Chapter 254: Breaking Through (Part Four)
Sensing Xiao Huan's gaze, Ma Huaizhen angrily shouted, with a cold expression, "How dare you?!!"
"If you go..." a few words burst from the man's gritted teeth, "I will kill you right here!!"
Ignoring the stares from Xiao Huan and the others, Xiao Boyang looked up, even managing to smirk slightly.
The young man's eyes sparkled as he whispered, "Big Brother Xiao Huan, you underestimate me."
With most of the Xia family betraying and returning to the demon realm, and considering Xiao Huan's good relationship with them, Xiao Boyang wiped the blood from his face, pursed his lips, and returned to the crowd.
He wouldn't take a step forward, perhaps this was an important principle taught by the old ginseng spirit.
Xiao Boyang was directly rejected by Xiao Huan, and a hint of regret slowly appeared in Xiao Huan's eyes. "Sixth brother, big brother is very sad."
After hearing the subtle change in Xiao Huan's voice, the elders from various families tightened their faces and took a step forward together, pulling Xiao Boyang behind them.
In less than half a second, the expression of regret disappeared quickly from Xiao Huan's face.
"Are there any other taoist friends willing to come here?" The young man stood up straight, politely extended his hand, and gracefully invited.
"If anyone is willing to come here, I promise to release one person from the secret realm."
The temptation of this deal was enormous. Some of the people who were initially cautious suddenly felt a little startled, clenched their lips, and showed signs of hesitation on their faces.
The dark clouds in the sky churned more intensely, the strong winds blew, but no one dared to take a step forward.
Perhaps they knew that if they approached, Ma Huaizhen and Venerable One Miaofa, who were guarding the front, would immediately strike them down together.
Mei Kangping felt the wind blowing his clothes, but he didn't show any displeasure as he looked at the silent crowd.
"Since none of you taoist friends are willing to come, I guess we'll have to let everyone see the news of our fellow disciples' deaths with their own eyes."
Before the words could even settle, he raised his hand and a Souvenir Image appeared in the sky, which was as big as five yards long and wide.
Gongsun Bingzi stared in astonishment at the scene before her and suddenly realized something was wrong. She screamed, "Oh no!"
In the Souvenir Image, the trapped disciples from various families were clearly reflected!
There was a disciple from the Cen family, with blood on his face, running frantically in the woods. He was running while looking back, as if he was on alert for something.
The Cen family disciple immediately cried out, "Senior Cao!!"
But the disciples in the Souvenir Image couldn't hear the commotion outside the secret realm.
After running for a while, the thing chasing him finally revealed its true form!!
It turned out to be a giant turtle with a face on its stomach!!
The young disciple of the Cen family cried out loudly. Already gravely injured, he was completely defenseless against the attack and was immediately bitten by the giant turtle, causing him to scream in pain.
When the giant turtle lifted its hooves, as large as pillars, everyone could see the despair in the young man's eyes.
In the end, all that was captured in the Souvenir Image was a cloud of bursting blood.
The young man's wailing seemed to echo in everyone's hearts.
Witnessing this gruesome scene, everyone fell into silence.
The expressions of the Cen family disciples turned blank.
Cen Zicheng's anger surged, and he angrily shouted, "Mei Kangping! You're not human! You will be punished by the heavens!"
Mei Kangping remained calm and smiled, saying, "This is not my fault. You can blame the Cen family. After all, you had the opportunity to save him, didn't you?"
This statement undoubtedly struck at the heart of the Cen family disciples, causing a few younger ones with weaker mental fortitude to burst into tears.
"Master... Master Cao has died, and sister Wang is still inside. Our junior martial brothers Zhang and Liu are also trapped. Master, please, I beg you to save them."
Cen Zicheng's face stiffened, he tightly pressed his lips together, ignoring the cries of the younger disciples.
Carefully observing Cen Zicheng's expression, Mei Kangping said calmly, "This is just the beginning."
As he said that, it was indeed just the beginning.
Following Mei Kangping's command, more and more souvenir images appeared in the sky, reflecting the gruesome deaths of each disciple.
Xiao Huan laughed, "Do you elders recognize them?"
"All these harmful monsters in the secret realm were released by you elders, after all."
Thinking about the familiar faces on the monsters' stomachs, a sudden realization struck like a bolt of lightning, connecting the clues in this moment.
Gongsun Bingzi trembled at his fingertips, "You... you mean..."
These monsters, were they all transformed from human sacrifices?!!
The number of demon cultivators is too few, and they often find themselves in a situation where they kill each other.
Therefore, from the very beginning, Mei Kangping started to create a powerful demon army. These people often have special abilities but lack self-defense capabilities, which makes them vulnerable. If we can combine the characteristics of demons and these vulnerable individuals, can we develop a large number of demon soldiers that Mei Kangping can use?
From that day on, the demon realm began to search extensively for vulnerable individuals, all for a crazed experiment.
Both the ghost market and this secret realm undoubtedly revealed to the world that the demon realm's experiment was successful.
In an instant, the faces of the elders present were filled with despair, their hearts felt like they were being twisted by a knife, as if they had aged hundreds of years in a moment.
These are the good children that the sect has put in countless effort to cultivate. If it were possible, they would rather die in their place. Now, they can only hope for reinforcements to arrive soon, in order to reduce the casualties in this secret realm.
Ma Huaizhen's eyes darkened.
Mei Kangping came prepared. The enemy soldiers surrounded the area, cutting off all communication and preventing any reinforcements from arriving. If this continues, all the disciples in this secret realm will surely perish!
In the Souvenir Image, a disciple from the Great Hall of Light was reflected.
Realizing that there was no way out, the disciple from the Great Hall of Light knelt down, feeling a pang of emotion. He lifted his eyes towards the sky and gazed in the direction of Venerable One Miaofa.
Venerable One Miaofa silently observed this scene.
Through the Souvenir Image, the eyes of two individuals, one older and one younger, seemed to meet without a sound.
In the next moment, the Buddhist practitioner sat down on the ground and began reciting prayers with folded hands.
The disciple from the Great Hall of Light bowed towards the west, offering his respects and closing his eyes. He silently chanted a Buddhist mantra, calmly embracing his fate.
One by one, the disciples from the Great Hall of Light, facing the hopelessness of survival, displayed a peaceful countenance. They all bowed towards the west, sacrificing themselves for their faith.
From the moment they entered the path of meditation, they dedicated themselves to their practice, until this day, without any regrets.
In the secret realm, the sound of chanting buddhist hymns rose up into the sky, breaking through the dark clouds and showering the world with endless rays of light.
Beneath the beam of light formed by the buddhist glow, Venerable One Miaofa stood firm yet lonely.
Everyone present was deeply moved by this scene.
For thirty years, the sword seeker had searched, experiencing ups and downs like the changing leaves.
Ever since encountering the peach blossoms, doubts vanished completely.
With a pure and unobstructed mind, the practitioners had no regrets.
"Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara"
Apart from disciples sacrificing themselves in the Great Hall of Light, there were also many disciples struggling and striving for survival in the secret realm.
The disciples of Sun Tao College helped those in the Great Hall of Light to stand up.
The disciples of Qingyang Academy helped those in Chongde Ancient Garden to stand up.
In the secret realm, the young boys and girls, though unaware of what was happening outside, were covered in blood yet steadfast in their determination.
"Almost there," said a girl from Chongde Ancient Garden. She had a beautiful and gentle appearance. She could barely hold her sword, but she still comforted her companion. "Our sect will not abandon us. We will definitely break through."
This is the first one, followed closely by the second.
"Senior Xie!!" shouted a young priest from Chaotian Mountain, brandishing his sword angrily. "What should we do now?!"
This was a small team surrounded by demons.
Xie Xingzhi, holding a heavy iron sword, knelt on the ground. With the power to hold off many opponents alone, he pointed his sword forward!
His eyes filled with cold determination as he roared, "Break through!!"
"Everyone, protect the seriously injured! Follow me and break through!! This secret realm is strange, and we can only break through! No killing here! If anyone abandons their comrades, even if we ignore the strange things happening, I will strike them down with one sword!!"
Lone Sword Xie Xingzhi!!
Lu Linjia's eyes lit up with excitement!!
...
Or perhaps—
In another Souvenir Image, there was a reflection of a young man who had been turned into a puppet.
The young man was wearing a green scholar's robe, with the corners of the robe adorned with blooming peach blossoms.
He was embraced tightly by the young man's strong arms, his eyes widened in confusion, and he took quick, shallow breaths.
"Master... senior brother..." A warm palm landed on his head, and Qi Feidao smiled.
Threads of spiritual energy pierced through the young man's chest, staining his clothes red with blood. Meng Canglang remained calm, not backing away an inch. "Little Fang, senior brother has come to take you back."
...
At another moment, Qiao Wan, or Lu Cixian, locked eyes with Jia Yin. Her words were strong and forceful as she pointed to the immortal palace path not far away. "Although I don't know where those stones that can absorb attacks are scattered."
"But, I want to ask Your Majesty to destroy this immortal palace!"
Jia Yin's gaze was deep. "From here to the immortal palace, you should know, it's already too late."
The young boy's eyes sparkled and he smiled. Suddenly, a loud dragon roar echoed and wisps of white mist burst out from his sleeve, forming a majestic dragon with scales and golden claws, breathing clouds and mist!
It was an ancient mirage dragon!
"But I have this!" the boy exclaimed.
"Riding on the dragon's back, we can travel thousands of miles in a day. Your Majesty, please help me destroy this immortal palace!" he said.
...
Watching the scene unfolding before him, Ma Huaizhen's frozen cheek muscles twitched, almost giving in to a burst of laughter.
After a few chuckles, Ma Huaizhen fixed a mocking gaze on the grim-faced Mei Kangping.
"Taoist friend Mei, what makes you think that the promising disciples of our cultivation world will just sit and wait for their doom?"
Who said that these disciples from secret realms are mere sacrificial lambs?
They are the most talented, gifted, and determined disciples of the cultivation world, carrying the hopes and the future of our realm.
Even in the darkness, born from the mud, even if there is a glimmer of light, one must rise towards death - this is the silent and steadfast resistance against the demon realm.
