Chapter 288 - 170: Demon Ridge Disturbance, Peak Clash

Chapter 288: Chapter 170: Demon Ridge Disturbance, Peak Clash

"Eldest Senior Brother."

"Eldest Senior Brother."

As soon as Jiang Hao touched down, the ten people stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Jiang Hao nodded slightly. Mu Yunshang and the others clearly knew about their upcoming expedition deep into Demon Ridge, and they had implicitly accepted him as their leader.

To his surprise, Master Beardless and the others were nowhere to be seen.

Seemingly noticing his confusion, Mu Yunshang explained, "Eldest Senior Brother, the Sect Leader and the two Supreme Elders have already headed to the gathering point of the three Celestial Veins. We’ll have to make our own way to Demon Ridge shortly."

At the mention of Demon Ridge, Jun Yichen and the others adopted solemn expressions.

"This early anomaly in Demon Ridge probably means something huge has happened," Jun Yichen said. "I heard a beast horde has already broken out along the coastline. The Cultivators stationed there to guard Demon Ridge clashed massively with the demonic beasts a few days ago, and there have been significant casualties."

"What exactly is deep inside Demon Ridge?" another disciple wondered aloud. "For a hundred thousand years, countless Saint Realm Powerhouses have plunged in wave after wave to suppress it, yet they’ve never been able to pacify it."

"I suppose we’ll only know once we get there," a third chimed in. "The only news we’ve received so far is that this anomaly is unprecedented. According to the Elder Council, for some unknown reason, the demonic beasts of Demon Ridge are desperately charging outward, as if they are utterly terrified of something deep inside."

The continuous stream of news over the past ten days had already left the entire Thousand Sects Island in a state of panic. To Thousand Sects Island, an anomaly in Demon Ridge was a recurring cataclysm, but this time, it seemed far worse than ever before.

However, this was not their concern for now. Their only task was to venture deep, investigate, and temper themselves. Even if the sky fell, the hundreds of sects would be there to hold it up. What they truly had to worry about were the clashes between the apex geniuses of the various sects once they entered Demon Ridge. If terrifying existences like Mu Wanli were to meet, the resulting confrontation would be unimaginable.

Right as Mu Yunshang and the others were conversing, a sudden sound interrupted them.

BONG!!!

BONG!!!

...

Nine earth-shattering bell tolls echoed throughout the Celestial Universe.

Everyone subconsciously looked up. The moment the bell tolled, the entire Thousand Sect Island Realm trembled.

In an instant—

BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!

Countless terrifying auras erupted from the ground. Within the Vast Ocean Saint Sect, one astonishing figure after another shot into the sky, transforming into countless streaks of light across the sky as they flew toward Demon Ridge.

For a time, mortal-shedding fluctuations blanketed the world. Countless figures tore through the previously silent Celestial Universe like a swarm of locusts. Tens of thousands of shooting stars streaked past, blotting out the sun and drawing the gazes of innumerable Cultivators who looked up at the sky.

"The peerless geniuses of the various sects have set off."

Watching the streaks of light flying overhead, the entire world seemed to boil over at this moment. Everyone knew that those figures tearing through the sky were the apex geniuses of the thousand sects. Every single one of them was an existence as dazzling as the brightest star.

"Junior Brothers and Sisters, it is time for us to depart as well," Jiang Hao said.

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the sky full of streaks of light, a trace of resolve flickering in his eyes. As the Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect, he naturally took the lead, becoming the first to shoot into the sky with an earth-shattering aura that pressured the surroundings.

Seeing this, Mu Yunshang and the others exchanged glances before taking to the air. All of them transformed into eleven streaks of light, merging into the endless torrent above.

The peerless geniuses of this era flashed by like meteors, blotting out the sun as they flew toward Demon Ridge. Wherever they passed, even the native Cultivators of Thousand Sects Island were left in absolute shock. This was an epic scene that over ninety-nine percent of the Cultivators in the Thousand Sect Island Realm would not see in their entire lifetimes. After all, these astonishing geniuses would become the true pillars of this world in the thousands of years to come. They were born as the paragons of humanity, and this clash of titans was brilliantly dazzling.

"Eldest Senior Brother, the coastal region guarded by our Beardless Sect is due east. Let’s fly in that direction and enter Demon Ridge through the Beardless Border City."

Within the boundless torrent, Jun Yichen reminded Jiang Hao. The entire coastline of Demon Ridge was not a single unified front, but rather partitioned and guarded by the thousand sects. Each Holy Sect was responsible for a section of the border defense, so the members of the Beardless Sect naturally had to head toward their own sect’s garrison first.

Jiang Hao did not object. He immediately changed his flight path, heading due east.

Time slowly ticked by.

Several hours later.

When the endless stream of peerless geniuses crossed the boundless islands and approached the coastline from amidst the towering peaks, they were met with an unbelievable sight. In the opposite direction, countless coastal Cultivators were collapsing toward them like a tidal wave. They fled frantically toward the depths of Thousand Sects Island, every single one of them terror-stricken and pale with shock.

The countless peerless geniuses turned pale at the sight. It was evident that a massive rout had occurred along the coastline of Demon Ridge. The fleeing army stretched on endlessly, surging forward like a vast ocean.

Clearly, the changes in Demon Ridge had exceeded the thousand sects’ estimates. It was likely far more terrifying than anyone had imagined.

"Heavens, what in the world happened at Demon Ridge?"

Looking at the overwhelming army of survivors flooding toward them, all the peerless geniuses were dumbfounded. But that wasn’t all. Just as Jiang Hao and the others neared Demon Ridge, twelve more bell tolls echoed across Thousand Sects Island, thoroughly shaking the Celestial Universe.

The moment those twelve tolls rang out, the expressions of every genius changed drastically—except for Jiang Hao, who didn’t understand what twelve tolls on Thousand Sects Island signified. As the crowd looked back toward the depths of the island, their eyes were filled with endless horror and shock.

"Twelve tolls! That was twelve tolls!"

"Is this... the assembly call for the Thousand Sects Sacred Realm?"

"What did you say? The... Sacred Realm assembly call?"