Blood and Sha

"Senior Brother!"

Seeing that Liu Zhijian was safe and sound, Hu Yueqiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward to bow in respect.

"Why is Xiao Hu here?!" Liu Zhijian was a little surprised to see Hu Yueqiu, but when he looked at Xue Yang behind her, he immediately understood.

The cultivators from the Immortal Alliance who remained behind said that Xue Yang had gone to fetch reinforcements.

I originally thought that the people who came would be cultivators from the Xue Household or high-ranking cultivators from other lineages.

I never expected it to be Hu Yueqiu.

"The Immortal Alliance has issued a decree, and Master has given his approval. I also want to help Senior Brother." After a brief explanation, Hu Yueqiu took out a neatly folded small letter and handed it over, saying with a smile, "This is a letter from Xiao Yu'er. He insisted that I deliver it to Senior Brother personally."

Liu Zhijian took it, opened it, and saw a few words written crookedly on it. He carefully put it away, shook his head, and said, "Xiaoyu has a mischievous personality; you must have had a hard time with her all the time."

"What makes you say that, Senior Brother?" Hu Yueqiu shook his head and smiled, "Xiao Yu'er is innocent and carefree. I've always used her as Law Artifact calming the mind and cultivating wisdom."

When they were at Supreme Mystery Mountain, Liu Zhijian and Hu Yueqiu rarely interacted; at most, they had some camaraderie as fellow disciples.

Now that they've reunited in a foreign land, with a formidable enemy at their side, and with Xiao Yu'er acting as a bridge, there's a greater sense of closeness between them.

Xue Yang was a man of great discretion. After watching Liu Zhijian and Hu Yueqiu finish their conversation, he stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoists, there's no time to lose. Let's go and discuss this matter."

There is an unnamed hill on the Mirror Moon Lake, which has been occupied by the Immortal Alliance and has been equipped with an array to isolate unauthorized personnel, and is used as a meeting place.

Xue Yang's appearance with Liu Zhijian and Hu Yueqiu immediately attracted the attention of all the cultivators.

Liu Zhijian, needless to say, is the eldest disciple of Supreme Mystery Mountain and is recognized as the Child of Fate to carry the Old Method and fortune of the Southern Edge Continent.

Hu Yueqiu, on the other hand, is not well-known.

However, as True Disciple of the Supreme Mystery Mountain sect leader, cultivating the [Fu Water] lineage, and having been specially invited by Xue Yang, he was clearly no ordinary person.

The cultivators present understood the implications and greeted him politely, but none of them would be foolish enough to question Xue Yang in public and offend Supreme Mystery Mountain.

Hu Yueqiu followed behind Liu Zhijian, remaining silent and discreet.

This dispute over the secret realm of Mirror Moon Lake can be described as a major event in Southern Reach.

Not to mention the numerous Rogue Cultivator outside.

Apart from Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain and Supreme Mystery Mountain, there were several minor immortal clans among the cultivators present, each practicing the Daoist traditions of [Xin Metal], [Ding Fire], and [Treasure Earth], respectively.

This was the first time Hu Yueqiu had met her.

Comparing the Daoist scriptures she had read, Hu Yueqiu vaguely sensed that these schools all belonged to a lineage of Daoism that was adept at concealing and hiding imagery and tended towards gentleness and resilience.

After a thousand years of trials and tribulations, most of the unyielding traditions of the Old Method of the Southern Edge Continent have long been lost.

In addition, there was a lone cultivator surnamed Qiao from the Azure Cloud Sect, who stood out from the other cultivators of the Old Method.

It seems that Sect Leader Qiao of the Azure Cloud Sect is determined to integrate into Southern Reach.

Even though the other side was a member of the South Sea Dragon family, they still sent people to express their stance.

After a brief introduction, Xue Yang said solemnly, "Alright! There will be plenty of time to exchange ideas later; let's get down to business."

The assembled cultivators immediately fell silent.

Xue Yang was pleased that his authority was respected, and continued, "Some fellow Daoists already know the whole story, while others are still only vaguely aware. I will briefly recount it."

The lake god of Mirror Moon Lake was a Purple Mansion True Person who cultivated [Confluence Water] hundreds of years ago.

Its true form is a jade snail, said to possess extraordinary bloodline.

Unfortunately, just like the Old Method, the successors were incompetent, and it eventually declined.

A dignified [Purple Mansion] True Person was forced to go ashore and seek refuge with the Immortal Alliance. It's no surprise that he offended the Dragon Clan.

These are all things from hundreds of years ago, so there's no need to worry about them too much.

Xue Yang paused, then got to the real key point. "Later, this [Purple Mansion] True Person simply abandoned his physical body and turned to [Divine Dao] cultivation. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, he perished early."

"The Immortal Dao values purity, while the Divine Dao values turbidity."

Fellow Daoists, please be extremely careful.

"Without Fate as extraordinary as that of Senior Li of Supreme Mystery Mountain, anyone who is tainted by the turbidity of the Divine Dao path will have their Dao Path ruined and be reduced to a mortal."

The cultivators present remained calm upon hearing this.

The Divine Dao is corrupt, which naturally makes immortal cultivators fearful.

Thinking deeper, wouldn't it be extremely useful to obtain a few Divine Dao Law Artifact from the secret realm?!

Leaving aside its convenience in combat, even placing it at home can deter villains.

Xue Yang, well aware of the cultivators' thoughts, shook his head and continued, "If the secret realm opens, everyone can rely on their own abilities to seize the fortuitous opportunity."

"I will lead the Xue Household cultivators to provide support outside; we will not enter the secret realm this time."

The cultivators present were both surprised and delighted.

The good news is that there are far fewer competitors.

What's alarming is the suspicion that the Xue Household's voluntary withdrawal was part of a scheme.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Xue Yang sighed and earnestly explained, "Everyone knows that my Xue Household possesses the [Wu Earth Secret Realm]."

"Moreover, most of the fortuitous opportunity within this secret realm are related to [Confluence Water] and [Divine Dao], and none of them are easy to obtain."

"Everyone, please act wisely and don't let yourselves be blinded by greed."

All the practitioners present nodded in agreement.

As for what he really thinks, only he knows.

With the revival of the Old Method, it's unlikely that anyone would switch to cultivating the troublesome and restrictive Divine Dao at this time.

However, if one were to join the [Confluence Water] Dragon clan, it might not be a bad idea.

[Dragons] are indeed ferocious, but they are also truly wealthy.

Those cultivators who seek refuge with the dragon clan, as long as they survive, will certainly not lack cultivation resources.

There are living examples right now on the Mirror Moon Lake!

After aligning the internal granularity, Xue Yang then spoke of the formidable enemy on the other side, "This time, the [Confluence Water] demons have landed, and their leaders are three demons at the peak of Perfected Qi Refining."

"The cultivation of demons differs from that of us cultivators; they mostly devour Blood Qi and qi to temper their physical bodies."

Please remember to handle this carefully.

In the sea area east of Little Dragon Mountain, cultivators often hunt demons and reap rich rewards.

After hearing Xue Yang's explanation, many cultivators not only felt no danger, but were even eager to try.

Xue Yang knew that the sea was rich and teeming with all sorts of monsters. Dragons were always used as mere consumables and not cherished. He took a deep breath and said, "Besides the [Confluence Water] monsters, we also need to be wary of the Devil Cultivator mixed in with them."

"These Devil Cultivator also practice the Old Method."

"Back then, he betrayed the Immortal Alliance and joined the Dragon Clan, cultivating on several large islands in the sea."

"They also practice the Old Method and have a considerable grudge against the Immortal Alliance. You must be very careful when you encounter them."

The reactions of the practitioners present varied.

Those with a clear lineage naturally know about this colossal scandal in the history of the Immortal Alliance.

Whether it was a defection or Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain's purge of dissidents has always been a point of contention.

Other cultivators were bewildered and discussed the matter amongst themselves.

"Silence!" Xue Yang, who hailed from Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, was naturally loyal to the Immortal Alliance and deeply abhorred those treacherous officials of the past. He suppressed the discussions among the cultivators and continued, "These Old Method Devil Cultivator, whose main cultivation methods are based on the four elements of Blood Fiend and Deep Emptiness, are all lineages that excel in combat and slaughter."

"The [Blood Qi] and [Sha Qi] cultivators who have now appeared are even more capable of sustaining themselves through battle, growing stronger with each fight."

"If you encounter them, remember not to hold back, and finish them off quickly!"

Liu Zhijian and Hu Yueqiu were also greatly impressed.

Dragons dare not set foot on land, but sea monsters are a different story.

The four demonic Devil Cultivator, who are key figures, not only practice the Old Method but also know the Immortal Alliance inside and out, making them difficult to deal with.

Having fulfilled his duty, Xue Yang ignored the other cultivators and invited Liu Zhijian and Hu Yueqiu to a secluded corner, asking in a low voice, "Does Fellow Daoist Hu have any ideas on how to open the secret realm?"

Hu Yueqiu shook her head. "I'm new here and haven't seen it with my own eyes yet, so I really have no clue."

"Hmm." Xue Yang nodded, naturally understanding that this matter could not be rushed.

It was somewhat inappropriate to place such a heavy responsibility on Hu Yueqiu in the first place.

Unfortunately, cultivators who can cultivate the [Fu Water] in the Southern Edge Continent are rare, so we can only make do with what we have.

Xue Yang pondered for a moment, then said, "There's no time to lose! I'll take Fellow Daoist Hu to examine it right away!"

"As long as the secret realm can be opened and this matter resolved quickly, Fellow Daoist Hu will have performed a great service, and the Immortal Alliance will surely reward him handsomely!"