Chapter 238: Arrangements

"Gugu~ Gugu~"

Not long after the young girl followed the white fox into the Medicine Garden, following several deafening cries, two giant toads with golden bodies and emerald green spots jumped out one after another from among the colorful spirit grass foliage, squatting on the ground and croaking quite happily.

The young girl took a jade bottle out of her storage bag, opened it, and found that it was already at the bottom, with only two spirit pills marked with white cloud patterns left. After thinking for a moment, she poured them out, swirled them in the air with her Yuan Qi, and said, "These are the only two Taiyuan Ruhu Dan left. Once you finish these, there won't be any more. From now on, you'll have to fend for yourselves!"

"Gugu~"

The two toads were completely unaware of the young girl's thoughts; they scrambled to stick out their long tongues, lightning-fast, each snatching a spirit pill. After swallowing them in one gulp, they looked at the young girl with faces full of anticipation, refusing to leave.

The young girl turned the jade bottle upside down and said, "There really aren't any left. If you still have a conscience, hurry up and shed your skin. Otherwise, what's the use of keeping you?"

"Gugu~ Gugu~"

The two toads seemed to understand that the spirit pills for today were gone; they opened their large mouths to croak once, then turned and jumped into the thicket of plants, disappearing.

A vine-like snake-headed plant snuck out from the soil beside the young girl's feet, slithered up along her skirt, and then suddenly wrapped around the jade bottle in her hand. The snake head leaned toward the bottle mouth to take a look, then turned the jade bottle upside down and shook it vigorously. Finding it was indeed empty, it threw the jade bottle onto the ground and stared at the young girl's storage bag with a dazed, cute expression full of anticipation.

The young girl didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She wiped the tears from her face a few times, kicked the snake head with her foot, and said, "What are you looking at? There really aren't any left. This was the last bottle. You strange creature, you're dog-like and useless. You've eaten so many spirit pills, yet I've never seen you lay an egg or bloom and bear fruit. I don't know what the use of keeping you is!"

The snake-headed plant seemed to understand; its head drooped dejectedly, and it slowly burrowed into the soil as if feeling very ashamed.

"Wuya~~"

Just as the young girl was about to turn and leave, the white fox emerged from somewhere, its mouth carrying a shimmering golden toad skin, placing it in front of the young girl as if claiming credit.

"You really did shed your skin!"

The young girl's eyes suddenly lit up. She hurriedly raised her hand to grab the toad skin, her face showing extreme surprise. However, a moment later, her expression returned to gloom and sorrow. She squatted down, gently stroked the white fox's head, and said:

"Even with the golden toad skin, I'm afraid it's of no use to me. The Third Elder said that if Foundation Establishment fails twice, the chance of success on the third time is less than ten percent. I know my own situation; this isn't a problem with the spirit pills..."

Speaking of this, the young girl sighed faintly and said, "Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. But with this golden toad skin, the Third Elder can still refine a few high-quality Foundation Establishment Pills when I take it back, which is a good thing for others. There are too many dead and injured now. The Fifth Senior Brother and the Jiu Shixiong are injured, the Eighth Senior Brother is missing, and the Eldest Senior Brother and the Seventh Senior Sister have been out for so long without returning—I'm afraid they are in grave danger. You are also a member of the Taiyuan Sect, and you've taken good care of these golden toads. When the Junior Brother returns, I will definitely have him praise you!"

"Wuya~" The white fox whimpered and gently nudged the young girl's knee with its head.

At this moment, a deep Divine Sense Transmission rang in the young girl's ears: "All Elders and Disciples, come to the main sect hall immediately!"

"Master is back!" The young girl's expression changed, and she was instantly overjoyed. After rubbing the little fox a few times, she released her Flying Sword, soared into the air, and turned into an Escape Light, heading toward the top of Zhaoyang Peak.

At this time, several Escape Lights were also heading toward Taiyuan Hall from all around the sect.

Soon, the inner disciples of the Taiyuan Sect who were still at the sect and the two Danyuan Realm Elders gathered at Taiyuan Hall.

Xuanchen Zhenjun sat cross-legged on the central prayer mat, his face without joy or sorrow, eyes slightly closed in meditation.

After everyone entered, they bowed and greeted him with faces full of surprise and excitement, then found their respective places and sat down on the prayer mats.

Once everyone had arrived, Xuanchen Zhenjun pinched a spell with his hand and waved it gently, and a Spirit Qi barrier sealed the entire hall.

At this time, there were a total of ten people in the hall. Apart from Xuanchen Zhenjun and the two Golden Core True Persons, Xuanhe and Xuanfeng, the rest were Second Senior Sister Yao Yuzhu, Third Senior Brother Chen Ran, Fifth Senior Brother Cao Yang, Jiu Shixiong Lu Yuan, Tenth Senior Sister Ling Yuyao, Twelfth Senior Brother Zhu Shengbai, and the youngest Junior Sister, Zhao Xuan.

Looking at the sparse few disciples, several of whom had unstable auras and were clearly injured, a trace of bitterness could not help but appear on Xuanchen Zhenjun's calm face.

Everyone was also filled with extreme tension and anxiety.

Every time the Supreme Elder returned, it was very hurried, staying for at most two or three days before leaving. Occasionally, he would leave behind a decree, but he had never summoned all the Taiyuan Sect Elders and disciples to discuss matters.

Therefore, something major must have happened today.

Xuanhe Zhenren bowed and asked, "Master Brother, you summoned us immediately upon your return. Has the situation outside worsened?"

Xuanchen Zhenjun nodded slightly and said, "Indeed. I have just returned from Dongwu. The situation has undergone a huge change. Taiwuzi was severely injured by a Nether Beast of at least the Fourth-Rank. In addition, one Spirit Transformation Great Cultivator each in the Eastern Wasteland and Dongwu has been injured, and two Danyuan Realm cultivators have fallen!"

"Ah?!" The hall instantly erupted in exclamations and agitation, everyone's faces filled with terror.

This was the greatest loss in the Immortal World in over a year, aside from the initial news of the fall of a Great Cultivator in the Eastern Wasteland; it could be called an unprecedented blow.

The Danyuan Realm were already the backbone of the Immortal World, with immense strength, and would not fall easily. But since the appearance of the Nether Beasts, apart from the Great Song, several had already died in the Ming Kingdom, the Wu Kingdom, and the Eastern Wasteland.

But this was the second time a Great Cultivator had been injured. Although no one had died, three being injured at once showed just how terrifying the strength of the Nether Beasts had become. Especially Taiwuzi; as the only Supreme Elder of Longmen Mountain, it was heard that he had obtained a large number of Soul Beads in the past year, and his cultivation had already stepped into the Spirit Transformation late-stage, with strength and status in the Great Song territory second only to Chixia Zhenjun.

If such formidable strength could still suffer such severe injuries, then other Spirit Transformation Great Cultivators would be even more unable to resist.

Xuanchen Zhenjun had originally succeeded in Spirit Transformation by relying on a Blood God Grass and had broken through in one go to stabilize at the Spirit Transformation mid-stage. Although his realm had reached it, his cultivation was far inferior to Taiwuzi's. He had suffered quite a loss in the exchange and had spent several months recuperating upon returning to stabilize his realm again. Although his cultivation had also improved significantly in the last half-year, he still could not catch up to the deeply accumulated Taiwuzi and was currently still at the Spirit Transformation mid-stage.

"Master Brother, what is the specific situation regarding the injuries of Taiwu Zhenjun and the others? Was that Nether Beast killed?" Xuanfeng Zhenren asked hurriedly.

Xuanchen Zhenjun sighed and shook his head, saying, "Taiwuzi's Primordial Spirit suffered severe damage and he is already unable to fight. Although the other two True Monarchs are in slightly better condition, their strength was already much lower. One had their natal Magic Treasure destroyed and their Primordial Spirit suffered a backlash, making it impossible to recover in the short term. The other is slightly better, but their physical body was severely damaged; if they cannot recuperate and recover, I fear their path of the Dao will be severed here. As for that Nether Beast, although it was severely injured, it escaped!"

"Ah!" Another exclamation rang out in the hall.

Nether Beasts were things that could be called immortal; as long as the Soul Bead was not completely taken away, they had the possibility of infinite rebirth, and their recovery speed was extremely fast.

This situation had already become a consensus in the Immortal World.

Therefore, all cultivators were doing their utmost to exterminate the Nether Beasts and seize their Soul Beads.

Once a terrifying Nether Beast with strength comparable to a Spirit Transformation Great Cultivator could not be killed, it would inevitably make a comeback in the future. By then, who knew who would be able to resist it.

"Then... then what is the situation in Dongwu now?" Xuanhe Zhenren felt his scalp go numb, and the horsetail whisk in his hand trembled slightly.

Since reaching the Golden Core, he had no more fears. Even when he followed Xu Chen into the Five Elements Array last time and was almost knocked unconscious by that giant octopus beast in one move, his state of mind had not been lost, and he had remained very calm from beginning to end.

But this sudden news today made it impossible for him to remain calm at all, and his Dao heart instantly spiraled out of control.

In front of a Third-Tier Nether Beast, Danyuan Realm cultivators were almost powerless to resist. Facing a Fourth-Rank Nether Beast, there was no other way but to flee; one careless move and they would die and disappear.

If that Fourth-Rank Nether Beast appeared in the Great Song territory or simply near the Taiyuan Sect, there would be no need to fight this battle at all; packing up and fleeing as soon as possible would be the best strategy.

"The situation in Dongwu is nothing to speak of at the moment; it has rotted to the point of being unmanageable. If it weren't for the Great Song Immortal World sending a large number of cultivators to help, it would have almost been completely occupied by the Nether Beasts. However, this situation shouldn't last long either. According to what this poor Daoist knows, the Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain can no longer hold on and are fully contracting their defenses. The deaths and injuries of civilian cultivators cannot be counted, but fortunately, the strength of the medium and large Immortal Sects is still relatively intact. Apart from Taiwuzi's failure, the losses of other high-level cultivators are small. In addition, it is said that Yuqing Hall and Longmen Mountain each have at least two cultivators who have recently succeeded in Golden Core, which makes up for some of the losses from Taiwuzi's injury—better than nothing," Xuanchen Zhenjun explained with a sigh.

"Master Brother, what should we do?" Xuanfeng Zhenren asked in a deep voice.

Xuanchen Zhenjun scanned the sparse Core Disciples in the hall and couldn't help but close his eyes for a moment, saying, "This poor Daoist summoned you all today to make some preparations in advance. Disciples who have not yet reached Foundation Establishment and those who are injured must all evacuate the Taiyuan Sect within three days. The rest should also make full preparations. Do not leave the sect too far in the coming days, and be ready to accept my summons to leave at any time!"

Xuanhe Zhenren asked in surprise, "Is it that urgent?"

Xuanchen Zhenjun nodded and said, "It must be urgent. This poor Daoist has been restless lately, feeling that a major change may occur, so I hurried back to make arrangements. Only you all should know about this; remember not to spread it. There is no need to notify the outer disciples for the time being; wait until the final evacuation, otherwise, I fear it will disrupt our footing!"

"Master, what about Su Zhao, the disciple taken in by the Junior Brother?" Zhao Xuan couldn't help but ask.

The hall fell into a moment of extreme silence, and several faint sighs were heard. Xuanchen Zhenjun said, "You take him and evacuate first!"

"Yes, Master, this disciple obeys!" Zhao Xuan nodded with red-rimmed eyes.

"Master Brother, where exactly should we evacuate to first? Once the two great arrays fall, I fear the area near the Southern Border will become a disaster zone for the Nether Beasts!" Xuanfeng Zhenren asked.

"I have already found a place. I have gone out several times before, both to scout the situation of the Nether Beasts in various countries and to look for a new sect location. There is a place called Heming Mountain within the Southern Border and Shu Kingdom, where the Spirit Qi is good. I estimate there is a small spirit vein nearby, which can be used as a temporary foothold. I have already recorded the location in a Jade Slip. This matter will be arranged by you two Junior Brothers. This poor Daoist still needs to go into seclusion for a few days to make some preparations!"

Xuan Chen Zhenjun gave a light wave of his hand, and a Jade Slip floated before Xuanhe Zhenren; then he stood up, took a single step, and transformed into a gust of clear wind, instantly vanishing from the great hall.

(End of this chapter)