Chapter 635: Entering the Mountain

Chapter 635: Entering the Mountain

Chu Ning had visited many places in the Western Alliance Continent, but this was his first time at the renowned Demon Mountain.

This place was once the most treasured location in the Western Alliance Continent twenty thousand years ago, known as the Dark Orchid Mountain.

Numerous sects had attempted to gain control but failed.

Eventually, the major alliances divided it, and many trial grounds and treasure sites for cultivating various spiritual herbs were established here.

Twenty thousand years ago, after the Beyond World Demon invaded, this place became a battleground between cultivators of this realm and the Beyond World Demon.

Later, it was sealed by several top experts of the Western Alliance Continent, and its name changed to Demon Mountain.

The most treasured location in the Western Alliance Continent became the most dangerous place.

Ordinary cultivators usually avoided this area.

When Chu Ning and his group arrived, there were already many cultivators gathered a hundred li away from the Demon Mountain.

Chu Ning took a glance, and it seemed that cultivators from the True Martial Alliance, Spirit Cavern Alliance, and Demon Dao Alliance were all present.

The Cloudsoaring Alliance was probably the latest to arrive due to internal disagreements.

Everyone's gaze fell upon the four Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, including Chu Ning, who were flying in the forefront.

The next moment, their attention focused on Chu Ning.

Late-stage Nascent Soul!

All the Nascent Soul cultivators outside the Demon Mountain clearly sensed the aura on Chu Ning.

At that moment, whether they knew Chu Ning or not, their faces showed surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, you've advanced to the Late-stage Nascent Soul!

Congratulations!"

Just then, a loud shout came from the direction of the Spirit Cavern Alliance.

It was Situ Yuanlian, the leader of the Spirit Cavern Alliance.

As he spoke, he approached directly.

Behind him were Yuan Hua and others from the Eternal Brightness Sect.

Chu Ning had once accompanied Qin Changkong and others to support the Spirit Cavern Alliance, and they had fought side by side.

Especially Chu Ning, who had contributed significantly in fighting against several Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators and dispelling the True Demon Qi.

Therefore, the Spirit Cavern Alliance was extremely enthusiastic at this moment.

Chu Ning slightly cupped his hands towards Situ Yuanlian and the others.

"Fellow Daoists, I hope you are all well!"

"We are well! We are well!" Situ Yuanlian laughed.

He glanced at Chu Ning, then exclaimed in admiration.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, when I saw you in the Eternal Brightness Sect, you had just advanced to the Intermediate Nascent Soul stage, right?

To advance to the Late-stage Nascent Soul so quickly, your talent is truly enviable!"

Situ Yuanlian did not use sound transmission, and everyone around heard his words clearly.

The crowd also recalled that shortly after Chu Ning advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, he earned the title of the first among Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

When he later advanced to the Intermediate Nascent Soul stage, it shocked all the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Western Alliance Continent.

However, after advancing to the Intermediate Nascent Soul stage, Chu Ning rarely appeared in front of others.

No one had seen the extent of his abilities.

They never expected that after disappearing from the public eye for decades, Chu Ning would reappear as a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

For a moment, everyone's eyes showed surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Situ, you're too kind!"

Chu Ning smiled faintly.

At that moment, several people from the True Martial Alliance also flew over.

Leading them were three Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, with a black-haired elder in the middle.

On his left was a middle-aged burly man, and on his right was a beautiful woman in palace attire.

Behind the three was Huang Zongkun, whom Chu Ning had met once before.

As they were familiar with each other, Huang Zongkun took on the role of introducing them.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, congratulations!

These are our True Martial Alliance's Huo Junrui, Yan Xinghuai, and Peng Yuzhu."

Chu Ning slightly cupped his hands towards the three of them and said,

"Fellow Daoist Huo, Fellow Daoist Yan, and Fellow Daoist Peng, it's an honor to meet you all."

Huo Junrui, the black-haired elder, looked at Chu Ning with deep eyes, a smile on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, I've long heard of your remarkable abilities from Huang Zongkun, and I've wanted to get to know you, but never had the chance. Today, I finally get to meet you.

It's an honor!

Your natural talent is truly astonishing, and at such a young age, you've already reached the Late-stage Nascent Soul stage. It's truly admirable."

"Fellow Daoist Huo, you flatter me. Your reputation is truly as renowned as thunder."

Chu Ning was polite once again.

Huo Junrui was the leader of the Heavenly Heart Sect in the True Martial Alliance and indeed had a great reputation in the Western Alliance Continent.

Even during the peak of the Heaven's Apex Alliance, many considered Huo Junrui as the top expert in the Western Alliance Continent.

However, due to his low-key demeanor, the True Martial Alliance did not receive as much attention as the Heaven's Apex Alliance.

"The saying about being renowned as thunder is just a joke, Fellow Daoist Chu. Don't take it seriously."

Huo Junrui smiled and waved his hand.

Then, he turned to look at Qin Changkong.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, with the arrival of your Cloudsoaring Alliance, we now have representatives from all ten major alliances of the Western Alliance Continent.

Since we're all here, let's get down to business. Everyone, please proceed to the Teleportation Array below."

As Huo Junrui spoke, everyone descended into the Teleportation Array.

There were no special arrangements made for the array, and everyone stood according to their respective alliances.

Huo Junrui spoke again, "Fellow Daoists, I believe the Beyond World Demons within the Demon Mountain have already learned of our gathering here.

However, to prevent them from directly knowing our plans, it's best to discuss matters within this array."

After a brief introduction, Huo Junrui got straight to the point, "About half a year ago, our alliance discovered that many Golden Core Cultivators within our ranks had gone missing without any apparent reason.

After some investigation, we found that these cultivators had all previously appeared within a thousand li radius of the Demon Mountain.

A month ago, when we confirmed this matter, just as I, Huo, was preparing to bring other fellow Daoists to investigate near the Demon Mountain, two Nascent Soul Cultivators arranged by our sect to investigate nearby encountered an accident.

One of them was completely annihilated, both body and soul, while the other managed to escape with their Nascent Soul, but their primordial energy was severely damaged, leaving them on the brink of death.

According to this fellow Daoist, they encountered a Beyond World Demon in this area with strength comparable to a late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.

It was only because two female Nascent Soul Cultivators appeared that the Beyond World Demon changed its target, allowing him to escape."

Qin Changkong's voice grew solemn as he continued, "If we consider the information provided by your sect's cultivator, these two are most likely our alliance's Cen Zijin and Shi Xuerong."

Huo Junrui seemed to have just heard this news, and a hint of regret flashed across his face as he turned to look at Qin Changkong.

"The cultivator from our alliance also sensed through his Divine Perception during his escape that the three of them were engaged in a fierce battle and pursuit, heading towards the Demon Mountain.

As soon as I received the news, I rushed here with other fellow Daoists, but unfortunately, we couldn't find any trace of the two of you."

Chu Ning's heart sank upon hearing these words.

From Huo Junrui's words, the situation seemed even worse than he had imagined.

He raised his gaze towards the direction of the Demon Mountain, and a chill gradually appeared in his eyes.

"If something truly happened to Zijin, all the Beyond World Demons within will pay the price!"

Apart from the cultivators from the Cloudsoaring Alliance, the others didn't pay much attention to the fate of Cen Zijin and Shi Xuerong.

Everyone was focused on the information Huo Junrui was about to share about entering the Demon Mountain.

Huo Junrui continued, "Over ten thousand years ago, the Beyond World Demons invaded, and many seniors joined forces to fight them off, subsequently sealing the entire Dark Orchid Mountain Range.

Ten thousand years ago, the Beyond World Demons invaded again, still choosing the Demon Mountain as their battlefield.

At that time, our True Martial Alliance and the Twin Clouds Alliance were the main forces resisting the invasion. Chu Daoist's Jiuhua Sect led the Twin Clouds Alliance, and in that battle, they suffered tremendous sacrifices, with not a single senior surviving the Demon Mountain.

It seems that there are no more records about the Demon Mountain.

Our Heavenly Heart Sect was fortunate to have a few seniors escape, and they left behind some information.

Fellow Daoists, please take a look..."

As Huo Junrui spoke, he casually took out a scroll from his storage bag.

With a wave, the scroll slowly unfurled, revealing a large map to everyone.

"This is the terrain map of the Demon Mountain from ten thousand years ago. Even our sect's seniors couldn't enter the most core area, so it's marked in gray.

However, most of the outer regions are already marked on this map."

As Huo Junrui spoke, Chu Ning and the others' gazes also turned to the map.

Being Nascent Soul Cultivators, they scanned the map with their Divine Perception and quickly grasped the layout of the Demon Mountain.

Huo Junrui continued, "The outer region of the Demon Mountain can be roughly divided into three major domains: outer, middle, and inner.

The deeper you go, the closer you are to the core, and the denser the demonic energy becomes, with stronger sealing enchantments.

The further you are from the core, the weaker the demonic energy and sealing enchantments.

It's worth mentioning that, apart from the most core area, even within the inner domain, many sealing enchantments have been damaged due to the battles ten thousand years ago."

Huo Junrui's expression turned serious as he spoke.

"I suspect that these sealing enchantments have suffered even more damage over the past ten thousand years, leading to the frequent appearances of Beyond World Demons in recent years.

This time, the Beyond World Demons are rampant, and I've invited all of you here to investigate the outer, middle, and inner domains to get to the bottom of this.

If there are any awakened Beyond World Demons, we'll strike them down to prevent future troubles."

Huo Junrui had finished explaining the purpose of gathering everyone here, and his words paused momentarily.

At that moment, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

"Mr. Huo, are you suggesting that we should recklessly venture into the Demon Mountain, a place of great danger, based solely on this map in your hand, which is also a map from ten thousand years ago?"

Chu Ning looked at the speaker, a short man with grayish-black ghostly mist swirling around his face.

He immediately recognized the man as Yin Chuan Guizu, a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Demon Dao Alliance.

Standing next to him was a tall and sturdy old man, who was most likely Wen Xiao, another Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Demon Dao Alliance.

Upon hearing this, Huo Junrui's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he replied, "Yin Chuan, it's been ten thousand years, and I can't guarantee that the situation inside the Demon Mountain hasn't changed.

What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Yin Chuan Guizu gave a cold laugh, but it seemed even more painful than crying. "I don't have any grand insights to share. In fact, everyone here has already made their intentions clear by coming to this place. We're all willing to enter, and we all know our reasons for doing so.

Since we're going in, there are some things that need to be clarified.

Therefore, I'd like to ask if, aside from leaving this map, your sect should also have a method to enter and exit the Demon Mountain's restrictions.

Shouldn't you share that with us as well? Otherwise, if something unexpected happens while you lead us in, how can we ensure a timely evacuation?"

Many cultivators silently nodded in agreement with Yin Chuan Guizu's words.

Huo Junrui immediately shook his head and said, "Fellow cultivators, it's not that I'm unwilling to share this method with you.

However, since we're taking a risk by going there, there's also a possibility of unexpected events.

If the seal-breaking technique is widely known, and if even one cultivator encounters an accident, this method might fall into the hands of the extradimensional demon race.

At that time, it may not just be one extradimensional demon entering and exiting the Demon Mountain, but an entire group.

None of us can afford to bear such consequences."

As Huo Junrui spoke, he glanced around at the others.

"It's not that I don't trust you all, but the fact that extradimensional demons have possessed human cultivators has occurred multiple times.

No one can be certain that there isn't an extradimensional demon among us here."

"Huo Junrui, according to what you said, we can also suspect that you might have ulterior motives.

What if you're colluding with the extradimensional demons and tricking us into going in? Wouldn't that mean that almost all the Nascent Soul Cultivators from our Western Alliance Continent would be caught in one fell swoop?" Yin Chuan Guizu coldly laughed again.

Huo Junrui glanced at him and said, "Old Ghost Yin Chuan, if you don't trust me, you don't have to go in.

Why are you speaking ill of us here? Everyone knows that our True Martial Alliance was the one to resist the extradimensional demons ten thousand years ago.

It's your Demon Dao Alliance that has people willing to side with the extradimensional demons for the sake of the true demon qi. If you don't want to go, I'll have one less thing to worry about."

Yin Chuan Guizu gave a cold snort in response to Huo Junrui's retort.

Perhaps sensing Huo Junrui's firm attitude, he didn't say anything further at that moment.

Huo Junrui continued, "Fellow cultivators, I understand your concerns.

However, rest assured that we also have countermeasures in place.

I plan to divide us into three groups based on Early, Mid, and Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators, and each group will explore the outer, middle, and inner domains respectively.

Of course, our True Martial Alliance will assign a Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator to each group.

If the Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators from other alliances are still worried, they can choose to protect their fellow cultivators in the outer or middle domains."

"The method to enter the Demon Mountain is known to three Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators from our True Martial Alliance. In case of emergencies, they will lead everyone out.

What do you think of this arrangement?"

Chu Ning, Qin Changkong, and the Yu brothers exchanged glances, and they all sensed agreement in each other's eyes.

Even he himself didn't object.

Without hesitation, he spoke up, "The Cloudsoaring Alliance has no objections!"

The crowd was surprised to see Chu Ning speaking on behalf of the Cloudsoaring Alliance, but they didn't think too much of it.

At that moment, others were also discussing.

"The Spirit Cavern Alliance agrees!"

Soon after, the other major powers also expressed their consent, and even the Demon Dao Alliance didn't voice any further objections.

Huo Junrui then proceeded to assign the cultivators to their respective groups.

As the strongest cultivator in the True Martial Alliance, he was naturally going to the inner domain.

Among the Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators from other alliances, the Cloudsoaring Alliance had the most, with four of them.

However, neither Qin Changkong nor the Yu brothers intended to go to the middle or outer domains.

Therefore, these two domains were left to be led by the two Late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators from the True Martial Alliance.

After the arrangements were made, the crowd followed Huo Junrui and flew towards the Demon Mountain.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end