Chapter 479

Now, all the important combat forces at the Golden Core level that the Carefree Sect could mobilize had been sent to various battlefields, leaving only this Level 3 mid-grade puppet beast, the only one in the sect's treasury.

This puppet beast, if used well, was equivalent to a Golden Core cultivator. Back then, when Chu Fengping faced the two demon kings who broke through Jinshan Market alone, it was precisely with the help of this puppet beast that he blocked the demon beast army north of Pingyang County. For the current Carefree Sect, this was the sect's last and most critical Golden Core combat force.

Li Mufeng not using it in Gaoyun Prefecture to block the demon beast army that had already moved south, but instead transferring it to support Jinshan Market, truly left True Person Guangling, who was standing below, unable to understand.

One must know that the several counties in Jiangling Prefecture near Jinshan Market were all relatively remote places within Wei Guo, far less prosperous than Gaoyun Prefecture, which backed onto Guiyun Market. In terms of importance to the sect, Gaoyun Prefecture certainly had to be ranked first.

Moreover, further south from Gaoyun Prefecture was the territory of Guyang Prefecture, which was the core territory the sect had managed for thousands of years. Whether it was spiritual veins, spiritual fields, or the number of cultivators and mortals, none of the other counties in Wei Guo could compare.

Once the demon beast army moving south from Guiyun Market broke through the last line of defense in Gaoyun Prefecture and entered Guyang Prefecture in the south, the entire Wei Guo cultivation world would likely suffer its greatest loss in nearly two thousand years.

Once the number of mortals in the sect's territory suffered too great a loss, the number of new cultivators in the Carefree Sect each year would also plummet, and these were things that were very difficult to recover in a short time.

Without a stable injection of fresh blood, even a Nascent Soul great sect like the Carefree Sect, which had been established for thousands of years, was destined to decline over time.

Even True Person Guangling could see at a glance which was lighter and which was heavier between Gaoyun Prefecture and Jinshan Market. Li Mufeng, the sect's Supreme Elder who had controlled the Carefree Sect for hundreds of years, naturally could not be unaware of the stakes involved.

Li Mufeng waved his hand at the puzzled True Person Guangling and continued: "This demon beast unrest is not like the past. In just half a year, the sect has already suffered such great losses. The longer it drags on, the more unfavorable it will likely be for us."

After True Person Guangling finished speaking, he turned around, preparing to return directly to Gaoyun Prefecture. Just as he was about to reach the door of the great hall, a golden talisman suddenly flew from above the great hall into his hand.

When Jingxuan arrived with people, unfortunately, he also happened to run into the Silver Elephant Demon King. To cover the retreat of others, he took the initiative to lure the demon king away, and later, later..."

Ma Hongshan, sitting at the head of the great hall, asked with a puzzled look after hearing this news: "Didn't we send people to support them a few days ago? How could the Yu family lose Mount Fulong so quickly? Did these people flee in the face of battle?"

After hearing the shocking words from Li Mufeng, True Person Guangling finally reacted, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and nodded: "This disciple understands. Please rest assured, Uncle-Master. As long as I, Yang Guangling, have a breath left, I will never let a single demon beast easily cross Gaoyun Prefecture."

Ma Hongshan, who had just gone through a great battle, still had many traces of fighting on his clothes and was listening to a Foundation Establishment cultivator below report the battle situation he had just obtained.

"According to the cultivators who escaped back, the Silver Elephant Demon King suddenly appeared at Mount Fulong yesterday, catching our side off guard. Except for the twenty or thirty people who escaped back, most of the Yu family's cultivators had already died on the spot."

True Person Guangling turned to look at Li Mufeng, who had already turned his back, bowed slightly with some emotion, then put away the golden talisman and left Mount Guyang quickly.

——

Iron Immortal Castle, inside the Ma family's family hall,

During this period, I have been planning a strategy to counterattack the demon beasts. If it can be successfully implemented, the sect has about a fifty percent chance of ending this unrest ahead of schedule. This is also the breakthrough opportunity we need most at the moment.

"Take this talisman first. In case you encounter a crisis and the situation is unfavorable, this talisman should also be able to help you buy a little more time. You must use it carefully."

Since the demon beast unrest, it had been half a year since the Ma family had been defending Iron Immortal Castle alone. The current Ma Hongshan no longer had the heroic demeanor he had at the Mount Tuoyun trade fair back then, and he was also full of fatigue and worry.

However, now that all aspects are not fully prepared, to prevent other changes in the plan, I cannot tell you the whole situation for the time being. The sect still needs you to hold on for a few more days in Gaoyun Prefecture."

Seeing that Ma Hongshan, the Golden Core ancestor above, already had a trace of anger on his face, the Ma family cultivator who reported the battle situation hesitated for a moment before replying directly to Ma Hongshan:

"Third Uncle, news has just arrived that Mount Fulong was broken through by the demon beast army yesterday."

"What happened to Jingxuan? Tell me quickly!"

"Just now I went to the ancestral temple to check, and Jingxuan's soul lamp has already gone out!" After the Ma family Foundation Establishment cultivator who came to report said this with some difficulty, a few tears flowed down his face uncontrollably.

Since the start of the demon beast unrest, over the past six months, the Ma family had lost hundreds of clansmen to defend Iron Immortal Castle. These people were all cultivators the Ma family had cultivated for many years, and they were also their blood relatives and brothers.

Watching familiar clansmen fall before his eyes, even though this person was already an accomplished Foundation Establishment cultivator, he still could not help but feel a wave of desolation in his heart.

Hearing the news that his family had lost another Foundation Establishment cultivator, Ma Hongshan also found it difficult to accept. He clenched his fists slightly, and after a long time, he sighed and said:

"First, concentrate and control all the cultivators who escaped from the Yu family. Do not let the news that Mount Fulong was broken through by demon beasts spread. Also, block the news about Jingxuan. At this time, we must not shake the morale of the army."

The Foundation Establishment cultivator standing below nodded and said: "Third Uncle, rest assured. I have already arranged this before I came."

Ma Hongshan nodded and said: "I trust you with your work. Losing Mount Fuyun is nothing. As long as we can hold Iron Immortal Castle, these can all be taken back in the future. It's just that the situation is critical now. May Heaven bless the Ma family so that we can successfully survive this disaster."

"Third Uncle, how is the situation at Mount Tuoyun? Didn't Feng Yangde say he had already injured the Cloud Crane Demon King? Why are they still slow to come to our aid? Could it be that Ancestor Chen really doesn't want to care about us this time?"

Ma Hongshan sighed and said: "Ancestor Chen's lifespan was already running out. With no news for so long, he likely passed away long ago. Mount Tuoyun is just afraid to say it directly now to stabilize people's hearts.

This junior Feng Yangde was still an honest person in front of me back then. Now that he has just formed a fake core, he really thinks of himself as a Golden Core cultivator. His letters have been full of perfunctory remarks. I really don't know how Chen Jinliang chose to hand over Mount Tuoyun to such a thing.

If I had known Feng Yangde was such a heartless person, when Chen Jinliang came to discuss this matter with me, I shouldn't have agreed to help him support Feng Yangde in forming a core. Entrusting Mount Tuoyun to this person, Chen Jinliang was truly blind."

Mentioning Feng Yangde of Mount Tuoyun, Ma Hongshan also revealed a trace of disgust on his face at this moment, venting the dissatisfaction in his heart toward Feng Yangde for a while.

When Chen Jinliang came to Ma Hongshan to discuss the crusade against Great Black Mountain back then, their three-party alliance actually had their own purposes.

The reason Chen Jinliang took the lead in this matter was to support his disciple Feng Yangde in forming a fake core, allowing him to help him defend the foundation he had worked so hard to create at Mount Tuoyun.

The Carefree Sect was to earn spirit stones and integrate its own power into Mount Tuoyun. Over the years, the new market established by both sides at Mount Tuoyun had also allowed the Carefree Sect to earn quite a few spirit stones.

To hold this new market, after this demon beast unrest, the Carefree Sect specifically sent a batch of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators to support Mount Tuoyun.

The Ma family's biggest purpose in helping was to clear Great Black Mountain, which was the biggest threat to the northwest of Wei Guo, and to make preparations as early as possible so that their lives would be easier when the demon beast unrest followed.

Ma Hongshan also knew that after Chen Jinliang passed away, Mount Tuoyun would lose this powerful Golden Core ancestor, and its overall strength would inevitably plummet, possibly unable to support Iron Immortal Castle in time during every demon beast unrest like before.

According to Ma Hongshan's plan, as long as they could successfully eliminate the Black Flame Tiger, the mid-stage Golden Core demon king that was the biggest threat to Iron Immortal Castle at the time, the Ma family would have enough ability to deal with the other two early-stage Golden Core demon kings who had been dealing with Iron Immortal Castle for hundreds of years, even without the support of Mount Tuoyun.

It was just that Ma Hongshan never expected that in this demon beast unrest, two strange demon beasts would suddenly appear in the northwest of Wei Guo. The situation at Iron Immortal Castle was already extremely critical, even worse than it was a hundred years ago.

However, to mention the relationship between the Iron Immortal Castle Ma family and Chen Jinliang of Mount Tuoyun, it actually had to go back to the previous generation of the Ma family patriarch.

Iron Immortal Castle was a family business created by the previous generation of the Ma family patriarch hundreds of years ago. Back then, this Ma family patriarch had a fortuitous encounter and successfully formed a core, leading the Ma family to gradually rule this territory in the northwest of Wei Guo. It had already continued for more than six hundred years by the time it reached Ma Hongshan.

When the previous generation of the Ma family patriarch was still alive, he had helped Chen Jinliang, who had just successfully formed a core. The relationship between the two was very good. Later, he also helped Chen Jinliang take Mount Tuoyun, a Level 3 spiritual vein, from the hands of demon beasts. From this point of view, the Ma family still had some kindness toward Chen Jinliang back then.

Iron Immortal Castle was located on the only path for demon beasts moving south, and the pressure of demon beasts it faced was greater than that of Mount Tuoyun. After the previous generation of the Ma family patriarch passed away, although he supported the current patriarch Ma Hongshan in successfully forming a core, Ma Hongshan had only just formed a core at the time, and his strength was still somewhat insufficient.

Facing the once-in-a-century demon beast unrest, it was indeed difficult for Ma Hongshan alone, who had just formed a core, to resist, and the entire Iron Immortal Castle soon fell into a huge crisis.