Mount Fenglai was located in the middle of Dong Hua Cheng River. It used to be the mountain gate of Honghe Monastery, a great sect of Xuanmen. In the past, this sect was also mentioned in the Sword Fighting Talisman Book. However, this sect had already declined over six thousand years ago. Because the spiritual opportunity of the earth vein was destroyed, no one occupied this place anymore. What used to be an important place was now only a pile of broken tiles and walls.
A few days ago, cultivators from Shaoqing, Qincang, and Yuxiao sects came one after another. They slightly repaired the temple on the mountain and set up a restrictive formation within a hundred miles. It looked like it was to prevent outsiders from spying on them, but it was actually just a formality.
The people in charge of the three sects gathered together to discuss matters. With Daoist Dongtian watching from behind, the cultivators from the demon sects naturally wouldn't come here to cause trouble.
The first person from the Yincang Sect was the Purple Light Academy's Elder Hu Jiye. He was talking to the Shaoqing Academy's Elder Duan. The two of them had met several times when they were training outside when they were young, so they could be considered as old acquaintances. Hence, they had a pleasant conversation.
As for the Yuxiao school's Elder, he was located far away in the south and rarely interacted with other sects. Thus, when they saw him, they only greeted him and didn't talk too much with him.
Although Hu Jiye was talking, he didn't forget to be vigilant of his surroundings. Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his head to look. He saw a dozen rays of light flying around outside the restrictive formation. He couldn't help but ask, "Who are they?"
Elder Duan stroked his beard and carefully identified them. He said, "Look at the rays of light, they seem to be from Primordial Yang Sect."
Hu Jiye frowned. "What are Primordial Yang cultivators doing here?"
Elder Duan smiled. "Primordial Yang Sect's mountain gate isn't far from here. They consider themselves to be the host here. Since the guests are here, why wouldn't the master come? "
Hu Jiye said with slight mockery, "Primordial Yang Sect's fellow Daoist, you sure are arrogant."
Elder Duan Daoren said, "For tens of thousands of years, only our three sects have been able to survive. However, the three great tribulations are happening right now. Even Grotto-Heaven's people might not be able to protect themselves. Primordial Yang Sect might still want to break out of this situation. "
Hu Jiye sneered and said, "Let's see who will have the last laugh."
The two of them didn't pay any attention to those Yuan Yang disciples. They continued to chat and laugh. Soon, it was the first quarter of the morning. Suddenly, a streak of golden clouds appeared on the horizon, as if thousands of stars had appeared. After flashing for only a moment, they suddenly condensed into a line and transformed into a sword rainbow, flying through the air with the speed of lightning.
Elder Duan stroked his beard and said, "It's Reverend Ran." With a wave of his hand, the restrictive door of the mountain was opened.
The streak of light arrived in front of the mountain in a moment and turned to shoot down. They landed on the peak and scattered. Ran Xiushu walked out from within, and the specks of starlight leaped for a moment before combining into a sword pellet and flying into the heart of his brows.
The Shaoqing disciples did not like to be restrained, and they usually went out. If it wasn't necessary, he would always swing his sword back and forth freely. This time, he didn't bring any disciples with him and came alone.
The deacons of the three sects saw it. They all came forward and bowed.
Hu Jiye said, "Zhenren Zhang hasn't arrived yet, Zhenren Ran, please wait a moment."
Yuxiao's surname was Xie. The elder said, "My sect's Zhenren is also on the way."
Ran Xiushu waved his sleeve and smiled. "You don't have to say that. I've arrived early this time."
There were a total of three white jade thrones on the altar, which corresponded to the three sects. He took a glance, then walked to the west seat and sat down, meditating on his own.
About a moment later, the roar of a flood dragon could be heard from the horizon, accompanied by the faint sound of thunder. Then, the clouds in the sky churned, and a carriage with two flood dragons came from the north. The two Inky Flood Dragons swayed their heads and tails in the clouds as they moved forward.
Hu Jiye took a few steps forward and said joyfully, "It's my sect's Reverend Zhang." He waved his hand, and a disciple beside him removed the restriction.
Not long after, the flood dragon carriage arrived and descended towards the mountain peak. The two flood dragons stomped on the ground, and with a loud bang, the three of them felt the ground beneath their feet tremble.
Zhang Yan got off the carriage and greeted Hu Jiye and the others first. Then, he swept his gaze across and bowed. "I didn't expect Daoist Ran to arrive before me."
Ran Xiushu returned the greeting and said, "I'm just a moment early."
Zhang Yan smiled faintly, walked over, and sat down on the northern seat.
Ran Xiushu said, "It's been almost thirty years since we last met. I wonder if you've made any progress in the path of the sword after returning to your sect?
Zhang Yan smiled. "I dare not say, but I've deduced a sword formation on my own after returning to my sect."
Ran Xiushu's eyes lit up, and she immediately became interested. "With your talent, the method you've created must be extraordinary. May I have a look?"
Zhang Yan nodded. "I was just about to ask."
This sword formation wasn't a life-saving technique, but a supplementary one. He wasn't afraid of others seeing it.
Moreover, Ran Xiushu was far above him in terms of cultivation in the path of the sword. With her foresight, she might even be able to point out some flaws, which was why she was willing to show it.
He said, "Excuse me." Then, he raised his finger and drew across the air. Suddenly, a sword light appeared and disappeared.
Both his drawing and sheathing of his sword were extremely fast. It only took an instant, but Ran Xiushu had already seen through the gist of it. After pondering for a while, he said, "Fellow Daoist, compared to my fellow disciples, this sword formation lacks a murderous spirit. However, it has hidden tricks. I believe it's used to trap people, right?"
Zhang Yan said, "Daoist Ran's eyes are like torches. This is I's original intention."
Ran Xiushu evaluated, "This sword formation is formed by a hundred and eight sword lights. It's almost maximized its power, but it also exhausted its sword path. If it was someone from my Shaoqing Sect, they wouldn't do this. They would definitely leave a few moves for backup. Otherwise, if something unexpected happens, they won't be able to defend themselves. However, Daoist Ran isn't a sword cultivator, so you don't have to adhere to this rule. I can't see anything wrong with it, so I have a few words for you."
Zhang Yan cupped his hands and said, "Please go ahead, Daoist Ran."
Ran Xiushu smiled and said, "Sword formations pay particular attention to the combination of strange and right. This saying can also be applied to sword formations. Why don't you study it carefully?"
Zhang Yan thought for a while and nodded. "I've learned something."
The two of them talked for about an hour. At this moment, the rumbling of clouds and Qi explosions came from the sky, causing everyone in the mountain to look up. They saw a three-mile long Flaming Wind Cloud Raft flying over from the south.
At the front of the raft stood a scholar wearing a silk scarf. He wore a long green robe without any accessories, and his movements were natural and unrestrained. He was smiling from ear to ear, and behind him were more than a hundred servants of the Ten Strong Warriors. Each of them held a magic tool in their hands, and there were two similar-looking female cultivators standing on the left and right. Both of them seemed to be in the Yuanying Realm.
Elder Xie from the Yuxiao school hurriedly came forward and bowed. He seemed to say something, and the person waved his hand and sent him away.
Then, he turned around and gave some instructions to the people behind him before getting off the cloud raft alone. He rode on the astral winds and went into the mountain alone.
After a while, he floated down from the dharma seat and walked over quickly. He cupped his hands at Zhang and Ran. "I hope the two of you can forgive me. I'm late."
This person was called Wu Fenggu, and he was a disciple of the Wu clan. The Yuxiao school was controlled by the Zhou and Wu clans. During the previous sword duel, the Zhou clan was the one in charge, but the Wu clan was the one in charge this time.
Zhang and Ran both stood up and returned the greeting. Ran Xiushu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Wu, you're too kind. The duel was originally set to be at six in the morning, but you're not late. "
After the three of them exchanged a few more pleasantries, they sat down respectively.
Ran Xiushu got straight to the point without beating around the bush. She said, "Today, our three sects have gathered to deal with the battle of the Mystic Demons. I wonder how many people the two of you can deploy this time? "
Wu Fenggu straightened his body and said, "This time, our Wu Clan has sent out three Clan Elders. Including myself, there are a total of four Stage Three Cultivators. Additionally, there are thirty-two Patrol Elders. If the enemy is strong, we can add more people."
There was no master-disciple inheritance in the Yuxiao school, so the aristocratic families had a deep foundation. The Zhou clan wouldn't participate in the battle of the Devil Cave this time, so the Wu clan would send out their forces.
Ran Xiushu nodded and said, "Shaoqing's three branches will each send one person. Including me, there will be four third stage Yuanying cultivators and twelve Yuanying elders."
This number was far less than Yu Xiao's, but when Wu Fenggu heard it, he didn't look down on it at all. The Shaoqing Sect had no more than two hundred true teachings disciples, and these people were all sword cultivators, and each of them could fight one against many.
At this moment, Ran and Wu both looked at Zhang Yan. They knew that he wasn't a disciple of the grotto-heaven, and the elders in the sect weren't under his command. Presumably, he wouldn't be able to deploy many people this time. However, as one of the ten heads, he could always deploy his ten disciples, and with the addition of his own disciples, he should be able to handle the situation.
Zhang Yan met their gazes and said calmly, "I have three third stage cultivators by my side. Inside and outside the sect, there are about twenty Yuanying cultivators who can be used. In addition, there are sixteen fourth transformation strength path cultivators from the Northern Underworld's Yuyuan Tribe. On the day of the battle, there might be more."
When the two heard this, they were greatly surprised. This strength could only be stronger than theirs, not weaker.
Especially the sixteen demon tribe elders. In normal times, it wouldn't be a big deal, but the devil's cave was deep underground, and it wasn't easy to travel there. This time, Daoist Sect was the active party, so they had to attack forcefully. These thick-skinned demon cultivators could play a greater role.
Looking at Zhang Yan's calm expression, the two couldn't help but admire him. He didn't have the support of the Enlightened Master of the grotto-heaven, but he could rely on his own ability to develop such strength. It was really impressive.
Ran Xiushu sighed and continued, "Since each sect has enough people, I won't say more. The day the devil's cave will appear should be in a few years, but we still don't know where it will appear. But recently, the earth veins in the west of East Flower Continent are flourishing, which is a sign that the devil's cave should be here."
Zhang Yan smiled and said, "The west of the Great Pool of Dragon Lake has also seen the same movement."
Wu Fenggu said in surprise, "Oh? What a coincidence, in my Yuxiao's territory … "
As he spoke, he suddenly realized something. His eyes narrowed, and he said doubtfully, "Wait, could it be that this person is deliberately setting up a trap?"
Ran Xiushu said in a deep voice, "That must be it. I heard that there are similar movements near the Nanhua Sect. If the spiritual vigor in the earth veins is guided by the Enlightened Master of the grotto-heaven, although they can't really point out the spirit point, it's not difficult to pass off the fake as the real one."
Wu Fenggu raised his brows and said, "If that's the case, once the devil's cave appears, I'm afraid there will be more than one place. Won't it be difficult to distinguish the real from the fake?"
Ran Xiushu said with confidence, "In the current situation, we are still strong while the enemy is weak. If we Daoist Sect gather our forces and attack, the devil's sect will definitely not be able to resist. It's not strange at all for them to create such a scene, but they want to disperse our strength."
Zhang Yan said calmly, "Whether it's real or fake, we can only first clean up our own territory before we can think of other places."
Ran Xiushu cheered, "Daoist Zhang is right! We must not let the devil's sect disrupt our formation. Among the ten Daoist sects of East Flower Continent, even if three of us are temporarily held up, the other seven sects will not sit idly by. There's no need to guess where the real devil's cave is, we just need to suppress it one by one! "
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