Chapter 189: Welcoming the Enemy in the Outer Town.

On Bailu Peak.

The piled-up fallen leaves rustled, much like the flaky crust of a pastry; they sounded crisp when stepped on, and their color was also vibrant, as if coated with a layer of oil.

Unlike the others, Chi Yueying set the array's core on an ordinary persimmon tree on the mountain. It was no different from the other trees, laden with bright orange persimmons, its branches bent low by the heavy fruit.

This tree was where she and her teacher once discussed philosophy. No matter how many identical trees appeared later, she would always recognize it.

Now that the teacher has ascended to heaven, I wonder how he is doing in the upper realm, and whether he still remembers me.

The sound of a persimmon falling to the ground stirred ripples in the memories that resonated within her mind. Chi Yueying composed herself, bent down, and picked up the persimmon. She had been ordered to inspect Emperor Taihui's protective array; she had carefully examined the arrays on Guyu Peak and Zhuming Peak, finding no problems. Just in case, she had even reinforced it.

On Bailu Peak, the great rock formation that protects all living beings remains undamaged, without even a crack.

Holding the persimmon in her hand, Chi Yueying lowered her eyes and couldn't help but smile—persimmons are perfect for making dried persimmons or drinks. The year before, her teacher had casually picked one for her, unlike the aloof and condescending teachers of the past who would make her sit down and talk while eating the persimmon. It was the sweetest persimmon she had ever eaten, ripening in the best of autumn, picked by the best person.

Later, a few more people joined her. Every autumn, they would come here to pick persimmons. They would ask her to tell the teacher to let them in, two people would call and two would receive them, leaving her to sit and enjoy the fruits of their labor. After picking and eating, their fingers would be sticky. Half a day later, the fruits they had been looking forward to since the golden buds appeared would begin to ripen, causing them a slight stomachache.

Chi Yueying was not a person who was good with words; she would only remember these things and silently keep them in her heart.

Suddenly, the persimmon seemed unable to withstand even the lightest force and split open. The scene inside, along with a strong smell, rushed out, and Chi Yueying was slightly taken aback.

It's rotten.

Moreover, it wasn't rotten, but rather closer to withered. The flesh was charred and seeped into the persimmon, and an unsettling, eerie aura was deeply rooted within it.

Even the entire tree.

The surface of the corroded array showed no abnormalities, and even spiritual energy probing revealed no abnormalities, but the inside was riddled with holes, barely clinging to a sliver of life. This was an extremely ancient technique, yet it could be reflected by the changes in nature.

When Chi Yueying realized this, it was too late.

The fragments of the shattered barrier fell with a deafening crash, then rapidly dissolved into the air. As the one who set up the array, she clearly felt the connection between the entire array and herself abruptly severed, and that it was being destroyed at an alarming rate.

In the brief moment when they raised their eyes and saw the distant sword light, the sect's protective formation had already vanished.

The disappearance of the great formation means that outsiders can come and go as they please, so the disciples within the sect, especially those with shallow cultivation, have now completely lost their protection.

It's very dangerous.

Thick black fog blanketed the sky, and countless figures descended upon Emperor Taihui's territory.

Chi Yueying subconsciously looked towards the direction of the Four Spirit Peaks—they should have noticed by now, no matter what. If they fought together, even if it was elite demon soldiers, they should be able to protect their students...

However, wherever the eye could see, it was enveloped in a dense demonic aura. The cold and ominous atmosphere on the mountaintop was even stronger, like the gathering haze in the sky, only without lightning.

This means they've already begun dealing with the demons. A quick probe with my spiritual sense revealed an intricate barrier beneath the black mist; even breaking through it would take a considerable amount of time.

Moreover, the area is full of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators... It's likely that the main force of this invasion is located on the Four Spirit Peaks.

And there's still so much black fog outside...

Clearly, they came prepared.

A chill spread through Chi Yueying. She finally understood the situation.

The demon race has invaded, and all the Nascent Soul cultivators within the Taihui Sect's territory are trapped. Now, only those capable of fighting back—

She was all alone.

A group of uninvited guests arrived in the outer town.

A group of figures dressed in black armor descended from the sky like shooting stars, but the leader was a young man with a gentle appearance and elegant white robes.

The commotion caused by the shattering of the sect's protective formation drew in many disciples, and a large crowd gathered. Many realized the newcomers were hostile and panicked. Some had already drawn their swords, while others turned their gazes to the gentle-looking young man, about to ask him something, but all their hopes were extinguished by his single sentence.

Si Liuhua said, "I'll go find Si Xingtai. I'll leave this place to you."

The other nine Nascent Soul Realm soldiers went to meet with Luo You first.

After speaking, she vanished, leaving only the cold-faced, blood-eyed soldiers behind her. A moment of silence followed, then the sound of swords being drawn rang out in unison, causing Tu Sheng, who was not far from them, to turn even paler.

The next moment, the knife pierced through flesh and blood, and blood splattered everywhere.

The moonlight, growing ever brighter with the passing of night, coldly shone upon the corpses scattered across the field. Black mist permeated the air, and some people, before even reaching the blade, were painfully robbed of their lives by the demonic energy that invaded their bodies.

Most people are sincere and clear-headed, and do not want to be led astray and lose their souls.

Wherever these soldiers passed, all vegetation withered, and all that had once prospered was destroyed in the life-devouring mist. Initially, it was pitch black, as if about to be stained crimson by the blood flowing across the ground. One student, with all his might, escaped the demonic mist on his sword and arrived beneath the giant bell at the outer gate, which usually rang to announce important matters.

The sound of armor scraping against each other came from behind, and the deadly footsteps were getting closer and closer. The boy's lips trembled, and although fear flickered in his eyes, he took a deep breath and resolutely unsheathed his sword.

Her body shimmered with spiritual energy as she strained with all her might to ring the bell.

The hissing sound of burning talismans rang out, and the boy's voice entered everyone's ears, reaching the deepest valleys and the highest mountain peaks.

"The demons are invading—"

"The outer town... is about to fall!"

Before he could finish speaking, the sword tip pierced her body. The lingering sound was drowned out by the surging blood. The sword slipped from the young man's hand, and he slowly fell to the ground.

The long, drawn-out chimes echoed throughout the entire territory.

The soldier coldly drew his sword, the blade soaked in blood, like a white cloth stained red, scattering drops of blood on the ground.

No matter what her reaction, it seemed unable to move her. She turned around, about to search for more targets, when an arrow pierced the sky and struck her right shoulder!

Yet she seemed to feel no pain whatsoever, her brows not even furrowing. Her gaze fell upon the source of the incoming arrow, quickly locating a figure. It was a tall, strong cultivator, the arrow trembling slightly as he drew his bow—perhaps it was this trembling that had prevented the arrow from piercing the soldier's throat. Despite this, there was no fear in her eyes, only burning fighting spirit and determination.

Then, several more people stepped out from behind her. They were all dressed in the clothes of outer disciples, and some of their weapons still had a wisp of lingering demonic energy wrapped around them, which quickly dissipated into the air.

Another arrow shot out, faster than the opponent's sword strike. The arrow was imbued with rich spiritual energy, and its fierce attack did not stop after piercing the opponent's body, but instead exploded with a bang.

Then several more figures stepped forward, relentlessly attacking the opponent until they destroyed the demonic body shrouded in black mist.

Another apprentice dressed in blue quickly stepped forward, picked up the fallen boy, and fed him two pills. A surge of spiritual energy flowed, and the bleeding from the wound gradually stopped.

The significant loss of spiritual energy left her pale, forcing her to take out the spirit stone again and hold it in her hand, absorbing spiritual power while healing the injured person in her arms.

Although still weak, her life force was saved.

At this moment, the disciple in green breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the leader: "Grandmaster Sister, she is alright, but we need to find a place to settle her down."

Zulan nodded. "Thank you, Yingshi." She stepped forward to help the boy up, her gaze sweeping over the others.

“I’ll take her to the inner sect,” a young man stepped forward. “Although I don’t know why the Immortal Venerables haven’t made a move yet, there are more people and stronger people in the inner sect, so it’s safer.”

Zu Lan smiled and said, "Alright, then I'll leave it to you."

The young man took the injured person, closed his eyes, and sensed the situation with his spiritual awareness. He quickly chose a path, his figure passing through the bushes and disappearing into the night.

These women were mostly slightly stronger outer disciples, possessing magical artifacts that temporarily shielded them from demonic influence. They were occasionally addressed as "Senior Sister" by the menial disciples or younger cultivators. The highest-ranking among them had only reached the early Nascent Soul stage; to truly confront the demons head-on would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock. The majority of the rest were in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and the few Golden Core cultivators, including Zu Lan and the healer from earlier, were all burdened with heavy responsibilities and were constantly on the move.

The significant loss of spiritual energy made it difficult for them to resist the demonic energy. The boy called Ying Shi gripped the necklace around his neck—a purifying magic artifact, now somewhat dim, like a pearl covered in dust.

She was the one who expended the most energy along the way. She was the only healer in the group at the moment, making the journey extremely difficult.

They would never choose to succumb to demonic influence and become part of a group that harms their fellow disciples. Therefore, being corrupted by demonic energy means the end of their lives.

This is a road from which there is no return.

The spirit stones in her hand lost their luster and turned into white foam when squeezed. Ying Shi sighed, placed her hand on her mustard seed bag, and rummaged through all the spirit stones she had saved up.

Regular consultation fees, monthly salary, performance-based rewards...

That's hard-earned money.

But at this point, what's the use of keeping it? If no one survives, and not even someone will be able to pick up her bag of mustard seeds, then all of this will simply be buried in the ground.

Suddenly, someone took her hand and placed something in her palm. It was a pile of stones with an extremely deep color, as blue as a deep pool, of excellent quality, top-grade spirit stones that were extremely difficult for ordinary cultivators to obtain.

The person handing over the spirit stones smiled, as if to reassure her that she should accept them, and said in a very light tone, "Little Ying, will you regret it? This is practically a debt of conscience."

Ying Shi looked up and smiled slightly: "How could that be?" Her voice was like a clear spring, gentle yet firm and persistent, never running dry.

"Let's just say that they didn't call me 'senior sister' for nothing."

The destructive winds soon swept through the town and reached the valleys on the outskirts.

The boots trampled over the withered spiritual plants, staining them with blood. At first, the frantic and uneasy cries of the spirit beasts echoed through the valley, but when fear truly descended, they fell silent.

Only a deathly silence remained.

Inside the small house, the old man's arms encircled the frightened children.

Several years have passed, and the teenagers have grown quite tall. Some of them who were not born with good physiques have managed to cultivate Qi through hard work. Even if they are not qualified as disciples of the inner sect, in the eyes of the old people who have watched them grow up, they are already promising.

Outside the valley, demonic energy filled the air, making escape impossible; staying here, they could already hear the distant, chilling footsteps approaching.

Ji Yun was forcing herself to calm down and think of the best course of action.

These children... The children she watched grow up, did they live for over two hundred years, only to watch them die sooner or later, right before her eyes?

She can't let that happen.

The demons sent this time were all at the Nascent Soul stage, while she was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. To fight them was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Not to mention the children trembling incessantly in her arms from the oppressive force; they had no ability to resist demonic energy. How could she save them? —How could she save them?

Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and she couldn't find a good solution. As footsteps drew closer, a thought suddenly occurred to Ji Yun.

There's probably no perfect solution. But at least there's another way—time. If we can buy a little more time, perhaps more people will be able to escape.

The old man loosened his arms, rummaged in his clothes, and finally took out a mustard seed bag, which he handed to one of the children.

She said solemnly, "Xiao Qiu, wait a moment, then you take them away. There are many pills in this mustard seed bag. If they are corrupted by demonic energy, you can take them out and eat them to sustain you for a while."

"There are still a few Foundation Establishment Pills inside, which I exchanged earlier."

"Promise me, Mother, that you will use them all. Not a single one more."

The boy clutched the mustard seed bag tightly, his eyes trembling. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak, swallowing several times before finally managing to utter, "Mother..."

After so long, they had developed a more familial way of addressing each other. She understood the tenderness in Ji Yun's eyes and forgot her fear. While the other boys were still somewhat bewildered, she reached out and grabbed Ji Yun's sleeve.

"Mother, please...please, don't abandon us."

Don't assign this task to her. She can stay... It's not so terrible if she's with her mother.

Foxes die facing their dens, horses follow the wind. People always yearn to return to their roots, and for her, her mother's side was her home... Among Emperor Taihuizong were many children who were rescued and taken in during famines. Just like many of his outer disciples, they spent half their lives in this town. Although their daily work was busy, it was not arduous, and because of the rules of the sect, they were always fully respected.

That was good enough; the town was their home. Now that the town had fallen, their mother, who had raised them, was determined to leave and die for them.

She didn't want to leave her mother's side, and she didn't want to leave her home.

But Ji Yun just sighed, waved her hand away, and her eyes shone brightly.

Tears streamed down her face. The girl bit her lip, clutching the bag of mustard seeds in her hand, and for a moment she felt an urge to throw it away. But when she looked away, she saw the children beside her, their faces pale and their hands at a loss.

She can't be willful anymore...

It can never be done again.

"You are the smartest child, you will know when to leave." The light of spiritual energy shimmered on the old man's body, gradually turning from dark gold to an extremely brilliant gold, like a flowing ocean, endlessly surging.

Like towering mountains bathed in the bright light of the rising sun.

On this side of the valley, perhaps knowing that there were few people and their strength was not great, only one demon soldier has come here for the time being.

As if remembering something, Ji Yun suddenly laughed:

"You should escape to the inner sect. There's a senior sister there—humph, even though she's now a disciple of True Monarch Mingji, she still has to call me 'Master's Wife.' Let her protect you; she must be very strong now."

After saying that, she opened the door and went out. When the wooden door closed again, the familiar creaking sound was no different from any other night they were used to, as if the old woman had just gone out to take care of the more precious spiritual plants and would still tell them stories about Emperor Taihui when she returned.

But this time, it struck Ji Qiu's heart like a heavy hammer, causing her to lower her head and sob uncontrollably.

Soon, the muffled sound of weapons clashing rang out.

The surging spiritual energy soared, while the life force, which had been as steady as a rock, gradually weakened. Ji Qiu swallowed her tears, wiped her cheeks hard, and gave some of the pills to the other children.

"Walk!"

Of the group, she was the only one skilled at wielding weapons, but even she couldn't hold out for long. Ji Qiu had the youngest child share a sword with her, and then rushed out.

"No matter what, don't stop. Use pills when your spiritual energy is exhausted!"

"If you stop, you will definitely die, do you understand?"

The boys nodded, suppressing their fear, taking a deep breath, and resolutely running into the night sky. Demonic energy surged up like bookworms, coiling around them, only to be dispelled by the faint glow of spiritual energy.

Ji Yun no longer had any spiritual power to protect them.

From now on—and beyond—they will have to walk their own path.

A tremendous explosion echoed through the valley, and a heatwave swept through the spirit field, engulfing the small wooden house and burning everything that was once so precious to the ground into raging flames.

Even so, a dark figure, clad in tattered armor, burst forth from the flames and chased after Ji Qiu and the others. The boy trembled, instinctively slowing down and placing himself at the back of the group.

She gripped the mustard seed bag tightly, it was soaked with sweat. Once the demons caught up, she would throw it away... at least, it could buy her a little more time.

Because of the damage caused by Ji Yun, even though he couldn't feel the pain, the demon was still a little slower, healing his own wounds while relentlessly pursuing her.

Her figure moved swiftly, like a roc spreading its wings in the air, gradually approaching Ji Qiu.

Just as the hand was about to touch the boy, a burning arrow shot through the clouds and pierced her palm. The chilling aura within the flames instantly spread like oil meeting water, devouring the demonic energy completely.

In the blink of an eye, the soldier's forearm disappeared.

Ji Qiu looked up with lingering fear, wanting to see who it was.

A dazzling gold light came into view, behind which burned the furious flames of burning straw. A single glance brought her peace, yet she couldn't hide her sorrow.

Shen Lixia understood everything that had just happened from her eyes. She was slightly taken aback and clearly felt that the last thread of hope in her heart had snapped.

She took a deep breath and said to Ji Qiu, "I have scouted ahead, and there is no one there yet."

"Let's go, let's go quickly."

Ji Qiu bit her lip, watching the other boys' figures gradually disappear into the distance. Knowing she had to catch up with them, she called out to Shen Lixia:

"Senior Sister!"

Shen Lixia twitched the corner of her mouth, which could be considered an answer.

Just as Ji Yun had said, she turned around, drew her bow, and began to fight off the pursuing soldiers, protecting them behind her. Once the boys were gone, the flames on the arrows had died down.

The demonic soldiers that had been sent had been burned to ashes by the divine fire. Shen Lixia put away her longbow, took a deep breath, and then charged down on her sword.

The cold wind lashed at her, making even the sounds coming from her mouth muffled.

"Damn it...damn it!" Shen Lixia gritted her teeth and rushed into the burning fire.

She didn't believe it.

Even though the flames had already ignited into a spiritual explosion, Shen Lixia still wanted to go and take a look.

How could this be—how could this be? She didn't believe it.

She needs to find Ji Yun!

-

Never before have the peaks of the inner sect been so brightly lit as they are tonight.

The brilliant light almost shot into the sky.

Just now, Chi Yueying's voice resounded in the ears of all the students through the sound transmission array:

"The demons have invaded, and the other immortal venerables within the sect are trapped and unable to come here for the time being. I will set up a teleportation array to send you to the Third Domain."

There are still some major sects stationed there, and they are quite far away, so the demons cannot catch up with them for the time being. The Southern forces, such as the Kuanglan Sect and the Taiyin Temple, did not send too many cultivators this time, preserving their strength to resist the demons and to support those who came to their aid.

She had already sent messages to the nearest sect and was awaiting their response.

Chi Yueying was not good with words, especially not in this kind of matter. But she couldn't afford to speculate any longer; even a moment's hesitation could mean the deaths of countless students.

"You may decide for yourselves whether to stay or leave. Those who stay will help the other disciples with low cultivation levels who are unable to protect themselves to reach the teleportation array and open up a path for them to escape; those who leave will have the teleportation array built behind the Four Spirit Peaks."

Even if demons invade, she can guarantee the safety of the children and at least ensure their safe departure.

"Now, I urge all disciples to act as soon as possible. I will not ask you to do anything..."

"As long as you don't betray your own heart, that's fine."

Having severed the sound transmission array, Chi Yueying placed her hand on her chest and took a deep breath. The sound of a young man's footsteps reached her ears; an expected student had arrived beside her.

Chi Yueying turned around and met a pair of dark eyes. How familiar... The stubbornness and obstinacy in her eyes had never changed from the beginning until now.

She was her teacher, the one who taught her, so a single glance was enough for them to understand each other's thoughts.

Chi Yueying asked, "Yuqian, do you want to stay?"

Lin Yuxian clenched her fists. The night wind blew up her clothes and scattered her long hair, but it could not shake her expression.

She nodded emphatically, her voice clear and strong: "I will stay to assist you in setting up the grand formation and protecting my fellow disciples!"

“Alright, alright.” Chi Yueying smiled. “I was already planning to ask for your help. My good child… I’ve always been proud of you.”

With the barrier broken, panic gripped the people.

On Guyu Peak, Tang Huairou gathered his apprentices in medical cultivation and solemnly assigned them their upcoming tasks. The apprentices on Guyu Peak favored traditional Chinese clothing and followed ancient customs, taking it upon themselves to practice medicine and help the world, and were generally kind and generous to others.

These young men in blue robes, who usually seemed so kind and gentle, now remained firmly by their senior sister's side, without ever suggesting leaving first.

On Zhu Mingfeng, most of the people were hot-tempered cultivators with the metal and fire spiritual roots, but there were also many with other spiritual roots who came from other nearby mountains. They had learned Yi Xiaohan's spirit, and the clear, dragon-roar-phoenix-singing sounds of their swords being drawn rose and fell, echoing through the sky.

Bai Lufeng had fewer disciples, but they did not complain or hesitate. They all carried their array plates and rushed towards the outer town.

Amidst the crowd, three figures rode on swords. One of them, dressed in a long, emerald-green robe, shook his head upon seeing the overwhelming demonic energy.

Seeing that she remained calm and composed, the black-clad cultivator beside her gave a wry smile and said, "Senior Sister Xie, aren't you afraid?"

Xie Chunan raised his hand and rubbed his temples. "I'm scared. What's the difference between this and going to the execution ground? We've only just reached the Golden Core stage. There's no one below the Nascent Soul stage in the aura outside."

Yan Jueshu sighed, "Yes, but we still stayed. In other people's eyes, we're probably all a bunch of fools."

"Foolish, isn't he? There are plenty of smart people in this world, but fools are rarer." Xie Chunan chuckled softly. "With such high salaries in the inner sect, you can't just work for free."

There are not many inner disciples, only a few dozen to a hundred in total, while there are thousands of outer disciples.

Among them, the number of those who are born into the Nascent Soul Realm is extremely small.

Moreover, if even Emperor Taihui could not withstand it, what about the civilians behind this line of defense? They would never stop here; they would definitely move forward until they completely destroyed the entire Seven Domains.

Yan Jueshu shook her head and said to Yan Jia, "Xiao Jia...it's going to be dangerous later. You should stay by your sister's side, okay?"

At the same time, in the camps where other sects were gathered, everyone also heard Chi Yueying's voice transmission.

Some of the young men from aristocratic families were terrified and hurriedly flew towards the Four Spirit Peaks on their swords.

Many more people left the camp and followed the figures in the sky towards the outer town.

These disciples, whose cultivation levels varied and who came from different places, formed the first line of defense together with the members of the Taihui Sect.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I'd like to address some points that might be controversial... although there aren't many people here yet.

1. I decided on the character's death from the very beginning. Every character's ending is the same, and even if there are ups and downs along the way, I won't suddenly change the ending. It's definitely sad, but these are also part of the character's life.

2. This part was also planned in the initial outline, and it can be said to be the inevitable ending of this volume.

3. This is not about "making the characters grow and explode," that would be too cliché. I also don't like the idea of ​​teammates sacrificing themselves to become all-powerful. There won't be any situation where someone suddenly unleashes a powerful attack to wipe out the entire field. There won't be any plot where anyone can change the whole situation in a short time. Everyone's actions are very limited.

4. That's all! Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments section, and I'll answer them all (except for spoilers). I'd prefer to be criticized; I'm open to feedback and corrections. Those who have been following my updates know I'm very receptive to advice T_T

Another piece of bad news is that I'll be busier in the second half of the year than I expected, so every-day updates might not be possible. I'm sorry, but we'll see. I'll try my best to finish it this year if possible.