I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 660 Internal and External Troubles (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Time flies, and within the land of China, years pass swiftly, while beyond the borders of mountains and seas, turbulent times unfold.

Three years have passed since Jiang Yi and the others entered the Northern Profound Forbidden Land.

With the Nine Cauldrons Boundary-Stabilizing Array activated, the Seventy-Two Gates of Demon Suppression became impregnable, and the demonic tide did not attack during these three years.

However, the demon race's desire to destroy the Mountain and Sea Realm remained undiminished, and they wreaked havoc in the Eastern Continent under the guise of the Dream Immortal Sect.

Fortunately, the True Venerable Danxi of the Cangling Sect was stationed in the rear, and the turmoil created by the Mengxian Sect was nipped in the bud several times.

However, the Demon Clan is now more cunning and treacherous than ever before, and Danxi never expected that their true objective would be the rear of the Mountain and Sea Realm.

The demon race instigated conflict among the sea monsters, evil cultivators, rogue cultivators, and clans in the Floating Light Sea, causing chaos and plunging the Floating Light Sea into a bloodbath.

The once-thriving maritime trade routes were cut off, and order collapsed.

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, the powerful Jubao Sect decisively withdrew its forces, along with cultivators from several well-established cultivation families, abandoning their base and hastily retreating to the relatively safe interior of the Eastern Continent.

The vast Floating Light Sea was eventually divided into three parts by the demon race, evil cultivators, and the united forces of independent cultivators, each ruling their own territory.

This once-precious land has become a huge cancer behind the Mountain and Sea Alliance, tying down the already tense alliance forces.

The Mountain and Sea Alliance was furious, but it was too busy to deal with the situation. It could only order the neighboring tribes of the Southern Wilderness to send their elite forces to quell the fire in their backyard, leaving them exhausted from running around.

It has been five years since Jiang Yi and the others entered the Northern Profound Forbidden Land.

The Nine Cauldrons Boundary-Stabilizing Array experienced a brief period of weakness. The long-dormant demonic tide, like a swarm of sharks smelling blood, unleashed its accumulated power like a torrent, charging towards the seventy-two Demon-Suppressing Fortresses with a scale and ferocity far exceeding anything seen before.

The guardian cultivators fought valiantly, their battle cries shaking the heavens, while the demons lurking within each pass launched their attacks simultaneously.

With the combined forces of inside and outside, half of the checkpoints at Zhenmo Pass fell unexpectedly. Demons surged into the pass like a flood bursting its banks, leaving the Zhenmo Pass line in grave danger.

At this critical juncture, fortunately, several important passes, including Kunlun Pass, stood firm and saved the empire from collapse.

The Northern Xuan Demon Clan, the Xuan Ying Sword Cultivator, and the demon spirit cultivators of the Cangling Sect led the cultivators of various sects in the Eastern Continent in a desperate battle to buy time for the reinforcements urgently mobilized by the Mountain and Sea Alliance in the rear.

Finally, reinforcements arrived and, together with the remaining defenders, launched a fierce and protracted battle, ultimately pushing the surging demonic tide back beyond the pass.

Although the battle was won, the cost was extremely high. Countless cultivators perished, the defense line of Zhenmo Pass was severely damaged, and its vitality was greatly weakened.

It has been ten years since Jiang Yi and the others went to the Northern Profound Forbidden Land.

Cangling Sect's Longri True Lord and Huiyuan True Lord both successfully passed the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation and advanced to become Nascent Soul cultivators.

With two more Nascent Soul cultivators joining the Cangling Sect, the sect's overall strength has risen to a new level.

The demon spirits cultivated by the Cangling Sect are in short supply. Even those sword cultivators who were once single-mindedly devoted to the sword and disdained worldly possessions are now willing to seek a compatible demon spirit to accompany them in order to increase their chances of survival.

After Long Ri advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he cultivated a kind of spirit insect that could sniff out demonic seeds and identify demons lurking among human cultivators.

Unfortunately, cultivation is currently difficult and widespread adoption is not possible; it will take some time.

Jiang Yi and the others went to the Northern Profound Forbidden Land for the fifteenth year.

The chaos in Fuguanghai not only failed to subside, but instead intensified.

Unorthodox cultivators and rogue cultivators, lacking management skills, rampantly exploited and plundered the already scarce resources of the Floating Light Sea. Coupled with years of war with the demon race and the Southern Wilderness, the Floating Light Sea became resource-scarce. Having tasted success, the unorthodox cultivator forces turned their greedy eyes to the resource-rich Southern Wilderness. They launched a large-scale southward invasion, frantically plundering spiritual veins and mineral deposits, resulting in continuous and fierce conflicts with the local forces of the Southern Wilderness.

The tribes of the Southern Wilderness were preoccupied with their own affairs and tied down on their own territories, leaving them with no capacity to send reinforcements to the front lines of the Demon Suppression Campaign.

Worse still, the demons seem to have figured out the pattern from the last period of weakness in the Great Array, and have begun to consciously probe and exploit the weaknesses in the operation of the Nine Cauldrons Boundary-Stabilizing Array, with the frequency of their attacks increasing.

Although its scale was not as great as the catastrophe of the fifth year, it was like a persistent leech, continuously consuming the energy and spirit of the gatekeeper cultivators and the resources of the Mountain and Sea Alliance.

The demonic tide is relentless, driving people to despair.

It has been thirtieth year since Jiang Yi and the others went to the Northern Profound Forbidden Land.

The constant pressure, the endless battles, the continuous fall of comrades, and the relentless erosion of demonic thoughts... all of these weighed heavily on the hearts of every cultivator in the Demon Suppression Pass.

A deep-seated weariness and despair began to permeate the air.

The casualty rate among the frontline monks remained high, and many of those who survived were not entirely unharmed.

Having been immersed in demonic energy and slaughter for a long time, their minds have long been riddled with holes, their inner demons have multiplied, and many of them have stagnated or even regressed in their cultivation.

It is not uncommon for cultivators to suddenly go berserk or turn mad without warning, attacking those around them indiscriminately, friend or foe.

Or perhaps they appear normal on the surface, but their souls have been quietly corrupted, becoming a hidden danger that the demons have buried deep within the defenses, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Trust crumbles amid suspicion, and hope is consumed by despair.

Perseverance has become an endless torture.

Even those like Cangyi Xingjun, who were stationed at the main camp, began to feel increasingly restless and anxious.

On this day, Liu Taozhi delivered the latest frontline battle report to Cangyi Xingjun's desk. The once upright and magnanimous Cangyi Xingjun seemed to have aged more than a hundred years in just thirty years, with a touch of snow in his temples.

When Cangyi Xingjun realized that it was Liu Taozhi who had entered, she frowned, propped her head up with her hand, and asked without opening her eyes, "Is there any news about Jiang Heying and the others?"

Liu Taozhi's answer was the same as before, "No, the demon spirits sent by the Cangling Sect to monitor the demonic tide have been reporting back every month for the past thirty years without interruption, and they have never seen anyone emerge from the demonic tide. Daoyuan Star Lord and Yuanshu Star Lord also went to investigate in person not long ago, but to no avail. They are like..."

Liu Tao felt a pang of pain in her heart and took a deep breath before continuing.

"It's as if they disappeared into the depths of the demonic tide, but their soul lamps are still lit in the Cangling Sect, which means they are safe and sound."

Cangyi Xingjun opened his eyes and lowered his hand, his face full of exhaustion. "Such a demonic tide cannot be extinguished. There is really no way to stop it. It was indeed not easy for you Northern Xuan cultivators to hold out for so long."

Liu Taozhi, wanting to comfort her, said, "Back then, the demonic tide in Beixuan wasn't this powerful. The Dream Immortal Sect only instigated conflicts between mortals and cultivators within Beixuan's territory. The demons who infiltrated Beixuan were at most at the Golden Core stage, unlike now..."

Cangyi Xingjun pinched the bridge of his nose and began to check the latest battle report.

"Right now, there is no other way but to hold on. We can only hope that Jiang Heying and the others can find a solution in the depths of Beixuan. They are the last hope of the Mountain and Sea Realm."

"They will!"

Liu Taozhi was absolutely certain that her senior sister would find a solution and bring everyone back safely.

(End of this chapter)