Chapter 75

Black Mountain Old Demon self-destructed, leaving the disciples of various sects unprepared, resulting in heavy casualties among the cultivators.

"Master!"

As the dust settled, Xiao Yixuan helped Zhang Daoyuan up from the pile of rubble. Zhang Daoyuan, who had faced Black Mountain Old Demon directly, was the most severely injured, with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth and multiple wounds on his body. Zhang Daoyuan practiced the Virtuous Dao, cultivating the qi in his heart, not seeking immortality but rather to establish merit, fame, and virtue, which made his physical constitution far less robust than that of other cultivators.

Swallowing the pill given by Dan Yuanzi, Zhang Daoyuan looked at the heavily injured disciples of the Daoist sect, feeling a deep sense of sorrow. This operation to eliminate Black Mountain Old Demon had ended in complete failure. Fortunately, the Sacred Imperial Edict could return to Chang'an on its own; otherwise, losing the Sacred Imperial Edict would have left Zhang Daoyuan too ashamed to return.

"Cough, cough..."

The surviving Daoist cultivators were all injured, swallowing the pills given by Dan Yuanzi and sitting cross-legged to recover.

"Alas, it's a pity. Black Mountain Old Demon managed to escape with his divine soul and even self-destructed. With Black Mountain Old Demon on the loose, the world will surely see more turmoil. Tonight, our Daoist sect suffered heavy casualties. We need to prepare in advance. Master, I bid you farewell!"

Yang Yuan, dragging his injured body, bowed to Zhang Daoyuan and was about to leave with the seven or eight surviving disciples.

"Uncle Yang, wait."

Renyaoxiao, dressed in a green robe with his black hair disheveled, had not been seriously injured in the explosion.

Yang Yuan looked at Renyaoxiao.

"Right now, the Daoist sect has suffered heavy casualties. If the demon and evil cultivators ambush us on the way, no one will be able to escape."

Renyaoxiao sighed lightly. The demon and evil cultivators were all cunning, retreating quickly with minimal losses.

"Renyaoxiao is right. At a time like this, the demon and evil cultivators won't miss the chance to strike the Daoist sect. I think it's safer for us to travel together. We should head to the nearest city, recover, and then contact our sects before continuing."

Yuxian Dao Zhenxuan's white dress was stained with blood, her eyes cold and filled with worry as she glanced at her severely injured disciples.

"Amitabha, this poor monk also agrees with Renyaoxiao. We should first check if any more disciples are still alive. Layman Dan Yuanzi, this poor monk would like to ask for a few more pills."

Zhenxuan the monk recited a Buddhist chant. Many of the monks from White Horse Temple had died, and the temple was not skilled in alchemy. Without timely treatment, some disciples would surely die.

"Master, you are too kind. It is my duty, but I don't have many pills left. We need to contact our sects as soon as possible." Dan Yuanzi quickly took out a gourd from his waist and poured out several pills.

Renyaoxiao looked at Black Mountain. "We still have some disciples in the village. Let's go there to recover. As for Black Mountain Old Demon, we can deal with him later."

"Alas, a calamity..."

The elders of the various sects sighed, leading their injured disciples toward the village.

"Hehe, this Renyaoxiao is quite a character." On a pile of rubble, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect stood in the wind, with several injured demon cultivators behind him.

Black Mountain's self-destruction also caused many casualties among the evil and demon cultivators, but not as severe as those of the Daoist sect.

A black shadow flew in from the distance and landed. "Young Master!"

"How did it go? Did you see which direction Black Mountain Old Demon went?"

"West to Wuzhou City."

The young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect nodded slightly. "Black Mountain Old Demon is extremely cunning and must have a backup plan. His determination to self-destruct indicates that he has prepared a new body somewhere. Even if he is a Great Yi Scattered Immortal's soul, he cannot possess a body within a day. If the Underworld's soul catchers find him, he will be taken to the Underworld to become a ghost cultivator. You all go back first; I will go and check."

With that, the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect disappeared, leaving the demon cultivators in shock, looking at each other.

At Lanruo Temple, bodies lay everywhere, the air filled with the scent of blood.

The surviving treasure hall had become a ruin, with the bodies of various monsters scattered on the ground. In the back courtyard of Lanruo Temple, a well emitted the sounds of ghostly roars and fierce battles.

Ning Wuxie arrived at Lanruo Temple, looking at the bodies on the ground, his heart filled with shock, especially at the sword wounds on the bodies, each one lethal. On the body of a transformed bear monster, a sword was still embedded, causing him to frown.

"Isn't this Yan Chixia's Red Dragon Sword?"

He pulled out the Red Dragon Sword, which was now just a broken piece, humming softly.

"Kill... these demons and monsters must be killed!"

Yan Chixia's angry shout echoed, and Ning Wuxie quickly moved to the well, where withered vines entangled, and a thick aura of demonic energy permeated, with occasional flashes of light.

Ning Wuxie leaped into the well. This abandoned well of Lanruo Temple had been unused for many years. The well walls were broken, and the sounds of battle came from inside. Curious about why Yan Chixia was here, he concealed his presence and quietly entered.

Inside the well, many demon and monster bodies lay scattered, blood pooling on the ground.

Blades and swords clashed, and Ning Wuxie hid behind a rock, peering inside.

In a rock cave the size of a basketball court, lit by torches, over a dozen monsters were surrounding three figures.

In the center of the cave, the roots of an ancient tree, thick enough for several people to encircle, had been severed. On the roots, a tender green sapling glowed with a thousand rays of light, crystal clear, and a faint divine radiance shone down.

Sword light flickered, and Yan Chixia held a long sword enveloped in evil energy. The sword emitted a malevolent aura, and wherever its light passed, no one could resist. Even Yan Chixia himself was now surrounded by evil energy, his eyes tightly closed, blood streaming down his cheeks.

Ning Wuxie could see clearly that the blood was from where his eyes had been gouged out, the blood now dried but not wiped away.

Beside Yan Chixia were a red-dressed tree spirit and a beautiful young woman from the stream. Both were ruthless in their attacks. The tree spirit, the weakest, used a red ribbon to fend off a transformed monster, while the young woman from the stream, more powerful, wielded two golden rings that glowed brightly, moving up and down.

The most formidable, however, was Yan Chixia. In just a month, his aura had changed dramatically, from righteous to evil, and his strength had broken into the Qi Cultivation realm. With the evil sword in his hand, he alone struck fear into the hearts of the cave's demons and monsters.

"Hurry, something has happened at Black Mountain."

The tree spirit looked anxious, trying to break through to the tree roots. Seven or eight surviving monsters guarded the roots, including two Qi Cultivation realm tiger monsters, each wielding a large saber, fierce and menacing.

"Friend in the shadows, why don't you come out and help!"

Yan Chixia's ears twitched, and he shouted, swinging his sword.

Ning Wuxie was startled. Before he could step out, a white-robed young man flew in, holding a folding fan, landing gracefully. He was handsome, with a pale complexion, and was none other than the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

"Yan Chixia, I didn't expect this..."

The young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect looked at Yan Chixia, laughing, and then glanced at the crystal sapling on the tree roots. "So, Black Mountain, your backup plan is this? Transforming yourself, turning evil into righteousness, and converting extreme yin into pure yang?"

The intervention of the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect immediately caused both sides to separate. Yan Chixia's ears twitched, and he remained expressionless. "So, it's the young master of the Heavenly Demon Sect!"