Chapter 798: Unable to Sit Still

“Stop them!”

The Elder of Taiyun Sect channeled all his magical power. In that instant, he formed hand seals, conjuring a burst of light to block the Earth Dragon that was lunging forward like a devourer.

“All disciples, form the Grand Taiyun Formation! The auspicious star is in the north, move!”

No sooner had he shouted this than the first Earth Dragon approaching from below suddenly spat out a radiant Dragon Pearl. Moving with extreme speed, the pearl instantly closed in on the Taiyun Sect Elder. The Elder realized the danger too late; he only managed to conjure a thin veil before the Dragon Pearl's light intensified, becoming blinding.

A thunderous roar...

The Earth Dragon's Pearl detonated directly, unleashing an infinite burst of light and terrifying impact. Dragon flames, laden with immense primal energy, swept across the sky with destructive force. The Taiyun Sect Elder, who bore the brunt of the blast, was engulfed by the light, and the grand formation that the numerous Taiyun Sect True Immortals and disciples above were just about to form was also shattered by this shockwave.

Even though the Dragon Pearl exploded high in the sky, the mountainous region below still shook violently, as if hit by a super typhoon exceeding level twelve. Within a considerable radius, fierce winds and waves of indistinct energy made it impossible to keep one's eyes open.

The hordes of demons and devils that had just ascended from below merely swayed in the fierce wind, but the Taiyun Sect cultivators above, who directly faced the force of the Dragon Pearl's self-detonation, suffered terribly.

The Taiyun Sect Elder's arms trembled incessantly, his palms still pushing downwards. The thin veil in his hand was already scorched and charred, and the skin from his entire hand to his forearm was covered in burn marks.

The demonic and monstrous qi rising from below already blotted out the sky. The strangely altered Earth Dragon was now lunging forward with a dragon's roar. Having directly withstood the self-detonation of such an old Earth Dragon's pearl, even the Taiyun Sect Elder, despite his profound cultivation, was at the end of his tether.

“You wretched fiends, do not underestimate me!”

With an angry roar, the Taiyun Sect Elder exerted all his might to cast a spell, transforming the already scorched veil-like magical artifact in his hand into a vast net spanning the sky. He drained his internal magical power and vital essence, causing the net to deepen in color until it became blood-red.

“Taiyun Sect disciples, flee quickly!”

His divine will transmitted the message to the sky. At this moment, many Taiyun Sect disciples were still disoriented from the Dragon Pearl's self-detonation. Had it not been for their fellow disciples assisting them, some might even have fallen to the ground. After a brief silence upon hearing the Elder's words, about a dozen of the more than one hundred streams of immortal light flew downwards, while the rest regrouped and fled northward.

Below, demonic and monstrous auras surged, and sharp laughter echoed into the sky.

“Hahahaha, you immortals, you pride yourselves on being the righteous path of heaven and earth, but in reality, you're quite easy to figure out. Oh, Taiyun Immortal Sect, what a grand name, hahahaha...”

“Immortal flesh, immortal flesh, hahahaha...”

Many demons and devils revealed their true forms, and waves of demonic light dispersed in all directions. Over a dozen monstrous creatures, their demonic qi churning, were still fighting the Taiyun Sect Elder. However, at this moment, the old cultivator had no other concerns. All he could do was try his best to divert the demons' attention. But with so many demons, he no longer expected to escape unscathed; even with a life-preserving artifact, he would still need to get away. He could only hope for boundless blessings upon his disciples.

Unfortunately, the demons and devils had come prepared; how could they so easily allow the Taiyun Sect cultivators to escape unscathed?

Many great fiends rode clouds in pursuit, while countless demons and devils encircled and intercepted them. The cultivators, already not in their normal state, were utterly unable to resist. All the Taiyun Sect cultivators seemed to be completely engulfed by demonic and monstrous qi.

Some time later, a shocking piece of news reached the righteous factions of Tianyu Continent: the Taiyun Sect immortals were ambushed by demons and devils, and over a hundred Taiyun cultivators, including the leading elder, almost entirely perished.

This was the most alarming news since the demonic unrest began in Tianyu Continent. Never before had so many cultivators perished, especially fellow sect members led by a master and capable of forming a joint formation.

The outside world did not even know how the Taiyun Sect cultivators perished; only that the sect's soul lamps extinguished in vast numbers, and secret arts detected their demise. This made people even more acutely aware of the demons' cunning and deviousness.

It was not until a few days later that two severely wounded Taiyun Sect True Immortals managed to escape and, clinging to life, made their way back to a mountain where Taiyun Sect cultivators were temporarily resting.

After the two cultivators briefly explained how they had been caught unawares by the demons, they both fell unconscious.

Tens of thousands of mortals were ultimately abducted to the "Beastmen's Realm," and a large number of cultivators, instead of successfully hunting down the demons, were ambushed and slaughtered.

This was an outcome that the Taiyun Sect cultivators found difficult to accept, and likewise, it was difficult for the immortal sects of Tianyu Continent to accept.

However, what was done was done. It was a fact that the righteous factions of Tianyu Continent had lost face, but they could even less tolerate the abduction of tens of thousands of mortals to the "Beastmen's Realm." All sects, factions, grottoes, and mountains began patrolling inside and outside their respective jurisdictions, and two masters from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets even personally visited the city to perform divination on site.

And it was at this time that the two long-bearded elders of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets surprisingly calculated that, little by little, over this period, at least nearly a million mortals across Tianyu Continent had been abducted by demons and devils, and were still alive.

At this, rage swelled throughout the entire righteous path—among Immortals, Buddhists, and even the Divine. While nearly a million mortals might not constitute a significant proportion compared to the entire human population of Tianyu Continent, it was still an appalling number and a deeply humiliating one. Moreover, they weren't merely harmed by demons but abducted, the implications of which were self-evident.

Immediately, cultivators from all sects, factions, and sacred lands of the righteous path in Tianyu Continent almost poured out en masse. Even many masters who were originally in seclusion felt a premonition and emerged directly.

Using every means to find the abducted mortals, they directly eliminated any demons, devils, or evil spirits they encountered. Battles between good and evil were playing out almost constantly across Tianyu Continent.

Even several True Immortal realm masters largely ceased to hold back. Figures like the Sect Master of Qianyuan Sect would immediately take action whenever an opportunity arose. If not for the fear of once again disrupting the cosmic order and causing anomalies in heaven and earth, the frequency of True Immortal masters' interventions might have been several times higher.

At the same time, in various parts of the human world, martial artists and armies also gathered in formations. With the cooperation or leadership of some immortals or mages, they swept through desolate mountains and wilderness with a murderous aura, and even destroyed cults among mortals that worshipped demons. They eradicated evil qi, eliminated evil spirits, and purged demons.

Normally, some shrewd individuals might consider this a clumsy approach. However, sometimes, simple and direct methods can yield unexpected results. If nothing else, they were exceptionally effective in clearing out the fiends from the human world. In particular, humanity itself consistently demonstrated somewhat surprising strength, a point that the long-bearded elder of the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets noticed, and many immortal and Buddhist sects also observed.

It could be said that for some time, the confrontation between righteousness and evil in Tianyu Continent appeared to be in a white-hot state, but in reality, the righteous path was gradually forcing the demonic and evil factions to retreat.

The news Ji Yuan received would arrive about half a month slower than events unfolding in Tianyu Continent. At this moment, he sat before the door of a monk's cell in the courtyard of Mud-Dust Temple, sensing the divine will carried by a transmitted flying sword.

The improving situation of the righteous path in Tianyu Continent was certainly cause for joy, but Ji Yuan was more concerned with something else. He took out a piece of bog-wood tablet from his sleeve, looking thoughtfully at the engravings on it.

“The Beastmen's Realm...”

He recalled that when he first received this bog-wood tablet from the City God of Chunhui Prefecture, he was utterly shocked by the matter of the Beastmen's Realm. The current events in Tianyu Continent further stirred this memory.

Ji Yuan gazed at the bog-wood tablet in his hand, gradually clenching it after a long moment. He then made a firm decision regarding two matters in his heart.

First, even if he couldn't eliminate all so-called Beastmen's Realms, at the very least, those abducted from Tianyu Continent this time must be brought back, even if they were already in the Black Barrens.

Second, regardless of how the chess player on the other side had probed this time, their piece, named “Shuyi,” must not be allowed to be retrieved. If it couldn't be bound, it had to be destroyed.

With this in mind, Ji Yuan immediately laid out his writing tools and began to write. He had largely stabilized Li Feng's physical condition during this period. With the Earth God's protection, constant attention from the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets, and leaving behind the little paper crane and Golden Armor, Li Feng should be safe from any unforeseen circumstances.

Ji Yuan prepared to leave a letter for Li Feng, detailing the books he needed to study, the assignments he needed to complete, and so on, for the coming period. He planned to bid him farewell in person, hand him the letter, and then depart for Tianyu Continent.

Ji Yuan knew he wasn't the type to merely stay behind the scenes and remain idle. While a “chess player” should ideally operate from the shadows, speaking empathetically, Ji Yuan doing the opposite wouldn't be an issue.