Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 905 No Pledge of Allegiance

Seeing this, the others had no choice but to suppress their unease and follow closely behind.

Although the method of divination has been completely obscured and blocked by this strange fog, the special connection between the magical artifacts has not been completely severed.

"Colorless! Hold on! We'll be there soon!" Master Li replied urgently to the compass as he sped along.

Immediately, the compass emitted a response from the "Monk of Colorless," a voice filled with panic, anxiety, heavy breathing, and the clanging of metal:

"Quick! Hurry! That vile Xia Ji has somehow joined forces with the spirits lurking in the lake! This thick fog that blots out the sky is their doing!"

"If they don't come soon, they'll jump into the Han Canal and try to escape using the waterways!"

"I...I can't hold them off any longer! Ah—!"

The sound indicated an extremely urgent situation; one could even hear the explosions of clashing spells and a short, painful scream, as if defeat was imminent.

Li Zhenren's remaining composure crumbled instantly, and his expression changed drastically.

No longer caring about conserving his strength, he frantically activated his magic to accelerate, even reluctantly taking out his trump card, the "Swiftness Acceleration Talisman," and slapping it on himself and the group of worshippers behind him as if it were free, instantly increasing everyone's speed by another three points!

He knew all too well what Xia Ji meant to the Jia family.

In order to capture the escaped Xia Ji, the Jia family went to great lengths this time, mobilizing an extremely formidable force.

Not only did they directly draw an entire elite force of 1,500 men from Xuzhou, fully armed and equipped with powerful bows and crossbows, to Guangling County.

The mobilization of regular troops of this scale across counties is an extremely sensitive and risky matter at any time, enough to alarm the central government.

Even with the Jia family's power, they still had to bear enormous risks and pay a considerable price, which shows just how crazy they were.

Furthermore, more than half of the cultivators and devotees cultivated and recruited by the Jia family itself were directly mobilized!
The operation was divided into three teams, each responsible for searching three suspected locations in Huaiyin, Xuyi, and Gaoyou.

He was the team leader in charge of the Gaoyou area!
If Xia Ji were to slip away from his assigned area right under his nose... the consequences would be unimaginable!
Thinking of this, a ruthless glint flashed in Master Li's eyes.

Suddenly, he opened his own magical barrier and used a secret technique called "Eating Qi" to directly devour the thick fog blocking his way, forcibly opening a short passage and increasing his speed once again!

And at the other end of the compass.
"Your Majesty...they...they will be here soon."

The old monk, Sewu, was now bowing and scraping, using the most obsequious tone to demonstrate his value to the "Great Demon King" before him, respectfully holding the still-glowing compass in both hands.

"This compass is a 'twin compass' specially crafted by a master of the Shangqing Sect at the request of the Jia family. It is a set of two, which can communicate with each other within a fifty-mile radius using magic power and can accurately locate each other's positions..."

As he spoke, he glanced in horror at the silent, enormous figure by the water not far away—the Stone King.

The Stone King was pressing his giant palm into Gaoyou Lake, his body emanating a vast and obscure demonic energy that stirred the water vapor throughout the entire lake area.

Even the slightest ripple of magical power emanating from him terrified Monk Sewu, who felt an overwhelming pressure that threatened to destroy the world, fearing that the other party might casually pulverize him at any moment.

He inwardly groaned and frantically pounded the drums: This is utterly absurd! Why would such an incredibly powerful demon king appear in a mission to capture a corpse demon?!
The ability to release clouds and fog that cover dozens of miles at a time is terrifying!

With his shallow understanding, he simply couldn't comprehend what kind of supernatural power this was.

Xu Xuan watched the Stone King's retreating figure as he cast his spell, a hint of nostalgia appearing in his eyes.

At this moment, the Stone King is rooted to the water's edge, his demonic power resonating with the lake water. He is performing a simplified version of the "Dongting Eight Hundred Miles of Clouds and Mist" technique, which was personally taught by the Cloud Lord back then, and it is now being recreated on the shore of Gaoyou Lake on the north bank of the Yangtze River.

As a multi-functional treasure guardian, the Stone Spirit once again demonstrated its unparalleled "professionalism".

Although Gaoyou Lake is far less vast than Dongting Lake, it has an abundance of water vapor.

The setup of the home field environment was completed with ease. The dense fog that spread for dozens of miles and confused perception had the primary goal of eliminating the most troublesome threat: the vision and coordinated combat capabilities of the well-equipped mortal army.

Indeed, in Gaoyou, the most troublesome thing for Xu Xuan was never Xia Ji, nor the cultivation and offerings of the Jia family.

Instead, it was the vast number of ordinary human soldiers who formed a battle formation and were equipped with magic-piercing crossbows.

Once entangled in the army's formation, even if victory is achieved, it will only increase many variables and unnecessary bloodshed.

The fate of the human race is ultimately inescapable.

As for those cultivators who lost the cover of the army and were trapped in the fog and mist...

In Xu Xuan's eyes, they were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter.

Or rather, they are the best sacrifice for the "killing spree" that is about to begin.

In order to allow Yu Yingnan to take revenge thoroughly and sever her inner demons, he, as the hall master, went to great lengths and laid out everything in a proper manner.

While waiting for the enemy to walk right into their trap, Xu Xuan casually asked the obsequious old monk:
“Old monk, your name is Sewu… This Dharma name sounds quite profound. Could it be from the ‘Form-Based School’ of the Prajna school?”

Upon hearing this, Monk Sewu forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and quickly replied, "Your Majesty is wise. This humble monk...this humble monk is indeed from the Sewu sect."

The Form School, also known as the School of Form, was one of the "Six Schools and Seven Sects" of the Prajna school in the past. It advocated "form is emptiness" and was once very prominent. Its disciples discussed metaphysics and the Tao, and its reputation spread far and wide.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan asked in a calm tone, "If that's the case, you were once a prestigious family, so why have you fallen so low as to become a lackey of the Jia family?"

A hint of undisguised bitterness and embarrassment flashed across the monk Sewu's face.

He whispered, "I dare not conceal this from Your Majesty... My sect also experienced the White Lotus Rebellion back then... Back then, our sect was destroyed, our scriptures were burned and looted, and our inherited cultivation techniques were incomplete... Our disciples were scattered and displaced, and we had no choice but to come to this mortal world to seek some opportunities and cultivate with great difficulty..."

Xu Xuan was immediately a little embarrassed.

So this is also related to the White Lotus Sect?
He coughed lightly, changing the subject: "Then... that Taoist Li who is rushing this way, he can't be in the same situation, can he?"

To save his life, Monk Sewu naturally told him everything he knew: "Your Majesty, Daoist Li... he was originally a disciple of the Louguan Sect." "The reason he defected from the sect is said to be that their lineage's patriarch was killed by the White Lotus Saint Mother, and thus lost his voice within the sect."

"The cultivation resources he could get were far from enough to support his breakthrough... so he turned to human power and found a new identity."

OK OK.

Xu Xuan was speechless for a moment.

What kind of "Avengers" have you all formed?
No matter how you go around in circles, the source always seems to be your own saintly older sister.
Not knowing what to say for a moment, I simply remained silent.

However, Monk Sewu was extremely anxious. He had a lot to say because he really didn't want to die!

The group of worshippers who came with him had all died, and he had sold Li Daoren as a pledge of loyalty, so he had no way out.

if……

Well, deep down I have a clear feeling that this "big boss" probably has no intention of letting me go.

Otherwise, why would the other party never give any guarantee or promise even though he had paid his dues?

As the shadow of death loomed ever closer, the suppressed resentment and unwillingness within him burned like poisonous fire throughout his body.

But that faint hope that he might be able to survive by being "useful" was like a carrot dangling in front of him, causing him unspeakable torment. It was truly like falling into an inescapable hell, unable to live and unable to die.

At this moment, the compass lit up with a blinding blood-red light once more, and Master Li's anxious voice came from it:

"Iroha! We'll be there in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea! How's the situation on your end?!"

The old monk, who was suffering in this hellish state, suddenly had a flash of extremely resentful and insane light in his eyes.

As if grasping at the last twisted straw, it hissed and roared at the compass, its voice shrill and lifelike:

"Hurry! Hurry! Everyone else is dead... all dead! But Xia Ji is trapped by my desperate efforts! She can't break free for long! Hurry—!"

While speaking, he was able to multitask, maintaining the compass transmission with one hand and secretly making hand seals with the other, using his meager magical power and exquisite sound techniques to simulate the intense sounds of magical clashes, Xia Ji's sharp screams, and his own heavy breathing and groans, creating the illusion of a life-or-death struggle.

After completing this realistic performance, he immediately cut off the connection, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his cloudy old eyes filled only with twisted pleasure and utter madness.

Since I'm already in the deepest hell, why can't I drag more people down with me to be buried with me?!
Otherwise... this humble monk will not die in peace!

Xu Xuan then took a serious look at the old monk who seemed to have gone mad.

Such a strong aura of malevolent resentment! It's almost solidified.

Although the Form School originated from the Prajna school and takes "dependent origination and emptiness" as its theoretical foundation, it believes that all things are born from the combination of causes and conditions and have no independent and unchanging self-nature.

However, its biggest problem lies in the fact that it has never truly given up its attachment to "illusory existence," and is prone to falling into the sophistry of "form is emptiness, emptiness is form," and is not thorough in either the emptiness or existence.

The monk Se Wu, whose cultivation was clearly inadequate, had completely fallen into the demonic path under the absolute pressure of death, and his mentality had become even more extreme and obsessive.

He knew it was a dead end, yet he still stared intently at that non-existent illusory hope, like a drowning man grasping at a phantom.

Xu Xuan never made any promise of survival to him from beginning to end.

All the "pledges of allegiance" were nothing more than a distorted choice made by the monk Sewu through self-deception and manipulation under extreme fear.

This is what it means to be possessed by a demon.

The inner demons have taken hold, rationalizing all their madness, all in exchange for that slim, almost nonexistent "possibility".

And so, in this highly ironic and comical atmosphere, Li Daoren, leading a group of menacing demons and monsters, driven to distraction by speed-up talismans and the will to survive, broke through the edge of the thick fog.

They stumbled into the center of the mist-free "stage" by the lake, a space deliberately cleared by the Stone King's magic.

The sound of thunder echoed overhead, and the aura of death was palpable.

They saw it.
I saw the mess of my colleagues' corpses, each in a different state of death.

They saw the monk Sewu kneeling on the ground, looking like a madman, with a strange smile on his face.

They saw the enormous stone figure that stood silently like an ancient sacred mountain, radiating a suffocating pressure.

And then they saw Xu Xuan, the young scholar standing at the center of all the sights, dressed in a simple blue robe, his face as calm as if he were merely admiring the scenery.

"Observe its form to see its essence, examine its spirit to understand its true nature."

To everyone's surprise, the first thing that came to Li Daoren's mind was not anger at being deceived, nor fear of facing a desperate situation, but a shock and clarity that was almost like an epiphany.

After years of cultivation and relentless pursuit of the truth, a vague yet awe-inspiring outline seems to have been glimpsed in this strange scene before me, in the unfathomable calm of the scholar.

I actually... met a "real person"?
The moment this thought crossed his mind, two streams of tears uncontrollably welled up in Li Daoren's eyes.

These are not tears of joy, but rather tears of sorrow and relief at realizing one's own insignificance, the futility of the path, and the impending final outcome.

He might... really be going to die.

As if to confirm his final enlightenment, two sharp sword cries suddenly ripped through the sky!
A beam of azure sword light, as fierce as a raging celestial fire, descended first, its intense radiance almost obscuring the entire sky.

The scorching waves of Nanming Fire, which purified and burned everything, swept down with a roar, instantly dispelling all the chill of early spring and bringing a furnace-like intensity!
"Death!"

(End of this chapter)