Legend of Swordsman

The entire group of rogue cultivators didn’t have a single cultivator at the Infant Transformation stage, so they were all overlooked. Good opportunities never came their way, but trouble always found them first.

The worst part was that they had no right to object.

Inside the hall, there were thirteen chairs.

Twelve of them were occupied by Infant Transformation stage cultivators, while the last one seated a Golden Core Perfection cultivator, the rogue cultivator representative, Chu Xiu.

Although he frowned, deep down, he was willing to accept this arrangement.

Since he was a rogue cultivator and also their representative, naturally, he wouldn’t go himself. He only needed to struggle a bit to secure some benefits for his group.

Many rogue cultivators relied on him, and he, in turn, relied on those behind him.

It was a cooperative relationship.

Now that the difficult decision was upon him, he wouldn’t bear the burden alone.

With a thought, he began discussing strategies with several dozen Golden Core stage rogue cultivators.

In the end, they chose to draw lots.

Chu Xiu naturally wouldn’t participate in the drawing, but he still had to set an example. He decided to personally lead the third group.

The two unlucky ones who drew the first group were both early Golden Core stage cultivators, weak with no treasures. Their faces were grim, but there was also a hint of excitement—if there was a great opportunity inside, they would be the first to benefit.

The rogue cultivator camp had already selected their participants in batches.

Now, it was the turn of the nine great sects.

Deciding how to allocate the slots was far more complicated than it had been for the rogue cultivators.

In the end, following Hua Xuejian’s suggestion, each sect sent the same number of people.

No one could complain about being at a disadvantage; they could only blame their sect’s lack of strong cultivators.

The Giant Sword Sect didn’t send any Golden Core stage cultivators because Wang Lan was in the second group, and that was already risky enough.

No one dared to raise any objections—after all, the life of an Infant Transformation stage cultivator was worth a hundred times more than that of a Golden Core stage cultivator.

Among the nine great sects, seven had only one Infant Transformation stage cultivator, and none of them dared to take this risk.

But the exceptionally powerful Wang Lan dared to take the risk!

He was only one step away from reaching the late stage of the Infant Transformation, and more importantly, he had once obtained the Black Eye inheritance from the God Eye lineage. His combat strength among peers was formidable. Once he stepped into the late stage of the Infant Transformation, he would be no weaker than Hua Xuejian. Therefore, he wanted to take a gamble, especially since the danger wasn’t that great.

The greatest danger lay in the first group.

Among the selected cultivators, no one dared to take the first group.

As for the sects, as long as one person volunteered for the first group, they could choose not to send anyone for the third group.

Faced with this temptation, several weaker sects ultimately pushed forward a few Golden Core stage cultivators who were unafraid of death.

These three were all strong and shared one common trait—they had been stuck at the Golden Core stage for too long.

“Since the participants have been chosen, let’s set off!” Hua Xuejian’s tone was serious as he glanced at the group. “This time, you represent the Southern Sky Realm. Make sure you give your best effort. Don’t be afraid when you face danger. Remember, you still have your sects and families to protect. It is our duty as cultivators to exterminate demons and uphold the Dao!”

“Exterminate evil, uphold the Dao!”

Hua Xuejian nodded in satisfaction. With a flick of her elegant robe, she gathered everyone and left the warship.

When she reappeared, the other two factions had already selected their members.

The internal workings of the Northern Domain Glacier were not complicated. They were all pure cultivators. They could take risks as long as the rewards were plentiful, without much concern for other matters.

It was unlike the cultivators of the Southern Heavenly Realm, who had concerns about their sects, disciples, families, and clans.

They no longer resembled cultivators but rather a privileged class.

As for the Barbarian Lands, things were much simpler. Although there were many internal tribes, the plan provided by Miaoren Peak left no room for dissent. It was the simplest method—drawing lots.

Everyone drew lots, and whoever drew the short straw went.

Of course, some reckless souls who feared nothing fought for the first wave, making the process even simpler.

“Everyone is here, so let’s begin!”

The three of them simultaneously nodded in agreement and signaled their subordinates to secretly implement the predetermined plan.

The first wave consisted of fifteen Golden Core cultivators. Using treasures that masked their auras, they silently advanced towards Mangshan County City.

The second wave consisted of three Nascent Soul cultivators. They also used similar treasures to conceal their auras, following closely behind the first wave.

The third wave wasn’t as fortunate. However, they didn’t face much danger either, so they didn’t bother hiding their auras. They simply kept a fifty-mile distance from Mangshan County City.

Mangshan County City.

The entire city was eerily silent, without a single sound.

But as soon as the fifteen Golden Core cultivators entered, the colossal beast that lay dormant in the darkness seemed to awaken!

“Heh heh…”

“These fools sent only a few Golden Core cultivators to their deaths!” A figure on the city wall chuckled bitterly and shook his head.

Behind him stood several others.

One of them, a woman from a different tribe, asked anxiously, “These are the strong warriors of our Barbarian Lands. Why are there so few of them?”

“Just over a dozen Golden Core cultivators—is this supposed to represent the entire strength of the cultivation world?”

“No, these people are merely here to test the waters. But they’re in for a miserable fate!”

These people were none other than Jian Wushuang and his companions.

They had arrived in Mangshan County City long ago and had already entered the city.

With Jian Wushuang’s Thought power masking their presence, it was difficult even for a God Appearance Realm expert to detect them.

So they didn’t have many concerns.

When they first entered the city, just as Yang Xiao had described, the city was empty. During the day, they scoured the entire Mangshan County City but couldn’t find the so-called altar.

They had been told it was an underground altar, but they couldn’t exactly dig up the entire city!

Just as they grew anxious, night fell.

It was then that they discovered the entire city was filled with vengeful spirits, malevolent ghosts formed from resentment.

These spirits were not weak either. They devoured each other, gradually growing stronger.

They even encountered a ghost cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, one that had developed intelligence.

Witnessing this scene, Jian Wushuang decided to act during the night. He realized that these malevolent ghosts kept emerging, likely tied to the altar. Perhaps the altar’s deathly aura had transformed into these evil spirits, allowing them to continually spawn.

But after searching for a long time, they still couldn’t find the altar. They eventually went to the city wall to closely observe the transformation of the ghosts into ghost cultivators. It was during this observation that Jian Wushuang noticed something peculiar.

“These malevolent ghosts and spirits devour each other and evolve, eventually becoming ghost cultivators. Starting from the Golden Core stage, they evolve further. Based on the current number of ghost cultivators in the city, three Nascent Soul peak ghost commanders could emerge!”

This term, ghost commander, was coined due to the mark on the ghost cultivators’ chests.

Innate martial artists corresponded to ghost soldiers.

Golden Core cultivators corresponded to ghost generals.

Nascent Soul cultivators corresponded to ghost commanders.

As for the malevolent and evil spirits that hadn’t evolved, they were at the postnatal level.

However, postnatal martial artists were powerless against such malevolent ghosts. The ultimate attack against them was a soul-destroying strike, which manifested as a mental assault.

In higher-level terms, it was a soul attack.

Therefore, dealing with these malevolent ghosts and ghost cultivators required at least an innate martial artist.

And consciousness and thought power were Jian Wushuang’s strengths at the moment.

So he wasn’t in a hurry, but the cultivators outside were in for a terrible time.

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