Chapter 34: Unexpected Changes (Part 1)

"The moonlight was like water, silver embellishing the entire Tai Xuan Mountain. From a distance, it looked like a silver scroll, incredibly beautiful. However, under this beautiful moonlight, a black pillar of light rising to the sky appeared particularly glaring. A powerful demonic aura enveloped the top of Tai Xuan Mountain, the first sect in the cultivation world, the Tianjian Academy. Everything happened so suddenly, making it hard to believe.

Under the silver moonlight, by the Yellow River, experts from the six academies gathered. Everyone's attention was focused on Jian Wuchen, Zhang Aoxue, and Cangyue. Each of them emitted different true essences, forming protective auras of various colors around them. Jian Wuchen was surrounded by a strong purple light, securely shielding him. Cangyue, on the other hand, had a flaming red aura, like a raging fire protecting her. As for Aoxue, her entire being was enveloped in a mysterious dark blue light, tinged with a faint purple hue, giving off a mysterious vibe.

Above their heads, three divine swords emitted different auras, slowly rising. In mid-air, the three swords stood side by side, pointing towards the black pillar. Three auras burst out simultaneously as Jian Wuchen lightly exclaimed, soaring into the air. At the same time, Aoxue and Cangyue exchanged glances, both ascending into the air, forming a triangle with Jian Wuchen, suspended in mid-air. The three communicated through their gazes, shouted together, and the three divine swords surprisingly launched their attacks simultaneously without any distinction between them. In the air, the three divine swords formed a Chinese character '品' (meaning 'product' or 'excellent'), with three different auras, creating a peculiar radiance that converged into a pillar of light, rushing towards the black pillar.

Under the moonlight, everyone held their breath, nervously watching the trio's full-force attack. This was not just a matter of victory or defeat but also involved the clash between righteousness and evil, the reputation between the orthodox path and the demonic realm. In mid-air, the pillar of light formed by the three divine swords collided with the black pillar. A black and a bright pillar intersected at a ninety-degree angle. Multicolored true essences and qi exploded in mid-air, resembling two meteors colliding, creating a beautiful and strange radiance.

In the sky, an incredibly powerful light suddenly erupted, brightening the entire night sky for a moment before dimming. Everyone was forced to close their eyes due to the intense light. When they opened their eyes again, Jian Wuchen, Zhang Aoxue, and Cangyue were seen pushing their divine swords towards the black pillar. Around the black pillar, two black dragons with open mouths spewed black flames, resisting the trio's attacks with all their might. At the same time, the black lotus, which had been shrouded in the black pillar, appeared clear and distinct before everyone.

Seeing the reappearance of the black lotus, everyone felt tense, unsure of what would happen next. To everyone's surprise, this time there was a person sitting on the black lotus. He was a young and handsome man in black clothes, with green eyes that gleamed with a bewitching light. Everyone understood that this person was definitely not human but a monster in disguise. However, they were unsure of the exact identity of this creature that could appear on the black lotus.

The man glanced at everyone, his gaze lingering on Jian Wuchen and the others, revealing a hint of surprise. Faced with the approaching powerful attacks, the man coldly snorted and said, "So, it's the three legendary divine swords of the cultivation world. I thought it was something else, but it seems you can force me to reveal myself. Good, I'll see how skilled you three are and whether you can break through my Black Lotus Barrier." With that, he smirked, and his entire figure, along with the black lotus, instantly disappeared into the black pillar.

On the ground, the headmaster of the Bodhi Academy, Fagu Dashi, spoke, "Who could this man be, and why did he suddenly appear here? In the past, such incidents have never occurred. It seems the situation has changed."

Dao Yuan Qixuan Zhenren spoke, "Recently, there have been unusual celestial phenomena, and the seven stars have already started to reverse. What's even more worrisome is that based on our sect's celestial observation technique, I have arrived at a terrifying speculation. I didn't want to mention this, but since this incident has occurred, I'll reveal it. In the near future, there will be a once-in-a-millennium celestial event – a solar eclipse caused by a celestial dog. At that moment, when the positive yang energy in the world is weakest and the yin and evil energy are strongest, I predict a bloody catastrophe will erupt, sweeping across the human realm, causing widespread devastation." The other five headmasters changed their expressions upon hearing this, their eyes filled with shock.

In mid-air, the trio's attacks had entered the final stage. The peculiar pillar of light formed by the three divine swords was fiercely colliding with the black pillar, creating earth-shattering sounds along with surging waves of the Yellow River. In mid-air, the trio shouted in unison, and the powerful auras burst forth, engaging in a high-speed confrontation with the black pillar. Countless flashes of light and fantastic scenes transformed into different colors under the night sky, illuminating the surroundings for hundreds of yards.

Under the night sky, the black pillar began to violently shake, and countless demonic auras were turned into blue smoke under the powerful attacks of the three divine swords, disappearing in an instant. Simultaneously, the attacking trio's divine sword pillars were gradually dimming and losing color. As time passed, the momentum of both sides weakened.

Finally, after a prolonged confrontation, the black pillar was shattered. Correspondingly, the divine sword pillars of Jian Wuchen and the others completely disappeared. In mid-air, the black-clothed man could be clearly seen, looking at everyone with a cold gaze. The black lotus beneath him continued to rotate, and beneath the black lotus, nine lotus flowers continuously provided demonic energy, maintaining its original state."

On this side, Jian Wuchen, Cangyue, and Zhang Aoxue, who were attacking with all their might, were all shaken and thrown several yards away by the powerful rebound force. Upon landing, the three simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood, their faces instantly pale, clearly indicating serious injuries. Lu Yun and the Phoenix Academy's Jade Unmatched both flickered and landed next to Aoxue and Cangyue, each supporting their respective person.

Lu Yun glanced at Cangyue and noticed that among the three, Aoxue was the most severely injured, apparently having a slightly lower cultivation level than Cangyue and Jian Wuchen. Seeing the somewhat surprised look in Jade Unmatched's eyes, Lu Yun smiled faintly, nodded slightly, and supported Aoxue before leaving. Watching Lu Yun's departing figure, Jade Unmatched whispered, "This Lu Yun from Yi Garden is said to have only practiced cultivation for two years. Unexpectedly, he has such a high level of cultivation. It's truly incredible. Perhaps, in the future, he will be a formidable opponent."

Cangyue, looking at that retreating figure, had a hint of doubt in her eyes, as if sensing something. Meanwhile, Jian Wuchen, standing nearby, had a dark expression. After the two women landed, they didn't even glance at him, dealing a blow to his self-esteem. As the most outstanding disciple of the Tianjian Academy, paired with his exceptionally handsome face, he should have been the ideal object of admiration for numerous female disciples. However, unexpectedly, both Cangyue and Zhang Aoxue seemed indifferent to him, leaving him feeling humiliated.

On this side, the five headmasters were watching the black-clothed man in mid-air, paying attention to his movements. Li Changchun took a glance at Jian Wuchen not far away and turned to the black-clothed man, saying, "Who are you, and why did you appear on our Tai Xuan Mountain? What is your purpose in coming here? Speak directly."

The black-clothed man sneered, "Do you really not know where I come from? As for my name, I don't mind telling you, I'm called Night Soul."

Fagu Dashi from the Bodhi Academy spoke, "Night Soul, this Black Lotus is one of the three extraordinary treasures of the Hundred Beasts Demon Domain. Could it be that you also come from the Hundred Beasts Demon Domain? For so many years, the passage between the human realm and your Hundred Beasts Demon Domain has been sealed. How could you possibly appear here?"

Night Soul sneered, "For so many years, you humans have always considered yourselves the rulers of the world. You think you are the master of all things, exterminating all supernatural beings to protect your own interests. But now, the opportunity has come. The human realm is about to be swallowed by darkness. At that time, when the heavens and earth reverse, we will return to our world that belongs to us. This time, I came here just to tell you that all members of our Hundred Beasts Demon Domain will return to the human realm soon, back to our ancient kingdom. By then, you will all become our slaves, and you will experience the feeling of being discriminated against by an alien race."

Dao Yuan Qixuan Zhenren coldly snorted, "Ignorant and arrogant. For so many years, we have been able to seal you, and this time, we can still do it. Even though you have some clever tricks this time, good and evil in the world, your demonic conspiracy is destined to fail."

Night Soul sneered, "The ignorant ones are not us but you. This time, not only our Hundred Beasts Demon Domain, but even the Ghost Domain and the Demon Domain have entered the human realm. By then, relying on you, I'm afraid it will be impossible to stop this inevitable fate. Just like just now, with your three divine swords in hand, did you manage to harm me even a bit? Ignorant humans, now it's not the same as before. Soon, you will find out." With that, his figure suddenly disappeared into the rotating black pillar of light.

Above the Yellow River, another black pillar of light appeared once again. However, this time, it wasn't as powerful as the previous one. On the bank, experts from the six academies were contemplating strategies, figuring out how to eliminate the Black Lotus and Night Soul. For the Black Lotus, destroying it was almost impossible, at least for now. The only hope was to see if Night Soul could be eradicated; that would be considered a kind of success.

Lu Yun supported Aoxue, gently inputting a powerful true essence into her body with his right hand, significantly restoring her vitality. Looking into Aoxue's autumn-like beautiful eyes, Lu Yun smiled slightly and said, "Don't think too much. Between us, words are unnecessary." Aoxue glanced at him, a hint of tenderness in her eyes, nodding gently. At this moment, words were superfluous, weren't they?