Near the Baidu Hall area, a large group of people was marching in an orderly manner.
Most of the members of this group were young disciples from various cultivation sects, many of whom were members of the Demon Slaying Alliance, along with some unfamiliar faces.
However, the most attention-grabbing figures were not these young prodigies, but the older cultivators within the group.
“Just as we expected, the remaining demonic cultivators have mostly gathered in one place,” an elder in a green robe said with a smile. “This time, we can finally catch them all in one go.”
“Indeed, if we had to root them out one by one, who knows how long it would take to clean them up,” a middle-aged man in a white robe agreed with a smile.
These two were the Seventh Elder of the Qingshui Sect and the Third Elder of the Yutie Sect, both key figures in the previous “Demon Path Extermination” campaign, possessing Golden Core peak cultivation.
For these remaining demonic cultivators, who were like small fry, there was no need to deploy higher-level experts. This lineup was more than enough to complete the upcoming task.
“Letting disciples from various sects enter the mountains to train, putting pressure on these demonic cultivators to expose their flaws, and then delivering the final blow ourselves—this plan is quite good,” the elder stroked his beard and said. “It’s a pity we couldn’t avoid casualties entirely. I heard some disciples perished during the training.”
“There’s no way around it. How can training be without risks?” the middle-aged man consoled. “It’s much safer than our training back in the day, right? We didn’t have any fallback plans then; every time we trained, it was with the resolve to either live or die.”
“That’s true,” the elder nodded. “Growth always comes with pain…”
For a cultivation sect, talented disciples were precious, but what a sect truly needed were future leaders, the “core” of the sect.
If a disciple couldn’t survive repeated training, it only showed that aside from their cultivation talent, they didn’t meet the sect’s other requirements.
It’s a pity, but there’s no need for regret.
“According to the information, ahead is the Baidu Hall, where most of the remaining demonic cultivators are gathered,” the elder signaled the group to stop and said in a deep voice, “Prepare yourselves. This time, we must strike decisively and not let any escape.”
…
Inside the Baidu Hall area.
“Damn,” Tang Xin cursed upon receiving the news. “Couldn’t they come a day or two later?”
The involvement of the sect elders had suddenly clarified the situation in the Baidu Mountains.
The overwhelming power of the righteous path forced the demonic cultivators to retreat step by step. Somehow, they managed to prevent any demonic cultivator from bringing back the message, “The high-level righteous cultivators are here, run!”
If her guess is correct, most of the demonic cultivators outside the Hundred Poisons Hall have already been cleared out. Those who were lucky enough should have left the mountains by now.
This situation is naturally good news for the righteous cultivators, as they won’t encounter any more dangers on their way out. But safely escorting a demonic cultivator out will be much more difficult.
“It’s a pity that the Shape-Shifting Pill can only be taken once every half month,” Lian Xin shook her head. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.”
The Shape-Shifting Pill is a type of elixir with many usage restrictions; otherwise, it wouldn’t be so undervalued in the cultivation world.
“Let’s move quickly,” Tang Xin frowned. “Once the encirclement tightens, it will be hard to leave.”
Fortunately, Ah Miao discovered it in time. The righteous elders haven’t completely surrounded the Hundred Poisons Hall yet. As long as they get past this hurdle, escaping the mountains will be much easier.
Without the protection of the Shape-Shifting Pill, they had to once again entrust Ah Miao with the task of avoiding the crowd.
Facing righteous elders with cultivation levels far higher than their own, the little cat demon was extremely nervous.
The three of them sneaked into the forest, advancing cautiously. Whether they encountered traps, fierce beasts, or spirit beasts, they didn’t linger or engage, just kept running forward.
The elders leading the team and the disciples forming their own groups were like night and day in their actions.
In a very short time, they completed the encirclement of the Hundred Poisons Hall without alerting anyone.
Under such a meticulous siege, the demonic cultivators inside would find it hard to escape.
This time, perhaps it was the protective talisman given by Lian Xin that worked. They didn’t encounter any danger and successfully escaped just before the encirclement tightened.
“Their attention is all on the Hundred Poisons Hall,” Tang Xin breathed a sigh of relief. “They shouldn’t be too focused on what’s behind them.”
As for those demonic cultivators, she didn’t have the energy to care about them. They called her “senior,” but she couldn’t really consider herself a senior of the demonic path.
“Maybe someone will come to support us, meow,” Ah Miao didn’t want to stay in the mountains any longer and urged, “Let’s hurry up and leave, meow!”
The cat demon was right. Given the current situation, staying an extra day would mean extra danger for the demonic cultivators.
Tang Xin was about to lead the two of them to continue forward.
“Tang, Tang Daoist? Is that you?”
From the forest ahead, a young female cultivator dressed in a Taoist robe emerged, her face full of surprise.
Oh no! It’s a righteous cultivator!
What’s going on? Shouldn’t all the cultivators from the Demon-Slaying Alliance have joined the elder’s team? How could someone be left behind so close by?
Tang Xin’s expression instantly turned cold.
At this distance, even if she launched a sneak attack to knock her out and erase her memory, there’s a significant risk she might react and send a signal.
If the nearby righteous team notices, the main mission will be impossible to complete.
Stay calm. Judging by her expression, she doesn’t seem to realize the situation yet.
“Who are you?” Tang Xin asked.
“It’s me,” the female cultivator pointed to herself, “Tian Fang from the Qingshui Sect. We talked at the Demon-Slaying Alliance camp before…”
Tian Fang?
Tang Xin thought carefully.
It seems there was such a character, and she was the first person to talk to me after I arrived at the Demon-Slaying Alliance camp… But she was so insignificant compared to later characters like Shangguan Qing’er and Liu Mei that she left no impression.
“Daoist Tian,” Tang Xin forced a smile, “It’s quite a coincidence to meet you here.”
“Coincidence? Didn’t you come here after hearing the news about the Hundred Poisons Hall?” Tian Fang walked over, looking puzzled.
“Uh, yes,” Tang Xin nodded along, “But I have a special mission, so I can’t act with the others. You should go join the elder.”
With that, she prepared to greet this minor character and send her away.
“A special mission, huh…” Tian Fang approached Tang Xin.
Suddenly, a drastic change occurred!
The person in front of her revealed a sinister smile and, without any warning, flicked a drop of black liquid onto Tang Xin’s hand.
The whole process was swift and ruthless, leaving no chance for any prior reaction or room to dodge.
“Who would have thought,” she laughed, “the one who has been helping Lian Xin all along is you! The chief senior sister of the Xuanling Sect!”
