there is no doubt that everyone, even those from one's own lineage, will be involved.

They could all be enemies.

Those who aspire to the path of immortality must be people of unwavering will.

Whether to join forces against an enemy or to kill each other, one must make one's own decision.

If you don't have the will, no one will force you; you can simply withdraw voluntarily.

The rest of the people will be very grateful.

Seeking immortality and enlightenment is like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind.

It's that simple.

With a flash of inspiration, the life-or-death contract was signed.

Although Song Yan had experienced countless life-or-death battles, this was the first time he had signed such a contract.

"Collect your respective talisman boxes."

The sound echoed through the valley.

After all the cultivators signed the life-or-death pledge, they each took a palm-sized ebony box from the stone railings on either side of the high platform.

The box is engraved with simple sealing runes.

The selection process is strange; it's different from the very first step.

Of the 118 people, only 36 are Yin and 36 are Yang, leaving 46 blanks.

In other words, these forty-six cultivators were initially a little behind the others.

Song Yan stepped forward with the group and randomly drew one.

Upon opening the box, a grayish-white talisman lay quietly in the brocade groove at the bottom.

Ha! Just as I expected!

To be honest, I've never been very lucky when it comes to these little things.

The blank talisman meant that he had to snatch a Yin talisman and a Yang talisman from others during the selection period, which significantly increased the difficulty.

Well, it's good to have more experience interacting with people.

Anyway, the rules don't say that you have to come out once you've collected both Yin and Yang, so you can grab more.

Once you've collected enough qualifications, you can give them to your own disciples or sell them.

The rules don't say it's not allowed.

A flash of inspiration activated the talisman.

The blank talisman slowly rotated beside him.

Song Yan would naturally not underestimate his opponent.

In previous selections and even subsequent competitions, although there were rules to limit death matches, serious injuries and even deaths were not uncommon.

It should be said that... every session has one.

In a battle between cultivators, especially under these rules, the consequences of one being caught off guard or surrounded are unpredictable.

Possessing a valuable item can be a crime; those who hold blank talismans can sometimes become unstable factors that others with talismans might eliminate in advance.

A moment later, the cultivator on the high platform shouted in a deep voice, "All talisman boxes have been collected. All cultivators, enter the formation."

hum!
Centered on the huge stone tablet in the center of the square, a vast and powerful surge of spiritual energy instantly swept across the entire edge of the Qishan Mountain Range.

Mysterious runes appeared and disappeared in the air.

In an instant, the figures of the 118 new generation cultivators on the open ground suddenly twisted and disappeared without a trace.

The slight dizziness from spatial teleportation is fleeting.

I don’t know if it’s because of the training from the Two Elements Pearl, but Song Yan is now walking on flat ground as if it were nothing.

Look up.

Deep in the ancient forest, towering trees stand tall, their canopies blocking out most of the light, making the forest dark and gloomy.

He immediately released his divine sense and activated his Observation Sword Eyes to carefully perceive the surrounding rustling of leaves and the slightest movement.

The selection process lasts only one day. As long as you collect both Yin and Yang talismans, you can head to the exit and be teleported out ahead of time.

"Although it's somewhat different from the previous sect's sword-testing selection, it ultimately boils down to stealing other people's talismans..."

There is no essential difference.

However, this place is more like a more dangerous and vast primitive hunting ground, simulating the most brutal selection process closest to real combat.

In the blink of an eye, his divine sense detected an uninvited guest.

Several dozen feet to the right front, there is a depression densely covered with ferns.

A very slight fluctuation in spiritual pressure and the sound of breathing were heard, indicating that his aura was somewhat unstable.

It seems someone escaped from elsewhere and was in poor condition. They didn't expect to run into Song Yan and are now trying their best to hide themselves.

Did this person get beaten up as soon as he landed?
What bad luck.

Without any hesitation, Song Yan unleashed his full Foundation Establishment realm aura, raising his hand to unleash two streaks of green snake sword energy, which darted towards the person's hiding place.

This is a rogue cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Therefore, the one who could injure him must be one or more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

boom!
The cultivator stopped hiding and flew out.

The green-robed figure was surrounded by a pure white talisman, which was clearly a Yang talisman.

His breathing was disordered; he was seriously injured.

His luck was a bit off after he teleported; when he landed, there was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Suspended Sword Mountain right behind him.

Under the surprise attack, he was wounded and fled.

Gazing at the two surging cyan sword energies, the man felt as if facing a formidable enemy, activating talismans on his body one after another as he constantly dodged.

He barely withstood the two sword energies.

"Song Yan..."

The man muttered to himself, but his heart was filled with icy coldness.

The name of Song Yan has been making headlines in Longtan Mountain lately.

Many independent practitioners brought up his past "great achievements" in Changping and embellished them to spread the story.

This is a real butcher's block.

He never expected that he would be attacked by the cultivators from Suspended Sword Mountain as soon as he landed.

Trying to escape, they turned around and encountered this killer from the Dongyuan Sect again.

News of his Foundation Establishment had already spread, making him a figure of particular interest to those independent cultivators and disciples of small families who had no one to rely on, and someone they needed to avoid.

Being attacked from both sides by disciples of these two major sects, there was practically no way for them to escape.

It seems Song Yan is having a bad run of luck; his talisman is blank.

At the same time, a disciple of Suspended Sword Mountain revealed himself from the shadows of the depression behind him.

He was surrounded by a black talisman.

(End of this chapter)