280: sneak into

Inside the main hall of the Chusheng Sect, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.

The Sect Master and the Grand Elder stood on either side, their gazes simultaneously turning toward True Person Tianxuan, who sat quietly on a prayer mat. The Chusheng Sect, once famous and powerful, was now showing signs of decline: the Second Elder had been killed by the renegade Zhenyue Daoist, and the Third Elder had absconded with the Sect's foundations, leaving no trace.

And none of this was the most fatal blow!

What truly made the Sect teeter on the brink of collapse was the exposure of the Old Ancestor's insistence on refining the demon transformation pill, which caused the Sect's Disciples to lose heart and become as reviled as rats crossing the street.

"Old Ancestor, I believe the alliance proposed by the Tianque Sect and the Five Elders Gate is feasible," the Junior said.

The Grand Elder took a step forward, his tone carrying an irrepressible anxiety. "Although the other party is using a delaying tactic, our Sect is currently at its wit's end. There is no other choice but this path."

He bowed slightly and continued, "Once we weather this catastrophe and the Old Ancestor successfully achieves a Breakthrough to the Integration Realm, we can regroup and revive the Chusheng Sect."

True Person Tianxuan slowly raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the Grand Elder. After a moment of contemplation, he slowly nodded.

"Agreed."

The heavy stone in the Grand Elder's heart dropped slightly as he hurriedly asked, "Then I will immediately gather the Sect's experts. When will the Old Ancestor join us to reinforce Yaoshi City?"

True Person Tianxuan waved his hand, and his figure suddenly turned into a wisp of spiritual light, vanishing into thin air. In the next instant, he appeared within the Secret Realm in the Sect's back mountain.

"Greetings, Old Ancestor!"

The Daoist Nun guarding the Secret Realm, responsible for refining the demon transformation pill, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

True Person Tianxuan's gaze fell upon the Pill Furnace ahead, which was ablaze with fire. A fervent glint flashed in his eyes as he couldn't help but confirm once more:

"Can the pill be produced by noon tomorrow?"

The Daoist Nun nodded, her tone incredibly certain: "There will be no accidents."

True Person Tianxuan said no more. With another flash of his figure, he returned to the main hall and set off with the Sect Master, the Grand Elder, and others to reinforce Yaoshi City... Outside the Chusheng Sect's mountain gate!

Several Disciples responsible for guarding the gate were chatting, their faces full of melancholy.

"How can we keep living like this? Now, when I go out, I don't even dare to announce my Sect's name!"

"Sigh, I thought that by working hard to join the Chusheng Sect, I could leap over the Dragon Gate. How did I end up encountering such a mess?"

"We didn't leap over the Dragon Gate; instead, we've become street rats that everyone wants to hit."

"Damn it, when my fiancée heard about the Sect's decline, she's been pestering me every day to break off the engagement. Instead, she's hooked up with an Inner Sect Disciple from a second-rate power!"

"That's not all! The Old Ancestor is single-mindedly refining that damned demon transformation pill, and it's driven everyone away! Didn't you see? Yesterday, several Inner Sect Senior Brothers secretly slipped down the mountain. Who would want to stay and deal with this mess?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ghostly figure swept past like an afterimage, so fast that it was impossible to notice. Sister Yun's group, relying on the soul tablets of Chusheng Sect Disciples they had captured earlier, bypassed the Mountain-Protecting Array and quietly infiltrated the Chusheng Sect's territory.

"What is the plan now? Where is the place where that old beast refines the pill?"

A man with a spider's body but a frail human appearance said in a low voice:

"Sister Yun, don't be anxious! Let me first try to contact Young Master Feng."

"Young Master Feng?"

The man explained with a smile, "He was originally an Outer Sect Elder of the Chusheng Sect. After learning about our plight, he was filled with indignation and wanted to expose the Sect's heartless behavior. Many of the Chusheng Sect's previous movements were based on information he provided. Sister Yun, your reinforcement of Bishui Village last time was also thanks to his news."

Yun Xuanxuan nodded slightly, indicating her understanding.

The man then took out a message talisman. The Talisman lit up on its own without needing fire, and he began attempting to contact that Young Master Feng.

The others chatted in low voices: "It seems the Chusheng Sect has already lost its heart. These fellows are finally getting their retribution!"

"Thanks to Sister Yun taking the lead, we are able to see this day. It's a release of the resentment we've held for so long!"

Yun Xuanxuan narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind as clear as a mirror!

She was merely hunting down Chusheng Sect Disciples who ventured out to settle her personal grudge. The ones who truly pushed the Chusheng Sect to such a state were actually the two Young Masters, Li Pingan and Ye Hao. Without their intervention, the Chusheng Sect would likely still be the Chusheng Sect, one of the three major Sects.

Perhaps, in the end, even if they were wiped out by the Yao Race, they might have left behind a noble reputation for dying heroically.

Calculating the time, they should have already left the territory of the Rain God Continent by now.

"Strange!"

The man with the spider body and human head frowned deeply, his tone filled with doubt. "Why is Young Master Feng not responding at all?"

Yun Xuanxuan said solemnly, "Could he have gone out on business, or perhaps he's gone into seclusion?"

It was common for a Cultivator to encounter a Realm Bottleneck and practice diligently, or to have a sudden Epiphany and go into seclusion for a Breakthrough. Moreover, with the Yao Race army attacking the Rain God Continent and people being in a state of panic, it was not impossible that he was planning his own escape route in advance.

After all, even Young Master Ye and Young Master Li had to break their agreement and leave the Rain God Continent.

The man showed a bitter smile. "I can only think so. I'll try to contact him again."

"Without Young Master Feng to lead the way, in such a large Chusheng Sect, we don't know where the place for refining the demon transformation pill is."

Yun Xuanxuan turned her head toward the other two companions and nodded slightly, saying solemnly, "Time is tight; we can't wait any longer. We'll capture those Foundation Establishment Disciples outside the mountain gate for interrogation. We must find out where the Pill Furnace is. We absolutely cannot let that old thing successfully refine the demon transformation pill!"

Outside the mountain gate, the four Disciples who were still worried about their futures suddenly felt their vision go black, as if they had been struck hard on the back of the head by a heavy hammer. In a dizzying moment, they lost consciousness.

When they opened their eyes again, a bone-chilling cold instantly enveloped their bodies. More than ten "Half-human, Half-demon beings" had already surrounded them.

These monsters had half their bodies covered in greenish-black scales, their sharp claws glinting coldly, and saliva dripping from their sharp fangs, making one's skin crawl.

The leading woman, with a pair of light green bird wings slightly spread, had coldness in her eyes. She stepped forward slowly, her bird claws crushing the gravel on the ground, and asked coldly, "Speak, what is the current situation of the Chusheng Sect?"

"Se... Senior, spare our lives!"

The youngest Disciple was so scared that his whole body was shaking like chaff. His knees went weak and he was about to kneel, but he was held firmly by the Senior Brother beside him.

That Senior Brother's face was pale, yet he forced himself to grit his teeth and said, "Junior... Junior is just an Outer Sect Disciple guarding the mountain gate. Usually, besides patrolling the gate and wiping the stone tablets, I haven't even stepped into the inner Sect. I really don't know the internal situation of the Sect!"

The tall Disciple on the other side also hurriedly chimed in: "Yes, Senior! Our status is low, and we are never informed of the Sect's major affairs. Asking us is in vain..."

Puchi—

A sickening muffled sound suddenly rang out! The tall Disciple didn't even have time to let out a scream before his chest was brutally smashed to pieces by a burly Half-Demon standing beside Sister Yun. Blood mixed with shattered bone fragments gushed out, staining the bluestone ground in front of him red.

Yun Xuanxuan slowly narrowed her eyes, her tone so cold it lacked any warmth as she spoke again: "You must understand, for us, refraining from killing you is much harder than actually killing you."