Chapter 80: The Emergence of the Demon Soldiers


    "I wonder where he has gone," Kulo murmured softly.


    She then covered her stunning face with a black veil and set off towards the green mountain where the Secret Sect was located.


    By now, the Secret Sect had been overrun by forces from various major factions.


    Only a few disciples remained, stubbornly resisting the invaders.


    "Where has the Sect Leader gone? If he doesn''t show up soon, our Secret Sect is doomed."


    "Are you mad? How dare you speak of the Sect Leader like that. The Secret Sect will not fall. With just a wave of his hand, the Sect Leader can annihilate these insignificant foes."


    "But..."


    "No buts!"


    Over a hundred intruders crowded within the Secret Sect, slaughtering its members. A burly, red-faced man ran up from a distance, slightly bowing to a middle-aged man in white robes, and whispered, "Sect Leader, we''ve searched everywhere, but we haven''t found that demoness, Yao Ji."


    The white-robed man frowned slightly, "She can''t have gone far. Her lair and followers are here; she wouldn''t just leave."


    The red-faced man hesitated, then tremblingly said, "Sect Leader, what if the demoness really shows up, we..."


    The white-robed man snorted disdainfully, "Our spies within the Secret Sect have long reported that the demoness went berserk while cultivating the Hua Yuan Gong, suffering severe injuries. She''s been in seclusion somewhere within the sect, healing. We''ve painstakingly planned for two years, gathering hundreds of experts to besiege the Secret Sect. We cannot let her escape alive to wreak havoc again."


    The white-robed man''s face was filled with sorrow as he spoke. His beautiful wife had been abducted by members of the Secret Sect, and her fate remained unknown. His own forces were no match for the Secret Sect, so he had endured humiliation and planned meticulously for two years, rallying many allies to attack the Secret Sect and capture Yao Ji to avenge his wife.


    "Sect Leader Zhang, have you found that demoness yet?"


    A man in green robes approached from the end of the corridor, casually killing a Secret Sect disciple as he came before the white-robed man.


    "Haha, Sect Leader Li, I must thank you all for your help. That demoness must still be hiding somewhere in these mountains. We absolutely cannot let her escape this time."


    The green-robed man shook his head, "Sect Leader Zhang, you''re too kind. We are all outsiders from the Huang Tian Continent. Here in the North Alliance Continent, we must help each other. Moreover, my beloved third disciple was also seduced away by a demoness from the Secret Sect. I must avenge this wrong."


    The white-robed man nodded in agreement.


    "Haha, is that so? Since you have such a deep grudge against our Secret Sect, let''s settle it all today."


    A voice as melodious as a nightingale''s sounded, and a graceful figure clad in black gauze descended from the sky.


    "Yao Ji!"


    Everyone looked up to see the figure land in the center of the courtyard. At the sight of her, the previously fierce crowd trembled as if they had seen a monstrous demon. Some even tried to flee.


    "Don''t panic! Stay calm! This demoness is severely injured. Together, we can surely kill her here!"


    The white-robed man hurriedly tried to rally his people. Meanwhile, several other sect leaders arrived, surrounding Yao Ji.


    "Greetings, Sect Leader!"


    The few remaining Secret Sect disciples, seeing Yao Ji finally appear, were so moved they nearly wept.


    Yao Ji gently waved her hand, signaling everyone to step back.


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    "Come on," Yao Ji said indifferently.


    "Don''t be afraid! Attack!"


    At the white-robed man''s command, the hesitant crowd steeled themselves and charged forward.


    Yao Ji''s figure swayed lightly, and suddenly, as if splitting apart, she multiplied from one to two, then four, then eight. In an instant, the courtyard was filled with her images.


    Except for the few powerful sect leaders, all the minions were wiped out in an instant. The most terrifying part was that no one saw how they died.


    "Sect Leader Zhang, are you satisfied?"


    All of Yao Ji''s images coalesced back into one.


    The white-robed man, horrified, stepped back in disbelief, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Weren''t you severely injured? How could you recover so quickly?"


    Yao Ji chuckled softly, waving her hand to gather the hundred or so corpses before her. She extended her hands and instantly absorbed the dissipating life force from the bodies, integrating it into her own.


    "This! You... you''ve mastered the Hua Yuan Gong to perfection! You can absorb the fragmented essence of a hundred corpses. Does that mean you can now absorb the life force of five or six living people at once!?"


    The white-robed man''s legs went weak with fear. Who said Yao Ji was severely injured? Not only was she not injured, but her power had also greatly increased.


    Yao Ji smiled lightly, "From the moment you arrived, my fatal injuries, which I''ve had for two years, were completely healed. The essence I lost from going berserk would have recovered with time. But you timed it well; my disciples who went down the mountain to buy herbs were ambushed by you, and I nearly lost my life. If it weren''t for a fool who saved me and helped me break through the final barrier, I really wouldn''t have been able to deal with you."


    The white-robed man laughed heartily, "You speak so well, turning us into the villains. Back in the day, Senior Li Xiaotian was a man of great righteousness and virtue, whose fame in the Huang Tian Continent remains unmatched. But when he came to the North Alliance Continent, he was blinded and took you, a demoness, as his disciple. Not only did you fail to repay his kindness, but you also killed him and stole the Hua Yuan Gong. You, a scum of the North Alliance Continent, have utterly disgraced Senior Li''s name!"


    "Enough talk! Attack!"


    The green-robed man waved his hand, and a massive four-winged lion beast soul surged forth, revealing him to be a third-tier magus.


    The other sect leaders also attacked, and in an instant, dazzling lights filled the courtyard, making it impossible to see. The surrounding buildings were reduced to ashes in moments.


    Yao Ji, slightly angered, said, "The affairs of our Secret Sect are none of your concern." With that, her figure vanished.


    What followed was a series of agonized screams.


    In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, all the avengers were dead, not a single one left.


    Yao Ji turned to look at the few dozen remaining disciples of her sect, her expression unreadable. She tossed something to them and said, "This is a handwritten copy of half the Hua Yuan Gong. Take it and cultivate. With our enemies dead, there''s no need to fear anymore. From now on, you are the pillars of the Secret Sect. If I do not return by the time you have mastered it, recruit new disciples and strengthen the sect. As for the latter half of the Hua Yuan Gong, I will teach it to the most talented among you upon my return."


    A young man, no more than twenty, quickly spoke up, "Sect Leader, you''ve just returned. Are you leaving again?"


    Yao Ji nodded slightly, "I owe someone a debt of gratitude that I must repay. Your senior brother, Bai Kai, is missing. If you have time, search for him." With that, Yao Ji wasted no more time and flew down the mountain.


    In a part of the wilderness forest, flames soared to the sky, and countless towering trees had turned to ash. The ground was littered with human corpses.


    "He still got away!"


    A burly man roared in anger at the hellish scene before him.


    In the distance, a fiery shadow with wings that lit up the sky flew away.


    Beneath the shadow, a slender figure was in hot pursuit.


    This was Han Ming.


    "We''ve clashed three times, and each time I nearly lost my life. This Red Moon beast is too monstrous."


    Han Ming nimbly leaped over trees, racing forward. His body was covered in visible burn scars.


    "This can''t go on. I''m no match for the Red Moon. Although many people worked together to severely injure it, with my current strength, I still can''t defeat it. Escaping with my life is one thing, but killing it is another matter entirely."


    Han Ming had been chasing the Red Moon beast for ten days and nights, but he was still at a loss.


    Meanwhile, deep within the wilderness forest, a thick black mist suddenly filled the air, and a figure shot up into the sky, emitting a cry that was anything but human.


    "We''re out! Finally out! That damned seal was so powerful, it trapped us demons for thousands of years, yet its strength hasn''t diminished." The figure appeared in broad daylight. Upon closer inspection, it had a green face covered in black fur, and its arms, legs, and chest were riddled with festering wounds. Many bones were exposed, and a section of its thigh bone was clearly visible. If a normal human had such injuries, they would have been long dead, but this creature was still alive. It was truly bizarre.


    The figure stood on the tip of a giant tree, and its right arm began to writhe unnaturally. Then, a piece of rotting flesh extended from its arm, fell to the ground, and began to squirm violently. In an instant, it transformed into a small figure about half a meter tall, resembling the larger one.


    "Master!" The small figure knelt on one knee and spoke.


    The larger figure nodded slightly and instructed, "Currently, the crack in the seal can only allow this fourth-tier demon soldier to emerge. I must guard here to welcome the rest of the demon army. You go to the various countries and find out which one has the weakest military. When the demon army breaks through the seal, we can attack that country. Once we''ve accumulated enough crystals, we can activate the grand formation to tear the seal further, allowing the fifth-tier demon soldiers to emerge. Then, the world will surely belong to us demons."


    The small figure jumped around excitedly for a while, then flew away.