C20 The Sect Was in Chaos!

Cultivators capable of breaking through to the Void Refining Stage are truly one in a million! And those who reach the Origin Convergence Realm? They are rare entities, emerging only once every ten thousand years from the collective beings of the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

Time flies, and another year has swiftly passed. The Profound Heaven Taoism Sect remained as tranquil as ever. Once the news of Ren Qingfeng's advancement to the Void Refining Stage was widely known, no other sect dared to cast envious glances toward the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

Unbeknownst to all, the Demon Lord had gathered a horde of demons, stealthily lying in wait at the outskirts of the sect. Among these demons, aside from the Demon Lord's own lieutenants, there were several unfamiliar presences.

"Brother Great Roc, Brother Fei Hu, I am truly honored by your assistance today," the Demon Lord graciously addressed the two.

His courtesy stemmed from a simple fact: both the Great Roc Demon and the Fei Hu Demon were at the Void Refining Stage, equal in power to the Demon Lord himself. Had the Demon Lord not reached this stage, he would have been obliged to greet these formidable demons with the utmost respect.

Now, as a fellow cultivator at the Void Refining Stage, he stood on equal footing with them.

"The Demon Lord flatters us. It is our duty as members of the Demon Clan to rescue the Old Demon Lord, and we shall fulfill it without a second thought," they responded.

"Indeed. Once the Old Demon Lord is freed, we of the Demon Clan will have no reason to fear any human cultivators, save for those from the Holy Lands."

While the Demon Lord maintained a veneer of politeness upon hearing their words, inwardly, he was dismissive. Without his breakthrough to the Void Refining Stage, these two would never have offered their aid.

Their willingness to assist him now was driven by the relentless expansion of the human holy lands over the years, which had encroached upon the territories of the Demon Clan. They were all eager for the Old Demon Lord to be liberated from the Demon Suppression Pagoda. With the Old Demon Lord's cultivation at the Void Returning Stage, he was the supreme ruler among demons, and his presence alone would ensure that the human holy lands would think twice before oppressing their kind.

With the Old Demon Lord present, even the sacred lands of the human race wouldn't dare to slaughter their demon kin lightly. The Demon Lord was, of course, extremely excited. He had been plotting for many years to rescue the Old Demon Lord, and now that he was finally putting his plan into action, his excitement was palpable. His Nascent Soul Stage demon subordinates shared his enthusiasm, eagerly anticipating the moment the Old Demon Lord would emerge and the upheaval it would cause in the entire Immortal Cultivation Realm.

Their hatred for the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect ran deep. Had it not been for the three Sect Masters of the sect sealing the Old Demon Lord in the Demon Sealing Pagoda, the demons would not have fallen into decline so swiftly. Thus, they were resolved not only to rescue the Old Demon Lord but also to reduce the entire Profound Heaven Taoism Sect to ashes, quenching the hatred in their hearts.

They had three Void Refining Stage experts among them. If two could distract the sect's masters, the third could easily open the Demon Sealing Tower. Breaking out from the inside was a formidable challenge; even three Deification Stage cultivators could keep the tower operational, trapping the Old Demon Lord of the Void Returning Stage within. However, opening the tower from the outside was a simple task. The Old Demon Lord's strength was at the Void Refining Stage, but even an ordinary Nascent Soul Stage cultivator could open it with ease.

At this moment, Wai Jiang was still deep in cultivation at the bottom of Myriad Cave Cliff, his body enveloped in a dense mist of spiritual energy. The Corpse King watched over him with its seemingly innocent gaze, vigilant and unmoving. Yet, should anyone dare approach Wai Jiang, the Corpse King would detect and eliminate the threat without hesitation. Over the past two years, several cultivators had ventured into the depths of Myriad Cave Cliff, only to be dispatched by the Corpse King. Wai Jiang, meanwhile, was on the verge of a critical breakthrough, his body brimming with ample spiritual force.

Wei Jiang was currently at the most critical juncture of his breakthrough to the Void Returning Stage. His body was fully saturated with Spiritual Force, and he was just waiting for the right opportunity to make the leap. His focus was entirely on his cultivation, paying no mind to the outside world. Yet, unbeknownst to him, a calamity was brewing within the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

At the sect disciples' plaza, a group of Qi Refinement Cultivators attentively absorbed the teachings of a Nascent Infant Elder. They knew that reaching the Nascent Soul Stage was the only way to earn the status of an Outer Sect Disciple. Otherwise, as mere miscellaneous affairs disciples, they would spend their lives serving the sect in menial capacities.

The prospect of transforming their fate through diligent practice and sudden insights had them hanging on every word of the Nascent Infant Great Cultivator. Cultivation required more than just hard work; talent and comprehension were equally crucial. Some cultivators, despite their average abilities and relentless efforts, might never naturally reach the Nascent Soul Stage. But with a stroke of luck and a moment of enlightenment, they could potentially shatter the peak of the Qi Refinement Stage and ascend to higher realms. In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, anything was possible.

"Flying with swords is essential for us cultivators," the Nascent Soul Stage Elder imparted, "Even those at the Qi Refinement Stage must master this skill to transcend the ordinary." The disciples below listened intently, though a few were inevitably distracted.

Suddenly, a disciple pointed towards the distant sky, exclaiming, "Look! What is that?" As all eyes turned to follow his gesture, a collective gasp filled the air. Numerous dark figures were approaching from afar, heading straight for the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect. It was well-known that unauthorized flying within the sect's bounds was forbidden, making the sight all the more alarming.

Only those who had reached the Nascent Soul Stage were qualified to lift the ban. However, the elders of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect were mostly within the sect, with only a few venturing outside. It was impossible for them to fly in such a grandiose formation, with more than a dozen individuals flying side by side. Thus, many considered another possibility: perhaps cultivators from the outside world had forcefully invaded their Profound Heaven Taoism Sect!

"Silence!" The Nascent Soul Stage Elder looked at the crowd with dissatisfaction. Yet, he too was soon captivated by the disturbance in the sky. As cultivators advance in their practice, they gain more than just a surge in strength. Their senses, including both hearing and sight, improve significantly. The Miscellaneous Affairs Disciples couldn't discern the black shadows in the sky, but the Nascent Soul Stage Elder saw everything clearly: a group of formidable demons was approaching at high speed!

Why could he see that they were demons? The answer was straightforward. Only demons who had reached the Nascent Soul Stage could assume human form. Otherwise, no matter how human-like they appeared, the differences would be glaringly obvious.

"Trouble is upon us, demons have invaded!" the sect elder cried out. But he was too late to alert the other elders and the three Sect Masters of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect. The group of powerful demons was moving too fast, and in an instant, they were hovering above the sect disciple square.

Upon seeing the Miscellaneous Affairs Disciples below, one of the Nascent Soul Stage demons turned to the Demon Lord and inquired, "Demon Lord, what should we do with these humans?"

The Demon Lord's expression hardened as he commanded, "They're mere ants. Exterminate them all immediately!"

"Yes!" the group of Nascent Soul Stage demons responded with zeal. Being demons, they lacked any semblance of empathy for humans. As the old adage goes, 'Those of a different kind will have different minds.' And so it was for these demons; to them, slaughtering humans was as trivial as crushing ants. Moreover, the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect was an archenemy of their demon clan, having imprisoned their Old Demon Lord in the Demon Sealing Tower for so long. This deep-seated grudge was not something they could easily dismiss.

Whether it was the Demon Lord or his Nascent Soul Stage demons, they were all united in their vow to annihilate every single member of the Profound Heaven Taoism Sect.

"We can't leave a single survivor alive!"

Upon overhearing the dialogue among the formidable demons, the sect elder realized that trouble was brewing.

Indeed, he sensed the presence of over a dozen monsters at the Nascent Soul Stage looming above!

Such a gathering of power was undeniably a fearsome threat.