Chapter 57: Slaying Demons and Eliminating Evil

Among the dozen or so Flying Cloud Guards brought by Lu Yunfei, five were experts at the late stage of Qi Refinement, including himself; the rest possessed a cultivation level of at least the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.

Although Song Qingming had been in the sixth layer of Qi Refinement for less than a year—making his cultivation level among the lowest in this squad of Flying Cloud Guards—he practiced the Yu Xuan Scripture, which meant his magical power was relatively more abundant than that of typical cultivators at the same level.

Even so, as he exerted his full magical power to rush forward, he could only barely keep up with the group, trailing at the very end of the formation.

"Evil heretics, prepare to die!"

Lu Yunfei, leading the charge, quickly reached the edge of the altar. He produced a massive, square-shaped seal dharma treasure three feet in size, let out a great shout, and smashed it toward the several demonic cultivators descending from above the altar.

"Hmph, thief, do not be so arrogant!"

Just as the seal flew over the heads of the demonic cultivators, a tall, burly man in purple released a massive mountain-splitting axe. He parried the seal away and strode forward to engage Lu Yunfei in combat.

This man was also a demonic cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refinement, with a cultivation level similar to Lu Yunfei's. As the two dharma treasures collided, spiritual light flashed incessantly, and for a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Seeing the attacker before his eyes, Gu Liangshan had already deployed a black banner dharma treasure. A burst of black smoke rapidly billowed from the banner, accompanied by the eerie, wailing cries of tormented souls, which instantly ensnared several of the cultivators charging at the front.

This black banner was a defensive treasure bestowed upon Gu Liangshan by his master, Yang Wuqi. Named the Soul-Gathering Banner, it had been refined by Yang Wuqi over several years using the souls of hundreds of mortals collected in his younger years; its divine abilities far exceeded those of ordinary high-grade dharma treasures.

Gu Liangshan's cultivation was already at the peak of Qi Refinement, and with the powerful Soul-Gathering Banner in hand, he alone managed to hold off three late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, including the old man Shi Mofeng.

The last remaining late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator from the Xiaoyao Sect, Wei Tong, faced no opposition from peers of his level. He quickly broke through the entanglement of several mid-stage Qi Refinement demonic cultivators and fought his way onto the altar.

Looking at the several unconscious cultivators on the altar, Wei Tong released his flying sword. After a series of clinking sounds as chains fell, he quickly unlocked the iron shackles binding them.

Just as Wei Tong was about to step forward to check on them, several more demonic cultivators suddenly charged out from behind the altar, the leader also possessing a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation.

Faced with this unexpected turn of events, Wei Tong had no choice but to temporarily leave the unconscious cultivators behind and turn to prepare for this new group of arriving demonic cultivators.

Simultaneously, Song Qingming and the other mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators trailing behind also arrived at the altar, and the two opposing sides quickly descended into a chaotic melee.

Although this group of reinforcing demonic cultivators numbered seven or eight, aside from one late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, the rest had low cultivation levels, with two only at the early stage of Qi Refinement.

Facing the Flying Cloud Guards, who were clearly stronger, they quickly fell into a disadvantage. They were driven back repeatedly by Song Qingming and the others, and one early-stage demonic cultivator was quickly killed by Old Ghost Feng.

Seeing his reinforcements failing, the late-stage demonic cultivator fighting Wei Tong realized that Song Qingming's group was formidable and difficult to deal with.

Sensing the dire situation and knowing he could not easily defeat Wei Tong, the demonic cultivator pondered for a moment before making a decision. During the heat of battle, he found an opportunity to erupt the demonic qi stored within his body, forcefully pushing Wei Tong back. He abandoned his companions and fled directly toward the rear of the altar.

Seeing their leader flee, the remaining demonic cultivators who were still resisting Song Qingming and the others quickly followed suit, choosing to flee in panic.

Two unlucky demonic cultivators were unfortunately caught by their opponents and were quickly killed.

Seeing the demonic group flee and noting that they had gained the upper hand in both battlefields around the altar, Wei Tong shouted to those beside him

"Two of you stay to rescue the trapped cultivators on the altar, then go to support Senior Brother Lu and the others. The rest, follow me to pursue these demonic cultivators! We must not let them escape this place!"

Seeing that these demonic cultivators were not strong and were quite fragile, many of the group volunteered to pursue them. Only Song Qingming and another cultivator with lower cultivation refrained from the rush for merit, choosing instead to stay and help.

Lu Yunfei, who was still battling the purple-clad demonic cultivator, felt a surge of joy upon seeing that Wei Tong had repelled the reinforcements. He thought to himself

"If I can lead this squad of Flying Cloud Guards to successfully annihilate this group of demonic cultivators, it will be a great service to the sect. Upon returning, there will surely be many merit rewards. Combined with the support of my masters, I might even secure a slot to exchange for a sect Foundation Establishment Pill."

After the others left, Song Qingming and the other cultivator arrived at the altar. Despite the fierce battle that had just occurred below, none of the unconscious cultivators on the altar had been startled awake. After checking them, the two discovered that their five senses and divine sense had been suppressed by the demonic cultivators, leaving them completely unable to hear the commotion outside.

Fortunately, the demonic cultivators had only set up ordinary restrictions. As Song Qingming was a formation master, he was well-versed in such restrictions and quickly broke them one by one.

Once the restrictions were lifted, the cultivators were soon startled awake by the sounds of the battle below. Their cultivation levels were not high—the highest being only at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement—and they appeared to be relatively inexperienced young cultivators. One did not even know how he had been captured.

After waking and seeing Song Qingming and his companion, they slowly realized they had been captured by demonic cultivators to be used for a blood sacrifice.

Terrified, they kowtowed repeatedly to the ground, thanking the two for saving their lives.

"I am Hu Daozhen, a deacon of the Tianfeng Pavilion in Guiyun Market. I thank you, fellow Daoists, for saving our lives. This place is extremely dangerous; please lead us away from here. Once we return to Guiyun Market, I will certainly find a way to reward you all."

"Fellow Daoists, there is no need for such formality. Please, rise. This is indeed not a safe place. Rest assured, do not be anxious. Once we have slain these demonic cultivators, you may leave here together with us."

Song Qingming and his companion quickly offered words of comfort to the panicked cultivators.

After rescuing them, the two looked at the other two battlefields and discussed their plan. They decided to work together to first free Shi Mofeng and the other two, and then join forces to defeat Gu Liangshan, the strongest among the demonic cultivators. Hearing their discussion, the fifth-layer Qi Refinement cultivator, Hu Daozhen, also volunteered to help.

Lu Yunfei and the purple-clad man had already fought for dozens of rounds. Although he could not defeat his opponent immediately, Lu Yunfei had gained some advantage thanks to his superior dharma treasures.

Although Shi Mofeng and the other two were at the late stage of Qi Refinement, they were somewhat conservative in combat and their coordination was not very good. Facing Gu Liangshan, who possessed deeper cultivation and more experienced combat skills, the three were initially intimidated and became trapped within the reach of the Soul-Gathering Banner.

After a period of entanglement, the three gradually stabilized their positions. Although Gu Liangshan appeared to have the upper hand, he knew very well that he could not sustain a long battle against three late-stage Qi Refinement experts alone, and he felt a sense of urgency.

Seeing Song Qingming's group charging toward his battlefield from a distance, Gu Liangshan frowned deeply, already contemplating how to escape.

Just as Song Qingming's trio joined Gu Liangshan's battlefield, a panicked cry suddenly erupted from the distance behind the altar.

"A Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator! Everyone... run!"

(End of Chapter)