Chapter 955: Blood of the Strange Demon

Thousands of sword energies transformed into a terrifying storm, instantly sweeping across the entire area of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion. Some Sea Pavilion disciples flying in the air were instantly pulverized in the storm.

The crisscrossing sword qi and the aura emanating from the heavy waters of the Mirror Sea, which resembled boiling liquid, were utterly terrifying. However, Lu Min could no longer worry about anything else. He frantically channeled his magic power, continuously increasing his escape speed, and in the nick of time, he fled beyond the confines of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion. Almost the very next moment, the grand formation of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion automatically activated, sealing the terrifying sword qi storm within.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Lu Min's escape speed didn't slow down for a moment. No matter what was happening at Jingxuan Sea Pavilion, it was no longer safe for him there. He was filled with bitter regret. If he hadn't been framed, if not for this terrible situation, if he hadn't been suddenly attacked again in the Earth Pavilion just now, he would have sensed it, and he would have been able to control the Mirror Sea Sword Wall with his own sword intent.

But thinking about these things was useless now. All Lu Min could do was flee from here with all his might. In his peripheral vision, the grand formation of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion was flickering continuously, clearly on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, several cultivators of considerable cultivation from the Sea Pavilion appeared and cast spells, struggling to maintain the formation and trying even harder to suppress the entire Mirror Sea, but they seemed to be struggling.

Outside the cliff of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion, three people remained on the small boat. They all looked up as Lu Min's sword light fled.

"What a swift sword escape! No wonder they had to eliminate Lu Min first to breach the Mirror Sea. I didn't expect him to still escape."

"Lu Min is a spent force. I'll go after him."

Lian Ping'er, sitting by the side of the boat and resting her face in her hand while watching Jingxuan Sea Pavilion, yawned.

"Go together. Don't cause any mishaps. It doesn't matter if you can't catch him. It's good if he dies, but it makes no difference if he lives. Even if some consider Lu Min a victim of this conspiracy, what does it matter? Perhaps it's even better."

"Heh, you're quite relaxed. Aren't you just trying to excuse yourself? If that true demon and the others had appeared together, not a single person from Jingxuan Sea Pavilion would have escaped. Wouldn't that have been more spectacular?"

Lian Ping'er smiled, appearing unperturbed.

"It's good as long as the objective is achieved. Something had happened previously, so some of those people might have been targeted; it was better not to involve them at all. Besides, that Northern Demon isn't as impressive as I thought. However, Lu Wu and that brute ox are astonishingly powerful. They were actually able to briefly fight against Ying Ruoli and retreat unscathed. No wonder that Northern Demon pays so much attention to them."

"Alright, stop arguing. If you keep arguing, they'll all get away."

The remaining person stopped their argument, then leaped up directly, conjuring a beam of escape light to pursue into the sky. The other person glanced at Lian Ping'er and also transformed into a beam of light, departing.

Lian Ping'er rubbed her cheek, squinting as she watched the flickering grand formation of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion. After about a dozen breaths, the entire grand formation completely shattered, and surging sword qi immediately streamed outward. However, the small boat seemed alive, moving swiftly on the sea, dodging the numerous sword qi.

Lian Ping'er glanced sideways at the sea beside the boat. Through the churning water, she could occasionally see a golden light flickering in various places on the seabed. These were golden-scaled sturgeon that had escaped from under the Mirror Sea. Their agility and speed dissuaded Lian Ping'er from trying to catch one.

Then, Lian Ping'er's gaze turned to the interior of the shattered grand formation. Aside from the chaos on the two islands, the entire Mirror Sea was in a state of boiling turmoil. It was truly a boiling state, with heat churning like a pot of boiling hot soup.

The Mirror Sea, originally beautiful like glazed glass, was soon bathed in a reddish glow.

Lian Ping'er leaned her face against the gunwale. A small white bottle appeared in her hand, and she lowered it into the sea along her arm.

"Instead of giving a portion to that useless Northern Demon, it's better to give it to A'ze. After all, he's called me 'Aunt' for so long."

As a red light flowed from the seawater into the small white bottle, a smile appeared on Lian Ping'er's face. Soon after, the red glow of the Mirror Sea gradually faded, and the entire Mirror Sea calmed down. However, while it was much better than outside, the sea between the two Crescent Mountains was already stirring with waves stirred by the wind, making the name 'Mirror Sea' somewhat unfitting.

Many of the cultivators of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion were bewildered. Many flew into the sky to survey the surroundings. Inside the Sea Pavilion was a scene of devastation. The number of casualties among the disciples was unknown, and even the Sword Wall Cliff had collapsed.

"Lu Min betrayed his master and ancestors, murdered the Pavilion Master, and further detonated the sword qi of the Sword Wall, destroying the Sea Pavilion's gate! Jingxuan Sea Pavilion and Lu Min are irreconcilable enemies!"

An enraged roar came from somewhere within the Sea Pavilion, which served to awaken some of those who were still bewildered.

Jingxuan Sea Pavilion had been devastated by a traitor of their sect. Their Pavilion Master had perished, hundreds of disciples had died or been injured, and the Mirror Sea, a renowned scenic wonder of the cultivation world, had completely vanished. The severe losses sustained by Jingxuan Sea Pavilion were unacceptable to all cultivators within the pavilion.

This news spread faster than wind. In the relatively peaceful cultivation world, this was considered the most significant event since the chaos of Tianyu Continent. Moreover, during the Tianyu Continent chaos, no major cultivation sects actually suffered devastating blows; at most, some smaller sects and cultivation families suffered heavy losses, not to mention the deaths of major sect leaders.

Leaving aside Jingxuan Sea Pavilion's own strength and foundation, it had long been renowned in the cultivation world, or rather, the cultivation realm, at least with its Mirror Sea. With the destruction of the Sea Pavilion, it was truly a bombshell. In the eyes of some, it might even be more serious than the Tianyu Continent chaos.

By the time the news reached Ji Yuan, a month had already passed. Wei Wuwei personally came to Ju'an Small Pavilion to inform Ji Yuan. He had just returned to Yunzhou when he received a flying sword message from a Wei family disciple of the Jade Embrace Treasure Pavilion, as well as someone from the Spirit Treasure Hall. He immediately came to Ju'an Small Pavilion.

At this moment, Wei Wuwei stood before Ji Yuan, recounting everything he knew. Ji Yuan did not interrupt him throughout, listening quietly until Wei Wuwei finished speaking. After a moment of contemplation, he spoke.

"Perhaps this matter is what that Northern Demon and others were planning to discuss earlier. It's clear that Lu Shan Jun and Niu Batian were excluded at the last moment. I wonder if that aroused the other party's suspicion."

"I also believe so. However, even if Mr. Lu and Mr. Niu faced minor difficulties, their adaptability would surely turn misfortune into fortune. It's just that there's one thing I, Wei, haven't been able to figure out. Jingxuan Sea Pavilion seems more like a scenic spot. Was such destruction caused by a vendetta? Or does the Sea Pavilion itself hold a great secret...?"

Wei Wuwei's words were less of a guess and more of a tentative request for Ji Yuan's opinion, asking if he could reveal some truth to him. In his heart, he was already convinced that the losses of Jingxuan Sea Pavilion were definitely greater than rumored.

Zao Niang and Bai Ruo, standing nearby, also looked at Ji Yuan. The latter sighed.

"Beneath the heavy waters of the Mirror Sea, the blood of an ancient monstrous beast is suppressed. In my view, Jingxuan Sea Pavilion is not so much a scenic spot in the cultivation world as it is, in reality, a hidden sealing ground."

Wei Wuwei's heart jolted.

"Gasp... Doesn't that mean the ancient monstrous beast could revive?"

"In the current world, it's not that simple for that monstrous beast to revive. I'm only worried that this demon blood might be exploited by certain individuals. I wonder where Lu Min is now..."

Wei Wuwei frowned slightly.

"Does Sir believe Lu Min is not the true culprit?"

Ji Yuan shook his head.

"You can know a man's face, but not his heart. Although I, Ji, have met him once, I cannot say for certain that he is innocent. However, he must know something."

Bai Ruo had been permitted to stay temporarily in Ning'an County during this period, as Ji Yuan had said her 'cultivation was weak,' and he had carefully guided her in her cultivation for a while. At this moment, she couldn't help but speak.

"Master, whether it was Lu Min or not, it would be difficult for one person alone to breach Jingxuan Sea Pavilion, and even less could they make Jingxuan Sea Pavilion speak with one voice now."

Wei Wuwei nodded in agreement from the side.

"Madam Bai is absolutely right. If Lu Min is the culprit, then it's fine. But if Lu Min isn't, then the entire Jingxuan Sea Pavilion might not be innocent."

Ji Yuan simply sat at the table, looking at a chessboard set up on it. Wei Wuwei waited for a long time on the side, seeing that he didn't speak. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke again.

"Furthermore, I, Wei, must also beg for Sir's forgiveness!"

Ji Yuan raised his head and looked at him.

"What fault is there?"

Wei Wuwei sighed softly, before recounting his previous encounter with A'ze, from Lian Ping'er impersonating Ji Yuan's Dao companion, to the Dragon Girl's pursuit and retrieval of A'ze, and the events that followed.

In the hearts of the two women, Bai Ruo and Zao Niang, Lian Ping'er's impersonation of Ji Yuan's Dao companion and A'ze's safety were matters of equal importance. However, Ji Yuan was not concerned with the former; his focus was almost entirely on A'ze.

"A'ze left?"

Ji Yuan was very surprised. He knew that A'ze absolutely wanted to see him, having gone to great lengths to leave Nine Peaks Mountain and having finally encountered Ying Ruoli and Wei Wuwei. Why would he choose to leave?

"I, Wei, was also very surprised. However, after the incident at Jingxuan Sea Pavilion occurred, his emotions seemed to become somewhat unstable. He then suddenly informed me that he had decided to return to Nine Peaks Mountain."

At this point, Zao Niang also couldn't help but speak up.

"He doesn't think Nine Peaks Mountain will also be breached, leading to something happening to his beloved, does he? How can Jingxuan Sea Pavilion compare to Nine Peaks Mountain!"

"I also said as much. But his resolve to leave was firm, and I, Wei, did not force him to stay, fearing it would further agitate his emotions. I merely specially altered the itinerary of a Jade Embrace Treasure Boat to include Ruan Mountain Ferry at Nine Peaks Mountain. I'm afraid Nine Peaks Mountain might not treat him kindly."

Ji Yuan frowned. Wei Wuwei's wording was extremely cautious, but his mention that using force might agitate A'ze's emotions indicated that such a possibility genuinely existed at the time.

"You are not to blame for this. I will find a way to send a message to the Nine Peaks Mountain sect leader, asking him to show leniency."