Night fell.
Yun Ze had cultivated for an entire night before sensing Yun Xiao’s arrival at Lingxiao Courtyard.
What kind of matter required a discussion that lasted the entire night?
He rose from his bed and as soon as he opened the door, he saw Yun Xiao with a troubled expression.
“Master, what is it…”
“Let’s talk inside first.”
Yun Xiao walked directly into Yun Ze’s room and, with a flick of her hand, set up triple soundproof restrictions.
She looked at Yun Ze and said with a helpless smile, “Junior disciple, why don’t I find your Brother Xiao to pick you up? You can go travel the world with him.”
“Huh? Sister, why do you say that?” Yun Ze was utterly confused, not knowing what had happened.
“The situation is like this…”
Yun Xiao quickly recounted the events of the day’s ten-academy meeting.
Yun Ze frowned as he listened. After she finished, he hurriedly asked, “The Gate of Nine Nether? What is that?”
“You’ve seen the Demon Infant with your own eyes, and you know the truth of this world. You should know what is suppressed beneath the Nine Nether, right?”
“The Demon Race.”
“Yes, the Demon Race.”
Yun Xiao continued to explain, “Thousands of years ago, before the Ancient Clans were replaced by the Immortal Mansions and Demon Caves, the Gate of Nine Nether was the responsibility of the Ancient Clans to suppress.
Each Ancient Clan, according to their strength, would suppress one to three Gates of Nine Nether. Whether it was killing the demons that emerged from them or infiltrating beneath the Nine Nether to obtain heavenly treasures, it was all the responsibility of the Ancient Clans themselves.
In the early days, the Gates of Nine Nether would only produce Nascent Soul stage demons at most. For the Ancient Clans, these were materials delivered to their doorstep for refining artifacts and elixirs, and one of the foundations for their gradual growth.
But as time passed, the Gates of Nine Nether increased, and the initial few Gates of Nine Nether became more terrifying, with the demons emerging from them possessing increasingly profound cultivation.
Out of Body, Soul Separation, Integration, and even Tribulation Transcension!
I heard that demons at the peak of Tribulation Transcension, nearing the Mahayana stage, have already appeared.”
“Demon Emperor!”
Yun Ze’s eyes were filled with shock. He knew that the matter of the Demon Race was imminent, but he hadn’t realized it had reached such a critical point.
“Yes, but fortunately, the Gates of Nine Nether always appear within the territory of Zhongxuan Heaven.
Yun Xiao continued, “Zhongxuan Heaven, being the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy, has always produced powerful cultivators. With the combined efforts of the nine Xuan Heavens, they can currently contend with the Gates of Nine Nether.
However, yesterday, a Gate of Nine Nether appeared in Dongnan Xuan Heaven as well, and it’s only a thousand miles east of Tongtian Academy!”
“This…”
Yun Ze now understood why the Immortal Venerable had made a special trip to Tongtian Academy.
Besides picking up Dan Chenyu, it was likely for this matter as well.
The first Gate of Nine Nether outside Zhongxuan Heaven, if not handled properly, could very well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
Dongnan Xuan Heaven, this is the backyard of the entire cultivation world, the place with the most heavenly treasures, and also the largest center for alchemy.
If this place falls, humanity’s logistics will be cut off.
No wonder the Immortal Venerable is so concerned, and no wonder the Demon Cave, even while fighting the Xiu family, had to deploy some forces to alert the cultivation world of Dongnan Heaven.
All of this is likely because of that Gate of Nine Nether!
Yun Ze then asked, “What did the Dean decide?”
“War.”
Yun Xiao uttered a single word: “All those above the Foundation Establishment stage belonging to Tongtian Academy will participate in the battle. They will be trained in the manner of the Immortal Mansion’s regular army and will set off for the Gate of Nine Nether tomorrow.”
“Above Foundation Establishment?”
Yun Ze blinked. “The demons have reached the Tribulation Transcension stage, and we Foundation Establishment cultivators are going there. Isn’t that just sending ourselves as food to the demons?”
“Don’t worry, the newly opened Gates of Nine Nether are not that dangerous.”
Yun Xiao shook her head. “Based on the recently opened Gate of Nine Nether, the demons that appear initially are at most at the Nascent Soul stage, with most being at the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages.
Going there now can serve as a training exercise. Although there will be casualties, the gains will be considerable.”
“That’s good then.”
Yun Ze breathed a sigh of relief.
He collected himself and then suddenly looked up at Yun Xiao. “This doesn’t make sense. If there’s no danger, why are you asking me to leave?”
“Too many eyes and ears.”
Yun Xiao frowned. “Although you have now entered the Dao through the zither, your strength is not comparable to Tu Sheng’s. If you encounter danger and kill a Core Formation cultivator, it will inevitably arouse suspicion.
You know how much effort I spent just to suppress the news of Gong Li’s death for you, and thankfully, it didn’t reach Tongtian Academy.
But don’t forget, once Tongtian Academy participates, people from the Tianxiang Sect will arrive soon after. When you meet them, I won’t be able to hide it anymore!”
“This… I hadn’t thought of that.”
Yun Ze scratched his head. “But Junior Sister, if I leave now, won’t that also arouse suspicion?”
“Naturally, there will still be suspicion, but this is the only option we have.”
Yun Xiao frowned slightly. “Or, there is another plan.”
“Tell me.”
“Take Ji Xiu with you. Don’t fight, just observe! As long as you use the excuse of protecting Pu Yu, no one should force you to act.
As for the Tianxiang Sect… I will arrange for your death as soon as possible. Then you can find an opportunity to escape.”
“That should work too.”
Yun Ze smiled helplessly. “But don’t I have to prepare another corpse?”
“No need for such trouble. It’s just a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Who would care about them on the battlefield?”
“Then I’ll trouble you, Senior Sister.”
“It’s no trouble. By the way…”
Yun Xiao added another layer of restriction and asked Yun Ze, “You mentioned in your letter that Ji Xiu seems to be acting strangely.
In what way specifically?”
“It’s like this…”
Yun Ze frowned. “I know a fellow Daoist who said that Xiao Xiu resembles someone who has reincarnated and cultivated again, but he couldn’t be sure and found it strange.”
“Reincarnation and cultivation? Impossible.”
Yun Xiao immediately denied it. “Ji Xiu met with the Immortal Venerable. If he were someone who had reincarnated and cultivated, he would never dare to feign ignorance before the Immortal Venerable, and the Immortal Venerable would never be unable to see through it.”
“Yes, that’s why it’s strange.”
“Perhaps it was a misjudgment.”
Yun Xiao didn’t take the matter to heart and then removed the restriction. “Then let’s leave it at that. Rest well. Tomorrow, when the ten academies set off, you’ll be busy.”
“Yes, Master.”
As Yun Xiao was about to turn and leave, Yun Ze suddenly remembered something.
“Hey, Master, wait a moment. I still have something I don’t understand.”
Yun Xiao turned her head. “Speak.”
“In this world, is there any brushwork sharper than the Dean’s?”
Yun Ze thought of what Zi Ji had said earlier. He wondered if he was just ignorant and if there might truly be brushwork in the world sharper than Venerable Qingfeng’s.
If there was, he didn’t know, but Yun Xiao would surely know.
“Brushwork sharper than the Dean’s?”
Yun Xiao repeated the question. After a few moments of thought, she nodded. “Yes, but that was thousands of years ago.”
“Oh? Who was it?”
“The Ancient Clan, Wen Diaolong.”
Yun Xiao introduced, “This person was one of the Demon Emperors of the Ancient Clans, and also the person with the highest Confucian cultivation in that era, known as the Wen Venerable.
The Wen Venerable entered the Dao through his brush. With a stroke of his brush, he could carve an ordinary stone into a dragon, possessing Tribulation Transcension cultivation.
At that time, the First Generation Immortal Venerable fought against him and was at a disadvantage, nearly being severely injured. It was only later that the Gate of Nine Nether underwent a drastic change, and the Wen Venerable abandoned his clan, entering the Nine Nether to fight, ultimately perishing, but also sealing a Gate of Nine Nether with his own cultivation.”
“Wen Diaolong…”
Yun Ze repeated the name. Just by hearing about his deeds, one could imagine his demeanor when wielding his brush.
“Why are you asking this?” Yun Xiao asked curiously.
“Oh, it’s nothing, just curious.”
Yun Ze smiled. “By the way, if we Foundation Establishment cultivators are all leaving, how will the other Qi Refining disciples cultivate?”
“There should still be some outer sect elders left behind.”
Yun Xiao said casually, “Some outer sect disciples with potential should also be taken to gain experience, as the Gate of Nine Nether is not something that can be resolved in a day or two. We should plan for eternal war.
I’m leaving now. Remember what I told you.”
“Farewell, Master.”
Yun Ze cupped his hands in farewell to Yun Xiao.
After Yun Xiao left, he sat cross-legged on the futon, but he didn’t cultivate. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
During this conversation, Yun Xiao did not mention the matter of Gu Jin to him. It seemed she still wanted him to retreat first.
After all, if he were to fake his death again, he would need a place to go. The Gu Jin ruins in Xibei Heaven seemed like a good destination.
She, likely, wanted him to speak up first.
Forget it, let’s drag it out a bit longer. Such benefits cannot be conceded easily!
He would rather think about how to restrain Ji Xiu after the departure tomorrow, so that he wouldn’t rashly seek revenge from the demons.
Given his temperament, if he knew that he would face the demons directly after tomorrow, he would probably be so eager to rush forward that he’d want to throw himself at them.
Yun Ze shook his head and gradually entered a state of cultivation.
…
…………
The next morning.
Before Yun Ze could fully emerge from his cultivation state, he heard a startled cry from the doorway.
“Ah! You… Who are you! Why are you in my room!!”
This voice was…
Dan Chenyu!?
Why had she returned?