Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 286 Overnight Tour

A clear, resonant sword rang out, rising from the ground.

This sword formation, known as the Star Shifting Formation, uses the opponent's own methods against them, its strength lying in the shifting of stars and the borrowing of force to strike back.

Like the Roaring Sun Sword Formation, it is a functional sword formation.

But that doesn't mean it doesn't have a killer move.

On the contrary, its killing power is no less than that of the Ring Moon Sword Formation.

Within the sword formation, Ruohuan Chenxing suddenly blurred, and the next moment, a sword light shone brightly.

Song Yan's figure seemed to merge into the sword energy and stars, transforming into the sword light itself!

In the night sky, the sword light was incredibly fast.

The alluring female cultivator was horrified by the attack coming from behind, when suddenly an endless starlight lit up before her eyes.

"The Stroll of the Stars".

Within sight, only a fleeting afterimage remained, too late to convey any information or utter a word.

The old man in yellow felt an extreme sense of crisis. Upon seeing this sword, he felt his scalp explode and a bone-chilling cold rush from his tailbone to the top of his head.

He was extremely cautious. Almost the instant Song Yan's figure blurred, he held the small banner with the ghost head in his hand in front of him. The ghost head on the banner roared, and the dark light condensed into a solid barrier.

"The Ghostly Barrier!"

No sound.

There was only a faint, almost imperceptible sound, like starlight piercing through a thin mist.

laugh.

The sword light passed through the swirling, dark, ghostly barrier without the slightest hesitation.

The demon head banner suddenly stiffened, then silently split in two, its dark light instantly dissipating.

Almost at the same instant the sword light swept past the ghost banner, the demonic cultivator surnamed Chen felt a sudden chill on his right arm holding the knife. Immediately afterward, the whole world seemed to spin in his eyes.

Like a comet streaking across the night sky, it passed through the two people and then flashed briefly in front of the other two demonic cultivators, leaving behind two deep, scorching streaks of energy.

Immediately, the starlight vanished.

Song Yan's figure solidified again, appearing several dozen feet away, standing quietly on a flying eave of the pass, with his hands at his sides.

Two muffled thuds sounded almost simultaneously.

A fine, golden sword mark, like a crack in ice, appeared simultaneously on the old man's brow and on Senior Brother Chen's neck.

The old man in the yellow shirt retained fear and disbelief in his eyes, but his body was already stiff.

The fierce look on the face of the demonic cultivator surnamed Chen turned into confusion.

Immediately afterwards, the two bodies fell limply from mid-air, their life force completely extinguished.

In the blink of an eye, it's all over!
The entire world shut down, and suddenly fell silent.

The alluring female cultivator and the assassin demon cultivator who had vanished from sight felt their spiritual energy stagnate, as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

With a flash of sword light, the lives of their two strongest members were taken, killed instantly like clay chickens and earthenware dogs.

What kind of swordsmanship is this?!

Is he really at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?

Even He Huan and his group, who were riding high on their momentum, paused slightly, their faces filled with astonishment.

Some of them had also witnessed the sword strike that caused the wind and clouds to change color on Dragon Pool Mountain.

But today's move lacked any grandeur or power; it was as if he casually struck, yet he still managed to kill those two...

This was completely beyond their knowledge.

Everyone was astonished.

Only Song Yan knew that the killing move "Liexiu You" in the Star Shift Sword Formation, though seemingly casual, actually consumed a huge amount of energy.

Furthermore, he took advantage of the favorable timing and location, with He Huan and others providing assistance from the sidelines, and the fact that the opponent was completely unprepared for his ultimate killing move.

At this moment, the sword energy within his body surged, and his sword palace was momentarily empty, which was exactly the time he needed to catch his breath.

"Let's go!"

The alluring female cultivator let out a sharp, piercing shriek, all seductive charm gone, replaced only by a desperate will to survive.

She suddenly crushed a jade talisman in her hand, and a cloud of pink mist exploded around her as she shot off towards the outside of the pass like a meteor.

The assassin remained silent, his figure instantly transforming into an almost imperceptible shadow, his speed astonishing.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Qi Refining demon cultivators below also fled one by one.

Shi Ping roared, "You scoundrel, don't run away!"

After a chase, they finally killed one of the demonic cultivators, while the other three escaped.

He Huan did not participate in the pursuit, but immediately landed back on the ground and called on the Qi Refining disciples to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and reorganize the defenses.

Now that the great formation has been destroyed, there are still many things for him to deal with.

Of the six Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators who launched the surprise attack, three died and three escaped, so the rest were no longer a threat.

Song Yan landed back on the ground and slowly exhaled a long breath.

He pondered to himself that the information the cultivators of the Demon Ruins possessed seemed to be more extensive and detailed than he had anticipated.

If it weren't for him stalling for time today, Tian Sheng Guan might have really been lost.

These situations will need to be recorded in detail and reported to the Nine Veins Joint Elders Council.

Song Yan had no knowledge of war or military strategy, nor was he particularly interested in them, but this vague feeling always seemed a bit strange.

These strongholds and passes, the righteous path attacks this one today, the demonic ruins attack that one tomorrow.

Back and forth they went, and it seemed like neither of them had the upper hand.

Including this time, Tian Sheng Guan, a pass that had been silent for a long time, suddenly needed their support.

It seems the Elders' Council must have gotten wind of it.

Song Yan pondered as he inspected the casualties among the disciples from Guanzhong before heading towards his cave.

Passing by a corner of Guanzhong, I found a group of people gathered there, whispering and looking troubled.

"Ok?"

Song Yan stepped forward: "What are you all doing gathered here?"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the disciples quickly made way for him.

"Senior Song."

"Senior Brother Song."

At first glance, the scene is indeed somewhat perplexing.

Zhou Mengdie was lying on the ground fast asleep, and three other people were lying about two zhang away from her.

The cultivators stationed in this pass were all wearing the robes of the six major sects or the specially made robes of the nine lineages. These three should be the demonic cultivators who had just attacked.

However, the three of them also fell to the ground and fell fast asleep, even snoring.

Further away, a few more gatekeepers lay sporadically lying around.

The scene was incredibly bizarre.

"What...what are you doing?"

Song Yan was completely baffled.

The Qi Refining cultivators closest to him looked at each other, shook their heads, and indicated that they didn't know either.

"You two, carry them away first. It's not good for them to lie here."

"Uh……"

The two Qi Refining cultivators who had been summoned by Song Yan looked at each other, staring at each other in bewilderment.

It seems like he wanted to say something.

However, the request from a Foundation Establishment cultivator made them decide to give it another try.

The two of them walked cautiously toward the gatekeeper who was lying on the ground, as if they were on guard against something.

However, at first everything was normal, and the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

He stepped forward, intending to lift the men up.

Unexpectedly, the two of them suddenly went limp and collapsed to the ground right under Song Yan's nose.

Not long after, the sound of snoring could be heard.

"?"

Song Yan's eyes widened slightly.

Xiao He also peeked out from her sleeve, curiously watching this indecent scene.

"..."

After pondering for a moment, Song Yan decided to go and see for himself what was going on.

He stepped forward.

Xiao He transformed into human form, peering out curiously as she followed behind him.

As he approached these people, nothing unusual happened. However, just as he was about to walk further, he suddenly felt an inexplicable, deep drowsiness, like a tide, sweeping over him without warning.

This sleepiness is not aggressive at all; instead, it brings a warm and peaceful sense of comfort.

Like the murmur of a mother's lullaby, it penetrates deep into the soul, leaving no room for resistance.

Song Yan paused, as if a pot of warm wine had been poured into his mind, causing a warm, dizzying sensation that made him sway.

Everything before my eyes was veiled in a thin mist, becoming blurry and swaying.

"This……"

Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep, the depths of the Zhendao Sword Mansion suddenly trembled.

The lotus phantom shone brightly, its sharp aura bursting forth, and the dizziness and blurriness abruptly subsided.

His eyes cleared instantly, and a fine layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

What a strange power.

Boom!
Xiao He, who was following at Song Yan's feet, only managed to utter a muffled sound before collapsing into sleep.

The human form vanished, and the small blue snake lay limply on the ground, its scales rising and falling slightly with its steady, long breaths.

Like everyone else around him, he fell into a deep sleep.

Song Yan looked thoughtfully at Zhou Mengdie, who was fast asleep.

It's neither a formation nor a secret treasure.

The area affected by this dream is approximately two zhang (about 6.6 meters).

These cultivators all appeared to have been instantly defeated after inadvertently stepping into this area.

Song Yan pointed his sword and released several streams of gentle spiritual energy, pulling the several gatekeepers and the three demonic cultivators who had fallen to the ground out of range.

As soon as these cultivators left the area, although they remained fast asleep, the relaxed feeling of being lost in a sweet dream on their faces lessened slightly.

After doing all this, Song Yan immediately looked around at the gatekeepers who were filled with doubt and uncertainty, wanting to approach but not daring to.

"Listen up, everyone! Retreat at least ten feet away. Don't come any closer. You, wake these people up. Hand over the three Demon Ruins cultivators to Fellow Daoist He Huan."

“There is something amiss here. We must not act rashly. I will handle this personally. As for matters in Guanzhong, we will leave everything to Senior Shi Ping and Senior He Huan to arrange.”

The surrounding cultivators nodded in agreement: "Yes, Senior Song."

After giving the instructions, Song Yan bent down and gently picked up the small snake.

The snake was curled up in his palm, fast asleep.

He carefully pulled her into his sleeves, supporting her with the soft lining of his robe.

He then cleared his mind of all distractions and walked up to Zhou Mengdie.

He didn't touch her, but instead sat down cross-legged an arm's length in front of her.

Concentrating and calming his mind, a dazzling golden light shone brightly in his eyes, but this time, it was tinged with a dreamlike hue.

……

In a dream.

Zhou Mengdie covered her head with her hands, anxious and at a loss.

"Waaah! I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm really going to die this time, I'm going to die on the battlefield."

Beside the girl who was running away with her head in her hands, sat a white-haired, youthful-looking monk in a green robe, sitting cross-legged.

He was resting with his eyes closed, but the girl's incessant chatter made him frown slightly.

It seems a bit annoying.

Zhou Mengdie suddenly darted in front of the green-robed cultivator, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and shook him incessantly.

"I'm going to die! Mr. Zhou, say something!"

“I’m telling you, grandma…” The green-robed cultivator was really fed up and picked Zhou Mengdie up in one swift motion.

"You're not dead yet, so why are you such a coward?"

He rolled his eyes: "Dying on the battlefield? You make it sound like you died a heroic death."

"You child, you didn't do anything, and you scared yourself to death. What can I do?"

Zhou Mengdie was taken aback, then scratched her head: "It seems so."

"So what do we do now?"

"Cold salad."

The green-robed cultivator casually tossed Zhou Mengdie onto the cloud-like ground, where she bounced once.

"Don't worry, there's no danger."

"If you're really worried, just stay here. No one outside can do anything to you, and no one inside can come in."

"So safe?"

Hearing this, Zhou Mengdie breathed a sigh of relief: "Then go to sleep for a while."

"Still sleeping? Can't you practice the incantation I taught you properly?"

At this moment, Zhou Mengdie had already lay down, her posture peaceful.

Hearing the words of the green-robed cultivator, she waved her hand: "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"..."

The green-robed cultivator shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to say something more, he frowned and looked into the distance.

"Ok?"

A figure slowly appeared; it was Song Yan.

He looked around for a while, and finally looked down at the cloud-like ground beneath his feet.

It's very soft and warm.

It's like a huge, boundless bed.

Looking into the distance, two figures can be seen.

One of them sat cross-legged, wearing a green robe and white beard, and looked young, suspended in the air.

The other one lay peacefully on the ground.

It was Zhou Mengdie.

Song Yan walked slowly toward where the two were.

The man in the green robe stared at him, a hint of confusion in his eyes: "You are...?"

However, when he saw Song Yan's eyes, an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.

That person's disciple!?
Song Yan stopped in front of him and Zhou Mengdie, remaining silent.

The man in the green robe muttered to himself, "It's incredible that I was able to enter her dream."

"Hmm? Grandpa Zhou, what are you muttering about? I can't sleep if you're making too much noise..."

Zhou Mengdie's eyes remained closed the entire time. She picked at her belly button and rolled over.

The man in the green robe glanced at her and said gently, "Someone's coming."

Zhou Mengdie muttered in her sleep, "I'm timid, don't talk nonsense and tease me..."

Song Yan and the man in the green robe exchanged a glance and looked at each other blankly.

After thinking for a moment, he finally asked the man in the green robe, "Where...is this place?"

"?!"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhou Mengdie suddenly opened her eyes and sprang up from the cloud.

Upon seeing who it was, she was very surprised: "Senior Brother Song?! You...you...how did you get in?"

Song Yan shrugged: "I don't know."

He wasn't making things up.

Originally, I just wanted to use the Observing Void Sword Eye to check on Zhou Mengdie's condition and examine her injuries.

Unexpectedly, the sword intent of "Mirror Flower, Water Moon" flowed automatically, and he appeared here.

"This is her dream."

The man in the green robe pointed at Zhou Mengdie.

"..."

"If I may ask a question," Song Yan's eyes flickered, "who are you?"

"Ah, I am Zhou Zixiu."

The man in the green robe generously introduced himself: "I am her ancestor, and I am also a cultivator."

"I was in a deep sleep for a long time for some reason. After waking up, I had nowhere to stay, so I am temporarily staying here."

The other party's frankness left Song Yan speechless.

Since they are ancestors, then this is their family matter.

As a result, Song Yan, who had casually entered someone else's dream, felt that he was being a little impolite.

(End of this chapter)