Chapter 1014

"Now that demonic beasts are present, you two fellow Daoists should think about how to deal with them first. Otherwise, obtaining treasures is just a dream." Upon hearing the conversation between the two dry old demons, the youth surnamed Xu turned his head and gave a cold glance inside the light curtain, speaking discontentedly.

"Hehe! This must be Brother Xu of Tianlan, right? I, the old man, have no interest in treasures unseen, having already fought something to mutual destruction. Moreover, even if everyone present joined forces, they might still be unable to handle these three." After the dry old demon let out a cold laugh, he unexpectedly said this, much to everyone's surprise.

"What does Elder Gan mean by this?" Although the Tianlan Grassland and Yin Luo Sect have always been on good terms, upon hearing this, the youth's face 'color' sank.

"Nothing much. Since these three have been lurking nearby without acting during my intense contest with Daoist Ye, they must harbor some other purpose. Otherwise, if they truly wished us harm, earlier would have been the best time to strike." A faint voice emerged from the great white shadow.

"You knowing this is sufficient. Even if you wish to act, do you truly think you can harm us? There's nothing to conceal—we three have come for several items in the Kunwu Palace. Before entering the great hall, we likewise have no wish to fight." The Winged Yecha's eyes flashed with green light as he spoke without changing expression.

The ugly 'woman' and the lion-like beast stood silently beside it, appearing as if taking it as their steed.

"I and the Holy Maiden have no interest in the treasures within the hall, but the items on that Han-surnamed youth are something our Tianlan Holy Palace must obtain. Of course, if the Ghost Luo Banner is found, Xu will return it intact to your sect." The youth surnamed Xu naturally did not wish to risk his life against these three powerful demonic beasts here; upon grasping the meaning in the dry old demon's words, he only briefly pondered, then his expression eased as he spoke.

"Since this is the case, we have no need to contend here. Better to join forces to break the restriction and obtain the treasure. Otherwise, with so many of us gathered here, outsiders might sneak away with the prize—that would be a great joke!" Ge Tianhao also followed suit in saying this.

Whether cultivator or demonic beast here, each has lived who knows how many years; naturally, none would foolishly allow others to reap the benefit. Almost in the blink of an eye, a temporary agreement was reached.

Although upon entering the Kunwu Palace, this agreement will likely shatter immediately, it is still better than turning on each other before even seeing the treasure.

"Since none of you have objections, let us all act together to break the restriction." Seeing this, the dry old demon let out a strange laugh, then flicked his great white shadow's sleeves, transforming them into two white 'color' giant pythons that fiercely lunged at the light curtain above.

The square-faced cultivator beside him silently nodded, and the two flying swords circling above his head instantly shot forth as two startling rainbows, directly cleaving the air.

The three external demons and the Xu-surnamed youth and others did not relax their vigilance, but seeing this scene, they all sprang into action to attack the restriction.

For a time, various 'color' lights and demonic qi mingled together, erupting simultaneously inside and outside the light curtain, with the booming sounds continuing without cease.

"Tsk tsk, I never expected the dry old demon's fiery demeanor, yet in the blink of an eye he could join forces with the Winged Yecha and lion-like beast. In the future, when encountering the old demon, one must truly be more cautious, lest he deceive one." From within the stone forest below the slope, a verdant, wondrous figure hid inside a thick stone pillar, murmuring softly.

"Hmph, with your current cultivation, the dry old demon need not bother with any schemes against you—his Five Sons United Heart Demon, if it pounces, you cannot possibly evade." Another green shadow pressed close by spoke without courtesy.

These two are none other than the Wood Lady of the Huaxian Sect and that lovely-faced young woman.

"Senior Martial Sister, I truly have no way to deal with the dry old demon." The young woman showed some displeasure.

"A mere early Nascent Soul cultivator still wishes to contend with a late Nascent Soul cultivator? Don't speak of you—even if I faced the old demon head-on, I could barely manage self-preservation. Our sect's techniques are not suited for direct confrontation. However, if I were to obtain a strand of the old demon's essence blood and secretly cast a spell, I would have seventy to eighty percent confidence in secretly inflicting heavy damage upon him!" The Wood Lady said with a cold laugh.

"Our Huaxian Sect is a semi-hidden sect; in terms of secret arts and techniques, we fear we are not inferior to the ten great sects. If not for having to obey those rules through the ages, we would have long produced late-stage great cultivators under full development—why would we still fear the dry old demon and his ilk?" The young woman said with some reluctance.

"Our sect's founding patriarch was originally a descendant of the Kunwu Three Elders; he established the sect and set the city-guarding regulations not far from the seal, originally intended to guard this Kunwu Mountain seal nearby. But so many tens of thousands of years have passed, and this matter has been forgotten seven-eighths over countless generations. Were it not for the recent transmission from Elder Lao, and our re-examination of the sect's founding canon, we would likely still know nothing of the seal. Otherwise, why would we need to brave dangers and enter this mountain?" The Wood Lady sighed.

"Speaking of the dry old demon, I am more concerned about that youth who drives the Peach Blossom Divine Thunder—his feather fan's power is such that even late Nascent Soul cultivators retreat three paces. If used in an enclosed space, this treasure's power would double, absolutely a renowned ancient Seven Flame Fan replica." The lovely young woman suddenly mentioned Han Li.

"It is indeed a replica of the Heaven-Toppling Spiritual Treasure, but whether it is the Seven Flame Fan is uncertain. However, this person's appearance is utterly unfamiliar, his other divine abilities are not small, and the silver wings behind him can display the rare Lei Dun technique—truly not an ordinary cultivator. But this person seems not to be a cultivator of our Great Jin, nor of the Ye family's lineage. Well, even if this person were formidable, we need not pay him further heed. Speaking of which, Elder Lao should have long entered this mountain; why then do we not see him act to stop these cultivators? With his divine powers, a slight move would not allow the dry old demon and others to rage thus." The Wood Lady began to feel doubtful.

"Perhaps Elder Lao has other pressing matters, or perhaps he went directly to the Demon-Suppressing Tower—after all, that is the top priority." The young woman said hesitantly.

"Impossible. Although the Demon-Suppressing Tower is indeed the true eye of the formation controlling the entire Kunwu Mountain seal, to re-strengthen the seal, one must need the Dragon Transformation Seal from within the Kunwu Palace. Elder Lao knows the stakes—how could he not first go to the Kunwu Palace to obtain the treasure?" The Wood Lady's face 'color' darkened as she shook her head.

"Your meaning is, did Elder Lao encounter some mishap? How could that be, given Elder Lao's cultivation—who in this world could overcome him? Could it be that person has already broken free?" As she spoke the final sentence, the lovely young woman's face turned deathly pale.

"Breaking free is unlikely. Those previous restrictions were only just broken. If that person had escaped, he would have already shattered all restrictions. Why wait until now? Perhaps Elder Lao was merely delayed by some matter and has not yet entered this mountain." After the Wood Lady's expression changed, she forced a laugh as she spoke.

"Let us hope so. Regardless, we must follow behind these people to see if we can obtain the Dragon Transformation Seal first. However, besides this Dragon Transformation Seal, was there not also a Heavenly Stele that could reinforce the seal in ancient times? Why was that treasure's whereabouts not left directly to us descendants? Otherwise, why bother risking to follow behind these people?" Upon hearing this, the lovely young woman again began to complain.

"You do not know this. That Heavenly Stele is merely a backup item. Its whereabouts are held by another lineage of the Kunwu Three Elders' descendants. This was precisely to ensure that if either of our two branches suffered mishap, something else could still control this mountain's seal. I have heard this treasure is hidden in an unexpected place—besides that lineage whose whereabouts are long unknown, others do not know where in Kunwu Mountain it is concealed. With this one bright and one dark preparation, we can see how much effort the ancient cultivators who participated in the seal expended."

"I also do not know how the Kunwu Three Elders thought, leaving us such a great future trouble. Why not simply slay that person with a single sword? Why bother sealing him, thus wasting this spiritual mountain of the mortal realm?" The lovely young woman said, her beautiful brows slightly furrowed.

"On this point, the canon does mention something. It seems the sealed person's identity is extremely special, even his life and death involve matters of the upper realm. Therefore, the ancient cultivators of the mortal realm dared not act rashly, but could only seal him within the mountain." The Wood Lady hesitated, then still spoke of what she knew.

"Thus it is—no wonder those people of old were so hesitant. But just how high was that person's cultivation? Even mentioning him to Elder Lao makes him somewhat restless. We and Elder Lao have known each other for a long time, yet we have never seen these old monsters so uneasy." The lovely young woman asked curiously again.

"No matter how high that person's cultivation. In any case, the opponent is certainly someone whom a mere flick of his little finger could crush us. What use is guessing these?" The Wood Lady glanced askance, replying without good grace.

"That is also true!" The lovely young woman's face 'showed' helpless 'color'.

"By the way, did you bring the Four Symbols Ruler? We will entirely rely on this treasure to seize the Dragon Transformation Seal later." The Wood Lady shifted the topic, bringing up another matter.

"Senior Martial Sister has repeatedly reminded me many times. How could I not bring this sect's treasure? That said, it is a pity—were it not for your cultivation method's attribute clashing with the Four Symbols Ruler, you would be the most suitable to wield it. Senior Martial Sister once said that among the two Heaven-Toppling Spiritual Treasures used to suppress that person, one is the Eight Symbols Ruler—is not this Four Symbols Ruler precisely its imitation? I truly wish to see with my own eyes what it looks like." The lovely young woman's eyes turned, and she smiled enchantingly as she spoke.

"The Eight Symbols Ruler, the Black Wind Banner—on the canon they are merely mentioned briefly. Whether I can truly see them, I…… eh, the dry old demon and his companions have already broken the restriction—we must hurry and follow!" The Wood Lady was about to say something more to her junior martial sister when her gaze shifted, and she suddenly saw the light curtain on the platform shattering inch by inch under various attacks; she quickly focused her expression as she spoke.

The lovely young woman's heart tightened, and she likewise raised her gaze. She happened to see the dry old demon and others passing through the dissipating light curtain, rushing toward the mountain gate.

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