NOVPUB
Chapter 943: Chapter 940: Asking for Help_2
Therefore, if some clan members were hoping to participate in the purge of Demon Cultivators, they were bound to be disappointed. They would probably return after a hard trip with nothing to show for it.
Since there was no danger, Li Zhirui naturally wouldn’t stand in their way.
Seeing that Li Zhirui did not seem very concerned about this issue, Li Xiansong, despite his confusion, knew his place and took his leave, not wishing to disturb the Elder’s cultivation.
And the truth was just as Li Zhirui had thought: those eager clan members all returned sullenly.
However, they also brought back new information. It was said that the Zhang Family had already laid a trap in several crucial areas bordering Wanzhu State, even with Integration realm Elders personally overseeing it.
The Demon Cultivators who had fled were eventually mostly left in the hands of the Zhang Family. Had they not split into several directions to flee for their lives, it was likely that none of the Demon Cultivators would have escaped the Zhang Family’s grasp!
"The Zhang Family knew in advance that the Demon Cultivators would flee to Wanzhu State?"
Li Xiansong had an epiphany, "It seems the Zhang Family learned of this from the Demon Cultivators caught earlier in the Immortal City."
However, things were far from being as simple as Li Xiansong and the others thought!
——
Wanzhu State.
Within the Ten Thousand Miles Bamboo Sea, there grew all sorts of peculiar Spirit Bamboos, some as thick as barrels and others as fine as silver needles; some were lush with branches and leaves, while others stood as solitary poles. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
And within this expanse of the Bamboo Sea, there were also dozens of Cultivator forces, with the strongest like the Integration realm Zhang Family, and the weakest supported by only a single Divine Transformation realm cultivator.
Due to unique natural factors, there were not many Devil Beast species in the Bamboo Sea, and naturally fewer in number. Their strength was not worth mentioning, nothing like the beasts of the Thousandfold Mountains, where the Devil Beasts were actually much more powerful.
Yet it was such a place, where Cultivators were clearly the dominant force in the State Domain, that concealed a terrifying Demon Sect!
"Sect Leader, a traitor has appeared in the branch of Shanyuan State, resulting in heavy losses for us. I fear that aside from a few of us, the other members have all died at the hands of Cultivators," Elder Wen reported with a feeble breath.
He was able to escape from the encirclement of the Zhang Family, not only because that area lacked many Zhang Family Cultivators but also because he paid a heavy price, which was why he looked so disheveled.
"A traitor?" The Sect Leader, sitting at the head, flashed a hint of mockery in his eyes. To him, this seemed like nothing more than an excuse, pinning all the blame on the dead.
But the question still needed to be asked, "Perhaps Elder Wen could recount the details of the whole affair."
Elder Wen dared not oppose and could only hang his head and retell the events as they happened.
"Hmph!" The Sect Leader scoffed coldly, a presence as if divine might had descended, causing the others to tremble in fear, worried that the next moment this terrifying pressure would pour down upon their own heads.
"Did those disciples set up a silence prohibition?"
Elder Wen was stunned, then hurriedly said, "Yes! We hid our Holy Sect’s gate location and our purposes."
"But that means, those disciples could still inform the Cultivators that our Sect’s gate is in Wanzhu State?"
The faces of Elder Wen and the others paled dramatically. Indeed, they had not placed such a prohibition because no one could have anticipated that the Cultivators of Shanyuan State would discover their presence so quickly.
Meaning the Sect Leader’s words might actually come to pass!
"Soon, perhaps a catastrophe of the Demon Cultivators will erupt. Considering that you still possess some strength, wait until the outbreak of the grand battle. You will go to the front lines to contribute some power to the Sect and make amends for your faults," the Sect Leader said in a deep voice.
"Yes!" Although Elder Wen and the others were utterly resistant in their hearts, they couldn’t express this outright. Otherwise, their fate would likely be even more miserable.
——
Within the Zhang Family’s clan grounds, a group of Void Refining and Divine Transformation realm cultivators looked with scrutinizing eyes at the several Demon Cultivators who had been captured alive.
Compared to those Demon Cultivators captured in the Immortal City, those this time had higher ranks and, undoubtedly, higher statuses. Naturally, they knew far more.
"What is your purpose in Shanyuan State? Where is your Sect’s gate located in Wanzhu State? In the White Stone State to the west of Wanzhu State, is there also a Demon Sect force?"
After a session of inhuman torture, the bones of these few Demon Cultivators weren’t so tough anymore, and they spilled everything they knew.
"To establish a branch in Shanyuan State. The goal is to wait for a command from the Holy Sect, then swarm out, slaughtering all living beings in sight and inciting chaos."
"The second question was clearly under prohibition; the demon cultivators could only avoid it and not answer."
The final question saw several demon cultivators shake their heads; they too didn’t know if such demonic forces existed, only the Void Refining Demon Cultivator nodded and hurriedly said, "I know, I know!"
"In Shanyuan State, Wanzhu State, White Stone State, and the states to the westward, almost all have forces secretly established by demon cultivators."
As soon as these words were uttered, they struck like thunder out of a clear sky, leaving all cultivators dumbstruck for a long time without regaining their composure.
"How is this possible?!"
Some cultivators didn’t believe what the demon cultivator said.
For from Shanyuan State all the way west to the Demon Path West Continent, there are at least thirty state domains!
If it were as he said, it would mean that all these thirty state domains have demon cultivators!
Yet among them, there were Mahayana, Tribulation Transcendence forces, and even in the regions bordering the West Continent, Immortal Realm Forces stood guard; could it be that not a single one had discovered the presence of demon cultivators?
The Zhang Family could not question the demon cultivators about their intentions, as even the Void Refining Demon Cultivator did not know.
But the scope of this affair was so extensive, it was beyond what the Zhang Family could handle; they had to report it to greater forces and let them take over the resolution.
The only thing to be grateful for was the absence of demon cultivators in Shanyuan State; whatever their plans were, they now had no way of carrying them out.
The Zhang Family quickly reported the information obtained from the demon cultivators to the nearby Cave Abyss Sect located to the south.
Being the closest Immortal Sect to the Zhang Family, it was the most suitable choice for dealing with such a significant matter.
Moreover, regarding this news, the Zhang Family had no intention of hiding it, so it wasn’t long before it spread throughout the mountains.
"The demon cultivators have grand schemes, fortunately, exposed!" Li Zhirui murmured to himself.
The subsequent series of developments left him, the ’instigator,’ utterly astonished.
Li Zhirui initially circulated the news about the demon cultivators purely because the Li family was currently not powerful enough and did so for self-preservation, but now, it had turned into a matter that moved all forces in the northern part of the East Continent!
"I wonder if this calamity might still endanger our family."
Li Zhirui was growing increasingly worried about Jiang Fengwu, Da Qing, and others who were out training; if they were experiencing the North Continent States, they would likely have to engage in fierce battles against the demon cultivators.
At this point, this sweeping crisis affecting various places had nothing to do with the insignificant and weak Li family, tucked away in their corner.
But unexpectedly, in just a few months, the cultivators of Wanzhu State were beaten back in defeat, suffering heavy casualties and sending out cries for help to the surrounding areas.
"The cultivators of Wanzhu State can’t stand up to the demon cultivators?! How is this possible!"
This was Li Xiansong’s first reaction when he relayed the news to Li Zhirui.
The strength of the Xiuxian Realm in Wanzhu State was even more formidable than that of Shanyuan State; but they were losing against a demon sect that had been secretly growing in the shadows?
The situation sounded like a tall tale, yet it was realistically happening!
And as for neighboring Shanyuan State, whether it be for the righteousness of combating Immortal Demons or the necessity to block and prevent the demon cultivators from invading and causing destruction, they had to send out cultivators as reinforcements.
As the ruler of this state, the Zhang Family naturally issued the Conscription Command.
Even though the Li family and other mountain forces might not be counted as vassals of the Zhang Family, faced with this tiny command token, not a single one dared to resist and not comply!
"Why has it come to this?" Li Zhirui asked solemnly.
When he originally chose a base for his family, he had also looked into the general situation of Wanzhu State, and because there were so many powerful forces there, the Li family could only choose to become a vassal to survive.
Yet such a strong state domain was forced to call for help against a demon sect that had developed in secrecy!
There must have been some unknown happenings within.
