Chapter 1895: Magic Spot Descends

Baiguo'er and Hai Dashao were both clearly only at the early Nascent Soul stage, while Qilingzi's cultivation was superior to theirs, having already reached the middle Nascent Soul stage.

"Oh, Junior Sister," Hai Dashao suddenly asked with a solemn expression, "Speaking of Master, after he returned from the Barren World two hundred years ago, he entered seclusion again. Could it be that Master truly intends to attempt to break through to the late Integration stage bottleneck?"

"I'm not entirely sure about that," Baiguo'er replied after a moment's thought. "Master's seclusion spot is currently enveloped by layers of restrictions, making it impossible for even Senior Aunt Ice Phoenix to get close. It seems that even if Master isn't aiming for the late stage, he's probably cultivating a truly formidable divine ability. That's why he doesn't want us to disturb him."

"Back then, it only took Master three or four hundred years to advance from the early Integration stage to the middle-late Integration stage. If he were to successfully advance to the late stage in such a short time again, even knowing that he is far superior to other cultivators of the same stage, it would still be too astonishing!" Hai Dashao said with a grin, seemingly lost in thought.

"If Master truly can advance to the late stage this time, it would naturally be a tremendous blessing for the three of us and for the entire human race. However, I believe it's still quite unlikely," Qilingzi said, stroking his chin and shaking his head in disagreement. "After all, advancing from the middle Integration stage to the late stage requires a vast amount of magical power, which normally takes one to two thousand years of continuous arduous cultivation. A mere few hundred years is simply not enough to accumulate sufficient magical power."

"Hmph, Senior Disciple Brother," Baiguo'er said with a flash of unusual light in her beautiful eyes, very assertively. "You also know that Master is no ordinary person, so why compare his progress to the cultivation of ordinary cultivators? In my opinion, Master must have a certain level of confidence to enter such seclusion. Moreover, during this time, Sky Abyss City, the Three Emperors, and other factions have frequently sent people to visit Master, but even after sending messages in, we haven't received any replies. This shows that Master is fully immersed in his cultivation and doesn't want to be disturbed by anything."

"It seems that among the three of us, Junior Sister Bai has the most faith in Master. However, we've analyzed such matters countless times, and we never come to any definite conclusions. Besides, who knows how long Master's current seclusion will last? The demonic invasion is set to arrive in at most a few decades. Even if Master is confident, he will likely have to emerge from seclusion to deal with it once it arrives," Qilingzi said, waving his hand.

"That's true," Hai Dashao said with a look of regret. "If that were the case, it would be a pity. If the demonic invasion were to arrive later, even if Master couldn't break through the late-stage bottleneck, he could definitely make significant further progress in his cultivation."

"Alright, how Master cultivates is not something we, as disciples, should casually discuss. What we can do now is ensure our own survival during the demonic invasion. By the way, Junior Sister, why don't you also join Sky Abyss City? After all, once the demonic invasion arrives, Sky Abyss City will be the safest place for the entire human race. With Master's name associated with you, I imagine the elders there will look upon you favorably," Qilingzi said, addressing Baiguo'er with a serious expression.

"Senior Disciple Brother Qilingzi is absolutely right.

My Senior Disciple Brother and I have already decided that once the demonic invasion breaks out, we will move all our disciples into Sky Abyss City. Although they will only serve as the lowest-ranking guards, with the two of us looking after them, they shouldn't be used as cannon fodder. It would be even better if Junior Sister could join us," Hai Dashao said with a smile.

"Sky Abyss City?" Baiguo'er frowned, falling into contemplation.

"What's wrong, Junior Sister? Do you have other plans if you're unwilling? It's best to decide soon, as Master told us before his seclusion that once the demonic invasion erupts, he will have other important matters to attend to and won't be able to keep the three of us by his side," Qilingzi asked with concern.

"No offense, Senior Disciple Brothers," Baiguo'er said after a long moment of deliberation, finally revealing her decision. "I recently received a letter from my father. All the members of my grandmother's faction have already moved into the Black Tortoise Imperial City. My father wants me to go with them. And I only have a few relatives, so I don't want us to be separated in two different places and worry about each other once the demonic invasion breaks out."

"I see," Hai Dashao said, a look of understanding dawning on his face. "Since Junior Sister has relatives to worry about, it's indeed not ideal to be in two separate locations. But thankfully, the Black Tortoise Imperial City is also considered stable and reliable. If Junior Sister goes there, she should be very safe."

"If Junior Sister Bai goes to the Black Tortoise Imperial City, why not take Liu Feng and Fuyun with you? They are Core Formation cultivators, after all, and could be quite useful by your side," Qilingzi suddenly suggested.

"Liu Feng and Fuyun are Senior Disciple Brother's most cherished disciples; how could I possibly take them and command them?" Baiguo'er said, her eyes sparkling as she smiled slightly. "Don't worry, Senior Disciple Brother, I still have a few personal maids by my side. They've been with me for some time, and while they haven't reached Core Formation, they do have Foundation Establishment cultivation and can be of some use."

"Haha, if Junior Sister says so, then I'll tell Junior Disciple Brother Hai..." Qilingzi began with a faint smile, seemingly about to say more.

But just then, a thunderclap suddenly echoed from the high altitude nearby, followed by a tremor that shook the entire world. The mountain peak beneath their feet rumbled and trembled.

Baiguo'er and the other two were all Nascent Soul cultivators, so this slight tremor naturally couldn't affect them in the slightest; they stood firmly in place. However, their expressions changed drastically in an instant, and they all simultaneously looked up towards the sky.

They saw that the previously clear, azure sky, which had been cloudless for thousands of miles, now had a massive gray blotch, about half a kilometer in size, rapidly expanding. At the same time, strong spatial fluctuations emanated in waves from the gray blotch, spreading in all directions.

In just a moment, the gray blotch swelled three to four times its original size. Under the murky grayness, the entire world seemed to dim, as if something was rapidly eroding the sky.

"A demon mark! There's no mistake, this must be a demon mark, a precursor to the demonic invasion!" Hai Dashao suddenly shouted, his face paling.

Baiguo'er and Qilingzi stared intently at the blotch in the sky, their expressions equally grim.

"It does seem to be a demon mark, indeed," Baiguo'er murmured. "I didn't expect the demonic invasion to arrive even earlier than anticipated."

"It might not necessarily be a demon mark; it could just be another similar celestial phenomenon," Qilingzi said, exhaling a long breath, his expression finally a little better. "Whether it's real or not, we'll need the people from Sky Abyss City to officially confirm it."

"Hmph, what's there to confirm?" Hai Dashao said, shaking his head. "If it really is a demon mark, there won't be just one in the entire region."

"That's true!" Qilingzi replied, falling silent for a moment. "If it really is, then everyone within the Three Realms will likely know about this news."

"Both Senior Disciple Brothers needn't worry too much," Baiguo'er said, her eyes flickering. "The appearance of the demon mark only indicates that the demonic realm's erosion has just begun, and this process is extremely slow. According to records, it will take at least another half a year for the power of the realm to weaken enough for the demon race to invade the Spirit Realm. With this much time to prepare, our human race won't be caught off guard."

"That's true, but the demon race can also calmly gather their forces at the demon mark. The initial attacks will undoubtedly be exceptionally fierce, and I wonder how many cities will survive the first few waves of assault," Qilingzi said with a bitter smile.

Upon hearing this, Baiguo'er and Hai Dashao's expressions changed, becoming even more grim.

Just then, a golden flying boat flashed across the distant horizon, shooting towards them.

On this battle-boat, over ten yards long, stood more than a dozen guards clad in dark green battle armor, each with a solemn expression.

When the battle-boat halted beneath the massive gray blotch, the armored guards ascended into the air one after another, instantly reaching the vicinity of the blotch. They then either threw out formation flags and arrays or took out oddly shaped magical artifacts and furiously activated them.

For a time, spiritual light flashed dazzlingly in the high sky.

Even further away, streaks of light continued to appear, as if more cultivators were rushing towards this direction.

"Let's go," Qilingzi said in a deep voice. "The patrol guards from Sky Abyss City have arrived. We should return to our cave dwelling immediately and inform Master first."

Baiguo'er and the other naturally had no objections. They nodded in agreement and each activated their escape light, flying towards a distant mountain peak.

In a secret chamber softly glowing with faint white light, a man-height green cauldron stood silently in the center.

Around this cauldron, three "Han Lis" sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, their eyes tightly closed and unmoving.

Among the three Han Lis, one shimmered with golden light, his body intermittently shrouded in black mist; another had pale green skin, with tendrils of purple gas rising from his entire body; the last one had his hands resting flat on his thighs, but behind him, a golden halo rotated and pulsed, and within its expansion and contraction, countless golden characters could be vaguely seen tumbling continuously.

At the center of the halo, seventy-two small emerald green swords chased each other incessantly.

Suddenly, all three Han Lis opened their eyes simultaneously. With their arms raised together, they lightly patted the massive cauldron.

After a "boom," the cauldron's lid shot into the sky, followed by loud hissing sounds as countless white threads burst forth from within the cauldron.

"Hurry!" the three Han Lis exclaimed, then each extended a finger again, pointing into the void at the cauldron.

The white threads that had just shot out from the cauldron instantly seemed to hit an invisible barrier, trembling and stopping in place, forcibly restrained in the void.

Just then, a loud buzzing erupted from the cauldron, and over a dozen golden lights flashed out. They were a dozen fist-sized beetles, each with a dazzling golden back covered in purple-gold patterns, while their undersides were crystal clear and transparent like amber.

Each of these beetles appeared exceptionally ferocious. The moment they flew out of the cauldron, they immediately bared their fangs and lunged at each other, looking as if they wanted to devour all their kin.

In a flash, loud chirping sounds erupted from the cauldron's mouth, and waves of astonishing malevolent aura spread out.

Upon seeing this, the three Han Lis immediately let out a loud shout, their fingers flashing with spiritual light as they sent streams of spell seals towards the spirit insects.