Righteous Dao in Turmoil, Demonic Dao Ascendant

As the grand elder's words fell, the disciples' hearts tightened, and they glanced at the people around them. More and more disciples arrived, and the grand elder's gaze turned cold as she looked at a personal disciple who was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Couldn't we find a better place? Are we just going to stay here and wait for the demonic Dao to catch us all in one net?" Zhao Rongxuan shouted to the disciples around him. If his master hadn't given him a life-saving treasure before he came, he would have perished in the sea of flames along with the personal disciples who hadn't had time to prepare.

Zhao Rongxuan was well talented, a dual Spirit Root cultivator the Zhao Household produced only once in a century. But his water and wood Spirit Roots were ordinary, and his comprehension was poor. He was arrogant and overbearing all day long, relying on his master to bully disciples weaker than himself.

The grand elder suppressed the anger in her heart and landed in front of Zhao Rongxuan, her delicate brows furrowing slightly. "I chose this place. Do you have a problem with it?" Zhao Rongxuan immediately lowered his head. Even his master didn't want to provoke the grand elder, much less him.

Seeing that Zhao Rongxuan had fallen silent, the grand elder gave a cold snort and left. Zhao Rongxuan's eyes went cold, and he slapped a disciple beside him across the face. "You saw the grand elder coming and didn't warn me? You really deserve to die." The disciple could only stand to one side, holding his face as he endured Zhao Rongxuan's abuse.

Qin Yi merely glanced at Zhao Rongxuan before turning his attention elsewhere. Trash like him wasn't worth another thought.

Before long, everyone's voice transmission jade talismans lit up at once. The sect had issued an order: each elder was to gather the disciples nearby and head to the Azure Seclusion Plain immediately.

An hour later, the sky was beginning to lighten, and Qin Yi and the others finally reached the Azure Seclusion Plain. Immortal sect cultivators had already filled the plain. Two sects stood out most: the Heavenly Buddha Temple, whose members were all bald monks, and the Clear Bathing Palace, whose members were all beautiful female cultivators.

The Heavenly Buddha Temple specialized in Buddhist teachings. Because of the special Cultivation Methods they practiced, they posed a far greater threat to the demonic Dao than the other sects did. Thus, ever since the demonic Dao came into being, it had regarded the Heavenly Buddha Temple as a thorn in its eye and a splinter in its flesh.

The Clear Bathing Palace was made up of female cultivators, all of whom covered their faces with veils. Unless they were expelled from the Clear Bathing Palace, they would never remove their veils for the rest of their lives, as proof of their determination to cultivate immortality. Even so, they made a beautiful sight just standing there.

"Grand Elder."

Seeing the grand elder arrive, the other elders and stewards of the Eight Gods Pavilion hurried over with their disciples. After several elders reported the total casualties from the attack, the grand elder's expression darkened. They had lost nearly a hundred disciples without even catching sight of the demonic Dao.

Most were outer disciples, with a smaller number of inner disciples. One True Disciple had been at a critical point in a breakthrough and, after being injured by the explosion, suffered Qi Deviation and died when his body exploded. Of the other True Disciples who lived in the courtyards, only a few had escaped unscathed, but they had all suffered injuries to varying degrees.

Seeing the grand elder's grim expression, Qin Yi knew how great a loss the attack had inflicted on the Eight Gods Pavilion. If anyone was to blame, it could only be those disciples for underestimating the enemy and revealing their own location. Weren't they just waiting for the enemy to come and kill them?

The demonic Dao had been somewhat skeptical when they first received the news. Could there really be such good fortune? But after making inquiries, they confirmed that the news was true and organized the attack on the righteous Dao, mainly to curb its arrogant air.

"Qian Yun of the Clear Bathing Palace pays her respects to the grand elder." A Clear Bathing Palace disciple with a slender figure and snow-white skin walked over to them. The grand elder landed in front of Qian Yun, and her gaze, which had been icy since yesterday, finally softened a little.

"Is my elder sister doing well at the Clear Bathing Palace?" The grand elder's elder sister was Qian Yun's master, an elder of the Clear Bathing Palace. Back then, one of the sisters had followed their father into the Eight Gods Pavilion, while the other had followed their mother into the Clear Bathing Palace. Both had relied on their talent and strength to rise all the way to the position of elder.

"Master is well in every respect. She had to stay behind and guard the sect this time and couldn't come, so she specifically asked me to give you her regards."

The grand elder took out a voice transmission Jade Slip and handed it to Qian Yun, instructing her to deliver it to her master in person. Qian Yun accepted the Jade Slip and returned to her sect's encampment.

Suddenly, a pillar of blood-red light appeared on the Azure Seclusion Plain, connecting heaven and earth. It gave off a nauseating stench of blood. The elders of the various sects paled the instant they saw it and hurried to evacuate their disciples. Just then, however, people within their own ranks suddenly began killing one another.

"Stop! Stop this at once! What are you doing?!"

"Senior Brother, what's wrong with you? Why are you trying to kill me?"

"The demonic sect is here!"

With the appearance of the pillar of light, the entire Azure Seclusion Plain fell into chaos, and cries of battle and slaughter rang out everywhere. In many sects, disciples suddenly rebelled and attacked their own people, leaving them unable to defend themselves. Only among the Heavenly Buddha Temple, the Clear Bathing Palace, and the Eight Gods Pavilion had no rebellion broken out.

Qin Yi watched the chaos before him coldly, secretly keeping his guard up against the people beside him. He could understand why there were no traitors among those bald donkeys from the Heavenly Buddha Temple, but he would never believe that there were none in the Eight Gods Pavilion or the Clear Bathing Palace. There was only one possibility: it wasn't time for them to reveal themselves yet.

Once the time came, these traitors who remained hidden would surely plunge into the righteous Dao's vital point like a sharp blade, delivering a fatal blow to the behemoth that had suppressed the demonic Dao for hundreds of years.

While the various sects were suppressing the rebellions, the blood-red pillar of light between heaven and earth slowly shortened, transforming into a massive gateway that floated in the sky. As the gates opened, countless demonic Dao cultivators flew out, and the rebellious cultivators from the various sects began gathering around them.

"Everyone, it's only been a hundred years. Has the righteous Dao already grown so weak?" An icy voice came from the gateway.