Looking at the golden Earth Sovereign Bell before him, Elian felt a surge of joy.
With the Earth Sovereign Bell in hand, his defensive capabilities would reach a new level. Combined with the Solar True Aura, even facing multiple cultivators of the same level, he would have little to fear.
Thanks to the support of the Pure Water Green Lotus Platform, his spiritual energy far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators of his rank.
Moreover, the Earth Sovereign Bell wasn't just a defensive artifact; it also had suppressive and offensive capabilities. Whether used to suppress powerful enemies or to launch devastating attacks, it was a formidable weapon.
Its sonic attacks, in particular, were a potent area-of-effect ability that could damage the souls of its targets. When the bell rang, low-level cultivators and beasts might suffer soul destruction, coughing blood and dying on the spot.
"This Earth Sovereign Bell has extraordinary defensive power. It should be able to withstand the Treasure Thunder Tribulation," Elian thought as his eyes gleamed with determination, entertaining the idea of advancing the artifact further.
Before he could proceed, however, news arrived from the family, interrupting his plans.
At Qingyang Mountain, inside Jiang Linglong's cave abode, Elian, Lin Qianshu, and a few others sat solemnly, looking at Jiang Linglong with heavy expressions.
Apart from Elian, the others present were disciples of Jiang Linglong. He was familiar with Su Mingwei, Lin Qianshu, and Liu Rumeng. Most of Jiang Linglong's other disciples had already passed away.
The only person present who wasn't her direct disciple was Qin Lanxi, who was Lin Qianshu's student.
Seeing Jiang Linglong's grave demeanor, Elian asked, "Is the news from the Azuregreen Mountains true?"
"Real as can be. Daoist Taicang personally visited yesterday," Jiang Linglong said calmly, her gaze sharp.
It turned out that Daoist Taicang, the head of the Azuregreen Immortal Sect in the Azuregreen Mountains, had recently visited Chu Kingdom. He paid visits to the Celestial Sky Sword Sect, Purple Abyss Sect, and the Tianxu Alliance.
His purpose was to invite the three sects to join forces in attacking the Demon Lair.
Lin Qianshu frowned and asked, "With the beast tide approaching, why would the Azuregreen Immortal Sect propose an attack on the Demon Lair at this time?"
"The Demon Lair committed an unspeakable atrocity, thoroughly enraging the Azuregreen Immortal Sect," Jiang Linglong sighed before calmly explaining.
Recently, Yan Old Demon recovered from his injuries and broke through to the Golden Core stage.
After his breakthrough, the demon sought to cultivate a great demonic technique called the Blood Demon Progeny. Having suffered losses at the hands of Jiang Linglong and Chu Kingdom before and being marked by the Sky Immortal Sword, he turned his sights on the Azuregreen Immortal Sect instead of Chu Kingdom.
The Azuregreen Immortal Sect had been established in the Azuregreen Mountains for thousands of years. Its generations of cultivators, who married and expanded their families, had also built 8-9 cities in the mountainous region.
These cities were home to billions of mortals, forming the foundation of the Azuregreen Immortal Sect's legacy and enabling it to produce three Golden Core cultivators.
After his breakthrough, Yan Old Demon, leading the Demon Lair forces, attacked three of these cities with tens of thousands of demonic cultivators and three other Golden Core demons.
The cities, lacking Golden Core cultivators to defend them, couldn't withstand the assault. The Azuregreen Immortal Sect managed to save one city, but the other two were completely destroyed overnight.
Over 20 million mortals were slaughtered in blood sacrifices, an atrocity that filled the Azuregreen Immortal Sect with fury.
In retaliation, Daoist Taicang personally visited Chu Kingdom to seek the three sects' assistance in eradicating this threat once and for all.
"These demonic cultivators…"
Hearing this, Elian's expression turned icy, his killing intent palpable.
The others were equally shocked. Su Mingwei asked hesitantly, "Master, will we join the fight?"
"Of course we will, and with full force," Jiang Linglong replied calmly.
If they didn't assist now, the Demon Lair would eventually eliminate the Azuregreen Immortal Sect, devour vast amounts of human blood and flesh, and grow even more powerful.
Without the Azuregreen Immortal Sect holding them back, the Demon Lair would inevitably become a severe threat to Chu Kingdom.
Elian nodded and said evenly, "If we don't help them now, who will help us in our time of need?"
With both Jiang Linglong and Elian in agreement, the decision was made.
Orders were issued through the Transmission Mirror to the major Purple Mansion clans of the Tianxu Alliance.
For this operation against the Demon Lair, the main force would consist of Foundation Establishment cultivators and above, while only 10,000 Qi Refining cultivators would be deployed to operate the Ethereal Vessel.
The Tianxu Alliance's member families, including over 100 Foundation Establishment clans and more than ten Purple Mansion clans, contributed over half of their forces.
Over 20 Purple Mansion cultivators and more than 300 Foundation Establishment cultivators were mobilized.
To prevent the Demon Lair's forces from escaping and launching counterattacks, Jiang Linglong immediately deployed the Qingyang Ark, bringing Elian and the others to the Azuregreen Mountains.
By the time they arrived, the Celestial Sky Sword Sect and Azuregreen Immortal Sect had already encircled the Demon Lair with nearly 100 Purple Mansion cultivators and four Golden Core elders.
Unlike the Tianxu Alliance and Purple Abyss Sect, who also had to prepare for the beast tide, these two sects, long-time rivals of the Demon Lair, had deployed nearly their entire forces.
The Azuregreen Immortal Sect left only one Golden Core elder to guard their spiritual mountain against the Blackhawk Demon King. Daoist Taicang and Elder Taiqing, their other Golden Core cultivators, led 40 of their 60 Purple Mansion cultivators to the Demon Lair.
The Celestial Sky Sword Sect's leader, Master Zhang, and Elder Lin also arrived with several dozen Purple Mansion cultivators.
When Elian reached the outskirts of the Demon Lair, he saw four Golden Core elders and several pseudo-golden core cultivators gathered in a floating pavilion artifact.
Seeing Jiang Linglong arrive, one of them called out, "Daoist Jiang, Daoist Elian, please join us."
Elian's eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the speaker as the Celestial Sky Sword Sect's leader, Master Zhang.
Elian had met him during the campaign against Zhang Old Demon. Master Zhang, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator, was the most powerful individual in Chu Kingdom.
With his profound cultivation, he could wield the Celestial Sky Immortal Sword's power to a significant extent, making him an extraordinarily formidable presence.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists," Jiang Linglong said calmly as she led Elian to the pavilion to join the others.
...
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