I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

*

Far away in the Demon Realm, a group of disciples gathered. After Xie Chuxue and several elders discussed the matter for a few moments, she waved her hand and summoned all the sword cultivators away. After a pause, she added, "Xue Yu is coming with us as well."

Alchemists are indeed rare, so there's nothing we can do. Xue Yu, being the only one of them, will definitely have to go with them.

Under the envious and jealous gazes of several talisman cultivators, Xue Yu slowly moved to stand behind Xie Chuxue.

Among the group, Qin Huai and his group were the only ones who didn't move. When several seniors looked over, Qin Huai said, "I can't go."

"Why?" Xie Chuxue raised her eyebrows.

"I lost a bet with Ye Qiao," Qin Huai explained again. "The wager was that all the disciples of Chengfeng Sect would stay behind to await orders." Await orders from whose disciples? Of course, from Ye Qiao.

Chu Xingzhi added fuel to the fire: "You cold-hearted person, it's all because of you that Duan Hengdao and the others followed you. Are you happy now?"

"..." Sometimes Qin Huai really wanted to punch this idiot to death.

But with so many seniors present, he couldn't possibly start a fight with Chu Xingzhi on the spot. He desperately suppressed the impulse and, under Xie Chuxue's knowing gaze, retreated back into the group.

Xie Chuxue was surprised that Ye Qiao was preparing to take the personal disciples of Chengfeng Sect. He was too lazy to investigate the reason, and said, "Then it's just you few."

Xie Chuxue selected all the sword cultivators present, leaving all the talisman cultivators to await orders. This wasn't surprising, given that Xie Chuxue and Yun Hen were talisman cultivators themselves. Since talisman cultivators weren't sword cultivators, their numbers weren't needed to be too large; otherwise, the overlapping of various formations would only lead to chaos.

"Junior Uncle!! All the sword cultivators are gone, how are we supposed to survive?" Mingxuan didn't expect Xie Chuxue to be so ruthless, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Live well." Xie Chuxue waved to them without turning her head.

Where were the remaining talisman cultivators left to stand in this cold wind, with the north wind howling and snowflakes fluttering?

Xue Yu turned around abruptly and saw the pitiful state of the five Fu Xiu members, and his lips twitched.

What a pitiful sight.

Mingxuan muttered under his breath, unconvinced, "What's so great about sword cultivators?"

They, the talisman cultivators, are still rare talents in the cultivation world!

Mingyi remained expressionless. "That's excessive."

"Right, right?" Mingxuan thought that his cousin really understood him. Although he didn't know which branch of the family Mingyi was from, it didn't stop them from being relatives.

Song Hansheng would glance at them every now and then, as if they were two idiots.

"So what do we do now? Defend the city or return to our sect?"

Returning to the sect without doing anything is too frustrating, Song Hansheng pondered. "I think we could consider the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm you mentioned? Didn't Ye Qiao say she wanted to organize her personal disciples to go in?"

However, the Changming Sect often acted on a whim, so they subconsciously overlooked it.

Mingxuan perked up: "You guys really want to go to the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm?" He was reluctant to leave Mu Chongxi and the others for this reason. They were supposed to go in pairs, one pair going to the Demon Realm and the other pair going down to the secret realm. In the end, all three of them left, leaving him all alone.

"The Cloud and Mist Secret Realm..." Mingyi tilted her head. "It must be very dangerous, right?"

No one knows whether they will live or die after entering the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm.

After all, they were unable to contact the outside world, and no one would know they were dead inside.

This kind of secret realm would be an absolute forbidden zone during major competitions.

But this isn't a competition, it's real combat.

Mingyi didn't understand. She hadn't ventured into many high-level dungeons, nor was she like these direct disciples who were adept at handling various trials. She asked blankly, "Why?"

"You're all planning to go to the Cloud Mist Secret Realm because it's so dangerous, just because it was Ye Qiao's idea?" She was young and spoke bluntly: "You all like her?"

The others were startled, almost scared to death by her.

"What kind of ghost story are you telling?" Su Zhuo asked in horror.

No, putting everything else aside, Ye Qiao was his junior sister before, this is a fucking ethical issue!!

"It has nothing to do with romance." Mingxuan was a little exasperated. He patted his cousin's head and, adopting the tone of an older brother, said earnestly, "Read less romance novels."

Song Hansheng trusted Ye Qiao quite a bit, and so did everyone else in the Yueqing Sect.

After three years of entanglement, they were able to trust each other and develop a relationship free from any complicated emotions.

He had always felt that...

A passionate friendship is no less intense than romantic love.

"When we enter the Cloud and Mist Secret Realm, we can just be careful, right? I can play it safe then." Mingxuan remembered that Ye Qiao had said something that meant to play it safe.

Su Zhuo, always adept at changing his tune, quickly chimed in, "I can be sleazy too."

"Then?" Zhai Chen and Ming Yi paused for a moment, then chimed in, "We're going to be sleazy too...?"

Song Hansheng stared at them for a few seconds, finding their words inexplicable. Why did they all have to transform into perverted men?

There was only one person left who hadn't spoken.

Seeing that all four of them were looking at him, Song Hansheng was completely baffled.

"What are you looking at me for?" He was the clean and upright heir of the Song family, and the young man calmly stated, "I'm not lewd."

The others: "..."

*

The sword cultivators, like a group of primary school students, followed their seniors nervously into the Demon Realm. Judging from their expressions, they were all extremely nervous.

After Ye Qiao rescued the young prince, the dragons also appeared one after another, including many powerful figures whose names they had only heard of. Ye Qinghan felt a little uncomfortable and secretly looked at those seniors, extremely nervous.

Actually, Xie Chuxue brought them here to broaden their horizons, to appreciate the battles between powerful beings, and it would be best if they could gain enlightenment from it.

Fighting alone is useless; battles at a level far beyond theirs can also be used to gain insights.

Xie Chuxue distributed top-grade talismans to them, all of them defensive talismans. "I'll help you withstand the pressure, don't be afraid, relax~~"

He smiled and said, "Anyway, we're old acquaintances with the Demon Lord."

"When acquaintances meet, they greet each other to show friendliness."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

Are you even more scared now?

Who would dare to be acquainted with the Demon Lord? Anyone who is acquainted with him is probably already buried with grass three meters high. Only Ye Qiao is still alive and kicking as if nothing happened.

They don't have Ye Qiao's tenacious vitality.

Seeing Xie Chuxue's nonchalant attitude, the sword cultivators could only follow behind the group of big shots, ready to go in and broaden their horizons.

*

As night fell, the demonic beasts followed the main force, setting off in dense numbers. This massive demonic beast tide caused countless cultivators to keep their doors tightly shut, fearing that the demonic beasts might suddenly start a massacre.

In the past, with disciples from both the inner and outer sects patrolling the vicinity of the city, no demonic beasts dared to appear. However, now that the sect is struggling to protect itself, there is simply no manpower available to manage the situation in those cities.

As Ye Qiao passed through a city, looking at the dense swarms of demonic beasts behind her, she suggested, "Would you mind if I went to Changming Sect first?"

She felt the scene was too conspicuous, so she decided to shake off the group of monsters and return to her sect to check the situation first.

Logically, it's normal for the city to be quiet, but what's unusual is that she didn't see a single demonic cultivator along the way. With the Demon Abyss opening up and demons running rampant, it's strange that there are no demonic cultivators. The only possibility is that all the demonic cultivators are waiting near the sect for an opportunity to strike.

"Do you mind if I go to Changming Sect first?" Ye Qiao repeated.

The demon king and the demon king exchanged a glance, and the demon king reluctantly replied, "We don't mind."

Would they dare to object?

With her martial arts skills, she could easily defeat two opponents at once, so other demon kings, unless they were at the Void Refinement stage or higher, wouldn't dare to object.

Having obtained the demon kings' consent, Ye Qiao immediately found an extremely fast demon beast and had it carry her towards the Changming Sect.

After thinking it over, in order to avoid being short-handed if the sect were to suffer, Ye Qiao called out Xiao Qi and Han Shuangjian and asked them to help out.

Xiaoqi yawned after being called out. The boy's voice was soft and gentle, "What's wrong?"

Ye Qiao: "It's nothing."

It's just a matter of being prepared for a rainy day.

Xiaoxi's time field is very useful. When the Frost Sword freezes everyone, opening the field in coordination can turn the tide at a crucial moment.

The demonic beast arrived at Changming Sect at top speed, and as expected, other sects or seniors had already arrived at the foot of the mountain to check the situation.

Ye Qiaoxin's heart sank as she watched a group of seniors being blocked outside the sect's protective formation.

She could hear the undisguised discussions below.

"What's going on?"

"Demonic cultivators have infiltrated the Changming Sect?"

"How did you get in? The formation is still there, isn't it?"

The sect's protective formation is so formidable that even those undergoing tribulation would have to carefully consider whether they could break it. How could a group of demonic cultivators have managed to sneak in?

"Since even breaking through the tribulation is difficult, it couldn't have been broken from the outside."

Then it can only be an internal problem.

The sect's protective formation could withstand wave after wave of attacks; it was a formation for those who had passed the Tribulation stage. No matter how much the demonic cultivators smashed against it, there was no sign of it breaking.

There are quite a few disciples in the sect, but they are all of average strength and skill level. At times like these, only the elders and peak masters are truly useful.

However, if the elders and peak masters encounter some formidable demonic cultivators, they may not be able to spare the time to deal with them.

Upon hearing the news, a group of powerful figures rushed over to help, frantically asking, "Who among you can send a message to those elders via jade slip? Tell them to temporarily close the formation so we can go in and help?" The elders from other sects also understood the principle of shared prosperity and shared ruin. If Changming Sect were to suffer, they might be next. Therefore, many of the elders sent were from other sects whom Ye Qiao had met during the competition.

"We can't shut down the formation. If we do, how many lurking demonic cultivators do you think are watching from the shadows?"

"Go and take care of them now."

"If this number could be easily resolved, we wouldn't have had to send all our personal protégés away."

With a trusted advisor present, at least the situation could be kept stable. But now, a group of people are frantically trying to figure things out, completely at a loss.

When Ye Qiao arrived, she witnessed this scene. She landed quickly with two children in one hand, and suddenly someone fell from mid-air. Several seniors looked on with suspicion. After discovering that her aura carried a hint of demonic energy, their swords were already poised to strike.

Ye Qiao quickly raised her hand: "I'm a good person."

"Who are you?" A sword was suddenly pointed at you. "What is your purpose in coming to Changming Sect at this time?"

Ye Qiao couldn't help but give a deadpan look: "This is my home."

"Are you from the Changming Sect?"

Someone noticed her religious attire.

The red color and the gold thread outlining the pattern undoubtedly indicate that it is a traditional robe passed down through generations of the Changming clan.

No. You're from the Changming Sect, what are you doing here at this time with four kids all by yourself?

Little Prince, KFC, Xiaoxi, plus a loli Frost Sword.

The little prince was pulled down, and he looked at this and that, cheering excitedly, "Oh! He's out!"

He hated the aura of the demon race, and he also hated the thick, disgusting demonic energy of the demonic cultivators. He preferred the aura of the cultivators, which was full of spiritual energy.

Two little girls, plus two boys who are not very old.

They all stared intently at the female cultivator who had suddenly appeared, wielding a sword.

The Changming Sect is also involved in child trafficking?

And what's the point of throwing four children over at this time?

Ye Qiao scratched his head, noticing their strange looks, and quickly found a familiar elder in the crowd. "Elder, where are our elders?"

"Inside the Changming Sect."

"We can't go in for the time being." The elder of the Sword Inquiry Sect recognized her, and his brows relaxed when he saw Ye Qiao.

Xie Chuxue is the only high-level talisman cultivator in the Changming Sect, but even Xie Chuxue may not be able to break this formation.

Advanced talisman cultivators, those capable of drawing Heavenly Grade talismans, can only be above the Nascent Soul stage. Even Heavenly Grade talismans are divided into different levels.

In terms of talisman mastery, apart from Yunhen who specializes in this, Xie Chuxue, who is at the Integration stage, is unmatched.

"We were stopped by the sect's protective formation. The formation needs spirit stones to maintain its operation. Each time, we send talisman cultivators to guard the formation to ensure that nothing goes wrong. Perhaps there is some internal problem in your sect, which led to a large number of demonic cultivators being let in. Just when we wanted to help, the sect's protective formation was activated again."

This is what created the world-famous painting of the group being kept outside.

Ye Qiao understood. "I understand, Elder."

She raised her hand, and the Moon Arrow materialized at her fingertips. She drew her bow and struck the protective formation. The bright arrow caused the cultivators present to subconsciously squint. When they opened their eyes again, countless powerful spiritual energies rushed towards them.

The formation shattered into dust, and many people were knocked back the instant the formation broke.

Those with weak cultivation were immediately overturned.

What a powerful formation.

The instant the formation was broken, countless hidden demonic cultivators emerged, and upon seeing this, numerous seniors drew their swords to guard the entrance to the Changming Sect.

Ye Qiao's lips tightened slightly. "You all go in. I'll stay here and hold off these demonic cultivators."

"You're alone?" The Sword Inquiry Sect elder turned his head hesitantly. "Are you sure, Ye Qiao?"

Ye Qiao stopped, reached out and beckoned with a sword; the Flying Immortal Sword landed in her hand.

"Yes."

Demonic beasts from the demon race will arrive soon, so staying is the best option for her. Ye Qiao initially summoned the demonic beasts to wake Mingyu by making noise as they entered. As for whether the demonic beasts will enter the sect and slaughter everyone, she only needs to inform the elders in advance to have the disciples hide.

But now she can't contact the other party at all, and Ye Qiao has been suspecting that there is a problem within the sect.

That's perfect, since the monster army is coming soon anyway.

When the three parties meet, the scene will surely be very lively.

"Ye Qiao???"

"Can you stop them?"

They knew Ye Qiao was a genuine talisman cultivator, but don't forget that even Xie Chuxue's formation couldn't stop her, so what could she possibly use to stop her?

"I can stop them, just give me a little time."

Ye Qiao took over the Flying Immortal Sword and nimbly slashed it down from top to bottom. The bright sword light cleaved through the air, and the sword cultivator standing behind him was almost scared into making a meme by the impact of the sword energy.

They dared not delay and quickly ran into the Changming Sect. Since this relative had stopped them, they would leave it to her. No one wanted to confront these unreasonable madmen, the demonic cultivators.

Sword energy at the Nascent Soul stage.

Next, the sword move was the fifth one, "Gentle Breeze... Technique?"

"...Ye Qiao? You're going to use the Clear Wind Technique?"

Oh. But that's not the point. The point is her level of understanding.

When Ye Qiao tested him with his sword, his cultivation level was revealed: mid-stage Nascent Soul.

What was she doing? How did she break through to the next realm so quickly?

"Yes," Ye Qiao replied. These past few days, every time she closed her eyes, she saw the image of her ancestor slicing open with a sword.

That sword energy pierced through the entire demon race and cultivators, forming an absolute barrier that prevented demon cultivators from escaping for a hundred years. Intercepting hundreds of thousands of demon cultivators with a single sword strike was undoubtedly something to aspire to.

"Ye Qiao, are you trying to replicate your master's sword techniques?"

"impossible."

Every swordsman is unique. There is no such thing as anyone being able to completely replicate a sword technique.

The elders who knew her well remembered that this direct disciple had used all the sect sword techniques, and she had used the Qingfeng Technique quite a few times, but they had never seen her use it particularly well.

This sword technique can be said to have always been viewed with skepticism.

Ever since the founder of the Changming Sect unleashed this sword technique, it has become a lost art. No swordsman has been able to unleash such power since.

"The fifth move of the Clear Breeze Technique can indeed form a chasm that can block the way," an elder said, gesturing with his chin. "And that kid Zhou Xingyun has used it before."

"When he was sixteen."

Sixteen years old?

Ye Qiao knew that her senior brother was the kind of person who became famous at a young age, but sixteen years old? Is he that young?

"Why are you so surprised? Among you five disciples, only Zhou Xingyun has attained the Dao of the Changming Sect's founder." Isn't it only natural that Zhou Xingyun is the best?

Ye Qiao lowered her eyes, but didn't forget to switch her sword to Shadow Strike. She could clearly feel the other party's excitement.

As her movements changed, the elders who stayed behind, worried, discovered that her starting stance was the fifth move, the Gentle Breeze Technique.

"Old Xu, what do you think?"

"I look at her horizontally, vertically, lying down—how else can I look at her?" The elder, whose temper was rather volatile, said, "If I told you that I actually see a bit of the swordsmanship founder of the Changming Sect in her, would you believe me?"

"Are you doing this on purpose, or are you joking?"

"I'm not kidding." He paused for a moment, then smiled wryly. "If it weren't for Zhou Xingyun, I would have almost forgotten this sword technique."

If even the Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin technique can be used, then why would someone think that Ye Qiao, as the direct disciple of the Changming Sect, couldn't replicate the sword technique that he was most familiar with? Because the final sword of the Qingfeng Technique is far more difficult than the Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin technique.

The well-known Ten Thousand Swords Return to One and the almost forgotten Gentle Breeze Technique are not at the same level of difficulty from beginning to end.

Whenever Ye Qiao closes her eyes, she sees the moment her ancestor wields his sword. It's no exaggeration to say that her dreams are filled with her ancestor's face.

The speed of the Shadow Sword was unmatched; others didn't even see how she swung it.

For a moment, I felt as if I were overlapping with the figure of that young man who had ushered in a golden age of peace and prosperity.

The same red clan robes as the founding master.

Ye Qiao gripped the sword with both hands, leaned back, and a pale green sword shadow hung in the air, slicing through the eternal night, as if time had frozen in the daytime.

"Zheng—"