Chapter 623 - 36: Exorcism and Protection of the Dao (Part 2)

"This..." The person opposite was momentarily speechless.

In reality, when the Ten Thousand Laws Palace was in power, the Sect employed many means of control. Not only did it monopolize many spiritual resources, but it also claimed exclusive rights to all relics and secret realms within the domain. Very few resources reached the lower levels, especially for the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Usually, at least a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had to compete for a share of the resources for that stage, while as for Core Formation, it was almost completely blocked.

Nowadays, even though the Corpse Puppet Sect and several major demon sects act domineeringly and recklessly, they hardly control the resources within the domain and are defenseless against all relics and secret realms, leaving everything as a free-for-all where the strong can seize what they desire.

While this causes cultivators to engage in fierce battles over spiritual resources, resulting in a high death rate,

it also gives even lower-level loose cultivators some hope of reaching Core Formation.

"Whether it’s the righteous path or the demonic path, what do I care?" Li Ji’an snorted coldly, holding Ning Sujin’s hand as they continued forward.

"Fellow Daoist, please stay." Confirming Li Ji’an’s attitude, the yellow-faced preacher quickly caught up.

He had now shifted from his previous attitude of righteous indignation and hatred for evil, revealing a mercenary expression: "Fellow Daoist, please hold on so that Liu can apologize for wrongly accusing you earlier. I hope for your forgiveness."

"Hmm?" Li Ji’an looked at him in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist, to be honest, the words I previously spoke were meant for the ignorant. But you possess great wisdom and insight, so I will speak frankly."

"You too should see that while the demon cultivators occupy this place, they are lax in governance. If we could align ourselves with a strong force, there’s a chance we could drive the demon cultivators out and govern this domain like the Ten Thousand Laws Palace once did.

At that time, we would be like ministers of great merit, enjoying the spiritual resources of the entire domain. Forget about Core Formation; even a Nascent Soul could be possible.

Arriving in this world once, why not aim for immortality?"

Li Ji’an shook his head with a smirk, "So, the fools are lured with religious righteousness, while the wise are enticed with fame and fortune?"

The preacher nodded repeatedly, wearing an expression of "you get it."

However, before he could say more, he felt his Sea of Consciousness being confined by an invisible force and lost consciousness immediately.

"As expected." Just as his divine sense probed the opponent’s Sea of Consciousness, Li Ji’an murmured softly.

"Is there a Divine Soul Restriction?" Ning Sujin inquired.

"Indeed. Judging by its strength, it corresponds to a mid-stage Core Formation Divine Soul. Sujin, you’ll have to handle this." Li Ji’an nodded and withdrew his divine sense.

There was a restriction equivalent to a mid-stage Core Formation divine sense in the opponent’s Sea of Consciousness, and if a soul search was forced, it would shatter instantly.

Only a Primordial Spirit with far superior divine sense could hope to unravel the restriction before conducting a soul search.

Ning Sujin intervened and succeeded instantly.

Before long, Ning Sujin had learned the location of the base.

It was at a Dao Field of the second tier, several thousand miles north of Celestial River Immortal City.

This place used to be the clan land of a small family, but after the demon cultivators invaded, it was occupied by a demon cultivator known as Wanderer Huangfeng.

It’s said that his public persona is one of violence and savagery. Rumor has it that due to cultivating the divine soul, his divine soul was injured, leaving his temperament brutal and unruly, causing normal cultivators to avoid his Dao Field with caution.

That day, Li Ji’an and Ning Sujin had already arrived at the Yellow Wind Dao Field.

Upon his divine sense sweeping through, the soul qi inside was indeed as the rumors claimed—chaotic and appearing to be a soul cultivator practicing a Divine Soul Technique with a disordered divine soul.

If they hadn’t already conducted a soul search and discovered it was the base for the Bright Hall, Li Ji’an probably wouldn’t have given this place much attention.

Soon, Li Ji’an released Gugu, who immediately infiltrated with supreme concealment and Earth Escape Divine Abilities.

As Gugu infiltrated, Li Ji’an’s perception changed dramatically.

"This place is actually shielded by a Soul Treasure, blocking our divine sense perception!"

Ning Sujin was also slightly taken aback, as this was her first time seeing an exotic treasure that could cloud even her Primordial Spirit.

"Yutan is indeed here!" Before long, through shared perceptions with Gugu, Li Ji’an’s spirit stirred as he sensed Ning Yutan’s presence.

On the surface, the Dao Field seemed to match the rumors—Tier Two Middle Grade, with a spirit vein area not large enough to nurture more than a small Foundation Establishment Clan.

Yet, once they penetrated the soul shield, they found the area rich with spiritual qi, not inferior to Tier Three Middle Grade. Several Spirit-Gathering Arrays worked in tandem, bolstered by stacks of spirit stones in numerous basement rooms, crumbling to powder as they released spiritual qi, enabling the core area to achieve a Tier Three Middle Grade spirit vein.

Moreover, while the surface area was small, underneath, an enormous space had already been dug out.

At this moment, nearly a thousand people were gathered on the underground plaza.

At the forefront of the plaza, there were three massive stone pillars, each binding a person.

Ning Yutan was on the second pillar.

Beside the three stone pillars, an elder in a simple magic robe stood solemn and dignified, with eyes filled with compassion.

Behind him, there were also five elders dressed in seemingly simple and even tattered robes, awaiting his guidance.

"Hmm?" Upon seeing one of the five elders through Gugu’s perception, Li Ji’an’s face showed a hint of surprise.

It was none other than Elder Tian, who, shortly after the Demon Realm breached the Dongli Sect, made off with nearly everything from the Biyun Sect’s treasury under the guise of the Supreme Elder.

"He didn’t flee?"

Soon after, Li Ji’an spotted the two Fake Pill Elders of the Biyun Sect in the front row below the stage.

They were among those who fled with Elder Tian back then.

Besides these three, Li Ji’an also sensed the familiar aura of figures from his past life among the remaining leaders.

The leader’s magical power bore a striking resemblance to Fu Xiaochen’s magical power aura.

Li Ji’an had collected Fu Xiaochen’s essence blood and divine soul using the Faceless Mask and had impersonated him multiple times, making the aura unmistakably familiar.

Before the Demon Realm invaded, the Fiery Sun Sect had already been wiped out by Master Chunyuan. Who would have thought a traitor could be hiding here?

The magical power aura of the other four also matched those of the few major upper sects back then, except there was no one from the Ten Thousand Laws Palace.

"Honorable heroes, it’s our mission to exorcise demons and protect the Dao. Even if it means severing our own paths, we must restore the cultivation realm to clarity, but some people have been swayed by wicked demons, abandoning our great cause to turn to darkness.

What should be done about such conduct?" At that moment, the leading Fiery Sun Sect elder spoke with righteous indignation.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

...

In an instant, the fervent cries of nearly a thousand people filled the plaza, their righteous anger booming and deafening.

Seeing this scene from outside, Li Ji’an immediately grasped the situation.

However, looking at the six True Man leaders on stage, he secretly frowned.

Among the six on the high platform, the leader was the Supreme Elder of the Fiery Sun Sect from back then, now with one foot nearly in the Late-stage Core Formation Ascendant realm.

The remaining five, including Elder Tian, possessed mid-stage Core Formation cultivation.

With such a lineup, he wasn’t confident of capturing them all at once.

Especially, considering these people were high-level sect members back then, having had access to abundant resources, Li Ji’an couldn’t be sure they lacked powerful trump cards.

However, if it was just a rescue, that wouldn’t be too difficult.

Boom~

Before the trial in the underground plaza could conclude, a massive tremor emanated from the protective grand array above the Dao Field.

"Could it be another heroic champion arriving?" The six leaders, through their divine sense perception via the protective array, had already sighted the young cultivator outside.

Sensing his Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, along with his innocent appearance and clear eyes, the six exchanged glances.

Given the infamy of this place, many aspiring young heroes often ventured here to hone their skills in exorcism and the protection of the Dao.

Moreover, these young individuals brave enough to face the demon with their courage often had simple minds, with a high likelihood of becoming their faithful followers.

As such, the followers below in the underground plaza weren’t overly concerned about what was happening above.

This scenario slightly surprised Li Ji’an, as he initially planned to lure them out and have Gugu rescue in the chaos, but now it seemed he had miscalculated.

Boom~

Thinking of this, Li Ji’an had no choice but to use a nearly Tier Three Breaking Ban Talisman.

He located the array hub of the protective grand array in front of him and executed it swiftly.

Crack~

The moment the spirit talisman was triggered, a crisp sound reverberated through the grand array.

Immediately thereafter, the grand array crumbled with a roar.