A Surprise Attack

The incoming beams of light fell like a shower of starlight, all hovering above the long dragon's head amidst a burst of five-colored brilliance.

As Red Sheep would have it, the elixir that Li Fan had consumed had worn off, restoring him to his original form. He even cast a Bright Light Talisman to identify himself. So, without calling anyone up, he simply sliced it to pieces with a sword. The beast, familiar with the situation, lowered its head and lay there pretending to be dead, as if it were nothing more than a clueless mount for decoration.

From within that radiant light, Yao Xuanzhou's figure was revealed first.

"Disciple Qingyue of Ink Bamboo Mountain pays respects to the Abbot."

Li Fan bowed respectfully, then looked up and counted the group of cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain who had arrived. There were seven Nascent Soul Stage cultivators and forty-two Golden Core cultivators. The Golden Core cultivators were all dressed in the attire of the Lou Guan Discipline Institute, wearing black Daoist robes and carrying Black Sword swords that concealed Sword Light. Their faces Unknown Face covered, so their identities could not be discerned at the moment. As for Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, they did not cover their faces. Apart from Yao Xuanzhou, the other six were unfamiliar to him, but they were all unremarkable middle-aged or elderly people with strong auras. They were definitely not insignificant people, and were probably all True Cultivator cultivators from Lou Guan who guarded the Ten-thousand-mountains.

"Qingyue! I'm so glad you're alright," Yao Xuanzhou visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced at Li Fan and saw that although he looked tired, he was in good spirits. He then said to the others, "Alright, we've found him. Let's go back to the mountain."

Li Fan was taken aback. "Uh, no... Abbot, we're not killing Jade Toad Granny?"

Yao Xuanzhou shook his head, "It escaped from Lei Marsh three times already, and I can't find its whereabouts this time either."

Li Fan was momentarily confused. "Then why are you all here...?"

Yao Xuanzhou glared at him irritably, tossed him a gourd, and said, "The abbot sent word that your soul lamp was almost extinguished, but there is a way out here. We have been searching for you for a long time."

I thought you were injured by Jade Toad Granny, poisoned, and on the verge of death. I didn't expect you to be so energetic... Here, I've prepared everything anyway, keep it for later."

"..." Li Fan held a gourd of elixirs, and his stomach couldn't help but feel a wave of acid reflux.

"Kill that scoundrel! Tear him to pieces! Tear him to pieces! Aaaaaah!"

At this moment, the demon soldiers and generals also caught up. The white sheep Meng Bing, who had returned to human form, was shouting like a madman. The Nascent Soul Stage demon generals had no choice but to stay by his side to protect him, lest this guy crash again.

Yao Xuanzhou was puzzled. "Who are these people?"

The demon generals, seeing the sudden appearance of the cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain, knew that the sudden darkness was the work of the enemy. Ignoring the mournful cries of the white sheep, they ordered their army to halt and form ranks on guard.

Then the demons saw Li Fan, who had been so murderous just moments before, suddenly act like a harmless young boy, pointing and gesturing towards the demon army while talking to the fat man standing on the Chi Jiao's head, as if he had just gotten into a fight and was complaining to an adult.

The fat man listened for a while, glancing at them every now and then. Finally, he patted the boy on the shoulder, said a few words to the black-robed Daoists in the sky, and then transformed into golden light and vanished into the sky.

Then the other cultivators followed him and soared into the sky. Forty-nine golden threads unfolded under the sky, crossing the Black Sea in an instant and arriving right in front of him!

"Form ranks! Form ranks!"

" Engage the enemy! Engage the enemy!"

The demon generals immediately sensed something was wrong, quickly condensed their protective forms, and ordered themselves to form ranks, preparing for a great battle!

However, the seven stars in front flashed by and then swept away, followed by a swarm of golden stars that swept past like locusts, weaving through the ranks and drawing forty-nine golden threads through the dense horde of demons. Then, in the blink of an eye, they turned back, circled around, and once again formed a net of threads, covering the heads of the Demon Race army.

At this moment, the assembled demon army numbered in the tens of thousands, and no one could figure out what it meant for these cultivators to be moving back and forth, drawing out so much golden light. So a demon general tentatively threw his flying axe, slashing at the condensed golden light in the sky.

However, the flying axe passed right through the golden light without any obstruction, as if those beams were indeed just simple rays of light.

For a moment, the demons were bewildered and did not react immediately. In the blink of an eye, the cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain folded the net seven times, weaving a dense golden net in the sky, which then rained down on the army below.

"Withdraw... withdraw! Withdraw!"

"Scatter! Scatter all!"

This was clearly a trap set to catch fish. The Nascent Soul Stage demon generals finally realized what was happening. Two of them were still trying to give orders, while the others abandoned their troops and fled like madmen.

However, this golden net was practically drawn out with the light of escape, covering the sky and obscuring the sun. The Nascent Soul Stage demon general could barely escape, but how could the other demon soldiers possibly escape?

Most of the demons didn't even have a chance to react. The net of light pierced through them instantly, and one by one they suddenly revealed their true forms, falling into the sea in a daze. In just a short while, piles of dead fish and shrimp floated to the surface...

Li Fan watched from afar as this horrific mass extinction unfolded, a mixture of doubt, bewilderment, and a sudden craving for food... What kind of bizarre magic was this? Fishing techniques??

' The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao appears to be a formation for attacking the primordial spirit, destroying the soul without damaging the physical body. It's alright, isn't it?'

The Daoist technique that could kill tens of thousands of demons in one fell swoop was... well, let's just say it was far inferior to the visual effects of the Taiyin Sword Art, and certainly not that cool...

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent said, there's no point in comparing them. The Taiyin Sword Art is for fighting against Nascent Soul cultivators. Its Sword Light is particularly domineering; even a slight graze can injure someone."

This spell seems more like a trap or roadblock, not a specific battle formation. It's just that these monsters happened to be grouped together, so they were easily caught in one fell swoop.

Just doing it casually... The Daoist magic here is way too exaggerated...

Li Fan looked at the floating corpses on the sea. The golden net descended from the sky, penetrating deep into the water. Those who had dived into the sea couldn't escape; they struggled for a while before surfacing. As for the demon generals who managed to escape the net, they didn't fare well either. They might escape for a while, but could they really escape from this overwhelming dark cloud?

At that moment, he saw from afar that dozens of stars were shuttling back and forth in the sky, their sword energy flashing and crisscrossing, surrounding and shattering the scattered demonic winds. Occasionally, some would try to turn back and fight back, but their bursts of energy were instantly shattered by the Black Sword Light from all directions. In no time, the screams of demons ceased in the air, and the sound of corpses falling into the sea could be heard.

The only smell that filled my nostrils was the strong stench of blood carried on the sea breeze.

Li Fan could feel the Red Sheep trembling beneath his feet. Following its gaze, he easily found the white sheep, which had probably been cut into four pieces by a Sword Light. Being a dragon, its large size made it quite conspicuous among the pile of corpses.

"We raise dragons in the mountains to extract their gallbladders for medicinal purposes. Your courage seems a bit lacking."

Upon hearing this, Red Sheep trembled and sobbed uncontrollably, unable to speak.

"Why is this snake crying?"

At this moment, the cultivators of Ink Bamboo Mountain began to clean up the battlefield, picking and choosing to divide the corpses and extract the cores. Yao Xuanzhou flew back and asked.

Li Fan laughed and said, "Oh, it sincerely admires the elegance of the True Cultivator of my Ink Bamboo Mountain and has volunteered to be the mountain's medicine dragon, but it's afraid it won't be accepted."

"Someone would volunteer for something like this?" Yao Xuanzhou shrugged. "Whatever. This Tianyi Divine Palace is full of dragons. If we can catch a few more obedient ones to breed, raising several litters would be a good thing."

You get really excited when you talk about this Red Sheep, saying, "The concubines of the two traitors, Meng Bing, have also come to the army. I, a humble little sheep, am willing to be the vanguard, to take down the bandit leader for Ink Bamboo Mountain, and I will gladly shed my blood for him!"

Li Fan rolled his eyes and glared at it, and Red Sheep immediately shut up and acted like a grandson.

Yao Xuanzhou shook his head and said, "However, according to what you just said, there are three Divine Transformation stage demons leading the army this time, and there is also Ling King at the Enlightenment Stage. And the islands of the South China Sea have already secretly submitted, so it is not advisable for our Ink Bamboo Mountain to get too involved."

"We're already overwhelmed with both the Li Country and the Ten-thousand-mountains, let alone the South China Sea. Besides, our reputation there isn't good either, and getting involved would make the Three Great Sects wary."

Although Li Fan understood the predicament of being universally reviled by Ink Bamboo Mountain, he still frowned when he thought of the righteous men like the Shi Family who died tragically. "Are we just going to sit idly by and watch these monsters wreak havoc on the South China Sea?"

Yao Xuanzhou waved his hand, "It's not that I don't care. I just took a look, and their abilities are nothing special. They're just old tricks from the Immortal Palace. So, I'll follow your plan. First, we'll raid the demon army's granaries, then defeat their army. That should ensure peace in the South China Sea for the next ten years. As for the rest, we'll submit a memorial to the Three Palaces for their decision."

As for whether these local monks are willing to leave their homes and move elsewhere, there's no way to force them."

Li Fan thought about it, and realized that this was indeed all Ink Bamboo Mountain could do. They weren't Three Great Sects; they couldn't just take a demon's testimony and accuse someone of colluding with Demon Race, then confiscate their property...

"However, among the invading demon army this time, there are probably three Divine Transformation, and we don't know where Jade Toad Granny is hiding. Does the Abbot have any chance of winning?"

Li Fan wasn't sure either. While this world had a division between Nascent Divine Transformation and Nascent Soul Stage Transformation realms, this division could only serve as a rough reference; actual combat strength was difficult to judge. Especially those Nascent Soul Stage cultivators properly trained by the Xuanmen sect—they were often ridiculously powerful. As for someone like Xiao Yao, you could say he was strong, but he couldn't even capture Jade Toad Granny; you could say he was weak, but he was incredibly powerful. Just now, three or four Nascent Soul Stage demon generals tried to fight back, but he killed them all with a single sword strike, scaring the demons into fleeing in terror. He might as well just ask himself if he was confident...

Yao Xuanzhou was quite straightforward, "We'll have to take a look. If these three demon kings are only body cultivators, the seven True Persons of our sect here are enough. If they know some demonic arts, we'll have to see what their specific methods are and be careful. After all, those like Jade Toad Granny are a minority. As long as we don't focus solely on escaping, there shouldn't be too much of a problem."

But there are just too many demons in this sea. Even if you kill three, three more will come. There's no end to it...

Red Sheep interjected, "Real Person, please allow me to report. The commander of that demon army is called Divine Lord Meng Guang. He is the Ling King and has obtained many true teachings and magical treasures from the Tianyi Divine Palace. His methods are extraordinary. However, he went back to the Divine Palace for a banquet these past two days, and the two guardians left behind in the army are his two bodyguards."

One of these demons was a whale that attained enlightenment, known as the Divine General Panqiao, who wielded an iron rod; the other was a ribbonfish that became a spirit, called the Yin Suo Divine General, who used a long sword.

They were originally the overlords of the sea. After being subdued by the Ling King, they were granted the true teachings of the Divine Palace by the Divine Lord, which enabled them to break through to the Transformation Stage. They are the most loyal and devoted.

Although these two demons do not know any demonic magic, they rely on their powerful true forms and immense strength, and each has unique abilities that allow them to subdue other demons.

That silver shuttle was a ferocious and tyrannical creature, skilled in troop deployment and specializing in training and commanding troops. The soldiers under Meng Guang's command were all trained by it.

Panqiao was quite cunning. After transforming into human form, it often traveled in the South China Sea and colluded with a group of cultivators from the South China Sea to establish a so-called Whale Seeking Alliance. Many plots, rebellions, and conspiracies in the Ten Continents and Seven Islands were orchestrated by it and its Human Race spies behind the scenes.

These two are Divine Lord Meng Guang's right-hand men. If we eliminate these two scoundrels, even Meng Guang's vast army will be difficult to command."

Yao Xuanzhou clicked his tongue in amazement, "Is this really true?"

Li Fan thought for a moment, then took out the Persian cat from his sleeve, asked Red Sheep to repeat it again, and nodded, "It's definitely true."

As expected, there was a secret connection between the inner rooms, and many things became clear instantly.

Now, the ribbonfish wants to control the entire army in the trench, the whale wants to win over the rogue cultivators of the South China Sea islands, Divine Lord Meng Guang went back to the banquet, probably to give his father a PowerPoint presentation on the grand prospects of the South China Sea project and to secure some sponsorship. As for that Jade Toad Granny, she's probably hiding in the shadows recovering from her injuries, and it's impossible for her to join the leadership team so quickly. The fact that they can't even squeeze out a Divine Transformation who can take charge of rescuing the prince shows just how bad things are.

In truth, Li Fan could see that the demon generals who came to rescue Aries were simply weak in strength, though not stupid. The ribbonfish general was probably one of the more quick-witted and resourceful demon generals they had chosen, but unfortunately, he ran right into Ink Bamboo Mountain's hands. The rest were nothing but good-for-nothings, mere shrimp soldiers and crab generals, fish on a chopping board. What was there to fear?

It is evident that the problems of insufficient manpower and excessive territory are not unique to Ink Bamboo Mountain. Whether it is the Three Great Sects or Tianyi Divine Palace, even powerful forces that are not lacking in Cultivation Method treasures will always lack the kind of trusted and cultivated core confidants.

Take Red Sheep, for example. He's eloquent and has a good grasp of the situation, yet he still revealed all the sect's secrets just to save his own life. No matter how strict the rules are at Ink Bamboo Mountain, there's still internal strife between the northern and southern factions, and there are still traitors like Jade Toad Granny.

So no one needs to laugh at anyone else. It can only be said that Tianyi Divine Palace lacks a master like the Abbot who can strategize. So no matter how much they struggle, they only have the wisdom of mortals. This time, they have almost no chance of winning.

Therefore, the people of Ink Bamboo Mountain acted decisively. Led by Li Fan's Sword Light, they rushed straight to the demon army warehouse in the coral sea near Juku Isle and launched a surprise attack.

Although the coral was affected by things like the Tai Su Dao Ancestor, the group from Ink Bamboo Mountain were also experts in Tai Su. Besides, Li Fan's eyesight was much better than that of Divine Lord Meng Guang. At worst, he could just glare his way in and charge in.

In short, as long as we seize the military supplies that Divine Lord Meng Guang prepared for the attack on the South China Sea, these demon soldiers will not be far from defeat. And if the demon army is defeated, those traitors who surrendered will not be able to cause any trouble.

To Li Fan's great surprise, when the fifty cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain, along with a surrendered Red Sheep, rushed to the ghostly coral forest under the cover of night, thinking they had gotten away unnoticed, they actually bumped into other people in the sky!

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent is the Way of Emei.'

Damn, he was so scared he almost spat out a flying sword...

It was fortunate that Sword Light was flying in the air from both sides, and they could tell from a distance that the other side was not a demon, which prevented them from crashing into each other and fighting directly.

Twenty-four Sword Light appeared before him, and a figure flew out from among them to meet him.

Holy crap, Divine Transformation...

Yao Xuanzhou and Li Fan exchanged a glance, and the two flew forward together to pay their respects.

"Yao Xuanzhou (Qingyue) of Ink Bamboo Mountain pays respects to the Divine Lord."

When he looked up, he saw that the female cultivator had already appeared in front of him. Her lips were light and red without makeup, her eyebrows were arched and green without any makeup, her face was like a white peach, and her eyes were like water apricots. Well, I'd say she was a 90 out of 100 without makeup.

"The benevolent and compassionate Xuan Girl of the Nine Heavens, who saves the world, bestows blessings, and pardons sins—Han Xiangmo of Emei."

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent Dao, oh dear, Little Han.'

Why is it another disciple you've already booked?

"The Profound Heaven Sword Intent is the little wife reserved for that scoundrel. What do you see that makes her inferior to that fox?"

Ugh, and then they told me they only saw her as a junior sister. I'm so angry...

Nan Ge Zi - Fragrant Ink Curved Painting

The ink curves gently, the rouge is applied lightly. She wears a blue shirt and an apricot-yellow skirt, leaning alone against the jade railing, silently touching her sandalwood lips.

People are gone, only flowing water remains; flowers fall, half-concealing the door. Where can one find drifting clouds amidst the chaotic mountains? Once again, a crescent moon shines at dusk.