Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 282 Red Maple Plain

Wu Shuangzhi steadily took the knife and held it with both hands.

This horizontal sword is not long, and its entire body is bluish-white, resembling both jade and ice, with hidden ice crack patterns on the blade.

The heavy rain fell, with ripples visible in the water.

She was taken aback at first, then a look of gratitude flashed in her eyes: "Thank you for lending me the knife, Senior Brother Song."

Without saying much, he turned around and joined the battle to annihilate the demonic cultivators.

At the Crane Rock Pass, the chubby Li Qingfeng was fighting a demonic cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining.

The demonic cultivator held a small banner, from which billowing black energy surged forth, transforming into countless charred skeletons that flew towards Li Qingfeng.

But then Li Pang's hands ignited with crimson-gold flames, and he gathered the large number of skulls between his palms, one on each side, and with a cloud-like hand gesture, he rolled them into a ball.

Then, with a downward press, it was plunged directly into a large black pot.

"you……"

The demonic cultivator looked terrified and somewhat incredulous.

Li Qingfeng was surrounded by surging spiritual energy, and wisps of white mist rose from around the black pot.

The skeletons that weren't caught were also sucked into the pot by some inexplicable force.

Bang!
Before long, a jet-black pill popped out of the pot and was caught by Li Qingfeng.

"..."

He held the pill under his nose and smelled it; it didn't seem to have any strange smell, so he swallowed it in one gulp.

He smiled at the demonic cultivator, exhaling wisps of white mist from his mouth and nose.

"Any more?"

"No...no more."

Whoosh.

A kitchen knife was drawn and hung beside Fatty Li. His face still wore a kind smile, but his voice was icy: "Then you can die."

The kitchen knife, seemingly out of place among cultivators, transformed into a cold light and relentlessly attacked outside the demonic cultivator's protective aura.

He quickly lost his grip and Li Qingfeng found an opportunity, using his cleaver to cut him into several pieces.

He casually put away the other party's Qiankun bag and looked at Song Yan on the high platform.

“How terrifying…”

In this operation to wipe out Crane Rock Mountain, apart from Song Yan, all the Qi Refining Realm cultivators were led by him.

Li Qingfeng has now reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm and can break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm at any time.

When Li Qingfeng saw Song Yanzhen had truly built his foundation at Longtan Mountain, he was filled with admiration but also anxiety.

He wasn't jealous of Song Yan, but seeing the gap between his friend and himself widening, he couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

At first, I also thought about establishing my foundation as soon as possible to catch up with Song Yan.

However, during a casual conversation with Junior Sister Cen, a few words from her enlightened him about his predicament, and he decided to remain humble and lay a solid foundation.

There's no point in chasing after temporary achievements; the right path is to not compare yourself to others and to walk your own path well.

Therefore, he has not yet established his foundation.

Just as Li Qingfeng was marveling at Song Yan's rapid improvement in strength, he saw two demonic figures attacking, rushing towards the valley entrance from the left and right.

"Go away!"

Two streaks of blood rushed toward Li Qingfeng.

"Even Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators can't escape death, and you still think you can leave?"

Li Qingfeng's plump body blocked the narrow entrance to the valley, his body surrounded by swirling crimson-gold flames that evaporated the torrential rain into a hazy white mist.

His usual kind smile had vanished, replaced by a chilling murderous intent in his eyes.

With a push of both hands, the black pot swelled in the wind and slammed down on the tall demonic cultivator.

"Get the hell back here!"

The tall demonic cultivator couldn't dodge in time and had no choice but to grit his teeth and summon a bone shield to block.

clang--

The tall cultivator was sent flying backward, but the thin demonic cultivator grabbed his arm, preventing him from collapsing.

Apart from the three Foundation Establishment Realm demonic cultivators, the two of them were closest to the high platform.

He was first affected by Song Yan's sword energy and almost lost his life.

Besieged by these righteous cultivators, they were now at their last gasp.

Looking at the fat monk in front of them, their hearts sank to the bottom.

At the same time, a graceful figure charged into the battlefield, heading straight for the two demonic cultivators.

Wu Shuangzhi's spiritual power surged wildly, carrying with it a burning, bone-deep hatred, and then erupted with a roar!
"I will make you pay with your lives!"

Ripples of water flowed across the blade.

With a single slash, the gaunt demonic cultivator's protective spiritual energy became unstable and wavering.

The tall demonic cultivator was forced back a few steps by the slash of the blade.

Wu Shuangzhi moved even closer, pressing herself against him, and thrust out a knife, shattering his protective aura. She then parried the knife with her other hand, holding the thin demonic cultivator's shoulder and neck.

Then he kicked out with a sudden force.

"Your Majesty!"

With a thud, the demonic cultivator knelt down in the muddy rain.

"what--"

Even Li Qingfeng couldn't help but glance at him.

This senior sister has a pretty appearance, but she can be quite "crazy" when she gets into a fight.

There wasn't a trace of spiritual energy protecting his body; all his energy was concentrated on the blade's light.

Are you out of your mind?!

Wu Shuangzhi's chest rose and fell slightly...

The heavy rain continued to fall, and she had no spiritual energy protecting her, her hair was completely soaked.

That's the face.

It was him who killed Zilin.

Although Wu Shuangzhi didn't say it, she knew very well that her younger brother, Wu Zilin, had no talent for cultivating immortality.

Those with four spiritual roots have average talent.

They are also immature and indecisive.

Even without the invasion of the Demon Ruins cultivators, if the cultivation world remained as peaceful as before, Zilin would likely find it difficult to live a stable life there.

As a cultivator, he was not outstanding.

But to Wu Shuangzhi, he was a good younger brother.

The two relied on each other for survival in the clan, and the younger brother always thought of himself first.

He always felt that his older sister had better aptitude, and he wanted to save all the resources—elixirs, spirit stones, and even sect contribution points—for her.

What an idiot.

How could Wu Shuangzhi accept that Zilin had been brutally tortured to death by these two demonic cultivators?

The tall demonic cultivator was stunned for a moment, then activated his demonic power, intending to rescue the thin demonic cultivator and then fight the two cultivators to the death.

Unfortunately, Wu Shuangzhi didn't seem to want to give them a chance.

Holding the Ice Jade Blade in her hand, the spiritual power that had been suppressed within her for so long poured out like a flood breaking through a dam!

There was no defense, and no way out!

The surrounding rain seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, swirling back in.

They converged into a water dragon flowing with countless tiny raindrops, which then dissolved into the blade.

"ripple."

The sword flashes up and down.

The rain-like light swirled around, suddenly turning and cleanly severing the gaunt demon cultivator's head.

The pale white light flashed by in an instant, passing over the tall demonic cultivator, lightly passing through his body, disappearing into the back mountain wall without a trace.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

The spiritual energy dissipated suddenly, and the cold light flowing on the blade dimmed instantly.

Wu Shuangzhi's straight back relaxed, her body swayed, her legs went weak, and she knelt down on the filthy ground mixed with blood and mud, unconscious.

Soon, all the demonic cultivators on Crane Rock Mountain were wiped out.

Song Yan whispered a few words to Xiao Ju. Then Li Qingfeng and Xiao Ju led the group of righteous cultivators and left first.

For these Qi Refining cultivators, the movements of a Foundation Establishment cultivator are not something they are qualified to care about.

What's more, this person is Song Yan.

As for Song Yan, since Yu Zhen was nearby, there was no danger in letting these Qi Refining cultivators leave first; he trusted his intelligence sources.

All the light was fading away, and the sound was receding like the tide.

The heavy rain has stopped.

Crane Rock Mountain was once again plunged into deathly silence and darkness.

Song Yan sat alone on the high platform, muttering to himself.

"Red Skull..."

Is this it? It doesn't seem so.

"There's a sack of skulls here. If you don't explain more clearly, I'm in a difficult position..."

"Red, a skull like jade... Ah."

When Song Yan saw the skull inside the peony bracelet, he was pretty sure that this was what he was looking for.

"Is this it?"

“Yes.” Sheng Nian’s figure slowly emerged from the darkness: “This is it.”

Song Yan casually tossed the blood jade skull to him.

"Why don't you just kill her yourself?"

"I'm just reducing the risk..."

Sheng Nian chuckled: "It would be good to see our Young Master Song's amazing swordsmanship firsthand and learn a thing or two from him. Don't you think so?"

"Oh?" Song Yan sneered, "What have you learned? Tell me."

"Hey, you know what? I've benefited a lot from meeting you today and gained some insights. I'll go back and think about it carefully."

"...Stop thinking about it, you can't learn it with your brain."

"I'm not going to give you any face," Sheng Nian said angrily, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

Song Yan waved his hand, not having time to waste with his nonsense: "Did you see that knife?"

“I saw it, I’m not blind.” Sheng Nian nodded.

"I got it from a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Yellow Springs Path. What do you think of that knife?"

"It should be one of the imitations of a famous sword from the past, but it's not as good as the one you gave me before."

"Mm." Song Yan nodded.

He didn't know much about knives, but sometimes he would keep knives with unique designs or good quality for Sheng Nian.

"If I'm not mistaken, that knife is a replica of a magical artifact called the Water Dragon."

"This sword once belonged to the ancient Immortal Dynasty 'Sui'. Coincidentally, one of the ancient battlefields of the Immortal Dynasty that we discovered was 'Sui'."

"..." Song Yan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is there any news about the ancient battlefield?"

Several years ago, when Song Yan had just come down from the mountain to travel, Sheng Nian said that this time would be three to five years.

Now, about three or four years have passed, and there seems to be no movement.

“Not yet,” Sheng Nian shook his head. “But I’ve asked A Yuan and Sister Ping to keep an eye on things over there. If there’s any news, I’ll let you know.”

"Ah."

"I go first."

After Sheng Nian finished speaking, his figure disappeared once again into the boundless darkness of the night.

Whether it was Song Yan's imagination or not, the sky began to brighten quickly after Sheng Nian left.

He put away Zhuo Hong's Qiankun bag and the bracelet together, and after determining the direction, he transformed into a sword light and disappeared into the clouds.

More than a year had passed since Song Yan was sent to the main battlefield, and he had only been at the front line, Red Maple Plain, for a month.

Initially, as a cultivator in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, Song Yan and the others were naturally assigned to guard the edge of the main battlefield.

His usual tasks are chasing down fleeing demonic cultivators and wiping out rebellious sects.

However, due to Song Yan's formidable combat prowess, the high-ranking members of the Righteous Alliance decided to transfer him to Red Maple Plains.

For many monks who seek stability, this is actually not a good thing.

Because at this moment, Red Maple Plain represents the most dangerous place in the entire Chu Kingdom's cultivation world.

Many cultivators in the mid-to-late stages of Foundation Establishment transfer to the rear through connections in order to avoid danger.

The position that Song Yan is now replacing was previously held by a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage who had a fairly good network of connections.

Song Yan didn't care.

His thinking is very pure now.

The closer you get to the center of the main battlefield, the more endless the fighting and carnage will be.

The other side of danger and death represents the opportunity for transformation and more resources.

In the past year or so, Song Yan has witnessed countless battles, large and small, between the Demon Ruins cultivators and the Chu Kingdom's righteous alliance.

Strangely enough, after the initial few large-scale battles ended inconclusively, the fighting between the two sides became a delicate balance of back and forth.

The Demon Ruins' actions were not as significant as expected.

It's likely that the Demon Ruins cultivators have battlefields in other border countries or the central region, and there's nothing in a barren place like Chu that would warrant such a large-scale war from them.

Or perhaps, the Demon Ruins' actions this time are merely a test in the long course of history.

In summary, whether it was a large-scale battle or a sporadic skirmish, the casualties were mainly Qi Refining stage cultivators, with a small number being Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Although the Golden Core Realm experts did make a move, it never reached the point of a life-or-death struggle.

After all, once you reach the Golden Core realm, all sorts of cultivation techniques, methods, secret arts, and supernatural abilities emerge one after another.

It's easy to injure someone, but it's not so easy to actually end their life.

Moreover, both the demonic cultivators and the righteous alliance seemed to have some reservations, and their battles at the Golden Core stage were always more bark than bite.

Perhaps it was because Song Yan had witnessed the power of his sect leader, Daoist Li Jun, that he believed all Golden Core cultivators should possess such strength.

Of course, for a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him, the Golden Core realm is just for show...

The "thunder" was really loud.

When will I be able to possess such power...?

The black and white light slowly came to a stop in the air. Song Yan dispelled his sword energy, took out the Dongyuan Sect disciple token, and made a sweeping motion in the air.

The restriction was then lifted.

He slowly descended and walked into the restricted area.

A moment later, they appeared at the joint base of Red Maple Plains.

"Senior Song."

"Fellow Daoist Song Yan."

"Well, I'm done."

As long as you're in the Red Maple Plains, most cultivators, whether they're at the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment stage, recognize Song Yan.

The guards checked his identity and, finding it correct, let him pass.

Maple Leaf Lake.

At the very center of the entire joint base is a huge circular islet, on which a cluster of buildings is distributed.

This is the residence and meeting place of the leaders of the Nine Meridians of Chu.

Beyond this mountain island, separated by a vast marshland, it is surrounded by a large expanse of forest.

The mountains and forests are covered with red maple leaves.

Many wooden houses and pavilions can be faintly seen scattered among the mountains and forests.

These are the temporary dwellings built by the cultivators stationed in Red Maple Plain using magic or talismans.

Central Lantau Island and the surrounding mountains are connected by nine different causeways, at the other end of which lies the cave dwelling area of ​​the Nine Meridians cultivators.

Song Yan returned to the outside of his cave dwelling and was about to step inside when he saw a communication talisman coming from afar.

It stopped right in front of its own cave.

"Ok?"

Song Yan casually grabbed something and probed it with his divine sense.

"Senior Brother Song, there's been news about what you asked me to keep an eye on."

The person who transmitted the message was Shao Sichao.

(End of this chapter)