“The Five Thunder Palm technique has finally entered the Yunlei realm!”
Wu Ming opened his eyes and saw Xu Ziquan and the others still sitting cross-legged inside the cave, meditating with their eyes closed. He couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
Just a moment ago, they had no idea he had achieved such a breakthrough.
The mundane level of the Five Thunder Palm was said to rival that of a true cultivator. Wu Ming estimated that Yu Shaojun at the time might have only reached the Thundercloud Realm, yet he was still able to contend with Nanshan Zhenren—even though the latter was injured. This clearly demonstrated its formidable power!
Although Xu Ziquan and Li Suihan each had their own unique skills, they had not yet reached the level of Daoist Zhenren.
In other words, he could easily defeat them all!
“Pity… If Xu Ziquan doesn’t make a move, it’s hard to justify taking action!”
Killing teammates without cause would make him seem like a madman or a murderer. Wu Ming was still trying to maintain a reputation within the righteous sects, so naturally he couldn’t afford such a scandal.
Conversely, if these two couldn’t control their greed, it would provide Wu Ming with an excuse to eliminate them.
“It’s getting late; we should set off as soon as possible!”
The morning light was faint. Although the Black Mountain was perpetually shrouded in thick fog, the horizon was already faintly brightening. Wu Ming spoke accordingly.
…
The Yellow Wind Cave was actually quite easy to find.
After all, it was a convergence point of mountain energy and exuded a strong demonic aura, with many lesser demons patrolling around.
Great demons possessed the ability to “enlighten” creatures, meaning they could expend spiritual power to awaken the intelligence of lower beasts.
Although this method consumed a lot of energy and damaged the potential of these lesser demons, it could immediately boost their intelligence to the level of an eight or nine-year-old child. At this stage, they couldn’t yet be called “demons,” and were at most “spirits” or “monsters.”
Wanting to transform into a human? That was practically impossible for them.
Even so, when Wu Ming and the others saw the highly human-like wolves, leopards, tigers, and bears marching in formation on patrol, they immediately broke into a cold sweat.
After all, even a Grandmaster martial artist couldn’t have infinite stamina to deal with so many ferocious beasts.
If it were Chi Lian Jian Zhan Hongzhao, perhaps with his Grandmaster-level martial arts and agility, he could escape a hundred beasts chasing him. But to fight them head-on, one against a hundred, and completely annihilate them, that would be asking too much.
“It’s really troublesome… We can clear out these outer spirits, but there’s still the Yellow-Furred Demon inside the Yellow Wind Cave! Not to mention, the Blood Oath Alliance must have already guessed our intentions…”
Gong Yunshang murmured, glancing at the sky.
Even though thick fog obscured the view, the perception of powerful cultivators told her that it was already very close to noon, the time they had agreed upon.
“What should we do?”
Xu Ziquan and Li Suihan exchanged glances before looking at Wu Ming.
“Naturally, it’s just one word: wait!”
Wu Ming shrugged his shoulders. “Right now, the enemy is stronger than us. We can only lie low first and wait for the right moment…”
This meant that as the appointed time approached, the righteous forces would inevitably launch an attack. If the offensive was large enough, it might even draw away a group of spirits, thereby reducing the pressure on them.
Of course, if it failed to draw them away, it meant the other fronts had failed as well, and adding this one wouldn’t make much of a difference.
“Sticking to a single strategy to deal with all situations—we have no choice but to do so!”
Gong Yunshang murmured again, glancing at Wu Ming once more. Although it sounded simple, maintaining such calmness and making the best choice wasn’t something everyone could do.
She didn’t know that Wu Ming was confident because he had a trump card.
If things really went wrong in the end, he could always lower the mission difficulty as a last resort, ensuring a way to survive.
This meant he could attack when possible and retreat when necessary, naturally appearing to be in full control.
“Judging from the mission itself, the Temple of the Main God must have believed that the combined strength of the righteous sects and the Black Platform City God would be enough to rival the Black Mountain Lord…”
At this moment, Wu Ming was hiding his form, his eyes fixed on the Yellow Wind Cave, but his mind was still thinking continuously: “Therefore, this surprise attack, as long as it’s not a feint, will surely shake the very foundation of the Black Mountain Realm… Could this be my opportunity?”
…
Time passed, minute by minute.
Before long, outside the Black Mountains, the sun had risen high in the sky.
On a lush green peak, a golden light in the shape of a “wan” character suddenly shone forth, accompanied by Buddhist chants and hymns.
“Amitabha Buddha!”
An elderly monk dressed in white robes, with a kind face and long white eyebrows, along with two other cultivators, surrounded a giant wild boar as large as a mountain.
The boar’s bristles stood upright, gleaming metallically like short spears. Its thick, snow-white tusks protruded, with three pairs in total, and its blood-red eyes made it look like an invincible fortress on land.
Around this formation, the corpses of various spirits and monsters were scattered all over the ground.
“Saving the world depends on this moment. This demon has revealed its true form and will fight desperately. Everyone, be careful!”
One of the cultivators shouted as he flew out five small flags, which crackled with lightning patterns. This was the leader of the Lei Yi Sect, who had even brought the sect’s most treasured artifact for this mission.
“Although I have taken monastic vows and practice compassion, even the Buddha has the wrathful form of a Vajra to subdue demons!”
Master Baiyun clasped his hands together, and a golden light filled with compassion radiated from his body, exuding a sense of redemption and mercy.
…
At another location, beside a heavenly pool, a tall man over eight feet tall with bull horns on his head wore a look of disdain. He suddenly strained, and all the silk threads binding him snapped at once.
Then, without hesitation, he charged forward, unsheathed his blade, and swung down his massive greatsword, as wide as a door panel, mercilessly cutting an ailing middle-aged nun in two, who had turned pale and spat blood from backlash.
“Tsk tsk… This tiny magical artifact dares to bind me?”
The Bull Demon looked at the calm heavenly pool behind him and the node of the spiritual energy vein, and his ugly bull-like face broke into a grin: “They don’t know what’s coming to them!”
Then, glancing toward the corner where golden light flickered, he muttered: “Looks like Pig Eight is in trouble this time, but without orders, I can’t go rescue him directly!”
He slammed his greatsword down: “Where are my minions?”
“What does the Great King command?” several squads of strong, lesser demons knelt and asked.
Most of these demons had human bodies but bore the heads of various fierce beasts, a drawback of the enlightenment process. It was extremely difficult for them to fully transform into humans.
However, this form made them appear even more terrifying. Wearing armor and wielding weapons, they exuded the aura of a mighty army.
“Go to Lian Bifeng and support Lord Pig Eight. Kill those human cultivators!”
The Bull Demon immediately issued the order.
“But Great King, our duty is to…”
A fox-headed, human-bodied demon with white fur and a long tail stepped forward: “Dividing our forces at this time might fall into the humans’ trap!”
“Spit! I am enough to handle things here. Why are you still hesitating?!”
The Bull Demon roared, shaking the heavens and earth as if a small earthquake had occurred.
“Great King, please calm down! We will go immediately!”
The lesser demons quickly agreed, nearly tumbling over themselves in haste.
Even though they tried to emulate humans, among demons, the rule of might makes right and acting on impulse still prevailed.
Seeing this, the fox strategist dared not advise further and obediently began selecting troops.
…
At the same time, wave after wave of other battles were unfolding throughout the Black Mountains.
The desperate cultivators launched a surprise attack on the Black Mountain Realm, mobilizing all their forces.
Moreover, battles like those at Lian Bifeng and Tiantan Pond, where the outcome was decided in just a few exchanges, were rare exceptions. Most of the battles at the spiritual nodes were locked in fierce and prolonged stalemates.
High above.
Several giant spirit birds, such as immortal cranes, spiritual vultures, and black eagles, continuously circled in the sky.
Zhenren Lesong, along with several cultivators whose auras were as deep and unfathomable as abysses, calmly observed the changes in the Black Mountains.
In Lesong’s hand was a scroll of ink-painted landscapes, several feet long. On it, faintly visible were white glowing spots, shimmering with spiritual light—eighteen in total, seemingly connected as one whole.
At this moment, waves of dark qi continuously entangled with the clear light, struggling at each glowing point.
“The Bull Demon at Tiantan Pond made a mistake in detection; he must have already reached the level of a Demon King! Meanwhile, Master Baiyun at Lian Bifeng appears to be gaining the upper hand and will soon wrap things up…”
Witnessing the dark energy completely overwhelm the golden light at Tiantan Pond, Lesong let out a long sigh.
Then, noticing the white spot representing Lian Bifeng waver and eventually vanish completely, a glimmer of joy appeared on his face: “If we can destroy the majority of these eighteen spiritual nodes, the Black Mountain Realm will collapse, and it might even provoke heavenly retribution!”
“If everything goes smoothly, we won’t even need to directly confront the Black Mountain Lord himself!”
A scholarly old man riding a giant eagle beside him said, making no effort to conceal his concern for his own safety. This was the true nature of cultivators!
After all, the pursuit of cultivation had always been about longevity and freedom.
If one were to rush headlong into danger for the sake of righteousness, one would have become a martyr long ago.
“With the help of the Black Platform City God, we still have hope against the Black Mountain Lord!”
Zhenren Lesong smiled.
They weren’t fools. If they truly saw no hope, they naturally wouldn’t have come to take such a risk.
Yet at this moment, seeing the tangle of dark and clear qi on the ink-painted landscape scroll, they still felt somewhat disappointed.
Suddenly, Lesong noticed that the white spot representing the Yellow Wind Cave remained eerily quiet, prompting him to snort coldly.
“Just as expected! Those outsiders! Their intentions are truly deplorable!”
A Daoist nun riding an immortal crane saw this and coldly remarked. The words “outsiders” carried a hint of mockery.
“Never mind! The node at the Yellow Wind Cave was originally the weakest. It’s just a small game, not really affecting the overall situation!”
Zhenren Lesong slightly shook his head: “Although I had sensed something was off earlier, at a time like this when we need everyone’s cooperation, I could only grit my teeth and place my trust in them. I didn’t expect this. Hmph! Indeed, wolves in sheep’s clothing with hidden ambitions!”
Even if they were employing strategies, at this point, refusing to cooperate with the larger plan, unwilling to risk their lives in a direct assault, and instead valuing their own safety—this was nothing short of betrayal!
A surge of killing intent instantly formed in the hearts of those around him.
“They are not of our kind; their hearts must be different!”
The female Daoist who had spoken earlier said coldly, her words carrying further implications that caused Zhenren Lesong to furrow his brow slightly.
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