Just then, several streams of light appeared in the distance, streaking across the sky. Leading them was a man with a shiny bald head clad in leather fur.
"Little devil cultivators, how dare you trespass on my immortal mountain?! Do you wish to get a taste of my immortal sword?!" he yelled.
The man was An Zheyan, a cultivator at the eighth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Sweat beaded his forehead as his sons, An Siming and An Siwei, were within Mount Yuting's grand formation. Without any hesitation, he unleashed a barrage of spells at the devil cultivator.
Zhang Huaide remained unfazed. With a flick of his hand, he released a blood-colored mana light that easily neutralized An Zheyan's spells.
"How absurd... It seems like you're all talk," he laughed derisively.
Despite An Zheyan's advanced cultivation at the eighth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, Zhang Huaide, at the sixth heavenly layer but armed with the Blood Dharma Manual and numerous secret techniques, proved to be more than a match for him.
Li Xuanxuan, with a grim expression, followed closely behind. Armed with a large ax and at the seventh heavenly layer of Qi Cultivation, his appearance was that of a formidable cultivator from the main lineage. He was accompanied by an elderly monkey at the fourth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Together, they presented a truly formidable and imposing presence indeed.
Li Xuanxuan looked at the devil cultivators below him, initially apprehensive but then smirking as he exchanged a few blows with a devil cultivator of the fifth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
"And here I thought you were a big deal!" he remarked with an arched brow.
The next two streams of light were Tian Zhongqing, Tian Youdao, and Xu Gongming. All three early-stage Qi Cultivators worked together to fend off an early-stage devil cultivator.
Seeing that breaching Yuting was proving difficult, the remaining two devil cultivators decided to abandon the formation and attack Tian Zhongqing and his uncle.
Kongheng, who had been left behind by the crowd, sighed deeply. With a swift motion, he wielded his staff and rode the wind, despite being only a monk. A golden light began pooling in his hands.
"Do not commit any sins of murder, Benefactors!" he boomed.
The staff, adorned with copper rings, whirled and danced at incredible speed, trapping the two devil cultivators instantly. The golden light in his hands radiated brightly.
The two devil cultivators were taken aback and shouted in alarm, "A Master Monk!?"
Unlike immortal cultivators, Buddhist cultivators could only ride the wind when they became Master Monks with strength comparable to that of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.
This realization caught the two devil cultivators by surprise, prompting the red glow on their bodies to intensify as they instinctively pulled apart.
Yet, the golden light was suppressing their blood light. The two were startled before realization finally struck them. One of the cultivators, who was wielding a large shield, exclaimed, "And here I was wonderin' why a monk could fly and thought him a Master Monk! Turns out it is a dharma artifact he's wielding!"
The other cultivator, who had a similar face to him, cursed, "Ugh...! You fool! Master told us to speak the official language!"
The loud exchange startled Kongheng, whose tiny eyes widened slightly in surprise as he recognized their accent.
"You're from Zhao State!" he exclaimed.
As the two devil cultivators raised their dharma artifacts and made their move to attack Kongheng, the monk quickly blocked their attacks with his staff. However, the relentless assault of the two cultivators forced him backward.
The shield-bearer urged, "No! A Buddhist enemy we mustn't provoke!"
The other who was wielding a pagoda, silently relented. Despite Kongheng's efforts, he found himself on the defensive, with the situation stalemated.
Zhang Huaide, who heard the entire conversation clearly, let out an exasperated sigh. He muttered in frustration, "Those two worthless fools!"
He was engaged in a fierce battle with An Zheyan, and while Qiu was attacking unrelentingly, he still struggled to shake off his opponents.
Initially uncoordinated due to a lack of opportunity to fight together in the past, Li Yuanjiao and Li Qinghong gradually found their synergy. Li Qinghong's thunder techniques and Li Yuanjiao's sharp sword qi began to turn the tide in their favor.
The cultivator surnamed Qiu, who relied on a cultivation technique that was most effective against dharma artifacts and flesh, had enjoyed success over the years. However, he was unlucky to run into these Qi Cultivators who wielded Foundation Establishment Realm dharma artifacts. No matter how hard he tried, he could not penetrate their defenses. This left him in a state of great frustration.
He scanned the battlefield, his anxiety easing as he saw that his side had a significant advantage in several areas. With the situation more favorable, he coldly mocked the two opponents he was contending with.
"So what if your dharma artifacts are impressive? Your spear and sword qi are still inferior and can't break my spell!"
As soon as he had finished speaking, three more figures arrived—Xiao Guiluan, Madam Dou, and a guest cultivator, Li Qilang.
Li Qilang, a Qi Cultivator at the third heavenly layer with an honest face, stood behind the women. Xiao Guiluan's phoenix eyes quickly scanned the battlefield and instructed decisively, "Save the Tian Family first!"
Tian Zhongqing and his uncle practiced a subpar cultivation technique and lacked effective dharma artifacts or spells. As a result, they were steadily pushed back by the devil cultivator's particularly powerful attacks, finding themselves in constant danger.
The devil cultivator's hammer struck him hard, causing Tian Zhongqing to cough up blood. His face was flushed red, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. Despite his pain, he managed to utter words of thanks.
With the arrival of three reinforcements, the situation shifted dramatically. Xiao Guiluan, wielding the Xiao Family's Grade Three cultivation technique and her dharma artifact—a silk shawl—made a significant impact on the battle. Through combined efforts, they overwhelmed the devil cultivator, who was now desperately calling for help.
Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Zhang Huaide could no longer hold back. He activated a spell, slapping An Zheyan aside, and raised his red mirror high into the air. Concentrating his mana, he made the mirror glow with a fierce red light.
Boom!
A bolt of purple lightning streaked across the sky, disrupting his spell.
Shamoli, who had traveled from Eastern Mount Yue and was now at the fourth heavenly layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, arrived just in time. Wielding thunder, he joined the fight to support An Zheyan.
Zhang Huaide was thrown into a panic as he saw An Zheyan now supported by a thunder cultivator, whose power was particularly effective against devil cultivators. Just as he was beginning to turn the tide of the battle, this unexpected arrival had made his task even more daunting.
"Zhang Mutong! Move faster!" Zhang Huaide shouted.
Zhang Mutong, a mid-stage Qi devil cultivator, was struggling to keep up with Li Xuanxuan and the old monkey. He frantically unleashed several spells, his frustration evident as blood light flowed chaotically around him.
Despite Li Xuanxuan's dire condition, he managed to hold his ground while spitting out mouthfuls of blood. The devil cultivator, however, was struggling to catch his breath after the old monkey dealt him a heavy blow from behind him. Meanwhile, Zhang Huaide could only watch the entire scene in bewilderment.
Upon seeing the situation stabilizing, Li Qinghong exchanged a glance with her elder brother. Li Yuanjiao immediately understood her intention. He stepped forward with his sword while Li Qinghong performed a hand seal, conjuring a swirl of purple light.
" Purple Talisman Origin Light Secret Technique !"
This was one of the two secret techniques from the Purple Thunder Secret Origin Technique manual, a technique that had long been forgotten and lost its name. After years of study, Li Qinghong had finally mastered its subtleties and given it a name.
She brought her hands together, gently rubbing them to conjure a rich purple light. She then traced talisman symbols in the air, carefully outlining each character.
Seeing this, the cultivator surnamed Qiu was immediately alarmed. He quickly brought his hands together and unleashed clouds of white qi.
"Shit, this bitch is getting serious! Zhang Huaide, stop hiding and act now!" he yelled frantically.
Zhang Huaide's face grew grim as he adjusted his robe. His sleeves billowed without wind as he summoned a swirling blood-red light from his body. In a deep voice, he commanded, "Fellow Daoists, protect me!"