Chapter 489: Conspiracy and Schemes

Facing the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon, which was intent on fleeing, Song Song Qingming pursued it for over ten miles. However, he soon discovered that his own escape speed was no match for the creature. Watching the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon vanish from his sight, Song Song Qingming could only heave a soft sigh before turning back toward the battlefield at Purple Star Market.

By the time Song Song Qingming returned, the army of demon beasts still fighting within Purple Star Market had learned of their Demon King's defeat and were slowly losing their will to fight. Led by a few second-tier demon beasts, the remnants of the beast army began to follow the direction in which the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon had fled, turning north to escape. The Carefree Sect soon successfully reclaimed Purple Star Market, a market town with a highly critical geographical location.

Although this battle had been somewhat perilous, the Carefree Sect members had fortunately achieved their original plan. The two important tasks—slaying the Fire Leopard Demon King and reclaiming Purple Star Market—were both successfully completed in the end.

Having just returned to Purple Star Market, Song Song Qingming saw that the scene was still in utter disarray. He hurriedly directed the Carefree Sect disciples to stop pursuing the scattered demon beasts and return to the market to intensify repairs on the mountain-protecting array that had already been damaged.

Although the Carefree Sect had now reclaimed the market, Purple Star Market was situated between Mount Guiyun Market and Gaoyun County. There were still many demon beasts in both these areas, and they could launch a counterattack on the market at any time. They had to prepare early to better face the upcoming battles.

After arranging the task of repairing the market array, Song Song Qingming was just about to go find Yao Yao Ganshu to discuss how to best defend Purple Star Market next, when he unexpectedly encountered a Foundation Establishment disciple under Yao Yao Ganshu, who had been specifically sent to invite him.

"Uncle-Master Song, Master invites you over for a visit, saying he has important matters to discuss with you!"

Under the disciple's guidance, Song Song Qingming went directly to a small hill outside the battlefield, where he saw Yao Yao Ganshu, who had already withdrawn from the battle and was sitting to the side, regulating his condition.

The moment he saw Yao Yao Ganshu's face, Song Song Qingming's forward steps suddenly froze, and a trace of astonishment appeared on his face.

In Song Song Qingming's eyes, Yao Yao Ganshu, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely lacked the majestic and awe-inspiring appearance he had possessed just moments ago while surrounding and killing the Fire Leopard Demon King with Li Mu.

After Yao Yao Ganshu gave some instructions to Song Song Qingming, he handed over the command of the army of cultivators in the market directly to Song Song Qingming, and subsequently returned to Mount Mount Guyang under the escort of several trusted disciples.

"For the sake of the sect, Sect Master Senior Brother has actually made such a great sacrifice. This junior brother is truly filled with admiration." After saying this, Song Song Qingming bowed solemnly to Yao Yao Ganshu, who was sitting on the ground.

After seeing off the Sect Master Senior Brother, Song Song Qingming immediately returned to Purple Star Market. He stood personally in the center of the market, coordinating and urging the many cultivators who were repairing the mountain-protecting array to speed up their work.

"It is a pity that the sect only has this one Deer Soul Pill left. I will be unable to take action to help you further; I will leave Purple Star Market to you and Fellow Daoist Li for now," Yao Yao Ganshu said with a faint sigh.

His hair seemed to have suddenly turned gray, and his slightly sunken eyes and the wrinkles clinging to his gaunt face made Yao Yao Ganshu look like a withered old man who had lost most of his vitality, as if a strong gust of wind could blow him over.

Hearing Song Song Qingming's confident reply, Yao Yao Ganshu nodded with a smile on his face.

However, the Carefree Sect's top priority at the moment was still to repair the Purple Star Market array as quickly as possible. So much time had already passed that the main force of demon beasts at Mount Guiyun Market had likely already received the distress signal from the beasts at Purple Star Market and dispatched reinforcements.

"Then I will leave this place to you, Junior Brother!"

"Hehe! Junior Brother Song, I hope my appearance hasn't frightened you." Seeing Song Song Qingming standing blankly in place, Yao Yao Ganshu squeezed out a smile and offered a reminder.

Although they had lost the help of Yao Yao Ganshu, a Core Formation expert, to guard the market, Song Song Qingming had not lost much confidence in holding the place. As long as they could repair the mountain-protecting array in time, with himself and Li Mu, a late-stage Core Formation expert, sitting in the town, they were confident they could hold the market as long as the Mount Guiyun Market demon beasts didn't come in full force.

Aside from losing the Core Formation combat power of Yao Yao Ganshu, the casualties among other Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators were less than two hundred, meaning their overall strength remained largely intact.

"Hehe! Junior Brother, do not say such things. The sect has already sacrificed countless disciples in this disaster, and you are all risking your lives to kill the enemy on the front lines. What is there for you to praise in the small sacrifice I, as Sect Master, have made?"

Before Song Song Qingming could finish, Yao Yao Ganshu quickly waved his hand to interrupt him and explained directly: "Junior Brother Song, rest assured, my appearance is not due to injuries from fighting the Demon King, but because I took a Deer Soul Pill before the great battle just now."

"Sect Master Senior Brother, please return and recuperate in peace. With Fellow Daoist Li's help and so many sect disciples here, as long as we successfully repair the mountain-protecting array in the market, we will definitely have the confidence to hold this place."

Seeing Yao Yao Ganshu suddenly become so weak after the battle, Song Song Qingming asked with a puzzled expression: "Sect Master Senior Brother, I heard from them just now that you were still fine, so why are your injuries so severe now? Could it be because you were..."

"This pill can help me suppress my original injuries for a short time. Now that the pill's effect has passed, my current state is actually due to excessive loss of essence and blood. It is not a major problem; as long as I return and recuperate for a period of time, I will slowly recover."

In this recent battle, the Carefree Sect members had attacked with full force from the start, ending the entire battle in less than an hour to quickly slay the Fire Leopard Demon King. Although they hadn't pursued too far afterward and let most of the low-tier demon beasts go, the Carefree Sect itself hadn't suffered many losses.

Mount Guiyun Market was nearly three thousand miles away from Purple Star Market. It would take the main demon beast army three or four days to arrive as reinforcements. However, if those high-tier Demon Kings abandoned their low-tier beasts and came to reinforce alone, they could reach Purple Star Market in at most half a day.

For this reason, the Carefree Sect had to repair the market array as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if the enemy really sent several Demon Kings at once to fight a great battle in the market, it would be difficult to repair the mountain-protecting array at that point.

This time, in order to reclaim Purple Star Market, the Carefree Sect had made many preparations in advance. To quickly repair the market array after reclaiming it, the sect had specifically requisitioned a batch of materials for repairing arrays and brought along more than a dozen second-tier array masters.

Under the joint efforts of these array masters, the Purple Star Market mountain-protecting array was more than half repaired in less than half a day. Seeing the array beginning to light up before him, Song Song Qingming finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It wasn't until two days later, when the market array was completely repaired, that Purple Star Market had still not encountered any Demon Kings coming to harass them. This brought a trace of unexpected joy to Song Song Qingming's face, and he completely let go of the worries in his heart.

In fact, just a few days ago during the battle at Purple Star Market, the White Dragon Demon King at Mount Guiyun Market had received the distress signal and immediately dispatched two Demon Kings south to support the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon and the Fire Leopard Demon King.

However, because the demon beasts at Purple Star Market had been defeated too quickly, and the Fire Leopard Demon King had lost its life less than half an hour after the battle began, the battle at Purple Star Market had already ended while these two Demon Kings were still on their way.

After the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon, which had just fled halfway, met these two Demon Kings and informed them of the situation it had encountered at Purple Star Market, the three Demon Kings discussed it on the spot. Feeling that they had little chance of reclaiming Purple Star Market on their own, they finally decided to turn back together and return to Mount Guiyun Market.

Although these three Demon Kings all possessed considerable strength, according to the intelligence provided by the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon, the Carefree Sect also had three Core Formation cultivators attacking Purple Star Market, including two late-stage Core Formation powerhouses, Yao Yao Ganshu and Li Mu. Even if they only compared Core Formation combat power, the demon beast side had little chance of winning.

Moreover, there are still thousands of human cultivators in Purple Star Market who can provide support. The beast army under their command is still thousands of miles away and cannot be utilized. Once the surprise attack on Purple Star Market fails, I fear it will be difficult for the three of them to escape safely.

Although they do not know much about Li Mu personally, Yao Yao Ganshu, the Sect Master of the Carefree Sect, and several Demon Kings, including the Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon, have long heard of his strength, and naturally, they harbor some apprehension toward him.

Since forming his Golden Core, Yao Yao Ganshu reached the late Golden Core stage in less than a hundred years. Whether in cultivation base or combat ability, he has always been ranked among the top Golden Core cultivators of the Carefree Sect. Over these past few hundred years, three or four Demon Kings under the Golden Feather Mountain have died at his hands alone.

The Nine-Patterned Flood Dragon and the two Demon Kings knew that the current defensive strength of Purple Star Market was extremely powerful, so they did not have the courage to head south to Purple Star Market to take risks. They could only turn around together and return to Returning Cloud Market to report this news to the White Dragon Demon King.

Upon hearing the news that Yao Yao Ganshu had appeared at Purple Star Market, the White Dragon Demon King and the other Demon Kings besieging Returning Cloud Market were also extremely shocked. This Carefree Sect Sect Master had never shown his face since the beast turmoil began. The beast side, unable to figure out the situation, had assumed that this Carefree Sect Sect Master might have already reached the end of his lifespan and passed away.

After all, the lifespan of human cultivators of the same rank is far inferior to that of the demon race. Yao Yao Ganshu has had his Golden Core for over four hundred years, and his lifespan is indeed running low, so it is normal for the beast side to have this speculation.

The battle at Returning Cloud Market has been going on for over half a year. Bai Yu and the others from the Carefree Sect have held on for so long, yet almost every major battle resulted in the demon side having the upper hand. The Carefree Sect has already lost many cultivators at Returning Cloud Market, and even the sect's Golden Core Elder, Zhao Zhao Fenglian, was seriously injured in battle and nearly died at the hands of the White Dragon Demon King.

Later, when the demon army split up and headed south, the relatively weakly defended Purple Star Market was quickly breached by the demon army. Most of Gaoyun County had already fallen into the hands of the beasts, and the number of cultivators and mortals killed or injured was countless. Faced with such a critical situation, Yao Yao Ganshu still did not show his face.

Reasonably speaking, if Yao Yao Ganshu could have participated in the war, as long as he, the Sect Master of the Carefree Sect, had taken action during the several major battles at Returning Cloud Market, the Carefree Sect side would not have fallen into such a great disadvantage from the start, and the demon army would not have dared to easily head south and invade Gaoyun County later on.

It was precisely because of this beast turmoil that the Wei Guo side was in a state of emergency across the board from the very beginning, losing quite a bit of territory one after another, with immeasurable losses. It did not look like an act at all, which also caused the many Demon Kings heading south to gradually let down their guard against this Carefree Sect Sect Master.

If it weren't for the Tier 3 superior mountain-protecting array inside Returning Cloud Market, which was truly powerful and difficult to overcome head-on, I fear the demon army would have already leveled this market by now.

The White Dragon Demon King truly did not expect that Yao Yao Ganshu, who had never shown his face before, would suddenly emerge at this time to lead the Carefree Sect in an attack on Purple Star Market. This move truly caught the beast side off guard.

"Could this really be another scheme by the human cultivators? To lure our demon army deep into the territory of Wei Guo, the Carefree Sect actually managed to endure until now before being willing to bring out Yao Yao Ganshu, this trump card. These human cultivators are truly willing to pay a heavy price."

Upon hearing the news that Purple Star Market had been retaken by the Carefree Sect and that the Fire Leopard Demon King had been killed in battle, the White Dragon Demon King, the leader of the beast side, immediately felt that something was wrong. He hurriedly sent a ten-thousand-mile sound transmission to the Fierce Wind Demon King and the Nine-Headed Demon King, who were far away in Gaoyun County of Wei Guo, notifying them to quickly find a way to bypass Purple Star Market and retreat from the south.

A few months ago, after the beast side headed south and breached Purple Star Market, these two Demon Kings quickly led thousands of beasts south to invade Gaoyun County in Wei Guo.

By now, these two beast armies had been ravaging Gaoyun County for several months, during which they had swept through most of the spiritual mountains in the northern counties of Gaoyun County, devouring nearly a million mortals and cultivators in Gaoyun County.

If it weren't for True Person Daoist Guangling leading the Carefree Sect cultivators to arrive in time to provide support and intercepting them at Liu Cuiyun Market, the largest market in the south of Gaoyun County, I fear that not only Gaoyun County, but even Mount Guyang County in the south of Wei Guo would have fallen into the hands of the beasts by now.

Although blocked outside Liu Cuiyun Market by True Person Daoist Guangling, the number of low-rank beasts in the army led by the Fierce Wind Demon King and the Nine-Headed Demon King heading south was several times that of the Carefree Sect side guarding the market. At this moment, the beast side still held the absolute upper hand; as long as they were given another month, breaching this market would only be a matter of time.

At this moment, the Fierce Wind Demon King and the Nine-Headed Demon King, who were still driving their beast armies to desperately attack Liu Cuiyun Market, were a full four or five thousand miles away from Returning Cloud Market. They did not yet know about the sudden changes that had occurred in the rear over the past few days.

After receiving the message from the White Dragon Demon King, the Fierce Wind Demon King and the Nine-Headed Demon King learned that Purple Star Market, a very important retreat route for the rear of the beast army, had been occupied by the human side, and they immediately fell into a panic.

With the entire rear route of the beast army cut off and having fallen into the encirclement of the Carefree Sect from both the north and south, the Fierce Wind Demon King and the Nine-Headed Demon King could only immediately abandon their continued attack on Liu Cuiyun Market and command the beast army to retreat to the north, preparing to bypass Purple Star Market and return to Returning Cloud Market to rendezvous with the White Dragon Demon King.

(End of chapter)