The Peaks Tremble

All Peaks Shaken

After the Inner Peak great cultivators slew the manifested true form of the Heavenly Demon, Fan Mo returned to Little Spirit Void Peak.

His expression was already ugly to the extreme.

It was not merely because Little Spirit Void Peak had suffered grievously in this calamity. The stewards above Qi Refining Layer 7 had been prime targets of the Heavenly Demon and were almost completely wiped out. The low-level Qi Refining disciples had also suffered under the first wave of baleful qi erosion. Most of those who survived were disciples at the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

According to the tally, fewer than seventy percent of the disciples on Little Spirit Void Peak had survived. In other words, in this wave of Heavenly Demon invasion alone, more than two hundred outer sect disciples had met untimely deaths.

Fortunately, a great cultivator had intervened. Had they arrived any later, even more would certainly have died.

The second reason for Fan Mo's ugly expression was that, at the crucial moment, he had abandoned the disciples on his peak and fled alone.

Though it had been an unavoidable choice to preserve his own life, he had been impeached by quite a few Outer Peak Masters in the sect's grand hall. They accused him of fleeing for his life in the face of danger, of lacking the virtue befitting his position, and demanded that he resign as Peak Master.

Although the Sect Master had temporarily suppressed the proposal, Fan Mo knew that he had already left a terrible impression on the sect's upper echelons.

Meanwhile, Han Yi had long since left Little Spirit Void Peak.

After that great cultivator departed, he did not dare linger in the slightest, fearing that unresolved dangers still remained on Little Spirit Void Peak. He immediately followed and descended the mountain.

In truth, most of the disciples on Little Spirit Void Peak did not dare stay any longer either. Like rabbits, they ran with all the speed they could muster.

On the surface, the battle was over, but better safe than sorry.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall; cultivators were even more so.

Naturally, Han Yi chose Vermilion Bird Peak.

As one of the nine Inner Peaks, Vermilion Bird Peak was also home to the sect's administrative hall. People came and went constantly, and no one was forbidden from entering or leaving.

More importantly, even among the Inner Peaks, Vermilion Bird Peak ranked in the top three. A Golden Core Stage great cultivator was stationed there year-round.

Han Yi moved quickly. By the time he reached Vermilion Bird Peak, only then did other outer sect disciples begin arriving one after another.

Most of these outer sect disciples came from Outer Peaks near Little Spirit Void Peak, while a small number were disciples of Little Spirit Void Peak itself.

These disciples from other Outer Peaks had also witnessed the battle on Little Spirit Void Peak. Feeling unsafe for the moment, they had run to Vermilion Bird Peak to take shelter.

Most of the Qi Refining Middle Stage disciples from Little Spirit Void Peak, like Han Yi, were still shaken, their faces slightly pale. Clearly, they had been frightened badly and had yet to recover.

"What exactly happened?"

"I don't know. I don't know either. I only know that Little Spirit Void Peak suffered a catastrophe. Of all those senior and junior brothers, it would already be fortunate if two or three out of ten escaped."

"How could the true form of a Heavenly Demon manifest? Damn it."

"This is inside the sect. For something like this to happen is far too vile."

"By the way, aren't you from Little Bamboo Leaf Peak? Why did you flee here too?"

"Don't even mention it. Little Bamboo Leaf Peak is very close to Little Spirit Void Peak. We all saw that terrifying Black Giant. No one from Little Valley Sword Peak could escape, and Little Spirit Void Peak was hit by disaster too. If we didn't run, what if something happened? Were we supposed to sit there and wait for death?"

"According to Master Fu, that manifested Black Giant was the true form of a Heavenly Demon?"

"And who is Master Fu?"

"Of course, he's the cultivator who slew the true form of the Heavenly Demon in the end. Master Fu is one of Mystic Pill Sect's Golden Core Stage great cultivators. That fire-spewing magical treasure was the renowned Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover."

"So that's how it is."

"Then what exactly is this true form of a Heavenly Demon?"

"I don't know either."

"Don't know."

Amid their panic, the people around them could not help discussing it.

From their conversation, Han Yi learned that the cultivator standing in the air who had slain the Black Giant was indeed, as he had guessed, a Golden Core Stage great cultivator from the sect, surnamed Fu.

And that Black Giant over three meters tall, formed from the final gathering of black gas, was the true form of a Heavenly Demon.

As for what the true form of a Heavenly Demon actually was, the people around him did not know much either.

He could only let the matter go.

They waited for a full two or three hours.

That period was an ordeal for everyone.

Only then did a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Vermilion Bird Peak come forward and inform them that the Outer Peaks were already safe and sound. The formation cores had all been activated to their fullest, and everyone could return.

Only then did everyone steady themselves. Upon hearing this, they left Vermilion Bird Peak one after another and returned to the Outer Peaks.

When Han Yi reached Little Spirit Void Peak, calm had already returned to the peak. Apart from several collapsed courtyards, there were no other traces of battle.

Beyond the peak, the sea of clouds was beautiful, flickering with spiritual light from time to time.

This meant the Outer Peak formations had been activated to their utmost. Moreover, with the Peak Master guarding the core, even if the true form of a Heavenly Demon launched another assault, they could resist for a short while and hold out until help arrived.

It was not only Little Spirit Void Peak.

After that day, all hundred-odd Outer Peaks activated their formations to the utmost, presenting the unmistakable scene of a battlefield poised for action.

Such a sight left Han Yi in a particularly poor mood over the next few days.

On the seventh day.

When he went out to Vermilion Bird Peak to gather information, he unexpectedly ran into Chu Jinmo, whom he had not seen in a year.

"Congratulations, Senior Sister Chu. Congratulations, Senior Sister Chu. You've finally reached Qi Refining Layer 7. From now on, you can bid farewell to the Outer Peaks and reside permanently on an Inner Peak."

Han Yi was genuinely happy for Chu Jinmo, though he could not help feeling a little envious as well.

If he reached Qi Refining Layer 7, he too could hunker down in the Inner Peaks.

Of the nine Inner Peaks, nearly all were overseen by great cultivators of the Golden Core Stage. Even those without one had exceptionally powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators in charge.

Moreover, the formations of the nine Inner Peaks were interconnected. Unless the invaders were Golden Core Stage enemies—and several of them at that—there was no hope of shaking the Inner Peak formations.

And in the thousands of years since the Mystic Pill Sect had been founded, such a situation had never occurred.

Simply put, the Inner Peaks were impregnable, unshakable fortresses.

Chu Jinmo still wore the gray robe of an outer disciple rather than the garments of the inner sect. However, her aura was unstable and far stronger than before; she had clearly broken through only recently.

The situation could not have been more obvious.

When Chu Jinmo saw Han Yi, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Why are you here, Junior Brother Han?"

"I heard from Junior Sister Yan that you entered seclusion?"

Han Yi spread his hands with a bitter smile. "What seclusion? Something happened on Little Spirit Void Peak. How could I possibly be in the mood to enter seclusion?"

Han Yi was telling the truth.

He had originally intended to enter seclusion and focus on cultivating the Spirit Void Finger, striving to break through to the next level. By his estimate, it would have taken roughly three months.

But before he could begin, the Heavenly Demon invasion occurred.

He was also glad that he had not been in seclusion at the time. If he had been, things would likely have been even more dangerous.

And after this incident, Han Yi felt a lingering fear.

The prerequisite for his seclusion had been that Little Spirit Void Peak was safe and secure, but that premise had now been shattered.

Thus, he had been somewhat unsettled these past days, asking around everywhere for the truth behind that battle.

"Oh, right. I forgot you live on Little Spirit Void Peak. Luckily, you weren't harmed."

Chu Jinmo frowned. Hesitation flickered across her face before she finally spoke.

"I happen to know some of the truth about what occurred on Little Spirit Void Peak."

"And what it involves is not as simple as it appears on the surface."

"Also, Junior Brother Han, rest assured. I heard Uncle Qi say that the sect's great cultivators have already conducted an inspection, and the sect-wide grand formation across the entire mountain range has been activated. I believe there will never be another incident involving Heavenly Demons."

"However..."

At this point, Chu Jinmo paused before continuing.

"However, a sect conscription order may be issued next. Junior Brother Han, you should prepare yourself in advance."