Chapter 391 - 373: All Factions Gather

Chapter 391: Chapter 373: All Factions Gather

’A sign of great misfortune? What could be happening there? All the more reason not to go!’

The elder waved his sleeve and shouted sternly, "Pass down my orders! Activate the sect-protecting formation. The entire sect will be sealed off for the time being!"

Anhe City is clearly a death trap. Let whoever wants to go, go. The Cloud Fall Sect will have no part in it!

Similar scenes played out within neutral sects like the Hundred Flowers Sect and the Immortal Sword Sect.

These sects, having suffered losses during the "Mellow Liquid Incident," now tacitly chose to hide in their shells. If the righteous and demonic paths were once again colluding to set a trap, their already-weakened sects would face utter annihilation.

...

「Celestial Sword Pavilion」

Although the Celestial Furnace Sect was slacking off and couldn’t be bothered, the other righteous sects couldn’t sit still.

The Pavilion Master of the Celestial Sword Pavilion stood atop a towering sword peak, his brow furrowed as he gazed southeast.

’Is that... Mr. Youquan’s Dharma Aspect?’

According to the pact between the righteous and demonic paths, the Ghost Spirit Sect was supposed to refine all of Anhe City quietly. Why would Mr. Youquan be forced to use his Dharma Aspect? Could it be... a dispute over the spoils?

A trace of deep apprehension and doubt flashed in the Pavilion Master’s eyes.

’Or could it be those neutral sects that were tricked last time, now seeking revenge and causing trouble?’

Whatever the truth was, sects like theirs, positioned as the "mainstay," were in the most difficult spot. They weren’t the top-tier players who made the rules, nor were they the bottom-tier cannon fodder that could be sacrificed at will. Once the righteous and demonic paths truly fell out, they would be the ones most easily caught in the middle and flayed alive.

The bottom-tier could just die and be done with it, but they would have to suffer through it alive. Then again, if they were truly at the bottom, that would be a different story.

’No, I have to go see for myself. I can’t let the situation spiral out of control.’

"A command! Mr. Celestial Sword is to take my sword talisman and proceed swiftly to Anhe City to investigate! If anything unexpected occurs, handle it as you see fit and eliminate any troublemakers!"

...

「Corpse-Driving Sect」

Deep within a gloomy, yin-filled graveyard, several coffin lids flew open, stirring up a cloud of corpse qi.

"JIE JIE JIE... That old coot Youquan was actually forced to manifest his Dharma Aspect?"

"Interesting. Truly interesting."

Several Nascent Soul elders of the Corpse-Driving Sect exchanged glances, schadenfreude and greed flickering in their rotting eye sockets.

"It’s not the first or second time those righteous path hypocrites have gone back on their word. Maybe this trouble in Anhe City is the righteous path setting a trap, trying to double-cross them?"

"Go! Corpse Mark, you go take a look!"

"If the righteous path or those neutral sects are stirring up trouble, take the opportunity to muddy the waters. And if that old coot Youquan dies... heh heh, the corpse of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator is a priceless treasure!"

...

「Blood River Sect」

Atop a surging, filthy river of blood, an old man with a full head of red hair emerged from the sanguine water.

He was clutching a still-beating heart in his hand, his gaze fixed greedily on Anhe City.

’Youquan from the Ghost Spirit Sect? He went to take over Anhe City himself? He had the fine job of "city-slaughtering" and still ended up in such a sorry state?’

The red-haired old man licked his lips, a bloodthirsty light flashing in his eyes. "Blood River Guard, hear my command! Follow this ancestor and let’s... get a piece of the pie!"

...

「Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons」

Amidst a miasma-filled toxic swamp, an old crone covered in venomous sores slowly walked out, leaning on a Snake Head Staff.

She looked toward Anhe City and let out a strange laugh. "Heh heh... what a huge commotion."

’That old ghost Youquan is usually the most possessive of his spoils, yet now he’s causing such an earth-shaking ruckus. It seems an outsider has interfered?’

The old crone extended a withered finger, and a multicolored poisonous insect crawled along its tip. "Whether they’re from the righteous path or the demonic path, the more people die, the more my little darlings get to eat. I’ll go join the fun. Maybe I can pick up some severed limbs of high-level cultivators to feed my insects."

...

「Profound Talisman Sect」

Inside the Profound Talisman Sect, an elder holding a ledger gazed at the horizon.

’Anhe City... That was the Ghost Spirit Sect’s designated share.’

’Now that Youquan has used his Dharma Aspect, it means a major incident has occurred there. If the events in Anhe City escalate and word gets out that we, the righteous path, tacitly allowed the demonic path to slaughter a city...’

A cold glint flashed in the elder’s eyes as he snapped the ledger shut. "Then the reputation of the righteous path, already damaged by the joint sneak attack on the neutral sects, will be utterly ruined."

"Go! If the Ghost Spirit Sect is incompetent, or if the neutral sects have come for revenge, then for the sake of the righteous path’s grand design... we’ll help them make a ’dignified’ exit."

...

「Golden Light Temple」

It was an exceptionally magnificent temple.

Golden tiles, red walls, and solemn, stately treasures. The Buddha statues were all crafted from pure gold and inlaid with precious gems.

Yet, outside the temple’s high walls, scores of sallow-faced, emaciated believers knelt, having bankrupted themselves with offerings of incense in the sole hope of gaining the Buddha’s pity.

Within the main hall, an old monk draped in a brocade kasaya stood with his palms pressed together, softly chanting the Buddha’s name.

"Amitabha Buddha."

"Patron Youquan’s sins of slaughter are too heavy, and his methods too crude. If he cannot complete this task of delivering all living beings, then I shall have to do it for him."

...

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Celestial Sword Pavilion, Profound Talisman Sect, Golden Light Temple!

Corpse-Driving Sect, Blood River Sect, Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons!

Six long streaks of light, each a different color but all radiating the terrifying fluctuations of the Nascent Soul Stage, streaked in from all directions at incredible speed!

...

「Outside the City - Battlefield of Heaven and Earth」

BOOM—!!!

Two behemoths collided with a deafening crash on the barren plains outside Anhe City!

In that instant, the Spiritual Qi for a hundred miles around instantly boiled, transforming into a violent, turbulent flow.

The Nether Ghost God Dharma Aspect, controlled by Mr. Youquan, let out a heaven-shaking roar. Its arms were wreathed in a pitch-black nether river, and every punch it threw was accompanied by the sonic waves of ten thousand wailing ghosts.

The earth cracked beneath its feet. Countless pieces of rubble floated into the air, defying gravity, only to be ground into dust.

Yet, facing it was Lin Qingfeng. His Sword God Dharma Aspect, shimmering with a platinum divine radiance, met the Nether Ghost God’s assault with the ease of a leisurely stroll.

ZZZZT—

Mr. Youquan gave it his all, his demonic claws tearing at the sky in an attempt to rip the brilliant divine aspect to shreds.

However, the seventy-two light swords behind Lin Qingfeng spun ceaselessly. Every block was perfectly timed, and every counterattack forced Mr. Youquan back on the defensive.

"Sir... who in the world are you?!"

Unable to break through after a prolonged assault, and with his Dharma Aspect’s projection growing unstable from a few blasts of Sword Qi, Mr. Youquan finally grew anxious. He manipulated his aspect to retreat and create distance while demanding in a harsh voice:

"To possess such a magnificent Sword Intent, you can’t possibly be a nobody! Who exactly are you?!"

From the brow of the Sword God Dharma Aspect, Lin Qingfeng looked down upon the somewhat pathetic black figure and calmly uttered, "The leader of the righteous path, from the Guixi Sect—Lin Qingfeng."

’Guixi Sect, Lin Qingfeng?’

Mr. Youquan’s heart shook. He knew of the Guixi Sect, but he had never heard of Lin Qingfeng. When his people had gone to ’pay their respects’ to the Celestial Furnace Sect, they hadn’t mentioned him...

’Someone with such terrifying Sword Intent should absolutely not be a nobody!’

’And he calls himself righteous? Was that just a casual remark, or... has the Guixi Sect long been absorbed by the righteous path?’

’And if the righteous path’s factions had secretly absorbed this sect long ago, does that mean they’ve set some kind of trap here? Do they no longer care about the life or death of the Ancient Immortal Vine?’

...

「Abyssal Rift Dungeon - Deep」

This place, which should have been a beast-infested lair where no living person dared to tread, had now become a bizarre and phantasmagorical slaughterhouse.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Multicolored lights from magic effects flashed wildly in the darkness. Countless beasts, once ferocious and terrifying, were now being hunted down and cornered by a mob of lunatics with IDs floating above their heads, their miserable cries rising and falling in succession.

Many people from the Guixi Sect who had come here to have fun were currently grinding mobs.

And in the very center of the battlefield, a vacuum had been forcibly cleared.

Shi Gandang, clad in heavy armor and leaning on a giant hammer, looked at the black coffin behind him. "Ji! Are you done forming your Nascent Soul yet?!"

"Hurry up, don’t keep the Guild Master waiting!"