Chapter 225: Holding Ground and Refusing to Emerge

Facing the might of the Demon Emperor's External Incarnation, Fu Ling lowered her head, her previously arrogant expression having long since vanished without a trace. Wang Ji's face turned somewhat pale, deeply afraid that the Demon Emperor would lash out again.

"As long as you assist in the reconstruction of my physical body, the benefits in the future go without saying. Can you not accept such a small loss of profit right before your eyes?"

Staring at Fu Ling, the Demon Emperor walked gently to her side; Fu Ling trembled in fear, her delicate body shaking, as she repeatedly said "Yes" with her mouth.

"This Demon Emperor promises you: once my physical body is complete, I will take the two sects on the Tianjiang Plain and they shall all belong to you!"

This temptation was truly too great; the combined wealth of the two sects was far greater than that of one Wushuang Sacred Demon Mountain.

"Many thanks, Lord Demon Emperor!"

Using both kindness and severity, the Demon Emperor was worthy of being a great expert of his time; at the most critical juncture, he knew how to use methods to stabilize people's hearts. The others heard this and could not help but feel their lips go dry, yet they found it difficult to say anything.

"How is the situation outside?"

Turning his head back, the Demon Emperor asked Wang Ji.

"It is still acceptable. Nanxuan Laozu has not made a move, and the Mountain Protection Restriction is fully capable of holding out."

Nodding slightly, the Demon Emperor felt much more at ease and gave a few more instructions before leaving the great hall. The four people in the hall looked at each other; with Du Yuntang gone, only they remained. No matter what, they had to hold Qingnian Demon Mountain, otherwise everything they had sacrificed would turn into nothingness.

Fu Ling clenched her delicate fists tightly, imagining the way her beloved disciple died. She kept Zhang Nuo firmly in her heart; once the Demon Emperor's physical body reconstruction was complete, she would definitely charge out, find Zhang Nuo, and kill him to avenge Xue Qianyang.

After Zhang Nuo returned to the fortress and met with Nanxuan Laozu, he recounted his trip to Wushuang Sacred Demon Mountain, which made the old ancestor's eyes widen continuously as he listened.

All of this was like listening to a story, making him somewhat unable to believe it, but he believed that Zhang Nuo would not lie about such matters.

"Hehe! Zhang Nuo, you really are a fellow who is impossible to fathom! Even Du Yuntang died at your hands!"

With a smile appearing on his face, Nanxuan Laozu was so happy that he could not close his mouth. Back when he was at the Golden Core Initial Stage, it would have been impossible for him to eliminate a cultivator at the Middle Stage like this.

Zhuge Qing, who was standing to the side, broke into a cold sweat for Zhang Nuo. It was not until she heard him finish that the young girl let out a long breath. Her concerned gaze swept over Zhang Nuo repeatedly, and only after seeing that there was truly nothing unusual about his body did she set her mind at ease.

"Old Ancestor, looking at the state of the Five Great Demon Mountains, all their strength is concentrated on Qingnian Demon Mountain. The Dharma Array for the Demon Emperor to reconstruct his physical body should be there. Should we launch an all-out attack?"

"En, the timing is about right. You go back and recuperate for a few days first, I will calculate the plan!"

Nodding solemnly, Nanxuan Laozu's long eyebrows twitched a few times before he spoke slowly.

Zhang Nuo did not say much more and exited the room directly with Zhuge Qing. After arriving outside, the two chatted about other things, and then Zhang Nuo returned to his own room, sat cross-legged on the Putan, and began to recover his Spirit Power.

The battle with Du Yuntang had truly cost him a great deal of Spirit Power; three of the four Divine Seas in his body were almost empty. To fully recover, it would take at least about a month.

Outside Qingnian Demon Mountain, the cultivators of the Four Great Sects took turns launching attacks against the Mountain Protection Restriction. In the blink of an eye, a month passed, and the Mountain Protection Restriction remained unbreakable, which gave Zhuge An and the others a massive headache.

If things continued like this, even if they could break the restriction, the cultivators of the Four Great Sects would be exhausted, and they would have no strength left to fight.

However, since Nanxuan Laozu would not make a move, they found it difficult to ask him. Furthermore, even if the old ancestor were to act, facing such a powerful restriction would require some effort; if he damaged his vitality, it would be even harder to deal with the Demon Emperor once he emerged.

Nanxuan Laozu was an absolute trump card of the Four Great Sects and could not be used easily unless absolutely necessary. However, the demon cultivators inside Qingnian Demon Mountain were holding their ground and refusing to come out, appearing to be conserving their strength and waiting for the moment the restriction was broken to fight the Four Great Sects to the end.

………………

A month later, the door to Zhang Nuo's room was knocked upon. As the door opened, two pretty and charming faces appeared before his eyes.

"Bai Xiu, Xun Zhen! Why is it you two?"

Greatly surprised, Zhang Nuo would never have imagined that it would be the two young girls who had once taken him as their senior brother. After several years of growth, Bai Xiu and Xun Zhen had shed their childishness and become graceful young women. Their cultivation had also broken through to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

"Senior Brother! You didn't come to see us after you returned!"

Xun Zhen lifted her pretty little face and pouted her small mouth, pretending to be angry as she spoke.

"That's right! Senior Brother, why didn't you return to the sect?"

Bai Xiu also chimed in from the side. Being able to see the two of them, a warm current rose in Zhang Nuo's heart. Ever since he entered the Nanxuan Sect, these two had always been by his side; now that he could see them again, there was an indescribable sense of intimacy.

"Ever since I returned, I have been busy with matters for the sect and haven't had the chance to go back and see you two yet!"

Letting the two into the room, the three of them began to chat, one sentence after another. Xun Zhen, in particular, was very interested in Zhang Nuo's affairs over the past few years; her small mouth kept asking questions, eventually leaving Zhang Nuo unable to keep up.

"Since you two have both advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, I don't have anything better to give you, so take these few Magic Treasures!"

As he spoke, Zhang Nuo flipped his palm and revealed several Magic Treasures he had scavenged from Zuo Mutang's residence. These Magic Treasures were of no use to him at all, so it was better to do a favor and give them to Bai Xiu and Xun Zhen.

With over a dozen Magic Treasures laid out before their eyes, the two were overjoyed. In the Nanxuan Sect, disciples of their cultivation level would have at most one or two Magic Treasures; Zhang Nuo's display of such generosity actually startled them.

"That's great, Senior Brother! We are about to officially start the war with the Five Great Demon Mountains; having a few more Magic Treasures in our hands might save our lives!"

Xun Zhen muttered continuously while picking out the Magic Treasures.

"What did you say?"

Zhang Nuo was slightly stunned; he had been in seclusion during this period and did not know what had happened outside.

"Senior Brother, you don't know? A few days ago, the old ancestor issued an order requiring all disciples of the Four Great Sects who have reached the Foundation Establishment Stage to come here to participate in the battle. We heard the old ancestor found a secret technique that can break the Mountain Protection Restriction of Qingnian Demon Mountain!"

Bai Xiu looked at Zhang Nuo with her watery eyes, speaking with great confusion.

"The old ancestor found a secret technique?"

Frowning, he muttered to himself, then suddenly his gaze turned toward the two girls with worry.

"Do you have any combat experience?"

Bai Xiuxun shook their heads in unison. Ever since they entered the Nanxuan Sect, they had always stayed with Zhang Nuo; how could they have ever fought anyone?

Sighing deeply, Zhang Nuo felt very uneasy. The two young girls had never experienced the tempering of battle, yet they were going to participate in such a large-scale group fight; whether they could survive it was an unknown! He truly had not expected that the Five Great Demon Mountains and the Four Great Sects would reach such a point today.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Xun Zhen noticed Zhang Nuo's troubled mind and asked in a low voice.

"I am worried about you two! Without any combat experience, I am afraid you will suffer!"

The two girls looked at each other, their hearts filled with gratitude toward Zhang Nuo.

"How about this! Take these two Talismans; they might save your lives at a critical moment!"

Zhang Nuo took two cyan Talismans out of his Storage Bag and handed one to each of them.

"These are Wind Escape Talismans. If you reach a moment where your lives are in danger, you two must use these Talismans to escape; do not worry about the battle situation ahead!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother!"

The two held the Talismans in their hands, so happy they almost jumped for joy. The 'Wind Escape Talisman' was something Zhang Nuo had obtained from a mysterious cultivator's Cave Abode. This Talisman was extremely precious, and he had only obtained a mere few of them.

The three chatted together for a long time when suddenly, a knock on the door sounded again. Following that, the door opened, and Zhuge Qing walked in. Seeing the Magic Treasures in front of Bai Xiu and Xun Zhen, she was stunned for a moment, then smiled gently.

Seeing Zhuge Qing enter, Bai Xiu and Xun Zhen were sensible enough to immediately withdraw from the room.

"You are quite good to those two! To think you gave them so many Magic Treasures!"

Walking up close to Zhang Nuo, Zhuge Qing teased him deliberately.

"They have never fought anyone before, so I am afraid of any accidents happening!"

"Oh? Could it be that you aren't afraid of any accidents happening to me?"

Putting on a jealous act, Zhuge Qing clasped her hands behind her back, her bright eyes blinking incessantly.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Zhang Nuo rose to his feet and lightly flicked the young girl's forehead with his finger, saying:

"With how clever you are, do you even need things given by me?"

Pouting and chuckling, Zhuge Qing did not dodge the finger flicked toward her forehead, letting it land lightly against her skin.

"Right, I have something to ask you!"

Having finished her joking, Zhuge Qing straightened her pretty face and said very solemnly.

"What is it?"

"Do you know a person named Shi Liang?"

Upon hearing the two words "Shi Liang," Zhang Nuo was immediately startled; back then, Shi Liang had been an Elder of the Divine Sword Sect, but he had been killed by someone when the Great Underworld Mansion attacked the Divine Sword Sect. How could Zhuge Qing be bringing this person up?

"I do know someone named Shi Liang, but I don't know what the Shi Liang you are talking about looks like."

After she briefly described Shi Liang's appearance, Zhang Nuo's expression grew increasingly ugly as he listened.

"What's wrong?"

"Based on the appearance you described, that person is the former Divine Sword Sect Elder! But he had already died long ago; how could this be?"

Zhuge Qing was also confused; a few days ago, a disciple returned to report that a Golden Core stage cultivator had been frequently appearing around the Qingnian Demon Mountain, though they had not attacked anyone from the Four Great Sects.

"Are you certain that the Divine Sword Sect's Shi Liang fell back then?"

To further verify, Zhuge Qing asked again. Zhang Nuo shook his head slightly; at the time, he only saw Shi Liang being pressed into the ground by a Great Underworld Mansion cultivator using a divine ability, but he did not know if he was truly dead or alive.

Seeing Zhang Nuo shake his head, Zhuge Qing's thoughts shifted, and her face instantly turned deathly pale, as if she had thought of something extremely terrifying.