Chapter 241 - 137: Stepping into the Grotto Heaven, Breaking the Siege

Chapter 241: Chapter 137: Stepping into the Grotto Heaven, Breaking the Siege

At Wang Xingsi’s words, some were visibly disturbed. One couldn’t help but ask, "Are we to abandon the disciples and leave them to their fate?"

It was only then that another Nascent Soul Elder, who had remained silent, finally shouted, "Foolish! Only by preserving the sect can we protect the disciples! He has come alone; his goal won’t be to slaughter common disciples."

’Of course, if the man did focus on slaughtering ordinary disciples, it would actually buy them more time. But such thoughts were best left unsaid.’

Everyone present was a high-ranking member of the Celestial Permanence Sect; naturally, they all understood this. After a few changes in expression, their minds were made up. A decree was issued, and the evacuation of the disciples began.

It was a time of great anxiety, so when the sect suddenly issued this command, the disciples waiting to enter the Grotto Heaven broke into an uproar. Fortunately, throughout the Celestial Permanence Sect’s long history, its laws held great weight in the disciples’ hearts, and the Stewards were competent. Thus, a major disturbance was avoided.

Though the disciples had begun to evacuate, Wang Xingsi could wait no longer. He glanced up at the sky again. In a flash, Xuzhuang’s sword light had pierced through layers of force fields and was about to descend into the lower sky when a silent bolt of lightning suddenly flared, halting it for an instant.

This was the work of the one controlling the mountain gate’s grand array, who had activated a killing formation upon seeing the dire situation to buy more time. Wang Xingsi let out a small sigh of relief but still dared not delay. "Go!" he shouted, leading the group into the great hall.

The evacuation had begun outside the hall, but the scene within was different. A Steward was painstakingly trying to persuade a well-dressed, middle-aged man, but the man paid him little heed, preoccupied with urging the young disciples beside him to hurry into the Grotto Heaven.

Wang Xingsi swept into the hall with the elders. The well-dressed, middle-aged man showed no fear; in fact, he looked delighted. He hurried forward and said, "Patriarch, it won’t be long now. All the most promising youths of the family will be safely inside the Grotto Heaven..."

But Wang Xingsi showed no sign of pleasure. Instead, his brow furrowed. With a flick of his wide sleeve, the middle-aged man cried out and was sent flying. He tumbled across the great hall’s floor, only coming to a stop when he slammed into a pillar.

The sudden violence left all the elders, Stewards, and disciples in the hall momentarily stunned. But Wang Xingsi, his face grim, had already strode forward. "My decree," he said coldly, "was for all disciples below the Golden Core realm to disperse. Did you not hear me?"

His gaze shifted, sweeping over the faces of the young disciples. "The Wang Family is no exception!" he roared. "Get back to the family lands and guard the forbidden arrays!"

He said no more, waving them all away. Calling over one of the two Nascent Soul Elders behind him, he pressed a Jade Talisman into the man’s hand and gave a rapid-fire command: "Once you are inside the Grotto Heaven, use this Array Talisman to activate the great array and guard the entrance."

"Guide the disciples to the array positions as they enter. They are to stand guard with you. If any outsider manages to enter the Grotto Heaven, kill them on sight—no questions asked."

Before the elder could even respond to these commands, Wang Xingsi barked, "Go! Now!"

Given how Wang Xingsi was handling things, none of the elders or Mages had any objections, nor did they dare to delay for a second. Led by the designated elder, they filed into the Grotto Heaven in an orderly manner. Wang Xingsi, however, remained fraught with worry, his eyes constantly darting back toward the world outside the hall.

Seeing his anxious state, the other Nascent Soul Elder at his side offered some reassurance. "Senior Brother Wang, the trapping and killing arrays will slow him down for a while. The great hall is also protected by forbidden arrays. There’s no need to worry so much."

Wang Xingsi’s expression remained tense. "The attacker is likely Dao Miao of the True Form Temple," he said grimly. "According to the message I received, he was the one who defeated our Sect Master at the Celestial Waterfall Dharma Assembly. We don’t have details of the battle, but his Divine Techniques must be on par with a Nascent Soul Third Level Cultivator. We cannot afford to underestimate him."

As members of one of the Five Domains Great Sects, they were well aware of what Divine Techniques at the Nascent Soul Third Layer entailed. A solemn look appeared on the elder’s face as well. "Fortunately, we have the Grotto Heaven. Surely that Dao Miao can’t possibly break in."

Wang Xingsi spoke gravely. "If we had finished the evacuation, that would be one thing. The Grotto Heaven would be enough. But our disciples are still outside. Are we truly to abandon them? Our only option now is to rely on the Grotto Heaven Array and fight. That is the proper path."

The elder’s expression flickered at his words. "Senior Brother, are you actually planning to let Dao Miao into the Grotto Heaven? After the Zhenren fell, the very foundation of our Grotto Heaven was severely damaged. Without the Sect Master here to oversee things, can we truly suppress a cultivator with Divine Techniques on par with the Nascent Soul Third Layer...?"

Wang Xingsi shook his head, offering no reply. He silently watched until every last one of the Golden Core Disciples had entered the Grotto Heaven. Only then did he breathe a small sigh of relief. "Let’s go!" he called, and led the way through the Grotto Heaven’s gate. The elder dared not linger and quickly followed.

Barely a moment after they entered the Grotto Heaven, a tremendous BOOM echoed from outside, shaking the entire great hall. Half a breath later, a streak of sword light shot through the entrance. The light scattered, revealing the figure of Xuzhuang.

Upon entering, Xuzhuang’s gaze swept across the hall, immediately locking onto a single object.

The object was a gate, made entirely of stone. It wasn’t particularly large, just wide enough for two or three people to pass through abreast. Beyond the gate, however, was not the rest of the hall, but a hazy curtain of light. Having entered the Dharma Origin Grotto Heaven before, Xuzhuang knew with a single glance that this was the entrance to the Grotto Heaven.

Seeing it, Xuzhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had just smashed through the Celestial Permanence Sect’s great mountain gate array and broken several forbidden arrays within the halls, yet he hadn’t encountered a single cultivator at or above the Golden Core realm. ’It’s not hard to guess, then,’ he thought. ’The Celestial Permanence Sect’s upper echelons must have all gathered inside the Grotto Heaven.’