Journey to the head

In the Yujing Palace, all the cultivators' eyes were focused on Lu Qian.

Lu Qian said slowly, "I think that when Taiyi Paradise issued the order to kill monsters and formulated a list of points for redemption rewards, although it encourages us to kill monsters, it does not force us to rescue other places. This is to let each state make its own judgment. Whether to stay at home or attack other places is entirely up to them."

"If you choose to attack, it's up to you to decide where to attack and rescue and earn points. Just like us in Cangzhou, you can choose to go to Qingzhou, or you can choose to go to Luzhou, Jinzhou, or Sizhou. In short, Taiyi Paradise has completely delegated autonomy."

"In this case, within Cangzhou, we all have our own sects and interests. I don't think it is necessary to force us to act together."

Lu Qian looked around.

"If you want to attack, you can choose a prefecture that is closer to your mountain gate and kill monsters to earn some points. But on the other hand, if your mountain gate is empty and attacked, you cannot force others to rescue you."

"If you want to stay and defend, then you should guard the territory well. But if Cangzhou is not attacked by the monsters in the end, you should not be jealous of the rewards that others get for attacking."

"In short, family members should think about their own affairs, and ultimately they will bear the consequences themselves, so they should not blame others."

Everyone nodded silently, thinking that this was indeed the truth, and then they spoke one after another.

The Xuanwei School, the Lingshou Sect, and the Qinglian Zhenzong have all stated that they will focus on defending their homeland. On the contrary, some of the weaker sects have the radical idea of ​​taking a gamble.

At this moment, Wu Chongweng, who had been silent until now, spoke again.

"In this case, it would be better to gather the attacking sects together. Not only will our strength increase, but we will also have someone to look after us when killing monsters. And it would be safer to gather the defenders together so that they can jointly defend and protect each other."

Everyone agreed, especially those who decided to attack were very happy. The next moment, Wu Zhongweng asked, "I wonder what the Yunshan Sect is going to do?"

So the cultivators looked at Lu Qian again. Now among the four sects in Cangzhou, only the Yunshan Sect had not expressed its position.

Thinking of the long-cherished wish of the Yunshan Sect to go north to their homeland and reclaim their ancestral veins, those who advocated the attack to kill the monster were even more eager. If the powerful Yunshan Sect was willing to join the attack, then there was no doubt that their safety would be greatly guaranteed, and the results of killing the monster would be multiplied.

But Lu Qian shook his head: "This is a serious matter. We need to discuss it again before making a decision."

This banquet, which should have been grand, ended abruptly but not with a whimper. In the tense atmosphere of war, all the sects and factions rushed back to the mountain gate and began to act according to their own policies.

However, the sects that chose to attack and kill the monsters have only gathered their fighting forces and have not set out yet.

They were all waiting for the Yunshan Sect to make a final decision, and Lu Qian promised to announce his decision to Cangzhou as soon as possible.

In the main hall of Yujing, the banquet that was not enjoyed much was directly removed. Lu Qian and the eight Yunshan elders stayed behind, and An Fanghe was also present. An ad hoc elders' meeting was hastily convened.

"According to my faction's intelligence database, Lord Tianfu has always been a casual cultivator, and his master is unknown. However, because of his high level of cultivation, extraordinary magical powers, and kindness to others, he not only has a high prestige among casual cultivators, but also has good relations with many state and prefecture Yuanshen forces."

Lin Le checked the files of the Intelligence Department and introduced them to the elders: "No one knows that he has a master. It is also unclear whether he has recently worshipped a master or has been secretly supporting this master and pretending to be a casual cultivator."

"If it is the latter, then his master is planning something big, and we must be on guard."

"If this master used unknown means to induce the demons to attack Qingzhou, then we will accept this favor. But I am afraid that he is a spy of the underground tribes, which would be too dangerous." Jiang Qingfeng said, "Why don't we report it directly to Taiyi Paradise? At this juncture, Taiyi Paradise will not let go of any suspicious person."

However, Wang Yu shook his head and said, "That can't be the case. Since Lord Tianfu knows the identity of the sect leader, he also knows that our sect is favored by Taiyi Paradise. If they still dare to plan this, they must be confident."

"If we report it rashly, we might get into even bigger trouble. If you feel that the other party is really untrustworthy, it is better to ignore it and stay within the territory."

Lu Qian pondered. Senior Brother Wang's feelings for the old Yunshan Sect and his obsession to regain the ancestral veins can be said to be the strongest among all the people present. Under such circumstances, he did not ask to attack immediately, which shows that he was not sure about this matter.

Wang Yu continued, "I think the possibility that the other party is from one of the Hundred Clans Underground is not high."

"After all, my family is highly regarded by Taiyi Paradise and is in a state of hostility and war with the underground tribes. Under such circumstances, how could the people of the underground tribes choose to befriend the leader? How could they do a favor for my sect? This doesn't make sense."

Yes, yes, Master Wang is right.

Wang Ruoyu nodded silently. We are already at war. If you do us a favor, wouldn't that be aiding the enemy? Even a fool wouldn't do such a thing.

The master of Lord Tianfu must have another background. He used some means to induce General Banshan to attack Qingzhou. Perhaps he used the illusion that the leader is good at?
But I have a slow mind, so I'd better keep quiet and listen to what smart people have to say.

An Fanghe suddenly patted the jade ruyi in his palm and said, "We want to know whether the other party has any relationship with the demon clan, and whether General Banshan's attack was instigated by them. We just need to attack and we will find out."

His words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Lin Le reacted: "That's right. If the attack of General Banshan's faction was ordered by Lord Tianfu, in order to give our Yunshan faction a chance to reclaim our ancestral land, then when we head north to Qingzhou, these monsters should retreat and not clash with us."

"Otherwise, if Lord Tianfu's master sent them to Qingzhou and they fought with us, if they lost, they would be selling their subordinates to us for points. If they won, it would be even more ridiculous. Not only would they not be able to sell us a favor, but they would also become enemies with us."

The elders' eyes all lit up. This was exactly the truth. Whether this person was the one behind it or not would be clear once they started fighting.

At this time, Su Yan raised his hand: "Master, I'm wondering if this is a trap?"

Lu Qian raised his eyebrows, and several elders were shocked.

"They seized upon our long-cherished wish to regain our ancestral vein, and through General Banshan's attack on Qingzhou, they lured our main force out of the solid mountain gate, and then ambushed them halfway."

Jiang Qingfeng, Wu Yan, and Xiao Tianci all looked serious as they carefully considered this possibility. Gu Nishang, who had been drowsily resting her chin on her hand, perked up immediately after hearing this: "That makes sense. I was wondering how such a cheap thing could come about. Someone came up to offer me benefits out of nowhere. It must be a trap!"

An Fanghe shook his head: "Uncle Su is making things too complicated. If it was a trap, why would the other party tell us?"

"If we just let General Banshan attack Qingzhou, our faction will most likely choose to go north. Wouldn't it be better to ambush them secretly at this time? Why did you tell us in advance? Wouldn't that alert the enemy?"

Su Yan was not convinced: "Perhaps the enemy is taking advantage of our thinking and trying to lower our vigilance?"

Lin Le laughed: "Multiple reversals? Who can stand on the higher level?"

"Junior Brother Su, if you think like this, there will be no end to it, and you will never be able to make up your mind."

"Although we have to consider everything, most of the time we can only speculate based on the most likely scenario. If the other party really intends to attack, why not let General Banshan attack Cangzhou and our sect, and then the other party will attack our sect, which is greatly weakened and in a critical situation. Wouldn't that be better?" Su Yan nodded and sat back: "Thank you, Senior Brother Lin, for your advice."

The elders had no other ideas and were waiting for Lu Qian to make a decision. Lu Qian had been thinking about it until now, and finally spoke: "The General Staff's opinion is to attack and kill the monster?"

An Fanghe quickly put the jade ruyi back on his belt and bowed, "Yes, Master. After comprehensive consideration, the General Staff suggested that I dispatch elite troops to the north to slay the demons and wait for an opportunity to seize the ancestral vein."

Lu Qian was silent for a moment.

This matter is really full of doubts, making me hesitant, but the speeches of the elders just now have been very inspiring to me. For many things, only after taking action can we get the answer.

Tianfugong's words echoed in my ears again.

".Opportunities are fleeting, so it's up to you to choose."

Lu Qian knew in his heart that this would probably be the closest he would be to the ancestral vein of Yunshan before the end of the Unconquered State!
Even though the risk is huge, the path to becoming an immortal is already full of thorns. One has to fight against all living creatures in the world. How is it possible to achieve immortality in peace and without taking any risks?

but
"Release the crane." Lu Qian said in a deep voice, "Do you still remember that at the Plum Blossom House, we discussed the matter of Bai Ling's Dan formation in Quyang County of Qingzhou and Yuehua Sect, and the strategy we wanted to try to seize the Yunshan ancestral vein?"

An Fanghe tightly grasped Yu Ruyi: "Are you talking about the emergency plan?"

Lu Qian nodded: "That's right, now is the time to put it into practice."

Lin Le and Wang Yu both nodded silently. Yes, compared to normal times, this strategy is more likely to be realized?
"As for whether we will send troops to the north," Lu Qian continued, "we'll have to wait and see the results of this strategy."

Qingzhou, Quyang County, the mountain gate of Qingling Sect.

The evil spirit was heavy, blocking out the sunlight, and the roars were frightening.

Layer after layer of monsters came like a tide, attacking the Qingling Sect's mountain protection formation one after another.

The Qingling Sect, which had been lifeless and whose monks had been living from day to day, at this moment, stimulated by the hideous faces of the demons and frightened by the horror of life and death, burst out with unprecedented fighting power, and worked hard to support the formation and withstand wave after wave of attacks from the underground demons.

Escape? There is a sea of ​​monsters in all directions, the sky and the ground are covered, where can you escape to?

High hopes were placed on this layer of mountain protection formation, but such a defense might not last too long.

The sun cast a pale halo through the demonic clouds, and the robes of the Qingling Sect disciples were already soaked with blood and cold sweat. The pale blue light curtain of the mountain protection formation was like a water surface hit by a stone, and every muffled sound from the ground caused ripples to spread throughout the mountain gate.

"Southeast corner array base!" The old monk in charge of the array was panicking and shouting until he was hoarse. Dozens of disciples rushed to the cracked stone platform, hurriedly taking out spirit stones and throwing them into the stone platform, and then used various spirit ore powders to repair the lines.

But suddenly, a sharp howl came from the ground. When a crack appeared in the formation, five foundation-building monsters covered with scales broke out of the ground. Their serrated front claws danced like a whirlwind, and in just a moment, they had turned dozens of disciples into meat paste.

"Evil beast!"

There was an angry roar from the mountain peak, and seven green bamboo swords turned into streams of light and fell down, followed by a golden light, which killed all five foundation-building monsters. However, the repair of the formation base was interrupted, and more and more monsters were surging out from the ground.

The poisonous fire spewed by the red-scaled monster burned the rocks into glass, and the iron-winged bats covered the gaps in the damaged formation. The thorny vines created by the disciples of the Qingling Sect entangled a group of iron-backed apes, but they could not stop the thousand-pound boulders they threw. After a loud bang, dozens of disciples were smashed into pulp.

The Jindan Zhenren's eyes were bloodshot, and he had to summon up his little spiritual strength to activate his supernatural powers. In an instant, the seven swords transformed into thousands of sword lights, which killed all the monsters that rushed out of the cracks.

"Hurry! Repair it now!" Before he could finish his words, a violent spiritual pressure had already forced its way over. With a sizzling sound, a golden elixir monster had already poked its head in from the gap!
"Brother, help me!"

His loud shout finally woke up the leader of Qingling Sect who was taking the time to regulate his breathing and heal his injuries. The two Jindan Zhenren joined forces and finally killed the Jindan monster in front of them. Then they filled the gap before more monsters poured in and reinforced the formation.

Both Jindan were seriously injured, their robes were askew and their bodies were covered in blood.

They didn't care about the corpses on the ground, they just sat down cross-legged, took some pills to regulate their breathing and recover.

The tide of demons outside the formation was still attacking, and cracks kept appearing on the formation, then being repaired and restored. Under such a tug-of-war, not to mention the almost broken spirits of the Qingling Sect disciples, even the reserves of spirit stones, elixirs and talismans were almost used up.

Now the high-ranking officials of Qingling Sect took out all the spirit stones in their pockets to support the defense of the formation.

However, although the offensive of the demon tide slowed down a bit, it still did not stop.

The two Jindan looked at each other and could only smile bitterly.

Frankly speaking, the demons that attacked their mountain gate were not that strong, and only three golden elixir demons had appeared so far. However, the number of low-level demons was too large, and it was too much for the Qingling Sect, which had been weakened in panic for more than a hundred years.

"Damn the Magnetic Pole Sect, damn the Lord of Treasure Mountain!" Junior Brother Jindan cursed angrily, "We usually serve him servilely, save money and give him so many benefits, even my disciples were sent to him as concubines. Now that disaster is imminent, he refuses to help at all and just walks away!"

Sect Master Qing Ling sighed helplessly, "Baoshan Lingjun was ordered to hide in our sect only to capture the possible attacking monks from Yunshan and destroy their unconquered state. Now that the demon tribe has invaded and Sinan Xuanjun is seriously injured, of course he has to go back to the mountain gate."

“But he can’t just abandon us!” Junior Brother Jindan turned pale, staring at the demons who continued to attack the formation. “If he had just made a move, he could have stopped this wave of demon invasion, but he just turned around and left! He is so ruthless and heartless that we have wasted all our benefits!”

At this moment, they heard another roar. The two stood up in panic and saw another golden elixir monster breaking out of the ground and attacking the formation fiercely!
In their current state, they might not be able to defeat this monster.

Large cracks appeared on the formation again, and the Qingling disciples had begun to disperse, crying and screaming, and crawling backwards.

There was despair in both of their eyes.

Is my Qingling Sect going to perish here?
Suddenly, there was a whistle!
Brilliant silver light fell from the sky. It was layer upon layer of moonlight condensed into countless silk threads, tightly locking the huge body of the Jindan demon.

Sect Leader Qing Ling looked up into the air in disbelief and even rubbed his eyes.

Junior Brother Jindan shouted, "Bai Ling from Yuehua Sect?!"

At the same time, a Jindan Zhenren with a peculiar aura flashed out, and a majestic white tiger leaped out from his aura and suppressed the Jindan monster.

Then, in the shadows where no one was paying attention, a dark, muddy monster silently poked its head out, its palm turned into a thorn, and stabbed into the belly of the monster. (End of this chapter)