Chapter 205
The elders of the Sword Pavilion gazed eagerly at Su Qinian.
“What are you staring at? What if it’s dangerous?” Su Qinian squinted, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, and said in a solemn voice, “Why not let these cultivators check it out first? If there’s something good…”
He pulled out a black hood from his storage bag and exchanged knowing glances with the elders.
“Now I see, truly worthy of being the Pavilion Master!”
“The Pavilion Master has great foresight!”
Several elders quickly took out their hoods, their lips curling into warm, kind smiles.
The black hoods now were different from before. Back when the Sword Pavilion was relatively poor and lacked resources, Su Qinian and the elders couldn’t enhance the hoods with any formations.
But ever since the ancestor distributed a wave of resources to the disciples…
They had all infused the hoods with a plethora of formations—mainly to conceal their auras, shield against spiritual perception, and alter their appearances. Now, wearing the black hood, unless someone was vastly stronger than them, it would be nearly impossible to recognize their identities.
In the world of martial arts, such hoods could be optional.
But they were indispensable!
…
A group of cultivators flew swiftly toward the source of the battle’s aftermath.
The closer they got to the core area, the more their hearts raced. The entire battlefield was shrouded in a chilling sword intent.
The mountains, sliced by sword energy, were as smooth as mirrors, their edges glimmering like glass.
The sky was divided into two colors, yin and yang, with clouds swirling ominously.
Under this eerie sky, flowers, grass, trees, and all creatures were caught in a strange state of suspension.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that both living and dead things were pierced by the sword intent.
A mere touch would turn them to ash, scattering across the ground.
“What… what happened here? Why is there such terrifying sword intent?!”
“I can sense the cycle of reincarnation within this sword intent… Who could have comprehended such astonishing principles?”
“Look! It’s Master Fen Ye and Real Person Yu Yao!”
As the crowd reached the epicenter, a cultivator pointed at a bottomless chasm a thousand feet wide.
Real Person Yu Yao and Master Fen Ye were seated cross-legged at the edge of the abyss, meditating.
In the depths of the chasm, the Bone Saint lay on the brink of death, the azure demonic flames flickering in its eye sockets, yet it still exuded an overwhelming aura of malice.
Two broken swords were embedded in its body, and some cultivators recognized them as the legendary Yin-Yang Chongxu Twin Swords belonging to Zhang Yibai, the master of the True Martial Sacred Land.
However, at this moment, this renowned weapon had lost its luster.
It seemed the sword spirit had vanished?
“No wonder there was such a commotion!” An elder stared at the Bone Saint in the chasm, dumbfounded, and exclaimed, “So it was the three Real Persons who suppressed a Demonic Saint!”
What does it mean to suppress a Demonic Saint?
In the demon race, that signifies a super demon at the pinnacle, just a step away from becoming a Demon Immortal.
Moreover, cultivating as a demon is far more challenging than for humans, so their combat power at the same level is significantly stronger.
Just as this Bone Saint required the combined efforts of three Real Persons to be subdued, its strength was evident.
“Truly impressive, but Master Fen Ye and Real Person Yu Yao both seem injured… By the way, where’s Real Person Zhang?”
Among the crowd were two elders from the True Martial Sacred Land.
Watching the ravaged battlefield, they noticed the absence of Zhang Yibai and immediately panicked, anxiously searching near the abyss, calling out names and probing with their spiritual senses. They wanted to ask Fen Ye and Yu Yao but hesitated to disturb the two Real Persons as they healed.
After a while, Master Fen Ye opened his eyes first, glanced at the two elders from the True Martial Sacred Land, and sighed deeply.
“Amitabha…”
His blood-stained monk robe fluttered in the wind as he gazed at the swirling demonic energy in the chasm, his voice suddenly choked, “Real Person Zhang forcibly comprehended the principles of reincarnation with three thousand years of cultivation to suppress the rampaging Bone Saint, all to protect the countless lives of the Cangyun Realm. Even as his robe was torn to shreds, he still clutched the broken Yin-Yang Chongxu Twin Swords. We searched the secret realm, yet we couldn’t even find a blood-stained corner of his robe…”
His withered fingers sank deep into the scorched earth, and the mountain wind stirred up scattered talismans.
Master Fen Ye suddenly trembled violently, murky tears splattering onto the corroded tin staff at his feet.
“We can’t find him… Even if we tread through eighteen layers of the Yellow Springs, we still can’t find him…”
The faces of the two elders from the True Martial Sacred Land gradually turned pale as they stared blankly at Master Fen Ye.
A sob echoed nearby, and turning their heads, they saw Real Person Yu Yao with her head bowed, her shoulders trembling slightly.
“No, it can’t be! The Holy Master is the strongest sword cultivator in the Cangyun Realm; countless great demons have perished at his hands. How could he be killed by a Demonic Saint?”
“Did you… did you do something? Did you let the Holy Master face the Demonic Saint alone?”
Faced with the accusations from the two elders of the True Martial Sacred Land, Master Fen Ye and Real Person Yu Yao remained silent, merely revealing their severe injuries.
Real Person Yu Yao’s once-lustrous hair was now as pale as frost, while Master Fen Ye’s body was nearly completely decayed.
Seeing the heavy injuries on the two Real Persons, even the elders, despite their grievances, fell silent.
“Elders, please don’t say anything that will only bring more sorrow.”
“Indeed, the disappearance of Real Person Zhang is truly lamentable, but didn’t Real Person Yu Yao and Master Fen Ye also sacrifice so much in this battle?”
Whispers of discussion arose among the surrounding cultivators.
“This is the first time I’ve seen Real Person Yu Yao shed tears for another cultivator; she must be genuinely heartbroken…”
“Who can blame her? I’ve heard that Real Person Zhang and Real Person Yu Yao shared a deep bond. If it weren’t for their pursuit of the Dao, they might have already become partners!”
“The demon race! Those damned demons have actually left two of our Sacred Land’s Real Persons severely injured, and one is missing… Everyone, we must stand against the demon race!”
Real Person Yu Yao and Master Fen Ye remained silent, listening to the discussions around them.
In truth, they had many heavenly materials and earthly treasures to aid in their recovery, and even with their foundations damaged, they could quickly return to a state that appeared unscathed.
Yet, they chose not to do so, nor did they leave the battlefield’s center.
Instead, they deliberately waited here for the cultivators to gather and naturally attribute Zhang Yibai’s death to the Bone Saint.
What could the elders of the True Martial Sacred Land do, even if they were suspicious? They could only accept this reality.
Zhang Yibai was dead, and with the True Martial Sacred Land leaderless, they were naturally not to be feared.
What they truly feared was the Guixu.
In the Guixu, there were nine supreme beings, all in seclusion, striving to break through to the Immortal Gate.
Some were stalling their tribulations, some had already been struck down to scattered immortals, and others were actively preparing for the impending tribulations.
Among these nine supreme beings was one who shared a close bond with Zhang Yibai.
Although the supreme beings rarely emerged, it was better to be safe than sorry.
At least until they too entered the Guixu.
Zhang Yibai’s demise must never be revealed!
…
…
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Chapter 220: Breaking the Formation!
Just as the news of Zhang Yibai’s disappearance spread throughout the vast secret realm.
In the small secret realm, the battle at the site of the major sect’s ruins had reached a fever pitch.
Thanks to the efforts of numerous cultivators, even while enduring the weakening of the formation, they had pushed the front line to the bronze door.
At this moment, there were hardly any remnants of the demonic cultivators left standing before the bronze door.
This was largely due to Song Chiyue leading the charge, and later, Qin Luofeng re-entering from outside the formation, using his terrifying Chongxu sword intent to alleviate the pressure on the sect disciples.
“Ha! These mere remnants of demonic cultivators are nothing to worry about…” The sect disciples stood before the bronze door, looking at the five demonic shadows inside and couldn’t help but scoff, “There are just these few left; with so many of us, we could easily overwhelm them!”
“Daoist Li is absolutely right. These slightly stronger remnants of demonic cultivators are merely at the peak of the Golden Core stage. With us, along with Fairy Song and Daoist Qin, taking them down is hardly a challenge!”
As the crowd boasted, Song Chiyue and Qin Luofeng wore grim expressions.
Qin Luofeng looked up at the swirling blood clouds above, his knuckles cracking against the sword sheath.
The mountain of demonic cultivator remnants within the sealing formation was cracking inch by inch, and demonic flames surged between the bones, turning to ash before they could even touch the ground.
The pure demonic energy was rushing toward the bronze door, where the six demonic shadows were gathering—taking shape at a visible speed, their crimson demonic patterns flickering in the void, as if an ancient beast was about to break free from its cage.
“Song Chiyue, how long until Huikong’s injuries can heal?” He gripped the trembling sword sheath tightly, worry etched across his brow.
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