Gazing in the direction of the Jiuli Mountain Range, the Jade Balance Mountain Master's brow suddenly furrowed. He then extended his fingers and performed a quick divination.
He was momentarily stunned. "This is bad. It's that remnant of the Demon Heaven Sect, Elder Taiyin. He's actually trying to release the Celestial Demon."
The Canglan Mountain Master beside him also performed a quick divination with his fingers, but he remained nonchalant.
"It's fine. Elder Yuan Hua is already on his way. The Celestial Demon is a Nine Nether Evil Demon, restricted by the Laws of Heaven and Earth. It's not that easy for it to get out. With Elder Taiyin's abilities, he can't pull it off. At most, he'll only manage to summon a residual shadow of the Celestial Demon."
Hearing this, the Jade Balance Mountain Master did not let his guard down. "But the Celestial Demon is, after all, an Outer Celestial Evil Demon. Even if just a sliver of its power leaks through, it will be a huge problem. We must be on guard. Remember, back in the day, a single projected avatar of a Celestial Demon nearly destroyed our entire East Continent. It's a good thing Lord Human Emperor appeared."
The Canglan Mountain Master turned to look at the Ancient Battlefield. There, the glint of blades and swords filled the sky, and countless Magical Treasures had been summoned, as if innumerable people were still locked in a desperate battle.
Then, the Canglan Mountain Master slowly spoke, "However, the ownership of this Ancient Battlefield is of the utmost importance to our Celestial Profound Sacred Land. We cannot abandon it. The two of us must remain here to hold the fort."
The Canglan Mountain Master paused, then added, "Moreover, that Celestial Slaughter Star... based on his Cloud Ship's flight path, he's heading for our border. This Ancient Battlefield is extremely chaotic—the perfect place to fish in troubled waters. He's very likely to show up here. We absolutely cannot let him escape again."
At these words, the Jade Balance Mountain Master's heart tightened, and his expression darkened.
That's right.
The Celestial Slaughter Star... he was, without a doubt, a colossal humiliation for their Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
A mere cultivator at the ninth layer of the Spirit Transformation realm.
Despite their Sacred Land mobilizing such a massive force to surround him, dispatching two elders and two Mountain Masters, he had still managed to escape in the end. It was the ultimate disgrace.
The matter had even alarmed the Saint Master, and as a result, Xuan and Nan Xuan were severely punished.
After the battle at the Celestial Lake Swamp, the Sacred Land became the biggest joke in the entire East Continent.
When in the last thousand years had the Celestial Profound Sacred Land ever suffered such a humiliation?
To be honest, even now, no one in the Sacred Land understood why the ancestor of Tianze would go so far as to offend the entire Celestial Profound Sacred Land for a mere Spirit Transformation cultivator—even relocating the entire nation of Tianze over it.
When had the majesty of their Celestial Profound Sacred Land ever been challenged like this?
This Shen Daoxing must die!
That was a direct order from the Saint Master.
The Canglan Mountain Master looked up at the roiling Demon Fire above the Jiuli Mountain Range and said placidly, "We cannot underestimate the Celestial Demon, but we must take Shen Daoxing even more seriously."
With that, the Canglan Mountain Master suddenly leaped into the air and floated in the sky. "Junior Brother, you stand guard here for now. Don't let that Shen Daoxing fish in troubled waters and slip past. I'm going to go take a look."
...
「Meanwhile」
In the Jiuli Mountain Range, amidst the rolling hills and treacherous mountain paths, four or five figures were racing forward at incredible speed, leaping from one towering ancient tree to the next.
At the head of the group was an old man in fluttering Daoist robes, his hands clasped behind his back. He leaped between the branches with the ease of a leisurely stroll. It was none other than Elder Yuan Hua of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
Behind him followed four young figures—young disciples of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land. They leaped quickly through the branches, constantly pressing forward, seemingly in a great hurry.
Suddenly, a lazy voice piped up from within the group. "Oh, sister! My foolish little sister, why did you have to do this?"
The speaker was a slender young man with short black hair. Though he wore the uniform of a Celestial Profound Sacred Land disciple, his hands and feet were bound by heavy iron chains.
His face, as delicate as a porcelain doll's, was smooth as jade and utterly expressionless. His hands, feet, and any exposed skin were composed of smooth, segmented blocks of wood.
Without a doubt, he was one of the few remaining descendants of the Tao Family, a clan afflicted by the curse of longevity—Tao Sheng, Tao Ying's older brother.
The Tao Family, the clan afflicted by the curse of longevity, had declined after the death of its first patriarch. However, due to their unique nature, various powers still regarded them as a threat.
Even their harmless descendants were not spared, but were kept under constant surveillance.
Now, the last few remaining children of the Tao Family lived within the Celestial Profound Sacred Land. Although they were disciples of the Sacred Land in name, they were forbidden from ever taking a single step outside its borders for their entire lives.
With Tao Ying's sudden escape, the Celestial Profound Sacred Land naturally couldn't just ignore it.
"My foolish little sister! How can the Celestial Demon's curse be broken so easily? This Jiuli Mountain Range is no place to be wandering around!"
Saying this, Tao Sheng broke into a grin and suddenly leaped forward, landing atop a large tree on a small summit ahead to gaze into the distance.
However, he had barely made his move when a dark figure flashed past, and a man with a frosty complexion, cold eyes, and a blank expression appeared at his side.
Without a word, the man simply raised his hand slightly, drawing his sword an inch from its sheath in a clear warning to Tao Sheng.
Seeing this, Tao Sheng grinned and let out a dry chuckle, as if mocking him. "Relax, Senior Brother. With you, the Saint Heir of the Celestial Profound Sacred Land, here, how would I dare to escape?"
"Besides, my hands and feet are chained, aren't they?"
Tao Sheng then raised his hands and shook the chains.
The cold man beside him merely shot Tao Sheng a sidelong glance but said nothing.
"Tao Sheng, as long as you can convince Junior Sister Tao Ying to have a change of heart and come back with us obediently, the Sacred Land can overlook what she's done."
Just then, a pleasant but cool female voice spoke up. A tall, beautiful woman stepped forward. It was Dongfang Wan'Er, whom Shen Daoxing hadn't seen since they parted ways in Ancient Moon City.
However, the Dongfang Wan'Er of today had completely lost her former pitiable charm, where her every move would unintentionally exude an alluring captivation.
Her disposition had changed entirely. Long white hair now cascaded down to her waist, and her eyes were cold, her expression frosty, like an ice queen.
Dongfang Wan'Er: Saintess of Yuqing Mountain, granddaughter of the Yuqing Mountain Master. Her cultivation realm had plummeted due to a Heart Demon, and she had originally gone to Ancient Moon City in search of a dual cultivation partner to achieve a breakthrough.
At the time, she had made a vow that only the one who placed first in the Sacred Land's assessment could become her cultivation partner.
When Shen Daoxing burst onto the scene, defeating the Ancient Sword Marquis with his stunning and unparalleled talent...
...she had recognized Shen Daoxing at a glance, certain that he would be her one and only cultivation partner for life.
And yet.
Who could have known that Shen Daoxing, the dual cultivation partner she had finally found against all odds, was actually the Celestial Slaughter Star—the greatest enemy of their Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
This was undoubtedly another devastating blow to her.
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