I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

After traveling for several more days, the terrain gradually rose, with layers of mountains and lush greenery, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth became increasingly rich. Although it was not as good as Fangcun Mountain, it was still far superior to the human world.

Finally, one morning, after everyone had climbed over a high mountain ridge, the view before them suddenly opened up!

Surrounded by mountains, a cluster of buildings hangs on the mountainside, shrouded in mist, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

Within the complex, palaces and pavilions are built along the mountainside, standing side by side, with flying eaves and brackets, and red walls and golden tiles that gleam in the morning light.

Deep inside, a magnificent and ancient Taoist temple stands tall, seemingly having existed since time immemorial.

That is Louguantai, the ancestral temple of the Zhengyi sect!

The Taoist temple is surrounded by ancient trees, exotic flowers and rare herbs, and spirit birds gather, their clear chirping echoing through the valley.

Clear mountain springs flow down from high places, forming several waterfalls like white ribbons, with water vapor reflecting colorful rainbows.

A myriad of rays of light shone, purple mist rose, and auspicious clouds stretched in thousands—what a magnificent sight!

"We're here! We've finally arrived!"

"This is truly a divine place!"

Upon seeing this scene, Tang Hao, Qian Quan, Wu Dajin, Sun Rongrong, and the others cheered with joy, their faces beaming with the elation of finally achieving their goal after overcoming numerous hardships.

The old Taoist priest also breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves finally relaxing.

He murmured to himself.

"May the Heavenly Venerable protect us! This old Daoist has successfully completed his mission and brought them back safely! The Daoist lineage will not die out in my hands!"

Even Luo Zhantian couldn't help but grin. He patted Tang Hao on the shoulder, his tone quite emotional.

"Well done, Hao! Today's step may be just a small one for us, but it's a giant leap for mankind!"

"Back on Earth, your teacher will apply for a scholarship and points reward for you!"

Tang Hao couldn't stop smiling.

"Haha, it's all I should do. I still want to thank Teacher Luo for his hard work and guidance!"

"Wait, be quiet!"

Ning Chen, who was at the front of the group, suddenly reached out and stopped everyone from moving forward. His eyes flashed with divine light as he stared straight into the depths of the seemingly auspicious Louguantai.

"Immortal, is there something amiss?"

Zhang Qingxuan stepped forward to ask, but Ning Chen did not answer, indicating that he should use his divine sense to investigate himself.

Soon, Zhang Qingxuan's expression changed drastically. His withered finger pointed in the direction of the ancestral court, and his lips trembled as he was unable to speak.

The next instant, a visible surge of violent demonic energy crashed down on everyone from Louguantai like a tidal wave!

Among the crowd, those with shallow internal strength, such as Wu Dajin and Qian Quan, immediately got goosebumps all over their bodies.

Sun Rongrong's lips turned white from the cold, and she hugged her shoulders.

"What the heck? I suddenly feel so cold!"

Luo Zhantian, with his keen intuition as a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, immediately issued an alarm.

A chill ran up his spine and straight to the top of his head, making Lao Luo's hair stand on end and his muscles tense instantly!

"What terrifying pressure!"

Ning Chen's voice was deep and cold as he stared into the old Taoist's eyes.

"Master, this is the sacred ancestral home of Taoism. Why is there such a terrifying demonic aura? It has almost completely tainted this blessed land!"

Ning Chen's divine sense had completely locked onto Zhang Qingxuan. Once he detected any unusual behavior from this old Taoist, he would not hesitate to kill him.

Zhang Qingxuan's face was ashen, his whole body trembled, and he repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Immortal, please do not be anxious or angry. This humble one truly does not know why this is so..."

"When I descended the mountain, the mountain gate's protective barriers were intact, and there were absolutely no such evil spirits! This..."

The old Taoist priest slapped his thigh suddenly, and a look of sudden realization flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

"I remember now! Oh no! Oh no! It's that! It must be that thousand-year-old fox demon suppressed deep within the Demon-Locking Cave!"

"A thousand-year-old fox demon?"

Ning Chen frowned.

"Exactly!"

Zhang Qingxuan repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting, speaking at an extremely fast pace.

"This demon was personally subdued by Zhang Daoling, the founder of our Zhengyi Sect! Its cultivation was profound, and it was fierce and cunning. The founder, mindful of the difficulty of its cultivation, did not exterminate it, but instead sealed its demon core and suppressed its true form in the Demon-Locking Cave in the back mountain. It was sealed with a demon-suppressing talisman personally carved by the founder and the earth's dragon energy, using its demonic power to nourish the sect's spiritual energy and temper its ferocity. For a hundred years, we have been at peace! We all believed it had been converted!"

"It must have been the Yellow Turban Rebellion that led to the ravages of the mountain gate, the loss of disciples, and the absence of anyone to maintain the protective barrier. This allowed the beast to take advantage of the ancestral temple's vulnerability, break the seal, and escape! Judging from the overwhelming demonic aura obscuring the mountain gate, it has probably regained its former cultivation level, and may even have retrieved its demon core!"

Zhang Qingxuan's voice was filled with despair as he looked at the eerie ancestral temple and then at Tang Hao and the others with their low cultivation levels.

He couldn't help but burst into tears.

"It's over...it's all over! With our current meager strength, how can we possibly defeat this thousand-year-old demon? How can we possibly reclaim our ancestral home?"

"The foundation-building pills that young friend Tang Hao and the others need to embark on their path of cultivation, as well as many scriptures and magical artifacts left behind by the patriarch, are all in the temple. Moreover, that monstrous genius has activated a restriction, making it impossible for us to enter alone. What should we do now?"

His last glimmer of hope was cast toward Ning Chen beside him, whose aura was as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

.......

The howling mountain wind swept across the Zhongnan Mountains, but it could not disperse the thick, dark red, eerie mist that lingered above Louguantai.

Ning Chen frowned, his eyes shining brightly as he clearly saw the massive source of demonic energy surging and rising deep within the True Martial Hall, carrying boundless rage.

This demonic aura was so strong that it almost completely suppressed the spiritual energy of the Taoist ancestral temple.

What an amazing fox spirit!

Finally, Ning Chen made up his mind to go and take a look. He had already gone through many hardships to get here, and he could not give up now.

"I'm going to investigate. You all stay here. Teacher Luo, please keep an eye on everyone for me."

Ning Chen's voice was extremely calm. As soon as he finished speaking, his body became light and he floated up, merging into the fierce mountain wind.

The true meaning of "Free and Easy Wandering" flows naturally within him, with the six elements of Yin, Yang, wind, rain, darkness, and light interacting with each other.

At this moment, he is the wind, and the wind is him.

The laws of the world were now meaningless to him.

"My God, when did Ning learn to fly?!"

Zhao Zhenyuan and the others all showed expressions of envy.

"Brother Ning, you're amazing!"

Sun Rongrong covered her mouth, her almond-shaped eyes wide open.

"What kind of magic is this... Master, do you know it?"

Tang Hao was mesmerized and couldn't help but ask the old Taoist priest beside him for guidance.

"Transforming with the wind, unrestrained and free—truly a divine skill!"

The old Taoist shook his head, muttering to himself, his face filled with shock.

Zhang Qingxuan gazed at the figure that rose with the wind and instantly merged into the demonic clouds, his eyes welling up with tears as if he were witnessing the manifestation of his ancestor.

"May the Ancestral Master bless you, Immortal, you must succeed!"

Ning Chen paid no attention to the astonishment of the crowd behind him. His mind followed the breeze, ignoring the layers of demonic aura surrounding Louguantai, as if he were in an empty place. In an instant, he landed on the magnificent Zhenwu Hall.

The palace gates were already broken, and an overwhelming demonic aura surged out from them, accompanied by bursts of painful screams.

Ning Chen concealed his aura, his feet barely touching the ground, and flew into the hall.

The scene before him startled Ning Chen slightly.

The anticipated scene of rampant destruction and carnage did not materialize.

In the center of the empty hall, a huge white eight-tailed fox, as large as a small hill, was writhing and convulsing on the ground in pain.

Her once pristine, snow-white fur was now soaked with blood and sweat, appearing disheveled, and her gleaming front paws had dug deep furrows into the hard white marble floor.

The fox demon rolled around on the floor of the main hall, occasionally bumping into a pillar, causing the entire hall to tremble violently.

An immense demonic power surged uncontrollably from the fox demon's body, forming visible dark red ripples that washed over Ning Chen's waist like a tide.

What made Ning Chen's pupils shrink slightly was that the fox demon's abdomen was actually bulging high.

As she rolled and screamed, her abdomen was heaving and contracting violently!

"what!"

The fox demon kept letting out painful howls!

This fox demon is actually giving birth?

And judging from the looks of it, it's clearly a difficult birth!

Just as Ning Chen revealed himself and began to investigate the main hall, the fox demon immediately sensed it and abruptly raised her enormous head.