Five years have passed, and I wonder what's happening at Cuixia Mountain?
Chen Changming finished his cultivation, stood up, his face rather gloomy, and he was also somewhat worried about his Senior Sister.
Senior Sister has high cultivation and strong strength. As long as nothing unexpected happens, she should be safe from danger in Cuixia Mountain.
The sound of something cutting through the air came from behind.
A White Ape, over two meters tall, with a layer of black mist above its head, suddenly rushed out of the forest and headed straight for Chen Changming.
The White Ape had a wound on its body, and it was covered in blood.
"Hmm, Demonized Beast?"
Chen Changming was taken aback. He knew that there were many White Ape in the mountains near White Ape Village, but the White Ape in front of him was shrouded in Demonic Qi and had evolved into Rank 1 Upper-Tier Beast.
This is equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Level 10 in the human race.
"It seems the Demonic Qi Region has spread, and the overall situation in the Chu Kingdom is not optimistic!"
Seeing the White Ape rushing towards him, Chen Changming flicked his finger, releasing a Spirit Finger Flick.
boom!
The White Ape's head exploded instantly, killing it on the spot.
"This fellow Daoist is quite skilled!"
Suddenly, a man's voice of praise came from afar, and then Chen Changming saw two figures flying towards him on swords.
"They're all at the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm!"
After Chen Changming ascertained the other party's cultivation level, the heart that had been pounding in his chest finally settled down.
Having secluded himself for so long, he was actually a little afraid of meeting strangers, especially Foundation Establishment cultivators with higher cultivation levels than him.
Fortunately, the two were not highly skilled and posed no threat to him.
Two sword lights fell, transforming into two men.
The two men were dressed in different colors. One wore a white robe, was handsome and dashing, and quite debonair; the other wore a gray robe, had an ordinary appearance, and thick lips, giving him an honest and kind impression.
The man in white robes clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "This escaped ape is dead. Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist."
"You're too kind, fellow Daoist."
Chen Changming's eyes flickered, and he suddenly noticed that the Gray-Robed Man had a familiar black lotus flower embroidered on his chest.
Black Lotus Sect!
Chen Changming's heart tightened, and he instinctively decided to kill him to silence him.
He's been in hiding for almost ten years; could it be that the Black Lotus Sect has come knocking on his door?
"Fellow Daoist, shouldn't you have been cultivating in seclusion here all along?"
The Gray-Robed Man looked at Chen Changming and sighed softly, "We're too late. The White Ape Village, hundreds of miles away, was completely slaughtered by a group of demonized White Ape. The scene was truly horrific. If you had known about the existence of these Demonized White Ape beforehand, you would have acted much earlier and prevented the White Ape Village from perishing."
"I knew about White Ape Village, but I never expected this..."
Chen Changming's expression changed, and he suppressed his grief and sighed.
More than a hundred people in White Ape Village died tragically under the fangs and claws of these White Ape. It's hateful that he was always cultivating and knew nothing about the outside world!
"There's nothing we can do. These villagers are just ordinary people; they can't possibly withstand these Demon Beast."
"I can't believe it Gray-Robed Man said regretfully.
Chen Changming nodded silently, and for a moment he was filled with hatred for the Demonized Beast.
He knew everyone in White Ape Village well; they were like family to him.
How could he not be heartbroken now that his loved one has died?
In front of two Foundation Establishment men of unknown origin, he couldn't reveal his true feelings or show his true self to them.
"Fellow Daoist, your Flying Sword sword technique is truly remarkable. Your method of slaying the White Ape was clean and efficient. May I ask which sect or school you belong to?"
The man in white robes clasped his hands in a fist salute and asked with a smile.
"I am but a rogue cultivator."
Chen Changming said modestly.
The two people were too far away to see clearly the Spirit Finger Flick.
"Fellow Daoist, Demonic Qi is rampant, causing immense suffering and death among all living beings. You also possess considerable skills; why not join the Demon-Slaying Alliance like us?"
"That's what the Gray-Robed Man suggested."
" Demon-Slaying Alliance?"
Chen Changming's gaze flickered, then fell on the black lotus on the Gray-Robed Man's chest. He frowned and asked, "Fellow Daoist, I have been diligently cultivating here. May I ask what kind of organization this Demon-Slaying Alliance is?"
"Does Fellow Daoist know about the Demonic Qi Well?"
"I asked the Gray-Robed Man."
Chen Changming said, "I know a little bit. I remember the Demonic Qi Region is quite limited..."
" The Demonic Qi Well later erupted, spewing out Demonic Qi wildly, affecting a large number of wild beasts within a radius of tens of thousands of miles. These beasts evolved into Demon Beast, causing enormous destruction to the surrounding creatures. All kinds of forces, large, medium, and small, throughout the Chu Kingdom united to form the Demon-Slaying Alliance specifically to target the Demonized Beast."
The Gray-Robed Man looked solemn and pointed to the Black Lotus on his chest, saying, "I come from the Black Lotus Sect, and this fellow Daoist Zhao beside me is a rogue cultivator."
"I see."
Chen Changming suddenly realized, and the murderous intent in his heart subsided like a receding tide.
The Black Lotus Sect hadn't discovered him, so he had no reason to kill the two people.
In Chen Changming's mind, the Black Lotus Sect had always been considered evil, belonging to an unorthodox sect. He never expected that such an evil sect would join the Demon-Slaying Alliance.
This shows that the Demon-Slaying Alliance involves both the righteous and evil factions, and that the two factions have actually joined forces to protect the Chu Kingdom.
"Fellow Daoist, why don't you join us too?"
The man in white robes asked with great eagerness. He was also a rogue cultivator, so he felt a special affinity for rogue cultivators.
"No, I'm used to a carefree, leisurely life."
Chen Changming shook his head and refused.
His strength is still weak, so it's not advisable for him to stand out. Steady cultivation is the right path for him.
"Alright, then, fellow Daoist, we'll meet again someday."
Disappointment showed on the Gray-Robed Man's face. After clasping his hands in a fist salute, he exchanged a glance with the white-robed man and flew away on his sword.
"This place is no longer safe..."
After the two had gone far away, Chen Changming put the White Ape's corpse into his Beast Taming Bracelet, returned to the cave to tidy up, and then quickly left on his Flying Sword.
The Chu Kingdom has been affected by Demonic Qi, and its overall situation is not optimistic.
If he continues to cultivate here, he will definitely be disturbed by more and more Demonized Beast. If the Demonic Qi spreads quickly, this entire mountain range might be enveloped as well.
This is one of the reasons for leaving.
The second reason is that this place has been discovered by outsiders, and there is a possibility that cultivators will come to visit him and keep inviting him to join the Demon-Slaying Alliance.
He didn't want to be disturbed.
If a weakness appears anywhere, we'll be at a disadvantage.
Chen Changming didn't want his ten years of seclusion to end in failure, with the Black Lotus Sect discovering his secret, so he quickly set off to leave.
During the flight, Chen Changming saw that the plains to the southwest of this mountain range were shrouded in a layer of black Demonic Qi. Presumably, the White Ape in the mountains had been to that area and had been infected.
"What exactly is this Demonic Qi Well?"
At this moment, the image of the enormous Demon Spirit Tree appeared in Chen Changming's mind.
How similar are the two?
" Cuixia Mountain isn't far from Mysterious Yin Mountain, but judging from the current situation, it's probably fallen into ruin as well..."
A strong sense of crisis rose in my heart.
Chen Changming decided to first find a safe city and go in to investigate the current situation of the Chu Kingdom.