Tens of millions of birds seemed to be being chased by something, desperately rushing towards this side, densely covering half the sky. There were many kinds of birds in the flock, and some of them even ignored the influence of the climate. Eagles, cranes, swallows and wild geese... Even though they were natural enemies, they didn't care about each other at this time, and huddled together to escape.
Behind the flock of birds, a thick gloomy aura spread from the sky like ink, and in a blink of an eye it infected half the sky.
Seeing this strange scene, everyone's face changed.
Cheng Yi exclaimed: "This is incredible! The soul realm of Taixue Village is moving here!"
No one paid any attention to him.
"It's true," an elder of the Qi family opened his eyes wide and muttered to himself, his voice trembling, "The Land of Duyin, the cultivation world has become a Land of Duyin, it's actually true..."
In the area shrouded by yin energy, the scenery instantly became blurred, and ghost cries could be heard faintly in the wind. It was unknown how many wronged souls were buried there, and no one knew how many areas in the cultivation world had fallen.
Another elder came to his senses and quickly jumped into the air to look over. He said to Qi Zhen, "Oh no! The Qi family is in trouble!"
Everyone in Feijian Palace was pale. Not only Qi, but Feijian Palace was also in the Solitary Yin Land. Although those with high cultivation could be immune to the erosion of Yin Qi, what about those low-level disciples? What was more serious was that there was no spiritual energy in the Solitary Yin Land, and it was difficult to recover the true energy. If an external enemy invaded, the sect would surely suffer a devastating disaster.
All the people in Yinlan Villa had evacuated, but Li Moqing was still shocked by the scene, and Gu Pinglin sighed secretly.
Three of the four soul-locking formations were finally successful, and the Four Souls Sun-Swallowing Formation had been activated.
This also means that Nanzhu has failed.
Gu Pinglin had already prepared for the worst. After a moment of regret, he quickly accepted the result and began to think about the next arrangements.
“Master…” Yang Zhao hurried back and was about to say something, but was stopped by Yu Wuxue.
The news about Duyindi was released by Gu Pinglin, but instead of believing it, everyone became suspicious because of the rumors. They also agreed to help with conditions. Now that their master is in trouble, everyone regrets it and looks at Gu Pinglin, waiting for him to make a decision.
The Yin Qi continued to spread, like a monster opening its mouth to devour the earth. Yang Zhao became more and more anxious and couldn't help asking, "It's coming, Master Gu, look..."
Gu Pinglin shook his head: "As long as we protect the Qianyang Mountain vein, this area will be safe."
Sure enough, the yin energy slowed down and gradually stopped dozens of miles away, like a black gauze curtain connecting the sky and the earth. There was a clear boundary in the distance, and the sky was half black and half white, as if separating the two worlds of yin and yang.
Green-clad You Liancheng recalled the two puppets and said to Master Lu with a smile, "They succeeded. Congratulations, Sect Master."
Mr. Wen, Duan Pin and others were also very happy.
“Duan Pin, you brat!” Qi Zhen didn’t care about anything else. He raised his hand and pointed at Duan Pin angrily, calling him by his name. “My Qi family and your Duan family are related by marriage. I have helped you so much over the years, but you actually colluded with the Demon Realm and didn’t care about the relationship between our two families at all. You want to destroy my Qi family!”
Duan Pin bowed to him with a friendly expression: "I have already made an agreement with Lord Lu that I will not harm anyone from the Qi family. Don't worry, Mr. Qi."
Qi Zhen was not fooled by him and sneered: "The yang energy is cut off, and the Qi family's swordsmanship is also cut off. Do you want us to rely on the Duan family to save our lives?"
What the Duan family wants is not the Southern Duan and the Northern Qi, but a single family that dominates. This is why Duan Pin concealed the news. Since he had spoken out, Duan Pin did not refute and smiled slightly: "This is how the cultivation world is. Elder Qi knows it better than me. My son has a new technique. I consider the relationship between the two families and hope that Elder Qi will put the overall situation first and the lives of the Qi family first."
Faced with the threat, Qi Zhen was so angry that his hands were shaking. He had a hot temper, but he managed to hold it back: "Duan Zheng agrees with you to do this?"
Duan Pin said: "The old man is in seclusion, it is inconvenient to disturb him, and I am thinking about the future of the Duan family."
"Not good! Xuanming Sect..." Cheng woke up as if from a dream. She looked at the white spiritual energy column rising into the sky, then looked at Duan Pin and the others, and said in a stern voice, "The spiritual energy of Lingxin Sect should not be so strong. Are you drawing the spiritual energy of Xuanming Sect's Great Spirit Eye? There is a traitor in Xuanming Sect!"
Duan Pin smiled and said, "My aunt should ask Sect Master Zhan about this matter."
Cheng was stunned for a moment before she understood what he meant, and was surprised: "Senior Brother Zhan, he and you... How is it possible!" Xuanming Sect has no new skills. How can Zhan Renjie, the dignified leader, be willing to abandon his cultivation and join the Wanfa Sect's ghost way, and live under the control of others from then on
Gu Pinglin said, "Master Zhan has been deceived."
Boss Wen laughed and said, "He is too stupid. We only said that we wanted to attract the spiritual energy of the cultivation world. Sect Master Lu used some tricks to change the spiritual energy of Xuanming Sect, and Zhan Renjie believed it. If he was not greedy, how could he fall for such a trick?"
Abundant spiritual energy is very beneficial to cultivation. Xuanming Sect has already occupied the Great Spiritual Eye, but people are greedy. Zhan Renjie's greed has made Xuanming Sect the enemy of the authentic Taoism, which is equivalent to putting Xuanming Sect in danger. Cheng's face was extremely ugly. She obviously knew Zhan Renjie's personality very well. She turned around and flew away: "I'll go ask him!"
The old and sick Taoist sighed while leaning on his walking stick: "It is said that ghosts are good at confusing people's minds. I think it is people's minds that are confused." He looked at Jun Muzhi and Zhou Yi, as if thinking about something.
Qi Zhen angrily cursed: "How could a dignified leader be so foolish!"
Everyone knew that cursing Zhan Renjie was useless at the moment, it was just a way to vent their anger. Everyone looked at the scene in the distance, thinking of their homes, and their expressions were gloomy.
Master Lu asked Gu Pinglin, "How did Sect Leader Gu know that the Soul Locking Formation was in Qianyang Mountain?"
Gu Pinglin said: "I said it was all thanks to Duan Daxiu."
Duan Daxiu is not Pavilion Master Duan.
Master Lu didn't notice the difference and looked at Duan Qingming. Ever since Yang Zhao untied his knot, Duan Qingming hadn't spoken a word and had been standing there quietly. He didn't explain when he heard the words, and his handsome face was unreadable, with no joy or anger.
Seeing this, Wen Lao of the Kuxue Sect cursed: "Since the rumors spread from Duyin Land, I have said that this person cannot be trusted. It is true! Sect Master Lu, Duan Liu has already betrayed us. We cannot let Jianwang Pavilion stay!"
"I believe in Pavilion Master Duan." Master Lu stopped him.
Gu Pinglin laughed, "Believe it? Maybe not." He turned sideways and looked at the direction where Cheng left. "I secretly contacted Feijian Palace and Qi. Did you really not suspect that Pavilion Master Duan was hiding the news? In fact, you also hid it from Pavilion Master Duan and used ghost words to influence Cheng Daxiu to take my life."
Although Cheng Shi didn't know the truth about Penglai in the past, as an aunt, she didn't understand this kind of "feeling". Seeing Duan Qingming exposed for saving people, she naturally hated herself. Ghost words strengthen people's inner emotions, love more, trust more, and hate more. Master Lu led Cheng Shi to kill her just to use her to get rid of himself.
"We are both hiding something from each other, so how much trust can we have?" Gu Pinglin said, "You don't trust Pavilion Master Duan at all, and think he will show mercy, so you want to get rid of me. But since I have noticed it, I will naturally put this opportunity at the most favorable time."
They are all smart people. Master Lu did not deny it: "I want to kill you, but I have no ill will towards the Sword King Pavilion. The facts have proved that my concerns are correct."
"Indeed."
.
There was a moment of silence all around, except for the coughing and wheezing of the old and sick immortal.
With his red tongue swaying, Master Lu maintained a stiff posture, facing Gu Pinglin, and said after a while: "You knew I would take action in Lingxin Sect, but you still sent most of the combat forces to Xuanming Sect to confuse me."
Gu Pinglin said: "Each other. The Great Spirit Eye of Xuanming Sect is also your second best choice. If I don't do that, how can you believe that I have fallen into my trap and safely draw the power of the Great Spirit Eye over? In fact, I am also helpless. Our combat power is insufficient. If we fight head-on, we have no advantage. Compared with Xuanming Sect, I prefer to make arrangements within the scope that I can control, and you..." Gu Pinglin paused: "You also put important combat power elsewhere, not only to mislead me, but you can't bring them here at all. I guess, they are probably like Master Zhan, who was deceived by your excuse of drawing spiritual energy. Once they see the truth, they will no longer obey you, and may even turn around to deal with you."
Each sect in the Demon Realm also has its own Taoist tradition. Temporarily submitting to the Wanfa Sect is one thing, and converting to the Yi Dao is another. If Master Lu's plan succeeds, the Ghost Dao will be the only one left in the cultivation world, and those who have been interrupted in their cultivation will have no choice but to join the Ghost Dao. This result is not what the great cultivators in the Demon Realm want.
Master Lu sighed, "You are indeed a tough opponent."
"You are wrong," Gu Pinglin said, "You are not good enough to be my opponent."
Elder Wen snorted, "How shameless! You've locked up spirits everywhere, but you've only stopped this one. It won't affect the overall situation for us."
Gu Pinglin said: "This is already worth celebrating."
Elder Wen said: "The Four Spirits Swallowing the Sun Formation is activated. In less than three months, this place will be corroded by Yin Qi. No matter how many tricks you play, we will definitely win."
"Oh?" Gu Pinglin raised his eyebrows and asked, "Master Lu thinks so too?"
It is a fact that this place will be eroded by negative energy. The current situation is extremely unfavorable to the Taoist sect. Everyone's faces are extremely bad, but Master Lu is silent and does not seem happy.
Green-clad You Liancheng asked curiously, "Do you think you can still win?"
Gu Pinglin said: "Of course."
Elder Wen sneered: "How can you win? Will Duan Liu and Jianwang Pavilion help you?"
"Because you didn't succeed."
"Um?"
Gu Pinglin said, "If you succeed, all the ways of the Tao will be wiped out, and everyone who knows the truth will have no choice but to surrender to the way of the ghosts. Unfortunately, you didn't. Now I have saved a corner of the cultivation world, and there is still hope. Those who see the truth will target you in order to preserve the Taoism. On the contrary, I will get more help." The wind blew up his sleeves, and he looked at Master Lu and the others and smiled, "From this point of view, isn't my chance of winning much greater than yours?"
Everyone around Wen Lao couldn't laugh anymore.
Duan Pin's face changed and he looked at Duan Qingming uneasily. If it could be inferred that he was taking care of Pinglin, Duan's collusion with Wanfamen would be exposed and he would most likely become the target of public criticism.
Duan Qingming still did not express his opinion.
Master Lu sighed: "You are indeed very smart..."
"Here it comes." Gu Pinglin looked up.
A sword suddenly came from the sky!
Seeing this, Master Wen took the initiative to meet the attack, but Master Lu said, "You can't take it!"
The sword energy turned into a sword dragon, and it was unstoppable, instantly shattering the blood shadow and cutting off half of Wen Lao's blood staff. Its momentum was still unstoppable, and it wanted to take Wen Lao's life! The green-clothed You Liancheng, who was closest, hurriedly called for the puppet to rescue him, but the sword energy was so fierce and domineering that it cut off the puppet's right arm!
These puppets were all made by sword masters, but now they were destroyed with just one move. You Liancheng was distressed: "Who? Who is it!"
"Master Yun!" The Feijian Palace and the Xuanming Sect had been in confrontation for many years and knew each other well. Yu Wuxue recognized the sword moves first.
The person who came was Yun He, the head of the Zhengyang Academy of the Xuanming Sect who was in seclusion!
Not only Yun He, but also people from Guangling Sect, Zhenshui Sword Sect, and Qingcang Sect followed behind him. Bu Shuihan, Chen Qian, Yao Feng and others were also among them, but Yan Feixiu was not there. In addition, there was a group of demon cultivators, the most eye-catching of which were a dozen skeletons spitting black air, which were probably the ghost cultivators of Wanfa Sect.
Yun He came out of retreat and saw with his own eyes that Zhan Renjie let the demon cultivator into Xuanming Sect. He decisively took the initiative to capture him. Before he had time to ask more questions, he saw the scene of the Yang Qi flowing back into the earth veins. Everyone was horrified. Yun He hurried to check it out. On the way, he happened to see the expansion of the Duyin Land. He thought that the Spirit Eye was lost and almost broke out in a cold sweat. Seeing that the Spirit Eye was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief, fell from mid-air, and coldly glanced at Lu Gongzi and the others: "Senior Brother Zhan colluded with the Demon Realm and put our sect in an unjust situation. Now, after discussion by the elders, Senior Brother Zhan has been abolished from the position of the head of the sect."
The Qi clan elder snorted coldly: "Who knows if this is a trick played by the Xuanming sect's own people?"
Xuanming Sect was in the wrong, Yun He could not get angry, so he snorted with a sullen face: "If you don't believe it, forget it."
"I can testify to this. Brother Yun has indeed just come out of retreat," Guangling Sect's Mountain Master Zhou Qiu hurriedly stepped forward, "Luckily Brother Yun has come out of retreat. Everyone, please listen to me." He bowed to the people from Feijian Palace, Qi Clan, and Tiancan Sect, and said solemnly, "The Dao sect is currently facing a great catastrophe. I hope you will all consider the overall situation. Otherwise, the cultivation world will be in danger, and we will have no place to stand."
Feijian Palace has become a lonely and dark place. Yu Wuxue hates Xuanming Sect very much, but the situation forces him to put aside his prejudice for the time being and nod his head to express his position: "That's right, Xuanming Sect still needs Brother Yun to take charge of the overall situation."
Neither the Qi family nor the people from the Tiancan Sect refuted.
Chen Qian and the others all came to see Gu Pinglin. Zhan Renjie was punished, and Yan Feixiu did not come back. Although Chen Qian did not like Zhan Renjie, he had some respect for his wife's master, so it was not appropriate for him to scold him at this time.
Bu Shuihan felt even more ashamed: "It's all my fault..."
In fact, it was Gu Pinglin who arranged for him to fall for this trick, just to lure Master Lu to Lingxin Sect. Gu Pinglin stopped him: "We will discuss this later."
Bu Shuihan also knew that now was not the time to pursue accountability, so he said nothing more. Jiang Wu looked at Yun He and shook his head, saying, "No wonder the headmaster told me to find a way to alert Dean Yun."
Only Yun He, who has the highest level of cultivation, can calm the people of Xuanming Sect and control the leader Zhan Renjie. Others think that Yun He and Zhan Renjie have the same stance, but Gu Pinglin knows that Yun He practices extremely strong and masculine kung fu, and it is impossible for him to be affected by ghosts. Moreover, he has a stubborn temper and attaches great importance to rules. He has many disagreements with Zhan Renjie, but he is focused on cultivation and does not care much about other things. This is the information he got in his previous life to deal with Duan Qingming, so Gu Pinglin did the opposite and told Jiang Wu to act according to the situation.
Over there, the demon cultivators were also restless.
Lady Huanxi's face turned pale, and she couldn't help asking, "Master Lu, what on earth is going on? Why did it become like this?"
"That's right, isn't it about attracting spiritual energy?"
"Is what they said true? Did you lie to us
…
Just looking at the yin energy that connected the sky and the earth, it was unknown what the situation in the Demon Realm was. Several demon cultivators were concerned about their sects and were also very angry.
"You have all been deceived. He wants to destroy the Dao in the world!" Yunhe pointed his sword at Master Lu, "Lu Zhiren, I didn't expect you to practice the Ghost Dao and secretly set up the Wanfa Sect in an attempt to destroy my Dao. Damn it! I will chop off your head today!"
Master Lu said in a gentle voice: "Duyin Land is right in front of us. It is our world. You can't stop me, let alone kill me."
A dozen skeletons floated down with faint blue light and gathered around him. It seemed that he had been prepared. Most of the people he had arranged on Qianyang Mountain were his own people.
No matter how much they hated him, they had to admit that he was right. Once they entered the Solitary Yin Land, everyone was restricted, but he was like a fish in water. Wen Lao and the people in Youlian City were a little nervous at first, but they were relieved after hearing what he said.
Master Lu said: "I didn't expect that Sect Leader Gu already knew the locations of the four Soul Locking Arrays. This is my biggest oversight, and you put most of your combat power in Qianyang Mountain..."
Gu Pinglin said frankly: "Not only to confuse you, from the beginning to the end, my goal has always been to protect Qianyang Mountain."
"What!" Wan Ling, the elder of the Wan family, said angrily, "You knew the news long ago, but you only protected Qianyang Mountain. What's the reason?"
Gu Pinglin said calmly: "It's helpless, the fighting power is insufficient."
Wan Ling choked.
Gu Pinglin has informed all the sects and families of the news, but they don't believe it. Wan Shi suspected that Lingxin Sect had other intentions, so he only sent him. Who knew that in the end, Wan Shi himself would be pitted. This time, Guangling Sect was the most practical. Expelling most of the fighting force in the sect actually saved the most chances. Except for an elder who was injured, most of the main forces in the sect were here and were not trapped in Duyin Land. If the sect was in trouble, at least there were these people.
Feijian Palace also sent important figures to rescue Yang Zhao. Yu Wuxue saw the miserable conditions of various sects and secretly rejoiced. However, when he saw Yunhe and thought about how the Xuanming Sect had caused so much trouble but avoided losses because of its location in Qianyang Mountain, he couldn't be happy.
Gu Pinglin witnessed the changes in everyone's expressions, and his tone suddenly softened: "The people of the orthodox Taoist sect are not united and it is difficult for them to cooperate. This place is where the Lingxin Sect is located. It is within the controllable range. I have already lost the support of the people, so naturally I have to take advantage of the terrain. The worst result is that once Penglai fails, keeping this area will be our last chance."
Yu Wuxue understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately said, "Fortunately, Sect Leader Gu was well prepared, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous."
Everyone's complexion improved and they nodded in agreement.
Qi Zhen asked, "Penglai?"
Gu Pinglin hummed, looked at Master Lu and said, "Baichou Mountain is also just a cover. There is another soul-locking formation that should be in the Heart Sword Sect. My disciple and I once explored the area around Baitou Mountain and accidentally discovered that the Heart Sword Sect had been secretly replaced by the Demon Sect. I think it was your doing."
Master Lu said, "So you have already suspected it."
Gu Pinglin glanced at Duan Qingming and said, "Duan Daxiu's information is not complete, and the specific location is all my inference. I suspect that you have other purposes in replacing the Heart Sword Sect and contacting the Soul Locking Formation, so I asked the South Island Master of Penglai for help, and Elder Tao of the True Water Sword Sect and others to cooperate, but it's a pity..."
The Four Spirits Sun-Swallowing Formation was activated, and Nanzhu and his men had obviously failed.
"It turns out that Sect Leader Gu has made two arrangements," Yun He couldn't help but say, "It's really well thought out."
Hearing that he was not only concerned about Qianyang Mountain, everyone nodded and put away their dissatisfaction.
Yao Feng couldn't help it, and asked Duan Qingming in a deep voice: "Where is Thirteen?"
Duan Qingming just curled his lower lip.
"Where's Thirteen?" Yao Feng finally couldn't hold back his anger. "You abandoned the Sword King Pavilion, so you didn't even bring Wan'er with you?"
He was wearing a mask, so Qi Zhen did not recognize him. However, Qi Zhen came here to find out the whereabouts of Qi Wan'er, so he kept an eye on the relevant movements. When he heard him asking about Qi Wan'er, Qi Zhen could not help but look at Ping Lin, wondering: "Wan'er is in Jianwang Pavilion? With Duan Liu?"
Qi Zhen understood his grandson. Qi Wan'er had a hot temper and a prejudice against Duan Liu, so it was hard to believe that he was willing to work for Duan Liu.
Before Gu Pinglin could speak, Duan Qingming smiled and said, "Of course I wanted to bring him out, but he insisted on going to the Misty Wilderness, not to the Sword King Pavilion."
"What?" Yao Feng's voice changed.
Misty wilderness! Duyin Land is the world of the Wanfa Sect's ghost cultivators. Qi Wan'er is more dangerous if she acts alone than if she stays in Jianwang Pavilion!
Qi was already trapped, and his grandson was also in danger. Qi Zhen was so anxious that he vomited blood on the spot and almost fainted. The three Qi family elders hurriedly supported him and comforted him.
Gu Pinglin looked at Duan Qingming, who had returned to his nonchalant look, put away the Mingfeng Sword, and smiled at him. Gu Pinglin had a hard time judging his condition, and said to Qi Zhen, "Master Lu will not harm anyone from the Sword King Pavilion, so please be at ease, Master Qi."
Yao Feng also remembered his words "If I succeed, he will be safe", and looked over.
Gu Pinglin nodded slightly, then turned to Master Lu and smiled: "Of course you have to choose to trust Pavilion Master Duan, because now you can no longer lose allies, and you can't make enemies. Believe that the people in the Sword King Pavilion must be safe."
"Let's stop here. I also look forward to the final result." As Master Lu said this, the maid he was living with suddenly fell to the ground and a red light shot up into the sky.
"Want to escape?" Yun He snorted coldly, and rushed out as one with the sword.
Almost at the same time, Yu Wuxue and Yang Zhao also took action, and several elders of Feijian Palace followed suit. Duan Pin, Wen Lao and others as well as the ghost cultivators of Wanfamen would naturally not sit idly by and joined forces to fight against everyone.
Seeing that the other side had more people, Li Moqing called Tianjian to help, but suddenly, an evil and ruthless sword energy lit up from behind him!
No one expected Yan Sen to attack. Although the Soul Sword Style was not as good as the Silver Orchid Sword Skill, the Sword Demon Yan Sen had lived for many years and his cultivation was far superior to Li Moqing, not to mention a sneak attack.
Gu Pinglin was the first to react. He reached out to call Gu Ying and flew to rescue her.
Suddenly, a sense of crisis came over me!
Gu Pinglin blocked Yan Sen's sword move and without even turning around to look, he rushed forward to dodge decisively.
The opponent seemed to have anticipated his choice. There was a huge sword intent in front of him, but Gu Pinglin knew that he must not retreat. He immediately changed his finger gestures and used a move called "March Orioles Flying" to clear the way.
The sword intent disappeared.
Feint. Gu Pinglin stopped in time and retreated.
A hand clasped his left shoulder.
Severe pain followed. The familiar, overbearing true qi suppressed the true qi of creation, and poured into the injured meridian mercilessly, sealing his dantian.
Gu Pinglin thought to himself that something was wrong, but it was too late to do anything and he fell into darkness in an instant.
"Master Gu!"
"Junior Brother Gu!"
…