Chapter 256 - 262: The Great Battle

Words : 1403 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

"Zhirui, do you really think Shen Leishan is going to go through with this?" After finishing the small talk with everyone else, Li Shiqing approached Li Zhirui and asked with concern. "It's not impossible," Li Zhirui replied with a wry smile. "After all, Shen Leishan is not one to show mercy." In Shen Leishan's view, as long as the problem of the Yin Wind Cave could be solved quickly, it didn't matter what means were used. It didn't matter how many cultivators died; they weren't disciples of their own sect. Even if they were, it wouldn't matter. As long as the high-level cultivators were still around, a large number of disciples could be trained in just a few years. "The already perilous great battle has now turned into a situation where, for most cultivators, survival is a slim hope against all odds!" Li Zhirui took a deep breath and said, "Uncle, now that things have come to this, all we can do is give it our best effort." "Yes," Li Shiqing finally said slowly after a long while, as if it took all his strength to utter these two words, and his vigor seemed to deplete instantly. Li Zhirui also felt troubled inside; after all, his previous words meant that they had to give up on protecting some of their clan members, focusing on safeguarding a select few from the start of the great battle. Ding ding ding— On the third day the Li family arrived at Blue Stone Peak, Shen Leishan finally rang the bell to gather everyone. Beams of Spirit Light followed the sound of the bell and arrived at a plaza. Li Zhirui glanced over and saw that there were nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators present! And this number was only one-third of all the Golden Cores under Shen Leishan's subordinate clans, as calculated by the Li family. In other words, these forces, just like the Li family, had left only one Golden Core to stand guard or even none at all. 'I wonder how many powers within Shen Leishan's domain will decline after this battle,' Li Zhirui thought to himself, hoping that the Li family would not be among them. Even with Shen Leishan's compensation and protection, it could only stop overt actions by other powers. Behind the scenes, there were countless ways to destroy a power that had suffered great losses. For example, hiring assassins in secret, issuing bounties on the black market, stating how many Spirit Stones one would get for killing someone from a particular clan, and so on. As long as it's done discreetly, there's no fear of Shen Leishan finding out. While Li Zhirui was lost in thought, the higher-ups of Shen Leishan appeared. "Thank you all for coming. Demon cultivators have always been a scourge in the Profound Origin Realm, only knowing to recklessly collect Spiritual Objects and slaughter mortals..." Sect Master Wen spoke on the podium with spit flying, his expression becoming increasingly animated, as if the end of Yin Wind Cave was imminent! "While you brave cultivators battle fiercely against demon cultivators on the front lines, I stand here before you all to make a promise. If misfortune strikes, Shen Leishan will surely provide ample compensation and protect you for a hundred years!" Li Zhirui couldn't help but curl his lip, and the others didn't show much enthusiasm either, clearly knowing better than to rely on Shen Leishan. "Fellow cultivators, follow me in vanquishing demon cultivators!" Several Elders of Shen Leishan took a step forward, their voices thundering. As Li Zhirui moved, he seemingly glanced at the sky unintentionally, 'Is Cloud Thunder True Lord not planning to make a move, or does he intend to surprise us?' He didn't actually know where Cloud Thunder True Lord was, but he had a vague feeling that he must be hiding in the clouds. Soon, one Spirit Boat after another ascended into the sky, flying westward. Flowers bloom in twos, each representing a branch of their own. But back to Yin Wind Cave, they had previously received news that Shen Leishan would take action soon, so they had been very vigilant, closely watching Shen Leishan's every move. In truth, given the nature of Demon Cultivators, upon seeing the formation of the cultivators, many were already prepared to flee, especially the Golden Core Demon Cultivators, who had prepared numerous escape routes. The reason they were still in Wind Corruption Prefecture was partly due to a bit of wishful thinking that perhaps Shen Leishan was merely bluffing, and partly due to their greedy hearts coveting the large amounts of spiritual energy-rich flesh that would be available after a major battle erupted. Moreover, if Yin Wind Cave were destroyed, they would only be able to live incognito, scurrying around in hiding,—something the Demon Cultivators, who had long been powerful and influential, were extremely reluctant to do. As for the lower-tier Demon Cultivators? They didn't even have a chance to choose; once a great battle broke out, they would be sent directly to the battlefield. When Shen Leishan made a move, the Demon Cultivators immediately learned of the news from the front. "Shen Leishan is here, bringing a large number of cultivators, you could say they have come out in full force!" an Elder said solemnly. The Sect Leader's brows lifted slightly as he asked, "Are there no movements from the cultivators of Green Mountain State?" If it were only Shen Leishan, even with a Nascent Soul True Lord, they wouldn't dream of annihilating them so easily. Just then, a beam of Spirit Light flew into the great hall, landing in the Elder's hand, "Wood Spirit Sect, Spiritual Cloud Sect, and the Mysterious Fire Fan Family of Green Mountain State have all taken action!" "Heh, it looks like Shen Leishan is really spending a fortune this time, to actually get these three powers involved." The Sect Leader didn't feel a sense of urgency; instead, he chuckled lightly. "Get ready to take action. They've come knocking on our door; how could we not give them a proper welcome?" The Sect Leader's expression changed as he warned the other Elders, "Don't think about just leaving. Remember, your Dantians are also under control!" All Demon Cultivators in Yin Wind Cave, from the moment they began their cultivation, had their Dantians implanted with a Demon Seed, and only the successive Sect Leaders knew what controlled these seeds. After breaking through to the Golden Core, the Demon Seed would be partially refined by the cultivator themselves. Although they wouldn't be controlled like lower-tier cultivators, there was always an underlying risk. Moreover, this Secret Technique could only be learned by Yin Wind Cave's Demon Cultivators; other Golden Core cultivators didn't stand a chance. Only by breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage could one completely transform the Demon Seed into nourishment for themselves. And Yin Wind Cave currently had no Nascent Soul Cultivators! Upon hearing these words, every face present turned extremely unsightly, and some even had murderous looks in their eyes, as if they were ready to seize the Sect Leader and torture him until he revealed the control mechanism. "Heh, what is our Sect Leader saying?" The Great Elder stood up, immediately diffusing the tense atmosphere in the hall, and said with a smile, "When the great mansion is about to fall, we are all just trying to survive. Does our Sect Leader really intend to go down with the Sect?" The last sentence carried a hint of mockery. Being emotionally invested in a Sect within the Demon Sects was seen as a joke in the eyes of nearly all Demon Cultivators. "Duty calls," the Sect Leader said with a shake of his head, offering no further explanation. "If you brothers wish to leave, it's not impossible. But you must kill one Golden Core cultivator or a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators." Many showed a trace of curiosity on hearing the word 'duty,' wondering what it was that could make a Demon Cultivator stand firm even when their own lives were at stake. Alas, the timing wasn't right; otherwise, they would have thoroughly investigated. But then again, if it weren't for this crisis, they would never have known about it.

Chapter 256 - 262: The Great Battle

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