Chapter 147: Undermining the Foundation
Chapter 147: Undermining the Foundation
Elder Lu was right.
Rather than waiting for Jiuyou and his allies to hide like turtles inside the Jiuyou Sect’s Sect Protection Array, it was better to lure the snake out of its hole and wipe them out in one go.
However…
When Lu Hangzhi realized that Jiuyou’s two companions could slightly suppress Elder Lu, he secretly used a Messaging Talisman to contact Honglian and inquired about the Demonic Monk and the Ghost Weeping Taoist in detail.
These two were truly powerful and famous characters!
In their youth, they were Jiuyou’s Senior Brothers, and among the many Spirit Coalescence Elders of the top evil sect “Yanfu Mountain”, they were also outstanding figures. Honglian admitted that in a one-on-one fight, she might not be able to defeat either of them—the methods of evil cultivators were too bizarre and unpredictable, and their unscrupulousness gave them too many tricks.
Understanding this, Lu Hangzhi resolutely turned around, left Qinshan Town, and headed straight for the Jiuyou Sect.
Even Honglian had no confidence in defeating the Demonic Monk and the Ghost Weeping Taoist, let alone Elder Lu and Buming…
However, Lu Hangzhi was not at all worried about the safety of Elder Lu and the other two.
With the Spirit Honey in hand.
The Demonic Monk’s so-called attrition tactics were just a joke;
The Ghost Weeping Taoist could not gain any advantage against Elder Lu either;
But to be safe, Lu Hangzhi left the Mirror Spirit Cat behind to look after the three of them, just in case something unexpected happened.
“First, destroy the Jiuyou Sect’s Sect Protection Array, then take care of these three old monsters.”
Lu Hangzhi arrived at the enemy’s gates.
The Jiuyou Sect was enveloped in demonic mist, with miasma running rampant. From within came sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling, presenting the image of an evil sect that living beings should stay away from.
Stopping in his tracks, Lu Hangzhi calmly observed the mist and miasma before him, feeling utterly contemptuous…
Hmph, this level of illusion formation might fool Epiphany Stage cultivators, but in front of a Mind Focusing Cultivator, it was completely transparent.
The defenses inside were also too weak. There were only a few guards on duty, and they were merely mid-level Epiphany Stage cultivators, staring at him outside the formation as if facing a great enemy.
“Break!”
Lu Hangzhi had no patience to waste time breaking through the formation. He fully released the aura of an 11th-grade peak Epiphany Stage cultivator, and his pure Spiritual Sense directly crashed into the illusion formation. It was like a silver-white dragon leaping out of a river, roaring and soaring, tearing apart the black mist shrouding the mountain. The three Epiphany Stage evil cultivators were instantly stunned into idiots.
“Who’s there!”
“Not good, the illusion formation has been broken!”
“Enemy attack! Everyone, come out!”
With just one move, Lu Hangzhi had stirred up a hornet’s nest.
Panicked shouts rose one after another as a large group of evil cultivators quickly rushed down from the Spiritual Peak.
They were all High Insight Stage cultivators, and many of them had appeared during the siege of the Xuanxin Sect.
But when this group noticed Lu Hangzhi, holding an umbrella with one hand and flying through the air, they all stopped in their tracks, their expressions changing drastically…
It wasn’t because they recognized Lu Hangzhi’s identity, but because of the seven Flying Swords swirling around him, carrying the clear Power of Heaven and Earth.
The crowd immediately erupted into chaos.
“A Mind Focusing Cultivator is attacking our sect… quickly activate the Sect Protection Array!”
Lu Hangzhi saw a familiar face in the crowd—a look of fear flashed across it before the figure swiftly retreated.
Yellow Spring!
That lackey who had stirred up trouble in the Xuanxin Sect’s territory, the one with the most blood on his hands.
“Meeting an old acquaintance, why the hurry to leave?”
Lu Hangzhi laughed loudly, and his powerful Spiritual Sense, as strong as that of a Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage cultivator, shot out like a spike.
“Ah!!”
Yellow Spring recognized Lu Hangzhi’s true appearance. Seeing his pursuer approach, he pushed his Spiritual Artifact and Magical Artifact to the limit. A burst of red light erupted around him, and he suddenly accelerated, actually escaping the range of the Spiritual Sense attack in an instant.
“Interesting!”
Lu Hangzhi felt a chill in his heart:
If an Epiphany Stage evil cultivator had such strong survival and escape abilities, how much more so for those Mind Focusing Cultivators?
Lu Hangzhi no longer underestimated the Jiuyou Sect’s evil cultivators. With a light step, he soared into the air like a large bird and landed on the Jiuyou Sect’s Main Peak, right among countless evil cultivators.
He rotated the Tianji Umbrella!
Clang, clang, clang, clang…
The sound of swords clashing rang out continuously, and sonic waves pierced the air;
First Sword Formation!
During this period, Lu Hangzhi had carefully studied how to control his Magic Power consumption. The first layer of the sword formation summoned only Early Spirit Concentration Stage Sword Qi. Forty-nine strands of Sword Qi rose into the air, swirling around him, with minimal Magic Power consumption;
Second Sword Formation!
The process was effortless, smooth as flowing clouds and water. The sword formation quickly took shape, and forty-nine strands of Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage Sword Qi rose into the air…
The Jiuyou Sect’s evil cultivators were completely dumbfounded.
At this moment, the Jiuyou Sect’s Sect Protection Array had not yet been activated.
Third Sword Formation!
As soon as the forty-nine strands of Late Concentration Stage Sword Qi appeared, Lu Hangzhi finally felt a slight burden. But as he applied the Activation Art, his Magic Power quickly adapted.
One hundred and forty-seven strands of Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi whistled as they rose into the air, circling above the Jiuyou Sect’s Main Peak. The dense, layered Power of Heaven and Earth solidified the air for miles around, and the Jiuyou Sect’s evil cultivators were all suppressed…
There was no need to even enter an attack state. The evil cultivators within a several-mile radius of the Main Peak were pressed down by the crushing Power of Heaven and Earth, like mountains weighing on them, making it hard to breathe, let alone perform hand seals or cast spells.
“Venerable One, spare us!”
“I was captured and brought up the mountain by Jiuyou.”
“That’s right, Jiuyou and his accomplices are currently in Qinshan Town. You should seek revenge from the one who wronged you…”
Many evil cultivators quickly betrayed their masters, begging for their lives.
Lu Hangzhi did not waste words on them.
After scanning the area, forty-nine strands of Late Concentration Stage Sword Qi shot out in all directions.
Boom!
A step in front of the Main Peak’s hall was shattered;
Boom! Boom!
A giant cauldron made of copper ore was sliced open, and a large formation diagram in the front hall was shredded to pieces;
The Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi struck out everywhere;
In front of all the evil cultivators, the twelve main pillars of the hall were neatly severed;
Seeing this, countless evil cultivators showed expressions of despair and terror.
The Sect Protection Array!
The foundations of the Jiuyou Sect’s Sect Protection Array were destroyed one by one. Even if Jiuyou returned now, he would not be able to rely on the Sect Protection Array to resist enemies…
And given the strength the opponent had displayed, Sect Leader Jiuyou was definitely no match for him.
For a time, the pleas for mercy from the evil cultivators grew even louder.
Lu Hangzhi ignored the prostrate evil cultivators, turned around leisurely, and let his gaze fall on a rugged valley between two Spiritual Peaks. In the vast valley, hundreds of cultivators—pale, thin, and dressed in rags—were slowly carrying raw Spirit Stones out of the caves.
It seemed they had noticed the dramatic changes on the Main Peak, as many people in the valley craned their necks to look!
“He is a Sword Cultivator!”
“And a Venerable One too…”
“How wonderful!”
One elderly man at the peak of the Ninth Grade of Comprehension Stage was moved to tears. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and shouted loudly,
“Fallen disciples of the Crimson Shadow Sect humbly request the Venerable One to save us!”
They were indeed from the Crimson Shadow Sect.
Lu Hangzhi’s heart stirred. He extended his Spiritual Sense and discovered that these people had been placed under simple seals, unable to use Magic Power or Art Techniques. They could only dig and mine Spirit Stones like ordinary people, which explained why they had fallen into such a dire state in just a few days.
His Spiritual Sense swept like a gentle breeze.
While practicing the Seven-Seven Sword Formation, Lu Hangzhi had studied various Formations and seals. His Spiritual Sense, soft as the wind, brushed over the hundreds of Crimson Shadow Sect disciples and directly shattered the seals within them. Immediately, auras of the High Insight Stage rose one after another. The hundreds of disciples underwent a sudden change in demeanor and spirit, soaring into the air and landing on the Main Peak.
“These beasts!”
Seeing the Evil Cultivators kneeling all over the Main Peak, the Crimson Shadow Sect disciples seethed with anger. Some gritted their teeth, their eyes red with fury.
“The Venerable One is here. He will decide. Do not act rudely!”
The old man stopped a few disciples who were about to take action. Lu Hangzhi noticed that the old man held considerable authority among the Crimson Shadow Sect disciples—likely an Elder or Vice Sect Leader.
“We pay our respects to the Venerable One!”
“All members of the Crimson Shadow Sect thank the Venerable One for saving us and for granting us a second chance at life!”
With a rustling sound, all hundreds of Crimson Shadow Sect disciples knelt to the ground.
“Righteous sects should support each other. My sect’s actions are only natural,” Lu Hangzhi said, raising his hand. “Please, rise quickly.”
My sect?
The Crimson Shadow Sect disciples were stunned to hear this overly young man refer to himself as a Sect Leader.
“This humble elder was the Vice Sect Leader of the Crimson Shadow Sect, Li Changxiao. May I boldly ask…”
“Lu Hangzhi of the Xuanxin Sect,” Lu Hangzhi replied calmly.
His words struck the Evil Cultivators of the Jiuyou Sect like a thunderbolt.
“The newly appointed Sect Leader of the Xuanxin Sect, Lu Hangzhi?!”
“The one who performed great deeds at Two Realms Mountain and nearly became the fifth major figure there, the Logistics Commander?”
“We’re finished…”
“The Jiuyou Sect is utterly finished!”
The Evil Cultivators turned deathly pale.
They all knew of the Xuanxin Sect and Lu Hangzhi.
The former was a sworn enemy of Jiuyou; the latter was renowned throughout Two Realms Mountain and now the entire Barbarian Continent.
They had initially thought he was merely passing by the Jiuyou Sect and had intervened out of displeasure, but now it seemed he had come specifically for them!
The Crimson Shadow Sect disciples, being isolated from news, clearly knew nothing about the Xuanxin Sect or Lu Hangzhi. Learning that Lu Hangzhi was the Sect Leader of the Xuanxin Sect did not elicit much reaction from them.
“So it is the Sect Leader of the Xuanxin Sect. Li Changxiao has been discourteous.”
“No need for formalities. By the way, may I ask about the current whereabouts of the Crimson Shadow Sect’s Sect Leader…”
At the mention of their Sect Leader, the faces of the Crimson Shadow Sect disciples turned grim.
Li Changxiao replied sorrowfully,
“Our Sect Leader defended against the invasion of Jiuyou with his life, proving the path of righteousness. He has already fallen.”
“My condolences,” Lu Hangzhi nodded regretfully.
“The Crimson Shadow Sect and the Xuanxin Sect have long admired each other from afar. I deeply regret that your sect has suffered such a catastrophe and that I was unable to arrive sooner. As for these Evil Cultivators… how do you plan to deal with them?”
“In the Crimson Shadow Sect, all female disciples were either taken as cultivation cauldrons or bullied to death. Men who dared to resist were killed, and the rest had their cultivation sealed and were thrown into the mine for labor. Such a large sect now has only us few remaining.”
Li Changxiao gritted his teeth, his voice filled with killing intent,
“Sect Leader! In my humble opinion, we should kill them all. Every single one of them carries blood debts that can never be washed away. Death is too good for them!”
“This humble elder begs the Sect Leader to hand these Evil Cultivators over to us for punishment. The Crimson Shadow Sect will be eternally grateful and is willing to entrust you with the Spirit Vein Mine and a Spiritual Insect!”
His words provoked an uproar among the thousands of Evil Cultivators on the Main Peak,
“You wretched old man! So you did hide the Spiritual Insects!”
“…”
“What are we waiting for!”
“If we don’t leave now, are we waiting to die?!”
“Charge! Break through!”
Hundreds of Evil Cultivators erupted into action simultaneously…
Lu Hangzhi watched coldly.
Li Changxiao’s words had ignited his killing intent toward the Evil Cultivators of the Jiuyou Sect. As the Evil Cultivators moved, the three Sword Formations surged with sharp energy.
Before the Jiuyou Sect Evil Cultivators could take further action, hundreds of Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi descended upon them!
The Sword Qi Formation fell into the crowd!
Soul suppression!
Sword Qi attacks;
In an instant, Sword Qi crisscrossed the air!
Amid the continuous sounds of bodies being pierced, hundreds of heads fell to the ground in the blink of an eye, blood spurting wildly.
The remaining Evil Cultivators were overwhelmed by the sudden Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi and the Heaven and Earth Power. Their Magic Power churned, their legs weakened, and they collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably in fear, nearly breaking down.
“They are yours to deal with.”
Lu Hangzhi ceased the slaughter, glanced at Li Changxiao, then closed his eyes and turned away.
Shouts of killing rose once more;
After a while,
The wind stilled and the rain ceased.
A gentle breeze blew…
The Main Peak of the Jiuyou Sect was awash with blood, the metallic stench thick in the air.
Hundreds of Crimson Shadow Sect disciples, holding bloodied blades, wept uncontrollably!
Lu Hangzhi opened his eyes and looked toward the direction of Qinshan Town. A mass of black clouds approached menacingly, rolling in with great force.
The mastermind had arrived!