After the great cultivator of the Inner Peak destroyed the manifested Heavenly Demon True Body,
Fan Mo also returned to Little Spirit Void Peak.
His expression had turned ugly to the extreme.
It was not merely because Little Spirit Void Peak had suffered grievous losses in this disaster. The stewards above Qi Refining Layer 7 had been the Heavenly Demon's prime targets and were almost entirely wiped out. Those at the lower Qi Refining levels had also suffered during the first wave of baleful qi erosion. Most of those who survived were disciples in the Qi Refining Middle Stage.
According to the count, fewer than seventy percent of the disciples on Little Spirit Void Peak had survived. In this wave of Heavenly Demon invasion alone, more than two hundred outer sect disciples had died unnatural deaths.
Fortunately, a great cultivator had intervened. Had they been any later, far more would certainly have died.
The second reason for Fan Mo's ugly expression was that, at the critical moment, he had abandoned the disciples on the peak and fled alone.
Though it had been a helpless choice made to preserve his own life, he had been impeached by quite a few Outer Peak Masters in the sect's main hall. They accused him of fleeing in the face of danger, of being unworthy of his position, and demanded that he resign as peak master.
Though the Sect Master had temporarily suppressed the proposal, Fan Mo knew that he had already left a terrible impression in the eyes of the sect's upper echelons.
Meanwhile,
Han Yi had long since left Little Spirit Void Peak.
After that great cultivator departed, he had not dared linger in the slightest, afraid that Little Spirit Void Peak still harbored uncleared dangers. He followed soon after and headed down the mountain.
In truth,
most of the disciples on Little Spirit Void Peak did not dare remain any longer either. They ran as fast as rabbits.
On the surface, the battle had ended, but better safe than sorry.
A gentleman did not stand beneath a crumbling wall; cultivators were even more so.
The place Han Yi chose was naturally Vermilion Bird Peak.
As one of the nine Inner Peaks, Vermilion Bird Peak housed the sect's administrative hall. People constantly came and went, and entry and exit were not prohibited.
Most importantly, even among the Inner Peaks, Vermilion Bird Peak ranked among 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, other outer sect disciples had only just begun arriving one after another.
Most of these outer sect disciples came from Outer Peaks near Little Spirit Void Peak, while a smaller number were disciples of Little Spirit Void Peak itself.
These disciples from other Outer Peaks had witnessed the battle on Little Spirit Void Peak. Feeling unsafe for the moment, they had run to Vermilion Bird Peak to take refuge.
Most of the Qi Refining Middle Stage disciples from Little Spirit Void Peak, like Han Yi, were still shaken. Their faces were 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 calamity. Among all those senior brothers and sisters, it would be lucky if two or three out of ten escaped."
"How could a Heavenly Demon True Body manifest? Damn it."
"This is inside the sect. For something like this to happen is far too vile."
"Right, aren't you from Little Bamboo Leaf Peak? Why did you run here too?"
"Don't mention it. Little Bamboo Leaf Peak is very close to Little Spirit Void Peak. We all saw that terrifying Black Giant. No one on Little Valley Sword Peak could escape, and Little Spirit Void Peak was struck by disaster too. If we didn't run and something happened, were we supposed to sit there and wait for death?"
"According to Master Fu, that manifested Black Giant was the Heavenly Demon True Body?"
"And who is Master Fu?"
"Of course, he's the cultivator who destroyed the Heavenly Demon True Body in the end. Master Fu is one of Mystic Pill Sect's Golden Core Stage great cultivators. That fire-spewing magic treasure is the renowned Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover."
"So that's how it is."
"Then what exactly is this Heavenly Demon True Body?"
"I don't know either."
"Don't know."
Amid their panic, the people around them could not help discussing it.
From their words, Han Yi learned that the cultivator standing in the air and destroying the Black Giant was indeed as he had guessed: a Golden Core Stage great cultivator from within the sect, surnamed Fu.
And that Black Giant over three meters tall, formed from the final gathering of black gas, was the Heavenly Demon True Body.
As for what exactly the Heavenly Demon True Body was, the people around him did not know much either.
They could only let the matter drop.
They waited for a full two or three hours.
That time was torment for everyone.
Only then did a Foundation Establishment cultivator from Vermilion Bird Peak step forward and inform them that the Outer Peaks were now safe, that the formation cores had all been activated to their fullest, and that everyone could return.
Only then did everyone settle their minds. Hearing this, they left Vermilion Bird Peak one after another and returned to the Outer Peaks.
By the time Han Yi reached Little Spirit Void Peak, calm had already returned to the peak. Aside from several collapsed courtyards, there were no other traces of battle.
Beyond the peak, the sea of clouds was beautiful, with spiritual light occasionally rippling through it.
This meant that the Outer Peak formations had been activated to their utmost. Furthermore, with the peak master stationed at the core, even if another Heavenly Demon True Body came to attack, they could resist for a short while and hold out until reinforcements arrived.
It was not only Little Spirit Void Peak.
After that day, all more than one hundred Outer Peaks activated their formations to the maximum, presenting the tense appearance of a battlefield poised for war.
This sight left Han Yi in a very poor mood over the following days.
On the seventh day,
when he went to Vermilion Bird Peak to gather information, he unexpectedly encountered Chu Jinmo, whom he had not seen for 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 the Inner Peaks."
Han Yi was genuinely happy for Chu Jinmo, though he also felt a little envious.
If he reached Qi Refining Layer 7, he could hole up on an Inner Peak.
Of the nine Inner Peaks, nearly all had Golden Core Stage great cultivators stationed on them. Even those that did not were guarded by exceptionally powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Moreover, the formations of the nine Inner Peaks were interconnected. Unless the invaders were Golden Core Stage enemies—and multiple Golden Core Stage enemies at that—they could forget about shaking the Inner Peak formations.
And such a situation had never occurred in the several thousand years since Mystic Pill Sect was founded.
In short, the Inner Peaks were an impregnable, unshakable fortress.
Chu Jinmo still wore the gray robes of an outer sect disciple rather than inner sect attire, but her aura was unstable and far stronger than before. She had obviously only recently broken through.
The situation could not have been more obvious.
When Chu Jinmo saw Han Yi, a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"Junior Brother Han, why are you here?"
"I heard from Junior Sister Yan that you entered seclusion?"
Han Yi spread his hands and smiled bitterly. "What seclusion? Something happened on Little Spirit Void Peak. How could I have the mood for seclusion?"
Han Yi was telling the truth.
Originally, he had planned to enter seclusion and focus on cultivating the Spirit Void Finger, striving to break through to the next level. By his estimate, that would have taken around three months.
But before he could enter seclusion, the Heavenly Demon invasion occurred.
He was also grateful that he had not been in seclusion at the time. If he had been, it would likely have been even more dangerous.
After this incident, Han Yi also felt lingering fear.
The premise of his seclusion had been that Little Spirit Void Peak was safe and stable, but that premise had now been shattered.
Thus, during this period, he had felt somewhat uneasy and had been asking around everywhere about the truth behind that battle.
"Oh, right. I forgot you lived on Little Spirit Void Peak. Fortunately, you were unharmed."
Chu Jinmo frowned. After hesitating for a moment, she still spoke.
"I happen to know some of the truth about what happened on Little Spirit Void Peak."
"Moreover, what is involved is not what it appears to be on the surface."
"Also, Junior Brother Han, rest assured. According to Uncle Qi, the sect's great cultivators have already conducted an inspection, and the grand sect formation across the entire mountain range has been activated. I believe there will never be another Heavenly Demon incident."
"However..."
At this point, Chu Jinmo paused before continuing.
"However, a sect conscription order may be issued next. Junior Brother Han, you should make preparations in advance."
(End of chapter)
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