Fairy, return my flying sword to me

Chapter 195 Starlight?

There's not that much face in the woods.

The two brothers' health wasn't in that much trouble.

The pharmacist who was taking care of these patients was worried that the two brothers might have some hidden dangers, which was why he didn't let them rush out to carry out the mission. But after seeing the two brothers' energetic and vigorous state, he chose to trust them.

"Go on, but be careful in future battles. You won't always be lucky enough to be rescued."

"Understood, Pharmacist." The two brothers bowed sincerely, then turned and followed Lin Jian away from the Green Hut with excited expressions.

"Brother Jianzi, where are we going now?"

However, after just one battle, the way they were addressed has changed drastically.

Lin Jian couldn't help but chuckle, then stepped to measure the ground, saying, "Routine patrol."

Patrols must be conducted in groups of three; this is a strict rule established by the sect.

In case something happens, they can keep an eye on each other and help each other. It's better than dying alone or having some kind of strange event happen and no one knows.

Moreover, the entire Tianyuan Demon Rift is extremely large, far exceeding the small area around the Demon Eye.

That was merely a front-line position used by the sect to establish a defensive line; in reality, there was a much larger space for maneuvering behind it.

If the power of the Heavenly Demons becomes uncontrollable, it is possible that the sects stationed there might shift their lines back.

However, if this is done, the immediate pressure will indeed be reduced, but the sealing effect on the entire space will be much weaker.

At that time, demons may escape the blockade and appear in various places in the demon rift, greatly increasing the possibility of demons sneaking into the outside cultivation world.

This is the last resort plan to trade space for time.

At that time, the cultivators stationed at the sect may need to spend more time patrolling this land and even the surrounding area outside the demon rift to ensure that no demons are missed.

Of course... even though the sects are currently at the forefront, there may still be monsters that have been missed.

Therefore, daily patrols and cleanups of the vast rear area are also one of the necessary responsibilities of the stationed team.

Beyond his responsibilities, Lin Jian also wanted to see what characteristics this so-called buffer zone, the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift, actually possessed.

As the glow of the cultivators' stronghold behind them gradually faded into the distance, the thin black mist of the wilderness filled the three people's surroundings.

A latent but pervasive malice enveloped the three of them, and the two body cultivator brothers huddled closer to the woods, whispering about topics they found interesting—

"I thought this battle would be very difficult, but I didn't expect that only five people died."

"Yes... seeing the miserable state of the last garrison and the disciples of the Immortal Sect who were just relieved, I thought we were in grave danger this time."

"Did you see that big bald guy surnamed Wang? Ever since he heard about the number of casualties, his voice has become quieter."

"Oh?" Lin Jian frowned immediately. "How do you know five people are dead?"

I was clearly there when the sect leader gave his report, and judging from their attitude, they obviously wanted to keep this matter absolutely confidential.

It shouldn't be necessary for every grassroots disciple to know.

"Huh?" The two body cultivator brothers were stunned, their expressions blank. "Everyone's saying that..."

Lin Jian simply said "Oh" and didn't press the matter further.

Perhaps seeing that the casualties were not significant, they decided to release the information to boost morale.

Then, turning our attention to another matter the two brothers had mentioned, we asked, "What? You said that the bald guy surnamed Wang had a terrible temper before he came?"

The brothers spoke of it with great enthusiasm, "It wasn't just bad, it was extremely bad. They would curse anyone they met, and if you looked at them for too long, they would hurl a torrent of abuse at you. If it weren't for the sect leader and elders keeping an eye on things, it felt like a fight could break out at any moment."

Another body cultivator sighed, "It's not entirely his fault. Who could remain calm after hearing that they're definitely going to die within the next month? The results of the sect's last troop rotation were too shocking, and the Immortal One Sect that just withdrew suffered even worse fates. I didn't expect things to be so easier after the battle; the casualties don't seem as severe as I initially imagined..."

Before something happens, many people let their low spirits lead them to indulge in the worst possible scenarios.

Since we're all going to die anyway, why bother being cowardly?

It seems quite normal for someone to become a little short-tempered.

When things took a turn for the better, those short tempers suddenly subsided... It just goes to show how interesting human nature is.

There were only the three of them on patrol.

In this dimly lit space filled with malevolent black mist, it seemed that only the three of them could rely on each other.

Even in the woods, one can't help but feel a little uneasy in such an environment. Even if one examines oneself and finds that there are more pressure factors from the environment, it is still inevitable to feel some weakness.

When people feel weak, they crave to band together.

The quiet process makes people more anxious, and Lin Jian chatted with the two brothers all the way.

They talked about everything from the nearby Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift to the current situation in the cultivation world. Bragging is free anyway, and the three of them engaged in theoretical discussions, each talking about what they would do if they were a holy land.

"If you ask me, we should open up our cultivation techniques to the world. There are so many independent cultivators and small sects. How different are they from the disciples of major sects? As long as we arm them all, this small uprising in Tianyuan will be easy to handle."

"I support Junior Brother Lin becoming the leader of the Holy Land! We are all cultivators. So what if some cultivation techniques and scriptures are popularized? Not everyone can master those profound scriptures. What's wrong with supporting the geniuses who can master them? However, I think it's probably not the right time yet. After all, the disastrous consequences of the Tianyuan riot were only shown in the two recent garrison changes. The Holy Land may want to observe more before deciding whether to open up the cultivation techniques."

“You two junior brothers are mistaken.” The eldest body cultivator shook his head seriously and offered his opinion, “Cultivation techniques and manuals are double-edged swords. Do you really think that opening them up will instantly boost our human race’s combat power? Who in this world is not afraid of death? What if those who obtain cultivation techniques and manuals are unwilling to go to the front lines to fight?”

Another body cultivator retorted, "Then let's give those cultivators who are willing to go to the front lines the qualification to obtain cultivation techniques and manuals."

“Cultivating magical techniques is not easy. Are you suggesting they cultivate before going to the battlefield, or cultivate after going to the battlefield? How is going directly to the battlefield any different from sending suicide soldiers to fill in the gaps? How long will it take to master the techniques? What if they run away during the process?” The oldest body cultivator seemed to have genuinely considered the feasibility of this idea. “Even if they do master the techniques and obediently go to the battlefield to fight to the death, what will happen to them when they return?”

"Should resources belong to our Zhengyang Sect? Should they always be inferior?" "They've obtained the same spellbooks as the sect's disciples, so there's no hard gap in strength, but their status and resources are worlds apart, and they even outnumber us. What will happen next?"

"Let them rob us! Internal strife among cultivators is even worse than among the Heavenly Demons!"

The younger body cultivator protested, "This won't work, that won't work, isn't this a double whammy? Senior brother, what do you suggest we do?"

“I’m telling you…” the older body cultivator said with an upright expression, “I believe in the adults who are making decisions now! The fact that the adults, not us, are in those positions means that the adults definitely have better vision than us. The adults know more and see further than we do. Any views we have are like looking at the moon from the bottom of a well. I believe that the adults can make the most perfect arrangements!”

Lin Jian roughly understood what these ordinary cultivators were thinking. At this moment, he was squatting in front of a mass of writhing, dense demonic energy, looking at it. "Believe is one thing, but what should we do now, Senior Brother?"

Aside from the demonic creatures that surge directly from the demonic energy, one of the most common occurrences in the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift is this thick mass of demonic energy that spontaneously gathers together from the free demonic energy.

Once they spontaneously gather in greater numbers, new monsters will naturally emerge from them.

Aside from those occasionally missed by the front lines, these spontaneously formed monsters are the main force of monsters escaping from the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift every year.

Although the quantity is not large...

"It's simple, just destroy them." The cultivator frowned and was about to make a move.

Xiao Tixiu kept his superior's orders in mind. "But the elder said that we can handle it on a case-by-case basis. If they haven't developed demonic nature yet, we can let them gather more demonic energy and then deal with them all at once."

Demonic nature is the core of a demon; mere demonic energy is ineffective.

Even the process of this demonic energy gradually forming a ball can purify the surrounding environment to a certain extent. It is a contribution to guarding the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift if you kill it after it has purified the environment to a certain extent.

The two of them immediately stepped forward, sticking their butts out, to investigate what stage the demonic energy had developed to.

It was ultimately determined that Demonic Energy No. 001 had not yet reached its final form, so it was decided to let it go and allow it to continue contributing to environmental purification.

I then noted down the location, planning to come back and explore it in a couple of days.

[Your teammate has marked a location.]
In the woods, it seemed as if someone had inexplicably marked a dark map with a gold exclamation mark on it...

Of course, this is also part of the work that their patrol team needs to do.

Make a note of every location where something might be amiss, and report it to the sect leader upon returning. A designated person will then process the information and create a new map.

The Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift is not static. Located in the transit zone between the Heavenly Abyss and the Cultivation Realm, its environment and even its terrain are constantly changing.

In a year, everything may have changed.

For example, the two body cultivator senior brothers who came in this time felt that the current demonic rift was completely different from the last time they came. Apart from some common experience in dealing with things, there was no advantage of being an old hand.

The three of them patrolled the area and traveled a long way.

The distorted sun in the sky could only retain a sliver of its afterglow on the distant horizon... After the sun set outside, the things in the Demon Rift became even more bizarre.

However, some things on the map only reveal their features at night, and those living in the Demon Rift cannot have the so-called rest of sunrise and night.

...The map contains many natural elements that have been distorted by the environment.

Flowers, trees, insects, fish, birds, and beasts...

Before being swallowed by the demonic rift, this place was clearly a natural sanctuary in the cultivation world.

The site was filled with many natural elements belonging to the cultivation world—mountains, forests, and rushing rivers.

However, under the combined influence of the Heavenly Abyss Law and the Xuanhuang Realm Law, the natural scenery here has all been transformed into a form that is difficult for ordinary people to understand.

One second the flower is in full bloom, and the next second the bud closes up and turns into a seed that disappears into the air.

The towering cliffs appear sheer and imposing from afar, but once you reach the end, you find yourself walking on flat ground, having lost track of where the cliffs lead.

The environment was unpredictable and ever-changing, yet utterly lifeless.

The three of them walked among them, feeling rather apprehensive.

As the eldest of the three cultivators, and also the most knowledgeable, he said, "I heard that this place was once a fertile land for mortals. However, after the appearance of that demonic eye above our heads, a powerful being used a magic array to refine this place into a space outside the current cultivation world. Because of this, even if some demons are missed, they find it difficult to find a way to escape to the outside world."

"Speaking of which, that legendary senior was the great power who shaped the current form of the Demon Rift. I wonder if I will have the chance to see the magic array he set up... I also wonder what kind of magic array power could separate a space that originally belonged to the Xuanhuang Realm and make it a buffer zone between the two realms."

“You won’t see it.” The great cultivator interrupted the little cultivator’s little fantasy. “That was a method personally set up by a powerful being from the Holy Land. How could a magic array capable of separating space reveal its true form in front of us? Such immortal methods can only survive to this day by remaining hidden invisibly.”

The young cultivator scratched his forehead. "But our sect's formations always need maintenance and repair. How come I've never seen anyone maintain a powerful being's formation?"

"Can the methods of immortals be compared with those of ordinary cultivators like us? Perhaps a magic array of that level can automatically draw spiritual energy from the space to maintain its operation and repair itself?"

"Right..." The young body cultivator pursed his lips, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed into the distance, "Senior brothers! Look over there!"

Without his reminder, Lin Jian had already noticed the strange phenomenon in the distance.

They had just crossed a cliff, which, strangely, turned into a slightly undulating flat area after they set foot on it.

And just after they had passed the obstruction of the cliff, they suddenly saw some bright, star-like lights in the distance.

As they subconsciously channeled their inner energy to focus their gaze, they seemed to see the few bright stars dotting the dark space as rays of light hanging down, weakly extending towards the other bright stars.

It's like weaving a star map in the night sky.

But I have never seen such a sparse starry night sky in the forest.

"What's going on?" If the previous questions in the forest were just to give the two brothers a chance to show off, now they were genuinely asking questions.

This wasn't among the basic common sense tips the elders gave us on the way here.
(End of this chapter)