Chapter 1101 - 738: Darkness Rekindled

Chapter 1101: Chapter 738: Darkness Rekindled

After escaping flight for about half an hour, Shen Xuan was several hundred miles away from Mingyan Immortal City, entering a deep mountain forest rarely visited by people.

"Hmm?"

Shen Xuan paused slightly in his movements.

He keenly sensed something unusual ahead in the forest.

A layer of concealed Tier Three Illusion Array fluctuations was enveloping an area.

Within the array, faint traces of over a hundred cultivators’ auras were lying dormant.

Among them, more than ten were at the Core Formation Realm, while the rest were mostly at Foundation Establishment.

"At such a time and place, so many cultivators gathered?"

Shen Xuan’s heart stirred slightly as he restrained his aura and quietly approached.

Passing through the illusion array’s perimeter, the scene inside came into view.

Sure enough, it was a group of human race cultivators, gathered on a clearing in the forest. Some were meditating to regulate their breath, others were vigilant of their surroundings. The atmosphere was solemn, tinged with an edge of anxiety.

A sweep of his gaze saw a few familiar faces immediately catch his eye.

Liu Minglin, Ma Wanquan, Xiao Changsheng, Yang Shengguang...

Even his registered disciple Liu Yiyun, maid Xiangcao, and the Yang Yunxiao siblings were present.

They were directing a dozen Bright Flame Sect puppet soldiers, manipulating puppet dogs and puppet eagles to patrol the surrounding forest cautiously.

In the center of the clearing, Ming Liu True Master, True Master Wang Yue, and several Bright Flame Sect True Pill cultivators were gathered, seemingly in a low-voiced discussion, or perhaps waiting expectantly.

Given Shen Xuan’s present cultivation, they naturally could not detect the slightest trace of him if he chose to hide.

"Fellow Daoists, please be at ease for now,"

True Monarch Wang Yue’s voice was slow and calming, carrying a power to soothe people: "The True Monarch will soon arrive."

"Great! Heaven hasn’t abandoned the Bright Flame Sect’s tradition!"

An elderly True Pill cultivator, with white hair and beard and a weary aura, trembled with excitement, tears glistening in his clouded eyes.

"That despicable Red Flame! If not for his treacherous ambitions, destroying our own defenses and committing that vile act of body-snatching, our Bright Flame Sect wouldn’t be in such a predicament today, with the sect gates overturned, and disciples scattered!"

Another True Pill cultivator, with a stern face and a somewhat younger appearance, couldn’t help but grit his teeth, speaking with frustration and anger.

"Alas, the past is past, and it is useless to say more."

Ming Liu True Master sighed and advised, "Everything should be discussed after the True Monarch arrives."

Hidden in the shadows, Shen Xuan’s heart was filled with growing doubt.

Listening to their words, they seemed to have great hopes for this upcoming ’True Monarch’, as if this person was the hope for the revival of the Bright Flame Sect.

However, the Bright Flame Sect originally had three Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

True Monarch Red Lotus had long escaped to the Spirit Control Sect.

True Monarch Wan Huo had fiercely battled a great demon when the sect fell, and after being severely injured, his whereabouts became unknown.

As for True Monarch Red Flame, it was said he had usurped the body of a young Golden Core in the sect and was hiding to cultivate again.

Regarding True Master Shou Yang...

He was heavily injured in the past, damaging his Dao Foundation, making it impossible to reach Nascent Soul in a short time.

So, who exactly was this True Monarch that the Bright Flame Sect cultivators were so eagerly awaiting?

During the wait, the Bright Flame Sect True Pill cultivators spoke in low tones.

The conversation naturally centered on the great victory at Moonrise Immortal City.

"The news is confirmed! The Bloodthirsty Poison Mosquito Emperor was severely wounded, and the Three-Eyed Thunder Peng Emperor was defeated and returned in failure. Over thirty percent of the demon race’s siege army suffered losses!"

The young True Pill spoke with excitement, his tone vibrant: "I have a clan brother who was inside Yueqi City at the time and witnessed the whole process! Can you guess which expert turned the tide this time?"

The present Bright Flame Sect True Pill cultivators had all heard of it.

The Moonrise Sect sent proclamations throughout the land, boasting of the victory and boosting the human race’s morale against the demons.

"I heard it was a Golden Core loose cultivator named ’Shen Ruoxing’, who joined forces with True Monarch Su Xue of the Moonrise Sect to defeat the demon race’s siege army,"

a True Pill responded.

"Ahem."

Ming Liu True Master cleared his throat lightly, and when everyone looked, he calmly began to speak.

"As far as this old man knows, that Shen Ruoxing might be our sect’s former honored guest, Guo Shiyan."

"What?"

"Guo Shiyan? True Master Profound Ice of the Cyan Cloud Sect in Song Country?"

True Master Wang Yue’s expression changed dramatically, hurriedly asking.

Ming Liu True Master sighed with feeling and said, "It’s just hearsay, with no concrete evidence, merely a possibility."

Despite these words, everyone present understood clearly in their hearts.

There is no smoke without fire.

Such rumors spread quickly, and the details match up, lending them high credibility.

In the past, that True Master Profound Ice had fought his way out from within the Bright Flame Sect, taking on three at once, breaking through the sect and leaving!

Before leaving, not only did he seize True Monarch Red Flame’s Dao body Spiritual Treasure and severely injure True Master Shou Yang,

but he also exposed True Monarch Red Flame’s plot of body-snatching to the sect...

This series of events indeed caused disunity within the Bright Flame Sect, leading to disciples’ dissociation.

Eventually, it collapsed spectacularly under the demon race’s assault.

True Master Wang Yue sighed deeply, his voice filled with bitterness: "In the past, if not for just that bit of sectarian scheming, if we could have treated him sincerely, would our Bright Flame Sect be in this state today!"

From the shadows, Shen Xuan heard this conversation clearly.

He mused inwardly, news spreads quickly indeed.

Revealing his identity was anticipated all along.

True Monarch Su Xue wouldn’t say much.

In the battle, he revealed many methods and divine powers.

Those old foxes who had lived for hundreds of years could easily deduce his background with a little thought.

However, it didn’t really matter.

He was about to leave Qin Country, returning to his homeland in Song Country.

The war between human and demon races here would not affect his future cultivation.

While pondering, another incense stick’s worth of time passed.

Suddenly.

A dominant and overwhelming aura, filled with a barbaric wilderness essence, approached from afar!

The wind in the forest paused momentarily, and birds and beasts fell silent.

"It is indeed a Nascent Soul True Monarch!"

Shen Xuan’s mind tightened, focusing his gaze.

From the direction outside the forest, a figure huge as a mountain approached through the sky.

This person had a bare chest and exposed belly, corded muscles, and exuded a fierce and aggressive air like that of a tiger.