Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 379 Insubordination (45th of the 10,000-word update)

On the chaotic edge of the battlefield, Song Yan moved like a ghost through the mountains and forests.

The Hidden Sword Concealed Spirit Power, combined with the Water Mirror Hairband, completely concealed its aura.

Without some special eye techniques, from the sky looking down on the battlefield, his figure would be almost like a fallen leaf on the mountainside.

At this moment, the area surrounding the forbidden zone, along with Dragon Head Mountain, was in chaos. Palaces and pavilions collapsed, and trees were burning. On this battlefield, even if Song Yan moved at full speed, he would still appear inconspicuous.

He dared not go to crowded places.

A crowd signifies a target, a way to attract the attention of high-level cultivators.

Once his whereabouts are exposed, attracting the pursuit of that Golden Core Realm expert, not only will he surely die, but the fellow disciples gathered around him will also be caught in the crossfire and turned to dust.

Who is that person?
A cultivator from the Qin family? That's unlikely. If it were someone from the Qin family, they would probably be present during the battle with Nangong.

I don't know this person at all.

Song Yan went through all the people he had offended in his mind, and even wondered if it was Gou Sheng who had caused trouble in the Demon Ruins by using his appearance, thus attracting enemies for him.

I thought about it over and over, but I still couldn't figure it out.

How to do?
He wandered around the edge of the battlefield, occasionally looking up to observe the situation, his gaze sweeping across the sky.

The demonic clouds churned, and countless streaks of light darted through the air.

If they were to force their way in, given the current situation, it would be tantamount to courting death.

The killing intent of that Golden Core Realm cultivator was like a sword hanging overhead. If he made the slightest move or revealed his aura, he would likely be immediately noticed by the enemy.

Can't run away.

He lowered his head, looking at the dull and lifeless sword sect jade seal in his hand.

Under the cover of demonic clouds in the sky, even teleportation techniques cannot be used.

Song Yan's heart sank to the bottom. After thinking it over, it seemed that there was only a dead end ahead.

It seems like there's no chance of survival...

His movements actually began to slow down gradually.

For some reason, a sense of resentment rose up in his despair.

Since hiding anywhere is pointless, we might as well stay and have a good fight.

Instead of worrying about implicating your fellow disciples, you'd be better off helping others kill a few cultivators from the Demon Ruins.

His figure slowly came to a stop in place.

It has been no easy feat to have come this far on the path of seeking immortality and enlightenment.

If you ask Song Yan if he is resentful, the answer is naturally no.

But he never considered himself a person destined by heaven.

I've struggled to survive all this time, teetering on the brink of death several times. It's a miracle I'm still alive today.

There's nothing to say about being dead, nothing to complain about.

At this moment, he was only grateful that he had developed another outer disciple for the Sword Sect, namely Xiao Ju.

Unfortunately, this inexhaustible treasure is likely to fall into the hands of the demonic cultivators.

Seniors of the Sword Sect, I have already taken precautions, but natural disasters and man-made calamities are beyond my control. Please do not blame me.

and also……

Xiao He.

This is unavoidable, but just thinking about Snake Treasure suddenly cleared Song Yan's chaotic thoughts.

He suddenly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.

"……call."

No, I can't die.

I made a promise with Xiaohe that we would become renowned cultivators, and it wouldn't do for me to die inexplicably at the hands of a stranger.

Looking up, one could see that the Golden Core Realm Demon Ruins cultivator in the distance had not made a move, but occasionally glanced slightly in all directions, seemingly probing with his divine sense.

Upon seeing this person's appearance, a murderous intent suddenly flashed in Song Yan's eyes.

Gotta find a way...

kill him!

This idea, which he had previously buried deep within, suddenly resurfaced.

Only by killing him will there be a chance to leave.

Moreover, killing him might allow many others in the sect to escape alive.

As Song Yan gazed at the unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator, a wisp of sword energy slowly emerged from his body, converging towards his fingertips.

Just as he was determined to fight this man to the death, he suddenly heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"Junior Brother Song, do not resist, enter this place!"

A thought flashed through Song Yan's mind, and the sword energy suddenly dissipated. He then flew backward and crashed into a ripple, disappearing from sight.

The scene before my eyes suddenly distorted and changed.

A refreshing, inky scent wafted over, dispelling the bloody clamor of the outside world.

The sounds of the chaotic battle seemed to be blocked by a thick curtain of water, becoming somewhat muffled.

Song Yan steadied himself and realized that he was in a strange world.

Moss-covered stone slabs underfoot, and a clear stream flowing gently before me, heading towards the distant, mist-shrouded green mountains.

This scene felt somewhat familiar to Song Yan.

The world in the painting.

When Song Yan and his group explored the tomb of their predecessor Lin Qinglong years ago, they had seen something similar. However, the scene before them was quite different from what they had seen back then.

Later, the scroll was acquired by Senior Brother Lin Qing, who probably wrote and modified it himself.

He was unaware of the treasures of this art.

Song Yan turned around abruptly and saw Lin Qing standing in a pavilion by the stream, her face pale.

He held an open scroll and an antique-looking paintbrush in his hand.

"Senior Brother Lin Qing? What are you doing here?"

Seeing this, Song Yan felt a surge of joy.

Although he didn't understand the Dao of Painting, he at least knew that this was a treasure. If the cultivators of this small world's demonic ruins couldn't investigate it, he only needed to send disciples from his sect here...

The thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Unrealistic.

If we do that, the cultivators of the Demon Ruins will soon find out, and if that attracts the Golden Core cultivator, we will probably still be unable to escape annihilation.

Lin Qing visibly relaxed when she saw Song Yan enter the world of the painting. Her tense shoulders eased slightly, and a wry smile appeared on her face.

"Ashamed to say..."

Lin Qing's voice was somewhat hoarse: "I had already planned to flee the sect before the Demon Ruins cultivators arrived."

He paused, seemingly finding the words too harsh, and added, more as if trying to convince himself: "Junior Brother Song, I know this is a cowardly act, abandoning our sect and fellow disciples... but as long as we can survive, there is always hope, isn't there?"

Song Yan had no intention of blaming him. The destruction of Dongyuan Sect was a foregone conclusion, and among the disciples, every one who could survive was a good chance.

If a person does not serve himself, he will be destroyed by heaven and earth.

In the world of cultivation, the instinct to "seek advantage and avoid harm" is ingrained in almost every cultivator's bones.

Song Yan shook his head slightly: "In the face of a catastrophe, it is understandable to protect oneself."

Lin Qing was not comforted by Song Yan's words. He sighed and said, "I had originally planned to leave the sect, but I heard from some elders that Senior Sister Qin Ying had recently paid her respects to the sect leader and was in the forbidden area. I thought... perhaps I could wait for her to appear and leave with her."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Song Yan immediately understood his intention. He sighed and said, "Senior Brother Lin, is that really what you think?"

Lin Qing was taken aback, and then her gaze became somewhat evasive.

A flash of inspiration appeared in Song Yan's hand, and he opened his palm: "Or did you already guess in your heart that the spy from the Demonic Ruins that you were searching for so hard in the sect before was Qin Ying?"

In his hand was the Blood Skull Pill.

Lin Qing's expression remained unchanged, and he remained silent. During his previous investigation of the Qin family, he may have had his own suspicions, but since the Demon Ruins had suffered a defeat and the sect leader hadn't brought it up again, he subconsciously let the matter drop.

He has been selectively ignoring many dangerous clues about Qin Ying and removing her from the Qin family.

She would also comfort herself, thinking that Song Yan's master, Qin Xijun, was also a disciple of the Qin family.

Not all Qin family cultivators are bad people.

Qin Ying is just a young cultivator in the Qin family. Even if the Qin family really has problems, it won't involve her.

They passed by unconsciously time and time again, but not long ago, they heard from Sun Zhenglun and Zhang Guangyuan that the last cultivator to enter the forbidden area was Qin Ying.

Only then did he wake up.

But at that time, he still couldn't believe it and wanted to wait and see if he had misunderstood her.

Now, in the blink of an eye, the sect is about to be destroyed.

“I am a sinner of the Dongyuan Sect.”

Lin Qing slumped down, utterly dejected.

Song Yan shook his head: "Senior Brother Lin, you don't need to think like that."

"The sect leader had long been aware of Qin Ying's connection with the Demon Ruins. The current scale of the Demon Ruins is not something that Qin Ying, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, can easily command."

"Now is not the time to discuss these old grievances."

Song Yan's eyes were piercing: "Why don't we think about how to survive?"

Survive?
Lin Qing shook his head and smiled bitterly. He felt powerless to say anything now: "It's no use, Junior Brother Song."

"Even if those nine Nascent Soul cultivators don't make a move, with one Golden Core cultivator holding the line, the Demon Ruins cultivators will be completely blocked, and the entire sect will be wiped out. It's only a matter of time."

He looked around at the world in the painting, without a trace of wishful thinking in his eyes: "This world in the painting, in retrospect, is a treasure of a Golden Core cultivator. Even the Golden Core cultivator in the sky, I'm not sure I can fool him for long."

"Moreover, it is also constantly consuming the stored spiritual energy, which is by no means a long-term solution."

“You’re right,” Song Yan said. “Passively hiding is also waiting to die, so…”

"If we can destroy that golden core, there will still be a glimmer of hope!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Qing turned around abruptly, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Are you crazy?!"

“That’s a Golden Core cultivator! They’re worlds apart from us Foundation Establishment cultivators.”

In his view, Song Yan's proposal was tantamount to a moth flying into a flame, courting its own destruction.

However, at this moment, Song Yan no longer felt the despair and worry he had felt before.

Thinking of Xiao He, his mind and eyes were filled with the mad flames of fighting for his life against the Golden Core.

There is a chance.

Can survive.

"Stay here and wait to die, or take a gamble."

His gaze was intense: "The former is a certain death. The latter is a matter of life and death."

Where did that number come from?!

Lin Qing was somewhat taken aback. Where did this Junior Brother Song get the confidence to fight to the death with a Golden Core cultivator?

Is there even a 10% chance of success if someone insubordinate defies their superior?

He wanted to persuade Song Yan again, but he swallowed the words back down.

He suddenly looked towards Longshou Mountain in the outside world.

As far as the eye could see, it was a scene of purgatory.

The once beautiful and majestic mountains are now covered with broken walls and ruins, and demonic energy lingers on the scorched earth.

Familiar palaces and pavilions have been reduced to ruins, and the wounded bodies of fellow disciples are everywhere. Some have even had their life essence drained by demonic arts, leaving only shriveled skin.

Several elders, covered in blood and with their late-stage Foundation Establishment spiritual power already dimmed, were still fighting fiercely against the siege of several demonic cultivators, just to buy a moment of respite for their young disciples.

The expression on Lin Qing's face gradually darkened from initial bewilderment and disbelief.

“I am indeed a sinner of the Dongyuan Sect, but I cannot stand by and watch my fellow disciples die. Even if I am to die, I should die on the road of slaying demonic cultivators.”

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

……

Meanwhile, to the northeast of the foot of Longshou Mountain.

Peak Master Huang Manming of Lianyou Peak was locked in combat with a demonic cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm. Her ten fingers flew, and ten threads of spiritual energy were manipulating ten different dark shadows.

Although she seemed to have the upper hand, her eyes were filled with anxiety.

Her female disciples fought individually, forming small formations to hold on desperately. However, the demonic cultivators were more numerous and their methods were ruthless and bizarre.

Gu Qingqing's face was deathly pale, her forehead covered in fine sweat. She was wielding a flying sword, desperately trying to defend against a demonic cultivator in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

The opponent's spiritual power was formidable, and his attacks were wide-ranging and powerful. Every exchange of blows caused Gu Qingqing's blood and qi to surge.

"Young lady, your skin is delicate and tender, why bother with fighting? Why not come back to the Demon Ruins with me and be my young mistress? How about that?"

The demonic cultivator grinned maliciously, showing no hurry to kill her, and his movements were frivolous.

Gu Qingqing was filled with shame and indignation. She managed to dodge the attack and swiftly touched the opponent's wrist with the tip of her sword, but the difference in their cultivation levels was too great, and she was easily deflected.

Just then, another slender Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator appeared silently behind Gu Qingqing, a talisman fire in his hand carrying a sinister wind, and attacked Gu Qingqing from behind!

Gu Qingqing was focused on dealing with the burly man in front of her and had no time to spare for anything else.

"Qingqing, be careful!" A senior female student nearby glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and shouted in horror.

Just when his life hung by a thread.

A subtle ripple, like a wave on the surface of water, gently swept across the battlefield.

Suddenly, a wave of water surged up from the ground in front of Gu Qingqing, and a strangely shaped large fish leaped out from it.

As it leaped up, it extinguished the eerie flames, and then it seemed to reach its highest point before slowly falling.

It appears slow, but it is actually extremely fast, and it is getting faster and faster.

In the eyes of the demonic cultivator who launched the sneak attack, the fish was enormous and impossible to dodge. He was slammed to the ground by the fish.

Bang-!
The giant fish crashed down, turning into a torrent of water vapor that washed away much of the bloodshed from the battlefield.

The water vapor transformed into water-based spiritual energy, which then dissipated.

But the demonic cultivator who had launched the sneak attack was now lying on the ground, his fate unknown.

Gu Qingqing used all her strength to deflect the demonic cultivator's attack in front of her.

The demonic cultivator used the momentum to retreat, looking at the newcomer with a wary expression.

Not far away, Zhou Mengdie slowly withdrew her fingers from the hand seal. Her face was paler than usual, clearly indicating that the move had taken a heavy toll on her.

Her eyes, which were always shrouded in a hazy sleepiness, were unusually clear at this moment, scanning the chaotic battlefield.

"Mengdie!" Gu Qingqing and several rescued female disciples were overjoyed and immediately moved closer to her.

One of the female cultivators acted decisively and beheaded the unconscious demonic cultivator.

"Thank you so much for your help, Senior Sister Zhou!"

This was the first time Zhou Mengdie had been thanked like this, but she didn't have time to be happy.

Has any of you seen Ling'er?

Xiang Zhaoling?
"Not seen."

"She seemed to be right next to me a moment ago, but then I don't know where she went..."

I asked around, but no one knew.

On such a battlefield, far too many people have vanished without a trace.

They were all Foundation Establishment cultivators, and could only barely protect themselves.

However, Xiang Zhaoling, a genius with a single fire spiritual root, has not yet reached the Foundation Establishment stage for some reason and is currently only a Qi Refining cultivator.

Although no one spoke again, a sorrowful atmosphere permeated the air.

My dear sister Zhaoling, perhaps you died in battle.

(End of this chapter)