Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 909 Avoiding Cause and Effect
The captivating smile on her face, enough to make any normal man dizzy, froze completely, and only two words echoed wildly in her mind:
Yes! It's a serious illness!
boom!
The familiar, short, muffled cracking sound rang out again.

Another poignant yet fleeting firework of flesh and blood quietly bloomed on the shore of Gaoyou Lake before vanishing.

Almost at the same instant that the clone was completely annihilated.

Hundreds of miles away, deep within an extremely secluded cave on the southwest shore of Hongze Lake, where yin energy gathers.

A woman lying in the Xuan Yin Jade Coffin, dressed in ancient and gorgeous clothes, with a face exactly like her clone but even more elegant and otherworldly, suddenly opened her eyes!
Those beautiful eyes, which should have been captivating, were now filled with unprecedented fear and panic.

Even her delicate body began to tremble uncontrollably, causing the jade coffin beneath her to emit a faint hum.

She truly felt it through the cold, pure, and utterly devoid of any ulterior motives that the clone emanated at the end.

The man behind that terrifying stone spirit was truly, simply, and without any room for negotiation, only wanted to find her and then kill her.

It wasn't lust, it wasn't coveting the secret treasure, it wasn't trying to control her... None of that was true!

The purpose was so pure it was outrageous, and so terrifying it was suffocating!

"What monster?!"

Xia Ji screamed in terror, her voice shrill with fear.

No longer caring about recovering their strength, they had only one thought at that moment—escape!
We must escape immediately! Get as far away as possible from that stone spirit and the psychopath behind it!

After clearing all traces of Xia Ji in the Gaoyou area, Xu Xuan did not linger and immediately led his four-person team to their next target location—Huaiyin.

Huaiyin is a large county with a long history and a prominent status.

It was once the seat of Xuzhou. Although it was later moved to Guangling City, its city size, government offices, and even potential defense forces were still set up to the standard of the top prefecture, far superior to Gaoyou.

This place is a melting pot of all sorts of people, and the Jia family's influence is deeply entrenched. If we cannot achieve a swift victory and are dragged into a quagmire, attracting a large number of ordinary soldiers to form a defensive formation and surround us, even if we manage to break out, we will inevitably face numerous troubles, which will seriously affect the progress of our core mission.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war; we must get through this quickly," Xu Xuanyan succinctly set the tone.

Thus, the group set off for Huaiyin in a way that was both extremely eye-catching and utterly disheartening.

Yu Yingnan and Li Yingqi sat cross-legged on the broad, platform-like rock shoulder of the Stone King, racing against time to regulate their breathing and restore their magical power.

The Stone King, like a mobile land fortress, moved with heavy yet exceptionally steady steps, carrying them forward at high speed.

Even more terrifying is that the thick fog that had enveloped the area of ​​Gaoyou Lake for dozens of miles also moved along with the Stone King!
Like a vast, moving maze, wherever it passed, the world lost its color, and all vision was obscured.

The Three Realms Demon King personally acted as a mobile spellcasting platform and environmental modifier. His support was so domineering that it was completely unreasonable.

Huaiyin County soon suffered a purge that was exactly the same as that in Gaoyou, a purge that could be described as a dimensional reduction attack.

A thick fog silently engulfed a designated area on the outskirts of the city, isolating it from the outside world.

The azure Nanming Fire Lotus Platform bloomed once again above the sea of ​​mist, its Heartfire Sword Intent disregarding physical barriers, directly burning the minds of those burdened with heavy sins.

The purple and blue light of the Calamity Sword was like a judgment from the heavens, precisely reaping the remaining breaths that had managed to survive in the inner fire.

Finally, the Southern Ming Fire swept through, purifying all remnants; the earth rippled slightly, burying all traces.

A streamlined process that is efficient and environmentally friendly.

Yu Yingnan "ate" her second "big meal" on her journey north.

A large amount of pure negative energy and lingering souls were refined by the Southern Bright Fire and transformed into resources to nourish their Dao foundation.

His aura became increasingly refined and profound at a visible speed, his cultivation level improved significantly, and blue light flowed between his eyes, exuding an aura of majesty.

Li Yingqi, standing to the side, was incredibly envious. The experience of being able to "eat" while sitting down and having one's cultivation level rise rapidly was truly something to be envied.

But there was nothing she could do; after all, her best friend cultivated the Nanming Li Fire, which was specifically designed to counter evil and heretical practices.
Who could blame them when the young ladies had such a deep and unforgettable karmic entanglement with the Jia family?

Why is it that the unwavering belief in "eliminating demons and protecting the righteous" is used here so seamlessly and perfectly?

She could only suppress her warlike heart and obediently act as a guard, serving her girlfriends their meals.

Occasionally, he would wield the Purple Ying Sword to help "clean up" any fish that slipped through the net.

"This Jia family..." Even Xu Xuan couldn't help but sigh.

As Yu Yingnan's aura continued to rise, his eyes revealed an appreciative light of discovering a high-quality, sustainable resource.

"The standard version of the antagonist who is entangled with the protagonist throughout his life is fully functional and provides excellent service. It not only continuously provides opportunities for practical training, but also comes with a large amount of pure 'cultivation resources'."

"It seems that as long as we can firmly 'take control' of this family, Yingnan probably won't have to worry about resources before reaching the third realm."

"The Jia family can be considered an important strategic partner on the path of cultivation."

Xu Xuan stroked his chin and came to a conclusion.

Next, it was time for Stone King to play "whack-a-mole".

Whether it's dense forests or deep lakes, these are all the absolute home grounds of this spirit of the earth and rocks.

With a slight infusion of its immense divine sense into the earth's moisture, it could sense the sinister auras that were trying to conceal themselves using the wood element and water essence.

Occasionally, it would look up at the starry sky, and its rough stone hands would casually make a few calculations to pinpoint its location.

Strolling through the mountains and fields, casually overturning a few seemingly ordinary boulders, or dipping a giant hand into the cold heart of a lake, one can always accurately pull out a "Summer Fairy" trying to hide from the soil or the bottom of the water.

This time, Xu Xuan didn't even bother to ask again.

Stone King understood perfectly. He grabbed one of them and smashed it to pieces with a single punch without hesitation, decisive and clean, giving no chance for any nonsense or seduction.

Purely physical exorcism is the most efficient way to avoid wasting time.

Anyway, her true form can't escape.

After eliminating these annoying clones, the group didn't stop and headed straight for their final destination—Xuyi.

The closer he got to the finish line, the calmer Xu Xuan's expression became.

The information extracted from the monk Sewu revealed that the Jia family's most elite "Yamen Army," numbering over 1,500 men, was stationed near Xuyi year-round.

In addition, the leader of the three escort teams that went north to search for Xia Ji, a celestial sorcerer with unfathomable cultivation and said to be carrying the inheritance of righteous law, also personally oversaw the operation here.

Although their group moved with lightning speed, the tribute teams from Gaoyou and Huaiyin were wiped out one after another. Coupled with the eerie fog that covered dozens of miles and was constantly moving, anyone who wasn't a fool would surely be on guard.

The Xuyi ahead is no longer a hunting ground, but a true den of dragons and tigers.

On the eve of arriving in Xuyi, they even stopped for what was unusual to carry out some serious pre-battle preparations.

He carefully checked all the equipment and talismans on his body, and made a verbal threat to Shengxie Sword, such as if he would throw him into the Buddha's golden bowl in the Pure Land Sect if he was still useless.

Then he mentally rehearsed several possible emergencies and corresponding tactics, and even took out the Jade Talisman for seeking help separately and placed it in the most easily accessible position in his sleeve.

These obvious dangers were not the reason why the Father prepared a distress signal.

What truly made him wary stemmed from his own characteristics.

The battle may not have truly begun yet, but he has already fallen into some kind of invisible disadvantage.

It belongs to that unique, peculiar force of fate that makes "things always go in the most troublesome direction".

With the impending calamity, the clouds sway in all directions, and the unseen forces of fate begin to subtly shift.

The primary reason Xu Xuan and his party went north was that they lost the support of the people.

The Jia family's actions were based on official orders and documents from the government.

Under the guise of pursuing "evil spirits who have fled," the elite guards on the official register were mobilized, and the registered worshippers from all sides were summoned.

Regardless of how sordid their ulterior motives may be, at least in terms of the overt procedures, they are aboveboard and impeccable.

This move is undoubtedly more in line with the laws of the dynasty. The intangible yet real imperial fortune and human order will naturally favor the Jia family, who are "acting in accordance with public duty".

Xu Xuan and his companions were uninvited guests who had just arrived in the North, without any roots or connections.

He has not left any good deeds or achievements here, nor has he benefited the people of Guangling in the slightest. He has also had no dealings with the local officials, gentry, sects, or other forces.

In the eyes of the local people and the prevailing social order, they are nothing more than “outside troublemakers” or even “troublemakers”. How could the social order possibly favor them?

This is called losing the support of the people.

Secondly, it lost its "advantage of location".

Xuyi is now part of the core basin of the Huai River.

The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Celestial Offices, states: "The four stars east of the southern wall of the Eastern Well are called the Four Rivers, which are the essence of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Ji River."

The Huai River, one of the four major rivers, runs through the Central Plains and nourishes the vast land. Its water system is far more spiritual, its history more profound, and the causes and effects it involves are far beyond those of ordinary rivers.

According to Xu Xuan's damned "law of cause and effect pollution".

The more historically significant a place is, the more likely it is to attract the myths and legends, ancient relics and divine weapons, and even the millennia-old grudges that entangle it, like sharks smelling blood, to actively gravitate towards this "vortex of cause and effect."

What follows is a vast and inextricable network of cause and effect attached to these "opportunities".

In today's prevailing trend of the decline of Tao and the rise of Demon, those attracted are unlikely to receive any good fortune or blessings, but rather troublesome "evil causes and evil consequences."

Even more coincidentally, there is a very special place in Xuyi County.

Located in the southwest of Laozi Mountain Town, Hongze District, on the east bank of the estuary where the Huai River flows into Hongze Lake, lies a famous mountain whose shape resembles a giant tortoise floating on the water, hence the name Tortoise Mountain.

This place is shrouded in mist and moisture, full of hidden wonders, interwoven with history, and rife with legends.

One of the "little gifts" that the Dragon Lord had given him earlier had its source of information pointing right to the vicinity of Turtle Mountain!
This is tantamount to directly approaching a massive, complex, and perilous "entrance to a copy of the game".

The issues involved likely extend far beyond the feud between the Jia family and Xia Ji; deeper beneath the surface, perhaps, lie even more ancient secrets and more terrifying dangers.

Being rashly drawn into the deeper vortex of cause and effect near Kameyama Sako is truly a matter of life and death.

We have lost both the support of the people and the advantage of the location.

Even before the battle began, Xu Xuan was already at a disadvantage.

The only thing they could still hold onto was "favorable timing".

At least for now, Xu Xuan has not yet realized any unfavorable changes in the timing of events, so the two sides can be considered to be on equal footing in this respect.

Thus, the tone of this battle was set: a lightning strike, with no protracted fighting.

The plan was clear and efficient, with Shi Wang as the core strike force, carrying the two strongest swordsmen, Yu Yingnan and Li Yingqi, to directly penetrate the enemy's core area and carry out a decapitation operation.

The Stone King's mission is no longer merely to release a fog of war to obscure the battlefield.

It will take the initiative and use overwhelming force to restrain or even crush the chief of the opposing side.

If possible, try to leave the most "plump" and energy-rich strike, such as killing the leader or severely damaging the army formation, to Yu Yingnan, so as to help her Southern Ming Fire advance further.

Xu Xuan himself was stationed outside Xuyi County, ready to provide support or... assist in the retreat.

"Remember, keep your goal clear and don't get sidetracked."

Xu Xuan gave his final instructions, his gaze sweeping over the two girls and the silent Stone King.

"Kill them all and capture Xia Ji's true form, which is currently hidden. Her last breath is nearby."

After making the arrangements, Xu Xuan found a slightly elevated earthen slope outside the mist and sat down cross-legged. He was calm and his gaze was deep as he looked toward the direction of Xuyi, where the mist was churning.

He appeared to be holding the line, but in reality, he was highly focused. The Shengxie Sword in his sleeve hummed slightly, while his other hand was pressing on the jade talisman for help.

Sometimes, his deliberate distancing from the battlefield provides an invisible safeguard for his own men who are charging into battle.

At least it can minimize the risk of his bizarre "causality" turning a controllable attack into an uncontrollable catastrophe.

Far away on the banks of the Yangtze River, the Dragon King, standing by the river, sensed the distinct atmosphere of the Wei River flowing from the direction of Xuyi.

Instead of showing any disappointment, His face curled into a playful, expectant smile.

He knew Xu Xuan too well, and he knew all too well how much the fate that entangled him "favored" him.

(End of this chapter)