Chapter 304 Dan Sect's Hidden Foundation
"The Immortal Sect wants to borrow Disciples, naturally, for secrecy."
"Then, if it's a secret they'd tear up immortal rules to protect, how could they possibly return alive as the Immortal Sect promised?"
"This—"
Danyang Zi opened his mouth, suddenly speechless.
He genuinely felt that the Asked the Dao Sect, Lingjian Mountain, and the other five great Sects were quite amicable this time. Aside from the Jade Balance Hall being somewhat forceful in their direct confrontation, there was no overbearing pressure, so he thought perhaps lending out Disciples wouldn't be a big deal.
But he overlooked that if they truly needed to borrow Dan Sect Disciples to return to their mountains, then once these Dan Sect Disciples were used, how could they have a chance to leave the mountain?
Indeed, when the world has been peaceful for too long, it truly grinds away one's vigilance.
Yuan Li slightly turned his hand, using a white candle to light sandalwood incense, saying, "If the Dan Sect compromises today, what it will gain is endless relentless pressure.
Moreover, what they want to refine is not good, and it contradicts my Dan Sect's teachings—"
"What exactly do those Immortal Sects want to refine?"
"You only need to know that if it were good, there would be no need to hide it."
Yuan Li mumbled, blew out the incense, and watched the white smoke curl upwards, his deep eyes like dark whirlpools.
Danyang Zi and the others looked at each other after hearing this, then nodded gently.
It seems that the Sect Master Senior Brother must be clear about the origin of those precious materials, which is why he is so resistant.
At this moment, Yuan Li inserted the sandalwood incense into the censer in front of him, bowed down, and then stood up: "Back then, my Dan Sect was torn apart, and its Disciples were enslaved for a hundred years. If we lend out Disciples today, what face do we have to meet our ancestors? Dan Sect people should be like this: either live or die."
"Senior Brother is absolutely right—"
As the ancestral hall suddenly fell silent, the sandalwood incense began to burn down slowly.
Before long, the sky gradually darkened, and the mountain winds began to grow stronger, causing the lush greenery on the mountaintop to sway westwards.
And amidst these strong gusts of wind, over twenty allied Sect, including the Jin, Jing, Xu, and Bie Sect, had already appeared in the mountains, positioned between Danxia Peak and the Jade Balance Hall.
Soon after, Elder Dan Xunzi walked into the incense-filled ancestral hall and bowed to Yuan Li, who was kneeling on the prayer mat.
"Sect Master, the Lian, Gong, Sha, and Pu Sect have left the mountain."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Li couldn't help but look up: "They left because they saw the storm approaching?"
Dan Xunzi nodded: "They left from the back mountain not long after the Kaiyang Hall meeting, without informing my Dan Sect before they left."
Before Yuan Li could speak, Danyang Zi's brow furrowed in anger first: "The Gong and Pu Sect are one thing, they're already in decline and don't have many strong individuals, but how could the Lian and Sha Sect do this? The Medicinal Pills we give them every year are even coveted by the Immortal Sects!"
"Senior Brother Yang, some Sect may not be grateful."
"Ungrateful wretches! And Senior Brother Hui even married his two granddaughters to them!"
Dan Xunzi pursed his lips upon seeing this: "Yuan Cai and Yuan Jie were also taken down the mountain by them."
Danyang Zi immediately clenched his fists after hearing this: "Do they think my Dan Sect will surely be destroyed and its people perish this time, and that by taking the two back, they'll still have Medicinal Pills to use?"
Dan Xunzi did not reply, but this was a form of tacit agreement, so a fierce wave of curses erupted throughout the ancestral hall.
After a long silence, Yuan Li grimly waved his hand at everyone: "Forget it. Everyone has their own aspirations. Seeing the Immortal Sects attacking together, it's human nature to be timid. We have no right to ask them to die for my Dan Sect."
Danyang Zi's anger was hard to quell: "When we formed the alliance back then, when we sent people and Medicinal Pills, they didn't say that."
"In this kind of battle, strong individuals are key. There are no reliable people among these four Sect, and their absence won't affect the battle. It's just a pity that my Caiwei was a bit too headstrong—"
"This can't be blamed on Caiwei—"
Yuan Li sighed softly upon hearing this: "I don't blame her. I'm just helpless that when disaster strikes, there's no reliance, and I can only lead the Disciples to their deaths. In the past, the Dan Sect always used marriage alliances to win over surrounding smaller Sect, to strengthen its ability to resist risks, but it also maintained a defensive mindset, not daring to form alliances with overly powerful Sect.
In stable times, this was indeed a good method, ensuring its independence and preventing petty villains from stirring up trouble.
But when the world became chaotic, the drawbacks became fully exposed.
Because in the face of powerful forces, the forces they had won over seemed too insignificant.
In fact, Yuan Li had long been worried about this issue, so he had put a lot of thought into Yuan Caiwei's marriage, hoping to change the Dan Sect's situation.
Especially with the increasing frequency of chaos in the Qingyun World, it made him feel that he had to be prepared.
You Buyu was not the first choice he made for his daughter; there had been countless others before, all of noble status, for the sake of gaining greater reliance.
It's just a pity that his daughter kept delaying marriage, leading to a dead end when disaster struck today.
After regaining his composure, Yuan Li walked out of the ancestral hall, led the Elders to the top floor of the sleeping quarters, and then looked towards the distant mountains, waiting for nightfall.
As they waited, they suddenly saw a figure appear on the distant mountain.
He held a long sword, his white robes fluttering as he strolled along the mountain ridge, head lowered as if searching for something, looking like he was going to bring back some mountain goods.
Upon recognizing him, the Dan Sect Elders couldn't help but look back at Yuan Li, and saw that the Sect Master was also looking at that figure.
There was a rebellious Disciple in the Tianshu Academy named Ji You, and many felt he perfectly fit the Dan Sect's previous son-in-law criteria.
Because he had no Family, no reliance, and his talent was quite good. He could be directly recruited as a son-in-law to the mountain. Moreover, he and his daughter seemed to be in love, so marrying his daughter to him was indeed a good choice.
But later, the reason Yuan Li disagreed was precisely because he was worried about the current situation.
At this moment, the sun slowly set in his pupils, the last sliver of light creating a breathtaking halo on the horizon.
And after this last ray of heavenly light, night gradually crept along the sky.
At the same time, all the Upper Five Realms female alchemists in the Yaoguang Hall at the peak of Dan Mountain were looking out through the windows, intently watching the glow of the sky being swallowed bit by bit, their hands gripping the poisonous Medicinal Pills tightly.
At this moment, Yuan Chen emerged from the deepest seclusion chamber, his face pale.
He had just learned about the situation the Dan Sect was currently facing. Now, walking into the front hall and looking around, he saw Yuan Bingqing standing at the hall entrance: "Sister Qing, where is my Elder sister? Have you seen my Elder sister?"
Yuan Bingqing turned to him: "Follow me."
Yuan Chen immediately followed Yuan Bingqing out of the main hall, and saw Yuan Caiwei standing at the hall entrance: "Elder Sister—"
Yuan Caiwei turned her head upon hearing him: "What are you doing out here?"
"I—I'm worried about you, and Father, and Mother."
"Aunt Rong has been sent away, and Father is fine. Those Immortal Sect members waited a whole day hoping he would come to his senses because they didn't dare to kill them all, nor did they have the guts to kill an Immortal Sect Master."
Yuan Chen opened his mouth: "Really—?"
Yuan Caiwei nodded: "Young Master Ji said that even the supreme Immortal Sects, after being hypocritical for so many years, wouldn't easily expose their dirty hearts.
Their most desired outcome is to capture the Dan Sect Disciples they need, and leave the Dan Sect intact for the world to see, even if it's just an empty shell."
"Brother-in-law? Where is Brother-in-law now?"
"I don't know either—"
The Yaoguang Hall did not only have female Disciples; Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, Lu Ze, and a group of male Disciples were also waiting outside.
Upon hearing the siblings' conversation, they couldn't help but glance back slightly.
With the Dan Sect facing a great disaster, and killing intent rising from below the mountain, their Saintess Junior Sister was still treating the words of a Tianshu Academy Disciple as a life-saving straw, which made them feel a little uneasy.
Admittedly, that statement was indeed true.
If one of the Seven Great Immortal Sects were to perish because of this, it would definitely be a shocking event for the entire Qingyun World, and people would feel insecure upon seeing the Immortal Sects act this way.
So even if it was an empty shell, they would leave the Dan Sect. But with a powerful enemy at hand, what good was a mere verbal comfort?
Hong Zhen and Wen Bin now turned to Yuan Caiwei: "Junior Sister, quickly take Junior Brother Yuan Chen and Junior Sister Bingqing back into the hall. It's not safe outside the hall."
Yuan Bingqing also pulled Yuan Caiwei upon hearing this: "Yes, Senior Sister, let's go back into the hall first."
"You go back; I want to stay here—"
"Junior Sister, don't be impulsive. Your staying here won't change anything."
Yuan Caiwei did not reply after hearing this, only clutched her jade hand tightly, her resolve to stay here unwavering.
In fact, this was not the first time Hong Zhen, Wen Bin, and the others had tried to persuade her.
When all the female Disciples entered the hall at Shenshi (3-5 PM), she also stood at the hall entrance, gazing down the mountain, unwilling to enter.
Hong Zhen and the others couldn't understand her behavior, but seeing that she wouldn't change her mind, their persuasion stopped.
In their view, if the Immortal Sect members killed all the Dan Sect's allied Sect, captured the Sect Master, and came here, then there would be no difference between inside and outside the hall.
They could easily use threats of life and death to force the Sect Master to remove the Sacred Artifact's protection, or directly kill the wielder of the Sacred Artifact.
The Immortal Sects did indeed have to consider the world and were unwilling to kill everyone.
But that was the best outcome they desired, not their bottom line, because if it really came down to the last moment, no one knew what would happen.
So for these Disciples guarding the periphery, if they were going to die anyway, then dying with Junior Sister Caiwei would be a good choice.
As they pondered, Wen Bin suddenly pulled out a jade pendant from his pocket: "Junior Sister—"
His voice had just emerged and hadn't yet reached the ears of those around him when it was instantly drowned out by a soaring roar.
At this moment, everyone's eyes reflected countless immortal lights splashing from below the mountain, crashing down onto Danxia Peak.
The people of the five great Immortal Sects had indeed chosen to act at nightfall.
While they were still dazed, a fierce gust of wind, stirred by a magical art, swept through the mountains and forests, bending countless ancient pines. The powerful Qi directly caused the Disciples guarding the hall entrance to stagger, their faces instantly turning pale.
Alchemists do not cultivate the Heavenly Dao, and in essence, the difference between them and Mortals is not significant.
Furthermore, they rarely descend the mountain, and their knowledge of cultivators' stories is merely hearsay, so it's difficult for them to truly understand how powerful cultivators are.
Until this moment, when the mere clash of magical arts made it impossible for them to stand steadily, they realized that it had already far exceeded their imagination, and their despair intensified.
“It’s actually this strong.”
“A hall has collapsed. This Immortal Sect magical art—”
Under the dense night, the mountain wind howled incessantly, like a ghoul screaming.
On the top floor of the Sect Leader's sleeping quarters below the Yaoguang Hall, beneath the eaves adorned with bright lanterns, the Dan Sect Leader and a group of Elders were also looking towards Danxia Peak with grave expressions.
In their semi-reclusive state, they rarely witnessed Immortal Sect conflicts. Even when attending the Tiandao Conference, it was to the Xianxian Holy Land to repair shattered space.
At this moment, as the Spiritual Qi surged wildly across the sky, they too felt a sense of shock.
First, it was the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, then Lingjian Mountain, followed by Asked the Dao Sect, one after another. Those Immortal Sect Disciples descended like dark storm clouds, then instantly exploded the moment Spiritual Qi accumulated.
Boom! In a blaze of scorching fire, a powerful heavy hammer slammed down.
The moment the heavy hammer struck, the ground of the entire Danxia Peak rolled up like waves. Nine profound pillars shattered inch by inch under the violent impact of the Spiritual Qi, and rubble splattered like a downpour.
The wielder of the hammer was as burly as a mountain. As the hammer fell, he directly attacked the nine-tiered steps behind Danxia Peak.
At the same time, several streaks of immortal light directly distorted the remaining immortal light, closely following and ascending the steps.
“Clang!!”
Just then, two streaks of dark blade light slashed down from the nine-tiered steps. Before the blade edge arrived, a chilling killing intent swept down like a tide, pressing directly against the heavy hammer.
Amidst deafening metallic clangs, a visible wave of Qi swept out, instantly shattering the white jade steps.
Before the blade light dissipated, the hammer wielder roared, his arms suddenly pushed up, and he slammed down fiercely.
He cultivated the secret arts of force fields and fire. Blazing waves of fire roared out like an enraged Dragon, carrying heavy Qi, and once again met the two soul-stirring beams of blade light.
At the same time, Immortal Sect Disciples, like a surging tide, leaped into the air as the blades and hammer clashed. Various colored spiritual lights, sword glints, and the radiance of Magical Artifacts interwoven into a brilliant torrent, soaring towards the mountain.
But simultaneously, behind those two black blades, even more dense figures appeared all over the mountain, moving to meet the Immortal Sect Disciples ascending the mountain.
“Buzz!”
That was a Sword Qi from the Lingjian Mountain Integration Dao Realm. At first, it was just a faint glimmer in the night, but in an instant, it transformed into a silvery moonlight, pouring down majestically.
Wherever the sword light passed, a cloud of blood mist instantly burst open on the white jade steps.
In the first wave of chaotic collision, countless members of the Dan Sect's allied Sect died or were injured, their mangled limbs scattered across the ground, while crimson blood flowed ceaselessly across the white jade steps.
“Father!”
“Do not be disturbed!”
The head of the Jin Family, who was fighting with both blades, roared, then, holding his blade, he and his son once again met the direct Disciple of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion Elder who wielded the hammer.
There are countless Sect in the Qingyun World, but not all of them are on good terms with the Immortal Sects.
There are also some Sect who, due to historical reasons, were ostracized, suppressed, and trapped at the bottom by the Immortal Sects, unable to rise.
The Dan Sect had always secretly courted these Sect, and the Jin Family, whose father and son were now fighting with two blades, was one such Family.
Due to past grievances, they had been suppressed by one of the Chen Clan's lineages. Decades ago, they were already on the verge of decline and ruin until they formed an alliance through marriage with the Dan Sect, which barely allowed them to recover.
Therefore, for them, if the Dan Sect were destroyed, their Family's Luck would also be drawn away. It was better to fight to the death.
The Jin Family Head suddenly shifted his blade, his entire body erupting with Qi. Nine golden ripples instantly burst forth from the blade, and the blade light surged.
Amidst the chaos, roaring Qi swept across the entire mountain.
Streaks of Sword Qi and bursts of blade light crashed down like ocean waves.
Facing the killing intent capable of shattering the sky, the Disciples of those allied Sect instantly clasped their hands, summoning countless Magical Artifacts to meet the assault. There was a cage called 'Heaven-Trapping' that could summon lightning, golden lotuses that shot poison darts like a storm, and the clash of thunder, fire, blood mist, and metallic weapons echoed like a barrage of thunder, causing the entire Dan Sect to tremble as if an earth Dragon were turning over.
The Disciples of the Sect indeed had a great disadvantage compared to the Immortal Sect Disciples, but the Dan Sect's greatest asset was wealth.
Always prepared for danger, they had accumulated many, many Magical Artifacts as their foundation long ago. Now, these artifacts were fully unleashed in the hands of their allied Sect, directly halting the Immortal Sect's assault on the mountain.
However, Magical Artifacts are ultimately just minor paths. Otherwise, there would surely be Sect in this world based on Artifact Refining.
So, in this offense and defense, the blood blossoms on the white jade nine-tiered steps burst open even more brilliantly.
And most of these casualties were the Disciples of those allied Sect.
Seeing bodies strewn across the mountain below, the Disciples on Yaoguang Hall were filled with despair.
They couldn't see the specific details of the battle, but they could see the flow of the human tide, like a surging sea.
The Dan Sect's allied Sect were numerous, appearing even more vast than the opposing side, yet under the fierce assault of the Immortal Sect Disciples, they were steadily retreating, suffering countless casualties.
“There are even Junior Third Realm Completion cultivators participating in this battle, how laughable. You Sect of Medicinal Pills, sending your sons and grandsons to their deaths, do you not feel heartache? Or do you think Magical Artifacts can block the might of an Immortal Sect?”
“It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, resisting to the end is merely a moth flying into a flame.”
“Kill them, and end this quickly!”
Amidst the chaotic light, the Immortal Sect Disciples, with arrogant expressions, surged with immortal light, descending with a roar amidst the blooming immortal light.
Among cultivators in the world, there is indeed a hierarchy: Immortal Sects are supreme, followed by thousand-year-old Sect, and these Sect dependent on the Dan Sect are no different than ants in the eyes of these Immortal Sect Disciples. Even if they had endless Magical Artifacts, they could only delay for a time.
However, they overlooked one thing.
This was the Dan Sect.
The Jin Family father and son jointly repelled the hammer-wielding man, then took out a crimson Medicinal Pill from their embrace and swallowed it.
In an instant, the aura around both of them surged dramatically.
The dark blade light slashed down like the night, and the hammer-wielder was sent flying backward with a crash.
At roughly the same time, everyone standing on the nine-tiered steps also took Medicinal Pills and charged forward with renewed vigor.
However, just then, a powerful aura suddenly swept over from the mountains to the east, instantly causing everyone's hearts to tremble.
And in that instant, the human wall of the Dan Sect's allied Sect, like a tsunami, was instantly torn open, and broken bodies rolled across the white jade steps, sticky and hot blood splattering like spilled water.
Asked the Dao Sect’s Shang Zha, Mountain and Sea Pavilion’s Huo Yu, Chen Clan’s Chen Ke, Lingjian Mountain’s Yan Jingfu, and Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion’s Chu Hong, five great Immortal Sect powerhouses, were now ascending the mountain.
Under the night, the magnificent Qi roared like a tiger and a Dragon. With a raised hand, it pressed down, causing the mountains to tremble, before finally being firmly intercepted by over a dozen white-haired figures, barely holding the line at the fourth step.
This was the Dan Sect's strongest line of defense, and everyone within it was an Old Ancestor from the allied Sect.
Most of them had already crossed the threshold of the Innate Realm, which was already impressive among Sect.
At this moment, as the five were intercepted, all these mountain-guarding Elders swallowed the Medicinal Pills in their hands.
Their aged figures suddenly became firm under the influence of the Medicinal Pill, and their Meridians, like a Dragon, burst forth with endless, vast immortal light.
“It seems the Dan Sect is indeed not mindlessly resisting. They have been underestimated by the entire world—”
Shang Zha couldn't help but murmur, a chilling glint flashing in his eyes.
Some of those Magical Artifacts had never appeared on the market, suggesting that the Dan Sect had secretly commissioned them, long preparing for an attack on the mountain. Most crucially, those Medicinal Pills were also unheard of by them, suggesting they were private reserves never revealed for this very day.
Such a foundation was already enough to crush a thousand-year-old Family.
However, if external objects could truly overcome the Heavenly Dao, they wouldn't need to cultivate so diligently.
Asked the Dao Sect’s Shang Zha's wide sleeve unfurled, and a bronze disc flew out from within. The powerful Qi had already solidified, and his large hand pressed down,
Directly shattering the distant replica of the Sacred Artifact, the Great Three-legged Furnace.
And Huo Yu also rose into the air, pushing a phantom mountain forward with clasped hands.
Then there was the magnificent Sword Qi, the icy cold iron blade, and a pair of scorching hot palms, all pressing down with a roar.
In just an instant, those dozen or so white-haired Old Ancestors were shaken, their Qi and blood churning, their decline evident. If not for their numerical advantage,
They truly would have been powerless to retaliate.
Witnessing this scene, both on and below the mountain, whether it was the Sect Leader, Elders, or Disciples, their faces turned ashen.
Boom!
The five moved again, fiercely attacking the Elders.
And as the Medicinal Pill's effects began to spread, these Family Old Ancestors, fighting desperately, were barely able to contend, but no one knew how long this could last.
Among the Upper Five Realms, the gap in major Realms cannot be simply compensated by numbers and Medicinal Pills. This is known throughout the world, but the current disparity was still beyond the Dan Sect's expectations.
However, perhaps the battle was too intense, as they did not notice the arc light continuously flashing on Dan Mountain at this time.
(I'll try my best tomorrow to get more out. Please, I beg for monthly votes! —orz)
