Chapter 253: Fourteen

Chapter 253 -249: Fourteen

Beneath the firmament, upon the earth.

The wind ceased. All was silent.

Once again, the same sword strike shot forth, casting a thousand-zhang-long ray of light to meet the two attacks.

Liu Tao had said she’d never heard of her master’s Ice Skin Jade Bone Technique, nor had this Dharma Gate ever gained any renown. Even the mountain peak she belonged to was obscure.

But this sword… every time it was drawn, it delivered a devastating blow.

High in the sky, the blood hand was sliced in two. The image seemed to freeze, engraving itself into everyone’s mind.

Then, its momentum unabated, the sword strike cleaved the divine light from the Eye of Demon Luo.

The sword was drawn, then sheathed.

It seemed as if she had only performed these two actions, yet she had repelled the joint attack of two enemy Foundation Establishment Masters.

“Incredible! When did the Daoist Sect manage to cultivate another figure like you?”

Someone’s voice echoed from the heavens, but they remained unseen.

The Master remained alone in mid-air, her gaze directed downward.

Where her gaze fell, behind the dense, bloody light, one could see the Eye of Demon Luo, the Six Paths Blood Array, the Nether Soul Banner, and a Demon Sect Golden Body. The phantom it conjured was nearly a thousand zhang tall, and the pressure it emitted made Chen Qingyang feel an uncontrollable urge to kneel in submission.

Though only a single step separated Foundation Establishment from Half-Step Foundation Establishment, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. The same techniques, when executed, were worlds apart in power.

‘I wonder if that Master, with her slender frame, can withstand this?’

Another sword strike. Another thousand-zhang beam of light. Another drawing and sheathing of the sword.

But the enemy’s assault was simply too powerful. The Master suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood that emanated a dreadful chill. She must have been gravely injured.

“HAHAHA…” Someone’s laughter boomed, shaking the heavens and the earth.

“You’re all a bunch of fine turtles, hiding in your shells! Four of my Holy Sect have already shown themselves, yet you all refuse to reveal your true forms, sending out only this newly promoted Master to take the fall. You elders are truly becoming more pathetic with age!”

The tone was dripping with mockery.

Chen Qingyang connected what he had seen and heard, and he began to understand the cause and effect of the situation.

Senior Brother Jie Yi had once told him personally that the Masters’ strategy was to lure the snake out of its hole. The Daoist Sect would eliminate each wave of Demon Sect attackers as they came, forcing the Demon Sect to reveal their trump cards first.

But no one could have expected Venerable Meng’s superior skill in arrays. By nourishing the array with the flesh and blood of dead Cultivators, she had shattered their plans and placed the Disciples sent by the Tai Xu Sect in grave danger.

The Masters of the Tai Xu Sect hadn’t acted because they were waiting to see if they could force the Demon Sect Masters to show their hands first. It must have been Master Yun Ci who, unwilling to watch her sect’s Disciples be annihilated, decided to strike first.

This fit with the mocking words he’d just heard. Thinking back, his own past conflict with her seemed utterly trivial. Witnessing her actions today, Chen Qingyang felt a sense of admiration for this Master.

“These turtles want to probe our strength while they hide in their shells. Fine. We’ll slaughter the ones who’ve shown themselves, then send our Disciples to scour the land within a thousand li again. We’ll definitely find that baby girl.”

“I… agree.”

…

The Demon Sect Masters did not reveal themselves, communicating only with their voices.

Between heaven and earth, four more Magical Artifacts materialized, their might seemingly even greater than before. They were no longer holding back against Yun Ci.

Faced with being surrounded by powerful enemies, the Master’s expression remained calm. One hand rested on the hilt of the sword on her back, her Qi Mechanism withdrawn to its absolute limit. She unleashed the Divine Power of her Ice Skin Jade Bone Technique, and her body seemed to be coated in a layer of crystal that shimmered brightly against the bloody backdrop.

This time, she took the initiative and drew her sword.

Wherever the sword’s light passed, it seemed as if heaven and earth themselves were being sliced apart.

A high-pitched hum vibrated in everyone’s ears, as if it were the only sound left in the world.

The thousand-zhang-long blade of light met the four Magical Artifacts and instantly shattered into four pieces. The divine glow of the four artifacts visibly dimmed by a large margin, and someone could even be heard roaring in anger.

The Master spat out another mouthful of Essence Blood, once again suffering heavy injuries!

At this critical moment, the other Masters from the Tai Xu Sect were finally willing to make their move.

First, tens of thousands of Flying Swords drifted in from the horizon. Then, an Ink-Wash Bagua, a Dragon and Tiger Gang, a Shadow of the Flood Dragon, and the Sun and Moon Stars appeared—a total of five Magical Artifacts.

They corresponded to five different Masters and five different techniques.

The Magical Artifacts clashed, and the Masters exchanged a single blow. It was obvious that the Daoist Sect side had gained a significant advantage, and the roars of anger from the Demon Sect grew even louder.

Five figures appeared beside Master Yun Ci. Opposite them, behind the distant bloody light, were the four Demon Sect Masters.

At a glance, the Tai Xu Sect now had the advantage, at least in numbers. Their Cultivation levels, however, were unknown.

“Dogs! You really are Daoist Dogs! You laid a deceptive trap, claiming only three Masters came, but it turns out there are six of you!” a voice cursed loudly.

Another Demon Sect Master chuckled. “Heh, if not for that, they wouldn’t have shown themselves at all.”

“But we’ve gotten smarter this time. We played along with their little scheme and let them think only four of us came. In reality… heheh…”

“Indeed. Venerable Meng’s ‘deceive the heavens to cross the sea’ tactic is truly brilliant.”

…

As the voices conversed, the Disciples from both sects stopped fighting and gazed up at the sky.

Then, as the voices faded, ten more figures from the Demon Sect appeared behind Yun Ci and the other five. A closer look revealed that all of them were at the Foundation Establishment Realm. All told, the Demon Sect had a shocking total of fourteen Masters.

The faces of the Daoist Sect Masters turned extremely grim. One must understand that while the Daoist and Demon Sects together had tens of thousands of Foundation Establishment Masters, tradition dictated that both sides would keep their conflicts within certain limits.

For the Demon Sect to dispatch fourteen Foundation Establishment Masters here today… it seemed they no longer intended to exercise restraint. They wanted to ensure none of the six Daoist Masters left alive.

Of course, the Daoist Sect had also gravely misjudged the situation, just as no one before this catastrophe had imagined the Demon Sect would raze a thousand-li stretch of land to the ground, rather than just a single city.

“Junior Sister, you’ve really doomed us all!” one of the Masters said softly.

What he meant was that they should have remained hidden, waiting until all the Demon Sect members revealed themselves before deciding whether to attack directly or retreat and call for reinforcements. As for the safety of the Disciples, it was far less important than their own.

Now, their situation was dire, a nine-in-ten chance of death.

But Yun Ci had a different view. “You’re right, we did miscalculate the situation. But the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array is right above us. Venerable Meng’s techniques can’t sustain it for much longer. If she dares to act personally, then our Daoist Sect’s True Monarchs will surely be moved to action as well.”

The other five Masters all had bitter expressions. “We can only pray for that.”

While they were deliberating, a voice from the Demon Sect spoke again. “If you are willing to abandon the darkness and join the light, to enter my Holy Sect, we will surely gift you an Earth Deity. What do you say?”

It was the same old trick. But the words had barely been spoken when Yun Ci’s sword was drawn again, heading straight for one of them.

She had chosen her moment perfectly. This person had the weakest Cultivation among the Demon Sect Masters and was overconfident due to their superior numbers, so his guard was down.

As if she weren’t injured at all, Yun Ci’s Sword Momentum was incredibly fast and precise, gravely wounding the Master in an instant.

The remaining Daoist Sect Masters naturally fought with all their might. Among them, an old man stood perfectly still, activating a Star Disc. A silvery-white aura shot into the sky, piercing through the blood mist and connecting with the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array in the heavens.

Instantly, a silvery-white aura flowed down, pushing back the Nether Qi and enveloping all the Daoist Sect members in its protection. The pressure on them was immediately reduced, allowing them to fight without restraint.

Although there were only six of them, their coordination was excellent. It would not be so easy for the fourteen Demon Sect members to take them down in a short time.

“I can die today, but I cannot lose my integrity!” a sudden voice rose from among the Daoist Sect Disciples.

It was that Half-Step Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Tai Hao Sword Institute again. He unleashed a sky full of silver Sword Qi, creating a milky way—a unique romance in this blood-colored world—and charged toward the Demon Sect.

Now, bolstered by the power of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array, his aura was even more formidable.

Many hot-blooded Disciples in the Daoist Sect were roused to action. In an instant, while the Masters battled above, the Disciples began to fight fiercely below once more.

Chen Qingyang gave a quick glance. He couldn’t discern the Cultivation of any of the remaining Daoist Sect Disciples, meaning they were all stronger than him. The same was true for the Demon Sect.

In this situation, he shouldn’t reveal himself. Otherwise, if the enemy got an opportunity, they would definitely come after him.

But he had to collect the Immortal Seedlings. Besides, he wanted to contribute, even just a little, to the Tai Xu Sect. So, he used his Conscious Fish to launch sneak attacks on the Demon Sect Disciples.

He couldn’t kill them, but he could at least inflict moderate to severe injuries. By the time they reacted, they were already entangled with Daoist Sect Disciples and couldn’t spare the effort to specifically hunt down the Conscious Fish.

Switching locations every so often, he managed to gather over another fifteen thousand Immortal Seedlings from a dozen or so people in just a short while.

[Available Immortal Seedlings: 83542]

As a result of his interference, five or six Demon Sect Disciples were blasted to death by their opponents’ Magical Artifacts.

The slaughter continued, with neither sunrise nor sunset in sight.

Chen Qingyang lost track of time. He only knew that the Daoist Sect Disciples were nearly wiped out, and high in the sky, the few Masters were also gradually losing ground.

There was a Flood Dragon, a hundred zhang in size, covered in shimmering black scales. It was incredibly formidable. This was one of the Seven Arts of Immortal Cultivation—Yu.

This Flood Dragon was not real, but an illusion, born from the Refinement of a Master’s own soul fused with the soul of a Flood Dragon.

He had just witnessed this one Flood Dragon fighting against nine dragons, a magnificent sight. But now, it was entangled by the Nine Dragons and in a precarious position.

Because the Daoist and Demon Sect Disciples who had just died had become fuel for the array. This was the poison of the Nine Dragons Dreaming.

“Junior Brothers and Sisters, we can’t stay here any longer! Our Disciples have all been sacrificed.”

The old man controlling the array roared. Where he pointed, a sky full of Star Power poured down toward three Demon Sect Masters.

Facing the might of the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array, the three Masters dared not underestimate its power and hastily retreated.

Looking at the sky now, the hole torn open by the starlight was growing larger and larger. One could even glimpse the azure sky outside.

This proved that Master Yun Ci was right: under this array, the Nine Dragons Dreaming couldn’t last much longer.

“Everyone, stop wasting time! Even if it means suffering grave injuries, we must kill all six of them here to bolster the prestige of our Demon Sect and wash away the shame of Nine True Mountain!”

The Demon Sect side had also reached the final stage. The fourteen of them suddenly joined forces, offering their own Essence Blood as a sacrifice to the array.

The power of the nine Blood Dragons multiplied several dozen times over. The immense pressure was so strong that Chen Qingyang could barely breathe.

The six Daoist Sect Masters acted in tacit agreement, all retreating within the defensive array created by the Star Disc. The two opposing forces collided with a thunderous BOOM.

A dazzling light exploded outward. Even Chen Qingyang, who was hiding in the ruins, was shaken so violently that his Five Viscera and Six Bowels trembled.

He couldn’t see clearly what happened in the sky above, only that a figure came plummeting down not far from him.

It was Master Yun Ci.

‘Should I help her? Or not?’