"These people are from a secluded ancient sect. Only such a sect could possibly have preserved some ancient arts. The power of Ancient Immortal Arts is not something we can compare to now.
From the descriptions in some ancient texts, their power is unbelievably formidable. Many of our top cultivation methods and immortal arts had their lineages severed during the great demonic war tens of millions of years ago," the old man in brocade robes said slowly, a worried look in his eyes.
Even the Ancient Immortal Arts their Four Great Sects possessed now were pitifully few, and many were incomplete fragments. In the great demonic war, many lineages, from a single sect, a single branch, from master to grand-disciples, were completely wiped out.
"Now we at least have a rough idea of their origins. Currently, among the four of us, Fellow Daoist Yuandu is seriously injured and will definitely be unable to participate in this battle.
Among the three of us, the one with the highest cultivation is Venerable Daling, at Mid-stage Spirit Transformation, just one step away from Late-stage Spirit Transformation. Su Changyang and I have only just entered Mid-stage Spirit Transformation.
That tall, thin old man on their side is basically confirmed to have reached Late-stage Spirit Transformation. If they figure out our trump cards, he alone might be able to fight the three of us. Late-stage Spirit Transformation, ah..."
Sword intent swirled ceaselessly in Zhantian of the Ten-Pace Courtyard's eyes, as if it could tear apart the heavens and the earth at any moment. Although he spoke this way, an endless battle intent slowly seeped from his body.
If not for their lack of confidence in ascending to the Immortal Spirit Realm , forcing them to use methods of concealing their cultivation to escape the laws of this world, they would have probably been cast out of the Mortal Realm long ago.
So, for these past few thousand years, they had been searching for a safe spatial node for ascension on one hand, and on the other, constantly trying various methods to break through to Late-stage Spirit Transformation as soon as possible. That way, even if they had to force their way through the chaotic spatial currents, their chances would be a bit greater.
"Zhantian, you worry too much. They only dare to release their cultivation to a level slightly stronger than Late-stage Nascent Soul. Otherwise, unless they can kill all of us before the laws descend, they will be the first to have to leave the Desolate Moon Continent and enter the chaotic space.
A Late-stage Spirit Transformation Almighty can defeat us, but killing any one of us is harder than ascending to the heavens. Fellow Daoist Yuandu only ended up this way because he was besieged by several of them, but didn't he also escape? They just don't dare to fully unleash their cultivation," Su Changyang said, seemingly unconcerned.
If anyone took Su Changyang for a reckless fool, they probably wouldn't even know how they died. Su Changyang of the Malevolent Spirit Sect, a titan of poison on the Desolate Moon Continent. His inner ruthlessness never matched his outward appearance. Otherwise, how could he have reached this stage?
The four Spirit Transformation masters of the Four Great Sects had varying levels of cultivation, but each had life-saving means. Even the one with the highest cultivation, Venerable Daling of the Jingtu Sect , had no confidence in a complete victory against the Initial-stage Spirit Transformation Zhantian of the Ten-Pace Courtyard and Su Changyang of the Malevolent Spirit Sect many years ago.
If he were to kill one of them completely, he himself would definitely be seriously injured, or even suffer a great drop in cultivation, which would only benefit the other two. So, the Four Great Sects had always maintained this balance, and no one would easily break it.
"That may be so, but the means of a Late-stage Spirit Transformation are beyond our imagination. If he has a great divine ability to temporarily shield himself from the laws of heaven and earth, he only needs one person to hold the three of us for a moment.
Then, even if the other two and the one demon suppress their cultivation, they are not something Nascent Soul stage cultivators can block. They would be like a tiger among a pack of wolves in an instant.
If only that old wolf from the Secret Realm could come. He is a Late-stage Fifth-Rank Great Demon Emperor. It's just that he has been asleep for ten thousand years, and no one can get any message into his place of seclusion. Otherwise, we would be evenly matched this time, and could even suppress them," Zhantian said worriedly.
The old man in brocade robes, Su Changyang, chuckled. "Even with the long lifespan of demonic beasts, that old wolf's life is probably nearing its end. That's why he has been using this method of hiding his aura to avoid the heavenly tribulation.
With his magic power, as long as he is unwilling to wake up, probably no one in the Mortal Realm can wake him. Not even us.
But it's useless to think about these things. Our current priority is to prevent them from reaching the Devil's Cliff Crevice. This way, we can prevent them from coordinating an attack from both inside and out to break through the Devil's Cliff Crevice. If that happens, it would truly be beyond saving.
I believe that the main combatants this time will be the Nascent Souls and Golden Cores. If the enemy dares to unleash their Spirit Transformation cultivation, then I will at least drag one of them with me to the chaotic space. There, who lives and who dies will be up to fate."
After Su Changyang finished speaking, his eyes, which usually concealed their sharp glint, instantly turned pitch black, like two endless abysses, a hair-raising sight to behold.
Hearing Su Changyang's words, the dim ball of light floating in the distance was first as calm as water, then its light faintly fluctuated. It was clear that the old Daoist within the ball of light gave a deep bow to the three of them. Then, with a sigh, the ball of light vanished without a trace.
The young monk's face was calm. He smiled at Zhantian of the Ten-Pace Courtyard. A Buddha image suddenly appeared on his forehead, and his body radiated with golden light. The entire grand hall was instantly filled with countless low chants, as if one had entered a sacred Buddhist hall in a flash.
Venerable Daling chanted a low Buddhist phrase, "Amitabha. So be it. Ultimate Bliss, Ultimate Bliss!"
Zhantian suddenly stood up and looked at the old man in brocade robes, his green robe fluttering without any wind.
"Su Changyang, you old ghost. In this entire life, today is the one day you look pleasing to my eye. You're no longer putting on that false face, acting like a ghoul in the dark. For the sake of the Four Sects' heritage, a battle is all it takes.
At worst, I'll shatter the Desolate Moon Continent with one sword strike, and we'll all enter the chaotic space together, with no more attachments."
Just then, Yuandu's weak voice came from the empty space in the hall. "Give me one month. At that time, as long as I can use this shattered Nascent Soul body to perform the 'Five Sovereigns' Immortal Advent' art, what's the big deal about dragging a Spirit Transformation master down with me?" After speaking, the entire hall fell silent again.
Although the Four Sects had fought openly and secretly for countless ages, in the face of a great crisis, they still chose to trust each other.
In the cave, Wei Zhongran continued to speak to Li Yan. "After the Supreme Mystery Teachings fell, the Demon Clan attacked northward. Since most of the Supreme Mystery Teachings cultivators had retreated to the territory of the Ten-Pace Courtyard, the entire southern part of the Desolate Moon Continent had almost no resistance against such a powerful force. Those who could flee fled, and those who were to be killed were killed. The demons' goal is also very obvious: the Devil's Cliff Crevice on this side of the Ten-Pace Courtyard. Therefore, the Four Sects are currently gathered here."
"They want to break through the Devil's Cliff Crevice again," Li Yan said in a low voice.
"Of course. To occupy and rule the entire Desolate Moon Continent, their force of just over ten thousand is far from enough.
Since the South Sea passage has been destroyed, the easiest way to connect the two realms is through the Devil's Cliff Crevice. They only need to destroy the grand sealing formation from this end, and it might be possible.
At that time, with them attacking from both ends, and us caught in a pincer attack, the Desolate Moon Continent will be in peril," Wei Zhongran said in a low voice.
"Master, is Windy Cool Mountain for defending against the demons from the south, or for protecting the nearby Devil's Cliff Crevice?" Li Yan quickly thought of a question.
"This place is for defending against the demons from the south. We are only about ten thousand li from the invading demons from the south. We have formed a horizontal battle line, firmly protecting the Devil's Cliff Crevice behind us.
If their forces were large, they could make a long detour from the east or west, but with only over ten thousand people, they cannot. If they were to do that, we would just change our defensive direction accordingly.
At the same time, the east, west, and north sides of the Devil's Cliff Crevice also have long-range defenses. The demons know that with two layers of defense on three sides, and with insufficient troops, they have lost the element of surprise. They can only concentrate all their combat power for a frontal assault from the south."
Li Yan nodded. So, the demons were only about ten thousand li from Windy Cool Mountain.
"On this front, we have three key defensive points. The demons have launched several tentative attacks on these three points, likely to test which is the weakest link.
Windy Cool Mountain just had a fierce battle with the demons seventeen days ago. Our casualties were much greater than theirs, but we ultimately managed to push them back."
Wei Zhongran sighed. Although only about two thousand demons had come last time, and it was just a probing attack, whether it was that mysterious group of human cultivators or the demon cultivators, their combat power was almost two to one, making the defense of Windy Cool Mountain very difficult.
Windy Cool Mountain suffered considerable losses. Fortunately, it was just a probing attack, not a decisive battle, so no Nascent Soul or Spirit Transformation cultivators appeared.
As the main commander here, Wei Zhongran was under the greatest pressure. He and more than a dozen other Golden Core cultivators had all personally entered the fray. These Golden Core cultivators were mainly from the Malevolent Spirit Sect, supplemented by Golden Cores from subordinate cultivation sects and families.
In the end, Wei Zhongran's side won a Pyrrhic victory. The power and ferocity of their immortal arts were far inferior to the enemy's.
In the end, the enemy suffered less than a hundred casualties, while on Wei Zhongran's side, from Golden Core to Foundation Establishment, there were nearly three hundred casualties. Among them, only two of the enemy's Golden Cores fell, while five of his Golden Cores were killed, and the number of seriously injured was countless.
Hearing Wei Zhongran's brief introduction, Li Yan drew in a sharp breath. He hadn't expected the situation at the seemingly peaceful Windy Cool Mountain to be so tragic. In just one clash, the casualties on both sides were so devastating.
Seeing Li Yan's expression, Wei Zhongran's face softened slightly. "Currently, after receiving one wave of attacks, there have been no more battles at these three defensive points.
This is also easy to understand. After their probing, they should be brewing a major offensive, or even a decisive battle. This period of calm should be for pre-battle planning.
Otherwise, even if their combat power is formidable, they only have ten thousand men. If they were to be worn down like this a few dozen times, I'm afraid only the Nascent Souls would have to come up personally."
At this point, Wei Zhongran paused. "That's the current situation. Do not speak of what you have heard. You should know the consequences."
Li Yan quickly nodded in agreement. He naturally knew the stakes.
"What about Senior Brother and the others?" The question that had been on Li Yan's mind for half the day finally had a chance to be asked.
"Oh, they are all fine. Your senior brother went to the Devil's Cliff Crevice on rotation more than a year ago. It was his own request. Now, apart from your fourth senior sister who is guarding Little Bamboo Peak, your other senior brothers and sisters were originally stationed here.
Windy Cool Mountain is mostly defended by Four Symbols Peak and conscripted cultivators. This place used to be an outer sword courtyard of the Ten-Pace Courtyard, but now it has become one of the three defense points.
However, after I was ordered to be stationed here, the five of them also followed. It's just that ten days ago, led by your second senior brother, all five of them went to the Devil's Cliff Crevice."
This was completely unexpected for Li Yan. He had originally wanted to meet his senior brothers, but he had come too late. And counting the time, Gong Chenying and the others had also participated in that great battle more than ten days ago. Fortunately, they were all safe. He figured his master must have been looking after them.
After thinking about it, Li Yan felt it was best not to ask further. In his heart, he knew that since this was the front line, Wei Zhongran probably felt the casualties here were too great, so he had transferred them away on some pretext. Who didn't have their own selfish motives? Little Bamboo Peak had so few people; the death or injury of even one was a devastating blow.