The entire sect is obsessed with love, but I'm the only one who's truly insane.

Winters in the Supreme Sect are exceptionally long. Although formations can be used to isolate the harsh winter and fix the seasonal changes like a forbidden area, the Supreme Sect adheres to the principle of following the natural way. Therefore, apart from the medicinal fields, the rest of the place is covered in swirling snow, so much so that it seems as if the north wind has shattered the world.

The Cold Moon Spirit was by the glass lamp, not wanting to get any closer. Outside the window, the cold wind howled, and inside, Lin Du was also covered in cold air.

The snow was falling so heavily that it broke tree branches and blocked out the moonlight. It could only curl up and watch Lin Du calculate formations to pass the time.

Lin Du's calligraphy is very elegant, but when she gets busy, it's a completely different story. It's like she has a split personality. Her draft paper is full of messy circles and abbreviations, but even the lines on her serious books are pleasing to the eye. Although Han Yueling can't understand it, she still loves to watch her draw.

One-fifth of that thick stack of books on formations had been cleared away in just a few months.

Lin Du was so engrossed in his calculations that he didn't even notice the inkstone was empty.

Although Chu Guanmeng has no hands or feet, she can still grind ink.

Chu Guanmeng didn't stop until the bell rang.

Lin Du stopped, "Let's go."

Chu Guanmeng, a white dumpling holding a black ink stick, exclaimed, "Huh?"

"The sect's decree is obeyed by all." Lin Du said, lightly taking a letter from under a stack of straw paper. "Burn this for me."

Chu Guanmeng gulped it down in one go, "That's enough."

Lin Du: ?

She silently looked at the perfectly normal-looking dumpling. "Come on up."

"Where can I go? I have no hands or feet, I can't go up there." Chu Guanmeng said, feeling wronged.

"If you used even a little bit of moonlight, your hands and feet could grow back, but you still refuse." Lin Du reached out and placed his hand on it.

The white dumpling obediently jumped up, coiled itself into a circle, and became indistinguishable from the red rope.

Lin Du didn't mind the furry thing rubbing against his wrist. He pulled up his sleeve, packed his things, and left.

When she arrived, Feng Chao was speaking.

"This time the demons are more powerful, and ordinary cultivators may not be able to handle them. Therefore, Ju Yuan and Hou Cang, you two will take the disciples with you."

Lin Du frowned slightly. "What kind of evil spirit is so powerful?"

"A report has arrived; a small-scale demonic tide has emerged in the northwest border region." Feng Chao said, glancing at Lin Du. "Haven't you been engrossed in array formations these days? I wasn't planning on inviting you, but are you going too?"

Lin Du glanced at the room full of people, a strange feeling creeping over him. "Has the demonic tide already begun?"

If something unusual happens in the Demon Realm, Fox Wanderer couldn't possibly not tell her.

Lin Du showed no outward expression, but his mind had already dissected the information about the Demon Realm.

Fox You recently sent a message saying that the Demon Lord of the Demon Realm killed a scapegoat and an elder, supposedly because he believed that the elder was the culprit who led people into the source of demonic energy.

Although it is unknown why the Demon Lord killed the culprit, the fact is that he killed the wrong person. The elder died, but more and more rational demons continued to appear.

Lin Du remained calm. It wouldn't be surprising if it were Wen Fu. If one puppet clone was killed, there would be countless more, or he could simply be framed.

Both the righteous and the evil paths exist, and one offends both; it's terrifying.

What surprised her was that Qianyu, the Demon Lord, was actually manipulated by Wenfu. First, he became the Eighth Elder by Wenfu's side, and it was only because of the Central Plains Grand Competition that his identity was exposed. After that, he changed his identity and continued to hide in the Demon Realm and even by the Demon Lord's side.

Even Lin Du himself felt inferior to such skill.

However, Lin Du still has two things he doesn't understand: first, why would Qi Zhen, who has always stayed within the sect, appear in the Demon Realm; and second, what is Wen Fu's true purpose and whereabouts.

The former is easy enough; it's just a matter of using a substitute or a cultivation technique. Lin Du has no way to deal with the latter, but every moment he wants to dig three feet into the ground and chop him up in front of the ancestral hall of the Supreme Sect.

It was an accident and a misfortune for Wenfu to fall into the world of Lanju and become like that, but everything he did afterward was truly evil.

Now that the demonic tide has come so suddenly, is it the Demon Lord or Wen Fu who is pulling the strings behind the scenes?

"Junior Uncle?"

Lin Du snapped out of her daze, looked at Ni Jinxuan who had called her, and replied, "What's wrong?"

Ni Jinxuan shook her head. "It's alright. Senior Uncle Master said you can handle the rest. Is Qi Zhen going too?"

Lin Du's gaze lightly fell on Qi Zhen, then he suddenly smiled, "Junior nephew's cultivation is still shallow..."

"Uncle-Master! I can do it! My life's mission is to slay demons and protect ordinary people. If I don't go this time, I won't be able to cultivate in peace within the sect and will make no progress."

Qi Zhen's words were earnest, which deeply moved Lin Du, confirming that he was the mastermind behind this demonic tide.

It's highly likely that this is the person in question.

"Okay, let's go together." Lin Du agreed very readily.

She first took a stack of spirit talismans from Feng Chao and distributed them to her junior disciples. Then she turned around and told everyone to prepare what they needed. She then went to the inner treasury to retrieve the items that had been reported before setting off.

The group hadn't gotten together in a long time, and at first, gossip flew all over the boat, chattering endlessly. Even Hou Cang's long face, colder than Lin Du's spiritual energy, couldn't freeze everyone's enthusiasm.

But once they reached the border, the group fell silent without Hou Cang and Ju Yuan needing to speak.

This was the first time most of them had ever witnessed a demonic tide in their lifetime.

The valley in the distance was teeming with countless demonic beasts. Looking down from above, they resembled swarms of black, venomous insects, churning and surging with a sticky, viscous aura. No matter how far away they were, the northwest wind had already blown that demonic aura close to them.

"Put on a mask," Xia Tian instructed without speaking.

The group put on masks in unison, and even Qi Zhen was given an old-fashioned mask that had been retired many years ago by Yuan Ye, except for Hou Cang and Ju Yuan.

High-level cultivators are not afraid of this amount of demonic energy consumption, but the hundredth generation disciple of the Supreme Sect, under Lin Du's influence, will always be well protected no matter what.

The demon's true form is much larger than a human. Lin Du squinted. "We're not far from the Central Plains. Are there any array masters to reinforce the city gates?"

"Other sects must have received the information as well, they probably have too." Ju Yuan said, looking at his junior sister. "But with so few people in our Supreme Sect, these demons won't be able to get to the city gate."

Ju Yuan was heartless and genuinely believed that.

Hou Cang spoke up, "Not necessarily. The demonic tide is endless. What you see is only what's in front of you. There might be more behind. Although our cultivation is sufficient to handle it, it's hard to say what kind of behemoths will appear later."

"Moreover, ancient records state that the demons in the demonic tide are driven by something and have no reason. They will trample everything in their path, whether it is towns or cultivators, just like locusts passing through, eating humans and flattening cities."

Lin Du had some doubts; perhaps that "certainty" was driven by the rules.

Ju Yuan, after being told off by his junior brothers and sisters, silently put on the mask he hadn't planned to wear. "Then let's go down and kill the demons!"

I listened, but not completely.

Lin Du sighed, stood up, and said, "Let's first go to the nearby cities to check on the defensive formations. We should also contact the other sects that have come to protect Zhongzhou and help each other out. It would be best if we could take turns going out of the city to slay the demons."

"No one is allowed to act without authorization this time. If all nine of you are to leave the city, it is best to maintain your formation, ensure both offense and defense, minimize casualties, and retreat in time."

No wonder Feng Chao let her, the youngest member of the team, lead the team.

This family will fall apart without her, she really means it.

Lin Du looked at Qi Zhen as he spoke, "You also plan to come with us out of the city to slay those demons, right?"

Qi Zhen nodded, unsure of Lin Du's purpose in staring at him and asking, "Yes! I have made up my mind to slay the demons and avenge my mother and the people of the village."

Lin Du chuckled and reached out to pat his shoulder. Qi Zhen quickly stepped aside, but unexpectedly, Lin Du's hand reached past him and put his arm around Ni Jinxuan, who was standing next to him. "Let's go, into the city."

The spirit boat slowly descended. Before Qi Zhen could react, Lin Du patted him on the shoulder, "Get off the spirit boat."

The spirit boat rocked slightly, and Qi Zhen's mind was in turmoil even more than the boat itself.