Fairy, return my flying sword to me

Chapter 206: Visitors from the Holy Land
"Sigh! Let's just wait..."

"In any case, no news is good news."

At this point, it seems they have no choice but to wait.

"I suggest that from now on, our four sects should begin to set up defensive fortifications around this demonic rift. Even if they eventually fall, at least we will have bought ourselves enough time."

The loss of so many Heavenly Abyss Demon Rifts occurred almost simultaneously, and the sects responsible for each Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift rushed to the scene.

It's a good thing that there aren't too many abnormalities here yet. Even if they ultimately fail to hold on, it gives the four factions enough time to react and prepare for battle.

The leader of the Pingding Sect sighed deeply, "That's all we can do."

All eyes were fixed on the ugly crack in the sky, waiting for news to emerge from within…

A pair of clear eyes secretly watched the four major sects who were urgently setting up defensive fortifications, and her small cherry lips curled up in disdain.

"You don't trust my brother Jian to do things? Even if you guys collapse, he won't collapse."

Thinking this to herself, Chunxue remained seated cross-legged, her hands forming hand seals, chanting incantations, "You've woken me up. Let's see what my brother Jian is doing..."

They are searching for monsters in the forest.

The Zhou Tian Star Array has been repaired. The newly formed stars do not appear very bright, but they have restored the array to its former tranquil state.

They, including the spiritual paths between them, no longer appear, and the demons can no longer rely on their damaged holes to invade the demon rifts at any time.

Everything is moving in a positive direction, and the one-month stay is slowly approaching, almost over.

Looking at the calm spatial rift, the nearly four thousand disciples from the four sects stationed outside the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift gradually became numb, their nerves initially on edge.

After nearly a month, even though they still cared deeply for Tianyuan, they were starting to feel weary.

Why haven't we heard anything yet?

"Yes... what exactly happened inside?"

"I've heard that more and more Heavenly Abyss Demon Rifts are falling, so why haven't we seen any movement here?"

"Pah, pah, pah! Isn't it a good thing that there's no movement? It means that our Zhengyang Sect and their Pingding Sect's garrison have held their ground."

"Really? So many Heavenly Abyss Demon Rifts fell, and they couldn't even hold them back, but we managed to?"

"Yes, we've finally found out how those lost Heavenly Abyss Demon Rifts were lost. It really was those demons from the Demon Worship Sect! They sent people to destroy the Zhou Tian Star Array that isolated the rifts, forcing the garrison to face the leaky barrier between the two realms. Over time, they were naturally worn down."

"Alas... Under these circumstances, the longer it drags on, the more the defending army will collapse. Some sects that know how to act according to circumstances, knowing they cannot repair the great formation, decisively opened the formation to send a message in advance, which gave the disciples of the holy land who rushed over a chance to help them repair the formation. Judging from our current situation, it seems that the disciples of the two sects have chosen to hold out, and I'm afraid that there are very few defenders left now..."

"Judging by the time, it should be the rotation period in January. I wonder how many of them will be able to make it through..."

Hearing the whispers among the disciples of the four sects, the leaders of the four sects present all fell silent.

These disciples' thoughts were largely the same as theirs.

There are countless Tianyuan Demon Rifts that have fallen. As for those that have not fallen, it is said that either the sects guarding them attach great importance to them and have dispatched their top combat forces to ensure that there is no danger in the short term, or the sects have profound foundations and possess strength comparable to large sects, which can easily suppress them.

Although the garrison forces of their Zhengyang Sect and Pingding Sect are much stronger than before, the situation is still not optimistic in the face of the combined attack from the Baimo Sect and the Tianmo Sect.

But they still managed to hold their post for a full month under such difficult conditions, which is truly admirable.

"The Zhengyang and Pingding sects really put in a lot of effort this time..."

"Judging by the time, today should be their shift change, right?"

"Regardless of the outcome, they have done a great job."

Leaving prematurely could not only worsen the situation but also guarantee that rescue from the Holy Land will not be forthcoming.

Those disciples had only heard that a successor from a holy land was out putting out fires everywhere, but they didn't know that even among holy lands, very few people were capable of repairing the Zhou Tian Star Array.

They mentioned that there were only three groups of people from the Holy Land capable of repairing the great formation: two elders and one holy maiden.

Even if the three groups of people are highly skilled and work tirelessly to put out fires one after another, they may not be able to reach the demonic rift that the four sects are responsible for in time.

Ultimately, the reason why the troops who rushed here from outside are so comfortable and have had almost a month to prepare is because the people inside are putting up a desperate fight.

In contrast to the widespread loss of the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift, the fact that this particular Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift has held out until now, and is even close to its natural rotation period, truly showcases the prowess of the disciples from the four sects.

"Someone, tell the alchemists to prepare. No matter how many return, as long as they can get out of the demonic rift, we must not allow their injuries to continue to worsen!"

"Furthermore, the cultivators guarding this position, regardless of their injuries or fate, must not be treated in the usual way! Even if they are truly crippled, the sect should support them for life!"

"Have all disciples prepare. The cultivators from both sects have bought us enough time with their lives. Our four thousand men must conserve their strength and must stop the situation from escalating as soon as possible. Ideally, we should be able to push the battle line back and re-establish our first line of defense!"

At this point, the leaders of the four sects all looked serious.

It's easy to loosen restrictions, but difficult to tighten them.

Needless to say, the Demon Rift is now riddled with holes, and all sorts of powerful demons are undoubtedly rampaging everywhere.

How easy is it to restore the first line of defense that was once at the forefront?
But no matter how difficult it is, you should still try.

If the area requiring protection were to be expanded to the size of the former Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift, then they would need to establish an even larger isolation zone to prevent the Heavenly Abyss from constantly eroding the cultivation world.

This method is tantamount to using the earth to subjugate the heavens, allowing the heavens to gradually encroach upon the territory of the cultivation world.

Having received orders from the elders, the four disciples of the four sects once again tensed up, forming a battle formation, ready to charge in as soon as Tianyuan opened and take over the responsibilities previously held by the two sects' garrison teams.

Just as they were on high alert, two figures drifted in from afar.

The leader was dressed in white, with a light veil covering his face.

But she was slender and graceful, a beautiful and charming woman.

The man following behind was also imposing, with a strong and sturdy body beneath a turquoise robe.

The two made no attempt to conceal their arrival, and soon members of the four sects discovered their whereabouts.

"Look over there."

"What a beautiful fairy..."

"You can tell someone is beautiful even with their face covered?" "True beauty lies in the bone structure, not just the skin. Such a figure and temperament must be the appearance of a fairy."

"That male cultivator is also very handsome... dashing and masculine, they are truly a perfect couple!"

While the ordinary disciples were still drooling, the higher-ups of the four sects had already recognized the other party's origins.

The sect leader of Lingyun Sect was the first to step forward, bowing his head in greeting, "I was unaware that the Holy Land's Fairy Linglong had arrived; I have failed to greet you properly!"

Even as a sect leader, it's difficult for him to maintain his composure when facing the successors of the Holy Land.

Not to mention that although he was the sect leader, he was only a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

Although this saintess is nominally still a disciple, she is also a Nascent Soul stage cultivator.

There are differences even among Nascent Soul cultivators. If the absolute core successor of a holy land were to fight against the sect leader of a worthless sect like theirs, the Lingyun Sect leader felt he would definitely bet on the other side.

Moreover, the other party is here to put out a fire. Only they can repair the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array, and the four sects all have to rely on the Holy Land.

Don't say that most of the Tianyuan Demon Rift in the entire Seventh Realm has been lost. The loss of other sects is not a reason for their loss.

Their failure to nip problems in the bud is their fault.

Moreover, if most of the territory has fallen, then there is still a small portion that has not fallen.
After this incident, who knows what kind of major reshuffle the sects responsible for guarding those Heavenly Abyss Demon Rifts will face?
The four sects of Zhengyang, Xianyi, Pingding, and Lingyun have the opportunity to guard this Tianyuan Demon Rift, but other sects may take their place at any time.

If we don't try to build up goodwill with this successor of the Holy Land now, are we going to wait until we're eliminated before trying to curry favor with him?
"It's alright." The fairy slightly raised her hand, then continued to hold it, her gaze curiously fixed on the hole in the distance that represented the Demon Rift. Her pink lips parted slightly beneath her veil, "Has one of our Holy Land elders already been here?"

The cultivators leading the four sects were all taken aback, exchanging bewildered glances. Then, the sect leader of the Lingyun Sect spoke up, saying, "Reporting to the fairy, we haven't."

Seeing the curiosity sparkling in the fairy's star-like eyes, the Lingyun Sect Master mustered his courage and asked, "May I ask why you say this, fairy?"

In fact, even without asking, he probably knew why the fairy asked that question.

Because it was too peaceful.

The rift that represented the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift was far too calm, showing no sign of being about to spiral out of control and collapse.

In fact, they had the same thought when they first arrived.

Upon receiving the urgent message from the Holy Land, they felt as if the sky had fallen, already preparing for the worst-case scenario of being entangled with demons all over the vast land under the jurisdiction of the four sects.

But when they hurriedly gathered their disciples to clean up the mess, they found that the mess wasn't messy at all.

The Zhengyang and Pingding sects, who were responsible for guarding the area, withstood the pressure and have not shown any signs of being lost until now.

Fortunately, the successor of the Holy Land arrived just in time, allowing the other party to witness the capabilities of their four sects.

The reason for bringing it up now is to hope that the other party will praise it.

If you offer praise proactively, the impression will naturally be deeper.

With their four sects performing so well, shouldn't the positions for guarding the Heavenly Abyss Demon Rift be left vacant?

Lu Linglong was even more surprised by his answer.

"Never been here before?" The fairy parted her lips slightly, a hint of strangeness in her eyes. "How could that be?"

She shifted her gaze from the old man's face and looked again at the ugly crack in the distance.

A trace of true energy flowed in her pupils as she carefully examined the spiritual energy feedback on them once more.

"How could you not have been here?"

Although her skills were not yet proficient and she had not fully mastered the entire Zhou Tian Xing Dou Grand Array, these few techniques of observing qi were still no challenge for her.

If the great formation is damaged, some clues will surely be visible on this crack outside.

She has seen more than a dozen fissures along the way and has never made a mistake.

Even those sects that have not yet completely fallen, although they are still able to maintain a front line of defense, have indeed suffered damage to their magic arrays.

At first glance, the gap appears perfectly normal, meaning the magic array within it has not been damaged in the slightest.

Could it be that the magic array was repaired by the small sects stationed here themselves?
The fairy muttered to herself, and the sect leader of Lingyun Sect was also a little confused. "Reporting to the fairy, the elder of the Holy Land... indeed has not come."

The male cultivator standing beside her stepped forward and whispered to Lu Linglong, "If you haven't been here before... then nothing has happened here. The situation is urgent, let's hurry to the next place."

The cultivation world is so vast, there might be areas that the Demon Worship Sect hasn't taken care of.

Come to think of it, even their holy lands struggle to govern the entire Seventh Realm, so how could a mere Demon Worshiping Sect, hidden in the shadows, possibly be able to cover everything?

Since there's nothing wrong here, there's no need to pay too much attention to it.

Lu Linglong thought about it and agreed. She immediately bowed and took her leave, saying, "Since everything is alright here, I must take my leave now. This incident happened suddenly, and I have responsibilities to bear, so I have no time to delay."

The saintess's attitude was calm, but the leaders of the four sects felt as if the sky had fallen when they heard it.

"The Holy Maiden cannot leave!" The most impatient elder of the Pingding Sect was the first to speak up.

The elder of Zhengyang Sect quickly explained in a gentle voice, "Holy Maiden, you may not know this, but the fact that we appear unharmed here is the result of the fierce battle fought between our sect and the Pingding Sect. With the natural rotation period approaching, they must have suffered heavy losses. The damage to the great formation inside also requires the Holy Land's assistance. If the Holy Maiden leaves... the demonic rift here will be in trouble in the future."

"Hmm?" Lu Linglong frowned slightly, her eyes filled with doubt. "Are you sure the great formation inside is damaged?"

The elder of Pingding Sect, thinking only of the squeaky wheel, hurriedly shouted, "Everywhere else is damaged, could it be that our place is special? Holy Maiden, you absolutely cannot leave, they will be out soon."

"Hmm~" Lu Linglong pondered to herself.

"That's true... the world is full of wonders, maybe the great formation here really is damaged but I just didn't notice?"

'My understanding of the Zhou Tian Star Array is not yet fully developed, and there might be some oversights. Perhaps I should stay and observe, but…'

When is the natural rotation period here?

"It is today, at this very moment..." The elder of the Immortal Sect bowed his head repeatedly, "They are about to emerge."

"Alright... then I'll take a look."

(End of this chapter)