With the fall of the Purple Profound Sect, the details of the calamity swiftly spread across the land, carried by the surviving disciples who had fled the massacre.
Just one day before the sect's destruction, the patriarch of the Chang family in the Kingdom of Huan held a grand birthday celebration only to blood-sacrifice his guests, along with his entire family and kin, to break through into the Golden Core realm by stepping into the demonic path.
He reforged the bones of his own family into armor and refined their souls into a banner, thereafter taking the title of "Baigu Zhenren" the Bone Master whose demonic might was unmatched and terrifying.
While the Purple Profound Sect was still reeling, hastily deliberating how to respond to this crisis, the Bone Master had already allied himself with the now-corrupted Daoist Feiyu, along with demonic cultivators and demon tribes, launching a fierce and relentless assault against the Purple Profound Sect.
In just one day, the mountain gates were breached, countless disciples were slaughtered, and before the eyes of many, Patriarch Zixuan was killed his Golden Core was ripped out, his heart seized, and even his soul refined into the Bone Master's flag, becoming the main soul within it!
This event shook the entire cultivation world across the Four Kingdoms!
In the aftermath, demonic cultivators in the Kingdoms of Huan and Yue rose one after another. Demon tribes once again emerged from their secret realms, spreading chaos. Under the leadership of Baigu Zhenren and Daoist Feiyu, the lands of Huan and Yue rapidly fell into darkness.
Only then did the world realize: many of the so-called demonic cultivation techniques that had quietly spread throughout the Four Kingdoms especially those that had surged in popularity after the demons' descent were designed with a hidden corruption and summoning effect.
While these techniques were often shockingly powerful, allowing cultivators to gain strange abilities and rapid progress, the deeper one cultivated them, the more likely one's nature would twist eventually falling under the influence of the demon tribes, instinctively becoming their vanguard in this world.
Although much of the leadership within the Flying Feather Sect had already been corrupted after years of Daoist Feiyu's influence, there were still many righteous cultivators who clung to their clarity and refused to fall into demonic ways.
Together with the surviving disciples of the Purple Profound Sect and other unaffiliated cultivators, these righteous individuals found themselves powerless against the surging tide of demonic forces. They could only flee heading toward the lands of Jing and Wu.
Amidst the chaos, the Kingdom of Wu which had been in turmoil for years surprisingly rallied. Under the leadership of the three remaining sects that stayed behind, they purged the demonic cultivators within their borders.
Though Baigu Zhenren and Daoist Feiyu had both achieved their breakthroughs and extended their lives through blood sacrifice and demonic cultivation, they still retained a significant degree of autonomy.
Naturally, they had no intention of surrendering the spoils they had seized to the demon tribes, nor of becoming mere pawns for a demon realm they could no longer even contact.
At present, they needed time to consolidate their hold over the Kingdoms of Huan and Yue, ensuring their paths to greater power remained unhindered. As a result, they were not in a hurry to invade the Kingdoms of Wu and Jing.
Meanwhile, Wu and Jing had already formed a tacit alliance, each reinforcing their borders in a clear stance of refusing any compromise.
As for the Chidi Mountain Range, sitting inconspicuously at the junction of three kingdoms it once again found itself caught in a precarious and awkward position amidst the great upheaval.
....
Outside Pingyang Mountain
"The Mountain Lord is currently in seclusion. Pingyang Mountain is not receiving guests at this time. I must ask for your understanding…"
Luo Feibai spoke politely, but his tone was firm.
The four people who had been stopped outside the mountain immediately showed a change of expression.
"At a time like this? Still in seclusion?"
"Hurry and summon Junior Brother Li! The Chidi Mountains border three kingdoms and could serve as a forward stronghold against the demons. We must defend it together relying on your small group alone, you'll never withstand the demonic tide!"
At the front stood Elder Yu, her beauty barely faded with time, though fine wrinkles had crept to the corners of her eyes. She used her spiritual power to amplify her voice and spoke solemnly.
Now that Li Ye had advanced to the Foundation Establishment, she could only address him as "Junior Brother" by the cultivation world's customs.
Yet as she spoke, a faint and complicated feeling stirred in her heart.
The Purple Profound Sect had been wiped out overnight, and yet Li Ye, venturing alone into the Chidi Mountains, had not only broken through to Foundation Establishment but had also nurtured four Foundation Establishment followers, turning the entire Chidi region into an impenetrable fortress through his efforts.
The information they had gathered revealed that his cultivation had even reached the mid-foundation Establishment stage no less than her own, despite her many years of cultivation!
Such rapid advancement shook her deeply.
If, back when she had sent Yu Xiaoshan away, she had brought Li Ye along as well… would the Yu family's fate have turned out differently?
But the thought barely surfaced before she shook her head inwardly.
Now that the ancestor was dead, and the demonic fiends Feiyu and Baigu were rampaging unchecked, what could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator accomplish against the unstoppable tide of chaos?
Even if Li Ye was a prodigy, he would first have to survive this great catastrophe.
Behind Elder Yu stood three more cultivators, each wearing different expressions as they gazed at the mountains shrouded by the great formation.
One of them seemed particularly impatient, though he restrained himself for now, scrutinizing the array closely, deep in thought.
Yet despite Elder Yu's words, the protective array of Pingyang Mountain showed no sign of opening.
After a brief silence, Luo Feibai's voice came again:
"If it's to defend against the demons, our Mountain Alliance will naturally cooperate. However, since the demon tide has not yet turned its attention here, we cannot recklessly open our gates and hand over command of this place."
"Our Mountain Lord is amid a critical seclusion and must not be disturbed. Once he emerges, Pingyang Mountain will immediately send word to all of you, and he will decide on your proposals. If you are willing to wait, we can arrange lodging for you on another peak."
"Wait?!"
Finally, someone could no longer hold back.
He stepped forward and shouted angrily,
"We are part of the coalition army! Seeing that your Chidi Mountains lie at a strategic choke point, we came here to help you resist the demons and this is how you treat us?"
"At a time like this, is Li Ye's seclusion more important than the lives of all the cultivators of the Four Kingdoms?"
"If your Chidi cultivators want to march to their deaths, so be it. But if we lose this line of defense, who will bear the consequences when the demonic tide breaks through?"
"Calm yourself, fellow Daoist…"
Elder Yu tried to intervene, but the man brushed her aside with a flick of his sleeve.
Her expression darkened, but she had no choice but to endure it.
After all, this man, Yu Kun, was a direct descendant of the Thousand Island Water City, and they possessed a third-tier black flood dragon a creature with Golden Core-level battle strength. Moreover, they were rumored to be connected to a mysterious Golden Core cultivator.
In the coming battles, they would be crucial allies, not people she could afford to offend.
Brushing Elder Yu aside, Yu Kun's expression grew even more severe as he continued,
"We must station forces here, fortifying every peak and establishing a defensive line to show those demonic cultivators and demons our strength!"
"If you refuse, then we will have no choice but to organize the coalition army and take this place by force before moving on to fight the demon spawn!"
His words made his intentions clear: they were prepared to attack.
Inside the protective formation of Pingyang Mountain, Luo Feibai and the others turned grim, sensing the situation had grown thorny.
Instinctively, they glanced up toward the mountain summit.
Whoosh
Suddenly, the spiritual energy atop Pingyang Mountain surged, forming a vast vortex that swept in all the surrounding spiritual qi, funneling it toward the summit, which was heavily sealed by layered formations.
In an instant, the skies churned and the earth shook with a shocking momentum!
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
Especially Yu Kun, who had just finished threatening to seize the Chidi Mountains upon witnessing this scene, he lost all composure:
"This… this is the phenomenon of a breakthrough into the Golden Core realm… How can this be?!"
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