Sun Fu maintained that eerie smile, his shock not even having time to register before the chilling sword energy not only decapitated him but also eradicated his yet-to-emerge Yin Spirit.
As Sun Fu's corpse fell, Zhou Yu sheathed his sword, his face expressionless. He felt no thrill from instantly killing a cultivator of the same Vacuum Walking level; only a slight trace of blood surfaced on the three slender scars along his cheek. Behind him, someone called out:
"Brother Yu, did you succeed?"
Zhou Yu shook his head slightly, "Uncle Shan, sound the alarm. Someone has deployed the Heavenly Demon Poison Lure. The Outer Realm Sky Demons could arrive at any moment."
"Heh, this is the fourth time. Will they ever stop?"
Zhou Yu did not respond. In a moment, the sonorous tolling of the bell resounded through the cosmos, seeping into every corner of the Sect's Mountain Gate. At its sound, many groaned.
In the past month, the warning bell had rung every seven or eight days, each time signaling the invasion of hundreds, if not thousands, of Outer Realm Sky Demons. On a lucky occasion, the invaders were insignificant, posing no real threat; but once, an Outer Sky Calamity Demon managed to stealthily infiltrate.
The Outer Realm Sky Demons have their own hierarchy, distinct from the cultivators' levels. The Cultivation World categorizes them based on the threat they pose: Lifeless Thought Demon, Gathering Yin Sha Demon, Outer Sky Calamity Demon, and Dharma Ending Lord Demon—four major tiers. They are also colloquially known as Thought Demon, Sha Demon, Thunderbolt Tribulation Demon, and Demon Lord, mirroring the classification of the Heart Demons born from cultivators themselves.
An Outer Sky Calamity Demon is on par with a True Immortal. It was fortunate that the encounter took place at the Sect's Mountain Gate, where its demonic power could be suppressed to the utmost. The containment and sealing were timely; otherwise, the death toll of the Sect disciples would not have been five, but rather tenfold.
Under these circumstances, the Lichen Sect could not afford to remain idle. Shortly after the alarm bell rang, four third-generation disciples who were guarding the Sect's Mountain Gate, along with the Thunderbolt Tribulation Cultivators and Jade Void Elder who had returned a few days prior, convened a brief meeting to discuss the current situation.
However, everyone at the meeting understood that there were no immediate solutions. The gathering was more about aligning their understanding or, to put it bluntly... airing their grievances.
"These Demon Spawn, always resorting to this one trick, don't they tire of it?" said Daoist Yin Yang, a third-generation disciple of the Morality Department. His eyebrows were half white, yet his face was surprisingly youthful. The Morality Department's cultivation focused on the return to childlike purity; the higher the Cultivation Level, the less one tended to conceal their true nature. Annoyance was annoyance, and there was no shame in expressing it.
In truth, no one was mocking him; everyone shared the same sentiment. Uncle Lu De stroked his unkempt beard, his eyes glaring fiercely as he replied in a gruff voice, "If a dispersing strike proves useful, what harm is there in using it ten thousand times? They don't need to exhaust us physically; they merely wish to stretch us thin, to force us to retract the forces we've placed in the Sword Garden... Heh, we can't just dance to their tune!"
With a loud thump, he slammed his hand on the table, his appearance resembling that of a notorious figure from all corners of the rivers and lakes, prompting laughter from the crowd. As an anomaly among the Sect Cultivators, Uncle Lu De had invested a mere fraction of the effort into his cultivation that he had into Artifact Refinement. Yet, even so, he had managed to step into the realm of Vacuum Walking, a level of innate talent that evoked both envy and admiration in many.
Including him, the elite group of third-generation disciples of the Empirical Department, centered around figures such as Xie Yan, Elder Jie Liang, and the Thousand Treasures Daoist, had emerged as a formidable force in recent years, gaining increasing influence within the Sect.
Even the Jade Void Elder treated him with a pleasant demeanor, saying, "What Uncle Lu De has said is very true, and there's another point to consider: our Sect has already reached an agreement with the Jade Purification Alliance. We do not monopolize the benefits of the Sword Garden alone, and even if we were to withdraw, we must take into account the wishes of our brother sects like the Clear Void Moral Sect and the Four Clarity Sect. Those Demon Spawn are likely aware of this and prefer to remain hidden, employing magical instruments and spending vast sums to hire unrelated parties to create chaos, aiming to drive a wedge between us and the Jade Purification Alliance."
As these matters became clearer, the Jade Void Elder dispensed with idle chatter and began to give orders directly:
"At the Sword Garden, we will not retreat half a step. Moreover, once Senior Uncle Fang emerges from seclusion tomorrow, I will rush over to handle various affairs. With Senior Uncle Fang anchoring the Sect, our defense will be as solid as a fortress, leaving the Demon Spawn with no room for action. However, the master uncle is also at a critical juncture, so you four must not distract him excessively."
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The four in the hall nodded in agreement. The Jade Void Elder pondered for a moment, then said, "In that case, the Star Plucking Tower is situated within the Nine Heavenly Gang wind layer. Although it is securely sealed and guarded by the Power Guardian Saint, making it impervious even to Outer Sky Calamity Demons, the Demon Shadow is formless and difficult to defend against completely. We should send another person..."
"I, disciple..."
Cheng Hui of the Theory Department, who was most skilled in defensive enchantments, was about to volunteer when Uncle Lu De preempted him, "I happen to have a sword to deliver there; I'll make the trip."
At these words, the hall fell suddenly silent. The slightly plump face of the Jade Void Elder, usually smiling, now tightened slightly with thought. Instead of responding immediately, he turned to Su Ji Ren, the leading figure of the Discipline Department, and asked softly, "What do you think?"
Su Ji Ren, a woman whose countenance exuded a gentle and tranquil aura, was also the benefactor and mentor of Meng Wei. Her cultivation aptitude was mediocre, yet through admirable perseverance and a tenacious spirit, she had climbed step by step to her current level. She had reached the upper echelons of Vacuum Walking, her Divine Body Tempering was complete, and she was merely awaiting the completion of her Yang Spirit before she could step into the realm of True Immortal. Such a figure commanded a measure of respect even from the Jade Void Elder.
When asked for her opinion, the female cultivator bowed slightly before speaking, "In my view, although the Star Plucking Tower is critical, it is not a place of great peril. With Grandmaster Fang presiding over it, it would suffice for a few senior brothers to take turns inspecting it. There is no need to specifically assign someone."
The Jade Void Elder nodded slightly, pondering her words. Su Ji Ren then ventured to add, "If I may be so bold, our ancestral master is currently cultivating not out of concern for an increased number of Thunderbolt Tribulation trials, but rather out of fear that by doing so, he might stray from the Great Dao and miss a rare opportunity to ascend..."
She had only spoken halfway when the Jade Void Elder, visibly startled, waved his hand to stop her, and then he sighed, "The difficulty of the Great Dao is indeed like lifting oneself up by one's bootstraps, a contradiction in terms. Enough, what our own people say is true. There's no need to worry about Senior Uncle Fang. He surely knows what he's doing. As for the arrangements, you can handle them yourselves."
With that, he stood up and left the hall, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"That settles it then, it's my turn."
Uncle Lu De, without any hesitation, claimed the task for himself, grinned broadly, and strode out of the hall.
Cheng Hui and Yang Yin Daoist exchanged glances, while Su Ji Ren sat quietly, her eyes downcast, yet inwardly she sighed.
As a major sect of the current era, the number of powerful cultivators in Lichen Sect was somewhat inflated. There were thirty Vacuum Walking Cultivators, four True Person Cultivators, and three Thunderbolt Tribulation Law Cultivators, among whom only Grandmaster Fang was a practitioner of the great Thunderbolt Tribulation Law.
Seven immortals in one sect would certainly rank highly among the countless sects of the world, yet when compared to other major sects of the same level, their position was somewhat behind. Most crucially, the sect lacked a supremely powerful Earth Immortal, which often left them restrained and unable to fully exert their strength—a significant regret.
For this reason, the sect placed great hopes on the outstanding third and fourth generation disciples, and the research into the sect's secret divine powers never ceased. The aim was to resolve the underlying issues of Lichen Sect from the roots, which was undoubtedly correct. However, these two initiatives, which should have complemented each other, had now become entangled into a knot that threatened to strangle the sect's potential.
Su Ji Ren looked up to see Uncle Lu De striding away with a majestic air, showing no particular reaction. Yet, how could that incident from years past not have left its mark on him and his close-knit circle of friends who had shared life and death together?
With another sigh, Su Ji Ren thought of her own disciple. If only she had possessed the courage of Meng Wei in her youth, might the outcome of events have been different?
He had just awakened from a month-long seclusive cultivation. The Ten Yin Transforming Radiance Veil swiftly turned into mist, entering through his mouth and nose, while the white light on his forehead gradually faded, returning to normal. He stood up, turned his head to look out the window, and then reached back to pinch the Divine Bronze Mirror in his sleeve, feeling somewhat weary.
The temperature in his sleeve was high. Yu Ci knew that the bronze mirror wouldn't become scorching hot without reason. It was the resonance with this treasure that had allowed him to seize the opportunity at the source of the Boundary River. What was happening now?
"Tower Guardian Senior?"
There must be something amiss with the Star Plucking Tower, and consulting the Power Guardian Saint was sure to be correct. Yu Ci was probably one of the few Fourth Generation Disciples who dared, enjoyed, and was capable of conversing with the enigmatic Misty Stream Giant Monster:
"Is there some kind of disturbance in the northwest?"
This was feedback from the Divine Bronze Mirror. It was a pity that the Mirror Divination was ineffective; otherwise, the situation would be a million times clearer.
The Power Guardian Saint's muffled voice sounded in his ear, and Yu Ci nodded repeatedly: "So it's an Outer Realm Sky Demon invasion. I understand... Huh, it's already the fourth time?"
The previous occurrences hadn't been so noticeable, directly jolting him out of his deep state of cultivation.
A thought struck him—it was a moment of stillness prompting action. Blinking, he suddenly leaped out of the window: "Let's see how the battle is faring over there."
The Power Guardian Saint said nothing, intending as before to support him with a cloud rampart, but before it could form, Yu Ci chuckled, a white light shooting from his forehead, instantly forming a talisman in the void and blessing it upon himself, halting his descent.
"With the Void Divine Travel Talisman, I need not envy those who fly with Sword Control."
The Talisman technique that Nan Songzi once mastered was no longer a challenge for Yu Ci.
He lightly shook his robe, preparing to soar, when his left arm throbbed with pain. The Divine Bronze Mirror, like a red-hot branding iron, seared him fiercely, then began to tremble violently, releasing a peculiar pulsation that sought to penetrate the surrounding cloud mist and shoot towards the distance.
"From whence comes this demon?"
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