Banshee Family Training Record

Page 310

Everyone turned to look at her, and she continued, "The space created by a Nascent Soul cultivator may be very vast, but it still cannot exist independently of the main world and still needs to exchange spiritual energy with the outside world."

"Therefore, the lighting here should be exactly the same as outside. We came in at dawn, and less than two hours have passed. By all accounts, the sunlight should be just right now."

As she spoke, everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Rong Jieyu frowned, and based on her past experience, murmured, "Could it be a deliberate design? To satisfy some special needs?"

After all, she came from the Corpse-Driving Sect. The secret realms of the Corpse-Driving Sect's Nascent Soul cultivators were created to raise zombies. The environment inside could not follow the outside world; it had to be supplemented with special secret methods to keep it perpetually eerie at midnight.

Sheng Linglong shook her head slightly, while Bai Suwan suggested another possibility: "Has something unusual happened to this secret realm? Could it be that the magic array maintaining this place has malfunctioned over the past thousand years? Ah, I think that's the most likely possibility..."

Sheng Linglong said, "This should be the best-case scenario, I hope so. But if it's worse..."

She swallowed hard, not daring to continue. Beside her, Yan Shuiyi, without so many concerns, spoke up: "The strange demons from beyond the heavens have already infiltrated this secret realm by following the spiritual power link of Ancestor Sheng Xuanren."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned horrified. Only Yun Chu'an felt a sudden jolt in his heart; this matter had once again touched upon a blind spot in his knowledge.

Helpless, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "Um, what exactly is this extraterrestrial demon?"

There was no other way; all told, he had only been on the path of cultivation for five years, the shortest among everyone present. There were many things that they considered common sense, but he didn't understand them and could only ask them little by little.

Sheng Linglong knew he lacked systematic knowledge, so she patiently explained, "The world we live in consists of nine continents that float in the void but are naturally filled with spiritual energy, which were called 'Nine Provinces' in ancient times."

"Beyond the Nine Provinces lies an endless, vast void. Chaotic spiritual energy surges and churns within it, generating countless bizarre and malevolent forces every second."

"Our world was once affected by it, a world full of strangeness, evil spirits, ghosts, and demons. In that era, all races were like livestock, merely food for them."

"Later, the Dao Ancestor established the Great Dao of Cultivation. Generation after generation of righteous people devoted themselves to building the Heaven-Protecting Array, which kept all evil spirits out of the world and allowed only the purest spiritual energy to permeate in for cultivators to cultivate."

"But those evil spirits and monsters naturally refuse to give up. They are constantly yearning to break through the great formation, return to this world, and feast on blood and gore. We have a unified name for such creatures: 'Extraterrestrial Demons'."

Yun Chu'an understood and nodded slightly, but according to this statement, it seemed that the cultivators had been winning against the extraterrestrial demons, and these guys were not that much of a threat.

His gaze flickered almost imperceptibly towards Yan Shuiyi, who seemed to sense something and revealed a proud expression: "Although the Heavenly Protection Array was created by the Daoist master Zhang Tianshi, its maintenance and improvement throughout the ages have relied heavily on the efforts of other righteous individuals. For example, right now, the work of guarding the array and slaying the Heavenly Demons is mainly being carried out by my master… my idol, the Qingyun Sect Leader, Senior Nangong Wan." Chapter 623: Witnessing it with My Own Eyes, Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demons!

She almost let it slip, but quickly corrected herself, realizing she had gotten away with it, and felt relieved.

As she spoke, a slight blush rose to her cheeks, as if she were excited: "And her disciple, Yan Shuiyi, will take over her responsibilities in the future!"

As she said this, Yun Chu'an couldn't help but glance at her again, barely able to suppress a laugh. Yan Shuiyi also noticed his expression, knowing he was teasing her, and quietly reached out to pinch his waist from behind, playfully hitting him.

Sheng Linglong suppressed a laugh, but she remained calm and said, "Yes, that's the crux of the problem: the extraterrestrial demons are mainly dealt with by disciples of prestigious sects like the Qingyun Sect. We have little experience in fighting them, and if we encounter them, it will be extremely troublesome."

Beside her, You Wensi immediately understood her intention and hurriedly said, "That's true. Alas, if only the Qingyun Sect had sent more people here."

Rong Jieyu nodded repeatedly, but her feelings were complicated. She felt a mix of smug satisfaction at having joined forces to deceive Yan Shuiyi and melancholy at having to put on a smiling face to the enemy who had destroyed her sect.

Bai Suwan looked confused, not understanding why these women suddenly started praising the Qingyun Sect.

Yan Shuiyi maintained her smile and then said softly, "Don't worry, everyone, I believe that when that moment really comes, the people from Qingyun Sect will definitely be there."

She had made a promise, and the group nodded in agreement, their expressions satisfied. Yun Chu'an suddenly realized why Sheng Linglong hadn't mentioned it when they first entered, even though it was already a different kind of dusk than the outside world, but had brought it up now on purpose.

This is fishing in Yanshui No. 1...

He found it amusing, but he wasn't opposed to it. Among the crowd, only Wolf Bone frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Not necessarily, Miss. To be honest, as far as I know, many of these supposedly righteous cultivators are hypocrites. They appear upright in name, but in private they are all wicked and immoral... Uh... Alright, alright, I won't say anything more."

He had barely said a few words when he suddenly realized that everyone else was staring at him with murderous eyes. Sensing the danger, he quickly shut his mouth and said no more.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued forward. After walking for a while, they came to another dense forest. (The last two lines are a poetic expression and don't directly relate to the preceding text.)

This appears to be another dedicated training ground. In the past, soldiers of the Jin state would go deep into this forest in groups to explore the terrain, search for treasures, avoid or hunt ferocious beasts, and compete with each other to vie for the best ranking.

However, everything here is now basically abandoned, and it no longer has the ability to change the terrain and regenerate the trial map.

It's just unknown how many treasure chests, which Sheng Xuanren deliberately set up but haven't yet retrieved, are still hidden deep in the forest, waiting for later generations to explore and plunder.

The group moved forward together, reaching the edge of the forest. Before they even entered, Wolf Bone's expression suddenly changed: "There's a smell of blood. Someone has died here!"

The group rushed forward and immediately discovered five or six mutilated corpses of cultivators scattered haphazardly throughout the forest.

Most of their limbs had been severed, and it was impossible to distinguish which part belonged to which part. The bloody and gruesome scene was shocking to everyone's eyes.

Upon seeing this, everyone's expression changed. The righteous sects had already arrived, and the rules clearly stipulated that cultivators entering the secret realm could not fight each other. Who would dare to carry out such a large-scale massacre?

Yan Shuiyi's eyes were particularly gloomy. She focused her voice and discussed in a low voice with Yun Chu'an: "It's that evil cultivator. His progress is very fast. In just a few days, he can already kill Golden Core cultivators..."

Yun Chu'an scanned the area with his Qi Observation Technique. The Golden Core cultivators on the ground were all in the early stage of Golden Core, and most of them were independent cultivators. Judging from their clothes, they were probably not together. It was likely that the evil cultivator had set a trap here, which was why he had ambushed and killed so many Golden Core cultivators one by one.

Even so, the few who were killed didn't even have time to escape with their Golden Core cultivation, which shows how cruel and terrifying the other party was.

but……

Yun Chu'an couldn't help but feel curious: "According to your previous predictions, wasn't he only at the Foundation Establishment stage a few days ago? How did he progress so quickly?"

Yan Shui lowered her eyes and said softly, "This is the terrifying thing about demonic cultivators. They achieve rapid progress by plundering the life force and cultivation of others. Even though all of this is built on evil, the benefits they gain are real and tangible."

"Many people cannot resist such temptations, and as a result, many righteous people, after their cultivation hits a bottleneck, cannot control their greed and fall into the demonic path—what we generally call 'inner demons,' and this is a temptation that every cultivator must overcome."

Yun Chu'an nodded slightly, inwardly agreeing. When the desperate situation of death truly lay before them, it would be an inescapable ordeal for anyone.

He was about to enter the dark, dense forest ahead to explore the treasures that might be hidden inside when suddenly, the ground beneath his feet trembled, and an abnormal, eerie purple light appeared on the distant horizon.

Upon seeing the light, Sheng Linglong's expression immediately changed: "This is not good..."

Yun Chu'an looked at Yan Shuiyi and saw that the latter also had a solemn expression. He immediately asked, "Shall we abandon this place and go over there to take a look?"

Yan Shui nodded slightly and instinctively made a judgment: "That's for the best. Let's go over there together and take a look. At most, there are some little treasures from a thousand years ago in this forest. For us... well, I mean, I suggest that perhaps going over there to take a look is the safest option."

She suddenly realized halfway through her sentence that, given her current disguise, she shouldn't be giving orders like that, so she quickly changed her words.

Bai Suwan glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, frowned slightly, and was also dissatisfied with her behavior of giving orders just now.

She wanted to say something, but after scanning the room, she realized that even Sheng Linglong didn't seem to have any objections.

Immediately, she was slightly surprised, realizing that this woman was no ordinary person, so she became more cautious and waited secretly.

The group quickly reached an agreement, except for Wolf Bone, who opened his mouth as if he was still reluctant. Seeing his feelings, Yun Chu'an immediately said that there was nothing of value here, but he had already prepared a giant axe made of fine bronze for him, which he could give to him as a gift after the matter was settled.

Upon hearing this, Wolfbone immediately abandoned any objections, nodded, and continued to act as the vanguard, speeding away into the distance.

Along the way, the group encountered many other cultivators, including members of the Allied Forces and the Qin Army, but mostly various independent cultivators. They were exploring and plundering the remaining military camps, warehouses, and command posts in this secret realm, breaking through the protective formations that had not yet expired, and taking away the remaining treasures inside.

Upon seeing them approach, the other party became quite nervous. Yun Chu'an remained calm and did not harm them in any way, heading straight for the direction where the purple light had appeared, and sped away.

Soon, the group arrived at the most central area of ​​the secret realm. This was a magnificent and noble royal palace, supported by colossal trees that were as thick as two people could hug and soared into the sky. It was grand, magnificent, and breathtaking. Just standing at its foot was enough to inspire awe and wonder.

A considerable number of cultivators had already gathered here, seemingly drawn by the sudden earthquake and purple light. Yun Chu'an's gaze swept upwards, his expression immediately showing surprise, before he felt goosebumps rise on his back: "That's... an extraterrestrial demon?"

He gazed into the distance and saw that on the top of the magnificent hall before him, which should have been a barrier to isolate the turbulent flow of the outside world, a hideous, purplish-black creature was now growling and trying to rush into this secret realm.

Chapter 624 Heavenly Demons and Barriers

The creature appeared humanoid, but its body was grotesque and thin, resembling a demon.

He had two long, thin horns on his head, and from his feet to his long, thin legs, the whole thing was estimated to be nearly three meters tall.

On either side of his face, there was one eyeball on one side, and four eyes arranged from top to bottom on the other side, all of which were now glaring angrily, making people feel uncomfortable.

This creature also has a pair of bat-like wings on its back, a total of four arms on its shoulders, and four claws, all of which are ferocious and thick, with purplish-green nails that seem to conceal deadly poison.

Its terrifying and ugly appearance was enough to make anyone feel extremely uncomfortable just by looking at it. Even though he had never seen it before, Yun Chu'an was certain at first glance that this guy was the "extraterrestrial demon" that Sheng Linglong and the others had mentioned.

Upon seeing the ugly creature, Sheng Linglong's expression clearly showed discomfort. Yan Shuiyi felt the same way, but after her initial tension, she gradually relaxed, her expression hesitant, and then said, "Judging from this, it seems there's nothing to worry about? This creature is sealed very well now..."

The extraterrestrial demon, though ugly and terrifying, was currently trapped within the spatial barrier, like an ancient mosquito encased in amber, unable to move.

Upon closer inspection, one would even notice that the creature's body was slowly retreating. It's conceivable that Sheng Xuanren had already foreseen this situation back then, and thus added provisions to his Shit Mountain Formation to counter these extraterrestrial demons, ensuring that even a thousand years after his death, they would not be able to enter his secret realm.

Yun Chu'an was relieved. It seemed that, just as he had expected, the cultivators had been gaining the upper hand in the struggle against the so-called "extraterrestrial demons".

He gradually relaxed, but Sheng Linglong beside him had a different opinion: "Whether it's safe or not, it's better to find out. Hmm... Oh, coincidentally, there are my ministers over there."

Her gaze drifted into the distance, and her eyes suddenly lit up. She saw the Sima family grandfather and grandson, accompanied by several servants, coming from the right rear of the hall. Clearly, they had arrived much earlier than her and probably knew some of the inside story.

Just as Sheng Linglong was about to say something, she remembered Sima Lixin's proposal to her and suddenly felt a sense of rejection. She stopped and turned to Yun Chu'an: "Chu'an, why don't you go and ask them?"

Yun Chu'an immediately understood what she meant. He thought to himself, "If I go ask, will he tell me?" But after glancing at Sheng Linglong's expression, he knew he couldn't avoid it.

Helpless, he braced himself and waved to the other side, taking the initiative to greet them: "Senior! Fellow Daoist Sima, it's been a long time!"

Over there, the Sima family grandfather and grandson had spotted Yun Chu'an and his group even earlier. Upon seeing him, Sima Zongzheng's expression immediately became excited: "Lixin, quick, now's your chance to get closer to him!"

He spoke in a low voice, Sima Lixin's face flushed red, and when he looked at Sheng Linglong standing next to him, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed.

He was quite resistant, but with his grandfather standing nearby, he dared not disobey his grandfather's orders.

Just then, Yun Chu'an took the initiative to greet him. Seeing his grandfather becoming increasingly excited, Sima Lixin had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward: "Your Highness, Fellow Daoist Yun... it's been a long time."

Yun Chu'an saw through his thoughts at a glance, and immediately gave a bitter smile to himself, thinking to himself that just as he expected, this person had a lot of resentment towards him.

Beside her, Sheng Linglong coldly replied, "No need for formalities," and said no more, leaving everything to Yun Chu'an. The latter didn't delay, continuing, "We just saw purple light appear here from a distance, and there was an earthquake. Senior, you arrived first; did you discover anything?" (The last part, "You Linlin, are you free? Lin Zai Zai, are you even here...?", seems unrelated and likely a separate thought.)

Sima Zongzheng didn't answer, but glared at his grandson. Sima Lixin suppressed his discomfort and continued, "It was caused by the invasion of the extraterrestrial demons. To be honest, similar things have happened frequently recently. Extraterrestrial demons always try to invade this secret realm, and each time, it will cause purple evil light like just now, and small earthquakes in some areas."

He said this, trying his best to appear poised and polite: "Fortunately, Ancestor Sheng Xuanren has profound magical power and ample defenses. Even though these extraterrestrial demons have attacked repeatedly, they have not been able to break through the defenses here in the slightest. Everything here is within acceptable limits, so there is nothing to worry about."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chu'an nodded slightly, understanding. Then, he asked, "So, what is the current status of the core formation of this secret realm?"

Sima Li said, "Please rest assured on this point. The cultivators of Zhao are even more anxious than we are. They have mobilized the rogue cultivators and reached a tacit agreement that no one can tamper with the magic array there or take all the treasures in this secret realm for themselves."

"The Qin cultivators initially had their own plans, but they quickly abandoned their idea of ​​starting from here. Now, they are most likely searching for an exit to the current capital of Zhao. Of course, without studying the core array within this hall, their efficiency will definitely be much lower."

As he spoke, he glanced behind him at his grandfather, as if he were speaking not to Yun Chu'an, but to his grandfather.

Upon hearing this, the latter, unusually, showed an approving expression and nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

Sima Lixin bit his lower lip lightly and continued to Yun Chuan: "Fellow Daoists, everyone, please follow me. Although the outer protective array is still in operation, we can take a look from afar at the central pillar of law supporting this secret realm. The core that controls this space is right there."

Yun Chu'an breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing him say that, he knew that the secret realm was still safe for the time being, so he was at ease and decided not to rush. He would first explore other places and get what he could.

But he wasn't in a hurry to go. After hearing what he said, the others behind him showed signs of interest.

Immediately, the group nodded slightly, stepped forward, and followed Sima Lixin into the magnificent hall before them.

The hall is grand and imposing from the outside, and even more magnificent inside. The walls around the hall are carved with dragons and phoenixes, and every stroke of the brush contains a hidden mystery. Together, they form a grand protective array, and anyone who dares to trespass will face a fatal attack.

Yun Chuan and the others stood at the entrance of the hall, not actually stepping into the hall, but observing from there.

They peered into the interior from afar. Eight stone pillars stood around the hall, supporting the dome, while in the center stood an exceptionally thick and tall, golden pillar, nearly a hundred meters high, which not only supported the hall but also the entire secret realm.

The densely packed magic arrays were carved on the surface of the golden stone pillar in the center. They had been working steadily for thousands of years, making people dizzy. It also made Yun Chu'an understand a principle more deeply: if the magic array is still running, then never, ever touch it.

Everyone gazed up at the towering stone pillar, their hearts filled with emotion, each experiencing a unique feeling.

Suddenly, Yun Chu'an's expression changed. He turned his head and looked into the distance. At another entrance to the hall, he immediately saw a familiar figure.

Huanghe Longzi, Jiang Congqian.

This guy, he didn't leave, but followed us here too?

He looked at the other person, and at that very moment, the other person, as if by telepathy, turned their head to look in his direction.

Suddenly, their eyes met. In an instant, Jiang Congqian shivered almost imperceptibly.

Chapter 625 Dao Sect Female Cultivator, Su Youling

Oh no, what's he doing here!

Jiang Congqian cursed inwardly. Seeing Yun Chuan at this moment made him feel guilty and unlucky.

Huanghe Longzi, of course, did not leave. He still needed to maintain his dignity, so after parting ways with Yun Chuan, he found a place to swallow pills and meditate for a while. Once his appearance had at least recovered to a certain extent, he returned the way he came and reunited with his subordinates.

When pressed by his subordinates, he simply said that Yun Chu'an had been swept away by spatial turbulence to an unknown location, and that he had searched everywhere but couldn't find him, so he had to give up. His subordinates had no doubts and showered him with flattery, saying that it was Yun Chu'an's good fortune that he hadn't encountered the dragon prince.

Although Jiang Congqian felt guilty, he maintained a calm demeanor and continued his investigation.

But, now...

Looking at Yun Chu'an across from him, a bead of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

What made him even more nervous was that his servants behind him started whispering again: "Wow, it's like finding a needle in a haystack! We've run into each other again so soon!"

"We can't let him lose again this time. He has to learn a lesson. Luck won't always be on his side!"

"Lord Dragon Prince, why don't we just finish him off in front of everyone? It would be perfect, and everyone could witness your unparalleled swordsmanship and lightning magic!"

……

His subordinates were gossiping and urging him to act boldly and aggressively.

These lowly subordinates also had their own selfish motives, hoping that their masters would act more arrogantly and domineeringly, so that they, as subordinates, would have more confidence to run rampant when they went out.

If it were the previous Yellow River Dragon Prince, being encouraged and praised like this by his subordinates, he would most likely have acted impulsively and publicly challenged Yun Chu'an, stirring up trouble.

Unfortunately, Jiang Congqian is no longer the same person he used to be.

He had already been brutally beaten by Yun Chu'an and nearly lost his life under the latter's knife.

Listening to his subordinates' encouragement, a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. He thought to himself, "Are you guys afraid I'll die too late?"