Black Clouds

All three hundred and thirty-three entrants made it into the Forest of Swords and the shining portal disappeared. Not a single trace was left behind. Beyond where the portal had been, the trees swayed slightly under a weak breeze as if waving goodbye.

Nothing else would happen here until two weeks later. At that time, all the entrants that had gone in would be deposited outside by the mysterious energy that controlled the secret realm. During this time, these disciples would have to rely on themselves for their successes and failures.

The immortals that had gathered to send off their disciples remained behind in a loose group. Some that knew each other started chatting. They shared their recent achievements and spread gossip.

"Brother Hou, we have two weeks to wait, let's get drunk!" Someone said excitedly.

"The Gulf of Giant Tortoises is located in the neighboring province, does anyone want to explore it with me?" Another person shouted.

"Oh, that sounds interesting!"

"Count me in!"

Amidst the conversation, Chen Wentian stood alone to one side and nobody paid him any attention. His eyes were closed as if he was pondering something.

One immortal finished exchanging pleasantries and chose to leave first. He was ancient and frail. He seemed to have half a step into the grave already. He probably wanted to return to close-door meditation as soon as possible to preserve his life energy.

He rose into the air quickly. As he shot into the fog that rested above the arena, there was a sudden burst of spiritual energy followed by a dull roar like thunder.

The limp figure of the old immortal fell out of the clouds. His clothes were in tatters and he was covered in what seemed like ash. He was about to crash into the stone tiles of the arena but a couple of immortals caught him and brought him over.

"What happened?"

"Is Old Luo dead?"

"What is going on?"

Immediately, the remaining immortals, that now numbered twenty-four, became alert. The victim, named Immortal Ghost Sword Luo Ye, was still alive but only barely. His breathing was ragged and he was coughing up blood.

Something in the clouds had done this, something powerful. This astonished many of the immortals. The cultivation world was dangerous but few expected such dangers deep within human territory. At least, a being that could injure someone like Mo Ye to this extent should not have appeared.

Everyone spread out their spiritual sense into the clouds and their expressions quickly became even gloomier.

"It's a trap!"

"I sense a strange domain surrounding us."

As soon as those words were said, there was another surge of spiritual energy around them. The thick clouds they had assumed to be mountain fog suddenly darkened several shades. Following this, the black clouds above descended while the walls of clouds on all sides pressed in.

In just a few short breaths, the tall stands of the convocation arena had disappeared and the only place that remained safe was the square platform in the center. It became as dark as the night, silent and ominous.

"What!"

"Impossible!"

"This is a domain attack!"

The group of immortals looked around in all directions, unsure of what to do. The enemy was unseen and unknown. Nobody dared to act first.

Chen Wentian looked around and furrowed his brow. He had expected something to happen but not to this extent. The demon forces behind Qin Shui'er had a huge appetite, wanting to swallow so many human Spirit Lords at the same time.

Immortal Ardent Duchess Su Tan drew a gleaming golden blade that was over two meters long and launched a series of probing attacks into the surrounding fog. Following her lead, many other immortals launched their own attacks. Chen Wentian also joined in with several bursts of blue flames that burned away the darkness with flashes of blue light.

At the same time, the confidence of the group returned. There were so many Spirit Lords gathered here. Even if the enemy was a Spirit King, they wouldn't lose easily. With twenty-four Spirit Lords, they could contend against two Spirit Kings and not suffer a loss if they worked together.

However, after the heavy barrage of attacks, the fog domain seemed to have suffered no damage. Everything was absorbed with a single sign of daylight. They didn't even know what they were aiming for so naturally, their attacks were useless.

"Alright, stop, everyone stop!" Su Tan shouted, taking charge of the situation.

Since she represented the Immortal Association, everyone listened to her implicitly without complaint.

Su Tan heaved a sigh and continued, "We can all see, something is scheming against us, trying to keep us here. I think there is at least a Spirit King behind this so we can't take this domain lightly. During the previous round of attacks, I tried to sneak several emergency message talismans through but they were all destroyed by the domain."

"What do we do then?" Someone asked.

Su Tan's twirled her sword as she thought for a moment, "Regardless of the enemy's plan, we still have so many immortal brothers and sisters. They haven't attacked and are only defending because they are afraid of our numbers. If not, if this is actually a Spirit Emperor, we would have all died already."

Her analysis was on point. Many nodded their heads in agreement. Even Chen Wentian had thought of the same.

Su Tan continued, "All we have to do is force our way out of the domain and send off emergency talismans. When our Spirit Kings come, we will have nothing to fear. To do so, I think everyone has realized, it's quite simple."

She paused and pointed her sword straight up, "We all charge up. We maintain a close formation and launch attacks indiscriminately to protect all angles. We don't stop until we break through and see the sun."

"Alright!"

"Good!"

"Let's do it!"

In an instant, the fighting spirits of the gathered immortals rose. Each one of them had experienced countless battles to get to their current position. They weren't paper tigers.

"Gather your strength. I will give you a minute to prepare to fight for your lives. If anyone dares to not give it their all, I will punish you and your sect with the full authority of the Immortal Association!"

"Yes!"

"Of course!"

"Hel… heuhh!"

Suddenly, amidst the enthusiastic cheers, there was a strangled shout.

Before anyone could react, one of the immortals in their midst spewed a mouthful of black blood and collapsed.

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