Chapter 119: The Immortal-Demon War Begins
Within the Peerless Summit Sect.
When the news of Blood Lord’s assassination arrived, the first reaction of almost all the higher-ups was disbelief.
When they learned that it was true, they were astonished.
Even Zou Junxin, Blood Lord’s old rival, couldn’t understand why Blood Lord would be assassinated at this time.
Blood Lord was assassinated while in secluded cultivation, preparing to break through to Soul Transformation, with the entire Blood Lord lineage protecting him.
Launching an assassination at this time required a heavy price.
And it was true. Even with three Nascent Soul cultivators and many Core Formation cultivators, the assassins still paid a heavy price.
More than half of them died, and one Nascent Soul cultivator was almost killed by Blood Lord’s final counterattack.
During their escape, some weaker Core Formation cultivators were also killed.
Moreover, after the assassination, the entire Nether Spirit forbidden area was locked down.
All the cultivators involved in the assassination might be trapped within the Nether Spirit forbidden area, even the three Nascent Soul cultivators.
The Nether Spirit forbidden area was in chaos, with countless Nascent Soul old monsters awakened from their seclusion, forced to get involved.
Soon, the impact of this storm swept through the nine provinces and four domains, even the Mortal Realm was in a state of panic.
There was another suspicious point regarding Blood Lord’s death.
Blood Lord was a rare social butterfly. After the Immortal-Demon War, almost all external communications of the Temple of the Nether Spirit were handled by him personally, including contact with the Immortal Domain.
Not to mention the other Demon Abyss forbidden areas, he had friends everywhere, and every sect, except for the Peerless Summit Sect, had one or two cultivators who were on good terms with him.
The Peerless Summit Sect, whose founding principle was slaying demons and eliminating evil, was naturally at odds with the Demon Abyss, so no one there had any connections with Blood Lord.
But even so, Blood Lord was the most moderate demonic cultivator towards the Peerless Summit Sect. At least, he could enter their territory without being attacked by everyone.
Such a well-connected and amiable person… why would he be assassinated so brutally? No one could understand.
However…
Before the higher-ups of the Peerless Summit Sect could recover from the shock, the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, overstepping his authority, declared that the Peerless Summit Sect was responsible for this and presented evidence.
The evidence showed that the Peerless Summit Sect… did have some spies involved in this operation, and they were among the most elite Core Formation cultivators.
Instantly, the nine provinces and four domains were in an uproar.
With this action, the Peerless Summit Sect had openly declared war on the Temple of the Nether Spirit!
Then, the lineage masters of the Temple of the Nether Spirit also responded, declaring that they were irreconcilably opposed to the Peerless Summit Sect and entering a state of war.
The Nether Spirit forbidden area cut off all communication and contact with the Immortal Domain, sealed off all border regions, and placed a bounty on all Immortal Domain cultivators within the forbidden area.
Because the Temple of the Nether Spirit’s forces had already withdrawn from the border regions, the blockade was swift.
At this critical moment, the nine provinces of the Immortal Domain were facing a fully operational war machine.
When the higher-ups of the Peerless Summit Sect tried to confront the Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, they found that he had already left the sect, taking all the Law Enforcement Hall disciples willing to fight to the front lines, building defenses against the Demon Abyss.
Only then did Zou Junxin realize that the Grand Elder had never intended to honestly obtain the position of Sect Master before starting this war.
Everything he had done was just to slightly undermine Zou Junxin’s authority and plant a seed in the hearts of the Peerless Summit Sect disciples.
This seed would ensure that when war came, the disciples wouldn’t be afraid.
And the Grand Elder, leading the remaining radicals, stood on the front lines of slaying demons and eliminating evil. He believed that only through war could the sharpest swords be forged, could one become a true disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect, and regain their reputation as the sword fanatics feared by the four domains of the Demon Abyss.
At this point, even if Zou Junxin wanted to avoid war, it was impossible. He could only declare that the Peerless Summit Sect was also entering a state of war, recalling all disciples outside the sect to defend against the Demon Abyss’s invasion.
Countless Peerless Summit Sect disciples, carrying their swords and filled with anxiety, rushed to the front lines, Bai Zhanying among them.
The other eight Immortal Domain sects were in a state of panic, especially the Everspring Pavilion, which bordered the Nether Spirit forbidden area.
They were the weakest of the nine major sects, struggling even against the Iron Sea Sect within their own province. Therefore, facing this situation, they could only send envoys to the Peerless Summit Sect to discuss an alliance.
The other three forbidden areas of the Demon Abyss, seeing this situation, remained strangely calm, without any movements or news, as if they had fallen silent.
But everyone knew that they were also actively preparing for this inevitable war.
The Immortal-Demon War, which had lasted for a thousand years, was about to reignite.
…
Within the sealed Nether Spirit forbidden area.
The lineage masters gathered, silently looking at a piece of information.
It wasn’t the news of Blood Lord’s successful assassination, but…
A decree from the Holy Master.
Delivered personally by the protector, the Zither Witch.
It had been delivered to them within half an hour of Blood Lord’s assassination.
“Our plan… has been discovered by the Holy Master?”
The Sha Master slowly spoke. He looked like a stern and composed middle-aged man, his face carrying an air of authority.
According to the rumors outside, the Sha Master was an extremely radical madman, his image almost demonic.
But now, he seemed to be the most normal-looking among the lineage masters.
“She knows everything.”
The Shaoze Master said lazily, tossing a small iron object in his hand.
But every time he caught the object, the ground trembled slightly.
It was conceivable how heavy this iron object was.
As the only body cultivator among the five lineages, the Shaoze Master looked like a carefree young man, his thin physique seemingly at odds with his chosen path.
This was a sign of returning to one’s original nature. Within his seemingly frail body, every drop of blood was as heavy as a mountain.
The Spirit Master was a delicate woman with a purple veil covering her face, her eyes closed.
She sat silently, seemingly deep in thought.
“What are you thinking about? If you want to know what the Holy Master means, just open it.”
The Demon Master said impatiently. He was a leopard demon who hadn’t fully transformed, with furry patches on his cheeks, and his sharp claws could easily tear through high-level magical treasures.
It was rumored that the Demon Master came from the sealed ancient demon lands, but he neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Yo, Demon Master, so impatient? Then why don’t you open it?”
The Shaoze Master said with a chuckle.
An embarrassed expression appeared on the Demon Master’s face, his claws extending then retracting. He was also hesitant.
…Because the assassination of Blood Lord… wasn’t actually planned by the Peerless Summit Sect.
It was a plan devised by the four lineage masters present.
The Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall had only learned about this through the information deliberately leaked by the lineage masters and had cooperated according to his own will.
However, the lineage masters weren’t sure if this plan would be approved by the Holy Master, but they still carried it out resolutely.
They had thought that the Holy Master would only reveal her attitude after the dust settled.
But unexpectedly…
The Holy Master’s decree arrived right after the plan was initiated.
Therefore, the lineage masters couldn’t determine the Holy Master’s thoughts on their plan and were hesitant to open the decree.
The Holy Master was a Soul Transformation cultivator. Although it would be difficult to kill all the lineage masters present with just a decree, it wouldn’t be difficult to injure them as a warning.
The Zither Witch, who had delivered the message, sat silently beside them, playing the zither, seemingly uninterested in the lineage masters.
“We have to face it eventually, don’t we?”
The Spirit Master said softly, her gentle voice evoking pity.
It was hard to imagine that among the four lineage masters present, she was the one with the most blood on her hands.
In the Immortal-Demon War a thousand years ago, she had personally annihilated half a province.
Unlike the Calamity Poison Body, who used the resentment of half a province to refine a deadly poison and enhance their cultivation, her technique didn’t require killing or the lives of mortals.
The Spirit Master did it simply because she enjoyed it, nothing more.
The other three, hearing the Spirit Master speak, showed a hint of apprehension.
In their eyes, the Spirit Master was the most dangerous woman in the world, a true lunatic and demon.
“In that case, please, Spirit Master…”
Before the Sha Master could finish, the Spirit Master reached out, took the decree, and opened it.
She glanced at it, then closed it and put it back.
“Uh…”
Seeing this, the Shaoze Master even forgot to catch the iron object he had tossed, and the falling object cracked the ground.
“What does it say?”
The Demon Master asked quickly.
“See for yourself.”
The Spirit Master said faintly.
“…”
The Sha Master was silent for a moment. He reached out, took the decree, opened it, glanced at it, and his expression turned strange.
“Well? Well?”
The Demon Master looked at the Sha Master, his eagerness evident.
“There’s no… information about this matter, it doesn’t even mention Blood Lord.” The Sha Master put down the decree, glanced at the Zither Witch, then continued, “It’s about the Holy Maiden.”
“What?”
The Shaoze Master and the Demon Master looked at each other in surprise. They hadn’t expected that this earth-shattering event, which shook the entire nine provinces and four domains, was less important than the Holy Maiden in the Holy Master’s eyes.
“The Holy Master said that from today onwards, Su Yiyao is no longer the Holy Maiden, and is no longer a member of the Temple of the Nether Spirit.” The Sha Master said. “Besides that, there’s no other information.”
“That’s it?”
The Shaoze Master snatched the decree from the Sha Master’s hand and examined it carefully.
The Demon Master also came over to look. The more they read, the stranger their expressions became.
“Is that all?”
The Demon Master looked at the Zither Witch, who was playing the zither.
The Zither Witch ignored him.
“Sister Qin,” the Spirit Master asked, “The Holy Maiden… or rather, Su Yiyao, who is she?”
The Zither Witch stopped playing. She hesitated for a moment, as if pondering how to answer.
“I don’t know.”
She said.
“The Holy Master specifically used a decree to inform us of this matter, is there some deeper meaning?”
The Sha Master said in a deep voice.
“I don’t know.”
“Could the Holy Master be implying that Su Yiyao betrayed the Temple of the Nether Spirit?” The Shaoze Master frowned slightly.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know this, you don’t know that,” the Demon Master almost jumped up. “Zither Witch, what do you know?”
The Zither Witch looked up at the Demon Master, her pure white eyes devoid of any emotion.
She looked down at her zither and said,
“I don’t know.”
“…”
The four lineage masters were silent.
They hadn’t interacted with the Zither Witch for long. They only knew that she was the Holy Master’s confidante, the most trusted by the Holy Master, and almost all of the Holy Master’s orders were relayed through her.
The Holy Master hadn’t appeared in a long time. Only her power remained in the Temple, a constant deterrent to everyone.
“Where did Su Yiyao go?”
The Spirit Master looked at the Zither Witch and asked.
Unexpectedly, the Zither Witch didn’t say “I don’t know” this time, but directly answered the Spirit Master’s question.
“The Blood Sea.”
“The Blood Sea?”
The lineage masters exclaimed in unison.
“She… is planning to go back?”
The Sha Master frowned slightly.
“Perhaps she has done what she wanted to do.” The Spirit Master said faintly.
“So, what exactly did she want to do…”
The Demon Master scratched his head, his brows furrowed.
The Shaoze Master also pondered, recalling the Holy Maiden’s actions since her appearance.
“Where did Luo Xue go?” The Spirit Master suddenly asked.
“Luo Xue?”
The lineage masters were stunned. The name was unfamiliar to them, but they quickly remembered.
Luo Xue was the target of the huge bounty issued by the Holy Maiden before she left the Temple of the Nether Spirit, that insignificant disciple of the Peerless Summit Sect.
Although the lineage masters knew about this, they were more concerned about why the Holy Maiden made such an absurd decision, not how special Luo Xue was.
Luo Xue’s background was too clean, too simple, without any noteworthy details.
Until the Spirit Master pointed this out, the lineage masters suddenly realized.
Perhaps… Luo Xue wasn’t as simple as they thought.
“The Blood Sea.”
The Zither Witch replied.
“Could it be… that she also came from the Blood Sea?” The Sha Master murmured.
The boundless Blood Sea, located in the center of the four domains of the Demon Abyss, was one of the greatest mysteries in this world.
In thousands of years, the only one who had emerged from the Blood Sea was Su Yiyao, and her ancient and profound inheritance further proved that a shocking secret was hidden within its depths.
Perhaps, the same was true for Luo Xue.
After pondering for a while without reaching a conclusion, the lineage masters could only leave.
Compared to the Holy Maiden, they had more important matters to attend to.
For this, they had used all their power to assassinate Blood Lord and had been preparing for a thousand years.
Only the Zither Witch remained, playing her zither.
“Holy Master, have… you met Luo Xue before?”
The Zither Witch asked softly, unsure who she was talking to.
But soon, she spoke again, her voice cold and indifferent.
“No.”
“And before?”
“Never.”
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