Dark clouds covered the sky and the earth, and a strong wind suddenly rose over the Bright Star River.
A golden light flashed through the water, and the dragon hidden in the river was thousands of feet away before it could be seen clearly.
Zu Yuan concealed himself above the river. Thinking about the arrogant youth, he couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha..."
He had seen many people who claimed to carry the "Mandate of Heaven" in his life.But, in the end, how many of those people were able to understand the mystery of this world after hearing some secrets?
---When Nangong Cheng was young, he got the opportunity from the Yellow Dragon and received the Nine Dragons Heavenly Seal to be recognized as its master. He claimed to be "destined", but what happened in the end?
---Yun Jian's spiritual Sword Body could split the four regions with his sword. He also claimed to be "destined", but what was the result?
...
And just now, that youth called Ye Anping came to him, but he also boasted of having the Mandate of Heaven, same as the others.
To him, this was bullshit.
However, Ye Anping told him a joke that made him laugh.---Red Moon, that stinky girl, was his cultivation partner.
Ever since Si Xuanji broke through to the Void, she had been constantly teasing him. She had even blown up the Dragon Cave next to the Bright Star Sect several thousand years ago, resulting in having to move the entire sect to a place hundreds of miles away.
At the thought of the great Red Moon Matriarch being controlled by a small Core Formation cultivator, he felt extremely happy. He saw this as just retribution.
"...Hahahaha---"
His hearty laughter spread, flowing freely with the wind.
Ye Anping had said earlier that "Spring Phase spiritual energy cannot help him break through the levels and ascend." He had also said that "Void Returning stage was the end of the road for him."
If you asked him whether he believed it or not? He believed it.
After twenty years of cultivation, he knew better than anyone how far he could go on the path of immortality.
Thousands of years ago, he had already thought of his own ending. He was even prepared to accept his fate and the fact that he would not be able to ascend to heaven.
However, it wasn't until a while ago, when his ending was closing in, that he realized that he wasn't as open-minded as he thought when he was young.
---I have cultivated for twenty thousand years, but I'm falling down at the last step. Then, wouldn't these twenty thousand years be wasted?
Thus, he used the Immortal Summoning Order, wanting to put up another fight and looking for a chance to reverse his fate.
When he heard Sun Juehu's words at the Immortal Summoning Order, he was indeed excited. After the meeting ended, he summoned Cao Yan'er and asked her to go to the Black Star Sect to invite Ye Anping.
He originally thought that Red Moon would definitely protect Ye Anping and not let him fall into his hands so easily.
Unexpectedly, a few months later, Ye Anping came to him.
After all, Ye Anping was a disciple of the Hundred Lotus Sect, and after hearing that he had come, he momentarily wondered if he was dreaming. He then immediately asked Elder Cao to fetch him, wanting to seize his Spring Phase spirit with a Soul Capture technique.
However, when Ye Anping came to him, he saw his two spiritual roots aptitude, the Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal and the Snow Jade Spirit Sword in his hands, and he suddenly realized that he could not do this.
He was an ancestor of the immortal family.
How could he kill an outstanding disciple?
How could he kill a fellow cultivator who made him laugh with his jokes?
As for whether these twenty thousand years of effort were in vain?
At this moment, the mountains and rivers of the Southern Region that flowed behind him like a rolling curtain in his eyes told him: It was not in vain!!
The predecessors planted the trees, and the descendants enjoyed the shade.
He was the one who planted the trees.
He not only cultivated for twenty thousand years, he also protected the Southern Region for twenty thousand years.
---Enough!!
Zu Yuan's body glowed with a golden light as he quickly flew toward the black cloud pressing down on him. Then, he suddenly stopped, stroking his beard. He summoned a palm-sized Yin Yang talisman and used spiritual energy to amplify his voice. "You two youngsters!! How dare you act recklessly in my Southern Region!"
The golden spirit energy spread out from his body, instantly dispersing the surrounding clouds.
In the next moment, two figures, one black and one purple, arrived in front and behind Zu Yuan, sandwiching him in the middle.
"Yo yo~ Old man is grumpy?"
A charming voice came from behind Zu Yuan. Mei Yunlu, the leader of the Hedonistic Sect, was lying in mid-air on her side as if she had just woken up, with a blood-red poisonous snake wrapped around her body.
Zu Yuan glanced sideways, then looked at the person in front of him.
Under the long, dirty hair, six snake pupils squeezed on the upper half of the cheek, which was not big to begin with, and a forked tongue spat out from the lower half of the lips. "Hiss..."
"Old Zu, two against one, and you're an old man. How can I do it? Others would think we're bullying an old man. Why didn't the boss of the Awareness Sect come? I want to break his vow of chastity."
Zu Yuan sneered and lifted the Yin Yang jade in his hand.
"I am more than enough!"
"Then, let me see if your old stick is still strong... Hehehe... Hehehe..."
Mei Yunlu narrowed her eyes and looked at Zu Yuan's crotch. Her index finger moved slightly. Accompanied by a strange laughter like a wind chime, it dispersed into a pink spiritual mist that enveloped everything within a radius of a hundred miles...
... ...
Swish--!
The sound of swords entering flesh rang out as streams of blood bloomed like flowers on the other side of the river.
On the mountain path of the Bright Star Sect's side peak, a swarm of poisonous insects went all the way up, already rushing to the courtyard gate at the top. Countless disciples dressed in black and white robes stood shoulder to shoulder to resist the demonic cultivators' influx.
Zu Lingzhi came from the center front on her sword. After landing in the courtyard, she looked at the injured disciples around her and gritted her teeth. However, she quickly recovered and rushed into the main hall above.
"Elder Cao!!"
Elder Cao and another Elder in the Nascent Soul stage were sitting cross-legged in front of a suspended spirit pearl, using their spiritual power to maintain the knot of the formation on this side peak.
Hearing Zu Lingzhi's voice, she turned around and shouted, "Lingzhi, what are you doing here? Go back to the Middle Peak. Elder Chen and I are guarding here. These Core Formation and Nascent Soul-stage demonic cultivators won't be able to break in."
"...Where's great grandfather?"
"Didn't you hear what Young Master Ye said just now? He had already gone to fight the masters of the Magical Poison Sect and the Hedonistic Sect. Almost all the high-ranking disciples of these two demonic sects are here. The Great Elder and others have also gone to fight those old monsters in the Deification stage. Otherwise, if those cultivators bring the fight into the Bright Star Sect, the low-level disciples will be affected."
Zu Lingzhi bit her lips and nodded in understanding. "Then, I'll..."
"You hurry back to Middle Peak, Young Master Ye is just about to form a Nascent Soul. The Magical Poison and Hedonistic sects dared to attack, and I'm afraid one of their targets is him. Someone must be going after him, so you go and protect him!!"
Zu Lingzhi hesitated, wanting to ask about the matter of Zu Yuan's life coming to an end that Ye Anping had talked about, but before she could speak, Elder Cao cut her off bluntly. "Leave other matters aside for now. The demonic cultivators are coming. We should find a way to stop them now. We will hold on until Patriarch comes back, and all problems will be solved."
Boom--!
The explosion of fire magic came from outside the hall, shocking Zu Lingzhi for a moment, but then she quickly got up and summoned her flying sword, rushing out. After helping the disciples who were guarding the courtyard to deal with a few poisonous insects, she flew in the direction of the thundercloud on the Middle Peak.
...
On the Middle Peak mountainside---
"Hurry up and transfer all the pills to White Jade City."
Tap tap tap---
On the street, a Bright Star Sect Nascent Soul-stage Elder commanded some Foundation Building disciples to carry out boxes of pills to detoxify parasitic poison from the storehouse.
Everyone was looking impatient, hurriedly moving through the streets.
However, one of the disciples, with long black hair, stopped where she was and distractedly looked up at the Nascent Soul tribulation cloud above White Jade City.
When the Elder who was watching from the side noticed her, he frowned and chided her. "Hey! You girl, why are you standing there? Don't want to live anymore? Hurry up and move the stuff!"
Gu Mingxin came back to her senses and nodded slightly to apologize. Then, she continued to carry the box and followed the other disciples along the street toward White Jade City.
Xue'e, who was sitting on her shoulder, crossed her legs and looked around. "Just as the demonic cultivators are attacking in force, Ye Anping happened to form his Nascent Soul. How could it be such a coincidence?"
"So awesome..."
"Huh?" Xue'e was stunned. She turned around to look at Gu Mingxin's face, and seeing that she looked lovestruck, she sighed helplessly. "Sigh..."
"Xue'e, did you hear Ye Anping's order to the Bright Star Sect just now? So cool..."
"I heard it..."
"And he is forming his Nascent Soul ahead of me..."
"I saw it..."
Xue'e replied perfunctorily. Seeing that no one around her noticed them at this moment, she quickly called out. "Mingxin, turn into the alley ahead!!"
Gu Mingxin came to her senses and took advantage of the chaos to sneak into an alley in front of her. She leaned against the wall and held her breath while waiting for the Bright Star Sect Elder to lead the group of Foundation Building disciples away.
Tap-tap-tap--
The footsteps gradually faded away, and soon, the entire street was empty.
The disciples of the Bright Star Sect reacted very quickly. After Ye Anping's command, they gathered around their respective Elders, rushed to the main hall of each peak, and used the formation's knots as a wall to fight against the demonic cultivators.
Seeing that there was no one else on the street, Xue'e said, "Mingxin, let's get the Bright Star Spiritual Nectar for Mo Chi Ling first, and then find an opportunity to meet Ye Anping at the Heavenly Pavilion."
Gu Mingxin had no objection. She jumped onto the roof of a small house next to her and followed Xue'e's guidance, heading toward the spiritual garden on the Middle Peak discreetly.
After jumping over about ten streets, she saw a bunch of courtyards with spiritual plants ahead. In the center of each courtyard was about an acre of spiritual fields, planted with various spiritual plants.
She glanced around before looking at Xue'e. "Well?"
Xue'e paused for a moment, then pointed to one of them. "There."
Gu Mingxin nodded and hurriedly walked toward the courtyard that Xue'e pointed to.
Probably because of the demonic cultivators, the disciples in the courtyard had left in a hurry and forgot to activate the restriction. Gu Mingxin walked to the door and tried to push it, and the courtyard door opened.
Gu Mingxin walked into the courtyard alone and looked at the ten or so white flowers that she could not name in the spiritual field. She thought that they were quite beautiful, so she plucked one casually and stuck it behind her ear. "Xue'e, how does it look?"
"Mingxin, can you not be so carefree? The demonic cultivators have already entered the Bright Star Sect..."
"What does it have to do with me? I'm here to look for Ye Anping and help Sister Mo get that Bright Star Spiritual Nectar."
"Sigh..." Xue'e sighed. "Mingxin, use the medicinal bottle to collect the dew of these flowers. Bright Star Spiritual Nectar is an immortal healing treasure. Once you take it, immediately seal it with spiritual energy, otherwise the medicinal effect will be gone."
"Okay~~"
Gu Mingxin took out an empty pill bottle with her left hand to collect the transparent dew hanging on the white petals.
Xue'e, who was watching the surroundings from above her head, suddenly shouted in surprise. "Mingxin! Someone is coming!"
"Eh?"
Gu Mingxin raised her eyebrows and perked her ears, staring toward the gate of the yard.
Tap... tap~~~
After a series of slow footsteps, a skinny man dressed like a beggar walked in from outside the courtyard. Underneath his messy hair, his compound eyes swirled a few times, and Gu Mingxin's figure was reflected crouching in the flowers.
Gu Mingxin looked at the man with her eyebrows raised. "A Toxic parasite cultivator in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, who looks seriously injured."
Before she could finish speaking, a mound of dirt suddenly appeared under the white flowers.
Bang---
A slug with countless sharp teeth jumped out of the soil and charged straight toward Gu Mingxin's face but was slapped by her sleeve. It crashed into the wall nearby, turning into a meat paste.
"..."
Gu Mingxin stood up and smiled with narrowed eyes. "If I remember correctly, the Magical Poison Sect's Grandmaster, Head Insect?"
Click click click...
Chittering sounds came from the skinny man's mouth. His compound eyes widened slightly, staring at Gu Mingxin's face for a moment before slowly saying, "You are..."
Whoosh---
The blood-red spiritual sword appeared in Gu Mingxin's left hand.
Raising her hand, she pointed in the direction of White Jade City's Heavenly Pavilion and said, "He is forming his Nascent Soul, don't disturb him, okay..."
After this, Gu Mingxin disappeared instantly from the Head Insect's sight.
In the next breath, the unfinished word came into his ears. "...?"
Gu Mingxin breathed out the last word, then turned around, raised the sword, and swung it toward the back of the Head Insect's neck, causing cold sweat to appear on his face.
Swish---
The blood-red sword swept across his neck, but Gu Mingxin felt that the touch was not right. It was not like a Nascent Soul cultivator, but rather a soft fish.
She squinted her eyes, and only then did she see that the cut surface of the neck was covered with white mucus, which was stuck to the upper part of his head.
The head and neck, which were originally separated, were put together again in the next moment.
Gu Mingxin frowned slightly and smacked her tongue. "Tsk, Parasite cultivators... so disgusting."
The man's head suddenly turned 180 degrees, facing Gu Mingxin who was behind him, and his compound eyes bulged out ferociously. "Young Miss Gu! You forgot your name is Gu?! So the rumors about colliding with the immortals were true? Bright Star Sect? Hahahaha-- Yu Yan Patriarch is looking forward to your return!"
"?"
Gu Mingxin was confused, but then she remembered that she was wearing the Bright Star Sect uniform. However, she did not argue.
Anyway, Head Insect was bound to die.
