Chapter 376 - 205: Tragic

The gates of the Cangyun Sect.

The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed, and the air carried the crisp chill of the mountain forest.

Two Outer Disciples in charge of guarding the gate were leaning against the massive Stone Door, chatting idly out of boredom.

"Sigh, when do you think this will ever end? Staring at this stupid rock all day... I feel like I’m growing mold," one of the disciples, who had a slightly round face, complained with a yawn.

"You should be grateful," the other disciple, who was tall and thin, shot him a glance. "At least it’s safe. Haven’t you heard? It’s been chaos outside lately. Countless smaller Sects have been wiped out just like that. We should be burning incense and thanking our lucky stars that we can stay safely within our Sect."

"That’s true..." the round-faced disciple mumbled. Just as he was about to say something more...

Suddenly, he felt a silence fall beside him.

He found it odd and subconsciously turned his head.

"Hey, why’d you go quiet?"

There was no response.

He saw that his tall, thin companion had, at some point, slumped limply to the ground, his back facing him.

"What the hell? Are you dozing off this early in the morning?"

The round-faced disciple frowned, walked over, and gave the other man a gentle kick.

"Get up, stop sleeping. If Senior Brother Deacon comes and sees this, you’re going to get an earful."

Still, there was no movement.

A flicker of impatience rose in his heart. He bent down and reached out to push his companion’s shoulder.

His hand touched something sticky.

He froze for a moment, then brought his hand up before his eyes.

He stared intently...

It was blood!

His hand was covered in fresh blood!

An icy chill shot instantly from the soles of his feet to the top of his skull!

The color drained from his face. He was just about to open his mouth and let out a terrified scream.

Suddenly, a piercing pain shot through him from behind, right where his heart was!

He stiffly lowered his head.

A bloodstained, pitch-black blade tip was slowly emerging from his chest.

The light in his eyes quickly faded.

In the final moment before his consciousness sank into darkness, he used his last ounce of strength to force out two weak words from the depths of his throat.

"Enemy... attack..."

...

At the Martial Arts Arena.

Dozens of disciples were in the middle of their daily morning practice, led by a Senior Brother Deacon.

"Punch! Faster! Harder!"

At that moment, a dozen or so figures dressed in black, emanating a sinister aura, suddenly burst from the surrounding dense forest like demons crawling out of Hell!

"Who goes there?!" The Senior Brother Deacon’s expression changed, and he immediately drew his sword as a warning.

But the only answer he received was the flash of an impossibly fast blade!

SCHLICK!

A perfectly fine head flew high into the air!

Blood stained the flagstones of the Martial Arts Arena.

"AHHH!!!"

"It’s the Demon Sect! They’re from the Demon Sect!"

Seeing their Senior Brother Deacon killed in a single strike, the disciples present instantly fell into chaos, their terrified screams rising and falling one after another!

"Run!"

However, the men in black had already surrounded the entire Martial Arts Arena. Like tigers pouncing on a flock of sheep, they began an inhuman slaughter!

...

Similar bloody scenes were unfolding at the same time in all the poorly defended corners of the Cangyun Sect—the Alchemy Room, the Medicinal Herb Garden, the disciple residences, and more!

The entire Cangyun Sect was plunged into unprecedented chaos and panic!

"What’s going on?! Wasn’t the Demon Sect already wiped out?!"

"Why... why are there still so many Demons from the Demon Sect?!"

Countless disciples fell in despair.

Just as everyone was on the verge of complete despair...

"You bastards! You dare invade my Cangyun Sect! You’re courting death!"

A furious roar, filled with boundless rage, thundered from the depths of the Sect like rolling thunder!

Immediately after, a figure with a vast and majestic aura appeared in the sky above the Martial Arts Arena, where the casualties were heaviest, like a Divine Weapon descending from the heavens!

The newcomer had white hair and a white beard and was dressed in the gray robes of an Elder.

It was an Elder from the Precepts Hall, at the Second Layer of the True Master Realm!

"It’s Elder Li! We’re saved!"

Seeing the Elder appear, the disciples who were being hunted down felt a sudden surge of hope!

With a flick of his Duster, Elder Li sent thousands of silver threads weaving into an inescapable net, instantly enveloping a dozen rampaging Demons from the Demon Sect and shredding them into a mist of blood!

His figure moved like lightning, weaving between the various battlefields. With every move he made, several elite members of the Demon Sect were killed!

However, just as everyone thought the tide was about to turn!

A ghostly figure appeared behind Elder Li without any warning!

The person was completely shrouded in a wide black cloak, their face hidden in the deep shadow of the hood.

He simply raised his hand and gently pointed a finger at Elder Li’s back, right over his heart.

"PFFT!"

A soft sound, like fabric being torn, was heard.

Elder Li’s Protective True Qi, which was strong enough to withstand a full-power blow from any Martial Artist in the Refining Organ Realm, was pierced as easily as if it were made of paper!

His body stiffened, and he looked down in disbelief.

A withered finger had already pierced through his heart.

"You..."

He struggled to turn his head, his eyes filled with horror as he looked at the terrifying figure behind him, whose aura was as deep and vast as the ocean.

"You are... the Shadow Demon... Mo Wuhen!"

As his words fell, a sinister and tyrannical True Qi erupted within his body, instantly shattering his internal organs and even his Primordial Spirit!

Everyone stared at this scene, dumbfounded.

Their minds went blank.

One strike...

Just one strike...

...had instantly killed a genuine Elder at the Second Layer of the True Master Realm?!

At that moment, the terrifying figure slowly raised its head.

His gaze, hidden in the shadow of the hood, swept over all the surviving disciples like a pair of cold, sharp swords.

At the same time, several other figures with equally terrifying auras slowly emerged from behind him.

Every single one of them... was in the True Master Realm!

"The Shadow Demon, Mo Wuhen... that infamous arch-demon from sixty years ago... He... he’s still alive!"

An Inner Sect Disciple who had heard of Mo Wuhen said with a trembling voice.

’It’s over...’

’This time...’

’We’re completely finished...’

Fear spread instantly among the crowd.

...

Lingxiao Courtyard.

The once solemn and tranquil Lingxiao Hall was now a scene of utter ruin, with broken walls and debris everywhere!

Three figures with terrifying auras, wreathed in black Demonic Qi, had formed a triangular encirclement, trapping a blood-soaked figure in blue robes in the center.

The leader of the three was a Demon Sect Guardian at the Fourth Layer of the True Master Realm. The other two were also skilled experts at the Third Layer of the True Master Realm!

And on the outer perimeter, more than ten Half-Step True Master Hall Masters from the Demon Sect had formed a battle formation, sealing off all routes of escape!

The one trapped in the center was none other than the head of Lingxiao Courtyard, Yue Lingfeng!

His appearance now bore no resemblance to his usual cold and dignified self.

His blue robes were stained red with blood, his hair was disheveled, a startling trace of blood hung at the corner of his mouth, and the hand gripping his sword was trembling slightly.

At his feet lay the bodies of several Lingxiao Courtyard Elders and Core Disciples.

Not far away, another aloof figure, also in blue robes, was locked in a frantic battle with several Demon Sect Hall Masters!

It was Gu Qingxuan!

The longsword in her hand was already stained red with blood. Wherever its light flashed, a Demon from the Demon Sect would fall with a scream!

However, the enemies were simply too numerous!

Although her Swordsmanship was superb and her strength formidable, she was gradually being overwhelmed while besieged by several experts of the same level. She had sustained multiple injuries, and her aura was beginning to grow chaotic.

"Yue Lingfeng, just give up," the leading Guardian from the Demon Sect, the one at the Fourth Layer of the True Master Realm, said with a hoarse laugh. "Today, your Lingxiao Courtyard... is doomed!"

Yue Lingfeng looked at the three Demon Sect experts before him, whose strength was nearly equal to his own. He then glanced at his beloved disciple, who was in a precarious situation, and a look of crazed determination flashed in his eyes!

"You want to destroy my Lingxiao Courtyard?"

He let out a bitter laugh, his voice filled with endless grief and unwillingness!

"In your dreams!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he threw his head back and roared, unhesitatingly burning his own lifeblood essence!

BOOM!!!

A terrifyingly sharp Sword Intent erupted from his body like an active volcano!

His originally pale face became unusually ruddy at this moment!

His eyes shot out a terrifyingly sharp glint!

"Demon Sect scum... join this old man... on the road to hell!!!"

With a furious roar, he transformed into a brilliant streak of sword light that pierced the heavens, charging toward the three True Master Realm Demon Sect Guardians with the tragic aura of mutual destruction!

"Not good! He’s going all out! Retreat!"

The three Demon Sect Guardians’ expressions changed drastically. Not daring to meet his attack head-on, they all retreated in a hurry!

However, Yue Lingfeng’s target was not them!

The brilliant sword light suddenly changed direction in mid-air and, with incredible speed, instantly broke through the battle formation formed by the dozen or so Demon Sect Hall Masters on the perimeter!

SCHLICK! SCHLICK! SCHLICK!

...

Wherever the sword light passed, severed limbs flew through the air amidst a blur of flesh and blood!

In just a few breaths’ time, the dozen or so Half-Step True Master experts from the Demon Sect had all been slain by him with the force of a Thunderbolt!

After doing all this, the terrifying aura around Yue Lingfeng receded as quickly as a tide.

He staggered and landed beside Gu Qingxuan, violently spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face instantly became as pale as paper.

"Master!" Gu Qingxuan hurriedly supported him, a trace of panic finally showing in her usually cold eyes.

Yue Lingfeng said quickly, "I’ll hold them off for you! You need to go, now!"

"No! I won’t go! If we go, we go together!" Gu Qingxuan gripped his arm tightly, her voice trembling.

"Foolish!" Yue Lingfeng shouted sharply. Using the last of his strength, he shoved her away. "If you stay here, we’ll both die! Go! If you want to save me, go to the forbidden grounds on the back mountain! Find the Sect Leader and ask for help!"

Gu Qingxuan looked at her master’s face, which was rapidly aging as his lifeblood essence was depleted, and her heart filled with endless grief and despair!

She knew that her master was using his own life to create a chance for her to escape!

She knew that in his current state, her master wouldn’t be able to hold on until she found the Sect Leader!

This was just an excuse... to make her feel at ease while she ran for her life.

"Go! Just go!" Yue Lingfeng urged.

Gu Qingxuan looked at her master, and finally, with tears streaming down her face, she nodded heavily.

Without any further hesitation, her figure flickered and transformed into a streak of blue light, speeding toward the back mountain!

...