Chapter 66:

Chapter 66: Elder Li, all the disciples sent to investigate have vanished, including one at the mid-stage of Foundation Building. It seems likely that the demon cultivators deliberately destroyed the city to lure our disciples into a trap, Elder Huang, second only to Li Su in strength within the Flying Immortal Sect, voiced his concerns. Upon receiving news of the citys destruction by demon cultivators, the Flying Immortal Sect promptly dispatched disciples for investigation. However, these disciples, led by one in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment and several in the Energy Refinement stage, never returned and seemed to have completely disappeared. The Sect then sent an Energy Refinement stage disciple to gather information cautiously, but he vanished as if he had evaporated. This led Elder Huang to suspect that the demon cultivators intentionally destroyed the city and lured the Flying Immortal Sects disciples into investigating, aiming to capture them all in one fell swoop. It was highly likely that the captured disciples were now enduring torment at the hands of these demon cultivators. Using this brutal method, these malevolent cultivators sought to assess the strength of the immortal sects in the region. While Li Su possessed knowledge about the Flying Immortal Sects situation, his insights were limited, and wandering cultivators knew little about the three major immortal sects. Even those expelled from the sects lacked comprehensive information. Ordinary disciples rarely had the chance to witness their sect leaders, let alone discern their true strength. These demon cultivators couldnt rely on capturing wandering cultivators for information, so they initiated a large-scale operation. By targeting a mortal city and involving tens of thousands of casualties, they drew the immortal sect disciples attention and inadvertently fell into their trap. Elder Huang emphasized the likelihood that the captured disciples might not possess in-depth knowledge of the high-ranking members of the Flying Immortal Sect, which could work in their favor. Demon cultivators were known to employ excruciating torture methods, often beyond the endurance of ordinary cultivators. It was uncertain whether they were affiliated with the Heaven Demon Palace. Regardless, their audacity was concerning. Elder Xue interjected, cautioning against disturbing the sect leader in seclusion, attempting to reach the Nascent Soul stage. Another elder suggested activating the sects grand formation, sealing the mountain gate, and adopting a defensive posture until the sect leader emerged from seclusion. The consensus among the elders was to take a cautious approach, especially if Nascent Soul stage demon cultivators were involved. The decision was made to fully activate the sects protective formation, seal the mountain gate, and await the sect leaders emergence, making dealing with the situation more manageable. The four elders continued to advise against Li Sus plan. The Heaven Demon Palaces interest in the Sacred Command remained unknown to the other two immortal sects, and their willingness to assist might not be guaranteed. Li Su had no intention of surrendering the Sacred Command, as it held substantial potential advantages. Li Su responded firmly, Now that this matter has occurred within the martial nation and involves the Heaven Demon Palace, those two immortal sects may not be willing to assist. So be it. Seeing that Li Su had made up his mind, the other elders had no choice but to accept his decision. The flying vessel embarked in a specific direction, with Li Su standing at the bow, his demeanor composed, and his spiritual awareness scanning the surroundings. After some time, they approached the location of the second destroyed city, a relatively short distance in Li Sus terms but considerable for ordinary people. Li Sus spiritual awareness meticulously swept the area for any anomalies. Finding none, he identified a favorable terrain nearby and swiftly arranged array flags, establishing an array base embedded directly into the ground. Numerous spirit stones were placed in various directions. This marked the third time Li Su had set up the Great Expansive Sword Formation. After dismantling it, he practiced it twice to enhance his proficiency. This time, he established the formation quickly. Before long, a new and improved Great Expansive Sword Formation was in place, benefiting from the terrain and more meticulous setup. This version of the formation was larger in scale and exhibited greater power, as Li Sus expertise and precision surpassed the previous array masters hasty arrangement. The same formation, when set up by different array masters, could yield significantly different results. Over the past few years, Li Su had fully mastered the fourth level of the Great Expansive Sword Formation. However, he hadnt dared to attempt the fifth layer because it had a fundamental requirement to reach at least the peak of the Golden Core stage, and possibly even Nascent Soul cultivation, to set it up. Additionally, it demanded the expenditure of some true energy during the setup. Apart from spirit stones, manipulating the formation disk to enhance the power of the sword formation also necessitated the use of true energy. After arranging everything meticulously, Li Su didnt immediately activate the lethal formation. Instead, he conducted another thorough inspection and then departed from the area. Before long, he approached the ruined small city. Heh, it seems there are still some hidden adversaries. Though the small city was still a considerable distance away, Li Su had already detected the presence of demon cultivators lurking in the shadows. Their numbers were few, just a handful, each concealing themselves in different directions. The enemy remained oblivious to Li Sus reconnaissance.