Lake Xian.
Li Qinghong rode the wind fifty kilometers out. The black smoke before her gradually faded, but the sky remained heavy and rolled with gray clouds. The sky was the same gray on both the north and south sides of the lake, dimly hiding the sun.
She flew for a while, and somehow her mind turned again to those two, and she pondered in secret, So it seems at least Crimson Reef Island has been offended. The east and west reefs of Crimson Reef Island have not gotten along in recent years. I don’t know whether Guo Hongjian’s faction is east or west, or if there’s any room to maneuver.
As for Yu Jiang, judging from Guo Hongjian’s attitude, he’s also a powerful figure in the Southern Sea...
As she flew south, she also realized it would be impossible to return to Mount Bianyan, and she felt a sense of relief, That’s fine too. There’s no need to follow their orders... I’ll just return to the riverbank and help guard the lakeshore for my family...
The devil cultivators were already pressed up to the riverbank. She no longer had the heart to deal with that group on Mount Bianyan. Like Li Xizhi, she just wanted to hide as far away as possible.
Turning a corner of Lake Xian, she glimpsed the radiance overflowing from Profound Peak Gate’s Shanji Prefecture. Light flowed in all directions. When she approached, she could faintly see a towering, majestic mountain suspended above Shanji Prefecture.
The mountain loomed vaguely in the clouds, emanating a hazy glow. She could feel her body growing heavier as she drew closer to Shanji Prefecture. She looked up thoughtfully and thought, It must be a Purple Mansion Realm divine ability.
Such power could only belong to Daoist Master Changxi of Profound Peak Gate. Only then did she understand why the demonic mist had stopped at Lake Xian and why the devil cultivators had not crossed into Jiangnan.
The threat hangs high above in the sky... who would dare put even a single step over the lake?
She quickly flew past and vanished into the wilderness by the riverbank. But a beam of golden light caught up and stopped brightly before her, revealing a woman in a Xiang robe.
The woman was dressed in Xiang colors, with a round face and almond eyes, and held a small golden mountain in her hand. She was Kong Tingyun of Profound Peak.
She looked worried as she stepped forward and softly greeted, "Qinghong, little sister."
Li Qinghong had thought she was at the Great Ning Palace, so she was surprised to meet her here. She nodded in reply.
Kong Tingyun spoke softly, "It’s been so long. Why don’t you come sit in my sect for a while?"
"Hmm?"
As soon as she said that, Li Qinghong felt something off. Kong Tingyun had returned from the northern ruins and settled at Mount Yan Pass. The two had even met at Mount Yan Pass days ago, so it was indeed strange to say ‘long time no see’...
That could have been considered a polite greeting from Kong Tingyun, but at this critical time of conflict between the north and south at Azure Pond Sect, it was hardly a leisurely moment. The timing really didn’t make sense.
She was clever enough to not immediately refuse or accept. Instead, she asked, "I should have taken a moment to pay a visit when I passed by Shanji Prefecture, but I noticed something strange in the north..."
Kong Tingyun replied softly, "Something has happened in the Great Ning Palace!"
She moved a few steps closer and used secret techniques to transmit her voice, "Did you think it was strange that the north and south armies are now at odds? That’s because all the Mahas and Purple Mansion Realm cultivators from both sides have entered the Great Ning Palace! Now the northern demon horde is out of control, and the southern cultivators have no protection at all!"
Li Qinghong’s pupils widened slightly as Kong Tingyun continued, "My sect’s Daoist Master had a grudge with a few of the new demon leaders, so he didn’t go. I don’t know exactly what happened, but Anhuai Heaven has now appeared in the great void, and all the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators have entered it."
Li Qinghong’s voice was slightly hoarse as she asked, "The north is already strong, and my second uncle is still in the Great Ning Palace. The defenses along the riverbank are hastily built... how can we possibly resist the northern demon horde...
"Of course, we cannot."
Kong Tingyun nodded firmly, then hesitated a moment and asked softly, "Do you know which route the demon cultivators will take when they move south?"
Li Qinghong had been traveling across the north and south for a few years, so of course she knew. She answered, "After crossing Xu State, they could either enter Wu from the riverbank west of Mount Xiping or follow the entire riverbank south. Any spot would let them into Yue State..."
Kong Tingyun nodded, a solemn expression appearing on her round face, and she said softly, "Right now, only Daoist Master Yuan Xiu remains in the Azure Pond Sect, and he has entered the Great Ning Palace. Meanwhile, Golden Feather Sect has four Daoist Masters, with two of them currently guarding their sect. If you were a demon cultivator moving south, where would you attack?"
"Of course, it would be the Azure Pond Sect..." replied Li Qinghong.
At this point, Kong Tingyun no longer hid anything, treating Li Qinghong as one of her own, and spoke in a very gentle tone, "the Azure Pond Sect has seen its Purple Mansion Realm cultivators fall one after another, and its top experts are nowhere to be seen. It’s at its lowest point in five hundred years. Yuan Xiu has been trapped in Anhuai Heaven, with no way to receive word from him. Yet the core members of the Azure Pond Sect like Chi Zhiyan are still at Mount Bianyan!
"Now that the northern demons are out of control, do you think the other immortal sects have no means to influence them? Ever since the events at Anhuai Heaven, the entire situation has taken a sudden turn. At that very moment, they decided to go with the flow, and a new chessboard emerged—targeting Azure Pond!
"Isn’t this situation a perfectly timed, heaven-sent blade? The other immortal sects are taking advantage of the Azure Pond Sect’s weakness to cut out the roots of the demon sect! Even the remaining northern demon cultivators and high-level Buddhist cultivators are happy to watch this scene unfold and are deliberately staying hidden..."
Her voice grew heavy, her expression solemn, "Right now, the Azure Pond Sect faces a great calamity, and all the other sects are just watching from the sidelines! Little sister, I fear it’s not wise for you to return."