The Empyrean Sword Sect today was exceptionally quiet.
In only two days' time, there had been two batches of disciples that had died!
Although the first batch of disciples had, likewise, died to demons, at least they died in the proximity of the training ground while they were on patrol, which was close to the dark mist.
However, the two disciples who died today had died right before the gates of the sect!
This…
Genuine fear befell everyone.
The faces on the corpses of the two disciples wore horrified expressions. No one knew what terrifying scene they had witnessed before they perished!
Who would die next?
Where would they die?
Why would they die?
For a while, many disciples were afraid to go out to practice.
That small handprints also struck great fear into the hearts of many!
"Before the sun sets today, all the disciples with a handprint behind their ears must gather at the training ground!"
At that moment, Zhang Sanjian knew that he had to come forward!
He was well aware that under such circumstances, should the emotion of fear emerge among the disciples of the sect, the sect would be doomed.
With his current physical condition, should he ignite his own vitality, he should still be able to unleash combat powers at the Liberation stage!
The situation now was very urgent.
The other elders within the sect were out either seeking reinforcements or looking for resources.
Right now, within the Empyrean Sword Sect, he was the only person who could carry the burden…
This was all because of him.
Zhang Sanjian sat in his own house. At that moment, his eyes were full of frustration and regret. Originally, he could have persisted for a while longer. However, he entered the dark mist some time ago with the intention of slaying the demons within the Assaulting Sword Pavilion and regaining the location. After all, there were still lots of Assaulting Art secret manuals as well as a plethora of Assaulting Swords inside the Assaulting Sword Pavilion.
By regaining the Assaulting Sword Pavilion, the overall power level of the entire Empyrean Sword Sect would rapidly increase!
With Sword Cultivators, when they gained mastery over an Assaulting Art, they could easily crush other Sword Cultivators with the same Cultivation Base!
Unfortunately, he underestimated the power of the demon entrenched within the Assaulting Sword Pavilion inside the dark mist. He was severely wounded and was left with less than one-tenth of his powers. Now, he would have to go all out, even if it was just to unleash powers at the Liberation stage!
He let out a long sigh.
No matter what, demons must not run around in the same old town as them. Otherwise, the consequences would be too terrible to think about!
Since two disciples would die every morning, he would just gather all the disciples who had a grey mark behind their ears and wait beside them.
Zhang Sanjian's eyes glistened.
Knock knock knock!
A series of knocks on the door could suddenly be heard.
Zhang Sanjian freaked out and was shaking.
Immediately, he opened the door.
It was a few disciples. At that moment, all their faces were pale from fright. Nothing was more unbearable than not knowing when death would come for you. After the strange and appalling deaths of the two disciples that morning in particular, the fear it instilled within them was like a bomb being detonated!
"Great master! Save us! Please!"
"I don't want to die yet! Please save us, great master!"
"I still have a wife and kid under the mountain…"
Zhang Sanjian could not help but remain silent.
No one was oblivious to how far the world had already fallen. They were only able to secure those three acres of land belonging to the Empyrean Sword Sect. The situation outside was completely imaginable. If even cultivators have fallen into this state, what about the secular world?
What about those mortals?
Wherever the dark mist fell, that area would turn into a living h*ll!
"Tonight, all of us shall gather at the training ground. Should that demon appear, I will vanquish it," Zhang Sanjian said, revealing a cold intent to kill.
…
Under such circumstances, if something went wrong, a demon had to be involved!
Shen Changge walked around the Empyrean Sword Sect completely three times. People were treating him like a lunatic because he had asked, "Do you have chickens at home?"
"How can there be chickens in this remote wilderness?"
"I meant chickens!"
"Yeah, chickens! Where are chickens?"
Hence, upon analysis, it was confirmed that there were no chickens in the Empyrean Sword Sect. In that case, what was the rooster that was crowing every morning?
As soon as he thought of that rooster's crow, he woke up as if he had suddenly been dowsed in water. He felt that this rooster's crow was absolutely spooky!
Also, he had received news that Zhang Sanjian had gathered the entire sword sect.
"Old geezer…" Shen Changge said.
The emotion on Shen Changge's face was complex. Naturally, he knew what Zhang Sanjian was up to. With Zhang Sanjian's current condition, even if he were to succeed, he would pay for it with his life!
The old geezer has treated me well…
After all, he had given Zhang Sanjian a lot of things initially for him to accept Shen Changge as his disciple. However, Zhang Sanjian had kept silent about him buying his way into the sect. The nurturing he provided to Shen Changge was no worse than what he gave others, and to be honest, in the current state of the Empyrean Sword Sect and in such a sorrowful environment, Shen Changge was no more than a burden.
However, the old geezer had never thought about abandoning Shen Changge.
When a junior disciple talked bad about him in front of the old geezer, the old geezer even reprimanded that person.
Shen Changge thought for a moment.
I'm gonna give it a go.
"Old geezer, I can only try out my luck. If I can't save you, please don't blame me. I'll build you a decent stone for your grave."
He slowly returned to his house after he had made up his mind to do something.
"What if I check in at my house?"
"Check-in."
"Check-in Success: acquired Bright White Shirt."
"Ordinary locations only support one check-in."
Shen Changge spaced out for a moment.
In a daze, he glanced at the white shirt in his hands.
"I bet my junior sisters will hate this system."
When he put the white shirt on, he unexpectedly discovered that this shirt seemed to be stretchier and of a better texture. Under the hazy moonlight, it looked clean and untainted as if it was covered by a veil of shining white light.
It was true that he could only check in at ordinary places a single time. The rewards that he would obtain were indeed also extremely ordinary.
Night had fallen.
At the training ground, three disciples at the Qi Bending stage sat around the edge. The middle was full of disciples. These disciples were all marked, and Zhang Sanjian was carrying three swords on his back and sitting in the middle of them with a heavy heart.
Tonight was when the truth would be revealed!
If that cursed entity dared to appear, he would unleash his Assaulting Art and slaughter that demon, even if it meant sacrificing his life!
Zhang Sanjian took a deep breath.
"The demon will appear at first light, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they may appear before that as well. Everyone will take turns standing watch throughout the night. If you find anything strange, wake everyone up at once!
"Remember, always be vigilant. Your life is in your own hands," Zhang Sanjian said.
His eyes swept solemnly across the disciples.
The disciples quickly nodded.
The sky was dark and heavy. The night was wreathed in the dark mist and cold winds were blowing. At that time, the sky could not be seen. It was so dark that one could not even see their hands directly in front of their faces.
In the darkness of the night, the only light was from the swords radiating their piercing Swordlight under the warm nourishment of spiritual energy.
…
"It's dark…"
A door opened gently. A figure wearing a white shirt slowly tied three swords to his back. With a forceful tug, the three swords were fastened in an upright position at his back, giving off a murderous aura.
At last, Shen Changge had made a decision.
He stepped out of his house and slowly disappeared into the darkness of the night.