"Everyone... is dead?"
A silence fell, and then the words began to be repeated incessantly.
So many powerful sect leaders, so many formidable elders, and Yu Lumin, who inherited the mantle of the Old Heavenly Master... Over a thousand people, representing the pinnacle of strength from renowned sects, had all perished in Daqing Mountain?!
Fear began to spread, engulfing the entire camp and consuming everyone's confidence.
"Impossible... this is impossible!"
Zhao Chengxiang stumbled back a few steps, almost losing his balance. If Yuan Jianxin hadn't steadied him, he would have collapsed onto the ground.
Han San gritted his teeth and asked, "Venerable Ben Heng, did my master engage with the State Preceptor? How many moves did they exchange?"
Yuan Jianxin couldn't help but inquire, "How did the disciples of the Laoshan Sect die? Did you witness it yourself?"
Overwhelmed by concern, everyone surged forward, bombarding Venerable Ben Heng with a barrage of questions.
But Venerable Ben Heng had no strength to answer one by one. The commotion caused him to cough up another mouthful of blood, his face paling further.
"Be quiet! Venerable Ben Heng's soul is unstable. If you keep making noise, he might die too!" Old Jin reprimanded sternly.
His voice was drowned out by the cacophony. Although those in the inner circle had fallen silent, the disciples on the periphery continued their clamor.
Yan Shouyi's expression darkened. He first cast a Golden Light Incantation to protect Venerable Ben Heng's senses, then turned and roared with a Buddhist Lion's Roar, "Silence!"
His roar left everyone dizzy and stunned, and an immediate quiet descended.
Old Jin seized the opportunity to help Venerable Ben Heng circulate his qi, stabilizing his soul.
Venerable Ben Heng's complexion improved slightly, but the memories of what he had experienced in Daqing Mountain left an lingering shadow on his heart.
"Venerable Ben Heng, take your time. Speak when you are ready," Yan Shouyi comforted him gently.
Yan Shouyi felt a pang of sorrow seeing the once-mighty sweeping monk reduced to such a state.
Ben Heng's eyes were vacant, as if he had lost all conviction.
He coughed a few times, his voice hoarse, and began to speak:
"Daqing Mountain has complex terrain, and the State Preceptor had likely set up numerous formations within the mountain. As we advanced, we cleared many traps along the way, but people still gradually got separated from the group. By the time we reached the depths of Daqing Mountain, the force of over a thousand people had dwindled to less than five hundred."
"The Heavenly Master sensed a strong malevolent aura emanating from the depths of Daqing Mountain, leading him to conclude that the State Preceptor was hiding there. Therefore, we no longer concerned ourselves with our lost companions and decided to investigate. However, in a valley, we were attacked by fellow Taoists who had gone missing earlier!"
"Those individuals were strange; they no longer seemed to recognize us, their combat methods were completely different, and they were fearless like zombies, feeling no pain even when their limbs were severed. We were caught off guard, and our hesitation to harm our fellow Taoists resulted in further casualties."
"After barely winning this skirmish, someone ahead discovered the first group of Taoists who had gone missing in Daqing Mountain. The Heavenly Master ordered Sect Leader Mao to take men to investigate. Unexpectedly, those Taoists who should have been awaiting our rescue attacked Sect Leader Mao and his men!"
"Sect Leader Mao was enraged and fought back fiercely with his disciples. Initially, the enemy was no match for us, but suddenly, a blood mist floated down from the mountain. After being enveloped by the blood mist, the enemy's combat power greatly increased, while our men, upon contact with the mist, suffered difficulty breathing and skin ulceration, leading to a complete rout. In a final act of defiance, Sect Leader Mao summoned heavenly lightning to cleanse the area, perishing along with all the enemies!"
Upon hearing this, Han San gritted his teeth, his fists clenched.
He knew the cost of the technique his master had employed and understood that his master was undoubtedly doomed.
Despite his heart being filled with sorrow, Han San felt a sliver of relief—his master, until his very last breath, had not surrendered.
A disciple of Maoshan, even when cornered, would drag a few enemies down with them!
"Sect Leader Mao's sacrifice bought us time. Everyone frantically retreated, trying to escape the blood mist. To our dismay, more shadowy pursuers emerged from the mist, intercepting and blocking our escape. In his anger, Sect Leader Mo of the Laoshan Sect positioned himself at the rear with his men, setting up a formation to shield us from the blood mist and the shadowy pursuers. Ultimately, his entire contingent was annihilated."
Yuan Jianxin lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the peach wood sword in his hand, his heart heavy with a complex mix of emotions.
How he wished he could have been in Daqing Mountain, fighting alongside his master and the others.
But now he realized that his master had been right, and so were Yan Shouyi and Yu Lumin. If everyone had perished in Daqing Mountain, what would become of the remaining members of the Laoshan Sect?
How would the rest of this battle be fought?
"The remaining members of our group finally realized that the first survivors who entered Daqing Mountain had most likely surrendered to the State Preceptor. Daqing Mountain was a trap, luring us in, so there was no point in pressing further. Preserving our strength by leaving Daqing Mountain as soon as possible was the correct choice."
"So, everyone began to retreat, only for a white mist to descend upon the mountain. Everyone became disoriented, unable to find a way out. Fortunately, the Yan family of Kunlun Mountain, skilled in feng shui, discovered that these were all feng shui traps set by the State Preceptor. After his ingenious unraveling, he managed to lead everyone out of the white mist... However, although we escaped the white mist, we did not escape Daqing Mountain."
"As we emerged from the white mist, we beheld a colossal ancient tree, as tall as a hundred-meter skyscraper. Its canopy blotted out the sky, and a human face grew on its trunk. The State Preceptor was positioned at the center of that face's forehead!"
Everyone's breathing grew noticeably more rapid.
After enduring immense hardship and depleting the strength of the Maoshan and Laoshan sects, had the team only just managed to see the State Preceptor's true form?
One could only imagine how brutal the subsequent battle would be.
"The divine tree..."
Yan Shouyi murmured softly. He had already learned of the divine tree's existence from Lian He and had shared everything he knew with Yu Lumin.
Now that Yu Lumin and his group had indeed encountered the divine tree in Daqing Mountain, and discovered that the State Preceptor was within it, it most likely meant that the State Preceptor could recover his strength by relying on the divine tree.
"What happened next...?" Yan Shouyi asked in a low voice.
Venerable Ben Heng's eyes were hollow, as if recalling something terrifying.
He gritted his teeth and said:
"That great tree lowered countless aerial roots, coiling around the corpses of our previously fallen comrades, among whom were even Sect Leader Mao and Sect Leader Mo! I observed them closely; they seemed not yet dead, but were on the verge of expiring."
"In front of the great tree lay a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, filled with the bodies of our deceased Taoist brethren. The wooden puppet avatar personally crafted by the State Preceptor also stood menacingly nearby! At the State Preceptor's command, the corpses of our fallen comrades transformed into marionettes, charging at us in waves!"
"Our numbers were already at a disadvantage, and the relentless pursuit and interception along the way had left everyone exhausted. Facing such a furious assault, we could only initially resist. Later, as our numbers dwindled, we were pushed back step by step!"