A Great Demon Attacks, the Celestial Masters' Mansion Holds Fast

Over the course of several days, Chen Du continued his search for Longhu Mountain while simultaneously working on understanding the Ninth Realm the Heavenly Master Position Rank.

Longhu Mountain is vast, far beyond what can be encompassed by just a few halls and forbidden areas.

Every peak, valley, cliff, and cave within it may hold traces left intentionally or unintentionally by a certain Celestial Master.

Chen Du followed the faintest light deep within the Dao Resonance, walking through it again and again.

On this day, he arrived at an abandoned site at the northern foot of Longhu Mountain.

According to very old records in the mansion, this place was once the site where a patriarch of the Celestial Masters' Mansion secluded himself to deduce the secrets of heaven. Later, due to a landslide, it was gradually forgotten.

Chen Du sat down amidst the ruins, closed his eyes, and concentrated, once again activating [Become a God on the Spot].

The Dao Resonance, like smoke, seeped out in wisps from beneath the crumbling foundation of the palace, from the broken pillars, and from the cracks in the mountain rocks.

He then activated [The World as a Book], and countless Dao Resonance were pierced through it like an invisible shuttle, weaving a new scripture in his sea of consciousness.

This book is called "The Heavenly Book of Taixiao Mysterious Secrets". Although it does not focus on warfare, it can predict good and bad fortune, and glimpse the secrets of heaven. It is of great use in seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, and in dealing with great calamities.

Chen Du only glanced through it, but he immediately sensed that the Dao Resonance contained within were extremely profound, and he couldn't help but nod in approval.

By the time he had memorized the contents of the scriptures, it was nearly dusk. He dusted off his robes and headed down the mountain.

Just then, an extremely thick and foul-smelling wind blew in from the southwest, as if it were carrying something rotten.

Two days later, the news spread throughout Longhu Mountain.

The Blood Pagoda Demon Ancestor Myriad Demon Forest has emerged, his cultivation having recovered to the Eighth Realm. He is heading east, leaving nine out of ten cities deserted in his wake.

It didn't travel in a straight line, but rather along the most densely populated areas.

Wherever it passed, it would open its mouth and inhale, turning all living beings in the city into its blood and flesh.

Mountains of white bones, a stench that rises to the sky.

The prefectures at the foot of the mountain were in dire need of help, and countless letters pleading for assistance were flying to the Celestial Master’s Mansion of Mount Longhu like snowflakes.

Zhou Xuanzhen and several other immortals ascended the palace overnight, the atmosphere so heavy it seemed to drip water.

They had all heard of the Blood Pagoda Demon Ancestor's fearsome reputation. It was a great demon that the previous generation of Celestial Masters had to risk half their lives to suppress. It was a truly colossal and ferocious being standing among the Eighth Realms.

The Celestial Masters' Mansion now lacks not only the Celestial Master, but also anyone capable of directly confronting this great demon.

Relying on the mountain-protecting formation? Relying on a few ancient treasures? I'm afraid they won't last more than a few days.

When the news spread, the disciples in the manor were indeed terrified.

Some people turned pale, some tried to remain calm, and some secretly packed their belongings, their intentions unknown.

But for many, the brief silence was followed by a surge of rage.

Several young disciples drew their swords in public, cut off a lock of their hair with each stroke, and swore to live and die with the Celestial Masters' Mansion.

Some people say, "I grew up in the mountains and never go anywhere else."

Some people said, "Escape? If you escape down the mountain, won't the demon eat you? It's better to die in front of the Patriarch Hall than to live a wretched life."

Zhou Xuanzhen stood at the head of the table, looking at the young and resolute faces in the hall, and remained silent for a long time.

In the end, he only said one sentence, "Good. The Celestial Masters' Mansion didn't raise you for nothing."

He then ordered all halls to prepare for a desperate battle.

Chen Du remained standing outside the hall, broom in hand. The wind blew down from the mountain, thick and pungent.

The news that the Blood Pagoda Demon Ancestor was about to arrive was like a bucket of ice water poured over the entire Celestial Masters' Mansion.

It could only extinguish the fear, but not the spirit.

It's unclear when exactly, but a certain trend began to sweep through the manor.

First came the true disciples, then the inner disciples, and then even the outer disciples and servants followed suit.

Some people cleaned the ritual implements overnight, some pasted talismans all over the courtyard walls, and others ran to the mountain gate to re-hang the rusty Mountain-Suppressing Bell.

No one organized it, and no one gave a death order, yet the entire Celestial Masters' Mansion was as if it were twisted together by an invisible rope.

In the end, no one escaped!

Even the old Daoist priests who shared the courtyard with Chen Du pulled out their most treasured possessions. Old Zhou took out a chipped copper coin sword, saying it was something he used to ward off evil spirits when he was young.

Sun the Cripple pulled out a stack of yellowed, Third-rate talisman paper, insisting that he wanted to brew some calming soup for his fellow disciples guarding the mountain.

Several lowly servants, who were used to being lazy, went to the steward with red eyes and begged him to let them move the copper stakes used in the formation.

"Li Mo, are you afraid?" Old Zhou asked Chen Du while wiping the copper coin sword, the hilt of which was still wrapped with straw rope he had made himself.

Chen Du was filling a bamboo basket with talisman ash when he heard this, he just smiled and said, "What's the use of being afraid? The demons are already at the foot of the mountain."

Old Zhou nodded, as if encouraging himself. "That's right. We old bones may be useless, but we can't hold the team back. As long as the Celestial Masters' Mansion exists, we'll guard it."

Chen Du glanced at him but didn't say anything more.

He knew in his heart that these people had low cultivation levels, and if they really went to the battlefield, they probably wouldn't even be able to withstand a single roar from that great demon.

But they still stood up, and their courage moved Chen Du somewhat.

He could have remained aloof, hiding in the back, as he had done for the past few decades.

But throughout the entire mountain, from the lord of the manor to the servants, not a single person deserted.

Even he couldn't stand idly by.

Moreover, that great demon was originally after the Celestial Masters' Mansion.

Zhou Xuanzhen, acting on the orders of the prefect, summoned all the disciples of the prefecture to set up a "Dragon-Tiger Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation" on the outermost perimeter of Longhu Mountain.

This formation is based on the millennia-old earth veins of the Celestial Masters' Mansion, with the Patriarch Hall as its core. It requires the concerted efforts of the entire mansion to operate.

For a time, the mountains and valleys, day and night, were filled with figures practicing formations.

The true disciples were in front, the inner disciples in the middle, and the outer disciples in the back.

Even a novice Daoist must know how to step on a few formations.

Although this formation is old, it is extremely well-organized. Once activated, the Dao Resonance will be connected, like a dragon coiled and a tiger crouching, and even ordinary cultivators at the Eighth Realm will suffer greatly.

The Blood Pagoda Demon Ancestor also sent a demon messenger to deliver a message: "This is an old grudge between me and the Celestial Masters' Mansion's Mansion. Anyone who dares to interfere will be slaughtered by me first."

When these words got out, they indeed shocked many people.

Several righteous sects that had originally intended to provide assistance with withdrew.

Some said the sect's patriarch was in seclusion, others said the journey was too far, and still others didn't dare to reply at all.

Many people were secretly waiting to see the Celestial Masters' Mansion's Mansion make a fool of itself. Some said the Celestial Masters' Mansion was finished this time, while others said that it was because they had been so domineering all these years that even the heavens were going to punish them.

Some were even waiting to see how long this declining Celestial Masters' Mansion could withstand the onslaught of a powerful demon.

But inside the Celestial Masters' Mansion, no one looked up.

Everyone was practicing with their heads down. In the morning mist and at dusk, the sound of their marching footsteps could be heard.

Chen Du was among them, standing in the last row, clumsily following the formation like all the old handymen, keeping a low profile.

But his gaze remained fixed on the southwest direction.

There, the daylight gradually dimmed, and the fishy smell in the wind grew stronger day by day.