Chapter 165 The Three Hundred Years of Prosperity of the Sect: Her Master Jiang Xiaoyi
Chongjue drew his sword and slashed it towards the sky, unleashing a burst of sword energy that tightly enveloped the projection stone within a ten-mile radius. Anyone who approached the projection stone would immediately face a fatal blow from a Mahayana cultivator.
Not only could the cultivators not approach, but they also had to retreat half a foot to completely escape the range of the sword energy.
As the cultivators of the sect retreated, they glanced at the sky, their field of vision filled with images projected by the projection stones.
That place was also a sect realm, but unlike the present one, the sect realm in the picture was shrouded in dark clouds, and a crack without end appeared in the sky.
The enormous, inky funnel, accompanied by a dull, heavy growl, resembled a cannon barrel protruding from a crack, aimed at the sect's realm, distorting light and shadow, and devouring the dark clouds.
Clumps of pinkish-flesh-colored bubbles bulged from the edge of the funnel-shaped vortex, each bubble reflecting an indistinct shadow within. The eerie shadows twisted and struggled incessantly, trying to tear open the fleshy walls and break free.
One cannon barrel after another emerged from the crack, producing clusters of pinkish-flesh-colored bubbles, aimed at every corner of the Five Peaks and Two Rivers of the Dingsheng Sect.
The mountain collapsed, and the spring stopped flowing.
This was the natural disaster that befell the Dingsheng Sect three hundred years ago in an instant.
In the real world of the sect, all was utterly silent.
The young disciples who witnessed this scene for the first time were terrified, their bodies turning ice-cold. The ten elders of the Dao Sect who had seen it years ago remained silent. No matter how many years had passed, no matter how many times they had seen this scene, they could not erase the suffocating despair that weighed on their hearts.
However, the cultivators who were in the midst of it back then were not like that.
The fierce wind lifted up the entire rock slab that covered the ground of the sect's territory, and the rock slab, which was tens of meters in size, fluttered and rolled in the air like falling leaves.
Rocks flew about, but the cultivators on the rocky surface walked as if on flat ground, their bodies steady.
Jiang Xiaoyi even raised her arms to meet the cannon barrels aimed at her, and laughed loudly: "If Heaven wants to destroy my Dingsheng, I will not let it have its way!"
As she spoke, the rocks, manipulated by the airflow surging from the crack in the sky, changed direction. Jiang Xiaoyi flipped halfway over, facing the peak cultivators of the sect gathered in the realm of the sect: "Disciples below the Nascent Soul stage should take cover, except for direct disciples!"
A group of cultivators stepped forward and said in unison, "Yes, Sect Master!"
Jiang Xiaoyi: "Senior uncles, senior sisters, and senior brothers, the boasts and empty promises you made are about to be fulfilled. Let me see your abilities. Whoever fails, I'll be the first to laugh at them next time they try to brag!"
The cultivators who looked up at Jiang Xiaoyi all maintained a composed and unhurried demeanor. One of them smiled slightly, his tone as gentle as if he were talking to a mischievous child: "The floor tiles we're standing on are all fine, but yours were blown away. Xiaoyi, you're the first one who's going to be laughed at."
"Oh? Yunxiao, do you want to open your eyes wide and look carefully before you say it again?" Jiang Xiaoyi casually waved his arm raised to the sky, and hundreds of magic arrays appeared simultaneously in the sky, covering each funnel tightly and not letting any pink flesh-colored lump escape.
The two formations, one to bind the soul and the other to subdue evil, are activated simultaneously.
“They dare to run away,” Jiang Xiaoyi said, “There’s only one outcome for them: death!”
"Well done, Xiao Yi," said Venerable Yunxiao. "It's our turn now."
Venerable Yunxiao gazed at the sky and calmly stepped forward: "Even if it costs us old bones, we will try to mend this sky."
"Let's go!" The group of Grand Ascension Ancestors of the Peak Sect responded, transforming into starlight and heading straight for the rift in the sky.
"So eloquent, alright." Jiang Xiaoyi shouted to Liuxing, "One Domain Blessing Array is included with each of you. Try not to die, leave a chance for Junior Sister to laugh at you again!"
Each brilliant starlight rushing towards the inky funnel forms a ring of arrays, empowering the cultivators within.
"Since our masters have all ascended to heaven, let's sweep the floor." Only a few cultivators remained in the sect realm. A sharp-looking female cultivator holding a long spear said, "Xiao Yi, those things are still growing. You've already released hundreds of formations, and the Realm Array still needs you. Don't waste any extra spiritual energy. If they fall down, leave them to us."
The speaker's voice and appearance remained unchanged; it was none other than Zhu Huo, the current Peak Master of Yaofeng.
Another handsome and elegant man said, "Senior Brother Qi is at a critical juncture in breaking through to the next realm, so I will take care of the Kuangfeng Peak area as well."
Ji Mingran rubbed his eyes and looked again before realizing that the person was actually Liu Zhiqing.
"Come, come, a complete set of pills, everyone gets one." The graceful female cultivator in a pale yellow dress tossed a brocade pouch to one person, then winked. "Be careful, be careful, taking pills is risky, do not overdose, except for the special ones made by Yao Yao!"
Jiang Xiaoyi took it and stuffed it into her robe: "Yaoyao, Linfeng is a vast area, can you manage it all?"
"You should focus on setting up the formation," Jing Yaoyao said. "I still have Xiao Hong and Xiao Lu."
Dong Lu, whose face still looked somewhat youthful, nodded.
"Xiao Sen," Jiang Xiaoyi said, "you should also go and help them."
Ji Mingran looked at Li Xiaosen, whose complexion was no different from that of an ordinary person, and replied, "Okay, be careful and don't be careless."
"Alright, friends, let's each do our part!" Jiang Xiaoyi stepped onto the rocks and soared into the sky: "If we die, we'll meet again in the next life!"
Everyone waved and ran off to the east or west.
Three hundred years ago, the sect was at its peak, and powerful figures were everywhere.
The higher one's cultivation level, the more one is aware of the immense calamities before them and how one can contend with them.
Their chances of survival were slim, but rather than fleeing in despair, they chose to face death with laughter and optimism. A desperate fight might offer a glimmer of hope for their sect.
The dozens of Mahayana cultivators who were mending the crack in the sky did their best, but they could only slow down the rate at which the crack opened. The number of funnels continued to increase, and Jiang Xiaoyi's formation could not cover them all.
The eerie shadow finally tore open the pinkish-flesh-colored bubble, and an unprecedented evil object fell out. Zhu Huo and Liu Zhiqing led a group of high-ranking disciples of the Dingsheng Sect in a bloody battle.
Jiang Xiaoyi maintained the Array Formation, repeatedly shielding the disciples of Dingsheng Sect from fatal attacks.
Another protective array covering the entire area activated, intercepting all the evil creatures that had landed within the Dingsheng Sect's territory and were attempting to escape. Seeing that they could not escape, the monsters fought desperately, screaming and roaring as they pounced on the Dingsheng Sect disciples who came to kill them.
The scene was splattered with blood and the image was filthy, but even so, one could still feel the shock and brutality of this battle against the epidemic just by looking at the blurry shadows reflected in the blood.
Nanmen Hong, who was carrying the projection stone, was unable to dodge in time and was pierced through the shoulder blade by the evil creature's claws. Severely injured, he staggered to Linfeng Medical Hall.
The medical hall was filled with Dingsheng Sect disciples who were severely injured and in shock.
"Senior brother." In the scene, Donglu, panting, dragged back another seriously injured disciple and said to Nanmen Hong, "Grandmaster Yunxiao told us to quickly find Sect Master Jiang. They need the combined strength of all Mahayana cultivators to mend the Heavenly Rift."
Nanmen Hong hurriedly took out the sect's jade token and discovered the message sent by Grandmaster Yunxiao a quarter of an hour ago. He then said, "Junior Sister, you stay here. Sect Master Jiang is about to activate the Realm Array and is currently in the Treasure Cave. I'll go find her!"
To reach the Luanfeng Treasure Cave, you must first climb a suspension bridge and then descend a suspension ladder.
The evil creatures rained down like dumplings. Nanmen Hong, dragging his half-mutilated body and carrying a bag of pills, gritted his teeth and endured the attack, miraculously reaching the treasure cave.
The nine-story pagoda that was upside down in the treasure cave was now flipped right-side up, its spire pointing towards the cracked cliff top and directly at the fissure in the sky.
The turbulent current swept through the crack at the top of the cliff and into the tower. The shelves inside the tower, which contained countless spiritual artifacts, treasures, and inheritances, overturned and fell to the ground. All the treasures and inheritances were swept up by the airflow and gathered towards the top of the tower, about to be extracted.
"What... what's going on?" Nanmen Hong muttered in shock.
Soon, he discovered that Jiang Xiaoyi was not the only one inside the nine-story tower.
Nanmen Hong heard his master, Jing Yaoyao, angrily say, "I will never allow you to do this!"
The scene changed rapidly as Nanmen Hong walked.
When Nanmen Hong reached the top floor where Jing Yaoyao was, what entered the scene was Jing Yaoyao, who was locked up by Jiang Xiaoyi's formation.
Jiang Xiaoyi, who was holding her down, looked up and said, "You are my good sister, so I will see you off."
Jing Yaoyao frantically pounded on the formation, her eyes filled with opposition to the actions of the Zhijiao Institute, shouting hoarsely, "No! No! No!"
"Sect Master Jiang, what are you doing! They need Mahayana cultivators!" Nanmen Hong rushed forward to help his master, but the formation flashed and Jing Yaoyao was thrown into the rift in the sky.
Jiang Xiaoyi turned around, not surprised by Nanmen Hong's appearance, and raised the sect's jade token to him, indicating, "I know."
Now, she is the only Mahayana cultivator left on Earth, and she knows this, yet she sent Jing Yaoyao there.
Even if all the Mahayana cultivators of the sect were gathered together, it would be difficult to succeed. Jing Yaoyao was only at the Nascent Soul stage. If Jiang Xiaoyi retreated and instead stuffed Jing Yaoyao away, the attempt to repair the rift in the sky would inevitably fail.
Nanmen Hong rushed towards Jiang Xiaoyi: "You're sending her to her death!"
His diving figure was frozen in mid-air, unable to move, and his spiritual energy kept draining away.
"Since things have come to this, I have no choice but to resort to the worst possible strategy. I'm leaving now. Junior Nephew, please let me use your spiritual power while you're at it." A blinding light shone from behind Jiang Xiaoyi, and intricate array patterns covered the walls of the nine-story pagoda. At the top of the pagoda, another crack appeared, and all the inherited treasures that had been wrapped up were swallowed up. Jiang Xiaoyi jumped in without looking back.
As Nanmen Hong roared, a gentle, jade-like voice rang out.
"Master!" A figure rushed towards Jiang Xiaoyi, reaching out to pull the person who was almost submerged in the formation. The two switched positions in an instant, and Jiang Xiaoyi was pushed out of the formation.
Jiang Xiaoyi frowned: "Xiao Sen!"
Li Xiaosen asked in anguish, "Why did you do this, Master?"
"Get out of the way!" Jiang Xiaoyi fiercely charged back into the formation. The moment her hands touched Li Xiaosen, the white light of the formation pierced through Li Xiaosen's body like needles.
Before being torn apart by the formation, Li Xiaosen cried out in tears, "Please, don't."
Passing through his disciple's bones and blood, Jiang Xiaoyi disappeared into the crevice at the top of the tower without looking back.
Nanmen Hong lost all his spiritual power, collapsed unconscious, and the projection stone stopped operating.
This concludes the footage from three hundred years ago.
The sect's territory was completely silent.
Only the elders of the Dao Sect's Ten Cultivators had seen this past event. Now, the cultivators present witnessed it firsthand, and their emotions were inevitably complex and melancholic.
“Three hundred years ago, my master Jing Yaoyao and the Grand Ancestor of Dingsheng Sect sacrificed their lives to mend the gap and eliminate the natural disaster,” Nanmen Hong said.
"Without the protection of the Realm Array, most of the high-level disciples of the Dingsheng Sect perished, even though they killed all the evil creatures."
"The loss of the inheritance also brought the surviving disciples' cultivation to a standstill."
"It's all because of Jiang Xiaoyi."
"She incited the sect to fight with all its might, and when all hope was lost, she immediately abandoned the sect, urging her fellow disciples to harm one another. She is cold-hearted and selfish by nature. Can you really trust the disciples raised by such a person after she has revealed her true nature?"
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