The beautiful woman beside Daoist Taicang glanced at the two of them, her gaze falling on Elian.
"This must be the renowned Sword Immortal of Chu Kingdom, Daoist Elian?"
"Indeed," Jiang Linglong replied with a smile. She then introduced the woman to Elian, saying, "This is Daoist Taiqing of the Azuregreen Immortal Sect."
"Greetings, Daoist," Elian said politely.
Although cultivators of different levels often interacted formally, Elian's remarkable potential and strength, coupled with his connection to Jiang Linglong, made even Golden Core cultivators willing to address him as an equal.
After exchanging greetings, Jiang Linglong turned her gaze toward the Demon Lair, her expression solemn.
"What's the situation?"
"Daoist Taicang has brought the Azuregreen Disk and the Heavenfire Demon-Suppressing Formation. I have also brought the Celestial Sky Sword," Master Zhang replied, stroking his beard with a serious expression.
Elian nodded slightly. The Celestial Sky Sword was a renowned demon-suppressing treasure, requiring no further elaboration.
The Azuregreen Disk, once a fifth-grade array disk, was a demon-suppressing treasure that had been damaged during the Abyssal Cataclysm 300 years ago.
Its grade had since dropped to quasi-fifth grade, but when combined with the Heavenfire Demon-Suppressing Formation, it could still suppress late-stage Golden Core demonic cultivators.
At this point, Daoist Taicang, a lean elder with an ethereal demeanor, approached.
He glanced at Jiang Linglong and asked, "By the way, did you manage to invite the Radiant Heaven Mirror Senior?"
"I did," Jiang Linglong replied calmly.
"However, the Radiant Heaven Mirror has yet to fully recover its power. It will only act in a critical moment."
"That's more than sufficient," Daoist Taicang said with a nod. Among the five Golden Core cultivators present, Master Zhang was at the late stage, and Daoist Taicang himself had reached the sixth level of the Golden Core stage.
With the two of them working together, alongside the Celestial Sky Sword, they were confident in handling most situations. Inviting the Radiant Heaven Mirror was merely a precaution against unexpected events.
After all, the Demon Lair was a notorious stronghold of demonic cultivators. Even three to five Golden Core cultivators might struggle to return alive, let alone eradicate the threat entirely.
"Still, we must remain cautious," Master Zhang said solemnly.
"The Demon Lair is deeply rooted and has methods to counter demon-suppressing treasures. Otherwise, we would have eradicated it long ago."
"Five hundred years ago, even my master, wielding the Celestial Sky Sword, had to flee in defeat after entering," he added, his tone grim.
The group nodded in agreement, a collective sense of gravity settling over them.
Without further words, they waited for the Purple Abyss Sect to arrive.
Ten days passed, but there was still no sign of Yan Ziji.
Impatient, Elder Lin of the Celestial Sky Sword Sect asked, "What's going on with the two Daoists from the Purple Abyss Sect? Why haven't they arrived yet?"
As he spoke, several streaks of light approached from the horizon.
The arrivals were led by Fairy Lingji, accompanied by more than twenty Purple Mansion cultivators.
When Jiang Linglong saw her, she asked with a slight frown, "Sister Lingji, why hasn't Daoist Ziji come?"
"I was just about to explain," Fairy Lingji said, catching her breath. Her expression turned grave as she continued, "The demon ape of Demon Ape Mountain has succumbed to demonic influence."
"What?"
The group's expressions changed dramatically, their shock evident.
Demon Ape Mountain was currently a stronghold of the demon race, but a millennium ago, it was a haven for demonic cultivators like the Demon Lair.
Back then, Chu Kingdom's cultivation world had expended all its resources to eradicate the threat. A Pure Yang Daoist had even used their divine powers to transform the mountain into a ruinous wasteland.
The Purple Abyss Sect, which inherited part of the Purple Sun Sect's teachings, had since taken up the responsibility of opposing Demon Ape Mountain.
Fairy Lingji's expression remained tense as she explained, "The Demon Ape King used the demonic spring's power to undergo demonic transformation. After succumbing, its strength has increased significantly, and it has broken through to the late stage of the Golden Core realm."
"To prevent disaster, Sister Ziji has taken the Purple Abyss Furnace to the frontier."
The group exchanged uneasy glances. This development was troubling.
The Demon Ape King breaking through to the late Golden Core stage and transforming into a demonic entity could turn Demon Ape Mountain into another stronghold for demonic cultivators. This was a significant threat to Chu Kingdom.
Daoist Taiqing muttered, "The Demon Ape King has transformed, yet the Green Flood Dragon Sovereign doesn't intervene?"
"Demons and demonic cultivators are both sworn enemies of humanity," Master Zhang explained. (Demons essentially demon beasts)
"To the Green Flood Dragon Sovereign, as long as the transformed Demon Ape King remains loyal and poses no threat to its rule, there's no significant difference."
"Furthermore, the demonic transformation allows the Demon Ape King to evade the covenant between the Green Flood Dragon Sovereign and the Ji Clan, enabling it to attack Chu Kingdom outside the centennial agreement."
Master Zhang, having lived for over eight centuries, understood the intricacies of such matters well.
He sighed and asked the group, "Without the Purple Abyss Furnace, should we proceed with the attack?"
The group fell silent. The Purple Abyss Furnace's divine flame was a crucial weapon against demons, a cornerstone of their strategy against the Demon Lair.
With this vital treasure unavailable, they were starting at a disadvantage—an ill omen for the campaign.
Seeing their hesitation, Daoist Taicang rose and addressed them, "Fellow Daoists, if we don't act against the Demon Lair now, it will grow into an even greater calamity."
"The beast tide is only a decade or so away. If we can't eliminate even one or two demon leaders now, the consequences will be dire."
His words made everyone's expressions tighten.
Seeing this, Daoist Taicang pressed on, "The Demon Lair has added another Golden Core expert, significantly increasing its strength."
"My Azuregreen Immortal Sect is already struggling between the Blackhawk Demon King and the Demon Lair. If we don't act, we won't be able to hold out much longer."
The others nodded in agreement. The Blackhawk Ridge had two demon kings, and the Demon Lair had a late-stage Golden Core demon.
With Daoist Taicang only at the sixth level of the Golden Core stage and his sect's other Golden Core cultivators in the early stage, their combined strength was insufficient to withstand these threats.
If these two strongholds unleashed their power, even the Celestial Sky Sword Sect would struggle to contain them.
Meanwhile, the Purple Abyss Sect faced the growing menace of Demon Ape Mountain, and the Tianxu Alliance was under increasing pressure from Sky Python Lake and Dire Lion Ridge. (In Sky Python Lake, even with the death of the Sky Python Demon King, there is a chance that another Demon King might emerge because Sky Python Lake has no owner)
The situation was grim. Any misstep could lead to catastrophic losses for Chu Kingdom's cultivation world.
After a long silence, Master Zhang made his decision.
"Even if it costs us dearly, we must eradicate the Demon Lair."
"And if that's not possible, we must at least slay one or two of their Golden Core demonic cultivators."
...
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