Chapter 395 - 69: Protection

Night.

The stars twinkled.

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged atop a mountain rock, gazing up at the sky.

"The starlight in the Bright Void Cave Heaven seems much brighter than in the outside world."

"There aren’t any real stars here." Zhishou shook his head, handing over a roasted wolf leg. "The sages of old once tried to peer into the constellations, only to discover that the starlight in this cave heaven is all just an Illusion. They’re reflections of the real stars. It’s true that the Power of the Stars is incredibly dense here, though."

"Reflections?" Zhu Ju nodded slowly.

"The power of the ancient sages is truly beyond comprehension."

"Indeed," Zhishou sighed.

"The Body of Ten Thousand Spirits, the True Words Spell... these are all Methods left behind by the sages. For thousands of years, their descendants have racked their brains, yet they haven’t been able to add a single brick or tile to them. They can only cling to what remains, cautious and conservative."

Zhu Ju smiled.

The more time he spent with him, he discovered that while Zhishou had a fiery temper and a rigid personality, he was by no means lacking in wisdom.

On the contrary, he was a man of great wisdom.

Otherwise, he never would have been taken as a disciple by Huike, one of the Three Sages, and groomed as a successor.

"The ancient sages controlled the universe, grasped Yin and Yang, and lived for tens of thousands of years. Their understanding of the Great Dao of heaven and earth naturally far surpasses our own."

Zhu Ju spoke.

"Since the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits is a legacy they specifically left behind, there must be a reason for it."

Theoretically, when the sages went into seclusion to escape disaster, they must have considered that they might not survive.

Therefore, the things they left for posterity at the final moment must be of utmost importance.

"Besides the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits, were there no other Cultivation Techniques left behind?"

"None."

Zhishou squatted down beside him and shook his head.

"According to the records, for about three hundred years, no one here could practice Cultivation. Any Cultivator would surely die."

"The more profound the Cultivation Technique, the faster they died. This led to later generations destroying many of the inherited techniques. Only the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits and the True Words Spell were preserved to this day, due to the specific instructions of the sages."

Zhu Ju understood.

It was the same in the outside world.

Although the legacies that survived to this day also came from the Jade Void Sect, they had all been altered beyond recognition.

The old Cultivation Techniques had long become impossible to practice.

However, the outside world had many powerful masters. Through the relentless efforts and sacrifices of countless Cultivators, the Cultivation Techniques had been gradually perfected again.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhishou spoke.

"I won’t object if you wish to cultivate the Body of Ten Thousand Spirits, but you absolutely must not take the vertical eyes of others."

"Of course," Zhu Ju said with a smile.

"But spoils of war should be fine, right?"

As he spoke, he flipped his hand over.

A glass bottle filled with eyeballs appeared in his palm. Each vertical eye was steeped in some unknown liquid, a truly horrifying sight.

This item wasn’t his, of course. He had taken it from the Mu Family’s Three Fierce and the Demon Monk Lingxuan.

The glass bottle was not large, but it contained at least a thousand vertical eyes!

Zhishou’s expression darkened. His hands clenched tightly as he stared intently at the glass bottle for a long moment before turning away.

"Amitabha Buddha..."

SWOOSH!

A faint golden light descended from the sky, revealing Huike’s figure.

"Fellow Daoist."

"Master."

Zhu Ju put the object in his palm away.

"How did it go?"

"I have discussed the matter with several nearby City Lords. A few of them have never heard of Demons from the outside world, so they gave no answer," Huike began.

"However..."

"Can the Bright Void Sect offer us sanctuary?"

"If the numbers aren’t too great, the Bright Void Sect can provide protection," Zhu Ju said.

"Of course!"

"If we encounter an overwhelmingly powerful opponent, I can only prioritize my own survival."

"As it should be." Huike nodded.

"The Sect Leader of the Bright Void Sect you mentioned..."

"She is on her way. She should arrive in two or three days," Zhu Ju said.

"My Sect Leader is a Golden Core Cultivator of considerable strength. Among those who entered the cave heaven this time, she is considered an expert. With her, myself, and all of you, protecting this region shouldn’t be a problem. But we need to agree on the payment."

He wasn’t exactly a good person, but he certainly wasn’t a bad one either.

It was true that the Jade Void Cave Heaven was filled with countless treasures, but Zhu Ju wasn’t the type to kill for them.

That being the case, providing protection in exchange for payment was a solution that would satisfy both parties.

"Of course." Huike nodded upon hearing this, pulling a piece of paper from his sleeve and handing it over.

"Fellow Daoist, please take a look."

Zhu Ju took it, his eyes scanning the contents. A satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face.

Thousand-Year Spirit Elixirs!

Rare Treasures!

...

"As expected of the Jade Void Cave Heaven. Even after suffering a great calamity, it has still cultivated numerous Spiritual Medicines over thousands of years."

Zhu Ju nodded.

"I’m impressed!"

"Also..." Huike began tentatively.

"Some people wish to join the Bright Void Sect. I wonder if Fellow Daoist is willing to accept disciples?"

"If their Talent is good, joining the Bright Void Sect is not a problem. However, I no longer accept disciples," Zhu Ju shook his head.

"When the time comes, those who wish to join the Bright Void Sect can leave with us."

"Good." Huike nodded, then frowned slightly.

"My letters to the Capital City and the two Marquis Mansions of the north and south have all gone unanswered. I don’t know what has happened."

’The Capital City?’

Zhu Ju gently shook his head.

Any Cultivator who came in, as long as they weren’t a fool, knew where the most promising rewards were to be found.

*

*

*

"HYAH!"

"HYAH!"

Across the grasslands, dozens of strong horses galloped at full speed.

These horses were powerfully built, with smooth, pure white coats. Their hooves struck the ground as if they were a violent gale.

From a distance, they looked like dozens of soaring white streaks. One moment they were miles away, and in the blink of an eye, they were near.

SWOOSH!

Extreme speed, yet no wind.

These were the Spirit Beast Wind Steppers, raised by the Beihou Mansion. They could tread on wind and travel tens of thousands of miles in a single day.

The riders on their backs were the elite of the Marquis Mansion, each a battle-hardened veteran of incredible martial prowess.

They were even accompanied by Mages with the power of Words and Laws Follow.

Even the Three Sages of the current age would have to give this group a wide berth, not daring to confront them head-on.

And yet now, they appeared extremely hurried, even wretched, pushing their mounts onward with no regard for their stamina.

"Commandery Princess!"

One of the riders glanced back, gritted his teeth, and yelled:

"We’ll lead that Demon away! You run towards the Capital City! You’ll be safe once you reach the Capital City!"

"The Capital City?" Xia Tong’s face was etched with bitterness.

"Will the Capital City really be safe?"

"Sister," a young child lying prone on the horse’s back looked up, his eyes red.

"Will I never see Mother again?"

"...Be good." Xia Tong clenched her jaw.

"We have to survive, so we can avenge our parents!"

"HYAH!"

The troop of horses scattered.

One group wheeled around, charging back the way they came.

The Wind Steppers let out furious neighs, their hooves stomping the ground as gales howled beneath them, actually carrying their riders up into the sky.

The riders on their backs either brandished long lances or formed Seal Techniques, crashing toward a faint, almost invisible bloody light.

"Freeze!"

"Kill!"

The two sides clashed in mid-air, and the bloody light suddenly accelerated.

Countless threads of blood spread across the void. In an instant, the Wind Steppers and the knights on their backs were sliced into innumerable pieces.

Blood splattered everywhere.

It was immediately drawn by an unseen force, forming a river of blood that was devoured by a crimson longsword.

"Demoness!"

Someone below roared in fury.

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

"Hmph!"

The exquisitely featured woman in the blood-red cloak showed a look of disdain. With a pounce, she devoured all the Essence and blood of the roaring man.

’The flesh and blood of a Cultivator is always more flavorful. Wiping out a Marquis Mansion is comparable to decades of bitter Cultivation,’ she thought.

Licking her lips, a cruel smile appeared on her face as she flashed forward in pursuit.

For her, killing this group of Marquis Mansion elites was not difficult.

But she was in no hurry to act. Instead, she toyed with them like a cat playing with a mouse, bit by bit, until the fleeing people broke down completely.

Time slowly trickled by.

Despair was now evident in Xia Tong’s eyes as she rode.

Along the way, the group had scattered to flee, fought desperately to block the pursuit, and even tried Concealment and Disguise. The result...

Was utter futility!

That Demoness was like an omnipresent Demon, sparing no one. The guards were killed off one by one.

Now, only a handful of people remained.

"Commandery Princess,"

someone growled in a low voice.

"She’s toying with us!"

"Let’s fight her to the death!"

"WHOA!"

Xia Tong gritted her teeth, yanked on the reins, and glared back at the bloody phantom with reddened eyes.

"Demoness!"

"I’ll fight you to the death!"

"Charge!"

The few remaining people, united by a common hatred, were about to risk everything in a final, desperate battle with the Demoness behind them.

Just then, a long whip descended from the sky, binding them tightly and yanking them off their horses, sending them flying sideways.

"Commandery Princess, it’s me."

A familiar voice rang out, and wild joy bloomed on the face of the once-despairing Xia Tong.

"Senior Huike!"

’One of the Three Sages of the current age!’

’We’re saved!’

But in the next moment, Huike’s words made her heart jump, and a chill spread through her entire body.

"Commandery Princess, be careful! The pursuer is too strong! I am no match for her either! We have to flee!"

SWOOSH!

Zhishou summoned a Flying Carpet to catch the group.

"Fellow Daoist Zhu," Huike shouted.

"Please, lend us a hand!"

"I told you we shouldn’t have saved them," Zhu Ju said in a low voice, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect are the most troublesome, especially a Golden Core Grandmaster. If the rescue fails, we might all die here."

Glancing at the accelerating bloody light, he sighed in resignation.

"Now we’re in trouble."