Chapter 1846: Wild Wind True Lord's Immortal Abode

A silver long rainbow suddenly halted above Qingzhu Valley. Bai Linger and the other Nascent Soul stage demon beasts ceased their actions, looking up at the sky with vigilance.

They worried the newcomers would snatch their spoils of victory. If that happened, they would be powerless, as the Soul Transformation cultivators of the Eastern Wilderness demon clan had not yet arrived in the Thousand Gourd Realm, leaving them without support.

"Oh, it's Fellow Daoist Wang. We're here to clear out the remnants of the Liu family, who have committed many evils and aided tyranny. What brings you here, Fellow Daoist Wang?" Cheng Xiaotian let out a soft exclamation, stepped forward, his eyes clouded with displeasure.

With the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple both having advanced to the Soul Transformation stage, Wang Qingshan's background was even more formidable than Cheng Xiaotian's.

"Nothing specific. We saw a conflict here and came to see if we could assist." Wang Qingshan's tone was indifferent as he casually glanced at Bai Linger.

Bai Linger's eyes darted; she hadn't expected to encounter Wang Qingshan.

"We don't need your help; we can handle them ourselves. Tens of thousands of *li* to the east, there's a sect called the Xuanling Sect. If Fellow Daoist Wang hurries, you might still acquire many treasures there." Cheng Xiaotian's tone was cold. He wasn't being kind; he simply didn't want Wang Qingshan and his group to snatch their spoils.

Wang Qingshan nodded. He performed a hand seal, and the Qiankuang Shadow Escape Shuttle immediately brightened, soaring into the sky and quickly vanishing into the horizon.

"Let's finish this quickly. The main forces from the Eastern Cultivation Realm have already arrived. If we want to seize more cultivation resources, we must act quickly." Cheng Xiaotian urged, his tone heavy.

Immediately, roars of beasts and continuous explosions filled the air.

In less than fifteen minutes, they concluded the battle and captured a group of Liu family cultivators.

In addition to the wealth accumulated by the Liu family over a millennium, they learned a significant piece of news from the captives: the Liu family was planning to venture into a certain forbidden area to seek treasure, where spiritual artifacts capable of aiding a breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage could be found.

"Are you telling the truth? You're not deceiving me, are you?" Cheng Xiaotian said with a cold face, gazing at a middle-aged man with a pointed chin and gaunt cheeks, and sneered.

The middle-aged man, Liu Yunfeng, was a Core Formation Layer Three cultivator. Though his seniority was relatively high, his cultivation level was not.

"Senior has already performed a soul-search on me; how dare I lie to you? That is True Monarch Kuangfeng's secluded cultivation cave. Our Liu family spent vast amounts of manpower and resources to discover it. It's an independent space; strictly speaking, True Monarch Kuangfeng adapted it from a certain secret realm. Inside, there are numerous restrictions and quite a few fourth-tier demon beasts. The Nine-Yang Golden Glass Fruit Tree is located there, guarded by multiple fourth-tier demon beasts. Our family was preparing a treasure hunt, and I was in charge of arranging the formations." Liu Yunfeng said cautiously, his expression tense.

"True Monarch Kuangfeng? Why have we not heard of him?" Bai Linger frowned. They had attacked several strongholds, but the intelligence gathered was limited; they genuinely had no idea who True Monarch Kuangfeng was.

"True Monarch Kuangfeng was a Soul Transformation cultivator active twenty thousand years ago. He once suppressed both the righteous and demonic factions. His secluded cultivation cave is vast; we haven't fully explored it yet. We've only discovered descendants of True Monarch Kuangfeng's spirit beasts, so we can't be certain it's True Monarch Kuangfeng's actual secluded cultivation cave, but there is indeed a Nine-Yang Golden Glass Fruit Tree there." Liu Yunfeng explained slowly.

"The Nine-Yang Golden Glass Fruit Tree grows in volcanic regions. It can only flourish in places rich with fire spiritual energy. It blossoms for a millennium, bears fruit for another millennium, and then takes yet another millennium to ripen. It is one of the rare miraculous fruits that can assist cultivators in breaking through to the Soul Transformation stage." Bai Linger rattled off the Nine-Yang Golden Glass Fruit Tree's growth environment and characteristics as if reciting family heirlooms.

"This is our destiny, the Nine-Yang Golden Glass Fruit Tree! Haha!" Cheng Xiaotian laughed wildly, his expression excited.

"Since that's the case, let's depart early! We don't want to drag this out." Bai Linger urged.

They split into two groups. Cheng Xiaotian and over ten other Nascent Soul stage demon beasts, accompanied by Liu Yunfeng, hurried to the destination.

The Xuanling Sect has existed for over a thousand years. Originally, it was an unremarkable minor sect, founded by Xuanlingzi, a Core Formation stage rogue cultivator. Its disciples numbered no more than a few dozen. Over a millennium ago, Zhao Qianfeng and other demon cultivators unexpectedly arrived in the Thousand Gourd Realm. They clashed fiercely with the Thousand Gourd Realm's native forces and gradually took control of the realm.

During the decisive battle, True Monarch Qianhu was severely wounded and fled, his whereabouts unknown. Xuanlingzi, an opportunist, seeing the demon cultivators emerge victorious, led his disciples to join them. To this day, the Xuanling Sect boasts four Nascent Soul cultivators and tens of thousands of disciples, with True Monarch Xuanling, a mid-Nascent Soul stage cultivator, holding the highest cultivation.

Recently, a large number of spiritual cultivators have appeared in the Thousand Gourd Realm. They have frequently attacked the major forces within the Thousand Gourd Realm. Meanwhile, the Soul Transformation stage demon cultivators seemed to have vanished, leaving them leaderless and fighting independently.

In the deliberation hall, True Monarch Xuanling and dozens of other cultivators were discussing countermeasures.

"Grand Elder, perhaps the demon cultivators have been annihilated, and True Monarch Qianhu has returned with his people. Let's just defect! It doesn't matter who controls the Thousand Gourd Realm; if we surrender early, we might still secure a path to survival.""What if Senior Zhao and the others are unharmed! By then, we would surely be prime targets for elimination. In my opinion, we should wait and see. Surrendering too early isn't a good idea.""You can't put it that way. A wise person knows when to adapt."

The numerous elders held differing opinions, mainly split into two factions. One faction advocated surrender, while the other favored a wait-and-see approach. No one contemplated fighting to the death; this was an excellent tradition passed down by the sect's founding patriarchs. The Xuanling Sect cultivators lacked the courage to perish alongside their enemies.

True Monarch Xuanling frowned, also feeling a pang of hesitation. If he could confirm that Zhao Qianfeng and the other Soul Transformation cultivators were all dead, then it went without saying that the Xuanling Sect would immediately switch allegiances. But if any Soul Transformation cultivators had survived and sought retribution later, the Xuanling Sect would certainly face liquidation.

Just then, a deafening roar suddenly echoed, and alarms blared loudly.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! True Monarch Qianhu's forces are at our gates!" True Monarch Xuanling paled in shock and quickly ordered, "Follow me; let's go see."

He transformed into a streak of light, piercing the air as he flew out. The other elders followed closely behind.

A shimmering spiritual shuttle floated high in the sky. Thousands of cultivators stood atop the shuttle; it was Wang Qingshan and his group.

"Late Nascent Soul cultivators!" True Monarch Xuanling was aghast. The opposing side had five Nascent Soul cultivators, with two of them being in the late Nascent Soul stage, far outmatching the Xuanling Sect's strength.

"You have aided tyranny and harmed the innocent. Today, we shall act on behalf of heaven." Wang Qingshan said coldly; it was an unquestionable fact that the major powers of the Thousand Gourd Realm were all staunch lackeys of the demon cultivators.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Qingshan flicked his sleeve. Nine Azure Glazed Swords shot forth, circling erratically in the sky for a moment, then suddenly transformed into a dense swarm of azure flying swords, and struck towards the Xuanling Sect's protective formation.

The power of the complete set of spiritual treasures was immense. The Xuanling Sect's protective formation couldn't withstand it at all.

With a loud bang, the Xuanling Sect's protective formation was instantly shattered.

"Fellow Daoist, please spare our lives! We are willing to surrender!" True Monarch Xuanling broke into a cold sweat from fright. He immediately pleaded for mercy without hesitation.

The opponent possessed a set of spiritual treasure-grade flying swords; he was no match at all. It was better to defect. Perhaps the Xuanling Sect could even grow stronger as a result. Anyway, he was his own man; if things didn't go well, it wouldn't be too late to switch sides again.

Wang Qingshan had originally intended to unleash a massacre. Upon hearing these words, he was stunned.

Guangdong Ren and the others were also stunned. If a bloody battle could be avoided, that would certainly be beneficial. The Wang family had mobilized thousands of cultivators, which seemed like a large number, but spread across an entire realm, it was actually not many at all.

True Monarch Xuanling flew over, bowed respectfully, and said in a fawning tone, "I am True Monarch Xuanling, and I am willing to lead my sect to surrender. Our sect has tens of thousands of disciples, all willing to be at your disposal, Fellow Daoist."