Chapter 1042: Facing Two Alone

Shangguan Qing stood up and said in a deep voice, "I agree. Senior Sister Tang is the Palace Master's personal disciple. It is only right and proper for Senior Sister Tang to succeed as the Palace Master of the Myriad Flowers Palace."

The Core Formation cultivators present exchanged glances, none of them having expected Tang Yunshang to be so eager to ascend to the position of Palace Master of the Myriad Flowers Palace.

A green-robed old woman in her early sixties stood up and cautiously said, "Senior Aunt Tang, the Palace Master's body is not yet cold. This disciple believes our immediate priority should be to completely eliminate the demon race. Discussing the position of Palace Master can wait until Senior Uncle Lin and the others return; it will not be too late then."

Tang Yunshang had relied entirely on the Palace Master of the Myriad Flowers Palace's favor to cultivate all the way to the Nascent Soul stage. She abused her authority, practiced nepotism, heavily promoted her own people, and used the sect's resources to help her family develop. Many fellow disciples were dissatisfied with Tang Yunshang; had she not made significant contributions, she would have been removed long ago.

In contrast, Lin Siruo had made considerable contributions to the Myriad Flowers Palace. She was fair in her dealings and had a strong sense of the bigger picture. If forced to choose between Tang Yunshang and Lin Siruo for Palace Master, most Myriad Flowers Palace disciples would have chosen Lin Siruo.

Lin Siruo was fighting on the front lines and could not return temporarily. Tang Yunshang intended to exploit this very fact to seize the throne of the Myriad Flowers Palace Master.

Tang Yunshang's expression turned cold as she chillingly said, "What? Are you trying to teach me how to do things? Without a Palace Master, how are we to command the sect's disciples to apprehend the demon race? Who would be convinced? Or are you saying you don't want to avenge our master and the others? Or are you a traitor?"

"Niece Song, you are truly bold. Senior Sister Tang is the Palace Master's personal disciple and has received the Palace Master's true teachings. At this critical juncture, our sect needs a powerful leader to guide us forward. Without a Palace Master, how are we to dispatch the sect's disciples? If you give one order and I give another, wouldn't it devolve into chaos?" Shangguan Qing coldly rebuked, and an immense spiritual pressure surged from her, making it difficult for the green-robed old woman to breathe.

Tang Yunshang took out a square token. Its reverse side was engraved with a vast array of spiritual flowers, while its front bore the two golden characters "Myriad Flowers."

"This is the Myriad Flowers Token, the personal insignia of our Palace Master. To see this token is to see the Palace Master herself."

Shangguan Qing immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Shangguan Qing greets the Palace Master."

The numerous Core Formation cultivators exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what to do.

"What? You see the token and do not kneel? Are you trying to become traitors?"

"This disciple greets the Palace Master."

It was unclear who started it, but the numerous Core Formation cultivators all knelt down one after another.

"This is a special time, so there's no need for an elaborate ceremony. The succession ceremony will be held in one month. Send invitations to the Six Sects, including the Pure Clarity Temple, inviting them to attend our palace's succession ceremony." Tang Yunshang commanded, her expression showing a hint of excitement.

The Myriad Flowers Palace was a vast and powerful organization with tens of thousands of disciples. From now on, she would be its Palace Master.

Forget one month; even if given three months, Lin Siruo would not be able to return.

With the Six Sects as witnesses, Tang Yunshang's position as Palace Master would be solidified.

"Yes, Palace Master."

***

In a lush green mountain range, on a verdant peak, Wang Qingshan and Song Mei stood at the summit, gazing into the distance.

They had been stationed there for over half a month and had not discovered any demons.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, do you think the demons will really pass through here? Why wouldn't they go somewhere else?" Song Mei said casually. As the newly appointed senior disciple of the Valley of Ten Thousand Ghosts, he urgently needed military merits to solidify his status.

"Who knows! I hope the demons don't pass through here! Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall!" Wang Qingshan, however, did not wish for the demons to pass through here. Firstly, if there were Nascent Soul stage demons, they might not be able to stop them. Secondly, if the demons were cornered and annihilated by human cultivators, they would surely become desperate and ferocious.

Suddenly, a loud beast roar echoed. Wang Qingshan took out a pale golden jade plate, on which a lifelike lion pattern was carved. He infused a spell into the golden jade plate, and Liu Meier's urgent voice suddenly rang out: "Brother Qingshan, demons are attacking us! There are too many; we can't hold them back. Come and support us quickly!"

"All right, we'll be right there." Wang Qingshan agreed, then suddenly looked up in a certain direction, a playful expression on his lips.

"What's wrong, Fellow Daoist Wang?"

"Nothing. Fellow Daoist Song, you go support Fairy Liu! I will stay here to guard, in case this is a feint by the enemy."

Song Mei nodded and said, "Then be extra careful. Contact me if anything happens."

Eager to earn merit, Song Mei rushed over immediately upon hearing that Liu Meier had discovered the demons' whereabouts.

Wang Qingshan picked up his teacup, took a sip of spirit tea, then suddenly raised his right hand and struck at the void. With a flash of red light, a red flying sword over thirty zhang long shot out, carrying immense heat waves, and slashed towards a small mound.

*Rumble!*

The mound was split in half by the red flying sword, and two streaks of light shot out from underground: a girl in a white dress and a young man in a silver robe. The girl in the white dress had three white fox tails at her rear, and the young man in the silver robe had a pair of silver bat wings on his back. Both were clearly demons.

"Bai Linger, long time no see." Wang Qingshan narrowed his eyes, speaking with a half-smile.

Bai Linger's face was somewhat pale, and her aura was weak, indicating she was injured. The silver-robed young man also had numerous scars on his body, clearly wounded as well.

Bai Linger let out a soft chuckle and said in a seductive tone, "Oh? Is Fellow Daoist Wang missing this humble one? I didn't expect Fellow Daoist Wang to still know how to cherish beauty. I thought all sword cultivators were wooden!" Cheng Xiaotian had an arm severed by Wang Qingshan, and Bai Linger had learned about Wang Qingshan's situation with a little inquiry.

Wang Qingshan felt a moment of daze, his entire body feeling lethargic. Suddenly, a yellow light flared on his chest, instantly restoring his clarity. At that moment, a bat claw several zhang large abruptly appeared above his head. Before it could descend, Wang Qingshan retreated, and the bat claw slammed into the ground, leaving five huge craters.

Wang Qingshan formed a sword art, and an astonishing sword intent surged from his body. Numerous illusory green flying swords suddenly materialized around him. These illusions quickly solidified into two gigantic green sword tigers, baring their fangs. With a movement of their limbs, the two green sword tigers pounced towards Bai Linger and the silver-robed youth down the mountain.

A clear sword hum resonated as nine green flying swords flew out from the sword case on Wang Qingshan's back, aligning themselves and emitting clear sword cries. With a flash of green light, thousands of green flying swords appeared out of thin air, striking towards the opponents like a meteor shower.

Bai Linger's expression turned cold, and she said chillingly, "Let's finish this quickly. Don't drag it out, or we won't be able to escape." Their attack on the Myriad Flowers Palace severely weakened it, enraging the Seven Great Immortal Sects, who dispatched a large number of masters to set up a comprehensive net to apprehend them. Several Nascent Soul stage demons had already died at the hands of Nascent Soul cultivators, let alone Bai Linger.

Bai Linger stomped her jade foot forcefully on the ground. A rumbling sound came from underground, and two yellow hands, several zhang large, suddenly burst forth from beneath, swiftly grabbing one of the green sword tigers and crushing it into pieces.

*Rumble!*

The green sword tiger exploded, and the two yellow hands also vanished.

The silver-robed youth fiercely flapped the bat wings on his back, stirring up a fierce gale. A hazy gray hurricane flashed out, meeting the green sword tiger.

*Rumble!*

The gray hurricane shredded the green sword tiger into dust, and then dissipated itself.

Thousands of green flying swords descended from the sky. Before they could land, several yellow hands emerged from the ground, blocking above Bai Linger and the silver-robed youth. The yellow hands were shattered by the dense onslaught of green flying swords, and Bai Linger and the silver-robed youth dodged away.

The thousands of green flying swords then split into two groups, pursuing Bai Linger and the silver-robed youth separately.