### Chapter 72: A Plot?
A month later.
In the Black Veil Forest, two dozen giant ancient trees had suddenly shed their leaves, their bark cracking and peeling. Beneath each tree gaped a cave, oozing cold air.
"This is the eighth one," Elder Chen muttered, his face darkening after slaying another demon.
Only four disciples remained in his team. A month prior, they'd numbered eleven, but a ambush by twenty-odd demons had claimed six lives—including a Ninth Level Qi Refinement cultivator.
The survivors: Fan Wei (Ninth Level), Lin Yi (Seventh Level Peak), Xiao Liang (Seventh Level), and Ma Yunliu (Third Level). Ma Yunliu, a die-hard admirer of Lin Yi, had clung to his coattails through the ambush, surviving by sheer luck. Now he shadowed Lin Yi relentlessly, much to Lin Yi's chagrin.
Since that ambush, demons appeared only in pairs, their trails erratic. The team had slain eight demons, but encountered few valuable beasts—mostly Second or Third Order, lacking cores.
They'd ventured deep into the forest, where sunlight never penetrated. The ground was a mire of rotting leaves, knee-deep. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators could fly; Qi Refinement disciples tread lightly, their steps barely grazing the muck.
"Elder Chen," Fan Wei frowned, "the demons seem to be luring us in. With just five of us, we can't handle whatever's waiting."
"Sigh, I know," Chen admitted. "But we've lost too many. Going back empty-handed—how do we explain to the sect? I can't accept that." He turned to Lin Yi. "What do you think?"
It was absurd for an elder to consult a former outer sect nobody, but Lin Yi's poise and performance had earned a grudging respect.
Lin Yi's expression was grave. "If they want to lure us, let them. We'll play along—gather intel to take back. It's better than leaving一无所知."
"Easy for you to say," Fan Wei scoffed. "We'd be walking into a death trap. What use is a Seventh Level with five spirit roots here? You'd end up demon chow."
"For Dianxuan's safety, I'd die willingly," Lin Yi shot back, voice steady. "But you—too cowardly to stand when the sect needs you. What a waste of their teachings."
Fan Wei's face darkened.
"Enough," Chen snapped. "Anyone who wants to leave may go. Those who stay—I'll protect you with my life."
Fan Wei bowed. "Then I'll return to the sect. Farewell, Elder."
He departed without a backward glance.
Lin Yi, Xiao Liang, and Ma Yunliu stayed.
Chen nodded, relieved. *A pity about his five spirit roots*, he thought, eyeing Lin Yi. *Even with luck, Foundation Establishment is his limit. Core Formation? Impossible.*
"Let's go."
They pressed on in silence.
Suddenly, a scream echoed—cut short.
Chen's face tightened. Lin Yi's lips curled into a冷笑.
It was Fan Wei.
"Move," Chen said flatly, though unease gnawed at him.
…
Other teams fared no better. A month of losses had thinned their ranks. Disciples who fled met the same end as Fan Wei—no one escaped.
Dread hung over the survivors. Retreat meant death; advance, a glimmer of hope. They were being herded like sheep.
…
Inside a cave beneath a gnarled tree, thirty demons chattered, their cackles filling the air. Before them stood Huo Bin—once Dianxuan's inner sect champion, now transformed: gray hair, a black horn protruding from his forehead, aura 邪恶 (fiendish).
"Lord Luo's method works," Huo Bin murmured. "A steep price for this form, but worth it." His voice was cold, unrecognizable. "The four sects' dogs will arrive soon. Heh."
Three others—also corrupted by Luo—stood nearby, their cultivation skyrocketing to Foundation Establishment.
For cultivators, Foundation Establishment was the first step to longevity: two hundred years of life. Core Formation granted five hundred—time to chase Nascent Soul, or simply live. Opportunity mattered more than talent in the end.
…
A thousand miles away, Yin Moon Mountain rumbled. A barrier rippled at its base, blocking a horde of cultivators—over a thousand, from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment Late Stage.
Five clans had abandoned the barrier-breaking weeks ago, leaving others to toil. Some bombarded it with artifacts; others traced runes, seeking weaknesses.
Yu Xianzi stood apart, occasionally murmuring incantations, her brow furrowed. She'd glimpsed patterns in the barrier, but couldn't piece them together.
The mountain shook again as another artifact slammed into the barrier.
…
Lin Yi's team pressed on, ignoring all but the rarest herbs. Death loomed, spurring them onward.
"What's that?!" Ma Yunliu suddenly pointed, voice cracking.