It felt as though an invisible net was drawing her, Meng Shuying, Qingxu Sect, and this entire world together.
She knew that the one casting the net had ulterior motives, but she was powerless to resist. This feeling left Su Luowei deeply uncomfortable.
After staying at the residence for some time, the news finally came that the Five Sects Conference was about to begin.
After much discussion, Dongji Sect decided to hold this conference at Jiuwu Mountain.
Jiuwu Mountain is located in the northernmost part of Dongji Island. It is not a single mountain but a range of nine interconnected peaks.
The entire range is shrouded in mist year-round, making it impossible to see its true appearance. Historical records only mention the countless cliffs and peaks hidden within.
These dangers might be fatal to mortals, but to cultivators, especially those at the Golden Core stage who can fly on their swords, they are of little concern.
In Su Luowei's eyes, Dongji Sect's choice of Jiuwu Mountain as the venue for the conference undoubtedly had some hidden agenda.
The main participants in the conference were the five major sects, led by Dongji Sect, followed by Qingxu Sect, with Kunlun Sect, Penglai Pavilion, and Danyang Alliance coming next.
Apart from Su Luowei and her group, Qingxu Sect also sent another team, led by Yu Qing, along with five Golden Core disciples. Two of them were from Qionghua Peak, and the other three were from Baizhan Peak.
Dongji Sect also sent ten cultivators, led by a refined young man with a red mark on his forehead, who kept smiling at Su Luowei.
Su Luowei found him somewhat familiar and, after carefully recalling, recognized him from the original owner's memories—Mu Xiu, Su Haocang's senior disciple.
Before the original owner left Dongji Island, she had a good relationship with Mu Xiu, often playing with him. Among Su Haocang's disciples, Mu Xiu was the only one she could genuinely call Senior Brother.
Su Luowei returned his smile politely and then turned her attention to the others.
The disciples from Kunlun Sect were clearly from a frigid region, as they were all dressed in fur coats. Su Luowei overheard Xie Hanzhu muttering, "Wearing so much, I wonder if they feel hot."
Penglai Pavilion was a sect of monks, with all members having shaved heads. They didn't cultivate immortality but only believed in Buddha, considering only Buddha and Bodhisattvas capable of saving all beings, making them a unique presence in the current cultivation world.
Danyang Alliance specialized in unconventional techniques, including voodoo. Meng Shuying had previously been poisoned by them. However, the group sent by Danyang Alliance this time did not include anyone from the Huanzong branch.
Besides these, there were countless small and medium-sized sects. Su Luowei roughly counted about two hundred participants in the Five Sects Conference.
The previously quiet and desolate Jiuwu Mountain suddenly flooded with hundreds of people, startling not only the villagers at the foot of the mountain but also the birds and beasts within the mountain, which flew out from all directions.
All the Golden Core cultivators participating in the conference stood in neat rows under Dongji Sect's arrangements, passing through the canyon at the mountain's base and walking to an artificially carved platform.
High platforms had already been set up around the platform, where elders and disciples from various sects could watch and rest. Su Luowei first spotted her Uncle Yunfei on the high platform. Yunfei, seeing them, waved happily from afar.
Not far from Yunfei were the Dongji Sect members, and Su Luowei saw several familiar faces, including Su Haocang.
Seeing his daughter step onto the platform, Su Haocang stroked his beard and laughed heartily, boasting to those around him.
"That's my daughter. You held her when she was little."
"Yes, later I sent her to Qingxu Sect, and now she's a Golden Core cultivator."
"Oh, she's not exactly a prodigy, just has a bit of talent."
He was an elder of Dongji Sect, so no matter what others thought, they had to flatter him on the surface. After hearing enough compliments, he finally sat down contentedly.
Having spent these days together, Su Luowei had come to understand his personality. Seeing Su Haocang's proud expression from afar, she couldn't help but smile.
During her stay on Dongji Island, she had felt a warmth from her family that she had never experienced before.
After all the participating cultivators ascended the platform, it wasn't long before a Dongji Sect elder stepped onto the high stage. The crowd below gradually quieted down, attentively listening to his explanation of the conference rules.
"The conference will last for fifteen days. Once you enter Jiuwu Mountain, we will activate the barrier inside the mountain. From then on, Jiuwu Mountain will only allow exits, not entries, and all areas will be prohibited from sword-flying. The mountain has been populated with over a hundred kinds of monsters and demons, with the weakest being at the Foundation Establishment stage and the strongest approaching the Nascent Soul stage."
"Each of you has a jade slip that will record your points. Defeating a monster earns one point; defeating a demon earns ten points. If you encounter a life-threatening situation, you can crush the jade slip to be teleported out."
The elder paused before continuing, "However, I must remind you that there is a three-breath delay between crushing the jade slip and being teleported. If you can't hold out or fail to crush the slip in time and die, don't blame Dongji Sect."
"These are the rules. If anyone wishes to withdraw, now is the time. Finally, I must emphasize that private duels and killing among participants are strictly prohibited. Anyone found violating the rules will be disqualified from the conference and barred from future participation!"
Most of the participants were rising stars in their sects, each proud and competitive. Without the ban on duels, the entire conference could descend into chaos.
Once it was confirmed that no one wanted to withdraw, the official entry process could begin. Six teleportation arrays were set up at the base of Jiuwu Mountain, corresponding to six different entrances. After mixing the participants from different sects, they could enter in batches.
Having participated in the Ten Directions Paradise trial, Su Luowei was already familiar with the process. However, many of the participants had never seen a teleportation array before and hesitated at the edge.
A giant screen stood beside the high platform, continuously updating the rankings of the participants. At first, the screen was blank, but as more people entered, names began appearing.
A Danyang Alliance elder grinned, "Jiu Li has already taken down five spirit beasts and is ranked first!"
Sure enough, Jiu Li's name appeared at the top of the screen, followed by a "5."
Those who had been hesitating saw someone had already gained an advantage and immediately rushed into the teleportation array, eager to seize the opportunity.
Su Luowei's luck was good this time. Less than half an hour after entering Jiuwu Mountain, she reunited with Wen Miaomiao and Xie Hanzhu.
In a place like this, with the protagonist's aura, Wen Miaomiao was practically invincible.
The beasts they encountered were all weak and easily defeated. They even witnessed a few beast skirmishes along the way, gaining points effortlessly.
Su Luowei suddenly understood why, after the Ten Directions Paradise trial, the disciples of Yanmo Peak had elevated their reverence for Wen Miaomiao.
Sometimes, luck is also a part of strength. With Wen Miaomiao's extraordinary luck, she was truly favored by the heavens.
So Su Luowei didn't worry about the task at all. As long as nothing unexpected happened, Wen Miaomiao's place at the top was secure.
The only thing that troubled her was that after five or six days in Jiuwu Mountain, they had searched almost the entire area without encountering Meng Shuying.
She hoped Meng Shuying wasn't in any danger.
The full moon hung high in the sky, shining brightly in the night.
Meng Shuying walked slowly through the forest, carrying her sword, her face showing no signs of fatigue despite not having slept for three days.
Not far ahead of her, three people were hurrying through the night.
After entering Jiuwu Mountain, most participants grouped together with familiar disciples for protection and to maximize their combat strength. It was rare for someone to act alone like Meng Shuying.
The three she was following were all disciples of Danyang Alliance, with Jiu Li, the heart disciple of the current alliance leader, leading them.
Jiu Li, though a man, had an unusually feminine appearance, with delicate features more suited to a woman.
A white cloth was tied around his left arm, with faint bloodstains seeping through, likely from an injury sustained while fending off beasts.
His face was grim as he walked quickly. The disciple on his left, unsure if their pursuer was still following them, glanced back nervously and asked in a fearful tone, "Who is targeting us? Every night, we're attacked by demons."
The disciple on the right shivered, "This is eerie. We've been running without rest, but we can't shake him off. The moment we stop, the demons close in."
Jiu Li's face was colder than the sword in his hand, "It's obvious that the other person is also a participant in the Five Sects Conference. Because of the restrictions, he can't directly attack, so he's using demons to assault us. I just don't understand when I offended someone so capable."
Jiu Li couldn't figure it out, so he stopped trying. His enemy was in the shadows while he was in the light; either he had to find a way to shake them off or draw them out.
He had already tried using himself as bait to lure the hidden person out, but the person seemed to see through his plan and didn't fall into his trap, instead causing him significant injury.
Realizing he was no match for the person, Jiu Li stopped running, stood in a clearing, and lit a torch for light, shouting loudly, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, how have I offended you that you pursue me so relentlessly?"
From the shadows of the trees, a hoarse, unpleasant voice suddenly echoed like an owl's night cry.
"I'm only here for Jiu Li. Anyone else can crush their jade slip and leave Jiuwu Mountain immediately."
The two disciples exchanged a glance, both showing hesitation.
"Since you are willing to accompany him to his death out of loyalty to your sect, I will grant you that wish."
As soon as the voice fell, demonic howls echoed around them, as if countless demons had surrounded them.
Jiu Li was deeply panicked but maintained his composure, shouting coldly, "You may be a cultivator, but you're colluding with demons! If the elders of the cultivation world learn of this, they won't spare you."
Hearing the demon's cries growing closer, the two Danyang Alliance disciples panicked and immediately crushed their jade slips without a second thought.
Seeing their actions, Jiu Li's eyes burned with rage, "You two are something else. When you saw my high cultivation, you clung to me, and now that I'm in trouble, you want to abandon me."
He snorted coldly, and with a thought, two black insects flew out from his sleeve, burrowing into the two disciples' spiritual seas, killing them instantly.
The restriction detected the killing of participants and immediately activated. A burst of runes lit up around Jiu Li, preparing to teleport him out.
Crushing the jade slip took three breaths, but killing another cultivator allowed immediate exit.
Jiu Li smirked—so what if you allied with demons?
His smile hadn't fully formed when a demon wrapped in dark energy suddenly appeared in his view. It met his gaze, opened its mouth, and unleashed a torrent of demonic energy.
The demon swiftly took Jiu Li's life, leaving only a corpse shrouded in dark energy. Meng Shuying gently stroked the small black bird on her right shoulder and softly said, "We can start earning points now, Hongdou."
Hongdou blinked, "Was that the person who hunted us before?"
"More or less," Meng Shuying replied calmly.
At the time of the conflict with the Danyang Alliance, Meng Shuying had just reached the early Golden Core stage, and Jiu Li hadn't bothered to act personally, instead sending other disciples to chase her.
She hadn't expected to encounter him at the Five Sects Conference or that he wouldn't recognize her.
What she hadn't expected—
Meng Shuying squinted, thoughtfully observing the demons surrounding her.
What she hadn't expected was that she could actually control demons.
Yes, not just ally with them, but control them.
The demons acted like her slaves, crouching at her feet, ready to obey her commands.
This was... truly interesting.