Chapter 147 The Escaped Demon Lord Prepares for Encirclement and Suppression
The excitement and commotion in the sect lasted for a long time before it subsided. The excited disciples made a pact to have another joyful reunion after returning to their peak.
The disciples of each peak were eagerly waiting for their little darlings to return to their peaks together, but Yuan Liu took four people with him directly. Everyone had no choice but to leave the main characters who were celebrating and return to their peaks to celebrate first.
“Uncle-Master Mingran, Junior Brother Shibai, Junior Sister Qingluo, Junior Brother Wangzhen, I think you must also want to meet our young friends.” Yuan Liu walked ahead and said gently, “They are still waiting for you.”
"Young friend?" The four looked at each other and followed Yuan Liu's footsteps.
Ji Mingran had barely stepped into Yujing Hall when a beautiful figure rushed towards him: "Mingran!"
Ji Mingran stared intently and asked, "Shi Jinle?"
Two tall cultivators accompanied Shi Jinle into the room.
"Fellow Daoist Ji, it's been a month since we last met, and you've broken through another realm. You're truly amazing," Shao Qingshang said with a bow and a smile.
"Ji, I saw everything you just did! Oh my, you're amazing!" Fu Daolan patted her shoulder hard.
Ji Mingran trembled as Fu Daolan slapped him with his large hand, his voice trembling with surprise: "You're all here?"
“Dan Niang was also there,” Shi Jinle said. “But after fifteen days, Liu Huan Valley started urging her. She was afraid that the sect would become suspicious and find out that she left not to find medicine, so she went back first.”
To cover the whereabouts of the four participants from Dingsheng Sect, Qin Danniang and Shi Jinle impersonated Ji Mingran and Shen Qingluo respectively, while Fu Daolan and Shao Qingshang impersonated Guan Wangzhen and Zhu Shibai. The group mingled among the disciples of Dingsheng Sect who were observing the examination and followed Donglu all the way to Dingsheng Sect.
Although the journey was fraught with danger but ultimately safe, the Hongqi Sect cultivators waiting at Linfeng eventually realized something was amiss.
Exposed on the spot, Qin Danniang hid behind Dong Lu, pretending to be a disciple of Lin Feng. Shi Jinle, Fu Daolan, and Shao Qingshang were confident and said that they had just visited a friendly sect on a whim and happened to be traveling together.
It is an open secret that the Hehuan Sect and the Xuwu Sect formed an alliance with the Dingsheng Sect during the Spiritual Cultivation Competition. They used this as an excuse that left no room for criticism.
It was precisely because they were guests of Dingsheng Sect that the disciples of Hongqi Sect who lingered on the outskirts of Linfeng did not do anything too outrageous in order to avoid being seen and giving others something to gossip about.
"We'll be fine after the competition anyway. If they don't leave, we won't leave either. Let's see who can outlast whom," Shi Jinle laughed. "Besides, I didn't realize how vast the Dingsheng Sect's territory was until I came here. I've been here for over a month and I still haven't seen everything. It's not boring at all."
Fu Daolan nodded immediately: "Yes! Yes!"
Shao Qingshang cupped his hands in gratification and said, "We have troubled you for a long time, and we are deeply grateful for the kindness and hospitality you have shown us. Now that you have returned safely, it is time for us to go back as well."
He turned his head and stared sharply at Shi Jinle: "My disciples from Kuangfeng told me that you've been to quite a few places during this time. You've searched every corner of Linfeng. Tell me, do you have some kind of purpose?"
"Hey, I was just wandering around because I was bored." Shi Jinle said, hands on his hips and glaring at him, "Don't make things up without proof!"
Guan Wangzhen pointed to his head: "My intuition is the best evidence. You must have ulterior motives. Tell me, are you plotting against someone in our sect again?"
"Hey, hey, hey, speak properly, don't get physical, let go of our grandma." Guan Wangzhen rushed forward, intending to pull Shi Jinle away.
However, the harder he tried, the more Shi Jinle clung to Ji Mingran. Ji Mingran was pulled to one side and said, "In that case, would you like to stay at Luanfeng for a while? I'm going into seclusion for a period of time, so you won't see me much. If you stay here, you might be able to exchange a few words with me."
Since Senior Brother Sanyang hasn't returned, Senior Brother Xiaocan isn't here, and Boss Jiang isn't here either, Luanfeng's little courtyard is just sitting empty anyway. It would be good if Shi Jinle moved in and brought some liveliness to Guancai Garden.
“Hmm…” Shi Jinle hesitated for a moment. “Master Donglu arranged a small courtyard in Linfeng for me and Danniang. Although I am the only one left now, the scenery there is elegant and I am used to living there. I am too lazy to move around. If you are going into seclusion, I will wait for you to come out of seclusion and then come to play with you.”
"Sure, whatever you want." Ji Mingran said casually, not really caring. "Since you're not in a hurry to return to the sect, just wait for me to come out of seclusion."
"Hehe, okay." Shi Jinle smiled sweetly, "The Hehuan Sect has always encouraged its disciples to broaden their horizons and explore the world. They are happy that I'm not going back, and I'm not in a hurry."
"You let it slip!" Guan Wangzhen jumped up. "So you really came here to find a cultivation partner!"
"Hey, Shi Bai, Qing Luo, you two need to keep a close eye on your disciples, don't let her lead them astray! So many cultivators in the spiritual cultivation world have gotten jealous and caused trouble over Hehuan Sect disciples." Guan Wangzhen said nervously, "Our Dingsheng Sect is on the rise again, we can't allow these things to happen."
“You…this…” Shen Qingluo was speechless, then said earnestly, “Wang Zhen, instead of meddling in other people’s business, you should focus on your cultivation.”
Zhu Shibai, as usual, ignored Guan Wangzhen and asked Shao Qingshang, "Would Fellow Daoist Shao and Fellow Daoist Fu be willing to stay a little longer and catch up?"
Shao Qingshang explained their plan: "We had agreed with our fellow disciples to travel together after the spiritual cultivation competition, and now that time is almost here, it's time to head to the meeting point."
Fu Daolan strode out, saying as he spoke, "If you ever travel abroad in the future, be sure to let us know! We'll find a suitable opportunity to meet with you!"
"Let us see you off!"
They had only just met when they had to part ways. In order to say a few more words, the group decided to see each other off together. They set off from Quanfeng in a grand procession until they saw off Fu Daolan and Shao Qingshang. Only then did they separate within the sect's territory and return to their respective peaks.
By the time Ji Mingran crossed the rope connecting Luanfeng and pushed open the gate of Guancaiyuan, it was already late at night.
The small courtyard was deserted, without even a single candlelight.
Senior Brother Sanyang has not yet returned, so she is still alone on Luanfeng.
Upon learning that she had brought back the Spirit Essence Stone, Senior Brother Sanyang immediately sent a message, first offering his congratulations, and then informing him that Chongjue had received news of the Hongqi Sect's Soul Devouring Array being broken and, having no intention of fighting him, had already found an opportunity to escape and return to the sect. He would next return to the secret realm to bring back Li Xiaosen's physical body, which was being nurtured there, and then use the Spirit Essence Stone to completely restore Li Xiaosen's primordial spirit.
Senior Brother Sanyang didn't forget to ask her if she needed anything else. After thinking it over, Ji Mingran was only worried about not having enough spiritual energy to continue advancing her cultivation level, so she asked Li Sanyang to help her find more spiritual energy.
Therefore, Senior Brother Sanyang's return date is uncertain. However, when he returns, Senior Brother Xiaocan will also return.
Boss Jiang might have a chance to return.
Ji Mingran cheerfully lit the lanterns hanging inside and outside the door one by one. The courtyard was bathed in warm orange light. She came to the ancient locust tree in the center of the courtyard and sat cross-legged to meditate.
Having advanced to Foundation Establishment and Golden Core in quick succession, her cultivation urgently needed consolidation. However, the journey had been arduous, leaving her no time for peace and quiet. Only now, back at her sect, could she finally focus wholeheartedly and without distraction on entering a meditative state.
Ji Mingran closed his eyes, shut out the outside noise, and focused his mind.
The ancient locust tree was silent, and even the moonlight seemed afraid to disturb her, only gently falling on the stone table in front of her.
Ji Mingran entered a meditative state for two months.
During this period, neither the sect leader nor the peak masters, nor Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, nor Zhu Shibai, tacitly refrained from disturbing her.
Shen Qingluo, Guan Wangzhen, and Zhu Shibai also needed to go into seclusion to consolidate their cultivation. However, they were worried that Ji Mingran would go hungry, so they took turns quietly coming over, leaving a pile of food outside the door before leaving to return to their seclusion at the peak.
Consolidating one's cultivation requires a great deal of spiritual and physical strength, and Ji Mingran was indeed starving. He devoured all the food his three companions had brought him.
However, the peak masters and Yuan Liu had made preparations in advance, supplying her with a large amount of spiritual pills and spiritual food.
As a result, Ji Mingran's seclusion went extremely smoothly. The spiritual power stored in his sea of consciousness increased rather than decreased. When he opened his eyes, he felt completely refreshed and his muscles and bones were agile.
After taking a bath and resting, she took a rare look in the mirror and was surprised to find that the dark circles under her eyes had faded considerably, leaving only a faint bluish tinge.
As she stepped out of the gate of Guancai Garden, she could even hear the discussions of the disciples from the various peaks of Dingsheng Sect coming from the other side of the cliff.
"The ancestors of Luanfeng were really demanding. To borrow the inheritance from the treasure cave, one had to cross a suspension bridge, which was also protected by a restriction that prevented the use of magic. They really knew how to make things difficult for people."
"The key question is, is a suspension bridge even a human being can cross? It broke halfway across, and there was lightning and thunder, and the wind was howling. I got tangled in the rope and crashed into the cliff face, breaking my head and bleeding profusely. I had to lie in the clinic for half a month to recover."
"The disciples of Linfeng are all stationed at the bottom of the cliff, catching the disciples who fall every day. They are extremely busy."
"For two whole months, I didn't see a single person who was able to get through smoothly."
"Don't even mention it, while you were lying in the medical hall, when Grandmaster Shen, Grandmaster Zhu, and Grandmaster Guan came out of seclusion, they went straight there, very smoothly and without any problems."
"Is this what a genius is?" Many disciples lamented, "He walked straight through on his first try!"
That's not it. Ji Mingran thought to himself, Shen Qingluo fell once, Zhu Shibai fell twice, and Guan Wangzhen fell three times.
If they hadn't accidentally let slip during a quarrel, Ji Mingran would have truly believed that they had easily crossed the suspension bridge.
"Are our ancestors deliberately making things difficult for us?" one disciple said dejectedly.
"Don't say that the ancestor is making things difficult for her. Little Ancestor Ji has already passed the Qi Refining stage. She still walks back and forth every day!"
"She really is something," the disciple exclaimed. "She shouldn't be underestimated."
Ji Mingran nodded in agreement and walked towards the edge of Luanfeng Cliff, intending to see which disciple had uttered such wise words.
Before they had taken two steps, the disciples changed the subject, moving from the suspension bridge to other topics.
"No matter what, we must overcome this obstacle and hurry up to cross the bridge to learn the inheritance. Otherwise, how will we protect our sect when that demon attacks?"
A demon? Ji Mingran tilted his head.
"Those people from Hongqi Sect didn't keep a proper watch on the demon, and instead came here to cause trouble. Now look what happened, the demon got away. It's one thing for the demon to get away, but they actually kept such a big thing a secret for a whole month. Only when they saw that there was no hope of catching the demon did they report it to the Ten Cultivators of the Sect. It's one thing for them to lose face, but they've also made the entire spiritual cultivation world uneasy."
"Is that demon really that powerful?"
"How is he not powerful? As soon as they learned of his escape, the ten cultivators of the Dao Sect immediately assembled and searched everywhere for news of him. But by then it was too late. I heard that after that demon escaped, he has already gathered a large number of people, clamoring for revenge, and now he has begun to sweep through sects. I think the Hongqi Sect will be doomed sooner or later."
"Hongqi Sect? Hongqi Sect is very shrewd. They are using the excuse of the ten cultivators of the Dao Sect to gather manpower everywhere to help suppress the demon. Sure enough, Venerable Chongjue is coming here with a group of disciples, planning to ask our sect to send manpower as well. I wonder how Sect Master Yuanliu will deal with this."
"Stop talking, stop talking, let's get back to our studies."
As the discussions among the disciples of each peak subsided, Ji Mingran gradually stopped walking.
She'd only been in seclusion for two months, and so much had happened during her spiritual practice. Chongjue was actually coming to visit?
However, this is not the most important thing.
More importantly, a demon lord wiping out a sect? This behavior sounds so familiar.
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