Behind this great cultivator of the Void Return Realm stood twelve Spirit Transformation cultivators and seventy-two Nascent Soul cultivators.
Click~
With a soft sound, the faceplate of his helmet opened automatically, revealing a handsome face.
Xiao Ning of the Supreme Dao Sect!
As a great cultivator who had only recently advanced to the Void Return Realm, he had to oversee the Sword Sect branch of the Ancient Cultivator Response Department for a hundred years.
Looking down at the crimson formation patterns as they faded away, he was about to search the area with his Divine Sense when a streak of light came from somewhere, cut across the sky, and stopped before him.
Amid the hazy white light was a palm-sized, sword-shaped Jade Talisman.
"Martial Uncle, isn't that from the Sword Sect..." A Spirit Transformation cultivator behind him trailed off.
"Mm. It's a Sword Sect Token."
Sword Sect Tokens were used by Sword Sect elders and those above them to send messages to Sword Sect disciples.
Everyone behind him grew indignant at those words.
"The Sword Sect has gone too far!"
"Our Supreme Dao Sect is an Immortal Sect too. It's bad enough that they usually look down their noses at us! Now they actually dare treat us like subordinates!"
"Martial Uncle! Why not just crush it, then report this to the sect and demand an explanation from the Sword Sect?"
They all chimed in, looking righteously indignant, but no one laid a hand on the Token hovering in midair.
Every one of them had mastered the essence of the "better-safe-than-sorry" approach.
True Person Xiaoning was at a loss for words.
But in the time it took them to say those few words, the Sword Sect Token seemed to have grown impatient. A flash of white light, and it shot straight into True Person Xiaoning's brow.
Everyone was horrified and hurriedly backed away, leaving True Person Xiaoning alone in place.
There was only one sentence inside the Token.
"Those who have emerged from seclusion in Xuanjian City, Sword Province, belong to my Sword Sect. There is no need for concern."
The mighty voice echoed through the air. Having fulfilled its purpose, the Jade Talisman burst apart, transforming into a streak of sharp, roving purple energy that circled within his sea of consciousness.
Void-Evil-Breaking Sword Qi.
Only a sword cultivator of immense power, beyond the Void Return Realm, could release it. It was precisely the material he desperately needed for his cultivation method, something he had long sought in vain. Now, it had been delivered right to his door.
Was this an advance payment?
But couldn't they at least tell him what he was supposed to do?
"Martial Uncle, are you all right?" another Spirit Transformation cultivator called out.
Looking at his nephew-disciple standing far away, True Person Xiaoning's eye twitched.
In recent years, he didn't know what had happened within the Supreme Dao Sect, but a trend of "cautious cultivation" had taken hold, influencing many people.
There were far more cultivators in the sect practicing concealment techniques and clone arts.
For that matter, some of the nephew-disciples who had come with him might even be clones.
"The Sword Sect is a righteous Immortal Sect, and it has always had good relations with our Supreme Dao Sect. You don't need to be so wary."
"Martial Uncle is right."
"But someone could be impersonating them, just in case. Better to be careful."
Who would dare impersonate a Sword Sect Token?
True Person Xiaoning grumbled inwardly.
Forget it!
"This Sword Sect Token is a Purple Sword Token. The person who emerged from seclusion nearby is a Sword Sect cultivator. We only need to inform the city mayor afterward."
The Purple Sword Token was a high-level Token, second only to the Ancestral Sword Token.
It seemed the person who had emerged from seclusion this time had quite a high status.
One of the Sword Sect's four great elders?
Or perhaps some Sword Sect grand elder they didn't know about?
"Yes!"
Everyone answered in unison, then followed True Person Xiaoning down toward the city.
On the outskirts of Xuanjian City, as the city-protecting formation shut down, a young man in a white tracksuit strolled in at an unhurried pace.
He had ordinary features and a sunny, easygoing air that made people take to him at first sight.
But after only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked into the distance.
One Void Return cultivator, twelve Spirit Transformation cultivators, and seventy-two Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Not bad, not bad. All disciples of the Immortal Sects, with pure souls."
It had been worth using blood ties as a lure three years ago, casting a spell to deceive his foolish younger brother into sacrificing himself, and gathering all the materials in one stroke.
Otherwise, in this day and age, obtaining a high-grade Void Return cultivator's living soul without leaving any hidden dangers was truly an uphill battle.
Let alone the vast number of auxiliary souls.
The Seven Great Immortal Sects ruled together. Even at his current level, he didn't dare slaughter mortals on a grand scale.
"Sigh~"
With a soft sigh, a small silver-white banner appeared in the young man's hand. Its surface shimmered with light, while illusory dragons and phoenixes leapt across it, making it look like a legendary immortal treasure.
This was the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, a classic demonic artifact.
However, with the changing times, the powerful figures of the demonic path had improved it as well.
Otherwise, with the original, sinister version, you would collect living souls and wouldn't even have started refining the treasure before the righteous path's mighty cultivators came knocking.
"Refining an artifact really isn't easy."
Actually, this wasn't the best time either. An ancient cultivator had emerged from seclusion, and who knew what realm he was in?
If he turned out to be an old monster on the level of an Immortal Sect grand elder, he might be slapped to death in an instant.
But opportunities like this were rare...
He had been planning to make this Ten Thousand Soul Banner for a long time. He had even refined his own younger brother into it.
A Void Return cultivator from the Supreme Dao Sect was close at hand. His soul alone was worth two ordinary Void Return cultivators'.
If he used this True Person Xiaoning as the Banner's primary soul, he was confident he could reach the next realm within a hundred years.
As his thoughts raced, he took out two dimly glowing, dark-purple beads. He refined them with his spiritual power, and the purple light inside faded, leaving them pure white and flawless.
He let go. The pure-white beads fell to the ground without breaking, instead sinking straight into it.
The beads continued downward, plunging until they finally seeped into the foundation of the city-protecting formation.
Humm~
With a soft sound, a hazy, clear light rose from the formation's foundation and shot high into the sky.
"Three hundred and sixty-four places left."
As soon as he spoke, one illusory figure after another emerged from his body and rushed toward the city—or, more precisely, toward the locations of the formation's foundations within it.
If the city-protecting formation hadn't just been activated, he wouldn't have been able to reverse its nature so easily.
At Xuanjian City No. 3 Middle School, the city-protecting formation had shut down, so many people who had been inside the classrooms came outside.
"Notice: The great cultivator True Person Xiaoning of the Void Return Realm has arrived in our city with an ancient cultivator negotiation team."
"The city-protecting formation has been shut down."
"To ensure the personal safety of all residents, please do not leave your schools or the grounds of the various sects for now. Wait for further notice."
The announcement rang out soon after, spreading across the whole city.
The tense atmosphere in Xuanjian City eased considerably.
No matter what, with a Void Return cultivator stationed here, even if the ancient cultivator who had emerged from seclusion really did cause trouble, it would be easier to stop him.
Zhang Yunlu stepped outside the classroom. Feeling the spiritual energy gradually grow calmer, she looked into the distance.
She saw streaks of clear light rising into the sky, transforming into enormous dragon and phoenix apparitions that circled above Xuanjian City, weaving through the clouds. The sight was magnificent.
"As expected of a Void Return cultivator. Even his entrance is so impressive," she couldn't help praising.
"Impressive?" Xu Xing walked over to her and looked up at the dragon and phoenix apparitions that covered all of Xuanjian City. "I'm afraid that wasn't True Person Xiaoning's doing."
"Huh?"
Not True Person Xiaoning?
Then who could it be?
"Among demonic cultivators, there's an especially sinister artifact that's fairly easy to make. You need to collect a great many living souls, along with the souls of one or more powerful cultivators to serve as its primary souls."
"You mean... the Ten Thousand Soul Banner?"
It had been a long time since anyone had refined such a forbidden artifact.
"Exactly." Xu Xing nodded and continued explaining. "But collecting living souls—whether it's a huge number of auxiliary souls or the souls of powerful cultivators—is prone to complications. So the mighty figures of the demonic path designed a formation for this."
Hearing this, Zhang Yunlu recalled the ancient history she had seen on the Spirit Net, and her heart tightened.
"The Soul-Seizing Formation? You're not saying..."
"Quick on the uptake." Xu Xing praised her, his gaze still fixed on the dragon and phoenix apparitions. "The thing above our heads is the Soul-Seizing Formation—and an improved version at that."
These days, even the Ten Thousand Soul Banner needed a makeover, dressed up to look like some kind of immortal treasure.
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