A man’s voice than sounded out, “But if we don’t kill them, they will enter Kunwu Hall and take out the four spirit medallions there. I fear we may fall under their control.” In a flash of azure light, the Silver-winged Nightfiend made an appearance.
The woman snorted and indifferently said, “That’s if they can. Do you think the restrictions aren’t sufficient? The Greatnorth Essence Lights in particular are impossible to deal with. Anybody wishing to enter Kunwu Hall is seeking death.”
The Silver-winged Nightfiend calmly said, “Fellow Daoist Gui, that isn’t certain. The Greatnorth Essence Lights may be fearsome, but they have late-Nascent Soul cultivators amongst them. One of them could have a magic tool that could control it. And don’t you want to take this opportunity to take those control medallions? Although we emerged from the Spirit Prison Formation, we still won’t be able to take a step outside this mountain.”
Chapter 1007: The Beasts Plot
When the horned woman heard the Silver-winged Nightfiend mention the restriction medallions, her expression turned and her voice grew harsh, “The spiritual Qi here is perfect. Why would I want to leave? Although I don’t know what is happening to the outside world, I doubt I will find a better place for cultivation there. I will stay here until I ascend to the next realm.”
The Silver-winged Nightfiend frowned, “Fellow Daoist Gui, you should know that the seal is already shattered. You won’t be able to continue cultivating here peacefully, and there is no need to tolerate what will happen. Furthermore, we do have a friendship of some sort, so how about we face this crisis together?”
The horned woman nodded with a more relaxed composure, “We do have some friendship. You were the refined corpse of a human, and those cultivators nurtured the Lion Hawk and I before sealing us in the Spirit Prison Formations.”
“Kunwu Hall has restrictions that are specially put in place to repel us and we aren’t normally capable of going near it. But now there are humans leading the way. So long as we quietly follow behind them, when the time comes, it will be easy for us to both acquire our restriction medallions and dispose of them.”
The horned woman’s heart stirred, but contrary to how to she felt, she snorted and coldly said, “You speak of it as if were as easy as that. There are many of them present, even some late-Nascent Soul cultivators. You even mentioned that there was a particularly troublesome cultivator who possessed a Divine Spirit Treasure. When the time comes, we might be putting our own head on the platter. I would loathe being imprisoned once more. Wouldn’t it be better to ignore those restriction medallions and sleep in the depths of the mountain’s spirit veins for a thousand years? By then, even if they acquired the medallions, they won’t be able to bother us.”
The nightfiend seemed to have lost his patience and sullenly said, “Don’t forget, Fellow Daoist Gui, I am quite skilled in earth movement techniques.”
The woman icily leered at the Silver-winged Nightfiend, “What do you mean?”
“It’s quite simple,” the nightfiend indifferently said, “If my restriction medallion is seized by the humans, they can ask me anything I know. Do you think that they will let go of the demon core of a grade-ten Vast Cliff Tortoise?”
The woman scowled in annoyance, “Fine, how about we hide together then?”
The nightfiend bluntly spoke, “I cannot forgo a great opportunity like this one I cannot stay on this damnable mountain. Without Yin Moon Essence, I will eternally be unable to evolve into a Gold-clad Lunar Corpse.”
The woman snorted and suddenly jumped a meter into the air, shouting, “Are you threatening me?!”
With a wave of his wings, he chuckled and coldly said, “I’m not threatening you. Fellow Daoist Gui needs to come to a decision. Don’t forget that you owe me a favor as well. Don’t you remember when the ancient cultivators placed a berserker curse on us to seal our intelligence. Were it not for the Clear Void Pill I split with you, you would've become bloodthirsty and violent rather than take on the form you have today.”
“Of course, I remember.” When she was reminded of the berserker curse, her arrogance nearly disappeared.
After a moment of silence, she sighed once more, “We shouldn’t forget about the fourth guardian that should’ve teleported here too. We still haven’t seen it, nor do we know its form. If we can all join hands, I will consider it.”
The nightfiend shook his head and said, “I’ve already looked all over, but I haven’t found the location of the fourth Spirit Prison Formation, nor any trace of a demon or ghost. Perhaps the fourth guardian wasn’t very lucky and had already passed away. After all, it didn’t have a Clear Void Pill to hold back the curse. The possibility of surviving after running rampant for this many years doesn’t seem very likely. And even if it managed to survive, we don’t have any more time to look for them.”
When the woman heard this, her expression wavered.
A moment later, she let out one more sigh, having come to a decision, and affirmed with a clear tone, “Since you raised the matter of the Clear Void Pill, I will assist you this one time. But, after we acquire our restriction medallions, we will immediately leave. I don’t want to stay on this cursed mountain; I want to find an uninhabited place where I can peacefully cultivate.”
“That will do. So long as we have freedom, we can cultivate anywhere in this world.” The nightfiend smiled. As the Vast Cliff Tortoise was a fraction stronger than he, she would prove to be of great assistance.
Maintaining a calm exterior, the horned woman then said, “But before we take action, we will need a plan. Since they know that two of you exist, we will need to be careful and not get caught into any of their traps.”
“Naturally!” The nightfiend agreed without any hesitation.
As for the Lion Hawk, it raised its head and let out a caw.
The three beasts had a quiet discussion by the huge tree, and after the time it took to finish a meal, they soared into the sky and flew in the direction of the stone steps.
In the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight and left only wind in their wake.
But not long after, another large tree nearby suddenly shook and quickly shrank. Green light shined in a barrier around it and protrusions emerged from its surface to reveal two large verdant eyes.
The eyes were as shiny as glass and looked around, emotionlessly glancing in the direction that the three had disappeared.
It was truly inconceivable. A beast was able to hide itself near three high-grade existances.
After its eyes looked at the sky for a long while, green flashed from around it along a gust of wind, and the tree disappeared into the ground.
...
After Han Li and company spotted the Lion Hawk, they quickly flew out of the stone hall.
After they emerged, they quickly noticed a restriction preventing flight and all fell to the ground.
Much like those before, they also rejoiced upon finding this as it meant they had finally arrived at an important place on Kunwu Mountain.
“What’s that?” Bai Yaoyi glanced at the stone stairways in the distance with complete shock.
The others quickly followed her gaze and discovered the winding stone stairs flanked by a huge verdant forest.
The forest was densely filled with huge purple bamboo stalks and covered an area as far as the eye could see, completely concealing the white jade plaza from view.
The bottom of the forest was filled with a faint purple Qi that emitted an astonishing spiritual pressure, enough to cause the cultivators’ hearts to tremble.
Hua Tianqi examined the scene and solemnly said, “The restriction seems to be vastly superior to the Absolute Ice-Fire Formation. This should be the last one. Once we break through, we’ll be able to pursue them without pause.”
“In that case, what are we waiting for?” Old Devil Qian let out a wild cackle and the cinque devils shined before shooting into the forest.
Hua Tianqi hesitated for a moment before following
after and leading the Sacred Poison Sect Elders into the purple forest.
“Let’s go as well. Yi! Brother Han, what are you doing?” Just as he was about to set off, he saw Han Li wear an unsightly expression and paused in alarm.
With a deep breath, his face returned to normal, “It’s nothing. Let’s go.” Then with a blur, he leaped ten meters into the air without another thought.
The old man stroked his chin. Although he felt somewhat doubtful, he that knew now wasn’t the time and quickly followed after him.
Unbeknownst to Old Man Fu, the Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords within his body had all trembled, signifying that the Elder Devil was present on this mountain. He wasn’t able to stop himself from grimacing afterwards.
‘Could it be that the Elder Devil is with the parties of cultivators ahead of us? How did that devil find this mountain? And what sinister designs does that devil have in coming here?’
As a string of thoughts rapidly flooded Han Li’s mind, he was thrown into turmoil.
With the Triflame Fan and the late-Nascent Soul stage puppet, he wasn’t particularly fearful of the Elder Devil, but it was truly too strange of a coincidence for it to make an appearance here.
His encounters with the Elder Devil were still fresh in his mind, and he felt a deep sense of foreboding.
At that moment, Old Devil Qian arrived in front of the forest and released streams of grey glacial from the cinque devils hands.
In response, the bamboo forest let out a series of hums and seven pillars of purple light shot out from various areas into the sky. The purple Qi within seemed to have come to life and resisted the grey glacial Qi in a wave as if they were two beasts trying to rend each other apart.
Afterwards, the Sacred Poison Sect Elders and the group of vagrant cultivators quickly arrived and unleashed their own attacks to the formation without hesitation, brightly lighting up the air around them.
As for Han Li, he silently spat out several flying swords and joined in the assault as he wondered on other matters.
Chapter 1008: Master Sable
Deep underground in Nanjiang, there were several hundreds of cultivators gathered around the opening of the seal to Kunwu Mountain.
Because of the illusion formation’s explosion, the ten-meter opening was rendered unstable. Silver light continuously flowed from it as if waves were wandering across everything around it.
There were many vagrants and those from minor sects that were watching what was happening from a distance, but more importantly were several groups that had gathered near the opening in a deadlock.
Among them were a party of women who had youthful and beautiful appearances. Their emerald-green robes and adornments revealed them to be natives to Nanjiang. One of their elders possessed mid-Nascent Soul cultivation with an ordinary appearance, and their other elder possessed early-Nascent Soul cultivation though younger and more beautiful.
The women were facing a group of men that appeared in their thirties. Strangely enough, a portion of them wore black robes and the other white ones.
Leading them were a group of five Nascent Soul cultivators. Ge Tianhao and the Endless Sky Saintess Lin Yinping were among them. But the most notable of all was an elegant youth that stood at the saintess’ side. From his spiritual Qi fluctuations, he was clearly a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. He was the Endless Sky Plains’ Grand Immortal Xu.
As for the last group, they were the smallest, consisting of three azure-robed cultivators, headed by an old white-haired Daoist with an otherworldly bearing. He was a late-Nascent Soul cultivator known as Master Sable.
Master Sable looked at the green-robed mid-Nascent Soul woman with a stern expression and said, “Lady Mu, there is no need for your esteemed sect to join the fray. I don’t hold you in contempt, rather I fear your Immortal Form Sect would be greatly damaged if anything were to happen during this dangerous trip. Due to our past friendship, I am doing my best to dissuade you.”
It was clear from his tone that he was rather affectionate of the woman.
Lady Mu indifferently replied, “Master Sable, even if the High Zenith Sect is the top sect of the Righteous Dao, you can’t be this overbearing. The seal is clearly within the range of my sect’s authority. How can you prevent me from entering? My sect cares not for the danger either.”
The group of women belonged to the largest sect nearest to the seal, the Immortal Form Sect.
Their fame was even greater than that of the Sacred Poison Sects. A majority of its disciples were women. But most of its fame came from the resounding, sinister power of its unblockable curses. It is said that they were capable of killing someone thousands of kilometers away.
There would often be news of the death of someone who offended their sect, no matter how far they fled. This inspired fear in the cultivation world and none dared to rashly offend them.
One of their famous figures was Lady Mu, who was said to have killed three similarly-ranked cultivators in a single day, all at different locations. From actions of the past, she also had a mutual grudge of sorts against Master Sable.
Even so, Master Sable had no choice but to act with the utmost politeness despite being amongst the most powerful figures in the Great Jin.
After this was said, Ge Tianhao then interjected, “Fellow Daoist Sable, I won’t mention the circumstances of others, but our Yin Sifting Sect will be heading in.”
Ge Tianhao accompanied the cultivators from the Endless Sky Plains and had the company of two elders from his own sects. When he found out about the matter of the seal, he had hurried over. Now that he understood that the strength of his own party rivaled that of the High Zenith Sects, he wasn’t about to easily back down.
Master Sable wasn’t angered by their words, and instead turned to look at the silver light emitting from the seal’s opening. He then nonchalantly said, “If Fellow Daoist Ge wishes to head in, I will not block you. In truth, I had acquired secret information that the opening of this seal was man-made. Although I don’t know what’s inside, I can’t imagine it to be good. Besides, even without me blocking the way, the opening has become unstable.”
Lady Mu and Ge Tianhao turned silent. This problem wouldn’t be easily solved.
The violent fluctuations of energy at the opening would make it extremely dangerous to enter.
Lady Mu swept away a strand of hair from her forehand and slowly said, “Our Immortal Form Sect had acquired a Sun Moon Shuttle recently. It can be considered a rare treasure that can be used in both attack and defense. My Junior Martial Sister and I are willing to join hands and make an attempt.”
Master Sable spoke with surprise, “You actually acquired the Sun Moon Shuttle? It’s one of the three great shuttle treasures.”
“It was only something we acquired in passing,” Lady Mu said with indifference, “I was thinking of having it become a legacy treasure of our sect.”
Master Sable nodded and said, “In that case, I won’t say anything further. You are free to do as you wish. As for me, I will wait another two days before entering.”
“Two days? Didn’t you say you weren’t going to enter?” Ge Tianhao asked with a trace of doubt.
Master Sable twirled his beard and said, “I said no such thing. In two days time, the Heavenly Devil Sect’s Brother Sevenwonders will come. With his Spirit Tortoise Carriage, we won’t have trouble entering the seal.”
“Daoist Sevenwonders is on his way?” Ge Tianhao spoke with alarm.
Master Sable leisurely said, “Correct. I’ve received a secret report that this matter involves both the Righteous and Devilish Dao. Fellow Daoist Sevenwonders and I have taken charge and we’ve investigated separate matters near Nanjiang. I’ve managed to find clues and have requested Brother Sevenwonders to give me some assistance. If the report is true, I believe it will be far too dangerous for me to tackle this alone. “
When he heard that Daoist Sevenwonders was coming personally, his expression turned unsightly. After a moment of gloomy silence, his li
ps stirred as he sent a voice transmission to the Endless Sky Saintess and Grand Immortal Xu.
Grand Immortal Xu’s expression remained unchanged but the Endless Sky Saintess tensely frowned.
When Ge Tianhao saw this, he hastily sent a few more messages and Immortal Xu eventually nodded. As for the Endless Sky Saintess, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to remain silent.
Ge Tianhao’s expression relaxed and he decisively said, “From Fellow Daoist Sable’s tone, there seems to be a significant problem with the seal. However, the grand elder of my sect has already entered, I cannot stand idle. Although I don’t have treasures on the level of the Sun Moon Shuttle and the Spirit Tortoise Carriage, I will have to make an attempt.”
Master Sable glanced at the Grand Immortal Xu for a moment and chuckled with a calm face, “I can understand that you are confident and am I not so classless as to obstruct you. If you have the ability to pass through, then please go ahead.”
It seemed the old Daoist knew the identity of the Endless Sky cultivators in their party.
“In that case, I won’t refuse.” Ge Tianhao chuckled and turned to his side, “Fellow Daoist Xu, I’ll have to trouble you.”
“Since Brother Ge made the request, I’ll give it a try.” Immortal Xu slapped the spirit beast pouch at his waist and light swept out from it to reveal a rainbow peacock. It was a meter tall and had rings of light spread out across its feathers, making for a dazzling sight.
“A Keen Spirit Peacock!” Master Sable narrowed his eyes with a trace of surprise.
“That’s right. Its innate rainbow light is capable of isolating worldly spiritual Qi. We’ll be using that to enter. If you would excuse us, we’ll be heading in first.”
The peacock let out a clear cry and charged into the silver light released from the seal’s opening. Then, the party each released their own protective magic treasures and rushed in without any hesitation.
In the blink of an eye, all that remained behind were the low-grade attainers and disciples.
After witnessing that they all entered without a problem, the rest of their group quickly left, following the orders they were previously given.
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