Chapter 416: The Imminent Outbreak of a Chaotic Battle

Just as Chiyanzi had anticipated, someone had indeed approached them as they were leaving.

Just as Feilian and the Demon General were blinded by the wind and sand, unable to open their eyes, Xin Yi quietly tugged at Zhao Wuyang and Zhanli, about to approach Liu Xia, when a massive object suddenly descended from the sky, scattering the surrounding dust in an instant.

The tremor beneath their feet was startling; everyone followed the sound to look, and that massive object was none other than Shanglu, while not far away, a large troop of Demon Soldiers was rushing over.

Upon seeing this, Sangmu was greatly alarmed; as expected, they were a step too late.

Facing such a massive formation of Demon Soldiers, along with two Demon Generals, with just the few of them, they had absolutely no chance of winning!

It was not as if there were no examples of winning against superior numbers on the battlefield, but most relied on strategic surprise attacks; if they were to clash head-on, they would likely be wiped out in an instant.

Sangmu was still contemplating a countermeasure, but the Demon Race's troop was already right before their eyes, and he had no ideas at all.

Unlike the lax and casual nature of Feilian's troop, Shanglu's soldiers were uniform and imposing; it was rumored that he governed strictly with ironclad military discipline, and if his subordinates made a mistake, he would punish them without mercy, which was why every one of his soldiers was filled with a chilling murderous intent.

"Why have you come?"

Feilian finally steadied his body and asked Shanglu with a displeased expression, but the latter merely stood there with his arms crossed, saying nothing. Feilian seemed accustomed to this, merely shrugging his shoulders before saying no more, also crossing his arms to look at Xin Yi and his group.

"What a pair of ungrateful dogs; the Demon Race has raised you for so many years, yet you actually dare to turn around and bite your master."

This sentence was spoken for Xin Yi and Sangmu to hear.

Sangmu did not respond; having been by Wumin Jun's side for so many years, Wumin Jun often warned him to know how to endure, to consider everything thoroughly, and to learn how to use the small to overcome the large so as to remain invincible. Therefore, he was currently guarding against the two Demon Generals before him while weighing ways to escape.

Xin Yi also remained silent; his nature was cold by default, and he was always a man of few words, and he was an even more meticulous person who would never be swayed by another's few words.

Although the two of them were calm, Liu Xia and Zhao Wuyang were not having it.

Fortunately, Zhanli was there to stop Zhao Wuyang, so he did not make a move, but Liu Xia was furious; with a flick of his finger, the Huasheng Sword in his hand transformed into vines and lashed out like a whip.

Liu Xia was naturally a straightforward person, and since childhood, he had been instilled with the belief that one "can be killed but not humiliated." Once he heard his brother being insulted, he naturally could not let it go. By the time Chengkai, who was on the side, reacted and wanted to stop him, it was already too late.

The vines carried a fierce wind, whistling with a "whoosh" sound, imposing and aggressive; however, Feilian and Shanglu remained unmoved, showing no intention of dodging at all.

Seeing this, Liu Xia frowned—even if his cultivation was shallow, this lash was not something one could easily withstand.

What exactly were these two up to?

The vine whip was within reach; just as it was about to strike Feilian and his companion, a figure flashed out from behind them and caught the whip with ease as they raised their hand.

Everyone was astonished, not because someone had caught Liu Xia's move, but because they were surprised by the person who had caught it.

"It's you!"

Liu Xia's brow tightened; the person was none other than Huiwu!

Huiwu wore an evil smirk, suddenly exerting force with his hand, and ran off while pulling the vine. Liu Xia, not expecting this move, was pulled into several stumbles before he could steady his footing. But Huiwu had no intention of stopping; he dragged Liu Xia along as he ran, and before long, the two of them were nowhere to be seen.

Although Xin Yi and the others were worried, with a formidable enemy in front, they could not afford to be distracted.

Following Feilian's order, the two sides clashed once again. Perhaps it was because of Shanglu's presence, or perhaps the number of Demon Soldiers had increased, but Xin Yi and the others were clearly struggling more than before.

The Demon Soldiers were all ruthless in their attacks, no longer playing around as they had before; Zhao Wuyang, whose martial cultivation was weaker, could only dodge, let alone touch them.

And Feilian continued to watch from the sidelines, as did Shanglu.

It seemed that they would have to go all out.

But just at this moment, one figure after another suddenly arrived on swords from behind them, as if divine soldiers had descended from the sky, either using martial arts or witchcraft to entangle themselves with the Demon Soldiers.

Everyone who arrived wore a Daoist Robe; Xin Yi only recognized the Taishang Sect and the Kunwu Sect, while there were several others he had never seen before. Just as he was puzzled, a cloud of dust rose, and Shoucheng suddenly appeared by his side.

Xin Yi suddenly remembered that Baigao had once said there were others on the shore waiting to cross the river; could it be them? Thinking back to what Bai Wuchang had said about "latecomers" when they passed through the Jiemen, Xin Yi was eighty percent certain.

But why would these people come to the Underworld? Could it be that their departure from the mountain had been known all along?

"Senior Brother Shoucheng, you all are..."

"Qianyuan issued a decree to crusade against the demons, ordering us to come and suppress the Demon Race; fellow Daoists from all paths did not spare their help and have come one after another to assist."

"But if you have all come, what about the sect? Furthermore..."

Furthermore, the mortal world is not yet peaceful; the Ghost Gate has been re-established, and although most of the Living Corpses have been dealt with, there are still those that slipped through the net. If there are any that have become demons or fallen into the demonic path...

Shoucheng smiled: "Rest assured, these are merely false bodies."

False bodies?

"Uncle-Master Fuyin, together with the two Daoists Xuanhuai and Xuantan, cast the Tishin Blood Talisman, ordering us to come and suppress the demons using the technique of spirit substitution, while Grand Uncle-Master Xunfeng of the Taishang Sect personally set up a Dharma Array to protect our physical bodies."

Tishin Blood Talisman? That is a method that consumes one's lifespan, and there are so many of them!

Xin Yi was greatly alarmed, but Shoucheng was indifferent.

"Junior Brother, although practitioners cultivate the heart, you and I are both mortals. The Demon Race has repeatedly offended our sect, destroyed the Ghost Gate to poison the human world, and even kidnapped our Junior Aunt. In terms of reason and emotion, we must avenge this; otherwise, if this matter lingers in the heart, it will eventually disturb our Daoist heart. Once the Daoist heart is destroyed, how can one cultivate with peace of mind?"

"That may be so, but there is no reason to harm oneself..."

"Junior Brother, you are attached to appearances," Shoucheng said, kicking away a Demon Soldier. "The Uncle-Masters acting this way is naturally in accordance with their own Daoist hearts. Although it damages their longevity, it is also their path of cultivation. If you dwell on it too much, it would be counterproductive."

Upon hearing this, Xin Yi pondered for a moment and said no more.

When he was cultivating at the Xianyun Abode, he had heard Lingxiang say that among Qianyuan Zhenren's many disciples, only Shoucheng was the most enlightened; now it seemed that was indeed the case.

"Junior Brother, do not be at ease too soon. Our trip here is ultimately only borrowing the power of witchcraft, and we are separated from the human world. Even with the Uncle-Master's Blood Talisman, we cannot exert our full strength. It is enough to deal with some small fry, but the Demon Generals over there can only be dealt with by you yourselves."

Watching as someone before him was pierced through the body by a Demon Soldier and turned to ash, Xin Yi nodded.

It seems that besides the reason of the Blood Talisman, the cultivation of those who came is also uneven!

"It is fortunate that Senior Brother arrived in time to resolve the urgent crisis at hand."

"Bring Junior Aunt back!" Shoucheng patted Xin Yi on the shoulder, dropped this sentence, and immediately joined the chaotic battle.