The Azure Cloud Sect's Mountain Opening Ceremony was extraordinarily lively.
The Azure Cloud disciples were beaming with pride, and the elders were all smiles as well.
This time, they had finally reclaimed their dignity!
Yet Bai Ye had not taken part in any of it.
He had left the Azure Cloud Sect on the eve of the Mountain Opening Ceremony and traveled through the dangerous places and Secret Realms scattered across Azure State.
He had visited the Abyss of Buried Gods, the Sea of Stars, the Illusory Mist Forest, and other perilous locations.
Every time he reached a special place, he triggered a Super Check-In and obtained quite a few treasures at the True God level!
For example, the True God Ninth Grade Azure Thunder Divine Canon, and the True God Ninth Grade divine artifact, the Star Shield.
Half a year later, Bai Ye returned from his travels.
The resources he brought back were enough to support his continued cultivation and breakthrough into a higher True God Realm!
He still returned quietly to Night Cloud Peak and continued his secluded cultivation.
The peaceful days did not last long.
One day, the bell on the Azure Cloud Sect's Main Peak suddenly rang, six times in succession, urgent and heavy.
Bai Ye, who was in secluded cultivation, received a transmission and went to the Ancestral Hall for a meeting.
His cultivation realm publicly displayed was still the Late Profound Comprehension level, but thanks to his years of "seniority" and his low-key conduct, his position within the sect had long since changed beyond recognition.
Inside the Ancestral Hall, his seat had already moved from the very last position to the front row.
The new sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect was an elegant, middle-aged scholar named Su Wenxuan.
He was the Nascent Soul expert who had broken through not long ago. His temperament was gentle, yet he was by no means lacking in composure.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, he slowly began, "I summoned everyone today because there is an important matter to announce. Grand Elder, please explain the details."
The Grand Elder rose to his feet. The gentleness he usually wore had vanished, replaced by solemnity. "Half an hour ago, the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect sent an urgent transmission. The Abyssal Invasion will begin again within a year!"
"What?!"
The Ancestral Hall instantly erupted. The elders cried out in alarm, their faces filled with disbelief.
"How is that possible? It has only been a little over a hundred years since the last Abyssal Invasion!" An elder at the Late Profound Comprehension level abruptly rose, his voice trembling. "By all accounts, the Abyssal Invasion occurs once every five hundred years. How could it come so much earlier?"
"Grand Elder, is the information reliable?" another elder pressed, anxiety filling his eyes. "Last time, we sent two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors to reinforce the Demon Extermination Holy City, and both fell. The sect nearly perished! This time..."
"The information is absolutely true. It was sent by the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect through a secret transmission jade talisman, along with records of the energy fluctuations from the Abyssal Fissures." The Grand Elder raised a hand and pressed it down, signaling everyone to quiet down. "They have asked all major forces to follow the old precedent and send experts to reinforce the Demon Extermination Holy City, joining forces to resist the Devil Race."
"I disagree!" A white-haired elder slammed his palm onto the table, fury blazing in his eyes. "How great a price did our Azure Cloud Sect pay last time? Two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors died in battle, and twenty-one Primordial Core disciples perished! Yet when our sect faced annihilation, where was the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect? Where were the other forces? Not a single one extended a helping hand! This time, no matter what anyone says, I'm not going!"
"That's right!" The other elders chimed in one after another. "We've already done everything humanly possible. There's no need to lay down our lives for others again!"
"If the Demon Extermination Holy City falls, that's the Wasteland Heaven Divine Sect's problem. What does it have to do with our Azure Cloud Sect?"
Looking at the enraged elders, the Grand Elder sighed and slowly said, "I can understand how all of you feel."
"We all grieve deeply over the sacrifices made last time, but don't forget—the Demon Extermination Holy City is the first line of defense against the Abyssal Demons in the Wild Domain, and it is also the last!"
"Once the Holy City falls and the Abyssal Demons pour into the Wild Domain, Azure State will not be spared either. Even if our Azure Cloud Sect hides behind its mountain gates, I'm afraid we won't escape calamity!"
These words were like a basin of cold water, dousing most of the elders' fury.
The Ancestral Hall fell much quieter. The elders looked at one another, their faces filled with tangled emotions and indignation.
They knew the Grand Elder was right.
When the nest tips over, no egg can remain intact—but the coldness they had encountered last time still made it difficult for them to let go.
Su Wenxuan looked at everyone and slowly said, "The Grand Elder is absolutely right. However, this time, we don't need to commit everything as we did before."
"My meaning is that sending two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors and five Profound Comprehension elders will be enough."
"This way, we can help defend the Demon Extermination Holy City's line of defense to the greatest extent, without leaving our sect hollow."
The elders fell silent for a moment before finally nodding one after another.
Although resentment still lingered in their hearts, none of them wanted to see the Abyssal Demons sweep across the Wild Domain and reduce its people to a living hell.
An hour later.
The Ancestral Hall finalized the list of reinforcements.
The two Nascent Soul Old Ancestors leading the group were the Second Elder and sect master Su Wenxuan.
The Grand Elder would remain behind to hold down the fort as the Sea Anchor of the sect.
Five Profound Comprehension elders would accompany them, including Bai Ye.
There would also be twelve Primordial Core Realm cultivators.
They would depart for the Demon Extermination Holy City three days later.
Bai Ye sat in his seat and never spoke a word.
He watched the argument before him in silence.
After making a simple deduction, he suspected that this Abyssal Invasion would be anything but ordinary.
However, with his current cultivation at the True God Third Layer, he did not need to worry too much.
"The Demon Extermination Holy City...? That's fine. I might as well go take a look."
Three days later.
Azure Cloud Sect.
The Main Peak's plaza was already crowded with disciples seeing them off.
The dawn pierced through the clouds and spilled across a flying boat that gleamed pure white from end to end.
This was the Azure Cloud Sect's only Heavenly Rank Flying Boat—the Azure Cloud.
The flying boat was about a hundred zhang long, its hull carved from thousand-year-old Cloud Patterned Jade Marrow and covered in flowing azure runes.
A faint halo of spiritual energy lingered between the runes. With every gentle fluctuation, it drew in the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth, lifting the flying boat into the air without the slightest sign of falling.
A wing-spread Azure Luan was carved into the bow. Top-grade Spirit Stones were set into its eyes, which glimmered with a warm luster in the morning light, displaying the grandeur of a Heavenly Rank Flying Boat to the fullest.
"Sect Master, Second Elder, you must take care on your journey to the Demon Extermination Holy City!"
"Rest assured, everyone. We will certainly guard the sect well!"
The disciples stood below the plaza, gazing at the figures aboard the flying boat. Their voices were filled with reluctance and respect.
Sect master Su Wenxuan stood at the bow in a dark Daoist robe. He gave the disciples below a slight nod, his eyes carrying a reassuring warmth. "Cultivate in peace. When we return, it will be the moment our sect rises to even greater heights."
The Second Elder followed close behind. He wore a cyan elder's robe, his temples streaked with white. His gaze swept over Bai Ye and the other accompanying cultivators, and his tone was solemn. "The journey to the Holy City will be fraught with unknown danger. Everyone, remember this: preserving your lives comes first."
Bai Ye stood among the ranks of cultivators in a blue-gray robe, his aura restrained. He looked ordinary, yet he drew two extra glances from the Second Elder.
Over the past century, Bai Ye's "cultivation" had steadily risen from the Primordial Core Fourth Layer to the Late Profound Comprehension level. The speed of his progress was already top-tier, but his temperament was simply too low-key. He had never fought or struggled for anything.
Once everyone had boarded, the runes at the rear of the flying boat suddenly lit up, and azure spiritual light shot into the sky.
Whoosh—!
The flying boat transformed into a streak of light, cleaving through the heavens as it sped toward Dao State.
Below, the disciples gazed in the direction the flying boat had vanished, unwilling to leave for a long time.
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