Moreover, Elian could sense that in this environment, the Nether Demonic Miasma constantly sought to infiltrate their meridians. If this battle dragged on too long, the miasma would seep into their bodies, threatening to pollute their spiritual energy and creating the danger of demonic corruption.
In such conditions, Foundation Establishment cultivators could only last an hour before their spiritual energy was polluted, Purple Mansion cultivators could endure about three hours, and even Golden Core cultivators would likely succumb to the corruption after just a few days.
Once spiritual energy was polluted by the Nether Demonic Miasma, it would become a significant problem. The longer the corruption lingered, the harder it would be to remove, with the risk of the affected cultivator falling into demonic possession.
For a Foundation Establishment cultivator, staying in this environment for three hours could require the equivalent of a full sixty years to purge the miasma entirely.
Master Zhang quickly recognized the severity of the situation. With a grave expression, he declared loudly, "Everyone, we must end this battle swiftly. Regardless of the outcome, we must retreat within three hours."
The nearly one thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators present all looked dismayed. Staying here for three hours could severely impact their cultivation paths in the future.
Noticing their unease, Jiang Linglong furrowed her brow. To inspire their morale, she announced, "Foundation Establishment cultivators can leave after fighting here for two hours or accumulating one thousand merit points."
In just a few moments, the two leaders had established clear rules, which brought a sigh of relief to the Foundation Establishment cultivators. While one thousand merit points were challenging to achieve, they were not unattainable—it would suffice to kill one Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator or one hundred Qi Refinement demonic cultivators.
Even for those who couldn't achieve this, staying for two hours, while dangerous, would still allow them to purge the miasma within twenty years.
Having stabilized the troops, Jiang Linglong continued, "The demonic leaders only have three Golden Core cultivators, and their strength does not surpass ours. They rely solely on the power of the Nether Spring to contend with us."
"We will quickly charge into the Nether Spring and utterly destroy the demonic cultivators."
The Demon Lair was a labyrinth with three main pathways leading to the Nether Spring. Time was of the essence. To maximize their ability to eliminate the demonic cultivators and to prevent them from evading or delaying, the elders divided their forces into three groups, each advancing down a different path.
Jiang Linglong and Fairy Lingji led the Tianxu Alliance and Purple Abyss Sect cultivators along the leftmost path. Master Zhang, the strongest among them and wielding the Celestial Sky Sword, took the central route with the Celestial Sky Sword Sect forces. Daoist Taicang and Daoist Taiqing led the Azuregreen Immortal Sect cultivators down the rightmost path.
Each group was formidable. Even if the three Golden Core demonic leaders focused their efforts on attacking one path, they would not quickly break through. As long as one group reached the core of the Demon Lair and suppressed the Nether Spring with their demon-suppressing treasures, the battle would be won.
The Nether Spring was the source of the demonic miasma in the Demon Lair. If it were temporarily subdued, the demonic cultivators would lose the miasma's augmentation, and the allied cultivators would recover their full strength. At that point, Master Zhang could unleash the Celestial Sky Sword to slay the Golden Core demonic leaders.
Jiang Linglong led the charge at the front of her group. The Tianxu Slashing Sword Art unleashed waves of sword energy that cut through the air, instantly slaying demonic cultivators in mid-flight.
Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators stood no chance against a Golden Core expert and could only flee desperately through the complex terrain.
Elian followed closely behind with the Purple Mansion cultivators from the Bianzhou Region. His Fiery Void Sword, now a four-tier Pure Yang Celestial Sword, had significantly increased in power.
Merging himself with his sword, he became a blazing streak of sword light, carving a path of destruction. Both Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators fell instantly to his strikes.
The allied forces advanced steadily, pushing several hundred miles into the Demon Lair within a quarter-hour. Finally, they encountered a significant force of resistance—clearly, the demonic leaders were mobilizing their troops to delay the assault.
The demonic leaders understood that if they could hold off the allied forces for three hours, the Foundation Establishment cultivators would be forced to retreat, and even the Purple Mansion cultivators would struggle to persist.
At that point, the remaining Golden Core cultivators, disadvantaged in this environment and outnumbered, would have no choice but to retreat.
"This is bad—it's the Demon Lair Lord."
Elian's expression darkened as he spotted the figure blocking their path. The Demon Lair Lord was at the seventh level of the Golden Core stage.
In the Demon Lair, his strength could rival that of an eighth-level Golden Core cultivator. Flanked by dozens of Purple Mansion cultivators, it was clear he intended to annihilate Jiang Linglong's group.
"Be careful," Jiang Linglong cautioned softly, then unleashed the Tianxu Immortal Slaying Sword to confront the Demon Lair Lord. Fairy Lingji joined her, and the two Golden Core cultivators engaged the enemy leader together.
Elian felt a pang of concern but knew he couldn't intervene in a battle between late-stage Golden Core cultivators. With his current cultivation and two four-tier magical weapons, he could barely contend with an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. Against a late-stage Golden Core opponent, one misstep could cost him his life.
However, Jiang Linglong, now at the third level of the Golden Core stage, possessed power comparable to a sixth-level Golden Core cultivator. With the support of the Azure Sun Demon-Suppressing Tower and the Radiant Heaven Mirror, she should be capable of handling the Demon Lair Lord.
Suppressing his worries, Elian exchanged a glance with Xu Qianyang and the others, his eyes glinting with confidence. The Demon Lair Lord had miscalculated their strength.
The Tianxu Alliance had recently added three pseudo-Golden Core cultivators to its ranks. Combined with Elian and the patriarch, their combat power was formidable. The Purple Abyss Sect also contributed a pseudo-Golden Core cultivator.
Together, their six pseudo-Golden Core experts could potentially hold their own against one or two early-stage Golden Core cultivators.
Leading the charge, Elian plunged into the fray, clashing with the demonic cultivators. His sword merged with his body, cutting through the enemies like a burning inferno. The Fiery Void Sword cleaved down, instantly killing over a dozen Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators.
"Not good—it's body-sword unity!"
"And he cultivates a Pure Yang technique!"
The demonic cultivators recoiled in fear. A four-tier Pure Yang Celestial Sword was their worst nightmare. Even a group of Purple Mansion demonic cultivators would find it challenging to confront.
A Purple Mansion late-stage demonic cultivator stepped forward, shouting, "He's no Golden Core cultivator! Even with a four-tier sword, his strength is limited. Let's exhaust his sword's power and kill him while he's alone!"
Convinced by his reasoning, the demonic cultivators rallied and surged toward Elian. Only one figure, Old Demon Hong, subtly retreated a step.
Seeing Elian's sword in action, Old Demon Hong recognized it immediately. Though he had never fought Elian directly, the reputation of the Fiery Void Sword preceded him—it was a top-tier Celestial Sword, now upgraded to tier four. Even a glimpse of its aura was enough to make him cautious.
...
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