"What?!"
The leaders of the five major cultivation sects in Zhao Nation were all shocked when they received the devastating news in the same day.
—The entire Haoran Academy had been massacred! The two Nascent Soul elders and nine Core Formation elders of Zhengmiao Sect were also completely annihilated!
This was the most shocking event in the history of Zhao Nation's cultivation world in a thousand years!
Even the long, bloody righteous-demonic war that had raged for decades did not instill such terror.
"What is going on here?!"
The sect leaders were all gripped with anxiety, demanding explanations from their messengers.
When they learned that the culprit was none other than Zhuang Zhentian, the demon leader who had fled after the decisive battle between the righteous and demonic factions, they were all stunned.
"How is this possible?"
"How could he have such terrifying power?"
"If he was this strong, why did he flee when the battle turned unfavorable?"
"Judging by his destruction of Haoran Academy and the slaughter of the higher-ups of Zhengmiao Sect, if he had fought back during that battle, he could have completely turned the tide!"
The leaders and elders of the various sects discussed in confusion, unable to make sense of the situation.
The messengers stammered, not knowing any further details.
"We can't just sit idly by!"
"He is coming with fierce momentum, and we cannot fight him alone."
"With disaster looming over us, the remaining five sects must not fight separately!"
"We must unite!"
The high-ranking members of the five major sects quickly reached a consensus and immediately formed the Anti-Demon Alliance. They agreed that if Zhuang Zhentian appeared again, none of them should face him alone. Instead, they would delay him and send messages to the other sects. The other sects, in turn, would mobilize their full forces to provide swift support, seeking to combine their power to surround and eliminate Zhuang Zhentian, the ruthless demon leader.
...
Xuantian Sect!
This was a vast mountain range, and among it, five prominent peaks stood out.
These were the five main peaks of Xuantian Sect: the Qi Peak, Sword Peak, Pill Peak, Talisman Peak, and Artifact Peak.
After many months, returning to this place filled Ye Fan with deep emotions.
"My previous sword master was Lin Li. This is his sect."
Ye Fan murmured to himself, "Back then, Lin Li chose not to be consumed by the lust for killing. He willingly put down the demon sword, turned back from the abyss, and found the best ending for himself. Now, my new sword master is here to annihilate his former sect..."
Decades ago, when Earth was destroyed, Ye Fan had traversed to this world. He started as nothing more than an ordinary sword, left to gather dust in Xuantian Sect's storage room.
Now, he had become a Mid-Grade Spirit Treasure, wielded by a sword master intent on exterminating this very sect!
It was no wonder that Ye Fan felt a twinge of melancholy.
However...
"As a demon sword, I will always be tied to bloodshed and slaughter. Alas!"
Within the sword, Ye Fan's soul sighed in resignation.
...
In midair, Zhuang Zhentian, holding the Soul-Reaping Sword, gazed at the distant five peaks of Xuantian Sect, his heart filled with murderous intent.
"Now, I've reached the Out-of-Body stage."
Zhuang Zhentian muttered to himself, "Even the ancient demon master only reached the mid Out-of-Body stage. After being sealed for ten thousand years, he was so weak that his single strike still severely injured over ten Nascent Soul elders. But now, I am in my prime, and wiping out an entire sect will be a piece of cake!"
He channeled his spiritual energy into the sword and slashed out a sword arc.
The arc flew towards Xuantian's main peak!
Boom!!!
The main peak of Xuantian Sect was cleaved in half!
As the peak began to tilt and collapse, inside the Xuantian Hall atop the peak...
The sect master of Xuantian Sect, who had already been informed of Zhuang Zhentian's actions, had gathered the entire sect's higher-ups and evacuated the lower-level disciples. Even the two Nascent Soul elders of Qi Peak and Sword Peak, who were in seclusion, were summoned to face the enemy.
Now, as the main peak was being severed and collapsing, the elders inside Xuantian Hall felt the ground shaking violently.
"That demon Zhuang Zhentian... has arrived!"
The Xuantian Sect Master swallowed hard and spoke solemnly.
The two Nascent Soul elders of Qi Peak and Sword Peak spoke in unison, "Disciples, follow us!"
With that, they walked out of Xuantian Hall amid the tremors and soared into the sky!
...
Two beams of light, accompanied by fourteen others, rose from the collapsing main peak of Xuantian Sect.
As the leader of the three great sects, Xuantian Sect was the strongest among the seven sects.
The two Nascent Soul elders were both at the late Nascent Soul stage, and each of the five branches had at least two or three Core Formation elders, for a total of fourteen Core Formation elders.
This was why, during the previous righteous-demonic war, even after being divided by demonic schemes, the three great sects led by Xuantian Sect could still hold their own against the other four sects.
Now, under the command of the two Nascent Soul elders of Qi Peak and Sword Peak, the fourteen Core Formation elders formed the Xuantian Infinite Array, ready for battle. When the main peak was first attacked, they immediately crushed jade talismans to alert the other sects.
The five sects had long set up teleportation formations nearby, allowing for quick reinforcements. It wouldn't be long before aid arrived from the other sects!
...
"Zhuang Zhentian! After fleeing with your tail between your legs, you dare return to Zhao Nation?"
The elder of Qi Peak roared angrily.
"Heh..."
Zhuang Zhentian, confident in his invincibility, sneered and remained silent.
"You, who plunged Zhao Nation into chaos for decades and mercilessly slaughtered countless fellow cultivators, how dare you show your face here?"
The Sword Peak elder, even more battle-hardened, added sharply, "Don't say I didn't warn you. If you don't flee now... your death anniversary will be tomorrow!"
"Hahaha!"
Zhuang Zhentian laughed maniacally at the Sword Peak elder's taunts.
Xuantian Sect was stalling, waiting for reinforcements from the other sects, so they didn't rush to attack.
After Zhuang Zhentian had laughed for a long while, the Qi Peak elder finally asked, "Zhuang Zhentian! What's so funny?"
"I laugh because you're all about to die, yet you still talk so big!"
Zhuang Zhentian chuckled, then burst into laughter again.
"Hmph! Arrogant!"
The Sword Peak elder snorted disdainfully, "You're no different from us. You're just at the late Nascent Soul stage."
"If that weren't the case, why did you flee during the righteous-demonic battle when things turned against you?"
"No matter what fortuitous encounter you've had, it's impossible for your cultivation to have improved much in such a short time."
"Even if you've reached the great perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, it won't save you today!"