Daoist Competition

Chapter 1546: Chapter 159: Demonic Dust Before Linqing Gate (Part 2)

His movement exposed himself, but facing three people, there was no point in hiding anymore, so he threw two Jade Tokens into the air, shouted, summoned a Spirit Light, and charged at the opponents!

Deep beneath the Zhao You Heavenly Pond Water, three hundred and sixty drops of You Yin Heavy Water swirled continuously in the water below. Zhang Yan sat on a suspended platform with a Jade Bottle placed before him, from which strands of ink-black Essence Qi billowed out, continuously absorbed by the Heavy Water above.

Once these Xuan You Essence Pearls are assimilated into the Heavy Water, one must find a way to refine the Dull Yin Qi accumulated over thousands of years within, to make it completely useful.

In past battles, Xuanming Heavy Water proved powerful, but cultivating it took considerable time, with stringent requirements. Given his many skills, he hadn’t deliberately cultivated it previously, but having acquired these Essence Pearls unexpectedly, he wouldn’t easily let them go to waste.

If he were back when he first departed the East Splendor Continent, refining a drop of Heavy Water into Xuanming Heavy Water might have taken several days. But with his current mana, it took no effort; just two hours to refine a drop.

After a month, he had refined over two hundred drops of Xuanming Heavy Water before stopping, not due to insufficient mana, but because most of the Xuan You Essence Pearls were used up, with only a dozen left, insufficient for refining the remaining Heavy Water.

But he didn’t mind, as this harvest was all unexpected joy, besides, unless a familiar foe, You Yin Heavy Water and Xuanming Heavy Water looked identical in appearance, making it easier to outwit opponents if used together.

With a flick of his body, he absorbed the Heavy Water into his Dharma Body and ascended with a Clear Light, arriving inside his cave mansion. He returned to his couch and asked, "Jing You, I instructed you to monitor the Sea Eye. How is the situation now?"

Jing You quickly entered from outside, respectfully replying, "Master, since the Sea Eye opened ten days ago, I have dispatched people to keep an eye on it, but no news has come forth yet."

Zhang Yan nodded slightly, if there’s no trouble, that’s best. He instructed, "If any issues arise, report to me immediately."

Jing You replied, "Understood." He then took two letters from his sleeve and presented them, "These arrived an hour ago and haven’t yet been presented to you for review."

Zhang Yan took them, opened to examine, and saw correspondence from the two disciples sent to Linqing Temple—reporting that the sect is surrounded by numerous Demon Sect practitioners. The two have remained outside for over ten days, unable to enter, hence asking for aid.

The second letter was from Shen Dong, stating he had entered Linqing Temple and met with Master Weng Zhiyuan and sibling disciples Yuan Yanhui, but the current situation within the temple was dire—the Mountain Gate Formation had been breached in many places. According to the Nascent Soul True Master inside, at least five Nascent Soul cultivators are jointly attacking from outside, and the situation is precarious.

Zhang Yan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. Linqing Temple is unlike sects like Guangyuan or Peng Yuan, with no notable figures emerging; why does it warrant such a massive mobilization by Demon Sects?

This is actually related to him. Since he assumed the position of Ten Disciples Leader, he has been dispatching stationed disciples to various sects, making significant moves. The Demon Sect practitioners, being astute, having heard of this couldn’t help but stay distant and look for targets elsewhere.

Linqing Sect is furthest from Mingcang Sect; neighboring allied sects have been entirely destroyed, with only two Nascent Soul True Masters left within. During previous sieges, they had already exhausted their strength, thus over a hundred Hua Dan cultivators and five Nascent Soul True Masters now converged on this location.

Zhang Yan began contemplating. Since the Demon Tribulation began, Xuanmen has been in a state of passive defense, never actively seeking out the enemy.

The reasons are multifaceted: firstly, Demon Sect practitioners move unpredictably, retreating if faced with formidable foes with no certainty of success. Secondly, Demon Sect sect Mountain Gates are often hidden in underground secret pits, exceedingly difficult to locate; killing a few outside does not alter the overall situation. Most critically, the Six Great Demon Sects have only targeted small sects thus far, leaving the Ten Great Profound Sects completely unscathed.

This is one reason why Du De previously suggested withdrawing stationed disciples back to the Mountain Gate, as he believed the Mingcang Sect need not exert effort for these small sects.

Zhang Yan sneered; being the Ten Great Heads, he must seek to change this situation, at least find an opportunity to suppress their arrogance.

He stood, his gaze fixed on the East Splendor Mountain and River Map on the cave wall, finally settling on Linqing Temple, a cold gleam flickered in his eyes. That place is heavily attacked by Demon Sect practitioners, but isn’t it also his opportunity?

Yet there’s one issue he must consider: he’s certain there are spies within the Mountain Gate. While ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators may go out unnoticed, if disciples like Liu Yan Yi or Wei Zihong go out, it’ll raise alerts, so to thoroughly eliminate the Demon cultivators, a method must be devised to blindfold them.

He paced a few steps in the cave, then turned to Jing You, "Go fetch Zuo Cheng."

Shortly after, Han Zuocheng entered the cave mansion, bowed, and said tremblingly, "I don’t know why Master summoned me?"

Zhang Yan spoke gently, "Last month, Sect Leader Yan came to me, expressing the desire to betroth her daughter Yan Xiyue to you. What do you think?"

Han Zuocheng lowered his head, "Forgive me, Master. Sect Leader Yan has already spoken to me about this matter, but I dared not disturb you with such trivial matters, so I hadn’t reported it earlier."

Zhang Yan nodded with a smile, "It seems you have already taken a liking to her. If that’s the case, then let’s settle on this matter."

Han Zuocheng showed joy, quickly knelt and said, "Thank you, Master, for fulfilling my wish."

Zhang Yan extended a hand to lift him up, saying seriously, "There’s also one matter I must clarify with you. The demon threat outside is fierce, needing suppression. It might involve using your wedding feast for some purpose, regardless of the outcome, a significant contribution will be noted to your name."

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!