Chapter 498: Source of Trouble Leads to the East |
As a Fourth Rank Demonic Beast, the White Lion Demon King might not understand formations and such. However, at its level of existence, it had already grasped the principles of the Grand Dao and knew how to borrow the power of heaven and earth. The arrangements it left behind back in the day contained terrifying power. Once triggered, it would immediately unleash attacks akin to heaven collapsing and earth rending.
The Flying Swan Sect seemed intent on a swift and decisive battle, launching an all-out assault right from the beginning. Three Gold Core Daoist Masters and two Third Rank warships easily broke through the outer interception and entered the nest.
By this time, the Dark Crow Demon General and Poison Sand Demon General had also reacted. The two Demon Generals activated the arrangements left behind by the White Lion Demon King and engaged the invading enemies with all their strength.
On the ground, the disciples of the Flying Swan Sect advanced steadily after forming their formation. Countless demonic beasts swarmed in, and fierce life-and-death struggles ensued between them and the disciples.
Meng Zhang observed from the back, watching for quite some time. Finally, he was certain that the Flying Swan Sect was indeed not up to any tricks; they were genuinely fighting against the Dark Crow Demon General and its allies. For whatever reason, the Flying Swan Sect had chosen to attack the nest. Meng Zhang finally breathed a sigh of relief, as there was no need to worry about Taiyi Sect suffering a catastrophic fate.
Having assessed the situation on the battlefield, Meng Zhang knew that there would be no clear winner in a short period. He turned around and flew towards the Grand Lion Ridge.
Back at the Grand Lion Ridge, he dismissed most of the disciples, leaving only a few on guard duty with specific instructions to remain vigilant and not let their guard down. To alleviate the burden on the Third Rank spirit vein, most of the power of the Third Rank mountain protection great formation was also converged, maintaining a state of readiness to be activated at any time.
Meng Zhang gathered three disciples and some other Foundation Building cultivators stationed at the Grand Lion Ridge to inform them of the Flying Swan Sect's movements. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the Flying Swan Sect's army was attacking the nest. As long as it wasn't an attack on the Taiyi Sect, they were relieved.
As for the reason why the Flying Swan Sect chose this course of action, after some discussion, they couldn't arrive at a definitive answer.
Meng Zhang knew this was not An Moran's fault. Considering that the Secret Hall was established not long ago and was still able to protect the internal affairs of the Hanhai Alliance, it was already commendable. With their current strength, it was practically impossible for the Secret Hall to penetrate deep into the territory of the Flying Swan Sect.
Meng Zhang did not blame An Moran but instead encouraged him before letting him leave.
After An Moran left, Meng Zhang's face turned gloomy. The Flying Swan Sect had intentionally projected this image to intimidate Taiyi Sect and deter them. Their actions had indeed achieved a considerable portion of their objectives.
From the earlier conversation with the others, Meng Zhang noticed that everyone seemed somewhat daunted by the Flying Swan Sect's prestige, and no one dared to suggest obstructing the Flying Swan Sect's attack on the nest. Even Meng Zhang himself was initially taken aback and relieved only after calming down. His resolve to confront the Flying Swan Sect also wavered slightly, but he quickly adjusted his mindset.
Regardless of why the Flying Swan Sect was attacking the nest, Meng Zhang couldn't just watch them succeed easily. However, dealing with the Dark Crow Demon General, a demonic beast, would not be easy for human cultivators. Even if he wanted to provide assistance, it was difficult to know where to start.
Drawing from his experience attacking the nest in the past, Meng Zhang believed that even with the Flying Swan Sect making a major effort, breaking through the nest's defenses would still require considerable time.
During this period, he needed to devise ways to obstruct and weaken the Flying Swan Sect's efforts.
Ironically, now that the Taiyi Sect had returned to normal and was not facing an external invasion, the old lady Qin Hongying, along with her followers, acted as though nothing had happened and settled back into her dwelling on the peak. Meng Zhang could only chuckle and not comment on the matter.
Following this, Meng Zhang deployed his spirit pet Zhui Dian (Chasing Lightning) and several other Foundation Building cultivators from the sect, coordinating them to monitor the battlefield nearby and keep a close eye on the Flying Swan Sect's every move.
Meng Zhang himself reduced his cultivation time and focused on the situation at the nest, closely watching the Flying Swan Sect's progress. As he had anticipated, the Flying Swan Sect's attack on the nest was indeed challenging.
Whether the Flying Swan Sect had underestimated the Dark Crow Demon General and the surrounding arrangements of the nest or the techniques left behind by the White Lion Demon King were truly formidable, after easily sweeping through the outer defenses of the nest, the sect encountered increasing resistance as they delved deeper.
Facing this predicament, the Flying Swan Sect's response also surprised Meng Zhang. Their lower-level cultivators, after forming battle formations, effortlessly repelled the obstructing demonic beast army without expending too much effort. Especially when they utilized the large-scale war formation "Four Directions Subduing Mountain Formation," surrounding four enormous stone tablets, a large number of Flying Swan Sect cultivators used the power of the formation to obliterate the blocking demonic beasts. They advanced steadily towards their goal.
Then, the Four Directions Subduing Mountain Formation collided with the arrangements left behind by the White Lion Demon King, resulting in a fierce confrontation.
The Flying Swan Sect cultivators charged forward like madmen, recklessly breaking through the various arrangements in their path. Witnessing this scene, Meng Zhang couldn't help but feel a chill. What had happened to the Flying Swan Sect? They were sacrificing their disciples as if they were mere pawns, rather than the cultivators of a powerful sect.
Meng Zhang, who had previously occupied a high position in the Flying Swan Sect, knew that he wouldn't be able to make such a decision. However, his curiosity about the Flying Swan Sect's intentions only intensified.
But his curiosity did not last long before it was quelled.
Meng Zhang, who was personally monitoring the situation outside the battlefield, received a transmission talisman from An Moran, the Third Disciple, with important information to report. An Moran was the Hall Master of the Secret Hall, responsible for Taiyi Sect's intelligence system. Meng Zhang didn't dare to neglect his report and immediately returned to the Grand Lion Ridge to meet with An Moran.
Upon seeing Meng Zhang, An Moran got straight to the point and reported important information. The Flying Swan Sect's full-scale attack on the nest was not just to disregard Taiyi Sect and the Northern Desert Qi Family; it was to obtain a treasure left behind by the White Lion Demon King many years ago.
Several hundred years ago, during the time when the Purple Gold Sect was the ruler of the Endless Sea of Sand, the Layered Mystery Sect, a powerful cultivation sect in the Middle-Earth Continent, was wiped out by their enemies. One of the Layered Mystery Sect's Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, Li Zhong, managed to escape. To avoid pursuit from their enemies, Li Zhong fled far away from the Middle-Earth Continent and ended up in the Endless Sea of Sand.
During his travels in the north, Li Zhong met True Monarch Vermilion from the Purple Gold Sect, and they became good friends. Seeking refuge in the Endless Sea of Sand, Li Zhong planned to seek help from his friend True Monarch Vermilion to rebuild the Layered Mystery Sect, which had been annihilated.
True Monarch Vermilion warmly welcomed Li Zhong and was supportive of his plans to rebuild the Layered Mystery Sect. True Monarch Vermilion offered him a territory within the Endless Sea of Sand to use for his purposes. This kindness touched Li Zhong, and he relaxed his guard.
However, to his surprise, True Monarch Vermilion took advantage of his unguarded moment and launched a sudden attack on him, severely injuring Li Zhong but not finishing him off. Li Zhong managed to escape with serious injuries.
After escaping, Li Zhong had the misfortune to encounter the White Lion Demon King, and being a demonic beast, the outcome against a heavily injured human cultivator was predictable. The White Lion Demon King killed Li Zhong and took possession of the valuable treasure he carried—a legacy item of the Layered Mystery Sect. However, being a demonic beast, the White Lion Demon King couldn't inherit the treasure and could only keep it stored in its nest.
After hundreds of years, the Flying Swan Sect somehow learned of this news, which led to the events that occurred recently. The Flying Swan Sect claimed to be the ruler of the Endless Sea of Sand, but in reality, it was just a Gold Core sect. Without the support of True Monarch Tian Zhu, they might not have been able to dominate the Endless Sea of Sand.
The Flying Swan Sect had long sought the inheritance of the Purple Gold Sect to compensate for their own shortcomings and hoped to nurture a Primordial Spirit True Monarch. However, despite their efforts, they couldn't obtain the Purple Gold Sect's legacy.
Now, a more advanced inheritance from the Layered Mystery Sect appeared. Regardless of the cost, the Flying Swan Sect was determined to seize it.
Meng Zhang listened to An Moran's report and understood why the Flying Swan Sect launched a full-scale attack on the nest and why their behavior was so reckless. After contemplating for a while, Meng Zhang asked An Moran where he obtained this information. An Moran's answer was as expected; he received it from the Northern Desert Qi Family.
Meng Zhang then understood that the Northern Desert Qi Family had long known about the whereabouts of the Layered Mystery Sect's treasure. They had planned to target this treasure from the beginning, which was why they insisted on attacking the nest during the previous joint expedition with the Taiyi Sect and Flying Swan Sect.
Realizing that the Northern Desert Qi Family was playing both sides to distract the Flying Swan Sect and avoid their threat, Meng Zhang couldn't help but sneer at their scheming. The Flying Swan Sect had fallen into their trap, and with a clear direction provided, the authenticity of the information should be confirmed.
Now that the Layered Mystery Sect's treasure was at stake, the Flying Swan Sect, after hundreds of years of pursuit, could no longer resist the temptation.
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