The offensive and defensive battle of Zhongling lasted for a full ten years, with endless fighting and no sleep.
After leaving behind countless corpses, the demon army finally began to retreat.
They want to retreat back to Longcheng Pass.
Over the past ten years, the tail currents of the Spirit Sea Tide, which was once considered a natural barrier, have calmed down a lot and are no longer as dangerous as before.
But even so, it will still take some time for the demons to withdraw from the Changye Mountains to Longcheng Pass .
It is better to use the remaining courage to pursue the enemy.
The human cultivators also knew that this should be a good opportunity to pursue the victory, but they really wanted to kill the enemy but were powerless to reverse the situation.
After ten years of high-intensity fighting, not only the demons were exhausted, but also the humans.
The demons left behind millions of corpses outside Dixin City, and hundreds of thousands of human monks also died in the Changye Mountains.
Behind the seemingly nearly ten-to-one victory, the reality was that the strongest generation of cultivators in the Spirit Realm were almost wiped out in this battle.
At the same time, the continuous operation of the Central Spiritual Array results in the consumption of spirit stones in incalculable numbers.
It is no exaggeration to say that most, or even 70%, of the wealth and spirit stones accumulated by the Zhongling Realm over tens of thousands of years have been invested in this Zhongling formation.
The inheritance was cut off, almost all the powerful monks died, and the resources were exhausted...
It can be imagined that after this, the cultivation world in the Central Spiritual Realm will fall into a long period of transition.
However, no matter what, the Central Spiritual Realm was finally defended.
As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.
Compared with this battle for souls, the first battle between Taoism and demons 20,000 years ago was a real one in which countless lives were lost, the sea turned to dust, and the thunder and lightning dried up.
But so what?
Didn't the Zhongling human race still rise from ruin and revive from extinction?
The resilience of the human race has long been tested by history.
Just like the weeds in the wilderness, they cannot be burned by wildfires and will grow again with the spring breeze.
…
The monks in Dixin City are all waiting for the day when the demons withdraw.
Lu Qingshan was also waiting.
But his waiting has an additional meaning than the waiting of the monks in Dixin City.
Because Lu Qingshan had something very important and had to do, and he had been planning it for a long time.
——So, at the moment when the demon army retreated, three black lights immediately broke through the air in Dixin City and quickly rushed towards Lu Qingshan.
A moment later, three monks appeared in front of Lu Qingshan.
Zhao Yuding and Yan Hanqing, two of the three great ancestors of the Candle Dragon Hall, and Situ, the formation master who presided over the construction of the Zhongling Great Array.
In the fifth year of the Zhongling War, the entire Zhulong Palace rushed to support Zhongling, including the two ancestors of the Zhulong Palace.
"Master of Shuiyue Temple..." The three of them first greeted the Master of Shuiyue Temple who was beside Lu Qingshan, and then looked at Lu Qingshan with doubtful eyes, not knowing how to address him for a moment.
"Lu Qingshan," the Shuiyue Temple master took the initiative to introduce him to the three people, "the new leader of the Sword Sect."
The tone of the Shuiyue Temple leader was calm. This was because after nearly ten years of working together to kill the enemies, she had come to know Lu Qingshan quite well. She naturally thought that it was not wrong for such a sword cultivator, even if he was too young, to serve as the leader of the Sword Sect.
But the other three did not have such experience.
So the faces of Zhao Yuding, Yan Hanqing and Situ suddenly changed.
The leader of the Sword Sect?
Is he the leader of the Sword Sect?
No, how could he be the Sword Sect’s leader? The Sword Sect’s leader is clearly Xie Qingyun... Wait, could it be that Qingyun Sword Immortal... ?
Yes, both Hun Zun and Yu Zun died at the hands of Qingyun Sword Immortal. How could Xie Qingyun kill two such powerful demon masters one after another without paying any price?
But even if Xie Qingyun died, why wasn't the new Sword Sect leader Yu Canghai, why wasn't Xia Daoyun, why wasn't Xue Wushao, or even Li Shiyi who had dissipated all his righteousness, but rather this young swordsman in front of him who was clearly at the Fusion Realm?
All three of them took a deep breath, their minds feeling confused.
However, Lu Qingshan did not have time to explain too much to them. He said briefly: "What we are going to do has already been told to you by Master Haoran Peak. I don't think I need to say more."
"Now, we set off immediately. We must complete everything before the demon army retreats back to Longcheng Pass."
…
White clouds are floating and the sun is shining brightly.
Under the scorching sun, Lu Qingshan and his group of five finally arrived at their destination.
The towering city wall was extremely familiar to the middle-level spiritual monk Situ, although it was no longer the same as before.
Dragon City Pass.
This fortress of the human race, which had been a mighty force for thousands of years, fell into the hands of the demons. It was like a shadow shrouding the territory of Zhongling, which was extremely disturbing.
Lu Qingshan and the master of Shuiyue Temple brought the three people to the place where they watched the battle of Longcheng, but they were not in a hurry to enter Longcheng Pass.
A journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. At this point, there is no need to rush.
"The Mingyue Formation is the formation of the Taoist ancestor. It is impossible to break it from the outside, so I will send you into the city later. Situ will be responsible for taking you two to the core point of the Mingyue Formation. What you have to do is to quickly eliminate the demon cultivators guarding the formation, and then destroy the core point, thereby destroying the Mingyue Formation." Lu Qingshan, Zhao Yuding, Yan Hanqing and Situ gave the final instructions.
"Once you break the formation, leave immediately and don't stay for long."
The purpose of Lu Qingshan's trip was to destroy the Mingyue Formation built by Xia Daozu.
For the past 20,000 years, the Bright Moon Formation has been regarded as the most important force of the Middle Spiritual Human Race and the spiritual sustenance of many Middle Spiritual cultivators.
Who could believe that the Sword Sect, which could be said to have saved the fate of the entire Zhongling Sect, would have their new leader destroy the spiritual beliefs of the Zhongling monks?
It seems very unexpected, but in fact, it makes sense when you think about it carefully.
At this time, it was already a miracle for the middle-level spiritual cultivator to defend Dixin City, so how could he even talk about counterattacking Longcheng Pass?
With the help of the Zhongling Formation, human cultivators were able to stop nearly ten million demon troops outside the Changye Mountains for ten years.
The strength of the defeated demon army and the power of the Mingyue Formation are obviously superior to the human coalition and the Zhongling Formation. Once the demons take a defensive stance, how can humans take back Longcheng Pass from the demons?
But it is absolutely impossible to just ignore Zhilong Pass.
Longcheng Pass is located within the human territory. The demons use it as a barrier and can send a large army straight into Zhongling at any time to provoke the second, third... and even countless battles to seize souls.
How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?
Since Longcheng Pass cannot be recaptured, let's just destroy it.
Since it can no longer serve as a stronghold for the human race and protect their safety, we must not allow Longcheng Pass to "aid and abet the evil."
The Bright Moon Formation is the foundation of Longcheng Pass.
Once the Mingyue Formation is broken, Longcheng Pass will no longer exist.
…
The process of making this decision was extremely difficult.
Xia Daozu has disappeared for a long time, which means that once the Mingyue Formation is destroyed, it will be impossible to rebuild it.
Once the Mingyue Formation is destroyed, it means that the gateway to Zhongling will be wide open, and the huge Wujian Realm will no longer be defended. The demons can enter Zhongling unimpeded through the space cracks in the Wujian Realm.
Regarding this, the solution Lu Qingshan thought of was to take drastic measures.
Just like dealing with the attack of the Heart Demon Clan, they simply abandoned the area west of the Changye Mountains and concentrated their forces to defend Dixin City, using Dixin City as the new Dragon City Pass in the Central Spirit Realm.
The Zhongling Formation of Dixin City has withstood the test. Although it still has some shortcomings compared to the Mingyue Formation, there is no doubt that it can replace the Mingyue Formation and become the new formation to govern the Zhongling Domain.
Therefore, breaking the Mingyue Formation became the most important thing at the moment.
Time is also very tight.
Everything must be completed before the demon army retreats.
Otherwise, when millions of defeated demon soldiers enter Longcheng Pass, the difficulty of making any changes in Longcheng Pass will increase exponentially.
…
Facing the three ninth-level cultivators whose cultivation was far superior to his, Lu Qingshan was not at all restrained and directly gave detailed instructions.
Although the other three people felt that this scene was a bit strange and weird, after looking at each other, they finally chose to accept it.
Among the entire human race, the leader of the Sword Sect, theoretically, no more than three people have a higher status than Lu Qingshan at the moment.
Even those who can have a conversation with Lu Qingshan on an equal footing are only a handful.
Obviously, the three of them were not in these palms.
So, why should we feel resentful and dissatisfied?
…
Lu Qingshan decided to wait until everyone's energy consumed by the journey was completely recovered before taking action.
By this time, it was already dark.
Lu Qingshan didn't care. He turned around suddenly and faced Longcheng Pass.
"Without further delay..."
Lu Qingshan stretched out his hand and took out a dragon bird as bright red as glass from the void.
Then, under the incredulous gazes of the other three, Lu Qingshan gently waved the Dragon Bird.
Like a sharp dagger cutting through a curtain, Longque cut an entrance in the Mingyue Formation that was big enough for one person to enter and exit.
"Three of you, it's up to you from now on," said Lu Qingshan.
…
Three hours later.
A raging fire broke out simultaneously from three locations inside Longcheng Pass.
Countless streams of heaven and earth vital energy surged out from Longcheng Pass, violent and chaotic, whistling with strong winds.
The violent wind from Longcheng Pass, accompanied by raging flames, seemed to transcend the scope of the human world and brought about the deepest and darkest night.
It represents the collapse of the Mingyue Formation.
The strong wind blew up the clouds, leaving very deep marks in the sky that could not be erased.
Those traces outlined an extremely realistic pattern.
It is a painting made by the clouds of heaven and earth, using the strong wind as a carrier, the clouds as a brush, and the sky as a cloth.
Look from a distance.
It is like a "dapeng" with its wings spread out like clouds hanging from the sky, flying freely among the sea of ​​clouds.
But Lu Qingshan didn’t have the chance to see this scene.
Because he predicted that after the Mingyue Formation was destroyed, there would be a huge uproar in Longcheng Pass, so he left in advance.
After a very long time, the pattern gradually faded away.
As if it had never appeared.
One day the great roc rises with the wind and soars up to 90,000 miles.
…
…
The spring breeze blows, the grass grows and the birds fly.
As the demons retreated, Longcheng Pass became history, and the situation in Zhongling finally stabilized.
People who have migrated from the eastern part of the Changye Mountains to the western area are taking advantage of the good weather to enjoy the mountains and rivers.
Ten years is just a blink of an eye for a monk.
But for ordinary people whose lifespan is only seventy or eighty years old, it is a very long period of time.
It was enough for them to settle down in the new place and forget about leaving their hometown ten years ago.
At most, some elderly people would sigh and lament for their hometown where they have lived for decades in the dead of night.
These people who were enjoying the leisurely spring scenery had no idea that at this moment, more than a hundred sword lights were flashing in the clouds above their heads.
In a sense, it was those people in the sword light and their sect who saved Zhong Ling and saved them.
…
The light shone through the gaps in the clouds and fell on Lu Qingshan's face.
He looked at the land below, which seemed like a paradise compared to the Long Night Mountains, and wondered what he was thinking.
The Wuju Sword Master accompanied the Haoran Peak Master, whose cultivation had not yet recovered, and followed closely beside Lu Qingshan.
Li Shiyi looked at Lu Qingshan's profile, worry written all over his brows.
After the battle in Zhongling, he was the only one left among the three peak masters. The old sect master Dao passed away, and more than a thousand sword sect cultivators were reduced to only a hundred or so people in twos and threes.
The vitality is seriously damaged.
This was the time when the Sword Sect was at its weakest, and all efforts were made to revive it.
At the same time, this is also the most difficult time.
The invasion of the Heart Demon Clan is, without a doubt, the prelude to the upcoming Second War between Taoism and Demons.
This is the fate that the human race must face.
It was at this time that the Sword Sect, which had been passed down for millions of years, welcomed the youngest and lowest-level sect leader in history.
Can this young sect leader really shoulder such a heavy responsibility?
Li Shiyi looked at Lu Qingshan's thin figure, his eyes wandering, finally falling on the rosewood sword case on Lu Qingshan's back, and fell into a long silence.
In silence, they entered the teleportation array and started their journey back to the Eastern Region.
After returning to the Eastern Region, Lu Qingshan did not go to Yumen Pass immediately, but went directly to the Upside-Down Mountains and went to the Sword Sect.
…
Ten years later, the Sword Sect was very quiet, even a little deserted.
There was no sound of disciples fighting with swords, no sword lights flashing through the clouds, and there were not even many people to greet them.
But the returning sword practitioners of the Sword Sect were not surprised, and no one cared about it.
Because they all knew that ten years ago, most of the disciples of the Sword Sect followed the sword roaring in the west wind and embarked on the journey to the west.
Moreover, the Sword Sect is their home. Going out to fight, returning home, is a natural thing. Why should they need to be welcomed?
After returning to the Sword Sect, more than a hundred sword cultivators dispersed tacitly and flew to their respective mountains.
They are very tired and need to go back "home" to rest, otherwise the string will break sooner or later.
This is also the reason why Lu Qingshan did not go to Yumen Pass first, but took everyone back to Jianzong first.
He was the same. After entering the Sword Sect, he rushed towards Qingfeng.
But compared to others, Lu Qingshan seems happier.
Because there are people at "home" to welcome his return.
Two people, two familiar yet unfamiliar people - Lu Qingshan’s two lovely little disciples, Lin Chuyi and Lin Shiwu.
Familiarity comes from the fact that he is Lu Qingshan’s personal disciple, so naturally he is familiar with him.
The reason why they feel strange is that ten years is enough time for two little girls of four or five years old to grow into graceful young ladies.
So, what Lu Qingshan saw were no longer two little rascals, but two identical delicate girlish faces.
Her facial features are very outstanding, with bright eyes, beautiful eyebrows, a delicate nose, pretty ears and pink lips, which are matched on her pretty oval face and are full of spirit.
The two grown-up girls looked at Lu Qingshan without saying a word, and tears flowed from their big eyes.
Lu Qingshan left them in the Sword Sect, and they lived in fear in the Sword Sect for so many years, fearing that one day they would hear the news of their master's death.
Today, they finally saw their master coming back alive. How could they control their emotions?
They tried desperately to wipe their tears, but they just wouldn't come away clean.
"You're already a grown-up girl, you can't act like a child anymore." Lu Qingshan said expressionlessly, his tone even sounding a little stiff.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the two young disciples immediately lowered their heads, a little shy.
After a brief moment of shyness, Lin Chuyi and Lin Shiwu came forward awkwardly.
Sister Lin Chuyi led the way in front and introduced to Lu Qingshan the trivial things that had happened in the Sword Sect over the past ten years.
These are all trivial matters that are not worth mentioning, but for Lu Qingshan at this moment, they are particularly vivid and spiritual.
His younger sister Lin Shiwu obediently took over the rosewood sword case that Lu Qingshan had been carrying on his back for the past ten years.
Contained inside are the natal swords of all the sword masters of the Sword Sect who are buried in the Central Spirit Realm.
A total of two thousand four hundred and fifty-six.
The man stayed, the sword returned.
…
The red sandalwood sword case, which looked light but was actually very heavy, caught Lin Shiwu off guard. He subconsciously exclaimed, "It's so heavy..."
Lu Qingshan, who had been very calm, finally couldn't help but sigh at this moment, "Yeah, it's so heavy."
Half of the Sword Sect is in there, how can it not sink?
Thinking of this fact, Lu Qingshan suddenly felt some pain somewhere in his body.
Lin Shiwu reacted quickly and looked up at Lu Qingshan, "Master, are they really not coming back?"
Lu Qingshan naturally knew who Lin Shiwu was referring to.
"Yes, they can't come back."
Lu Qingshan's tone was very flat, as if he was narrating something that had nothing to do with him.
But the more this happens, the sadder it becomes.
Lin Shiwu felt Lu Qingshan's sadness. She opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.
Lu Qingshan saw that his little disciple wanted to comfort him.
He reached out and rubbed Lin Shiwu's head, just like he did ten years ago.
Then.
Lu Qingshan said softly: "Soul, come back."
The rosewood sword case in Lin Shiwu's hand began to tremble slightly at this moment.
Immediately, in front of Lin Shiwu's wide eyes, the sword case opened.
Thousands of natal swords of various types came out of their boxes and flew up in a mighty force.
A long rainbow penetrates the sky, and the sword energy and sword intent are different, each with its own merits.
They circled one after another above the green peak, drawing one astonishing huge semi-arc after another, with unparalleled power and raging in the sky.
Lin Chuyi and Lin Shiwu looked up, and were mesmerized by the scene for a moment.
After circling Qingfeng three times, the 2,456 natal swords finally scattered.
They were like falling meteors, flying quickly and with a clear goal towards the various mountains of the Sword Sect, like a famous sword returning to its sheath.
The Sword Sect is very large, so once a disciple of the Sword Sect breaks through the fifth realm, he can own an independent mountain.
For the disciples of the Sword Sect, that is their home.
Now, these natal swords are returning to the mountains where their masters belong.
It's like a famous sword returning to its sheath, or a wanderer returning home.
Lu Qingshan kept watching until the last sword disappeared into a mountain peak, then he murmured softly:
"I came back for those who can't come back."