While Qiu Ling went to give Hong Ai's weapon back and then returned to the hut where Jing Yi was staying, Xiang Yong led the other dragons over to the Chun Feng Sect.
Hovering in the air not far from it, he motioned over, especially pointing out what seemed like a normal hill. "That over there is the Chun Feng Sect. That hill you can see over there is actually part of the dungeons. Going a little to the side, you'll find the entrance to a kind of maze leading to the cells inside.
"As far as I was able to gather, there are several levels in this dungeon. The further inside you get, the more the dungeon will be fortified with materials that are able to deter demons and dragons. You should try to save as many people as you can from inside but as I said previously, please also take care of yourself. If any of you feel that you can't go on, then be honest and return. It wouldn't do for any of you to get caught or maybe even killed trying to save others."
The dragons nodded and Xiang Yong stepped back, motioning for them to leave.
"I will be waiting here. Since the people residing in that sect are demon hunters, they will likely be able to spot you even if you shroud yourself in spiritual energy. So don't bother with it. If they attack you, take them out but don't necessarily kill them. If somebody accidentally dies, it won't be a problem though."
With that last reminder, the dragons finally set off. They didn't hold back at all. Under Hao Zan's lead, they rushed over, some of them drawing their weapons while others just used their claws and own bodies to take down the people in their way.
At this moment, Liu Cheng, Hong Bao, and several of the other more important disciples were gone to deliver the letters to the other sects. At the same time, several of the other disciples that had been out on missions hadn't returned yet. Thus, the fighting prowess of the Chun Feng Sect was greatly diminished in the first place. With a formidable enemy like these half-bloods, the chances of them defending against this onslaught were basically nil.
One after the other, disciples dropped to the ground, unconscious. The others couldn't help but panic and made mistakes in their fights, resulting in them also being defeated.
Sect Master Xian was drawn out by the ruckus. Stepping out of his house, the first thing he saw was some familiar people attacking his disciples. For a moment, he didn't know what to think. Had the Jian Yi Sect actually sent people already? Did they not even want to try and talk things through and were actually attacking outright without even a warning?
But then, he noticed that these people gave off a different feeling. It was the kind of intuition he had developed after years and years of demon-hunting. Now, this feeling told him that while he didn't have any evidence, he was sure that these people weren't human. They were of demonic origin. As it turned out, while the righteous sects hadn't moved yet, the demons had finally decided to retaliate against them to make sure they wouldn't further disrupt their plans.
Thinking of that, Xian Xun tightly furrowed his brows, drew his weapon, and then launched into the fight himself.
Not far from the sect, Xiang Yong furrowed his brows as well. Thanks to the investigations of the human realm he had done before for His Majesty, he was pretty sure that he knew who this person was. In that case, somebody had to hold him back. The others were supposed to free the imprisoned disciples. They shouldn't be weighed down by something else.
Thinking like that, he drew his own weapon and rushed over, stepping into Xian Xun's path. "Your opponent will be me." He motioned for Hao Zan to continue toward the dungeon with the others and then ignored everything else around him.
He didn't doubt that he would be able to win against this person. After all, as a dragon, he did have a natural advantage. But then again, this person was a demon hunter who was trained to fight against people like him. He also had the advantage that the sword he used and maybe even other things he wore on his body would have a detrimental effect on any opponent of demonic origin. So he couldn't look down on him and had to take this seriously.
Soon enough, the swords clashed and Xiang Yong pursed his lips together when he noticed that his original thoughts had been quite spot-on: This fight would not be as easy as it should be. Well, it was alright. He didn't even need to win this fight. He just needed to keep this person occupied for as long as he could. When the half-bloods returned, things would already turn for the better. They only had to retreat then.
Like that, he just focused on the next strike, the next maneuver to evade, and the next faint to confuse Xian Xun.
Meanwhile, the others defeated the last disciples in their way and then charged into the dungeon.
Glancing around in the dim light, Hao Zan furrowed his brows. "Be careful. Adviser Xiang Yong did not sound as if he was a hundred percent sure about what we could expect here. There might be some kind of traps and further materials keeping us at bay. We have to stay vigilant."
The others acknowledged and then, the group moved ahead.
Soon enough, one of them suddenly called out, hurriedly pulling Hao Zan back and motioning at a few faint lines on the ground. "That seems like some kind of array."
Hao Zan looked down and indeed saw something there. The lines had been drawn with some strange ink that was almost the same color as the ground so he hadn't noticed them.
He gritted his teeth, looking around gravely. It seemed that despite his own warning, just staying vigilant wasn't enough. They would need to make sure to check with every step whether or not there was something around them that could harm them. Otherwise, they might indeed not be able to return unscathed.