Chapter 187
To be honest, he felt nothing—an insult was just an insult.
Had hiding in the secret realm for so many years really earned him a good reputation?
The commotion today was certainly due to Zhang Wuyi—
Zhang Wuyi was about to give birth to a child, which triggered painful memories among the higher-ups of the Holy Sect, even igniting a determination to kill her at all costs.
On the other hand, there was the bounty from the Jiushan Sect in Leichi Fangshi.
Because of that bounty, many disciples of the Great Freedom Demon Sect had been too afraid to even step outside for a while.
It was quite frustrating.
Lin Yangtian furrowed his brow; he always felt something was off about the Jiushan Sect—last time, his subordinates Lin Bufan and his nephew had been exposed under unclear circumstances, leaving him puzzled.
“What are you thinking about? The Jiushan Sect's strength is worlds apart from our Holy Sect. They only have one Yuanying out there; this battle is a sure win,” a fellow disciple chuckled. “If it weren’t for your previous visit to the Jiushan Sect, you wouldn’t even be part of this formation. I heard Leichi Fangshi, though newly established, is quite wealthy. If we can break through, we might strike it rich.”
A smile crept onto Lin Yangtian's face.
Right, he had no interest in fighting for the honor of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.
But for the wealth of Leichi Fangshi—
He was more than willing to take the lead.
He directed his team of Foundation Establishment cultivators to step through the secret realm gate.
In the next moment, he noticed some commotion in the front lines.
People were rapidly retreating.
“What’s going on?”
He frowned, his tone sharp. “Enemies are attacking!” shouted a Foundation Establishment cultivator ahead. “They’ve blocked the secret realm gate, and the three senior brothers in front are dead!”
Lin Yangtian exchanged glances with the nearby Jindan cultivator—
Wait, weren’t we supposed to be the ones attacking?
How did we end up being attacked?
“Who is it?”
“Looks like it’s the Jiushan Sect!”
“…”
How could the outside sect be fiercer than us?
…
Zheng Fa, leading several disciples of the Jiushan Sect, looked at the seemingly black stone archway with a wary expression.
The archway wasn’t large; it seemed to accommodate only two or three people at a time.
Blocking the door seemed dangerous, but it was actually much safer than being in the Wulong Heavenly Palace.
In the Leichi, anyone above Foundation Establishment had to be cautious!
Sun Daoyu, standing nearby, looked a bit anxious.
“Junior Brother, should we wait a bit longer before we strike?”
“Senior Brother, do we have enough people?”
Zheng Fa felt a bit speechless.
Sun Daoyu glanced around and was equally dumbfounded.
There weren’t many Jiushan Sect disciples; the Foundation Establishment cultivators barely numbered fifty.
Now he understood Zheng Fa’s intention.
“They’re coming out one by one; we’ll strike together!” Zheng Fa declared. “Don’t worry about the spirit talismans! We have plenty today!”
Behind him, Li Nuo was leading a group of Jiushan Sect disciples, quickly crafting spirit talismans.
“Oh, by the way, what about the bodies of those demon sect disciples? Drag them over; don’t let them go to waste.”
Sun Daoyu twitched his mouth.
What’s this about using the enemy’s resources?
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Jiushan Sect’s style was a bit off.
But…
He turned back to look at the seemingly endless stream of spirit talismans behind him and couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of reassurance.
…
Soon, the people inside seemed to realize that Zheng Fa and the others had blocked their secret realm gate.
At first, a few Foundation Establishment cultivators tried to rush out, only to be taken down by Zheng Fa and his group.
Then, they probably figured that Foundation Establishment cultivators were too fragile, and two Jindan cultivators charged out from the archway.
The Jindan cultivators were much stronger than the Foundation Establishment ones.
Surrounded by black mist, they charged at Zheng Fa and his group, wielding a torrent of high-grade talismans.
“Junior Brother!”
Seeing their fierce demeanor, the Jiushan Sect disciples were filled with fear.
Zheng Fa could see clearly that these two weren’t completely unaffected by the spirit talismans; they were just relying on their physical cultivation to withstand the effects.
Behind them, many disciples of the demon sect followed, using the two Jindan cultivators as a path to finally break into the Leichi.
These people had just been cornered by Zheng Fa and the others in the secret realm, too scared to show their faces, but now they were all excited, rushing towards Zheng Fa and his group.
He glanced at the Jiushan Sect disciples beside him and whispered, “Fall back.”
Upon hearing this, the Jiushan Sect disciples, though confused, retreated due to Zheng Fa’s authority.
Only the two Jindan cultivators from the Great Freedom Demon Sect, along with many Foundation Establishment disciples, charged towards them.
As Zheng Fa watched them draw closer, he suddenly raised his hand and removed his Daoist robe, carefully placing it into his storage bag.
The two leading Jindan cultivators from the demon sect halted, as if recalling something simultaneously.
Zheng Fa smiled lightly, sending a spirit talisman soaring into the stormy thunderclouds above.
This was the Thunderfire Talisman he borrowed from Uncle Pang—a low-grade talisman infused with the consciousness and power of a Jindan cultivator.
In an instant, the thunderclouds in the sky roared like surging waves.
They were enraged by the Jindan consciousness within the Thunderfire Talisman.
Heavenly thunder fell like rain, transforming the area within a hundred feet of Zheng Fa into a paradise of dancing lightning.
The fierce expressions on the faces of the two Jindan cultivators before Zheng Fa gradually turned into blank stares.
Then, slowly morphed into fear.
Finally, they turned and fled.
But in this Leichi, they dared not use their treasures or techniques.
Before long, they were caught up to by Zheng Fa, who was rampaging through the storm.
Under the two bolts of heavenly thunder, both Jindan cultivators were severely injured.
The other demon sect disciples, seeing Zheng Fa charging towards them amidst the torrential thunder, turned pale and scrambled back into the secret realm.
The problem was…
When they rushed out, they found the secret realm gate crowded.
When they tried to run in, it was even more congested…
…
In the distance, Yan Wushuang was watching the scene unfold with two true disciples from Haori Mountain and Taishang Dao.
Seeing Zheng Fa like this, the three were momentarily stunned.
The disciple from Haori Mountain, Chu Tianque, wore a complex expression as he glanced at Zheng Fa, then at Yan Wushuang.
After a long pause, he finally spoke:
“Brother Zheng, do you have some connection with him?”
Yan Wushuang was equally taken aback; wasn’t this battle tactic just a replica of his own?
After pondering for a long time, Yan Wushuang suddenly burst into laughter:
“Brother Zheng! He truly shares my peculiar tastes!”
“...Peculiar tastes?”
The other two exchanged glances, as if they understood what this peculiar taste was.
They couldn’t help but look at Zheng Fa with a mix of respect and wariness.
(End of Chapter)
**Chapter 183: Cooperation**
Inside the secret realm of the Great Freedom Demon Sect.
Lin Yangtian returned with the remnants, fleeing in disarray. His clothes were torn to shreds by heavenly thunder, revealing patches of black and white skin.
Looking back at the others, he felt even more frustrated.
About forty disciples had set out together, but fewer than ten returned to the secret realm, and all were injured.
Most of the dead were from his own ranks.
Though the lives of Holy Sect disciples weren’t worth much, these were his own students, trained over many years—regardless of their strength, they at least aligned with his ideals.
Now, losing so many subordinates in such a short time left him with a pang of heartache.
Beside him, the previously confident Jindan fellow disciple didn’t look much better; blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth—not his own, but from a Foundation Establishment disciple of the Holy Sect who had dared to block his escape, and he had cut him in half.
Even Lin Yangtian had to admit that it was this senior brother’s decisive action that allowed them to escape the onslaught of thunder.
“What do we do now?”
The two exchanged glances, both looking troubled.
The audacity of the Jiushan Sect to block their exit had caught them off guard.
More importantly, they truly couldn’t get out!
“These Jiushan Sect people… are too cunning!” the fellow disciple gritted his teeth.
If it were just in the Leichi, their strength would be suppressed, but the Holy Sect had the numbers and wouldn’t fear those Jiushan Sect disciples.
Yet, the secret realm gate had restrictions on entry and exit to prevent outside enemies.
This gave the fewer Jiushan Sect disciples an advantage in numbers.
Without the Leichi, a single secret realm gate wouldn’t be able to stop them.
They wouldn’t even need the Yuanying from the sect; the two Jindan cultivators could easily wipe out those mostly Foundation Establishment enemies…
But with both factors combined, they felt utterly helpless.
The two looked at each other, unsure of what to do next.
“What’s going on?”
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