Volume 1 Volume 6 Chapter 71

Volume 6 Chapter 71: The Great Battle Approaches (Part 3)

"Black Emperor Cliff," where thousands of cultivators once attacked the Demon Ancestor. After an earth-shaking battle, the Demon Ancestor fell, and the extraordinary magic treasure, the "Nine Demon Beads," scattered across the land. The righteous cultivators also suffered heavy losses. According to ancient records, "Black Emperor Cliff" is the highest mountain in the Shenzhou Continent, extremely steep. But now, it appeared just as an ordinary, low cliff with no unusual features. The once towering peak had been destroyed in that epic battle, highlighting the intensity of the fight that took place then.

At this moment, a hundred miles south of "Black Emperor Cliff," many cultivators were slowly flying in. The cultivators were spread out widely, each several miles apart, flying at a very slow speed, using various detection techniques as if they were searching for something.

These cultivators were led by Fan Xiaoyao from the "Xingyin Sect." They were currently seeking the whereabouts of the "Ming" organization. Because they were far away, they had not yet received the call from the Righteous Alliance.

Although the "Xingyin Sect" is not a large sect, due to its leader Fan Xiaoyao’s master, Scholar Buxing, who is the Grandmaster right after Immortal Zizhen, Mr. Liu, and Li Fulu in the Righteous Alliance, Fan Xiaoyao knew in advance about the "Ming" organization’s secret plans to release the "Shura Clan."

Although Fan Xiaoyao’s name has "Xiaoyao" in it, he is very straightforward, showing his good or bad nature on the surface. He hated Xu Qingfan so much that everyone knew it, but when the Righteous Alliance was surrounded by demon beasts, he put aside his grudge and informed Xu Qingfan about the whereabouts of several masters, helping Xu Qingfan achieve great success, which shows his character.

When he learned about the secret of the "Ming" organization, Fan Xiaoyao immediately returned to his sect’s gathering place without any hesitation, bringing the remaining cultivators of his sect, and quickly left "Ronghua Mountain" to search all over the Shenzhou Continent.

Half a year later, Fan Xiaoyao and his cultivators were still empty-handed, growing increasingly anxious. As a result, his disciples also suffered, with Fan Xiaoyao scolding them for thirteen consecutive days, making everyone feel frightened and nervous.

Years ago, Xu Qingfan hated the "Xingyin Sect" for not saving them, and after some schemes, half of the elite from the "Xingyin Sect" had died or been injured. Now, among the cultivators searching the Shenzhou Continent with Fan Xiaoyao, only sixty to seventy skilled practitioners remained, including eleven Condensed Core Stage experts, while the rest were all at the Lingji Stage.

Among them, Li Lingbai is the best. He is Fan Xiaoyao’s junior brother, and his skills are comparable to Fan Xiaoyao’s. In terms of rank, he is second only to Fan Xiaoyao in the "Xingyin Sect."

One day, after another disciple of the "Xingyin Sect" was scolded by Fan Xiaoyao for not being careful during a search, Li Lingbai flew to Fan Xiaoyao’s side and comforted him, saying, "Senior brother, these kids have been following you and me around the Shenzhou Continent for such a long time. They are tired, so it’s normal for them to be a little careless…"

But before Li Lingbai could finish, Fan Xiaoyao interrupted, saying, "It’s okay to be careless at any time, but not at this moment!"

Li Lingbai frowned slightly and said slowly, "Senior brother, six months ago you made us anxious, taking us all over the Shenzhou Continent to search for the ‘Ming’ organization without a clear goal. You seemed very urgent along the way. What has happened? I have asked you three times, and you always said that the secrets of heaven cannot be disclosed, but six months have passed, so I think you should tell me. This way, my search will be more purposeful."

Fan Xiaoyao frowned and was about to refuse, but he sighed instead, realizing that with the date of the Shura Clan’s return drawing near, it was time for everyone to know about these matters.

So after a brief hesitation, Fan Xiaoyao said to Li Lingbai, "Gather everyone. I have something to say."

Li Lingbai nodded in agreement and was just about to leave when a disciple of the "Xingyin Sect" flew quickly toward them. After reaching Fan Xiaoyao, he didn’t even catch his breath before bowing deeply and saying, "Reporting to sect leader martial uncle, just now, Gongsun Martial Uncle discovered several cultivators wearing purple clothes near the ‘Black Emperor Cliff.’ At the same time, there are strange Spirit Qi fluctuations around the ‘Black Emperor Cliff,’ which seem to be some kind of formation restriction. Gongsun Martial Uncle did not dare to act recklessly and sent me to ask for your guidance, Martial Uncle."

Hearing the disciple’s words, both Fan Xiaoyao and Li Lingbai’s eyes lit up. Have they finally found the trail of the "Ming" organization?

"Do not act recklessly. Lingbai, follow me to investigate."

After six months of searching, there was finally a result, but Fan Xiaoyao’s eyes did not show joy. Instead, they became more serious. After pondering for a moment, he spoke to Li Lingbai beside him.

Li Lingbai nodded slightly and no longer paid attention to Fan Xiaoyao’s earlier instructions. He quietly followed Fan Xiaoyao, flying towards the direction of "Black Emperor Cliff."

"Senior Brother, look over there."

When Fan Xiaoyao flew a hundred miles away from "Black Emperor Cliff," Old Man Gongsun, who noticed something wrong first, came over, pointed at the top of "Black Emperor Cliff," and said to Fan Xiaoyao.

After Fan Xiaoyao used the "Sky Eye Skill," he could clearly see the scene from a hundred miles away. On "Black Emperor Cliff," there were densely packed figures of cultivators in purple robes, and that purple was the symbol of the "Ming" organization.

At the same time, Fan Xiaoyao also noticed that within a hundred miles of "Black Emperor Cliff," there was a faint and mysterious energy wave, which, although subtle, gave him a sense of immense danger.

"Senior Brother, what should we do?"

Li Lingbai asked.

"Whether or not this is the base of the ‘Ming’ organization, we must not alert them. We should take action carefully. After all, our task this time is only to search. Soon, I will use the ‘World-wide Communication Symbol’ to report the situation here to the masters of the Righteous Alliance, while you gather your disciples and remind them that they must not enter the area within a hundred miles of ‘Black Emperor Cliff.’ The restrictions here are extremely powerful."

Fan Xiaoyao’s expression was serious as he slowly spoke.

Li Lingbai nodded slightly and was about to turn around to inform the "Xingyin Sect" cultivator, while Fan Xiaoyao took out the "World-wide Communication Symbol" to tell the Righteous Alliance what he had seen and heard here.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

The "Xingyin Sect" disciple who had just been scolded by Fan Xiaoyao, filled with shame and anger, wanted to quickly and carefully check as Fan Xiaoyao asked. Without realizing it, he flew to the front of the group, entering the area within a hundred miles of the "Black Emperor Cliff."

Then, in that moment, it seemed as if the entire world trembled slightly; the space where that disciple was suddenly twisted, and in the next moment, the disciple turned into a cloud of blood mist!

"The barrier has been activated, run!"

Seeing all this, Fan Xiaoyao was shocked and could not continue using the "World-wide Communication Symbol." He shouted at the "Xingyin Sect" disciple.

However, the barrier around the "Black Emperor Cliff" had already begun to operate.

The sky above the "Black Emperor Cliff," which had been clear without a cloud just a moment ago, was suddenly filled with dark clouds and flashes of lightning the next instant.

At the same time, an immense pulling force came from around "Black Emperor Cliff." Many of the nearby disciples were caught off guard and pulled into the area of "Black Emperor Cliff." In the next moment, the space twisted, and lightning struck, instantly destroying everything!

Fan Xiaoyao, Li Lingbai, and Old Man Gongsun, being the most skilled, watched helplessly as their disciples were pulled beneath the dark clouds and killed. They could do nothing. Not only could they not save their disciples, but even with their Golden Core Stage skills, they were also slowly being moved towards "Black Emperor Cliff" by the tremendous pulling force.

Just as Fan Xiaoyao was about to be pulled under the dark clouds, the lightning that struck from those clouds was extremely powerful. As soon as he entered that area, Fan Xiaoyao would have no defense at all.

Finally, after failing to resist, watching Li Lingbai and Old Man Gongsun get killed amidst the raging thunder and lightning, with no magical methods or tools able to resist, a look of determination flashed in Fan Xiaoyao’s eyes. He took out the "World-wide Communication Symbol" once more, hurriedly wrote the words "Black Emperor Cliff, be careful" on it, and used a secret technique to transform it into a colorful light, sending it flying towards "Ronghua Mountain."

Because he was distracted, Fan Xiaoyao moved faster towards "Black Emperor Cliff," but seeing the "World-wide Communication Symbol" leave brought a hint of relief to his eyes.

"It’s a pity I can’t get revenge on Xu Qingfan."

Fan Xiaoyao thought regretfully before he died.

Suddenly, Fan Xiaoyao’s eyes widened in surprise, filled with disbelief.

The pulling force near "Black Emperor Cliff" was just too strong, and after flying for a while, the "World-wide Communication Symbol" was pulled towards "Black Emperor Cliff" at an even faster speed, and then shattered in a flash of lightning.

In the next moment, another bolt of lightning struck towards Fan Xiaoyao, instantly breaking the protective light around him. The next lightning bolt hit Fan Xiaoyao directly.

"Ah…"

A cry filled with pain and frustration echoed.

Just like that, the entire "Xingyin Sect" was destroyed, and before they died, they couldn’t even see their enemy’s face.

A gentle breeze blew through, the dark clouds over "Black Emperor Cliff" quickly vanished, sunlight poured down again, bringing peace and calm as if nothing had ever happened.

…

Meanwhile, inside the gloomy and eerie base of the "Ming" organization, the blood-red mist grew denser, the blood pool churned with blood, and the wailing of wronged souls filled the air. It was so thick that one couldn’t see even three feet away, and it carried a strong sense of evil.

As the disaster continued, the strength of the "Ming" organization weakened even more under the united attacks from all sides. Xuan and Huang had clearly betrayed the "Ming" organization, and Zhang Xusheng had also killed four core members of the "Ming" organization whom he had always disliked.

In the battles with the Righteous Alliance, three members were killed, including the Hall Master Man Tian of the "Eight Wilderness Hall," who was killed by Xu Qingfan’s hand.

"Ri," after being defeated by Xu Qingfan and others, has since sealed off the Western Desert and shows no intention of coming out.

Later, Lie Feng Qingtian, feeling that the "Ming" organization no longer helped him, also left the group and killed two key members of the "Ming" organization who tried to stop him.

The worst, however, was during the chaos caused by the Southern Wasteland demon beasts, when the "An" organization led countless demon beasts to attack the secret bases of the "Ming" organization throughout the Shenzhou Continent. In a short time, the members of the "Ming" organization, whether low-ranking or core members, suffered heavy casualties.

Now, several years later, the "Ming" organization gathered again to discuss their master, but on the sixteen Demonic Figurines, only five purple-clad cultivators sat scattered.

These five purple-clad cultivators were the only remaining core members of the "Ming" organization.

Among these five cultivators, besides the two mysterious leaders of the "Ming" organization, "Tian" and "Di," the others were the Mahayana Stage practitioners "Yu" and "Zhou," two wicked masters, and Zhang, who joined the "Ming" organization at the same time as Feng Qingtian but has always been low-key and unremarkable.

Even the two elders "Tian" and "Di," who always regarded the "Ming" organization as a tool to be discarded at any time, felt a sense of inexplicable loss and sadness when they saw the "Ming" organization, once capable of challenging the righteous path, now in such a fallen state. After all, even if it was just a tool, it was created by their own hands.

Thinking about the upcoming return of the "Shura Clan," "Tian," who originally held a bit of hesitation, returned to his usual indifference, while "Di," sitting beside him, showed no joy or sorrow, and no one knew what he was truly thinking.

In the dim light, the atmosphere felt solemn. The five people in the room each had their own thoughts. Although they had been there for half an hour, none of them spoke first; a strange silence filled the hollow mountain.

"Everyone, this is our last gathering."

Finally, "Tian" was the first to speak, breaking the silence in the room.

"I brought you all into the ‘Ming’ organization, agreeing that you would serve me for three hundred years without questioning the reason. In return, I promised to fulfill your deepest desires. Now, only one year remains, and from the original fourteen, only ‘Zhou’, the Taoist friend, is left."

As he spoke, "Tian" gave a slight nod to "Zhou", who was sitting on the ‘Zhou’ Demonic Figurine. At that moment, "Zhou" seemed lost in thought and hesitated for a moment before nodding back.

While talking, "Tian" turned to "Yu" and Zhang, frowning slightly. Over the years, "Yu" and Zhang had always worked hard and showed great loyalty, but he had never truly understood their backgrounds.

Zhang was just a master at the Golden Core Stage, which was fine, but "Yu", as a grand master, had an eerie aura and an unusual cultivation method that shouldn’t belong to an unknown person. "Tian" had been in the cultivation world for tens of thousands of years and usually knew all the masters. However, he had never heard of "Yu". If it weren’t for "Ming" suffering serious losses in power these years, "Tian" would never have allowed "Yu" to join the "Ming" organization.

Although after years of observation, "Tian" had come to trust "Yu" and Zhang greatly, this was a critical moment, and with two strangers involved, he still felt uneasy.

However, in the end, "Tian" kept his unease hidden deep in his heart; he had no other choice now.

"Tian" looked deeply at "Yu" and "Zhang" and said, "Although both of you have only joined my ‘Ming’ organization in recent years, our agreement will still last until next year. I have done my best to fulfill your needs over the years and have never been late."

Saying this, "Tian" nodded towards "Yu" and "Zhang," who showed no hesitation and nodded back in response.

"Tian" looked around at the three people, except for "Di," and then said, "Our agreement will end here, and the plan with ‘Di’ is at its most critical moment. At this time, I ask everyone to help as much as you can."

After hearing "Tian," "Zhou" hesitated for a moment without speaking, "Zhang" remained low-key and silent as always, while "Yu" said, "We don’t know what to do, so please instruct us, ‘Tian’."

"Tian" spoke slowly, "The Righteous Alliance has been pressing us for years, focusing their strength to find our traces. Although Zhang Xusheng may not know what to do at this moment, he likely has many plans against us. I am not afraid, but at such a crucial time, I do not wish for any accidents because of them. If I am not mistaken, the Righteous Alliance will soon find us here."

Hearing "Tian," the other three were shocked, while "Di" continued to sit quietly with closed eyes. "Zhou" was the first to ask, "This place is so hidden that even we arrive here through the teleportation circle without knowing its exact location. How could the Righteous Alliance find out in such a short time?"

"Tian’s" gaze suddenly turned very cold as he said slowly, "Have you all forgotten about Zhang Xusheng? Although you do not know the exact location, Zhang Xusheng likely does. With his nature, he will not allow my plan to succeed easily, so I suspect he will reveal the exact location to the Righteous Alliance at the most critical time, watching us fight and become wounded while he benefits."

Hearing "Tian," everyone felt a chill in their hearts, but thinking about Zhang Xusheng’s past actions made it very likely.

The usually silent "Zhang" suddenly asked, "Then can’t we move and avoid their attention?"

"Tian" shook his head and said, "We cannot give up here. I have worked hard for many years, and my grand plan must be realized here, so even if the Righteous Alliance attacks, we must stand firm."

Hearing "Tian’s" explanation, Zhang no longer said anything and returned to his usual silence, his head slightly bowed, hiding the flicker in his eyes.

"But we don’t know how you want us three to act, senior ‘Tian’?"

"Yu" asked.

"Tian" did not answer but instead asked, "I believe you all must be very curious about where we are, right?"

"Yu," "Zhou," and Zhang all nodded. They had indeed been very curious over the years. Although they had tried to investigate, they could not find out.

"This is the place three thousand zhang beneath the ‘Black Emperor Cliff.’ It was here that the Demon Ancestor fell many years ago."

Saying this, "Tian" slightly turned his head to glance at "Di" next to him.

Hearing "Tian" say this, everyone was shocked again. They had not expected to be beneath the "Black Emperor Cliff," and they were surprised to find themselves three thousand zhang underground. Until now, they thought this place was just a natural mountain cave; digging three thousand zhang deep to create such a large cavern was truly rare since ancient times.

"Tian" ignored the surprise of the three and continued, "I have gathered all the remaining external cultivators from the ‘Ming’ organization. They are now gathered at the ‘Black Emperor Cliff.’ Although my ‘Ming’ organization has faced many hardships over the years, there are still two hundred cultivators at the Condensed Core Stage and about five hundred lower-level cultivators. Furthermore, I have set up the strongest ‘Zhu Xian Tu Shen Great Formation’ outside the ‘Black Emperor Cliff.’ With this formation’s help, the three of you can withstand the full force attacks of more than ten masters for six months. My grand plan will be completed in three months. I would like to ask the three of you for help in defending for three months. After that, I will naturally send you away through a teleportation array, and our grudges will be settled. What do you think?"

After hearing "Tian’s" words, "Yu," "Zhou," and Zhang fell silent. Although they had the help of the "Evil Extermination Formation," they still felt unsure about facing the entire Righteous Alliance.

"I disagree."

After a moment of silence, "Zhou" suddenly spoke.

Then, "Zhou" stood up, and with a wave of his sleeve, four or five ancient books appeared at his feet.

"These cultivation methods were the benefits you gave me when I joined the ‘Underworld’ organization. Now I return them to you. Let me leave the ‘Underworld’ organization, and we will have no grievances against each other. How about that?"

Hearing "Zhou’s" words, "Tian" sneered coldly and said, "You really have a good plan. You have already mastered these cultivation methods and reached your current level with their help. Now you want to return them to me? You surely have a clever scheme."

"Zhou" coldly replied, "You are the one with a good plan. I don’t care what your big scheme is, but I believe it will end up saving your life. But now you want us three to face the fourteen masters of the Righteous Alliance? Even with the formation’s help, how is that different from seeking death? I may have practiced these cultivation methods, but have I not worked for you all these years?"

As he spoke, dark mist slowly surrounded "Zhou," wrapping him in shadows. Seeing the mist, both "Yu" and Zhang shivered slightly.

"Absolute Defense Barrier," though it has a simple name, is the strongest defensive technique of the dark arts and very difficult to master. Even a top master at the Soul Splitting Stage would take half a day to break it. No wonder "Zhou" dared to openly reject "Tian’s" order; it turned out he had such a method.

At the same time, a faint light appeared under "Zhou," signaling the start of the teleportation array to leave.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

From the blood pool below the Demonic Figurine, more than ten beams of blood light suddenly shot out. The power of these beams was so great that each one surpassed the full strength of a master-level cultivator. Although the "Absolute Defense Barrier" had extremely strong defense, it was still unable to withstand such a terrifying attack. In the next moment, both the "Absolute Defense Barrier" and "Zhou" turned to ash, and "Zhou" didn’t even have time to let out a scream before dying.

"What do you both think?"

"Tian" turned his gaze toward "Yu" and Zhang. His previous politeness changed to a grim tone as he slowly asked.

"Yu" and Zhang were still in shock and took a moment to recover. After a while, they quickly bowed and said, "Of course, we obey."

"Tian" nodded in satisfaction. After two flashes of light, the teleportation array activated, and "Yu" and Zhang found themselves on top of "Black Emperor Cliff", looking at the crowd of black-clothed cultivators and exchanging rueful smiles.

"What does my Taoist friend think?"

Zhang asked.

"Do we have a choice? Let’s give it our all."

"Yu’s voice was calm and steady."

At the same time, inside the cave, "Tian" looked at where "Zhou" had died, gave a cold smile, and turned to the empty, eerie blood pool and said, "Thank you all."

"You are too humble, Elder."

"It should be us thanking you, Elder."

"The Elder is also here to help us."

…

The blood pool swirled, and strange sounds began to emerge.

Meanwhile, "Di" had been sitting quietly with his eyes closed the entire time, but now he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the blood pool with a deep, mysterious gaze, as if lost in thought.

"How long have I waited for this day? It has finally come."

But "Tian" did not notice "Di," who was quietly sighing.