Chapter 763: Storm

Xun Ziyou let out a long breath.

Thankfully...

His hanging heart almost stopped beating...

Afterward, he immediately asked, "Mohua, you... how did you get in?"

The other side delayed for a moment; it seemed the Yuan Magnetic induction signal wasn't very good. After a while, the message was transmitted.

Mohua: "I hid under a carriage and blended in."

Xun Ziyou: "You just said that Ling Huxiao was also caught?"

"Yes, yes! And also Xiaomutou, that's Tai A Men's Ouyang Mu from the Ouyang family," Mohua transmitted in writing.

Song Jian was subconsciously forgotten by him.

Xun Ziyou frowned, "Can you still come out?"

Although the disciples of Tai A Men and Chong Xu Men are from the same lineage as Tai Xu Men, no matter how bad things are, he still had a bit of a private bias and always differentiated in closeness.

Mohua's safety was naturally the first priority.

If saving other disciples put Mohua at risk, he would definitely be unwilling.

Not to mention the old ancestor.

If the old ancestor knew that Mohua, this little disciple, had gone into the dangerous Wan Yao Valley while he, an elder, was outside, his skin would definitely be stripped and his legs broken.

Therefore, the priority was to ensure Mohua's safety; other things could be considered afterward.

In Wan Yao Valley, Mohua was still hiding like a little cat at the bottom of a coffin. He looked left and right and found it was pitch black.

His divine sense perceived only ice-cold, bloody stone walls.

The road he came from, like a demon beast's giant mouth of a gate, had also closed.

It seemed he couldn't get out for the time being.

Mohua then transmitted a message to Xun Ziyou: "The gate is closed, I can't get out."

Xun Ziyou's scalp went numb.

If something happened to Mohua, he would really be finished!

"You must be careful! Hide well, don't rush, and don't take risks. Your safety comes first. I will quickly find a way to rescue you..."

"Yes, yes!" Mohua said, "Elder Xun, rest assured."

Xun Ziyou breathed a sigh of relief, but then thought about it and felt uneasy again.

Now was not the time to rest assured.

Mohua entering Wan Yao Valley was like a "meat bun" entering a wolf pack. With one misstep, he feared not even bones would be left.

Xun Ziyou's heart turned cold. He pondered for a moment, then said to the Chong Xu Men elder:

"Let's quickly return to the sect and report to the old ancestor."

This time, he was negligent and made a big mistake.

But precisely because it was a "big mistake," he could not hide it from the old ancestor or harbor luck in this self-smart "closing the stable after the horse is stolen."

Otherwise, a big mistake could easily turn into a "big fault."

Whether he was punished or not was not important; the important thing was that Mohua must absolutely not have an accident.

The Chong Xu Men elder also understood and nodded with a pale face.

Xun Ziyou pondered slightly and said seriously, "Remember, only tell the old ancestor; no one else is allowed to leak even a bit of wind."

The Chong Xu Men elder was startled, then his gaze sharpened, "You mean..."

Xun Ziyou nodded slightly.

They could design from within Chong Xu Men to lead the heaven's proud disciples into Lian Yao Mountain.

With Jin Dan demon cultivators, secretly ambush the Jin Dan elders who protected the disciples.

There must be a problem within Chong Xu Men.

The Chong Xu Men elder also realized this and his face became ugly.

"The matter should not be delayed. Let's go report to the old ancestor now..." Xun Ziyou said.

The Chong Xu Men elder nodded.

Before leaving, Xun Ziyou finally instructed Mohua one more sentence: "Hide well, must not take risks. I'll go back and get people."

It seemed the Tai Xu Order still had some delay.

After a moment, Mohua replied:

"Okay!"

But afterward, Mohua said again, "Elder, there's still a very important matter."

Xun Ziyou's expression became serious, "What matter?"

Mohua: "After returning to the sect, remember to help me extend my leave."

He had asked for leave before, but only for a few days. Now that he had entered Wan Yao Valley, he didn't know when he could go back.

So this leave definitely needed to be extended.

For a moment, Xun Ziyou didn't know what to say. Finally, he was helpless and silently sighed.

This child truly had a big heart...

Tai Xu Men, Elder's residence.

Old Mister Xun stood indifferently, his whole body's aura like a silent storm that swallowed all sounds.

His old eyes were no longer cloudy; the cold light was deep and sharp to a terrifying degree.

Xun Ziyou stood with his head down, cold sweat dripping, not daring to say a word.

He had just returned and told the old ancestor about Mohua. Then he saw the old ancestor's gaze change, and his aura instantly became terrifyingly extreme.

He knew the old ancestor was truly angry.

Xun Ziyou gritted his teeth, trembling in his heart.

Old Mister Xun only looked at Xun Ziyou indifferently, then slowly rose and came to the desk.

On the desk was a Tian Ji Luo Pan.

But this Luo Pan was not the same as the one Old Mister Xun had used before. The color was deeper, there were more causal trajectories, and it looked more complex.

Old Mister Xun held his breath, concentrated, and deduced on the Luo Pan for a moment. He was suddenly startled, then slowly restrained his frightening aura.

Xun Ziyou got a moment to breathe and asked in a low voice:

"Old ancestor..."

Old Mister Xun looked at Xun Ziyou coldly and said indifferently:

"Things arise from cause; this is not your fault."

Xun Ziyou breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling as if the mountain-like pressure on his shoulders had finally eased a little.

"But," Old Mister Xun said again, "Mohua encountered danger; you cannot escape responsibility either."

Xun Ziyou cupped his hand and said solemnly:

"This matter is indeed junior's negligence..."

Old Mister Xun saw that he dared to take responsibility and did not find reasons to shirk, so he nodded slightly.

Xun Ziyou asked in a low voice, "Old ancestor, what should we do?"

He did have ideas, but he had no power.

Moreover, he could not decide some matters, and he could not bear responsibility for the success or failure of the matter.

So, he could only ask the old ancestor.

Old Mister Xun pondered slightly and instructed: "You let all the inner sect Zhu Ji peak disciples, Jin Dan elders... as long as they are not teaching or have tasks on hand, all be dispatched to guard Lian Yao Mountain for me."

"Do you want to attack by force?" Xun Ziyou asked.

Old Mister Xun's eyebrows raised. He couldn't help but think of the "no danger with shock" causal omen on the Tai Xu Luo Pan just now, and he was somewhat thoughtful.

He thought for a bit and slowly said, "Not urgent..."

Xun Ziyou was startled, "Not urgent?"

"Um," Old Mister Xun slowly nodded, "You let that child Mohua mix around inside himself."

"Old ancestor's meaning is..." Xun Ziyou frowned, "To temper him?"

Old Mister Xun nodded slightly and said in a deep voice:

"For the sake of becoming a heaven-gifted talent who shoulders great responsibility, the goal must be grand, the actions must be dangerous, and one must undergo tempering of a thousand difficulties and ten thousand hardships, dangers at the drop of a hat, and twists and turns, which is inevitable..."

Xun Ziyou's heart tightened.

He did not expect the old ancestor to have such high expectations for Mohua.

Old Mister Xun paused slightly and continued:

"Before, I only thought of Mohua as a naive and carefree child, so I feared him encountering danger. But now it seems I've somewhat misjudged..."

Old Mister Xun's gaze was somewhat intriguing.

This child was indeed pure in mind, but he was actually not as pure as he thought...

He could major in the Five Elements Slaughter Demon Great Array and suppress and kill the great demon Feng Xi.

He could be accepted as a disciple by that person who was gifted by heaven and had "eyes above all."

He could travel alone across mountains and rivers from Li State to Gan State to seek learning.

He had only been in Tai Xu Men for a short time, and he could follow senior brothers and sisters to go out and capture criminal cultivators.

The death of the Fire Buddha was also related to him.

Furthermore, various deeds such as leading fellow disciples to hunt demon beasts in Lian Yao Mountain and cultivating the Imperial Sword...

How could such a child possibly be truly "pure"?

It would be strange if he didn't have a belly full of "bad ideas."

Old Mister Xun sighed in his heart: He was deceived by that little face that was "harmless to humans and animals"...

Old Mister Xun thought for a moment and said again:

"Mohua is intelligent and thoughtful. Since he dared to enter this 'Wan Yao Valley,' it means he has some confidence in his heart, more or less."

"The path of cultivation is long, with dangers everywhere. The sect cannot always protect him. Appropriate tempering is necessary."

"The best way to protect him is to let him learn to 'protect himself'."

"This time, just let him explore by himself first and find a way to survive..."

Xun Ziyou's heart was shocked, and then he sighed.

The old ancestor was truly painstaking for this child.

"Yes." Xun Ziyou cupped his hand and asked again, "Then do we still transfer so many people from the sect?"

Old Mister Xun pondered for a moment and nodded: "Transfer!"

"Even without Mohua's matter, Wan Yao Valley cannot be left alone. In the eyes of our sects, doing such dirty things truly shows they don't know death!"

"This time, we must peel open Wan Yao Valley and see what these people are plotting."

Xun Ziyou cupped his hand, "Yes."

Old Mister Xun gave his final instruction: "You gather people, act secretly, and surround Wan Yao Valley. Use the Tai Xu Order to contact Mohua in time."

"If you can contact him, then hold the troops. If you cannot contact him..."

Old Mister Xun's gaze turned cold, "Then do not hesitate. At all costs, level this Wan Yao Valley to the ground!"

Finished, Old Mister Xun pondered for a moment, still not rest assured. He took out a sword order and handed it to Xun Ziyou.

Xun Ziyou's gaze was immediately shocked when he saw the sword order.

Old Mister Xun said, "This is the Void Sword Order. You should know, if the situation is urgent or you encounter an unbeatable enemy, immediately activate this sword order..." "I will destroy the array of Lian Yao Mountain, shatter the void, and forcibly descend. With the power of Cave Void, I will grind this Wan Yao Valley to ashes!"

Xun Ziyou's heart and spirit trembled. He understood the old ancestor's determination and immediately bowed, saying:

"I will strictly follow the old ancestor's command!"

At the same time, in the back mountain cave mansion of Chong Xu Men.

The room was like shattered space, a complete mess. All the desks, screens, and furniture were already ground to powder.

The old ancestor of Chong Xu was furious, "Go, send people. Even if you flatten Lian Yao Mountain, you must find Xiao Er for me!"

Sect reform was imminent, and Ling Huxiao, this sword dao genius, might just decide whether Chong Xu Men advanced or retreated in this storm.

Even in this critical period.

This disciple was more important than most elders within Chong Xu Men.

There absolutely could not be the slightest accident.

The Chong Xu Men elder, bearing heavy injuries and with a weak aura, had a guilty face but still gritted his teeth and said:

"Old ancestor, we cannot make a big fuss..."

The old ancestor of Chong Xu was angry, but seeing the elder's miserable appearance, his heart softened a little in the end.

He did his best, but was schemed against, which was indeed helpless.

The old ancestor of Chong Xu's aura calmed down a bit.

The Chong Xu Men elder seized the opportunity to explain: "Those who captured Xiao Er were a group of demon cultivators. We don't know what they are plotting. Once this matter becomes big, there will be no room to maneuver."

"Even, the demon cultivators might be forced to the extreme and tear up the ticket..."

The old ancestor of Chong Xu frowned tightly and suddenly asked, "You said that on the Tai Xu Men side, there was a disciple who got mixed in?"

"Correct..."

The Chong Xu Men elder coughed, suppressed his injuries, and said in a deep voice:

"The Tai Xu Men disciple, the one named 'Mohua', somehow got mixed into the demon cultivators' nest."

"He seems to know Xiao Er's whereabouts."

The old ancestor of Chong Xu slowly breathed out, murmuring, "Mohua..."

He nodded, then immediately said: "You call some people and go find Tai Xu Men. Discuss acting together to rescue these two... no, there's still one?"

"Yes," the Chong Xu Men elder said, "There's also one from Tai A Men."

The old ancestor of Chong Xu muttered, "His grandma, all three doors together, not one less..."

He continued, "...rescue all three of these children."

"On the Tai Xu Men side, if they have more intelligence, just let them lead. You cooperate, prioritize saving people, and do not have conflict."

The Chong Xu Men elder cupped his hand: "Yes."

Then he turned to leave, but was suddenly stopped by the old ancestor of Chong Xu.

The old ancestor of Chong Xu frowned and said in a condensed voice: "Find some... trustworthy people."

The Chong Xu Men elder was startled, then nodded.

"Also..."

The old ancestor of Chong Xu pondered for a moment, his gaze turning cold. He similarly cherished and heavily took out a sword order and handed it to the Chong Xu Men elder.

"You hold this sword order. If you encounter matters that cannot be decided, just activate the sword order."

The elder's whole body trembled, his expression somewhat unbelievable.

Then he quickly realized that what the old ancestor had said before, about the Gan Xue state boundary sects reforming being a major change not seen in a thousand years, was perhaps not empty words.

The child Xiao Er was also more important than he had imagined.

The elder immediately said: "Yes."

But he was also somewhat hesitant, "But, inside Lian Yao Mountain, arrays are set up, prohibiting flight like Feather Transformation. Forcing a descent in Cave Void also violates the 'ban' of the Gan Xue state boundary..."

"We cannot worry so much..." The old ancestor of Chong Xu sighed.

The Chong Xu Men elder's heart tightened. He lowered his head and said, "Yes, junior will certainly atone for my mistakes with merit and rescue Xiao Er."

Lian Yao Mountain inner mountain.

Two Jin Dan demon cultivators lurked in a mountain cave.

One was strong and sturdy, with a fleshy face, like a giant bear.

One was short and small, with narrow eyebrows, and a face like a poisonous snake.

"Damn it, miscalculated, really bad luck..."

"We knew about that Chong Xu Men elder who cultivated sword qi, but where did that elder who relied on void imperial sword and carried sword intent all over his body pop out from?"

"What's his origin?"

The strong and sturdy demon cultivator, like a black bear, frowned: "He looks like... like he's from Tai Xu Men..."

The short and small snake-faced demon cultivator then cursed sharply: "In the middle of the night, what is a Tai Xu Men elder doing running around Lian Yao Mountain? Ruining old men's good deeds!"

The black bear demon cultivator couldn't figure it out and shook his head, "Maybe he was on night duty and patrolling the mountain."

The snake-faced demon cultivator said: "If he hadn't obstructed us, if we two demon cultivators had fought in close combat, that Chong Xu Men elder would probably have died in this mountain."

Immediately, he stomped his feet and cursed angrily: "That waste Old Third, how many times have I told him, just drag it out! But he let demon qi rush to his brain, pig oil cover his heart, thinking of testing whether Chong Xu Men's sword qi was sharp or not..."

"As a result, that Chong Xu Men elder cut off his arm with one sword, and we still have to clean up his mess, truly a waste!"

"Where did Old Third go?"

"Don't know," the snake-faced demon cultivator sneered, "Probably hiding in the inner mountain too."

The black bear demon cultivator looked fierce and violent, but his temperament was much steadier.

He pondered for a moment and asked, not understanding:

"Big Brother, this matter could have been planned slowly without leaving a trace. Why the rush?"

"You don't understand," the snake-faced demon cultivator said, "These few disciples are all key."

"Mister Tu calculated that moving to catch these three little ghosts now, although the risk is great, is already the last opportunity."

"After this opportunity passes, it will be difficult to catch them later."

"So we just made a forceful move."

The black bear demon cultivator didn't understand, "How will catching them later compare?"

The snake-faced demon cultivator frowned, "Mister Tu said that cause and effect are entangled, with many variables, and he couldn't calculate accurately. Anyway, catching them is good. Chips should naturally be held in our own hands first!"

The black bear demon cultivator nodded slowly, then frowned:

"There won't be any accidents inside Wan Yao Valley, right?"

The snake-faced demon cultivator pondered for a moment and sneered, "What kind of accident could happen inside the valley?"

"We elders are sitting here..."

"Inside Wan Yao Valley, the arrays are complete, and demon rules are strict, forming a self-contained system."

"The structure inside the valley inherits the tradition of Wan Yao Mountain, one of the demon dao giant gates, with a history of thousands of years. How could there be an accident?"

"Whether we are inside or not, it has no influence whatsoever."

"Moreover, all matters inside the valley are managed by the 'young masters', so there's no need to worry."

The black bear demon cultivator nodded: "Indeed."

The snake-faced demon cultivator looked around and said cunningly, "We'll just hide from the wind here. After finding Old Third, we'll wait for the wind to pass, then return to Wan Yao Valley together."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Tai Xu Men and Chong Xu Men, calm on the surface, secretly gathered elders and inner sect disciples within Lian Yao Mountain.

Then, led by Xun Ziyou, they acted secretly and arrived in the dense forest outside Wan Yao Valley.

When the crowd saw the scarlet blood streams, the white bones everywhere, and the distant, vaguely visible, dark and unknown Wan Yao Valley, they all took a breath of cold air.

"This is... such thick demon qi!"

"Inside Lian Yao Mountain, there's actually a place like this?!"

"Under the bright sun in the vast Gan Xue state boundary... there are so many demons hidden, this is truly outrageous!"

Even the Chong Xu Men elder who knew about it beforehand was shocked.

He had only heard Xun Ziyou mention it before, but had not seen it personally. At this time, seeing it in person was even more shocking than expected.

It was like...

A house that looked bright and clean on the surface, but after lifting the floor, you discovered that a pile of dense cockroaches had already made a nest...

Xun Ziyou looked at the Chong Xu Men elder and asked:

"Shangguan, how is your injury?"

The Chong Xu Men elder, named Xuanjian, surnamed Shangguan, was a disciple of the Shangguan family.

Although he was also in the direct line, he was far from the line of the Shangguan family head, and there were not many interactions as usual.

Shangguan Xuanjian said: "The old ancestor granted a pill; I feel much better after taking it. I'll recuperate a bit later. Let's not talk about this first... what should we do now?"

"First wait and see for an opportunity to act," Xun Ziyou said.

Shangguan Xuanjian frowned, "Your Tai Xu Men... that little array master, got mixed in?"

"Um," Xun Ziyou nodded.

"He won't be in trouble, right?" Shangguan Xuanjian was a bit worried.

Xun Ziyou couldn't say.

Although Mohua was heaven-gifted and intelligent and did things smartly, that place inside was after all Wan Yao Valley, where demon cultivators gathered. If he was careless, he feared being gnawed to "bones no remain" by the demon cultivators.

But now, to save people, they still had to rely on this child.

Xun Ziyou said: "I transmitted a message to ask, but the Yuan Magnetic flow inside Wan Yao Valley is very weak. He hasn't replied yet; it probably needs to wait a while."

If there was still no reply after a while, then they could only attack by force.

Even...

Xun Ziyou touched the "Void Sword Order" in his storage bag, which could guide the Cave Void and shatter the void. His gaze was ice-cold as he looked at the distant Wan Yao Valley.

Inside Wan Yao Valley.

Mohua shook the Tai Xu Order in his hand and muttered in his heart, "How is the signal so bad inside this valley?"

"Maybe there's Yuan Magnetic interference?"

He was now lying on the roof of a stone room.

The stone room was very high and was a prison. Ling Huxiao and Xiaomutou were locked inside.

Oh right, and also Song Jian...

Mohua temporarily didn't dare to move lightly. He just used the Tai Xu Order to contact Elder Xun, but the Yuan Magnetic was too weak, and the message was intermittent and couldn't be transmitted.

Mohua changed positions, angles, and directions, held a Tai Xu Order in his hand, and tossed it for a long time. The "signal" just got a little better.