Chapter 259 Sudden Enlightenment

Ji An glanced around, patted Wei Songnian on the shoulder, and whispered:

“Junior brother, now that you’re feeling better, find a place to rest. Once the monsters stop attacking, we can find a place to talk.”

Since they are wounded, the enemy doesn't need to fight on the city walls anymore and can rest for a few days.

Having been stationed at Mingfeng Mountain for a long time, he was busy during the day. When he had a spare moment, he would seize the time to meditate and cultivate, hoping to restore his magical power.

We only know what the situation is like on the city wall from hearsay; we can confirm it with them today.

Wei Songnian nodded slightly, "Senior brother, you go ahead with your work. I'll come over after the battle stops."

He secretly clutched his lower abdomen and turned to leave, the area around his dantian occasionally throbbing with a sharp, stabbing pain.

Ji An watched him leave and continued to treat the wounded. Perhaps because he was in a good mood, he felt more comfortable performing his spells.

After the Rejuvenation spell was cast, a green light flashed, followed by the appearance of a red flower.

Sprouting, growing, all things are full of vitality.

Ji An raised an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his lips. His understanding of the Rejuvenation Technique had deepened.

'Rejuvenation Spell, what a brilliant name for this spell!'

Only after life has been dormant can there be talk of a revival.

In other words, the spell's rapid effectiveness is not solely due to his efforts, but also likely stems from mobilizing the cultivator's latent vitality.

Having figured this out, his mind became clearer and more lucid, and his movements as he cast the Rejuvenation Technique with hand seals carried a special rhythm.

The effects of the spell take different forms, such as sprouting lush grass, towering trees, or blooming flowers of various colors.

A faint fragrance wafted through the air, refreshing and soothing, as if cleansing one's soul.

Ji An felt a surge of joy and focused his mind on his dantian, connecting it with the stone tortoise.

[Spell: Rejuvenation (Perfect 89% → 100%)]

'I've got it!'

He was overjoyed. If he weren't in a courtyard full of wounded soldiers, he would have laughed out loud three times to celebrate.

So, spell practice can be this fast!

The words "Rejuvenation Spell" gradually disappeared, and now only "Spirit Sealing Spell" and "Detoxification Spell" remain in the spell list.

Not far away, Meng Wanqiu took a few deep breaths in suspicion. In this small courtyard filled with the smell of blood, there was actually a fragrance of flowers. What had happened?

She couldn't help but stop and look around, her pupils contracting while her eyes widened instantly.

A green plant 'grew' from the arm of an injured person. As the plant grew larger and produced various small flowers, its fragrance wafted through the air once again.

The flowers gradually withered, and the green plants died down. When all the light and shadow disappeared, the cultivator's arm injury had completely healed.

The second level of the manifestation of Dharma!

Meng Wanqiu stood there dumbfounded. This was the realm that cultivators dreamed of! It was comparable to a sword cultivator beginning to comprehend sword intent.

"Senior sister, you're pressing on my wound."

The wounded soldier bared his teeth and groaned in pain.

The senior sister, who was supposed to be casting a spell to heal herself, suddenly stopped moving, but placed her hand near the wound.

He had just been gripped so hard that cold sweat poured down his forehead from the pain.

"Uh, junior brother, bear with it for a moment, I'll heal you right away."

With her cheeks slightly flushed, Meng Wanqiu hurriedly activated the Rejuvenation Technique.

Ji An was so engrossed in his new understanding of magic that he couldn't pull himself out. When he looked around for the wounded, he found that there were no more wounded in the courtyard.

The courtyard was shrouded in shadow, and the blood-red setting sun cast its last rays on the rooftops.

'Has so much time passed?'

Meng Wanqiu stepped forward, cupped her hands, and said:

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on comprehending this profound method!"

A clear voice rang out, and the cultivators in the courtyard all cupped their hands in unison, "Congratulations, Senior Brother!"

They witnessed their fellow disciples fully comprehend the divine meaning of magic and practice the Rejuvenation Technique to its pinnacle.

Ji An returned the greeting with clasped hands:

Haha, congratulations to you too!

As dusk fell, everyone except the monks on guard returned to their lodgings early to meditate and rest.

The city streets were deserted, and even when cultivators passed by, they were in a hurry.

Inside the room, Ji An and Wei Songnian sat facing each other around the table.

On it were some dried fruit and meat, a plate of second-grade roasted pine nuts, and a jar of spirit wine.

"My senior brother's life is the envy of everyone."

Wei Songnian swallowed the dried meat, chewed it carefully, and felt the aroma of the food spreading in his mouth. He felt an urge to burst into tears.

He hadn't tasted food for more than three months, and the fasting pills were the only thing that kept him full.

Most of the cultivators in the immortal city lived a life of austerity, just like him.

"Eat slowly, and have a sip of wine to moisten your throat."

Ji An watched the other person wolf down their food and sighed inwardly, occasionally taking out some food from his storage bag and placing it on the table.

Feeling about 40% full, Wei Songnian stopped eating and remarked:

"It feels like I've been reborn."

"Eat some more."

"If I eat any more, I won't be able to swallow any more fasting pills in the future."

Taking a handful of slightly bitter fasting pills every day, Wei Songnian felt that his cultivation was meaningless.

He paused, then asked:

"Senior brother, when did you arrive at Mingfeng Mountain?"

Ji An paused slightly for a moment before replying:

"It's been two whole months. I've been treating the wounded here during the day and meditating at night. I've hardly ever gone out."

What is the current situation on the city walls? What is the casualty rate among the cultivators?

He was so busy every day that he lost some awareness of the passage of time.

"I don't know the exact statistics, but I estimate that the casualties among independent cultivators should be over 50%, the casualties among foundation-building cultivators of sects should be over 10%, and the casualties among Qi-refining disciples should be around 40%."

The mountain-protecting formation must be kept active for an extended period to stop the attack, and senior uncles at the Chaoyuan stage and patriarchs from various sects must take turns fighting.

Sigh, we've been struggling to keep going these past few days.

Wei Songnian remained silent for a moment, then transmitted his voice:

"I feel that the defensive strength of the mountain protection formation is not as good as before. Either the spirit stones are consumed too much and it is difficult to maintain, or the earth vein spiritual energy is extracted too much and the spiritual vein grade is gradually unable to be maintained."

Ji An remained silent. If the answer was the latter, Mingfeng Mountain wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

Once the grade of the spiritual vein declines, the protective array will no longer provide strong defense, making it even more difficult for cultivators to cope with the tidal wave of attacks from demonic beasts.

If the higher-ups decide to evacuate, how to evacuate will become a problem.

Teleportation arrays cannot be used as a conventional means of retreat; retreat can only be achieved through various flying magical artifacts such as spirit boats.

They will inevitably face pursuit by the demon race, and the retreat will be a bloody one, with countless cultivators shedding their blood in the sky.

At noon, in the desolate, forbidden land, the sun hung high in the sky.

The independent cultivators, unsure of the current situation, anxiously awaited the opening of the secret realm, hoping that their friends and family would return with treasures from it.

Everyone stood on tiptoe, craning their necks in anticipation.

Lin Jiuxiao and the others drove the array flags into the ground in specific directions, and a pillar of emerald light rose up, casting a dark 'curtain' in the air.

"Fellow Daoists, let's begin!"

A three-tiered, dark yellow pagoda flew out from the dantian of True Man Zhengyang. The moment the magic weapon appeared, it radiated countless rays of light.

The tower grows taller as it faces the wind, revealing a dense array of intricate patterns.

This is his natal magic weapon, the Xuanhuang Pagoda, which serves both as a defensive structure and an offensive weapon.

A yellow aura enveloped the tower, causing it to rotate. A beam of light condensed and blasted towards the revealed portal to the small world like a shockwave.

"boom!"

The precious light burst forth, and huge ripples spread across the black portal.

Master Qingxu's magic weapon was a bronze ruler-shaped object covered with silver lines.

The magical artifact flashed with golden and silver light, and in the next instant, it slammed into the portal. At this moment, the light of the Xuanhuang Pagoda had just disappeared, and the timing was perfect.

The world gateway was bombarded once again, and the ripples were even larger, as if a giant black wave had been unleashed.

Master Nanshan's magic weapon was a precious wheel, shining with golden light and exuding a sharp aura.

The treasure wheel spun and flew toward the black portal, colliding and exploding into thousands of golden rays.

The three Golden Core cultivators took turns using their magical artifacts to attack, and after a short while, the world portal was blasted open, revealing a spatial passage.

Half an hour passed, and not a single person appeared.

The independent cultivators sensed something was wrong and began whispering among themselves.

Lin Jiuxiao's heart tightened, and his sharp eyes stared at the entrance of the passage.

Logically, the disciples should be waiting at the target location for the passage to open; in the past, about a hundred people should have already emerged.

The passage will only be open for two hours. If they miss the deadline, these disciples will have no chance to get out, no matter what.

'Have they all perished?'

A terrible thought arose in his mind; he was certainly aware that the soul lamps of many disciples who entered the secret realm had been extinguished.

Thinking of this, his heart clenched.

Everyone else can sacrifice themselves, but Li Haoran, a disciple of Yingyue Peak, must not be harmed!

As a cultivator possessing both the Golden Element Body and Heavenly Qualities, this disciple has already stepped one foot into the Golden Core stage.

Once the cultivation is complete, breaking through to the Golden Core stage will be a sure thing.

This disciple has also comprehended sword intent, making him no less capable than the top geniuses of the Central Continent sects.

Lin Jiuxiao turned his head and made eye contact with Zhu Xiangrong. Both of them could see the other's nervousness.

He stepped forward and transmitted his voice:

"Ancestor, should we send a few disciples in to take a look?"

Master Zhengyang gently shook his head, "Wait a little longer."

The situation inside is unknown, and due to the laws governing small worlds, they can only wait outside.

If we send out more disciples, we can only send Foundation Establishment stage disciples.

There's no point in these disciples going in; if the situation turns dangerous, they might even perish.

If no disciples appear within half an hour before the passage closes, it's not too late to send someone to investigate.

A moment later, a figure flew out of the passage, immediately drawing cheers from the rogue cultivators.

However, their cheers were short-lived and soon came to an abrupt end.

The figure fell straight down, revealing itself to be a headless corpse, with blood still gushing from its neck.

The corpse was not wearing any distinctive clothing, so it was probably a rogue cultivator.

"Wasn't it said that the exit from the secret realm would be built in a very safe location?"

The rogue cultivators stirred up a commotion and rushed toward where the body had fallen, trying to identify if it was someone they knew.

"Quiet!"

Master Nanshan spoke angrily, and the spiritual pressure of a Golden Core cultivator surged forth.

The rogue cultivators immediately shut their mouths, trembling with fear.

Like the Golden Spirit Sect, Yuanhe Mountain also sent out its elite forces for this trip to the secret realm.

A resource-rich secret realm that has been explored dozens of times and confirmed to be safe enough is the place to send skilled agents to seize its resources.

The three sects communicated with each other, each defining its own sphere of influence to minimize the possibility of conflict among their disciples in the secret realm.

Another figure flew out of the passage, wearing the standard Taoist robe of Falling Maple Valley.

As soon as the disciple came out, he immediately activated his flying shuttle, looking around anxiously. When he saw his sect's team rushing over, he did so with great haste.

Master Qingxu's expression brightened slightly. He knew that if any disciples survived, they could learn what had happened to cause such heavy casualties among the disciples.

One after another, cultivators flew out of the secret realm, including those from various sects and some independent cultivators.

Lin Jiuxiao saw a disciple returning and immediately asked:

"Are you injured? What exactly happened in the secret realm?"

The disciple cupped his hands, opened his mouth as if to speak, but no sound came out.

His Taoist robe was torn, his hands were trembling, and his face showed relief at surviving a disaster.

Master Zhengyang, sensing his disciple's heart pounding like a rapid drumbeat, comforted him:

"Don't be nervous, take a breath and speak slowly."

"Nine Heavens, give him a pill to calm his soul."

The disciple was clearly too frightened and has now lost his voice.

"Yes," Lin Jiuxiao replied, shaking his head slightly embarrassed.

He looked at Zhu Xiangrong and grinned, saying:

"Junior brother, I don't have any such pills. Do you?"

When cultivators meditate, they can naturally calm their minds and spirits, and these kinds of pills are relatively rare.

He did have some pills that could nourish the soul, but giving them to his disciples would be too wasteful.

Zhu Xiangrong, equally embarrassed, said:

"I don't have any of these kinds of pills on hand."

As the two were talking, the disciple had recovered somewhat.

He coughed a few times and said hoarsely:

"Greetings, Ancestor; greetings, Uncle-Master. Some rogue cultivators who entered the secret realm have unknowingly used tricks, causing the monster horde within to riot."

Later, they even lured the Chaoyuan-stage demonic beasts in the forbidden area to the exit of the secret realm.

If it weren't for Senior Brother Li Haoran uniting everyone to kill the two beasts, there probably wouldn't have been any survivors.

Even now, he still feels lingering fear.

Lin Jiuxiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to keep his tone calm as he asked:

"How is Haoran doing now? Why hasn't he come out?"

This disciple, who is able to unite with his disciples to slay a Chaoyuan-stage demon beast, will surely lead the sect to prosperity in the future.

"Senior Brother Li is exceptionally brave. His battle with the Chaoyuan stage demon beast turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing him to perfect his sword intent."

"My senior brother and several other outstanding disciples are currently fighting the remaining two Yuan-stage demonic beasts to buy time for everyone to retreat."

"Very good, you may rest on the spirit boat."

Lin Jiuxiao was completely relieved. Li Haoran was a sword cultivator with exceptional speed, and his decision to stay behind to cover the retreat must have been based on his own understanding.

After this battle, the opponent's reputation within the sect has risen considerably.

Liu Yu and Ge Luoying flew out of the secret realm one after the other, both of them wounded and dressed in tattered Taoist robes like beggars.

Their faces bore the determination to fight against fate to the death, and their eyes gleamed with a sharp light, as if concealing a honed sword.

Li Haoran was the last to fly out of the secret realm. As the sword light swept past, crystalline pale blue ice particles floated in the air.

Those were ice crystals manifested from sword intent, beautiful yet deadly.

The sword light flew to a stop in front of the Golden Spirit Sect's spirit boat. He took out a black jade bottle and said gently:

"I pay my respects to the Ancestor and my two senior uncles. I may have found the reason for this monster riot."

(End of this chapter)