Chapter 363: Demonic Cultist Attack

A letter from the Xiao family has arrived.

An Siwei cupped his hands and presented a small, light blue letter. Li Qinghong took it, finding it soft to the touch, like silk fabric. *They even use some kind of spirit fabric for letters... The Xiao family truly lives up to its name as an immortal clan.*

An Siwei bowed and withdrew. Li Qinghong unfolded the small letter and read:

“Gui Tubai: The Liao River is located in Liaodi, north of Yan. The Xiao clan knows very little about it. We have never heard of Liaohe Temple, only that the Liaodi region is harsh and cold, where Buddhism originated. There are many ascetics there; their scriptures are extremely strict, and cultivators often struggle to gain entry or achieve great divine powers.

Currently, Buddhist cultivation involves seven phases, which differ significantly from the methods practiced in Liaodi.”

“Yanbei.”

Li Qinghong put away the letter, rubbing the handle of her spear. Suddenly, the great formation rippled, and a young man in black stepped through, landing on the mountain peak.

“Qinghong.”

“Brother!”

Seeing Li Yuanjiao descend directly, Li Qinghong knew he must have come with the Mirror. She handed him the small letter in her hand. Li Yuanjiao read it with a grim expression and said softly, “Let's go down the mountain and meet him.”

The two flew out of the great formation on the wind. The monk was carrying a piece of rosewood, using his hand as a knife to split it into several pieces and meticulously polish them. Wood shavings lay scattered on the ground, slowly drifting away in the wind.

Seeing a man and a woman land at the foot of the mountain—the man in black robes appearing solemn and stern, the woman in white robes looking heroic and spirited—Kong Heng put down the rosewood in his hand and quickly stood up.

“This humble monk, Kong Heng, greets the Daoist master!”

Li Yuanjiao's expression was calm as he replied, “I am Li Yuanjiao. If the Master has a request, you may speak.”

Kong Heng bowed and said, “I am not worthy of being called Master. This humble monk has journeyed here and merely wishes to stay as a guest, serving as a guest elder.”

Li Yuanjiao chuckled, staring into Kong Heng's calm, clear eyes. He politely said, “A venerable monk like yourself comes from a great temple. My humble family is small, and I fear we might inadvertently slight you. East from here, a half-month's journey, is the immortal Xiao family. Perhaps you would do better to visit them.”

Kong Heng shook his head helplessly and could only say, “This humble monk wishes to cultivate under your esteemed clan's governance for a period. If there is anything I can assist with, please do not hesitate to command me, Daoist master.”

Seeing that the monk was oblivious to his polite dismissal and insisted on staying, Li Yuanjiao paused. Li Qinghong, behind him, raised her slender eyebrows and said with veiled firmness, “If you don't explain your intentions clearly, how can my family dare to keep you?”

Kong Heng lowered his head and eyes, replying, “This humble monk has a tribulation, which should occur within your esteemed clan. Please rest assured, benefactors, this humble monk does not practice the Seven Phases...”

He spoke a single, unclear sentence. Li Qinghong and Li Yuanjiao were unwilling to let it go, but then a thunderous roar echoed from the horizon:

“Boom!”

Dark black clouds surged from the town, and screams rose in succession. The clouds swiftly moved throughout the town, gushing along streets and alleyways, accompanied by several wild, sinister laughs.

Li Yuanjiao's chest tightened. His expression turned grim as he shouted, “Demonic cultivators!”

With a flick of his hand, a talisman flew from his sleeve, soaring skyward and erupting in a deep red blaze. In an instant, the great formations of the Li family's Five Mountains activated one after another, and barriers of various colors appeared among the peaks.

He placed his hand on the Green Ruler Sword and quickly grew suspicious. His gaze lingered for a moment on the monk's equally startled and bewildered face. He thought warily: *Buddhist cultivators are always good at divination, yet demonic cultivators appeared precisely when Kong Heng arrived... Could this be intentional, part of some scheme?!*

His gaze lingered only briefly before he heard a loud shout:

“Hahaha, that's a quick reaction!”

The foremost demonic energy was already approaching. A loud, rough cry came from within the mist, as wisps of flocculent white energy swirled, and figures flickered.

It turned out to be a demonic cultivator in black, who stepped out. He was at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage. Before he could even stand firm in front of Li Yuanjiao, he unleashed a palm strike and laughed, “Where is that rat, Li Xuanxuan? He caused me much suffering! Now I, Qiu, will get my revenge!”

Li Yuanjiao had long heard Li Xuanxuan recount a few incidents in the market town. He immediately reacted, his heart tensing, knowing that this person's cultivation method was extraordinary. This white energy that corroded flesh and blood was extremely difficult to deal with.

The Green Ruler Sword leaped from his hand, and a formidable sword arc burst forth. The sword energy collided with the white energy, eroding several wisps of it and forcing its way towards the face of the demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu.

“Foundation Establishment artifact?!”

Seeing his usually unfailing spell suffer a setback, the demonic cultivator was not alarmed but instead delighted. He laughed heartily, and greed immediately flashed in his eyes. He shattered the sword energy flying towards him with a palm strike and chuckled, “As expected of a sword immortal family! Even Qi Condensation cultivators possess Foundation Establishment artifacts. How truly extravagant!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a thunderous boom echoed:

“Boom!”

It was Li Qinghong, who had silently made her move. The Du Ruo Spear, accompanied by a clear purple dragon shadow, pierced through the air and struck heavily. The demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu gathered white energy in his hand and slammed it against the side of the spear, producing a violent explosion.

“Another Foundation Establishment artifact!”

When enemies met, their eyes were filled with fury. Li Qinghong's younger brother, Li Yuanyun, had died by this man's hand. She immediately became grim-faced and silent, fighting with all her might. Her spear movements were fluid, unleashing a series of strikes upon the man.

The demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu did not know that the deceased mortal was her own brother, yet he could discern the deep hatred on the female cultivator's face. He neutralized her offensive with a disdainful look in his eyes: “Do you really think I'm one of those wastes spawned by the Blood Devil Art who only know how to run and not fight? What can mere lightning do to me? If you were to use some proper spell, I might indeed fear you a little...”

Though he spoke boldly, facing Li Qinghong was indeed somewhat of a headache for him. Moreover, Li Yuanjiao was now also pressing in with his sword from the side. He could only endure the attacks of both, momentarily relegated to defense.

However, he was not the only demonic cultivator who had arrived. Several more figures emerged from the swirling demonic smoke, all enveloped in crimson and black light, laughing wildly.

“Old Man Qiu, they're just little brats at Qi Condensation seventh and sixth layers. Is that enough to trouble an esteemed adult like you?”

Among this group of demonic cultivators, one holding a glowing red artifact mirror, at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation, flew forward. He laughed heartily and made a taunting remark, but then he bypassed the three entangled in combat and, bringing his companions, slammed a palm onto Jade Court Mountain.

The great formation on Jade Court Mountain had been left behind by the An family back then. Its power was only moderately effective among Qi Condensation cultivators, flowing like water and creating ripples from the collective attacks.

The five individuals used a hammer, a mirror, a large shield, and one even wielded a rather rare pagoda. None of these were effective tools for breaking formations or destroying temples. For a time, they could only cause the formation to ripple like water, without any further effect.

Under the pincer attack of the two, the demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu experienced a sudden surge in pressure. Seeing this situation, he immediately cursed loudly: “Damn you, Zhang Huaide! I'm fighting for my life here, and you're off attacking the formation! Wouldn't it be better if we teamed up to kill these two first and then divided the spoils? You truly are a fool!”

Zhang Huaide shrugged indifferently and said with a smile, “Boss, just wait a moment. I'll break this great formation, then I'll come back and help you!”

Demonic cultivators are driven by self-interest, and these individuals had also allied for profit. With Jade Court Mountain—a big piece of fat—right before them, no one would bother with the two tough bones (Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong). Naturally, they would seize the opportunity to carve up Jade Court Mountain while Qiu was tied up.

*Although Li Chijing and Li Tongya have successively died, a person's reputation precedes them. Who knows how many trump cards the Li family still holds?*

Zhang Huaide's mental abacus clicked loudly. He gave a cold smile and thought to himself: *Just snatching some wealth is fine, but if we push these two too far and they unleash some divine ability talismans, or talisman swords and jade tokens, killing us small demonic cultivators would be like crushing ants...*

Zhang Huaide cultivated a secret art, and his perception was extraordinary. The moment he saw the Green Ruler Sword in Li Yuanjiao's hand, he felt a chill repeatedly run through his brow. He had long intended to retreat, his mind filled with thoughts of just grabbing something and running.

As he was thinking, he saw several streaks of light rising in the distance, traversing the sky. The person leading them had a shining bald head, wore a fur coat, and cursed loudly:

“Insignificant demonic cultivators, daring to invade my immortal mountain! Do you wish to test the sharpness of an immortal sword?!”

This person was indeed An Zheyun, now at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation. He was already drenched in sweat from anxiety, as his children, An Siming and An Siwei, were currently within the Jade Court Mountain formation. Without further ado, he unleashed a torrent of spells.

Zhang Huaide was not polite. With a pinch of his hand, a bloody magical light flew out, forcefully neutralizing many of An Zheyun's spells. He laughed, “Ridiculous! All that cultivation for nothing!”

An Zheyun was at the eighth layer of Qi Condensation, while Zhang Huaide was only at the sixth. However, the Blood Devil Art was exquisite, and Zhang Huaide also commanded numerous secret arts, instantly putting him on equal footing with An Zheyun.

Li Xuanxuan followed closely, his face tense. He wielded a large axe, at the seventh layer of Qi Condensation. His attire suggested he was a direct descendant cultivator, and behind him followed an old monkey at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, which looked quite intimidating.

The demonic cultivators below exchanged glances. One at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation braced himself and stepped forward. After exchanging a few moves, his anxious expression immediately turned into a sneer. He replied, “I thought he was some great figure!”

Following that, two more streaks of light appeared, bringing aid from the Tian family uncle and nephew, along with Xu Gongming. All three were at the early Qi Condensation stage, barely managing to hold off one early Qi Condensation demonic cultivator.

The remaining two demonic cultivators exchanged glances. Seeing that Jade Court Mountain's formation could not be broken, they unhesitatingly abandoned the great formation and attacked the Tian family uncle and nephew together.

“Alas!”

Kong Heng, abandoned on the ground by everyone, sighed. He slammed his staff into the ground, and surprisingly, as a mere monk, he soared into the air on the wind, his hands glowing with golden light. He sighed, “Benefactors, do not commit further acts of slaughter!”

Thus, his staff, adorned with copper rings, jingled as it whirled rapidly, enveloping the two demonic cultivators. Golden light continuously emanated from his hands.

The two demonic cultivators were greatly alarmed and cried out, “Master?!”

Buddhist cultivators were different from immortal cultivators; only when one reached the Master stage could they fly on the wind. At this point, Kong Heng's strength was comparable to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. This immediately scared the two demonic cultivators thoroughly. Bloody light surged from their bodies as they each created distance.

However, the golden light only forced back their bloody aura, making the two demonic cultivators pause in surprise. They immediately reacted. One, holding a large shield, shouted: “I was wondering how you could fly, thinking you were a Master, but turns out you're just using an artifact!”

The other man, whose face was quite similar to his, began to curse loudly, shouting, “You... you truly are a fool! The boss told us to use the official language!”

Their loud voices made Kong Heng pause. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in surprise, “People of Zhao!”

However, the two continued to attack with their artifacts. Kong Heng quickly raised his staff to block, forcing him to retreat repeatedly. The shield-bearer then said again: “Brother! Don't be an enemy of Buddha!”

The other man, holding the pagoda, remained silent, but his grip loosened slightly. Kong Heng, who was originally barely capable of fending off one person, was now fighting and retreating, creating a stalemate.

“Two useless fools!”

Zhang Huaide heard clearly and couldn't help but curse twice. He forced An Zheyun to retreat repeatedly. Meanwhile, the demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu's attacks grew fiercer, but he still couldn't shake off the two.

Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong didn't have many opportunities to cooperate, so they were a bit uncoordinated at first. However, as they fought together, they grew more skilled. Li Qinghong's lightning spells broke through demonic defenses, and Li Yuanjiao's sword energy was sharp, making their advantage increasingly evident.

The demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu was willing but unable. His cultivation method was originally most effective at harming artifacts and flesh, having been unfailingly successful over the years. Yet, he now faced two Qi Condensation cultivators who both wielded Foundation Establishment artifacts. He couldn't corrode them at all, putting him in an extremely awkward position.

He swept his gaze across the battlefield, his anxiety considerably easing. In the other areas, his side held a significant advantage. He then stubbornly entangled the two and sneered, “So what? Spear aura and sword energy are ultimately inferior. How can they break through my spells!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than three more streaks of light approached from afar. These were naturally Xiao Guilan and Madam Dou, two female members, and the guest elder Li Qilang who had sought refuge with them.

Li Qilang, at the third layer of Qi Condensation, had an honest and simple appearance, and he faithfully followed behind. Xiao Guilan, with her phoenix eyes, swept her gaze across the scene and decisively said, “Save the Tian family first!”

The Tian family uncle and nephew themselves cultivated inferior methods, and they lacked good artifacts and spells. The demonic cultivator's spells, moreover, were particularly powerful, causing them to be continuously pushed back and put in perilous situations.

Tian Zhongqing, in particular, had taken a hammer blow from the demonic cultivator, causing his internal organs to burn. He was spitting blood, his face flushed, and his hands trembled. He managed to force out, “Thank you!”

With the intervention of the three, the situation reversed instantly. Xiao Guilan cultivated the Xiao family's third-grade cultivation method, and the long silk artifact in her hand was quite potent. Their combined efforts instead caused the demonic cultivator to cry out for help.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Huaide could no longer hold back. He activated a spell and slapped An Zheyun away. He then raised the blood-red mirror in his hand high, gathering spiritual power and brewing a red light.

“Whoosh!”

However, a streak of purple lightning flew across, forcefully striking down the spell he was accumulating.

It turned out that this delay had allowed Sha Mo Li, who was far away in Dongshan Yue, to arrive. Now at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, he wielded lightning in his hands and went to reinforce An Zheyun.

Zhang Huaide immediately grew anxious. But An Zheyun, now bolstered by the demon-breaking lightning, suddenly recovered from his precarious defensive stance and became even harder to breach.

“Zhang Mutong! Be quicker!”

Called out by Zhang Huaide, Zhang Mutong, the mid-Qi Condensation demonic cultivator who was pressing Li Xuanxuan and the old monkey, also grew anxious. He unleashed several spells in quick succession, and bloody light swirled in the air.

However, Li Xuanxuan, who appeared to be in a precarious situation, inexplicably held on while spitting blood. Instead, Zhang Mutong himself was momentarily out of breath and was hit by a staff from the old monkey from behind, making Zhang Huaide curse him as a “stupid bird.”

Seeing the situation gradually stabilize, Li Qinghong exchanged a glance with her brother. Li Yuanjiao immediately understood, brandishing his sword forward. Li Qinghong, meanwhile, made a hand seal, summoning a purple light.

“Purple Talisman Primal Light Secret Art!”

This was naturally one of the two secret arts from the "Purple Thunder Primordial Energy Art." Its original name had been lost, but after years of research, Li Qinghong gradually mastered its subtleties and thus gave it her own name.

Immediately, she brought her slender hands together, gently rubbed them, and summoned a wisp of dense purple light. Then, she drew a talisman in the air, sketching for a moment.

Seeing this stance, the demonic cultivator surnamed Qiu was instantly alarmed. He brought his hands together and pushed out plumes of white energy, shouting, “Damn it, this woman is getting serious! Zhang Huaide! Stop holding back!”

Zhang Huaide's face was grim. He pulled back the robes at his chest, and his sleeves moved without wind. Surging bloody light emanated from his body as he said in a deep voice, “Fellow Daoists! Protect me!”