"The world is in chaos, and we cultivators cannot stand idly by! This isn't about cultivation level; it's about our resolve!"
Li Ya strode forward without looking back, his tone resolute and powerful, leaving Zhang Buku feeling a pang of shame.
In terms of conviction, he truly wasn't on the same level as Brother Li.
"Of course," Li Ya added after a pause, his tone shifting, "if there's an opportunity along the way, it's even better. Let's give it a try. The more people around, the easier it is to blend into the chaos. At least we won't be singled out as targets."
Zhang Buku's lips twitched, but he didn't retort.
Rolling his shoulder, he muttered, "Brother Li, I think my old injury is acting up."
"Hold it in! Do you think your injury is worse than mine? A real man, even if he dies, it's just a scar the size of a bowl. What's there to fear? Fear, and you'll lose your whole life!"
Li Ya snorted, his eyes scanning the horizon through the gaps in the leaves, where the roiling demonic clouds loomed. His thoughts wandered.
Zhang Buku pursed his lips, inwardly grumbling about Li Ya's bold words. Yet, having spent so much time together, he knew he couldn't abandon Li Ya.
"Forget it," Zhang Buku sighed inwardly. "This life, I only have one brother. If it's the knife mountain or sea of fire, I'll follow him through!"
Trying to reassure himself, he asked aloud, "Brother Li, where do you think the Blood Prison Saint we encountered earlier has gone? He's an ascender, right? Does that mean he's looking for a sect to establish himself?"
Li Ya replied casually, "Of course. No one can survive in the cultivation world alone. Mahayana Realm cultivators may seem powerful, but they're far from invincible. With his strength, he's likely already been taken in and worshipped by some sect, living much more comfortably than the two of us."
"True enough," Zhang Buku admitted with a tinge of envy. Having no sect to back him, he knew all too well how hard it was to wander the cultivation world alone.
The two continued chatting as they walked forward. Above them, the demonic clouds kept spreading, as if an impending calamity were descending upon the mortal realm.
Meanwhile, Gu An sat atop the Blood Prison Saint, heading toward the pavilion district. His divine sense had already locked onto the depths of the demon lands.
A desolate plain stretched out below, the ground fractured like a spider's web. Thick, ominous demonic energy surged from the cracks, ascending skyward in a spectacular display. It was as if a supreme evil was about to emerge from the earth, casting a suffocating pressure over the land.
Gu An noticed a cliff about fifty thousand miles from the sealed grounds of the Fierce Demon. On the edge of this cliff, cultivators were constructing a teleportation array. Judging by their cultivation levels, they were likely Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators, as Ji Xuanling was among them.
At this moment, Ji Xuanling stood at the cliff's edge, his brow furrowed deeply.
A woman in white approached him with a smile. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?"
Ji Xuanling cast her a cold glance and replied flatly, "No matter how strong the Fierce Demon is, could it possibly surpass the Sword Master of the Dao? I've been to the Tai Xuan Sect."
"That's different," the woman in white countered. "The Sword Master of the Dao never fought the Fierce Demon, nor did he have any reason to. And when you went to the Tai Xuan Sect on behalf of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, why would the Sword Master of the Dao attack you?"
Ji Xuanling turned his gaze back to the horizon, ignoring her.
Undeterred, the woman in white continued, "Elder Lin is here too. He's a Loose Immortal. With him involved, we should be able to overcome this disaster."
"Elder Lin?" Ji Xuanling's frown deepened as his suspicions grew. That troubling thought he'd been grappling with seemed on the verge of being confirmed.
For years, Ji Xuanling had regarded the Seven Stars Spirit Realm as a true sacred land, taking pride in being born there. Yet, recent events had revealed countless hidden secrets within the realm—secrets that threatened to shatter its sacred reputation. This realization left him shaken.
What tormented him most was knowing the truth but being unable to expose it. Bound by duty, he had no choice but to obey orders.
Boom—
The sky above the demonic clouds erupted with thunder, a sound reminiscent of an ancient demon god's growl, filling the hearts of all living beings with unease.
Gu An watched the scene for a long time. Once the Blood Prison Saint reached the pavilion, he dismounted and leapt to the ground.
Though cultivators from across the Three Dynasties and even the demon clans were converging on the sealed grounds of the Fierce Demon, Gu An didn't feel any urgency. He intended to wait until the Fierce Demon actually revived before acting.
He suspected that the Seven Stars Spirit Realm wanted to kill the Fierce Demon themselves to establish their reputation. However, judging by the rapid increase in the Fierce Demon's aura, Gu An doubted their plan would go smoothly.
"Unless they send out a Wandering Immortal!" Gu An thought.
This was a perfect opportunity to test the Seven Stars Spirit Realm's strength on the continent.
In the following days, rumors of the Fierce Demon's impending revival spread like wildfire within the Tai Xuan Sect. Even disciples in the Xuan Valley and the Third Medicine Valley were abuzz with speculation.
Gu An could sense that the seal on the Fierce Demon was weakening ahead of schedule, though he couldn't pinpoint the cause.
He didn't bother to investigate. As long as the Fierce Demon's strength remained within his control, he wasn't concerned.
From the current pace of its aura's growth, it would take another century before it could pose a real threat to Gu An.
The gap between a Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal and a Wandering Immortal was as vast as that between a mortal and an immortal. Moreover, the Fierce Demon hadn't even reached the Wandering Immortal stage yet.
The Seven Stars Spirit Realm hadn't made a move either. They seemed to be waiting until the cultivators from the Three Dynasties had fully gathered, likely seeing this as an opportunity to cement their reputation.
A month passed swiftly. By this time, cultivators from the Three Dynasties had gathered en masse in the area where the Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators were stationed. The Fierce Demon's aura was now close to the Wandering Immortal Realm, leaving all cultivators deeply uneasy. None dared approach the demonic grounds, let alone use their spiritual senses to probe the area.
On the desolate plains, the cultivators of the Tai Xuan Sect worked together to build rows of pavilions, protected by formations along the edges.
Lü Baitian stood on a balcony, his gaze fixed on a distant cliff—the encampment of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. As a supposed sacred land, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm remained aloof, choosing not to mingle with the other sects from the Three Dynasties.
All other factions gathered on the plains below the cliff, but the Seven Stars Spirit Realm perched high above, maintaining their separation.
Ji Hantian approached Lü Baitian and spoke in a low voice. "There's still no news of Xuan Tianyi. Could he really have perished in the demonic lands?"
His brow furrowed deeply. Xuan Tianyi was one of the Tai Xuan Sect's rarest prodigies in millennia and its strongest cultivator on the surface. Losing Xuan Tianyi was akin to losing half the foundation of the Tai Xuan Sect.
"No matter what, we must prepare for the possibility that he won't be able to fight," Lü Baitian said solemnly.
Ji Hantian studied Lü Baitian intently, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
After a long pause, he asked, "Sect Master, are you hiding something from me? If Xuan Tianyi is truly dead, how can you remain so calm? You're too composed."
Lü Baitian shook his head and descended the stairs without another word.
Elsewhere, Li Ya and Zhang Buku arrived at the Tai Xuan Sect encampment. Zhang Buku glanced around curiously, his face full of wonder.
"I heard the Tai Xuan Sect has started accepting demon clan disciples. Once this matter is over, you should consider joining. I can recommend you," Li Ya said with a light smile.
"Really?" Zhang Buku's eyes lit up with excitement.
Li Ya raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you so thrilled? I've introduced you to cultivators from the Cang Tian Sect before, and you weren't this excited. Why now?"
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Buku replied earnestly, "To be honest, my father was once an outer sect handyman disciple of the Tai Xuan Sect. I grew up hearing stories about it, so I can't help but admire the place."
Given Zhang Buku's tragic background, Li Ya had always avoided asking too many questions to spare his feelings. Hearing this, he couldn't help but ask, "What was your father's name? I started as an outer sect handyman disciple too, so I might have known him."
Zhang Buku turned to him and answered, "My father's name was Zhang Chunqiu."
"What?" Li Ya froze mid-step, staring at Zhang Buku in shock.
Zhang Buku's face lit up with joy. "Brother Li, you know him?"
Li Ya's initial surprise quickly gave way to a somber expression as he recalled that Zhang Chunqiu had passed away. His mood dampened.
"Your father worked as a handyman disciple in the Medicine Valley, right? When I joined, he was my senior brother," Li Ya said, his tone laced with complexity.
Zhang Buku's excitement grew. "Really? I never expected us to have such a connection."
"By the way, you once mentioned having a senior uncle. What was his name? Why didn't your father ever mention me?" Li Ya asked, a strange feeling stirring within him.
Zhang Buku scratched his head and replied, "My senior uncle's name is Gu An. Do you know him?"
"Junior Brother Gu…" Li Ya's expression shifted as realization dawned.
Of course! Back in the Medicine Valley, Senior Brother Zhang Chunqiu had doted on Junior Brother Gu An. Gu An's kind and friendly nature had endeared him to everyone. It was no surprise that Senior Brother Zhang remembered him fondly.
Zhang Buku suddenly seemed to realize something as well and awkwardly rubbed his head. "Does that mean I should be calling you Senior Uncle Li?"
"Forget it. Just call me Brother Li. Let's keep things as they are," Li Ya said dismissively.
Zhang Buku's cheeky grin returned, and Li Ya felt a flicker of irritation. After years of addressing each other as equals, it was difficult to change.
Anyway, Zhang Buku had only ever interacted with him, so there was no need to make a big deal out of it.
Feeling emboldened, Zhang Buku asked, "Brother Li, what's your relationship with Senior Uncle Gu?"
Puffing out his chest, Li Ya answered proudly, "We're the best of brothers."
"Really?" Zhang Buku's face lit up with joy.
Li Ya gave him a suspicious look. "Why are you so interested in him? Have you met him before?"
"Of course! When I was young and my father was still alive, Senior Uncle Gu visited our home. He even brought me a top-grade Spirit Qi Pill. He's the only elder I have left in this world," Zhang Buku said earnestly.
The only elder left…
Li Ya's mouth twitched. "In that case, you'd better start calling me Senior Uncle too."
"No way. Let's just stick with Brother Li."
"If Junior Brother Gu hears about this, he'll laugh."
"What's the big deal? Last year, when a demon king almost tore you apart, I risked my life to save you. You even said we'd be brothers for life. Are you backing out now?" Zhang Buku challenged.
Having called each other brothers for so long, how could he now recognize his brother as a senior uncle?
Li Ya opened his mouth to argue but ultimately felt too stifled to say anything.
Zhang Buku glanced around and muttered, "I wonder if Senior Uncle Gu is here…"
Li Ya snorted. "He's only a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, and he's timid by nature. Why would he come?"
Foundation Establishment Realm?
Zhang Buku was stunned. He had witnessed Senior Uncle Gu slay demons with his own eyes. Frankly, he thought Gu An was far stronger than Li Ya.
But he had promised Senior Uncle Gu not to reveal his heroic deeds, so he held his tongue.
Judging by Li Ya's expression, it was clear he had no idea about Gu An's true strength.
Knowing how proud Li Ya was, Zhang Buku figured that if he ever learned the truth, he'd surely cause trouble for Senior Uncle Gu.
Smiling to himself, Zhang Buku thought, "Does this mean Senior Uncle Gu trusts me more?"