Chapter 45: The Outbreak of War

Sect elder? What utter nonsense! Once I have devoured the vital essence and blood of a hundred virgins of pure yin, even if the sect patriarch himself were to descend in person, I would still dare to annihilate him! Hahahaha... Zhu Ziqiu was now completely consumed by madness, his laughter dark and terrifying, startling Zhang Xiuer so severely that her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

Zhang Xiuer retreated backward along the ground, trembling uncontrollably from head to toe, her teeth chattering with a faint, rhythmic clicking sound. Zhu Ziqiu approached her like a malevolent ghost, while Zhang Xiuer stared blankly ahead at nothingness, her entire body shaking violently as though she had been frightened out of her wits.

Junior Sister Xiuer, oh, Junior Sister Xiuer, your beauty is truly intoxicating, Zhu Ziqiu muttered as he crouched down and roughly pressed his lips against her delicately contoured mouth with its white teeth and red lips. His kiss was frantic and burning, yet deep down he still hesitated, unable to bring himself to execute the cruel Blood Yin Great Art.

Junior Sister, why are you so breathtakingly, overwhelmingly beautiful... Zhu Ziqiu's face had twisted into a hideous grimace. While kissing her lips, he caressed her cheek, his fingers gradually sliding into the collar of her robes.

However, just as Zhu Ziqiu was about to succeed, a fierce wind-blade spell flashed across his neck like lightning. Fresh blood instantly spurted forth, showering Zhang Xiuer's face. Staring at the terrifying spectacle, Zhang Xiuer was so paralyzed with fright that she lost consciousness before even managing a scream.

At that moment, Cao Yun, radiating a faint, dusky glow, slowly rose from the subterranean cave. Gazing at Zhang Xiuer's current state, an indescribable emotion surged within his heart. Having absorbed Zhang Jin's memories, Cao Yun had always harbored a peculiar sentiment toward Zhang Xiuer. This feeling had been especially intense when he first laid eyes on her upon entering the Green Mountain Sect. Yet, he could never quite comprehend the true nature of this sensation.

Gently shaking his head and sighing, Cao Yun stripped the storage pouch from Zhu Ziqiu's corpse. With a wave of his hand, the body tumbled several zhang away. Following that, Cao Yun flicked his finger, sending two whistling fireballs hurtling toward Zhu Ziqiu's head and corpse respectively. Instantly, roaring flames soared into the sky, completely consuming Zhu Ziqiu. As the fire faded, Zhu Ziqiu, the senior disciple of the Green Mountain Sect's Artifact Refining Hall, vanished forever into the surrounding darkness.

Picking up Zhang Xiuer gently in his arms, Cao Yun employed his magical artifact to fly toward the Green Mountain Sect. Throughout the journey, clad in a black cloak and with his divine sense fully extended, he cautiously evaded any possible cultivators. Fortunately, it was the dead of night, and he encountered no obstacles. Laying Zhang Xiuer down at the foot of the Green Mountain Sect's mountain, he placed the remaining three Essence Pills into her storage pouch before casting a golden light barrier to provide her with a modicum of protection.

Then, he returned alone to the Green Mountain Sect.

Back in his chamber, Cao Yun's state of mind gradually settled into tranquility. Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, he mused inwardly, It seems my Dao heart still requires tempering; worldly emotions can stir so easily, almost leading my thoughts astray. The path of cultivation lies not only in the refinement of techniques, but even more so in the tempering of one's state of mind!

He slowly unsealed Zhu Ziqiu's storage pouch. For a senior disciple of the Artifact Refining Hall, his wealth was rather meager, consisting of merely a little over a hundred spiritual stones and some worthless crafting materials. Aside from an intermediate-high-grade magical tool, there was not even a single bottle of pill medicine to aid cultivation; there was only a jade slip inscribed with the crimson Blood Yin True Scripture and a few other jade slips containing basic artifact-refinement knowledge. Cao Yun could not help letting out a soft chuckle—a laugh that carried both mockery toward the late senior disciple and a helpless sigh regarding the rigid rules of righteous sects.

After this brief interlude, Cao Yun plunged back into the routine of a menial disciple. To his surprise, he found that he rather enjoyed this simple yet fulfilling lifestyle, finding genuine joy amidst the daily trifles and chores.

Yet, time flies like an arrow, and days shuttle like a weaver's shuttle. Before one even realizes it, time slips quietly away. But Cao Yun remained constantly vigilant; how could he ever allow the years to pass in vain...

A month ago, the Righteous Alliance organized a grand assembly of righteous cultivators. The Green Mountain Sect's sole Core Formation patriarch and the majority of its Foundation Establishment cultivators were invited to attend. Seizing this opportunity, Cao Yun bribed Zhang Bao with a few spiritual stones, expressing a desire to witness the sect's grand protective array. Zhang Bao thought nothing of it, as such requests were hardly unique to Cao Yun.

Thus, among the regular guards stationed at the grand protective array, there was an extra face—Cao Yun, who had bought his chance with spiritual stones. Without employing any brilliant methods or paying a heavy price, he merely used a few spiritual stones to plant the seeds of destruction that would later lead the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect to annihilate the Green Mountain Sect.

By now, Cao Yun had returned to the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect and reported back to Dai Wuhai. Three days later, Dai Wuhai led a host of forces to attack the Green Mountain Sect, obliterating it in a single stroke. Even that patriarch of the Green Mountain Sect, its sole Golden Core powerhouse, perished on the spot during the battle.

The disciples of the Green Mountain Sect were mostly taken captive. Those with low cultivation were reduced to blood slaves, while those with higher cultivation were absorbed into the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect. As for the methods the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect used to control these people, Cao Yun neither cared nor held the slightest interest.

As for Cao Yun himself, having attained the Foundation Establishment realm, he successfully ascended to the rank of an inner sect disciple. His dwelling was relocated from the original Heavenly Pillar Peak to a small, isolated mountain near the Myriad Monster Pavilion—a peak that belonged entirely to him alone.

At last, he had cast off the insecurity and drifting restlessness of a lonely leaf tossed in a furious sea storm. He could live at a leisurely pace, truly existing and enjoying his own hard-earned peace and freedom.

He had originally thought this tranquil era would flow onward like a ceaseless river, but worldly affairs are unpredictable. Suddenly, a war between the righteous and demonic factions erupted with the ferocity of a violent tempest. This conflict broke out precisely two years after the fall of the Green Mountain Sect. The righteous faction activated sleeper agents embedded within the six demonic sects, coordinating both inside and out to deliver devastating blows to several peripheral halls of the demonic faction, even completely wiping out a branch sect of the Longyin Valley. This branch of the Longyin Valley existed much like an outpost of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect.

Having suffered such heavy losses, the six demonic sects naturally refused to sit idly by and swiftly organized a counteroffensive. The strengths of both sides fell into a stalemate; though numerous major battles had broken out, the conflict had not yet escalated to the point where nascent soul cultivators needed to intervene. Even so, since the war's inception, both the righteous and demonic factions had already lost several Foundation Establishment cultivators, laying bare the brutal and ruthless nature of the war.

It was precisely due to the casualties among the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators that Cao Yun was dispatched to Yellow Cloud Valley to garrison the spiritual mine there. To his surprise, the person sent along with him was none other than his old acquaintance He Dong, who had also successfully broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage. Cao Yun still remembered the expression on He Dong's face upon seeing that he too had achieved Foundation Establishment—a mix of rage, disbelief, and bitter resentment that was truly a sight to behold. Whenever he recalled that moment, Cao Yun found it immensely amusing. To this day, he still could not understand why his Junior Brother He Dong had reacted with such intensity.

Nevertheless, war is merciless, and personal sentiments appear utterly insignificant before the grand, sweeping torrent of history. Regardless of past grievances, both Cao Yun and He Dong now had to face a common enemy in the Righteous Alliance and fight for their respective sides.