Turning Around

Coveting the Nine Illusion Celestial Orchid, Yi Tiannie had led the Kuiyin Sect in an assault against the Yuanzhao Sect. To everyone's surprise, the Sect Master of the Yuanzhao Sect proved exceedingly decisive, detonating his golden core, the sect's grand array, and the spiritual veins all at once. The blast shattered the offensive in an instant and wiped out the Kuiyin Sect in retribution. Following that fierce battle, the Yuanzhao Sect, backed by the Wuji Sect, took possession of the Kuiyin Sect's lands. Since the Kuiyin Sect had initiated the provocation and the Yuanzhao Sect had merely struck back, demonic factions found it inappropriate to intervene and tacitly accepted the outcome. Traveling north through the Great Sui had stirred many memories within Qin Sang. Back then, he had been nothing more than an insignificant pawn in the cultivation world, someone any Foundation Establishment cultivator could crush with a single finger. Fleeing the devilish claws in the midst of the chaos, he had lived in constant terror, never knowing if he would survive each passing day. Now, he was an existence worthy of being revered as a grand ancestor. …… The former grounds of the Kuiyin Sect. Today, it was the mountain gate of the Yuanzhao Sect. After claiming this territory, the Yuanzhao Sect had established arrays to seal off the yin qi of the Yin Fiend Abyss. Free from the erosion of yin qi, the mountains were now adorned with scenic beauty, completely revitalized. With the shadow of war looming over the cultivation world, a third-rate sect like the Yuanzhao Sect was tossed about like a boat in a storm, uncertain of what lay ahead. As a result, their mountain-protecting grand array remained active at all times. They were also obliged to send disciples to the front lines, leaving very few experts behind to guard the mountain; the vast majority of those who remained were fresh disciples who had joined only recently. The Sect Master of the Yuanzhao Sect was well advanced in years and stayed behind to oversee affairs. At the mountain summit, before the Sect Master's immortal's cave. A streak of escape light sped through the air and touched down before the entrance. The arrival was a young man at the Foundation Establishment stage. Wearing a respectful expression, he touched the cave's ward. Once granted permission, he stepped inside to meet the Sect Master of the Yuanzhao Sect. The Sect Master was a mid-Core Formation cultivator. The twilight of his life was already apparent, his hair and beard completely white. "Disciple pays respects to the Sect Master!" The young man hurried forward to bow and retrieved a talisman. "Sect Master, these are the messages sent back by Master. Following your instructions, he has established contact with a senior from the Taiyi Dan Sect and received his protection. Master and the senior brothers have only been assigned routine patrol duties. The frontline situation is relatively stable, and for now their lives are in no danger…" The Sect Master drew the jade slip into his hand. After looking it over, he nodded. "Send word to your master. Have him return to the sect in a while; I shall head to the front lines myself." At these words, the young man was aghast and urgently pleaded, "Sect Master, the battlefield is so perilous! How could we let you…" "Hmph!" The Sect Master cut him off. "It is precisely because it is dangerous that this old man must go in person! I already have one foot in the netherworld. Falling in battle is of no great consequence; it might even be a good thing, earning an opportunity for our Yuanzhao Sect. You younger disciples are the true hope for the sect's future! Earlier, I dispatched your master so he could temper himself. I feel that after holding back for so long, whatever scheme the Sin Abyss has been preparing must be nearing completion. It is time to call your master back…" Before his words could finish echoing, a thunderous crash erupted from outside. Immediately following, the entire cave shook violently. A cold glint flickered in the Sect Master's eyes. He shot out of the cave at once and hovered in midair. Catching sight of the spectacle outside, he sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, his face filled with shock. The entire Yuanzhao Sect fell into sheer panic. At that moment, the Yuanzhao Sect's mountain-protecting grand array blazed with strange radiance, having come under an outside assault and manifesting a multicolored barrier to resist it. Beyond the barrier was a dazzling brilliance, composed entirely of streaks of sword radiance. These strands of sword qi were arranged in immaculate order, forming an incomparably majestic sword formation. The staggering aura sent shivers down the Sect Master's spine, even through the barrier of the grand array. "Sword momentum! An array formed from a single sword!" The Sect Master cried out in dismay, his eyes filled with terror. Those who could comprehend sword momentum and achieve an array formed from a single sword were as rare as phoenix feathers or unicorn horns within the Core Formation stage. For the opponent to muster such tremendous momentum and make the mountain-protecting grand array tremble violently with a single strike, the newcomer was very likely a Nascent Soul Patriarch! "Who could it be?!" The Sect Master's expression shifted continuously. He could not fathom which Nascent Soul figure had come knocking on their door. Ever since disaster befell the Wuji Sect, everyone in the Yuanzhao Sect had kept an extremely low profile under his strict orders; it was impossible that they had provoked a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Just then, the sword formation condensed another streak of sword qi, which slashed brutally against the mountain-protecting grand array right before the Sect Master's eyes. Amid an ear-splitting boom, the light barrier abruptly dimmed, leaving it uncertain how much longer it could hold out. Witnessing this, the Sect Master dared wait no longer. Bracing himself, he flew to the barrier and called out loudly, "Junior does not know which esteemed senior has graced us with his presence. If Junior has been negligent in hospitality, I beg senior's forgiveness!" A moment later, a voice drifted in from outside. "You are the Sect Master of the Yuanzhao Sect? Step out and speak." The Sect Master's face changed drastically. Yet on second thought, if this Nascent Soul figure was bent on killing him, he had nowhere to run; hiding behind the array would only bring ruin upon his disciples and sect. He let out a sorrowful sigh, sent a divine sense transmission ordering all disciples to return to their caves, deactivated the mountain-protecting grand array, and walked out. The sword formation dispersed with a flicker, revealing a cloaked figure. This person was none other than Qin Sang. Since the ebony sword was still melting and refining the Soul-Nurturing Wood, Qin Sang had used a low-grade spiritual sword acquired in the past to deploy the sword formation, which still yielded formidable might. "Junior Gu Zhi pays respects to Senior! If the disciples of the Yuanzhao Sect have offended Senior, it is entirely the fault of my lax discipline. Junior is willing to pay any price—please quell your anger, Senior." The Sect Master made no mention whatsoever of Qin Sang attacking their mountain-protecting grand array, behaving with utmost deference instead. "Offended me? What qualifications do you have to offend me?" Qin Sang gave a disdainful snort. Though he had stolen the Nine Illusion Celestial Orchid from the Yuanzhao Sect in the past, he held no positive impressions of them. Using the pretense of an Ascension Gathering to provide blood sacrifices for a secret realm could hardly be considered the conduct of a righteous sect. One could tell at a glance that this Sect Master had little lifespan left. Counting the years, he was likely the sole surviving Core Formation cultivator of the Yuanzhao Sect following the upheaval back then. In those days, Gu Zhi had stood high above, and Qin Sang had not even possessed the qualifications to lay eyes on him. Now, this same man was cringing meekly before Qin Sang. Qin Sang sighed inwardly. Considering that he had no direct grievance with the Yuanzhao Sect, he did not care to bully them, and came straight to the point. "I recall that this place was originally the territory of the Kuiyin Sect, yet now it is occupied by your Yuanzhao Sect. In that case, the Kuiyin Sect's treasures should have fallen into your hands as well, correct?" Patriarch Kuiyin had once crafted ten demonic banners, seven of which had ended up scattered outside. Even if the banners had been destroyed, their poles would certainly remain. The restrictions on the dark iron pillar were similar to those on the Demon Binding Rope; it might very well be a treasure meant for countering ancient demons. The ancient demon running amok in the Hall of Seven Kills and slaughtering Nascent Soul cultivators en masse still left Qin Sang shaken whenever he recalled it. Furthermore, when the Sin Abyss attacked, a three-headed, six-armed demonic phantom had appeared. There was no telling how many ancient demons still lurked within the cultivation world. Once Qin Sang refined the demonic fire, the banner poles would no longer be of use to him in their current form. Only by gathering all the poles could he seek a way to restore the dark iron pillar. Once Bai advanced to a Corpse King, he would have the spare energy to study the spirit array corresponding to the Demon Binding Rope. Using that as a foundation, it was not impossible that he could create a spirit array tailored to the dark iron pillar. When that time came, Qin Sang would possess a treasure specifically designed to suppress ancient demons. Even when divided into banner poles, the dark iron pillar had still easily suppressed the Nine Nether Demonic Fire. From this, one could see that the true might of this treasure was bound to be extraordinary.