The Southern Region, Nether Province, Ancient Desolate Mountains!
Deep within the Ancient Desolate Mountains, there exist large numbers of mutated demonic beasts and deadly poisonous creatures.
Among them, some of the greater demons possess auras even more formidable than human martial artists at the Internal Energy realm.
Therefore, the Ancient Desolate Mountains are also known as a human forbidden zone in the Southern Region.
Stretching for thousands of miles, the Ancient Desolate Mountains occupy one-tenth of the Great Xia Empire’s Southern Region.
Moreover, the mountains nurture an endless multitude of demonic beasts.
The dangers within the Ancient Desolate Mountains are such that even Internal Energy realm martial artists dare not venture too deeply.
Yet, within this Ancient Desolate Mountains that inspires fear and avoidance in the world, traces of human habitation can still be found.
In the very center of the mountain range, amidst an unremarkable cluster of peaks, stands a towering, majestic mountain.
Around the waist of this mountain, nestled against the slope, sits an enormous man-made structure.
This structure is entirely constructed of wood, surrounded by tall wooden palisades.
Upon closer inspection, shadows move within the wooden buildings; many people actually live there.
However, these individuals all wear conspicuous white robes and white headdresses.
They sit cross-legged on the ground one after another, forming a circle around a massive lotus pedestal at the center.
Carved upon the surface of this lotus pedestal are countless blooming white lotuses.
The Pure World White Lotus Sect!
Anyone familiar with this symbol would immediately recognize these as followers of the Pure World White Lotus Sect.
Seated cross-legged upon the lotus pedestal are five individuals: four men and one woman, all around fifty years of age.
The five of them wear identical attire, and each forehead bears the tattoo of a white lotus.
Currently, they are seated around the center of the lotus pedestal, where a single white lotus floats.
The white lotus remains tightly closed, its slender white stem swaying as if moved by a non-existent breeze.
It hangs suspended in mid-air without any support, an eerie sight, its white petals shimmering with a faint, milky glow.
Suddenly, the white lotus floating in the void erupts with a dazzling white light, its petals trembling visibly.
This obvious disturbance naturally draws the attention of the five individuals.
“Everyone, the Sacred Lotus left by the Dharma Protector is beginning to change!”
“Could it be that the Dharma Protector is finally about to emerge from seclusion?”
These five are Elders of the Pure World White Lotus Sect, all martial artists at the Internal Energy realm.
The Dharma Protector they speak of is an existence at the External Aura Grandmaster realm.
Under their expectant gazes, the white lotus slowly begins to bloom.
Seeing this, the five immediately rise from the lotus pedestal.
Then, their figures leap down from the pedestal and, as if by prior agreement, swiftly move in the same direction.
It is the direction of the mountain peak.
Their Dharma Protector’s place of seclusion is precisely at the summit.
“Wu Ling is dead?”
“In the White Path Prefecture of An Province, is there still someone capable of killing her?”
At the mountain peak, on a stone meditation platform, sits an elderly, frail-looking man.
The man wears a white robe. A large scar marks the top of his head, and a sparse silver beard hangs from his chin. His heavily wrinkled face features eyes deeply sunken into their sockets.
At this moment, the old man’s complexion is ashen, clearly unable to believe this fact.
The old man raises a hand, a withered white lotus hovering above his palm.
The aura belonging to Wu Ling completely dissipated from this world not long ago.
It is evident that this Wu Ling he speaks of is already dead.
Otherwise, this white lotus, which contained Wu Ling’s life force, would absolutely not have withered.
The news of Wu Ling’s death does not anger the old man.
Although she was his disciple, he feels no trace of sorrow.
For the great cause of the Sacred Sect, the death of ten thousand Wu Lings would not make him blink an eye.
The old man’s concern lies with the Bronze Bowl Sacrificial Artifact that was in Wu Ling’s possession.
That Bronze Bowl Sacrificial Artifact was something he specifically left with her years ago, intended to release the sinister entity sealed within.
“Judging by the rate at which that damned thing inside absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, the time should be about right.”
“Could it be that Wu Ling died at the hands of that entity?”
The Wu Ling mentioned by the old man is precisely the old woman killed by Lu Xuan.
“Forget it. Time is running short. That waste Wu Ling is not worth this Dharma Protector making a personal trip to Qingyun County.”
“The Spirit Ruin Land will soon manifest again. Completing the Supreme Elder’s instructions is more important.”
“Heh heh heh… Still, we must thank that dog emperor Xia Mingyue for his delusions of grandeur, his foolish desire to lay hands on the essence of the Spirit Ruin Land.”
“Otherwise, with those damned fellows of the Celestial Surveillance Department around, this Dharma Protector truly wouldn’t dare leave these Ancient Desolate Mountains.”
“This manifestation of the Spirit Ruin Land will be our Sacred Sect’s greatest opportunity.”
“If the essence of the Spirit Ruin Land falls into the hands of our Sacred Sect…”
“Then all the martial artists of the entire Great Xia Empire will become blood sacrifices offered to the Sacred Mother.”
“By then, all the suffering of sentient beings will become a thing of the past, leaving behind only the final pure land!”
“That will be the one and only pure land belonging to our Sacred Sect!”
A faint white glow flickers in the depths of the old man’s sunken eye sockets. Mention of the Sacred Mother seems to evoke a strange, fanatical piety in him.
At this moment, below the peak, five figures face the sheer, perilous cliff face. As if utterly disregarding its dangers, they traverse the vertical surface as if walking on level ground.
“We pay our respects to the Dharma Protector!”
Upon spotting the old man, the five figures move in unison, kowtowing in salute.
“Nether Province… Heh heh heh… Release all three of this Dharma Protector’s White Lotus Envoys. They shall accompany me as we leave the Ancient Desolate Mountains.”
“Our Sacred Sect has hidden in the shadows for so many years, letting these ‘blood sacrifices’ live in peace for so long. It is time they experience our suffering.”
Qingyun County Town!
After dealing with the old woman, Lu Xuan returned to the Lu Family without any delays along the way.
Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: External Aura Grandmaster (Major Accomplishment)
Techniques: Blazing Heaven Saber Art 1/9, Flowing Light Step Technique 1/9 (Can Deduce), Diamond Indestructibility 3/9 (Can Deduce).
Points: 860
Host, please confirm: Consume 400 points to deduce the Flowing Light Step Technique?
Host, please confirm: Consume 90 points to deduce Diamond Indestructibility?
A so-called White Lotus Envoy and a White Lotus Blood Infant provided Lu Xuan with 360 system points.
This White Lotus Blood Infant’s strength was comparable to the one encountered earlier at the Lotus Birth Temple.
Therefore, this White Lotus Blood Infant likely provided around 60 system points.
And that so-called White Lotus Envoy probably provided around 300 points.
“Tsk, these demonic followers of the Pure World White Lotus Sect…”
“What a pity. If only I could find their lair.”
“Their lair must surely contain monsters even stronger than a White Lotus Envoy.”
Seeing that a single White Lotus Envoy provided him with 300 system points, a flicker of fervent desire appeared in Lu Xuan’s eyes.
