Ringing the Bell for a Hundred Years, I Became the Sect’s Ancestor – Chapter 169

Chapter 169: The Demon Appears

Zhenwu Temple.

Within a grand hall, Daoist Donkey, a Celestial Image Level Celestial Being from Zhenwu Temple, sat cross-legged, practicing breath regulation and cultivation.

Although cultivating in the Mortal Realm was much slower than outside, there would still be some progress.

This Daoist Donkey was quite legendary. He possessed Treasure Bone Level Root Bone talent. After being discovered, he couldn’t bear to part with the little donkey his father had bought him, so he embarked on the path of martial arts cultivation with the little donkey, never separating from it.

To allow the donkey to live longer, he even helped it achieve mutation.

However, a mutated donkey could only live for about a hundred years. The donkey he was riding now was a descendant of that little donkey from back then.

Because of his deep affection for donkeys, he even took the Daoist name “Daoist Donkey.”

Suddenly, Daoist Donkey opened his eyes.

“What is it?”

He asked.

“Grandmaster, something major has happened! Several Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings from Shanhai Palace, Damo Temple, and Yangwu Circuit Lord’s Residence, after resolving the demonic calamity on Qinxin Island, returned to their respective residences and sects, and suddenly went mad, slaughtering their own disciples and descendants!”

A trembling voice came from outside.

The hall doors burst open, and Daoist Donkey’s figure appeared outside. He looked at the Sect Leader of Zhenwu Temple before him and asked in a deep voice, “Is the news reliable?”

“Grandmaster, several forces sent rescue messages simultaneously. Our people will relay more detailed information about the specific situation.”

The Sect Leader of Zhenwu Temple hurriedly said.

“I’ll go personally.”

As Daoist Donkey spoke, he vanished.

More than an hour later.

Daoist Donkey had arrived at Xuanwu Circuit, the closest to Zhenwu Circuit. The Xuanwu Circuit Lord had moved his entire family into the Mortal Realm.

Among the numerous Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings in the Chang Country, only he, Daoist Donkey, had no family, not even disciples. His few disciples had died in the war against the Demon Race outside.

The Zhenwu Temple in the Mortal Realm was merely a legacy left behind by his lineage.

When he arrived at the Xuanwu Circuit Lord’s Residence, it had nearly become a wasteland, with corpses everywhere.

Even within the city where the Xuanwu Circuit Lord’s Residence was located, many people had died.

However, he did not sense the presence of the Xuanwu Circuit Lord.

Whoosh!

He landed within the Xuanwu Circuit Lord’s Residence and carefully examined the corpses on the ground.

There were no signs of their life force being plundered.

In other words, it wasn’t caused by demonic creatures.

Daoist Donkey was puzzled. If the slaughter here was caused by the Xuanwu Circuit Lord, what had happened to him to make him so ruthless as to massacre his own family and descendants?

He sensed something unusual.

Suddenly, he looked up in one direction and saw a black-bearded elder descending from the sky, landing before him.

“Fellow Daoist Lü, what’s going on?”

The black-bearded elder asked in a deep voice.

He was Chai Wei, a Celestial Image Level Celestial Being from Jingwu Circuit, hailing from the Great Chang Imperial Clan, though not from the main branch.

“I just arrived as well.”

Daoist Donkey shook his head. “Let’s hurry to Shanhai Palace and take a look.”

“Alright.”

The black-bearded elder, Circuit Lord Chai Wei, nodded.

So the two hurriedly headed to Shanhai Palace.

When they arrived at Shanhai Palace, the situation was similar to that at the Xuanwu Circuit Lord’s Residence. Most of the disciples and members of Shanhai Palace were dead, with only a few lucky ones escaping or those who happened to be absent.

Similarly, the Celestial Image Level Celestial Being of Shanhai Palace was nowhere to be found.

According to a few surviving Shanhai Palace disciples, their ancestor had acted strangely upon returning, appearing vacant and lifeless, before going on a killing spree.

Next, the other four Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings of Great Chang received the news and rushed to meet with Daoist Donkey and Circuit Lord Chai Wei. They had already visited Damo Temple and Yangwu Circuit Lord’s Residence.

The situation was similar in all cases.

Unable to locate the whereabouts of the affected Celestial Beings, they decided to seek answers at the source, Qinxin City.

So the six Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings hurried to Qinxin Island.

When they arrived, the entire city was still shrouded in mist.

Given the previous examples of the four Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings, they dared not enter.

“It seems this demonic calamity is no small matter.”

Daoist Donkey said with a worried expression.

“Even the most powerful Demon Saint can only possess the strength of a Top-Tier Celestial Image Level Celestial Being at most. With the Heart Protecting Talisman, we should be able to withstand the Myriad Images Demonic Consciousness.”

Circuit Lord Chai Wei from the imperial clan frowned and said.

“If it were some accident that caused the Heart Protecting Talisman to fail, it would still be nearly impossible for the Myriad Images Demonic Consciousness to control a Celestial Image Level Celestial Being to commit such slaughter, let alone control four at once.”

A Celestial Image Level Celestial Being from Hongwu Circuit Lord’s Residence shook his head and said.

Everyone agreed. They knew that when a Demon Saint’s Myriad Images Demonic Consciousness descended, it would be subject to numerous constraints from the Mortal Realm’s barrier, ultimately allowing only a minimum of one Myriad Images Demonic Consciousness to descend upon a demon’s body.

It was precisely because of this that they, relying on the Heart Protecting Talisman, had the confidence to confront these Demon Saint demon bodies, preventing their mental defenses from being instantly breached by the Myriad Images Demonic Consciousness and rendering them helpless.

“This time, we can only ask that Martial Saint senior for help.”

Daoist Donkey from Zhenwu Temple sighed and said.

“This Martial Saint senior, no one knows his origin or identity. How can we find him?”

Circuit Lord Liao Nian from Hengwu Circuit said.

“We might be able to find this senior in the Returning Dragon Mountain Range.”

Daoist Donkey said.

Two years ago, he had delivered a set of resources belonging to a Dao Sect elder to that senior.

Although he had never met the senior, the senior was indeed in the Returning Dragon Mountain Range and had accepted the items.

“Fellow Daoist Lü, then please make a trip to the Returning Dragon Mountain Range and invite that senior. We’ll keep an eye on things here. If you can’t find that senior, report the news.”

Circuit Lord Chai Wei said.

“Alright, I’ll go right away.”

Daoist Donkey nodded and immediately left Qinxin Island, heading for the Returning Dragon Mountain Range.

When Daoist Donkey arrived at the Returning Dragon Mountain Range, he was surprised to find that the mist that had enveloped the mountain range had dissipated at some point.

“Could it be that senior has already broken the grand formation here?”

Daoist Donkey’s heart skipped a beat.

This meant that the Martial Saint senior was likely no longer here.

“This is troublesome.”

Daoist Donkey’s face was filled with worry.

This senior was elusive, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

He couldn’t possibly wait another ten years, could he?

That was still eight years away.

He knew that for Martial Saint level experts, one session of closed-door cultivation could last for months or even half a year.

Even if the senior learned of the demonic calamity in a few months, who knew what changes this strange calamity might bring by then?

“It seems I can only contact the outside world first.”

Daoist Donkey took a deep breath and immediately flew towards Treading Clouds Peak.

Upon reaching Treading Clouds Peak, he went to the massive bronze gate, took out a jade token, recorded a message on it, and placed it in a groove on the gate.

A faint light emerged and then gradually subsided after a while.

Next, he waited patiently.

He waited until nightfall, and the jade token on the bronze gate suddenly lit up again.

Seeing this, Daoist Donkey’s face lit up with joy. After the light on the jade token dimmed again, he quickly retrieved it and probed it with his spirit. Indeed, there was a message left inside.

After reading it, his expression turned grim.

“How is this possible? How can there be a demon in the Mortal Realm?”

He murmured, disbelief etched on his face.

Even outside, demons were extremely rare. Each appearance would cause a terrifying disaster, not only for humans but also for the Demon Race.

Demons and the Demon Race were never one and the same. Instead, demons were also natural enemies of the Demon Race. Whenever a demon appeared, humans and the Demon Race would have to join forces to resist.

There was also a saying that demons could not be truly eliminated. Even if they disappeared, it was only temporary.

Could it be that a demon that had vanished in the past had reappeared in the Mortal Realm?

But why at this juncture?

Moreover, the situation in Qinxin City clearly indicated a demonic calamity.

“Could it be that the Demon Race is behind this demon’s emergence in the Mortal Realm?”

Daoist Donkey’s heart sank.

He couldn’t understand why the Demon Race would be so reckless. Weren’t they afraid that this demon boomerang would come back to haunt them?

Formation Valley.

After years of development, Formation Valley was no longer what it used to be. It had cultivated a batch of qualified entry-level Formation Masters.

◈◈◈

As for the original batch of Formation Masters, most had aged and retired.

Now, Formation Valley had dozens of Formal Disciples, including over a dozen entry-level Formation Masters. They had basically all received guidance from Li Qian and studied the Mount Tai Formation Records.

As for the Lion Camel Ridge Formation Manual, he hadn’t brought it out. After all, it belonged to the Demon Race’s formations.

At this moment, Li Qian stood before a massive stone pillar.

The pillar was made of Void Nether Stone, a common formation material. Void Nether Stone wasn’t rare, but it was buried deep underground, making excavation quite troublesome.

It was said that wealthy and powerful families in the secular world liked to use this stone to build tombs.

The main reason was that Void Nether Stone could gather Feng Shui and bring prosperity to future generations.

Therefore, such a large Void Nether Stone pillar was quite expensive.

Moreover, transporting it was also very difficult.

With a wave of Li Qian’s hand, a sword qi rapidly moved across the Void Nether Stone pillar. After a long while, he stopped. As he waved his hand again, countless stone fragments fell from the pillar, revealing incredibly delicate and intricate hollowed-out formation patterns.

If such a large pillar were to be slowly carved using ordinary methods, it might take years to complete.

With his current cultivation realm and his micro-level control over True Qi, it was a breeze.

Creating Formation Stakes wasn’t difficult. The challenge lay in designing a complete set of formation patterns for them.

“Study this formation pillar carefully.”

Li Qian said to the several Formation Masters watching from the side.

After speaking, he vanished from Formation Valley with a flicker of his figure.

The formation pillar he had created was one of the core foundation formations from the Mount Tai Formation Records. It was primarily for teaching purposes, giving these Formation Masters a more intuitive understanding.

As for the formation he planned to set up in Divine Sword Sect, it was still in the conceptual stage and would take some time to finalize the design.

Upon returning to Time Bell Pavilion.

“Master, I heard that the Sword Tomb is opening again. Are the three junior brothers going to participate?”

Chai Shao asked as soon as he saw Li Qian return.

Due to timing, both he and Bai Yun had missed the opening of the Sword Tomb and hadn’t obtained Divine Swords.

This time, all three junior brothers had comprehended Sword Intent, but they hadn’t yet broken through to the Innate Realm due to their cultivation of the Immaculate Sword Body.

“The Sword Tomb is opening? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have forgotten.”

Li Qian’s face showed surprise.

Suddenly, his Myriad Images Sword Intent stirred, connecting with the Divine Swords within the Sword Tomb. Following that, four Divine Swords came flying through the air, hovering before Li Qian.

Chai Shao was almost startled. He looked at the flying swords, puzzled. Where had these swords come from?

“This Divine Sword is for you.”

Li Qian said.

Immediately, a Divine Sword flew towards Chai Shao.

“Ah? Master, can I match with a Divine Sword?”

Chai Shao exclaimed in surprise.

“Why don’t you try it and see?”

Li Qian chuckled.

With his current realm, it was naturally clear to him who could match with a Divine Sword.

Chai Shao took a deep breath and immediately used his Sword Intent to communicate. It didn’t take long for the Divine Sword to fall into his hand, forming a wondrous connection with him.

“You three, come here.”

Li Qian said to the three disciples beside him.

Then, three Divine Swords flew towards them. “Each of you take one.”

“Thank you, Master.”

Overjoyed, the three hurriedly used their Sword Intent to communicate with the Divine Swords, easily completing the matching process.

“Master, what about me?”

Bai Yun watched from the side with eager eyes.

“Grand Martial Uncle, what about me? I want a Divine Sword too!”

Little Snowball also ran over, clamoring.

“You can’t match with one.”

Li Qian shook his head.

Although Bai Yun’s talent was quite good, it was still somewhat lacking. There was no Divine Sword that matched her.

Matching with a Divine Sword was influenced by two factors: one was having sufficiently high Root Bone talent to forcefully match with a Divine Sword, and the other was the matcher being compatible with a particular Divine Sword.

The former only required sufficiently high Root Bone talent, while the latter depended on luck.

Bai Yun cultivated the Heartless Lineage’s cultivation method. If she were to match with Li Qian’s Sword Eighteen, her chances would be quite high.

Unfortunately, Sword Eighteen had already been taken by Li Qian.

Therefore, most Divine Sword matchers in Divine Sword Sect belonged to the latter category. Due to their cultivation methods and comprehended Sword Intent, their compatibility with certain Divine Swords increased the probability of matching with those swords.

Those who truly matched forcefully through Root Bone talent were extremely rare.

Li Qian had been able to match with a Divine Sword back then precisely because of his Root Bone talent, forcefully matching.

At that time, within the Sword Tomb, as long as he was willing, he could have matched with other Divine Swords besides Sword Eighteen.

After all, he had cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body and achieved Perfect Innate, greatly enhancing his Root Bone talent.

“Master, is it because I haven’t cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body?”

Bai Yun asked curiously.

“Yes, more or less.”

Li Qian nodded and said, “Don’t overthink it. This kind of thing can’t be forced.”

“Master, I understand.”

Bai Yun nodded.

In truth, after growing up and understanding things better, she somewhat regretted not persevering back then.

“Little Snowball, when you grow up and practice martial arts diligently, Grand Martial Uncle will also find you a Divine Sword.”

Li Qian lifted Little Snowball and said with a smile.

“Grand Martial Uncle, let’s make a pinky promise.”

Little Snowball hurriedly said.

“Alright, pinky promise.”

Li Qian smiled and made a pinky promise with Little Snowball.

At this moment, an Inner Sect Disciple rushed up from the mountain. “Greetings, Supreme Elder. The Sect Master requests your presence at Divine Sword Hall. There’s a major matter.”

Li Qian nodded, slightly surprised. What kind of major matter would require him to attend a meeting?

After becoming a Supreme Elder, he had never been to Divine Sword Hall, nor had he participated in any high-level meetings. He hadn’t even shown his face among the Inner Sect Disciples.

The place he frequented the most was Formation Valley.

So Li Qian handed Little Snowball to Chai Shao and flew out of Time Bell Pavilion, heading towards Divine Sword Hall.

When he arrived at Divine Sword Hall, over a dozen Celestial Being level Supreme Elders had already gathered, along with the Peak Masters of various peaks and elders with real authority.

These Peak Masters and elders with real authority could only stand in the hall.

Only the dozen or so Supreme Elders were seated.

Even the newly appointed Sect Master was standing.

Li Qian’s arrival immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Looking at the remaining seat, Li Qian walked over and sat down.

“Now that everyone is here, I’ll keep it brief.”

Elder Qingsong sat in the main seat, his expression grave.

He was now a Middle-Level Celestial Being and the head of all the Supreme Elders in Divine Sword Sect.

In terms of ranking, even Hou Shuwen, the most senior in terms of experience, came after him.

“Just a while ago, Zhenwu Temple sent news. Four Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings from Damo Temple, Shanhai Palace, Xuanwu Circuit Lord’s Residence, and Yangwu Circuit Lord’s Residence, after investigating the demonic calamity on Qinxin Island, suddenly went mad and massacred the disciples and descendants of their respective sects and residences. The four forces have almost suffered complete annihilation. The whereabouts of the four crazed Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings are currently unknown. It’s highly likely that this is related to the demonic calamity on Qinxin Island. Therefore, our Divine Sword Sect must be prepared to deal with any potential emergencies.”

Elder Qingsong said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, everyone present was in an uproar.

This incident was too sudden and too terrifying.

Four Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings suddenly went mad and slaughtered their own sects?

These four forces were not ordinary. Especially Damo Temple and Shanhai Palace, as two of the former Three Great Sects of Great Chang, they possessed incredibly deep foundations. Yet, they were nearly wiped out by their own Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings?

Li Qian frowned.

He had initially thought this was an ordinary demonic calamity, but now it seemed far from ordinary.

The scale of the demonic calamity over a decade ago was immense, yet only a small portion of Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings had fallen. Incidents like Celestial Image Level Celestial Beings going mad and slaughtering their own people had never occurred before.

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