The first day of the eighth year of Tianyuan was an extremely long and sorrowful day for the Central Spirit Region.
It was a day of earth-shattering changes.
However, it was an insignificant day for other regions.
This was because even for mortals, a day's time was negligible.
Not to mention cultivators who lived for hundreds or thousands of years. To them, a day was like a grain of sand in the desert.
However, such an insignificant grain of sand stirred up the biggest storm since the Chang 'an New Year.
For most people, they were still in a state where they didn't realize that the storm was coming.
However, someone had to stand up and shield the world from the wind and rain.
…
Jade Gate Pass's Hanguang Garden was a huge cluster of buildings with no end in sight.
Lu Qingshan walked on the crisscrossing streets.
Like the other cultivators in Jade Gate Pass, he had been waiting in the city for a while and did not dare to leave easily.
For sword cultivators, most of their comprehension and improvement came from traveling and fighting. Being trapped in one place or cultivating in seclusion would often greatly limit the progress of their Sword Dao.
However, to most people, it had only been three months since the Soldier Demon Clan stationed their troops in the outer realm.
What was three months worth?
It was not a delay at all.
Even three years was only a drop in the ocean for cultivators.
Only for Lu Qingshan, this was not the case.
After all, it only took him a little more than a month to go from the Ten Flowers Realm to the Perfected Soul Formation Realm.
Three months was a very long time for him.
"Young Master Lu."
"Young Master Lu."
Cultivators occasionally passed by and bowed respectfully when they saw Lu Qingshan. The respect in their eyes could not be faked.
After the battle of North River Pass three months ago, his identity as the Sword Sect's young master had been recognized by all the cultivators in Jade Gate Pass.
Whether it was what he had done or the strength and potential he had displayed, they were all impeccable.
Lu Qingshan nodded in return.
"Young Master Lu." At this moment, another figure walked by not far away.
"Sword Master Xi Yuan," Lu Qingshan greeted with a smile.
The Creek Source Sword Master was one of the eight realm sword cultivators of the Sword Sect, a third tribulation realm cultivator.
However, even though Lu Qingshan was a cultivator of the sixth realm, his greeting was as casual and ordinary as a friend. The Xi Yuan Sword Master also did not show any abnormalities, tacitly agreeing with Lu Qingshan's attitude.
This was because even though Lu Qingshan's strength was inferior to him, as the Junior Sect Master who'd obtained the acknowledgement of practically all the cultivators in the Sword Sect, merely in terms of status, Lu Qingshan wasn't inferior to anyone else besides the seven Peak Masters.
"Are you going to find your master again?" Sword Master Xi Yuan asked with a smile.
Lu Qingshan was about to reply when he suddenly sensed something and took out his communication token.
A faint light flickered on it.
Jiang Yi used his divine senses to probe inside, and his expression changed immediately. He apologized to Sword Master Xi Yuan, "Master said that the Peak Masters are having a meeting in the Azure Cloud Palace, and he wants me to attend. He wants me to rush to the Azure Cloud Palace as soon as possible. Sword Master Xi Yuan, please excuse me."
Sword Master Xi Yuan was stunned. He was greatly shocked.
Firstly, he was shocked that the Peak Masters had gathered in the Azure Cloud Palace for a meeting. This was something he hadn't seen in many years.
There was no doubt that the matter they were going to discuss was extremely important, and would implicate countless people.
Secondly, he was shocked that a level six sword cultivator like Lu Qingshan would be participating in such a grand meeting.
This meant that Lu Qingshan was already at the top of the Jade Gate Pass cultivators.
From this, one could see that the Jade Gate Pass cultivators weren't the only ones who were shocked by Lu Qingshan's accomplishments after the battle of North River Pass. Even the seven Peak Masters were beginning to take Lu Qingshan seriously.
Sword Master Xi Yuan hurriedly said, "Then hurry up and go. Don't make the Sword Cometh Peak master wait."
Lu Qingshan replied, "Then I'll take my leave first."
In truth, Sword Master Xi Yuan wasn't the only one who was surprised. Even he himself was very surprised by this news.
Although he had expected the strength and potential he had displayed to be easily valued, he never imagined that he would soar to the heavens in a single bound.
Overall, Lu Qingshan was quite happy about this matter.
— — Only by standing at a higher position would he be able to decide and change more things.
However, his happiness only lasted for an instant.
Because Lu Qingshan understood one thing. This kind of meeting between Peak Masters wouldn't happen more than three times in the entire Chang 'an year.
Every time it happened, it would be an important matter that affected the entire human race and the entire Eastern Region.
This time would definitely be no exception.
Could it be that the Bing Demons were really showing signs of a second Daoist-Devil War?
Lu Qingshan guessed in his heart.
At this critical juncture, he couldn't think of a second important matter apart from this.
Xia Daoyun had only sent him an urgent message, telling him to head to Green Cloud Palace. She hadn't told him the details.
Although he was puzzled, he didn't ask. After all, he would find out soon.
.....
Green Cloud Palace. Clouds and mist were sparse, and the spiritual Qi was dense.
"Qingshan." When Lu Qingshan appeared, Xia Daoyun was already outside the palace. She seemed to have been waiting for him. Her voice was cold as she called out to him.
"Greetings, Master." Lu Qingshan hurriedly bowed. He explained, "The Light Concealment Courtyard is a bit far from Green Cloud Palace. I was delayed for a bit on the way."
The space in the battlefield outside the realm wasn't stable. Spatial turbulence was everywhere, and it wasn't a stable region.
In this kind of place, there was no way to set up a teleportation formation. That was why cultivators could only rely on escape techniques to hurry along. This was even more so when it came to mobilizing reinforcements on the battlefield.
Green Cloud Palace was located at the center of Jade Gate Pass. Lu Qingshan indeed needed some time to get here from the Light Concealment Courtyard.
Xia Daoyun's brows furrowed slightly. She nodded slightly. "Come, let's go inside."
When Lu Qingshan saw this, his heart couldn't help but sink.
Even though Xia Daoyun didn't make it too obvious, with his understanding of Xia Daoyun, he could tell that she was feeling extremely gloomy.
It seemed like something really big had happened.
Xia Daoyun waved her hand, and the clouds surrounding the Green Cloud Palace parted to the sides, opening up a path for them.
Two large doors opened at the end of the path.
Lu Qingshan followed Xia Daoyun inside. They entered the Green Cloud Palace's discussion hall.
There were eight profound chairs made of ancient wood in the discussion hall.
Lu Qingshan looked around. Five of the profound chairs were already occupied. Every single one of them had an extraordinary bearing. When they opened and closed their eyes, an indescribable pressure radiated from them.
These were the Sword Sect's five peak lords.
At this moment, the five of them were discussing something in low voices. When they saw Xia Daoyun enter, they all nodded and signaled her with their eyes.
Then, their gazes landed on Lu Qingshan, carefully sizing him up.
Even people of their level couldn't help but feel a bit of curiosity towards this person who had been chosen by the Green Cloud Sword Immortal, who had recently risen to fame, and who had a high chance of becoming the next sect master of the Sword Sect.
"Daoyun, Qingshan, since you've arrived, please take a seat." The elegant green-clothed man seated on the centermost profound chair spoke.
The only person who could address Xia Daoyun in this manner was the Sword Sect's sect master, the Green Cloud Sword Immortal, Xie Qingyun.
Xia Daoyun didn't waste any words. She sat down on the second-to-last seat.
Lu Qingshan naturally chose the seat at the end of the table.
Right now, seven of the eight seats in the hall were occupied. Only one seat was empty.
Lu Qingshan swept his gaze over them. He immediately understood that the empty seat should belong to Peak Lord Hao Ran.
"Everyone, I've called you here today because something major has happened. Even I can't come to a decision right now. I need everyone to think of a solution together."
Xie Qingyun's voice was grand and gentle. As soon as he spoke, the entire hall immediately fell silent.
Green Cloud Sword Immortal waved his hand. Clouds and mist surged out, forming a thumbnail map of the Human Realm in the center of the hall.
There were seven enormous continents of different shapes, separated by a boundless ocean.
The four continents of the north, south, east, and west surrounded the three continents in the center.
Those were the Central Spirit, Central Heaven, and Central Martial Realms.
Xie Qingyun stared at the cloud map. In the end, he stretched out his hand and pointed at the cloud that represented the Central Spirit Region. He said, "The Spirit Huan Sect is controlled by the Demons. They worked together from the inside and the outside, and took down Longcheng Pass last night.
They're also fighting on two fronts at the same time. They've attacked all the Inter-realm Transportation Formations in the Central Spirit Region, trying to isolate the Central Spirit Region from the other six regions. Then, they'll slowly nibble away at it. "
"The Spirit Huan Sect is controlled by the Demons? Longcheng Pass has already fallen? "
Everyone's gaze swept over the cloud map. Then, when they heard Green Cloud Sword Immortal's words, they suddenly raised their heads. Their pupils constricted.
Undisguised shock appeared on everyone's faces. Lu Qingshan was no exception.
"The Central Spirit Region is facing the Heart Demons. No one knows the methods of the Heart Demon Clan.
Even Qingshan, who went to the Abyss, received news that the Soldier Demons, who are also Saint Demons, didn't know about the Heart Demon Clan's bloodline abilities.
"You can imagine how mysterious the Heart Demon Clan is."
"Without a doubt, the reason why the Spirit Huan Sect is controlled by the Demons for such a long time without us noticing is because of the Heart Demon Clan's deeply hidden bloodline abilities."
The old Sect Master said slowly. He had accurately determined the reason for the change in the Spirit Huan Sect.
"The Seven Regions of the Human Clan are bound together for good or ill. It can be said that if the lips die, the teeth will feel cold."
Yu Canghai, the Peak Master of the Vast Sea, who was second only to Xie Qingyun in the Sword Sect, was already sitting upright. He said in a deep voice, "If the Heart Demon Clan really takes over the Central Spirit Region, not only will we lose one-seventh of our territory, it'll also be like stabbing a nail in our stomach."
"At that time, we'll have to worry about the enemies in front of us and also guard against the Demons from the Central Spirit Region behind us. We'll be in a difficult situation."
Ning Fengchen, the Peak Master of the Ancient Times and the third person of the Sword Sect, also said solemnly, "We must defend the Central Spirit Region and take back Longcheng Pass."
Xie Qingyun didn't comment. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Yun Tu in silence.
"The Demons are stronger than us. Without Longcheng Pass, we'll have to face them head-on. We won't have any external help to rely on."
Xia Daoyun took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the shock in her heart. She said, "That's why, if we want to defend the Central Spirit Region, the other Six Regions must send reinforcements as soon as possible. Moreover …"
She paused for a moment, then said through clenched teeth, "Moreover, we need at least one cultivator from the other Six Great Passes to take action."
The so-called cultivators in charge of the Six Great Passes were the people in charge of the Six Great Passes.
In Jade Gate Pass, the cultivator in charge of the Domain was Sword Immortal Qingyun.
There were only seven of these cultivators in the entire Human Realm. Including Heavenly River City's Heavenly River Sword Immortal Chu Mushen, there were eight.
Of course, there were only seven left now.
This was because the cultivator in charge of the Central Spirit Region's Longcheng Pass, the Azure Dragon Ruler, was already a confirmed Demon.
"The existence of the cultivators in charge of the Domain and the City Protecting Divine Formation set up by the Dao Ancestor are our two trump cards to suppress the Demons. Neither of them can be missing."
"If any of the cultivators in charge of the Central Spirit Region head over to provide reinforcements, the Demons in their region will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to invade. This is the so-called 'robbing the east wall to pay the west wall'."
"If we can really repair the west wall, then that's fine. What I'm afraid of is that not only will the west wall not be repaired, but the east wall will also collapse," Peak Lord Xue Wuqiao said softly with an expressionless face.
"Longcheng Pass is already gone, and the Bright Moon Formation has fallen into the Demons' hands. Even if we can drive the Demons out of the Central Spirit Region, it will be very difficult for us to take back Longcheng Pass," Autumn Crossing Peak Lord Gu Qiu said as he lowered his head to look at the cloud map.
Humans were much weaker than the Demons, but with the Bright Moon Formation and Longcheng Pass, they could prevent the Demons from breaking into the city for twenty thousand years.
Now, the more powerful Demons were in control of Longcheng Pass. It was self-evident that it would be difficult for humans to take back Longcheng Pass from the Demons.
"If we can't take back Longcheng Pass, the Demons can use Longcheng Pass as a bridgehead and drag us into a tug-of-war, constantly consuming our strength and making us lose sight of the other side."
Gu Qiu withdrew his gaze from the cloud map and said slowly, "On the contrary, it's a good countermeasure to destroy the Inter-domain Transportation Formation and turn the Central Spirit Region into an 'isolated island', just as the Mental Demons have done."
"The Demons want to turn the Central Spirit Region into an 'isolated island' so that we humans can't provide reinforcements to the Central Spirit Region.
We can also do the opposite and take advantage of the situation to separate the Central Spirit Region from our human territory. "
Gu Qiu pointed his finger lightly, and a fine Sword Qi shot out, cutting apart the cloud that represented the Central Spirit Region. "This way, even if the Mental Demons take over the Central Spirit Region, without the Inter-domain Transportation Formation, they won't be able to launch a large-scale attack on the other six regions."
"Moreover, the Central Spirit Region will definitely be enough for the Mental Demons to digest for a long time. They won't have the heart to take the huge risk of crossing the vast ocean to threaten the other six regions and affect the war situation."
"What we need to do is to ensure that the Mental Demons don't build any more hidden Inter-domain Transportation Formations to our six regions … This isn't difficult to solve. We just need to let Qi Bu use the Divine Secrets Mirror to check the six regions."
"If you want everything, you will often get nothing."
"As the weaker party, humans must be more daring."
"Compared to the huge price we have to pay to support the Central Spirit Region and the likely negative consequences, cutting off our tail to survive and stopping our losses in time should be wiser and correct."
Everyone present was silent. Their eyes flickered as if they were thinking about something.
Lu Qingshan felt a chill run down his spine, and he couldn't help but frown.
He looked at Xia Daoyun with an indescribable expression. He saw that her face was calm, and he couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.
At this moment, Gu Qiu suddenly waved his hand. The Sword Qi that separated the Central Spirit Region from the clouds scattered, and the Central Spirit Region returned to the Cloud Atlas.
He said with a smile, "This should be the reaction and judgment that the other five regions will definitely make after hearing this news."
"Indeed. For the sake of a few ordinary humans, a few cultivators with low cultivations, for the sake of a war that is almost impossible to win, they will split up a large portion of their already insufficient manpower. It might even lead to the fall of another region …"
Xue Wuqiao shook his head and said with a smile, "If that's the case, stopping our losses in time is the most correct choice. It can even be considered an extremely calm response."
Xia Daoyun said, "However, this way, the humans of the Central Spirit Region will be killed and turned into slaves. The Central Spirit Region will fall and become a demonic land."
The other four peak masters all revealed faint smiles as they quietly looked at Sword Immortal Qingyun.
Sword Immortal Qingyun nodded. He swept his gaze across everyone's faces and asked, "None of you … have any objections?"
"If the Dao Ancestor was still here, if he knew that we would so easily give up on the Human Realm that he risked his life to protect, he would probably shake his head." Ning Fengchen said with a smile. "Back then, even our ancestors didn't give up during the most difficult times. We have even less reason to give up now."
"Our human race doesn't only consist of high level cultivators. It's not just the Dao Sect. Those ordinary mortals and cultivators with low cultivations are also a part of our human race," said Yu Canghai.
"Our Human Realm doesn't only consist of Heavenly River City and Chang 'an City, the seven impregnable passes, and the six regions," said Gu Qiu.
"Even if there's a high chance that it's meaningless?" Xie Qingyun calmly looked at everyone. He didn't even need to ask this question to know the answer. "Even if there's a chance that we might become a lone army?"
"What we are doing is the greatest meaning."
"Even if there's only a one in a billion chance, it's still not zero."
Xia Daoyun's eyes narrowed slightly. "What others don't dare to do, our Sword Sect will do."
In the end, Xie Qingyun's gaze landed on the young Sect Master's face. He was waiting for his opinion.
Lu Qingshan's indescribable thoughts had already disappeared. His furrowed brows had already relaxed.
"Where the sun and moon shine, where the rivers flow …"
"All belong to the Human Realm."
He said.
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