Inside the sacrificial temple, chaos reigned supreme. These Nascent Soul cultivators had likely never witnessed such pandemonium in their lives. Fifty to sixty people—more than half of Yunzhong's Nascent Soul cultivators—were gathered here. Mo Tiange clicked her tongue in amazement. If this were Tianji, that would be seventy to eighty percent. Even the later Kunzhong City had never assembled so many Nascent Soul cultivators at once.
The space was cramped, yet cultivators were numerous. Spells, magic treasures, spirit talismans, and secret techniques flew everywhere in a disorderly fashion, the level of chaos comparable to a brawl among mortals...
Mo Tiange was convinced that if this were not the Five Spirits Sacrificial Temple but some ordinary structure, the heavens would have shaken and the earth would have split long ago.
The moment their group emerged, they were immediately besieged. Fortunately, the situation was far too chaotic; even the besieging forces were stretched thin.
"Let's take the chance to run," Qin Xi said.
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Ling Yunhe would be retrieved by the Jiuyan Sect, but they would not. Taking advantage of the chaotic situation to flee quickly was the proper course of action. They absolutely must not obediently wait for the Jiuyan Sect to rescue them.
By the side of the ground fissure canyon stood six individuals: Demon Lord Yueying, Old Donkey Ma, Nan Guitian, Daoist Ruyi, Han Shizhi, and the newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator of the Yan Clan from the Five Elements Valley.
Each of them remained silent, seemingly waiting for something.
Not long after, several figures flew over swiftly, arriving before them in an instant.
"Teacher!" Han Shizhi's face lit up with joy as he bowed in greeting.
Scholar Yu smiled with refined elegance, raising the folding fan in his hand. "Shizhi, you've worked hard."
"I dare not claim hardship. This is what your student should do." Despite his arrogant nature, Han Shizhi was respectful and humble before his teacher.
Scholar Yu nodded with a smile, then shifted his gaze to Demon Lord Yueying. "Fellow Daoist Yueying, are you prepared?"
Demon Lord Yueying's attitude was indifferent. "Naturally. And you?"
Scholar Yu replied, "Yuan Mu and his group have already entered. We can make our move." He then sighed. "It's a pity Guo Laotou and Miao Ying didn't take the bait, otherwise..."
"Killing Yuan Mu is enough," Demon Lord Yueying said coldly. "With Yuan Mu dead and Tiemian passing away in seclusion, the Jiuyan Sect will have no late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator overseeing it. Their internal conflicts will intensify. If we apply a bit more pressure, it's not impossible for them to splinter and collapse. When that happens, Yunzhong's number one sect will dissolve, the strength of the Daoist path will greatly diminish, and that will be the time for the Demonic and Confucian schools to rise."
"What about Night Frost?" Scholar Yu asked. "Are you certain she won't become a stumbling block for you?"
"Hmph!" Mentioning Demon Lord Night Frost, Demon Lord Yueying's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. "If that old monk, Venerable Xiang, hadn't intervened, Night Frost wouldn't have escaped so easily."
Scholar Yu narrowed his eyes. "So, you're saying Night Frost already knows?"
Demon Lord Yueying nodded reluctantly. "However, they won't be able to escape either."
"Heh," Old Donkey Ma, standing to the side, chuckled. "Fellow Daoist Yueying, why overthink it? Even if they do escape, what can they do? Are you afraid of them?"
Demon Lord Yueying shot him a cold glance. "Old Donkey Ma, there's no need for you to fan the flames. That old monk Venerable Xiang has always disliked you. If he seeks revenge, you won't escape either."
Old Donkey Ma blinked his small eyes. "Fellow Daoist, you truly misunderstand me. This old man has but a sliver of lifespan left; why would I stir up such idle trouble? I only wish to live out my remaining years in peace and stability. That would be satisfaction enough."
Demon Lord Yueying snorted again, not believing a word of it. Old Donkey Ma's lifespan indeed wasn't considered long. He was a cultivator from the same generation as Demon Lord Guifang, and among Yunzhong's current late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, he was the eldest. However, this old man, relying on his status as a loose cultivator, had stepped into the late-stage Nascent Soul ranks—his opportunities were first-rate. It was said he had once consumed a lifespan-increasing spirit fruit in the past. Calculating, he still had four to five hundred years of lifespan left. Four to five hundred years, compared to the nearly two thousand years of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, wasn't much, but it also wasn't very little. Moreover, this old man had always been mysterious. Who knew if his appearance of being on his last legs would persist until they themselves were old and gone, while he still lived on?
"Fellow Daoist Yueying, can we begin?" Scholar Yu urged.
Demon Lord Yueying nodded. "Let's begin."
Inside the sacrificial temple, the situation grew increasingly chaotic. The space was too small, and Nascent Soul cultivators' battles were too intense. With so many people, it was inevitable that bystanders would get hurt. Aside from sectmates and a handful of close friends, most were here due to temporary alliances of interest. Between the majority, there were past experiences of fierce clashes over treasure. When struck by another's spell, it was hard to tell if it was accidental or intentional, inevitably leading to retaliatory strikes. Thus, the scope of the fighting quickly expanded.
Compared to others, Mo Tiange's group advanced and retreated in an orderly fashion. Six people and one beast, combining offense and defense, remained completely unruffled.
Mo Tiange had already put away the puppet. The space was narrow, and their group was sufficient to form a complete defensive system.
Fighting while moving, they finally saw the Jiuyan Sect group steadily pushing forward from the main hall.
The Jiuyan Sect also progressed steadily. Their numbers weren't large, but under True Person Yuan Mu's command, they were orderly.
Seeing them, True Person Yuan Mu's eyes flickered. In the next moment, he shouted, "Yunhe, come over here!"
He said 'you all,' not just 'you.' Mo Tiange curled her lips into a smile, exchanging a glance with Qin Xi. True Person Yuan Mu was indeed a clever man. Despite likely hating them to the core, he could still temporarily set aside his hatred and choose to join forces.
"Yes, Uncle-Master Yuan Mu," Ling Yunhe responded, but then gave Mo Tiange a meaningful look, his gaze directed toward the exit.
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment and understood his meaning. He was telling them not to delay and to leave quickly. She smiled gratefully. Regardless, Ling Yunhe's actions were worthy of the word 'friend.'
At that very moment, a sinister, cold aura spread forth, making one's hair stand on end.
Cultivators near the temple entrance looked back and were instantly horrified. "Ghost Cultivators! Ghost Cultivators!"
Following his shout, that sinister cold aura intensified. All the Nascent Soul cultivators spread their spiritual sense and discovered a massive number of Ghost Cultivators appearing outside, swarming toward the sacrificial temple.
They had all been brought here by Demon Lord Yueying and hadn't seen that canyon, nor did they know there were so many Ghost Cultivators here. Seeing them suddenly now, they were nothing but shocked. Ghost Cultivators existed in Yunzhong as well, but they kept away from the human world and were few in number. Yet the Ghost Cultivators outside numbered in the thousands, with over a hundred at the Nascent Soul level or above! They were too astonished. How could so many Ghost Cultivators exist in Yunzhong?
For a moment, everyone stopped fighting.
True Person Yuan Mu also stopped. He turned his head and saw that, at some point, the group from the Yueshan Academy had disappeared, along with Nan Guitian, Daoist Ruyi, and the Yan Clan cultivator from the Five Elements Valley who had come to support them. A thought suddenly flashed in his mind, and he blurted out, "Not good!"
The bearded disciple asked, "Senior Brother Yuan Mu, what's wrong?"
True Person Yuan Mu took a deep breath. "We've fallen into a trap."
The Jiuyan Sect members and other cultivators who heard this were all stunned.
True Person Yuan Mu raised his voice. "Everyone, whether you believe it or not, I'm afraid we've been tricked by certain individuals!"
After he finished speaking, a cultivator who had some friendship with the Jiuyan Sect asked, "Fellow Daoist Yuan Mu, what do you mean by that?"
True Person Yuan Mu's gaze sharpened like lightning as he turned to look at the entrance. "Everyone, think about it. Why are we here? And who is missing from this place?"
Upon hearing this, the cultivators pondered. Ling Yunhe was the first to react. "Demon Lord Yueying!"
True Person Yuan Mu looked at him, his gaze appreciative. He thought, this lad's intelligence and talent are both extraordinary, it's a pity his actions haven't been ideal...
Prompted by True Person Yuan Mu, Mo Tiange was startled for a moment before suddenly having an epiphany. "So that's it!"
Nie Wushang turned to ask, "What?"
Mo Tiange said, "To seize the Primordial Demon Art, there's no need to be in such a hurry. Why not wait until you're alone to come for it? He acted so urgently, gathering these people to stir up trouble. I'm afraid his goal wasn't as simple as just seizing a cultivation art."
Hearing her words, True Person Yuan Mu's gaze fell upon her.
"Right now, half of Yunzhong's Nascent Soul cultivators are here. Demon Lord Yueying, Old Donkey Ma, and the others avoided this place early on. They've clearly made up their minds to have these Ghost Cultivators trap us to death here."
With the sacrificial temple here, these Ghost Cultivators dared not enter. At the same time, with so many Ghost Cultivators outside, it would be very difficult for them to fight their way out. This was different from when they crossed the canyon. Back then, the Ghost Cultivators that discovered them weren't many. Now, it was a deliberate, man-made effort to lure all the Ghost Cultivators to this location.
"And also," True Person Yuan Mu said, "the Yueshan Academy, Nan Guitian, Daoist Ruyi."
The moment his words fell, an uproar broke out within the sacrificial temple. If it were only Demon Lord Yueying and Old Donkey Ma, that was just two people. Old Donkey Ma was a loose cultivator, and Demon Lord Yueying only commanded Yueying City. Given the way demonic cultivators existed, Yueying City didn't have other Nascent Soul cultivators. But adding the Yueshan Academy, Nan Guitian, and Daoist Ruyi changed the weight entirely. The Yueshan Academy, Danxia Sect, Five Elements Valley... combined, they had nearly twenty Nascent Soul cultivators. If they were truly trapped here, then these three factions plus Demon Lord Yueying and Old Donkey Ma would represent half the power of Yunzhong's cultivation world.
"Why would they do this?" someone shouted. "What benefit do they gain from trapping us to death here?"
True Person Yuan Mu gave a bitter smile. "With Yiyedao gone and Beijidao in decline, do we even need to ask why? Resources are diminishing. Sooner or later, Yunzhong will face turmoil. It's just that I didn't expect the turmoil to come so quickly, and for these people to act so ruthlessly."
To make a move against half of Yunzhong's Nascent Soul cultivators—these people had quite the ambition. And it was also their own fault for not understanding their surroundings well enough, for not knowing there were so many Ghost Cultivators here.
Thinking of this, True Person Yuan Mu looked at Mo Tiange, his gaze filled with murderous intent. If not for the celestial and terrestrial anomalies, Yiyedao wouldn't have disappeared, and Beijidao wouldn't have declined. And those anomalies were inextricably linked to this junior.
"Yunhe." True Person Yuan Mu's tone was flat. "Come here."
Sensing True Person Yuan Mu's killing intent, Ling Yunhe hesitated.
"What? Do you truly intend to betray the Jiuyan Sect?" True Person Yuan Mu stared at him with a heavy gaze. "You hold grievances against the sect, traveling with them—none of that matters much. But if you don't come over now, that is betraying the sect!"
"Senior Brother Yuan Mu!" the bearded disciple exclaimed. "Junior Brother Ling is just..."
True Person Yuan Mu shot him a sharp glare, then looked back at Ling Yunhe. "Yunhe, come here. Let bygones be bygones. You are still a disciple of the Jiuyan Sect. If you strive hard enough, the Jiuyan Sect may yet be handed to you in the future. But if you don't come over..."
Ling Yunhe suddenly sighed and asked, "Uncle-Master Yuan Mu, do you want their lives?"
Without waiting for True Person Yuan Mu's answer, he continued, "I don't know if you still remember the words I once used to evaluate them."
True Person Yuan Mu's gaze paused, as if recalling something.
"Uncle-Master Yuan Mu, I will not betray the Jiuyan Sect. But, I beg your pardon, I cannot obey your command." Ling Yunhe's expression was calm, his tone indifferent. "If I allow you to kill them, I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"Ling Yunhe!" True Person Yuan Mu could no longer control himself, shouting sharply.
Ling Yunhe did not answer, lowering his voice. "Fall back."