Chapter 537: How to Communicate Harmoniously with Cultivators from Beyond the Boundary

The Scripture Pavilion of the Luoxu Sect was shaped like a colossal octagonal tower.

The tower stood six hundred zhang tall, with six floors in total, its eight sharp spires piercing straight into the sky, faintly shimmering with void formation patterns.

"There's a formation."

"A Nascent Soul-level formation, one that could potentially pose a major threat even to peak Nascent Soul cultivators."

Jiang Ding murmured to himself.

As a fourth-grade mid-tier formation master, born of a domain-overlord-level faction, his judgment was beyond doubt.

In terms of sheer breadth and precision of knowledge, even the fourth-grade peak formation masters of this world could not compare to him.

"Damaged by external force. It's incomplete."

Jiang Ding's gaze turned toward the top of the tower as he spoke again.

Unless one designed and refined targeted formation-breaking treasures based on the formation's characteristics, but there were simply no relevant materials or manpower here, and the time required was anyone's guess.

After all, dispersed across more than a hundred cultivators of the same rank, it was not enough to restrain Jin Dan cultivators and keep them still.

Clang!

A sword hum rang out, its sharp sound waves spreading in all directions.

"There is manpower."

Seeing the battle turning against them, the more than a hundred Jin Dan cultivators—who had keenly scented danger and retreated like prowling hyenas—stiffened, looks of terror crossing their faces.

Jiang Ding suddenly murmured.

Although preserved quite well, upon closer inspection one could still see remnants of a small lower section; perhaps ten thousand years ago, above the six hundred zhang and six floors, there had still been a Scripture Pavilion—though whether it had originally been seven floors or eight was unknown.

If his true body came, there would be no problem, but this clone of his found it exceedingly difficult; facing Nascent Soul cultivators, even escape required a factor of luck, let alone confronting them head-on.

The strength of an early-stage Nascent Soul.

What truly made them halt was a faint sword-mark imprint on their Shen Hun, along with a single sentence.

"Overall assessment…"

Jiang Ding's divine sense carefully scanned the Scripture Pavilion before him, occasionally casting spells and deploying specialized archaic formation-breaking artifacts and treasures, conducting a thorough evaluation of the formation.

"I wish to inform you of one thing: the first ten fellow daoists to leave this place by sixty li will die."

Immediately after, the sword intent that shattered spirits and destroyed Fa spread out via quasi-divine-sense electromagnetic waves, blanketing an area of dozens of kilometers, its vast will descending upon every Jin Dan cultivator within range.

"No,"

The moment this result came out, Jiang Ding furrowed his brow.

This strand of sword intent was not particularly powerful.

"A fourth-grade low-tier formation, roughly equivalent to the strength of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator."

They seemed to have been instantly destroyed by some tremendous force, the remaining cuts smooth and neat, so much so that without close inspection one would never notice any trace of their former existence.

After a long while.

"Fellow daoists, this is our first meeting."

A gentle voice sounded in their ears, calm and plain, carrying no killing intent, and patiently explained: "The charge is the slaughter of mortals, the slaughter of low-rank cultivators."

"Please rest assured, fellow daoists—if you have not committed these crimes, I will release you, and then find ten more people to fill the quota."

"I will absolutely not pervert right and wrong."

"Not pervert right and wrong?"

"Bullshit!"

The more than a hundred Jin Dan cultivators cursed furiously in their hearts, not believing this promise in the slightest.

Their magic power and divine sense churned frantically, ceaselessly washing against the sword-intent imprint in their Shen Hun, trying to scour it away.

After a long while, it was utterly useless.

No matter how much, how vast a flood of Shen Hun He Fa and magic power they used to scour it, the sword-intent imprint would not fade by even half a fraction.

"Fellow daoists, please come over for a chat."

Jiang Ding said lightly.

Over these years, having spent much time with cultivators of the Cultivation World, he had gradually figured out a way to get along with them harmoniously.

The more than a hundred Jin Dan cultivators darted their eyes about, their divine senses scanning everywhere, even diverting a portion of attention to their hearts, ready to burn essence blood and flee at any moment.

No one made a move.

As if they had heard nothing at all.

Clang!

Jiang Ding did not waste words; he drew his sword, his gaze sweeping the four directions, a touch of killing intent blossoming: "Fellow cultivators, must you force me to unleash a great slaughter?"

"You are in chaos and disorder, without military formations at your back, a scattered mess among yourselves, not even knowing each other—do you truly believe you can escape?"

"Fellow daoists, this place of the Luoxu Sect doesn't seem all that large…"

His voice turned cold and grim.

"We wouldn't dare!"

Many Jin Dan cultivators instinctively shivered.

They did not think the other party was merely bluffing or threatening.

One who could slay the True Person Ruler-Ruler of Gui Mountain was precisely someone capable of doing such a thing!

One must know that True Person Ruler-Ruler was, within the Tie family of Gui Mountain, second only to the orthodox prodigy Gui Fazi.

His fame was illustrious; in battles against the Dari Sect, he had slain countless Fa cultivators and sword cultivators, and in handling bandits internally he was likewise ruthless and merciless.

The fear many outsider-surnamed demonic-path Jin Dan cultivators held for him even surpassed that for Gui Fazi.

Such a person had died so easily at the hands of this sword cultivator.

"We shall come over immediately to pay our respects."

Under the crushing pressure of sword intent and killing intent, finally one Jin Dan Chu Qi cultivator could bear it no longer; his legs went weak, and he flew over trembling, stopping a hundred-plus meters away to bow deeply, then stood still.

Jiang Ding released the pressure of his sword intent.

That Jin Dan cultivator's body relaxed; he bowed once more in salute and stood obediently at attention.

"And what of the rest of you?"

Jiang Ding looked calmly at the others.

His gaze no longer carried killing intent, no longer carried pressure; it had even become very gentle and friendly.

Perhaps a head or two would be needed to establish authority.

That was simple enough.

On the Northern Plain, cultivators who were proper and clean-handed were hard to find, but Jin Dan cultivators with innocent blood on their hands were everywhere — pick any one and that would do.

Since these people had killed others, being killed by him now should leave them with no complaints or regrets.

"Fellow Daoist, wait a moment!"

Somehow, seeing him like this, the many Jin Dan cultivators' hearts panicked instead; a chill rose from the soles of their feet, surged into their backs and heads, and their whole bodies turned icy cold.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist!"

"I'm coming over right now."

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment — my Gong Fa is special and my pace is slow, please bear with me…"

In an instant, a great crowd of Jin Dan cultivators swarmed over in a black mass, jostling and scrambling, afraid to fall behind; a hundred-plus meters away they bowed deeply, a whole patch of them bending at the waist.

Extremely clever.

Worthy of being Northern Plain loose cultivators who had struggled to survive under the oppression of their clans.

"Fellow Daoists, you truly are all cultivators who delight in helping others."

Jiang Ding's gaze truly softened, and a smile appeared on his face: "I've invited you all here for just one small matter I need help with."

"Don't worry, your help won't be for nothing — there will certainly be sufficient reward, and I won't disappoint any of you Fellow Daoists."

His manner was extremely good.

These Jin Dan cultivators were all useful.

In the future, if he were to govern a stretch of Northern Plain land, he would need people to guard the vast grasslands, to gather massive quantities of spirit stones and heavenly materials and earthly treasures.

The Tu Mountain Maid Group did not yet have such capability.

For now, a small seed could be sown.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist of Tu Mountain."

A Jin Dan peak cultivator with hair and beard both white boldly stepped forward and asked respectfully: "I wonder what great matter this is, but if there's any use for us, we will certainly do our utmost to accomplish it for you, Fellow Daoist."

This person was precisely Bai Mei True Person.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Mei, it's been many years — your bearing is as before."

Jiang Ding rose and offered a slight bow in salute.

The Tu Mountain sword cultivator had once joined Bai Mei True Person in a hunt for the Mad Sky Daoist over a hundred years ago, so they could be considered old acquaintances; naturally he would not ignore him.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Bai Mei True Person waved his hands repeatedly, actually feeling overwhelmed by the favor before a cultivator of the same rank.

"The matter, naturally, concerns this Scripture Pavilion."

Jiang Ding did not ask why the other was not among the Blood Cloud Eighteen Riders — that was none of his business — and pointing at the octagonal tower before them, he said calmly: "You all need to obey our orders and break through this formation."

"The reward is that you may transcribe one scripture volume."

"Any one volume you like, but you may only choose one."