Cultivation: Fortune by Lots-Chapter 516 - 257. Beat him into an idiot! (Two-in-one Chapter)_4

One of the three great Martial God Weapons controlled by the Tang Imperial Court, the Zhenshi Blade, was also here. Ye Moquan took the Star-Chess Seal with him and hid inside. Meanwhile, Wei Ancheng and Tang Xiaotang, wary of each other, naturally wouldn’t join forces to attack forcefully. Wei Ancheng chose to withdraw, knowing the difficulty, while Tang Xiaotang lingered in Youzhou for a time. This continued until urgent messages arrived from both his own Celestial Master Mansion and the Tang Imperial Court: In Guanlong, Pure Yang Palace was breached by a Great Demon!

"Even if Elder Huang’s health is truly poor, with Pure Yang Palace to defend, it shouldn’t have fallen so quickly, should it?" Lei Jun also received the news.

"It’s said that there was a traitor within Pure Yang Palace," Yuan Mobai spoke slowly. "Vermilion Bird Elder, Wang Xuan. There’s no further concrete news for now, and the reasons are unclear."

Vermilion Bird Elder Wang Xuan... Lei Jun pondered.

Pure Yang Palace was a sacred land of the Taoist Dan Ding Sect. In the past one or two hundred years, it even faintly held the prestige of being the number one sacred land among Taoist sects, and perhaps even in the entire Great Tang. Aside from the Nine Heavens Great Ascension High True Ones, there were also many experts from the Alchemy Cauldron Sect within the palace.

However, over a decade ago, during the Western Regions Demon Race chaos, Pure Yang Palace suffered heavy losses. Even the Sect Leader, Huang Xuanpu, had stayed in seclusion within the mountains to recover for many years, never emerging. This broke Pure Yang Palace’s momentum and led to its low profile in recent years.

As per the custom of Pure Yang Palace, four great Elders were established—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—who led the other elders and assisted the Sect Leader. For example, Guan Jing, who came to Jinzhou to watch the battle, is currently the White Tiger Elder of Pure Yang Palace.

And now, one of the four great Elders, the Vermilion Bird Elder Wang Xuan, has actually colluded with a Great Demon, sabotaging his own sect’s foundation?

"Master, what’s the current situation over there?"

Yuan Mobai said, "Elder Huang is gravely injured, even unable to manage affairs at one point. Many in Pure Yang Palace, including Taoist Brother Gu, have met their demise, and countless more are wounded."

Lei Jun listened in silence. The "Taoist Brother Gu" Yuan Mobai mentioned was the current Black Tortoise Elder of Pure Yang Palace. Now, he had unexpectedly perished. Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise—one betrayed, one died. The rest suffered numerous deaths and injuries. Following the earlier chaos caused by the Demon Race in the Western Regions, Pure Yang Palace had suffered another heavy blow.

"The Great Demons of the Northern Border have almost all arrived," Yuan Mobai’s tone became a few degrees more severe. "And they crossed the Grand River, a natural barrier, en masse without detection."

Lei Jun stated, "Within the Tang Dynasty, some among the Human Race must have secretly assisted them."

Natural barriers like the Grand River are important components of the terrestrial Spiritual Energy veins. Their vigor and variability far surpass those of ordinary places. Therefore, Great Demons that cultivate Demonic Qi and Evil Aura find it much more difficult to cross such natural barriers compared to members of the Human Race or Spirit Beasts that cultivate Spiritual Energy. Even if top Great Demons could cross the Grand River, their movements would definitely not be subtle. For even many lower and mid-level cultivation Demon Race members to have now silently crossed the Grand River barrier and run rampant in Guanzhong was even more abnormal.

This must mean that there were humans assisting in secret.

Right now, this responsibility was definitely being shouldered by Pure Yang Palace’s Elder Wang Xuan. But even if his status in Pure Yang Palace was high enough, it would still have been very difficult to conceal the mobilization of such large amounts of resources from others. Even if Wang Xuan really betrayed Pure Yang Palace, Lei Jun still suspected it was more likely the doing of the current leading Four Surnames and Five Prestiges within the Great Tang. They chose this specific time precisely because of Xu Yuanzhen’s challenge to Ye Moquan.

The Great Demons of the Northern Border gathered. On this rare occasion of them being united, they did not act individually. They passed over places like Jinzhou and Youzhou, specifically choosing Guanlong, near the northwest. Lei Jun did not believe that Ye Moquan, Ye Yan, Lin Huan, and others had no understanding with the Demon Race.

It was just that their actions were all below the surface—you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. People like Ye Moquan and Lin Huan wouldn’t openly join forces with Great Demons to confront a specific enemy. On one hand, they also didn’t fully trust the Demon Race. On the other, they wouldn’t set a precedent without absolute necessity. At least, they couldn’t be the first to break such a precedent, which might lead to uncontrollable subsequent developments.

The Thousand Leaves Butterfly King’s sudden appearance in Jinzhou was indeed a contingency plan by Ye Moquan, but openly, he still wouldn’t collaborate with the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King. The opponent mainly played a role in causing chaos. Even if Ye Moquan were seriously injured, the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King was still a potential enemy likely to take advantage of him. Most Great Demons possess considerable spiritual wisdom, but they are ferocious and unrestrained, prone to turning hostile as quickly as one flips a book.

"The Ye Clan Chief of Qingzhou and Elder Chu of Suzhou both have news now," Yuan Mobai continued. "The Ye Clan Chief of Qingzhou is currently in the inner bay of Youzhou, while Elder Chu remains in Suzhou to guard against more Great Demons from the East Sea invading."

The Great Demons of the Northern Border ran rampant in Guanzhong. Meanwhile, the Great Demon from the East Sea, the Thousand Leaves Butterfly King, had appeared in Jinzhou. Other Demon Race members from the East Sea frequently moved near the coast, eager to act. Another Great Demon equivalent to a Human Race Ninth Heavenly Layer expert, King Sea Chrysanthemum, had healed from injuries but currently showed no trace.

On the surface, Ye Yan and Chu Xiuyuan’s stated intent to guard against Great Demons from the East Sea invading seemed perfectly reasonable. The Lin Clan Ancestral Land in Youzhou was breached, and they lost their stronghold. Thus, the burden of defending the inner bay between Youzhou and Qingzhou fell to Ye Yan, the National Father. He had to shoulder it alone while also assisting in defending the Northern Border. As Ye Yan moved northward, the lengthy Eastern Sea coastline became inherently challenging to defend. With Elder Chu stationed in Suzhou, covering both north and south, who could voice even half a word of objection?

But all these preparations hinged on the assumption that Great Demons genuinely would attack from the east. Ye Yan and Chu Xiuyuan proactively took responsibility for defending their domains, thus clearing themselves of any blame. Even mandates from the Tang Imperial Court would not be effective against them.

The Demon Race isn’t monolithic and is seldom united under strict command. Otherwise, Lei Jun would suspect that some Great Demons from the East Sea, with human assistance, were secretly making detours northward or southward to infiltrate inland.