Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 376 The Devil Comes
Guangling Prefecture, Huishan.

This mountain range was not a place where spiritual veins converged; its terrain was rugged and desolate, and it was rarely visited by people.

In the shady mountains, there was a massive array platform with intricate array patterns that faintly shimmered with a dark light.

The eerie light was slowly rising, repelling the surrounding spiritual energy.

Outside the ancient formation, a large group of cultivators knelt down.

The two leading figures were none other than Zhang Xingming, a Golden Core cultivator.

Kneeling beside and behind him were all the remaining demonic cultivators in the entire Chu Kingdom. Although their numbers were not as great as in their heyday, their gathering here was still a terrifying sight.

Zhang Xingming lowered his head, not daring to look up.

The eerie light grew stronger, and its aura gradually spread outwards.

Zhang Xingming could clearly sense the terrifying existence that was about to appear in this teleportation array.

Even as a Golden Core cultivator, one is extremely insignificant in the face of that brewing power.

"Om-!"

The ancient teleportation array suddenly emitted a piercing buzz, its eerie light suddenly intensified, and then abruptly contracted inward.

The next moment, nine figures appeared in the great formation.

None of the nine people concealed their aura, and an oppressive force descended instantly!

These nine figures were all different in shape. Some were shrouded in demonic mist, revealing only two crimson spots, while others were tall and covered with hideous bone armor.

The only thing they had in common was that they all exuded genuine Nascent Soul Realm aura!

Nine Nascent Soul cultivators from the Demonic Ruins!

Zhang Xingming's breath hitched slightly, and he immediately bowed deeply without hesitation.

They shouted, "Welcome, Your Excellency! We are willing to lead the way, even at the cost of our lives!"

"no."

Chen Tianze waved his hand casually.

He swept his divine sense across the crowd and saw that among the cultivators from Chu who had come to pay homage to them, there was only one Golden Core cultivator.

I had a slight doubt in my heart.

However, since the nine of them had come here, the number of these cultivators was irrelevant, and he didn't care about it.

"Walk."

Chen Tianze uttered a single word.

As soon as he finished speaking, nine terrifying demonic lights shot into the sky, engulfing all the demonic cultivators below and transforming into a vast, blotting-out demonic cloud that headed towards the Dongyuan Sect.

On this day, at noon, the sun shone brightly.

Within the Chu Kingdom, there are sects of all sizes in the sacred mountains and blessed lands, markets and gathering places amidst the mountains and rivers, and hermits cultivating in the desolate wilderness.

On this day, both cultivators and demons felt an irresistible terror.

A terrifying pressure swept across the sky, and the sky along its path dimmed at a visible speed.

A shooting star in broad daylight?

Solar eclipse?

not right...

A disciple guarding the mountain of a certain sect suddenly noticed that the sky was getting gloomy. He glanced casually upwards and saw that the sky in the distance was being swept up by rolling black clouds.

"Then...what is that?!"

"Demonic cultivators? The demonic cultivators are back again?!"

"Quickly inform the elder!"

Xuan Yuan Sect, Jade Void Hall.

Lou Zhengze's divine sense had just been extended when he was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood and turning pale.

"Issue my decree to activate the sect's protective formation and seal off the mountain immediately."

Shouyang Mountain, Lanxi Cave.

Inside the Qiduo Flower Room, Liang Feng was helping his beloved wife arrange a bouquet of delicate flowers when he saw Hu Qing emerge from the back garden, looking rather pale.

"Ah Qing, what's wrong?"

Liang Feng asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Since his beloved wife woke up, she has been in relatively good health, but Liang Feng has never let his guard down, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

"Um...no." Hu Qing shook her head: "I just suddenly felt a bit tight in my chest and short of breath, and I felt restless."

Liang Feng was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something.

A sound transmission talisman was seen falling at the shop entrance.

He went out to investigate and found that every shop on the street had such a message in front of it.

The monks came out to examine the talisman.

It was actually Jiang Ming, the young master of Lanxi Cave, who issued the signal.

"Fellow practitioners, Lanxi Cave will be closed from today. We hope that you will not go out unless there is an urgent matter."

Soon, panic began to spread like a plague throughout the cultivation world.

On the surface, none of the major sects in the cultivation world of Chu have Nascent Soul cultivators.

Even if we take a step back and assume that one or two Nascent Soul cultivators are in charge of one of the six major sects of Chu, or a small sect with a long history, or even a secluded paradise or blessed land, there is a Nascent Soul cultivator living in seclusion.

No one can know for sure.

Even if these potential hermits were to step forward, it would be of no use.

Because there are now nine Nascent Soul Realm demonic cultivators in the sky.

No one knew what had happened, or what they were doing in a small place like Chu.

Perhaps the Chu Kingdom is about to undergo a major upheaval, or perhaps the cultivation world of Chu is about to be destroyed.

Right now, it's best to save your own life.

In an instant, all sects, large and small, closed their mountains and did not come out, and countless markets and towns were deserted and disappeared without a trace.

One moment it was bustling with noise, the next it was chaos and commotion.

Even worse, some have already packed up their belongings and fled towards Qi, Ning, or even the Eastern Wilderness.

Just then, two somewhat slender figures burst through the air at an extremely fast speed.

The light dissipated, revealing the faces of the two individuals.

Song Yan and Li Yi had rushed over from the banks of the Lingyang River without stopping.

They originally intended to land at the entrance plaza, but discovered that there were no disciples guarding the mountain gate at that time.

However, the sect-protecting formation was operating on its own.

The two exchanged a glance, then quickly took out their disciple tokens, activated a wisp of spiritual power, and called upon the sect's protective array to automatically verify their identities.

Then they took to the air again and flew towards Dragon Head Peak.

After crossing Rudaoping and passing through Wendao Gorge, the sect was sparsely populated.

It wasn't until the two flew to Dragon Head Peak that they discovered countless disciples gathered in a dark mass at the foot of the mountain.

They wandered all the way to the edge of the forbidden area.

All the peak masters and elders, as well as several senior brothers and sisters, are here.

The two gradually slowed down, and outside the forbidden area, they lowered their sword light and revealed their true forms.

Before I could even greet the elders and inquire about the situation, the sky suddenly darkened.

In an instant, all the cultivators of Dongyuan Sect looked up.

A massive, dark light streaked across the sky and stopped above the Dongyuan Sect.

"This is……"

Zhang Guangyuan opened his mouth slightly, his eyes widened, and he could hardly believe it.

Luo Xiaming frowned deeply, his expression grave.

At the foot of Dragon Head Mountain, all was silent.

In the blink of an eye, dark clouds loomed over the entire Yanran Mountain Range, and demonic energy blotted out the sky.

The bright sunshine was instantly replaced by a deep darkness.

A vast and powerful pressure suddenly descended upon the world.

All the cultivators who were still flying on their swords in the vicinity of the Yanran Mountains were struck as if by a heavy blow; their spiritual light shook violently, and they fell from the sky.

Song Yan groaned, and the blood and qi in his body, which had not yet calmed down, surged again.

Li Yi's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Song Yan and forcefully steadied himself.

At the foot of the mountain, the Dongyuan Sect cultivators gathered there all wore expressions of horror.

Even with the protective array of the sect acting as a buffer, many Qi Refining stage disciples with low cultivation levels were still disoriented, collapsed to the ground, and bled from their mouths and noses.

Even those in the late Foundation Establishment stage like Song Yan, and even those in the pseudo-Core Formation stage among the peak masters, felt their blood and qi churning.

Just then, nine figures slowly emerged from the rolling demonic clouds.

Nascent Soul!

Zhang Guangyuan roared inwardly.

The elders and peak masters present were all worldly people; such terrifying power was definitely not something a Golden Core cultivator could possess.

Above the Golden Core stage is naturally the Nascent Soul stage. A full nine Nascent Soul cultivators!?
It can be said that this has far exceeded the limits of the understanding of the cultivation world in the Chu Kingdom.

The cultivators of Dongyuan Sect, including several elders and peak masters, were now completely stunned and incredulous.

In the realm of borderlands, the Nascent Soul stage is a legendary realm.

It can be said that the appearance of any Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in the nine border kingdoms would be enough to overturn the existing order.

The nine border kingdoms are not isolated islands; many sects with shared origins and connections occasionally interact and exchange ideas.

In recent generations, it seems that only the Zhao and Jiang kingdoms have ever had rumors of Nascent Soul cultivators.

Now that nine Nascent Soul cultivators have arrived together, it would be enough to turn the entire border region upside down.

It's a catastrophe.

What exactly is the purpose of their visit?

Among the nine, the leader, with a cold and stern face and wearing a black robe, was none other than Chen Tianze.

His gaze swept over the disciples of Dongyuan below, unmoved, as if looking at inanimate objects.

When he landed on the light screen of the great array, he frowned.

"Zhang Xingming," he called out.

A figure swiftly flew out from the demonic cloud. Before the nine Nascent Soul cultivators, he appeared extremely humble, bowing respectfully.

"Junior is here."

Chen Tianze's gaze never left the protective array below, his tone tinged with displeasure: "Is this inside man dead? Or did he betray us?"

Why is the great formation still operating?

His words were calm, but the murderous intent they contained was chilling.

Zhang Xingming instantly broke out in a cold sweat; he had no idea what had happened inside the forbidden area.

To be precise, he wasn't even originally involved in this matter. He came from the Demon Ruins only to kill a man named Song Yan.

He was, of course, unaware of Qin Ying's current situation.

He was about to answer when the other one of the nine Nascent Soul cultivators interrupted him.

"Hehe, Fellow Daoist Chen, please calm down. I think this formation is just a common protective formation of the third-grade high quality."

Now that Yu Yiming has achieved the Nascent Soul stage, he is about to avenge his great grudge. His mind is clear and his momentum is at its peak.

He said nonchalantly, "Even without those ants, do you think the nine of us working together can't break this paper-thin formation?"

"Chen Linyuan is a dying man anyway. In my opinion, there's no need to go to such lengths, let alone use any Feather Sound Poison."

"The seniors of the Demon Ruins are making a mountain out of a molehill and overestimating Chen Linyuan."

Apart from Yu Yiming, the other Nascent Soul cultivators all turned their heads, but no one responded to Yu Yiming's arrogant words.

In fact, Yu Yiming was well aware that his statement was somewhat radical and arrogant.

But he didn't care.

He achieved the Nascent Soul stage at such a young age, with unlimited potential for the future. In contrast, these old folks in front of him are so lifeless and have no hope of reaching the Divine Transformation stage even in death.

Furthermore, what the predecessors of the Demon Ruins have said is already quite clear.

Chen Linyuan's impending death is the will of Heaven.

what does this mean?
This means that I am now on the side of fate!
I am acting on behalf of Heaven!

If not now, when?

"By the time it takes to ask questions, the great formation would have already been broken."

"Gentlemen, do not hesitate any longer! Join forces with me and break this formation!"

Unlike the situation in the sky, the disciples of Dongyuan Sect below were in a state of utter dejection.

Many monks were disheartened.

"So...so the sect leader's talk of the sect's downfall wasn't just alarmist talk!"

The cultivators of Dongyuan Sect are not delicate flowers in a greenhouse.

Most of them had struggled and fought in the world of cultivation, experiencing countless life-and-death battles.

But this time, the shadow of death has never felt so real and so immense.

No one could have imagined the circumstances under which a sect would survive.

A disturbance began to break out in the crowd.

Some cultivators, taking advantage of everyone's attention being drawn to the terrifying demonic shadow in the sky, quietly fled towards the mountain gate.

Their faces were deathly pale, their eyes filled with terror, and they had only one thought in their minds.

That is to escape.

While the formation remains intact and while these demons' attention is still on the sect leader, we should escape as far away as possible.

Cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage would never pay attention to ants like them who are at the Foundation Establishment or Qi Refining stages.

In a short while, many more monks left.

It's not really fair to blame them for lacking willpower.

Among these people, there may be quite a few who have very deep feelings for the Dongyuan Sect.

Even if the Xuan Yuan Sect, the Xuan Jian Mountain, or the Ling Fu Sect invaded, they would still stay here and shed their blood for the Dong Yuan Sect.

However, what has descended from the sky now are nine Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

There was not a sliver of hope for survival.

Rather than waiting to die here, it's better to take more of the sect's scriptures and escape before these demonic cultivators break the formation.

This left the Dongyuan Sect with hope for a resurgence.

"Elder!" A young disciple, his voice trembling with tears, squeezed his way to Zhang Guangyuan, Sun Zhenglun, Luo Xiaming, and the others.

"What...what should we do? Why hasn't the sect leader come out to take charge?"

His question represented the sentiments of the vast majority of disciples who remained in the same place at that moment.

Faced with this overwhelming scene, the elders became their only source of support.

Zhang Guangyuan looked at the young and desperate faces before him, then looked up at the vast, dark clouds in the sky.

A complex and bitter smile suddenly appeared on his face.

Things are impermanent.

Just a few days ago, this elder was marveling at the fact that the Dongyuan Sect had many successors, with countless outstanding individuals among the younger generation.

The rise of a sect is imminent.

He even fantasized that in his lifetime, he might witness the birth of a Golden Core cultivator in the sect, other than the sect leader.

But now...

He took a deep breath, his body still upright, and a spiritual energy fluctuation of the late Foundation Establishment stage slowly emanated from him.

Under the oppressive force of those nine Nascent Soul cultivators, this little bit of power seemed utterly insignificant.

"Disciples of Dongyuan Sect, heed my command!"

His voice was loud and clear, like a morning bell or evening drum.

"At this moment, as the sect leader said, my Dongyuan Sect is probably at a critical juncture of life and death! No... saying that might be too conservative."

He looked around at the crowd, his gaze sweeping over familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"Today, our sect will be destroyed!"

Boom——!
As if to prove his words, the demonic cultivators in the sky began to break the formation.

Chen Tianze's eyes were icy as he raised his hand and pressed down.

A colossal hand appeared out of thin air, its countless strange scales buzzing as it slammed down on the light screen of the mountain-protecting formation, following Chen Tianze's movements!

Zhang Guangyuan's voice remained clear even amidst the earth-shattering noise.

"Once the sect is destroyed, there will no longer be any distinction between sect leader, elder, inner disciple, and outer disciple."

"Fellow Taoists!"

The title "fellow Daoist" was addressed with exceptional solemnity.

"I am Zhang Guangyuan. In my early years, I was just a rogue cultivator who wandered for half my life. By chance, I became a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect."

"For more than 140 years, the sect has protected me and passed on its teachings to me. This place has long been my home, Zhang Guangyuan's home."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over his old friends, including Sun Zhenglun and Luo Xiaming, who also wore resolute expressions.

He looked again toward the forbidden area of ​​Dragon Head Peak in the distance, his eyes no longer showing any hesitation or fear.

"Today, my family is destroyed and my loved ones are dead. I have nowhere to go, nor do I wish to go! I will bury my body and my life here with the sect!"

"Fellow Daoists, if you still have the will to live, if you still have unfinished business, and if you wish to seek a glimmer of hope, then leave quickly before the sect's protective formation is broken!"

One by one, disciples left.

However, to Zhang Guangyuan's surprise, the despair in the eyes of many people, especially the young cultivators, was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.

Such a display of force has never been seen before by any country or sect in the border regions.

Naturally, nobody knows what the right thing to do is right now.

Escape? Is it even possible to escape?

Stay? Could they even survive?

(End of this chapter)