Chapter 457: Banish Evil and Uphold Justice
The Demon Path, those filthy little mice hiding in the shadows—once they get a breather, capturing them all at once becomes a Herculean task.
Those demons are sly little devils.
Although this operation is not particularly grand in scale or number of participants, that’s precisely why we hope to catch them off guard and make them show their true colors.
We have to keep the size of our movements discreet so the demons remain unaware of the danger, all while dangling enough juicy bait to lure them right in…
The difficulty of this, let’s just say, is off the charts.
After the conference wrapped up, Master Youyue took a deep breath.
With all this weight on her shoulders, claiming there’s no pressure would be a blatant lie.
But she’s a Transformation God, after all, her composure is top-notch, and she’ll recover quickly.
“Hey! Bai Zhen!”
Just as Master Youyue was about to leave the main hall, Master Linghua called out to her.
She turned slightly, glancing at Linghua, who had a conflicted expression, as if there was something unspeakable she wanted to share but couldn’t quite muster the courage.
Finally, Master Linghua pulled off a rather girlish pose, giving a dramatic pout: “You better go hard on the Path, or you’ll be dragging all of us down! I won’t look favorably upon you!”
She emphasized those last four words like they were the punchline to a joke.
Master Youyue: “…”
She said nothing, just turned and walked away.
Watching Master Youyue strut off like she owned the place, Master Linghua was so annoyed she began stomping her feet, her snowy white wings twitching with irritation, and a few feathers even fluttered away like disgruntled children.
But then, after a moment, a faint voice floated back: “Got it.”
Still frosty as ever.
Such a response actually eased Master Linghua’s mood a bit.
At least she acknowledged me!
With a haughty huff, she declared, “Hmph… Hmph! Boring woman, serves you right for not having a man!”
No matter how talented you are, you can’t attract men like I do!
With that thought, she puffed out her chest a little, as if flaunting her own charm.
Just then, the Wine Sword God sauntered by, catching sight of the two squabbling ladies, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Master Linghua, pride on full display, raised her chin, but then remembered something and marched after Master Youyue, shouting, “By the way, the Blackwing Lord told me to tell you to visit home when you have time!”
Master Youyue remained focused ahead, her expression as unreadable as a stone, coolly replied, “Got it.”
…
Meanwhile, after finishing the meeting, Master Qin Wushuang headed straight to where Yun Zhonghe and the others were hanging out.
She checked in on Yun Zhonghe, asking about how his injuries were healing, and they exchanged pleasantries for quite a while.
Today, Master Qin was set to deliver the champion’s reward from the tournament to Yun Zhonghe and his fellows.
As for the other ranked teams, they had already received their rewards, but Yun Zhonghe’s injuries had held things up.
Later, Master Qin led Yun Zhonghe and his crew to the Xuantian Sect’s treasury.
On the way, Yun Zhonghe asked Qin Wushuang about the rumors concerning imminent action against the Demon Path.
Though still a secret, since Yun Zhonghe had long been deemed one of their own by Qin Wushuang, she didn’t mind sharing a little.
Besides, the Xuantian Sect was the main battlefield, and since Yun Zhonghe was a promising disciple, her protective instincts kicked in.
“The demons are deeply entrenched. We suspect their recent chaos has ulterior motives, so… we can’t just sit on our hands; we must take the initiative.”
“So… we need a chance to turn the tables and draw the snake out of its hole!”
“When the time comes, the eight great peaks will definitely be the hot zones of conflict. You all should stay hidden in the Outer Gate… Of course, the Immortal Alliance and the Transformation Gods sent by the Five Continents will spare no effort to minimize casualties.”
Yun Zhonghe frowned. “But that puts all disciples in danger, doesn’t it?”
Such a large-scale fight would surely lead to significant losses for the Xuantian Sect.
With a sigh, Master Qin replied, “As cultivators of the righteous path, we bear the responsibility to root out evil and uphold justice. Sacrifice and dedication are inevitable on this road; someone has to step up.”
Her tone was heavy, her gaze unwavering.
Without such resolve, how could we intimidate the vile ones!
“So that’s why we need to hold a major competition—to stoke the entire sect’s fighting spirit, to test their grit and will as we prepare for the storms ahead!”
Upon hearing this, Yun Zhonghe and others had looks of realization wash over their faces.
The tournament had such profound considerations behind it!
This secret operation must be kept undercover, and in such circumstances, strengthening the disciples’ ability to protect themselves made the tournament the perfect choice.
All disciples preparing for the competition had significantly improved their combat skills, and their fighting spirit had been ignited. This way, if the demons did strike, they would have enough confidence and power to counter.
Not to mention the secret operation would swiftly follow the tournament, ensuring the disciples would be ready for action while the excitement was still fresh.
As for those injured in the tournament, after a few days of recuperation, most had regained their energy.
Master Qin cast a glance at the solemn Yun Zhonghe and the others, chuckling softly, “But don’t worry, for this secret operation, the Xuantian Mansion will also join in. The Longhu Army will tightly seal the outer perimeter, blocking the majority of demon intrusions. Even if a few elite demons slip through, we have enough Yuan Ying and Transformation Gods to handle them.”
In other words, folks like Yun Zhonghe still in the Golden Core or even Foundation Establishment stages wouldn’t need to dive into direct combat in this upcoming showdown. If they encountered enemies, they could just duck for cover.
The Immortal Alliance and the sect had thoroughly thought this through, putting their cards on the table and baiting the demons out.
Yun Zhonghe nodded slightly, understanding flashing in his eyes.
Should the demons reveal themselves, the righteous path would muster every ounce of power to wipe them out, ensuring no future troubles arose.
And if the demons chose to stay hidden, if Master Youyue could successfully grasp the Dao and become the very first Dao-Integration Supreme of this new era, the righteous path would bask in unprecedented glory, leaving the demons with no chance of resurgence.
It was basically an open invitation for the demons to show themselves.
While this strategy was risky, having a plan was definitely better than being blindsided.
Continuing to be ambushed by demons with no warning was much worse!
As Yun Zhonghe and his companions mulled over the matter, they soon arrived at the Xuantian Sect’s most mysterious treasury.
This place contained the true treasures of the Xuantian Sect, harboring countless precious cultivation resources and magical treasures!
