At this very moment, outside the Sacred Tower, the elders of Qingling Mountain, Jade Rhino Valley, and Divine Evolution Temple stood guard.
Xu Jingshu, Turtle Elder, and an old monk stood before the tightly shut doors of the Sacred Tower.
Xu Jingshu turned to the old monk and said, "You should have told us about this sooner."
Turtle Elder, hunched over, nodded in agreement. "That's right."
Only after the incident with the Mystic Heaven Mirror did the old monk reveal that years ago, when their Divine Evolution Temple had the honor of overseeing the Sacred Tower, they had noticed something unusual about its formation arrays.
The old monk sighed. "It wasn’t that this humble monk didn’t want to speak up, but our temple couldn’t be certain. Moreover, this matter involved our own violation of the Mystic Heaven Laws—it would have been unseemly to air our own dirty laundry. Amitabha."
Back then, Divine Evolution Temple had won first place in the Mystic Heaven Grand Competition, taking over stewardship of the Sacred Tower from the Violet Flame Realm.
At the time, there was a Little Junior Uncle in their temple, obsessed with formation arrays, who had snuck into the Sacred Tower out of curiosity.
Fortunately, the abbot discovered him in time and rescued him.
The Little Junior Uncle claimed that the formation arrays inside the Sacred Tower seemed altered—possibly tampered with by the Violet Flame Realm.
However, first of all, after so many years, some of the Sacred Tower’s formations naturally required maintenance, and during repairs, the Violet Flame Realm would adjust them to more refined versions—a practice they had informed the seven major sects about.
Secondly, according to the laws, no one was allowed to enter the Sacred Tower outside of the Mystic Heaven Grand Competition unless under extraordinary circumstances. Violators were to be executed.
Thus, the matter was suppressed by the abbot at the time.
But the Little Junior Uncle, unwilling to let it go, sneaked in again—only to perish inside.
Trespassing into the Sacred Tower was already an extremely dangerous act, so the matter was quietly buried.
However, the current generation’s Buddhist disciple, Huaiming, was a descendant of that Little Junior Uncle’s lineage.
The old monk closed his eyes, murmuring prayers as he fingered his beads.
Just as he was silently praying for Huaiming to avoid foolishness and return safely from the Sacred Tower, inside, Lu Jiayao had already reached out and touched the flagpole of the Sacred Banner.
But suddenly, a sword strike came from behind—its resonance like the thunder of ten thousand galloping horses, fierce and unstoppable!
Lu Jiayao immediately dropped into a slide, raising his Spirit Sound Flute above his head to block the blow.
As the sword strike dissipated, he spun around, counterattacking while shouting, "Brother Qianli, how could you ambush me?!"
The attacker was none other than Yu Qianli from Jade Rhino Valley—one of Lu Jiayao’s closest friends, a young horse demon.
Yu Qianli neighed, dodging Lu Jiayao’s sonic attack, and shouted back, "Of course our Jade Rhino Valley wants first place too!"
And so, the two sworn brothers, who had always praised each other as kindred spirits outside, now fought fiercely—sword against flute, neither yielding, striking where it hurt most.
The two were evenly matched, exchanging dozens of blows before Yu Xiaoli, the little fox of Jade Rhino Valley, arrived.
Now, it was two against one.
But Lu Jiayao wasn’t afraid! He had just inherited the legacy of Qingling Mountain’s Grand Elder of Sound Cultivation.
And this Grand Elder was most renowned for his Demon-Subduing Spirit Tune—a melody that struck terror into the hearts of all demons!
The inheritance he received was, by sheer luck, perfectly suited to countering demonic beasts.
Lu Jiayao immediately planted himself before the Sacred Banner, his expression turning deadly serious as he began playing the flute with dramatic fervor!
As the Demon-Subduing Tune rang out, the two little demons from Jade Rhino Valley visibly slowed, their faces twisting in pain.
Yu Xiaoli’s three luxuriant fox tails burst forth, and even Yu Qianli’s face sprouted patches of tawny horsehair.
The two demons seemed on the verge of reverting to their true forms.
For a moment, Lu Jiayao held absolute dominance!
But then, one by one, more Jade Rhino Valley demons climbed onto the sacred platform, tilting the balance.
By the time the Little Turtle from Jade Rhino Valley waddled up on short legs, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
This Little Turtle truly lived up to being Turtle Elder’s offspring—its defensive shell could even block the Demon-Subduing Tune!
Yu Xiaoli and Yu Qianli huddled behind their turtle senior brother, pushing him forward step by step against the sonic onslaught, chanting in unison:
"One, two, three—Jade Rhino Valley, charge!
One, two, three—Jade Rhino Valley will win!
One, two, three—We’re the greatest demons!"
"......" Lu Jiayao gritted his teeth, barely holding on.
This was bad. If the demons got close, he’d lose.
What was going on? Where were his teammates?!
Why was he the only one here while Jade Rhino Valley had all six of their demons?!
He couldn’t hold the Sacred Banner alone!
He didn’t even bother hoping for help from Shen Hefeng, who hadn’t even received any inheritance.
But the others—Senior Brother Yin, Zhuohua, Zi Yin, Shuangbai—just one of them showing up would be enough!
As the six demons pressed in, both sides fully focused on their battle—
A lean figure stealthily ascended the sacred platform, circling around and sneaking toward the Sacred Banner from the opposite side.
Yu Xiaoli was the first to notice. "Oh no! San Tu, there’s someone behind you!"
Lu Jiayao was no longer the easily fooled novice he once was. He ignored her, continuing to play the flute even as blood trickled from his throat.
Yu Qianli stomped in frustration. "It’s true, San Tu! Someone’s stealing our victory!"
The Little Turtle’s face paled as its beady eyes recognized the intruder. "It’s the Thin Monk from Divine Evolution Temple! He’s going for the banner!"
Lu Jiayao glanced back, half-doubting.
Realizing he’d been spotted, the Thin Monk abandoned stealth and lunged for the Sacred Banner.
Though he was the only one from Divine Evolution Temple here—his fellow monks nowhere to be found—and capturing the banner wouldn’t secure overall victory, so what? He would fight for his sect’s honor! Seizing first place in this final round would at least ensure Divine Evolution Temple didn’t lose too disgracefully...
Lu Jiayao panicked, about to join the demons in stopping him—but then he paused.
Wait. If Divine Evolution Temple didn’t have enough members present, even if the monk took the banner, Qingling Mountain would still win overall!
Ah, this was a case of "killing with a borrowed sword"!
Having grasped the situation, Lu Jiayao abruptly turned and threw his arms around the demons, holding them back.
The Thin Monk reached the Sacred Banner unimpeded. But just as his fingers brushed the flagpole—
A voice called up from below: "Junior Brother, don’t pull it!"
That... sounded like his senior brother, the Buddhist disciple?
Yet something felt off.
The Thin Monk hesitated, turning toward the source.
Two figures—one in green, one in white—raced up the sacred platform at breakneck speed.
One slender, the other lean—nothing like his plump, ever-cheerful senior brother.
That same senior brother now lay on Xie Ziyin’s back, limbless and blind.
The Thin Monk’s eyes reddened instantly, his face a mask of horror and fury as he rushed forward.
"Senior Brother... who did this to you? WHO?!"
Lu Jiayao stood alone, struggling to hold his ground. The little spirits of Jade Rhinoceros Valley had already broken free and were about to pull the banner, but they froze in shock upon seeing the dire state of the Buddhist monk.
The portly monk, though not in immediate mortal danger, had exhausted all his strength with that last cry. Seeing the banner-pulling finally halted, Monk Huaiming could hold on no longer. His head lolled to the side as he fell unconscious.
Wen Shuangbai stepped in to explain, "The formation has been tampered with by the Di family. Pulling the banner will destroy the tower—the sacred banner must not be touched..."
Before she could finish, a light chuckle suddenly echoed from the top of the tower, reverberating through the vast hall.
Lu Jiayao and the little spirits of Jade Rhinoceros Valley tensed, their heads swiveling as they searched for the source.
Yu Qianli muttered, "Who’s that? Their laughter is terrifying—it’s making my hair stand on end."
Lu Jiayao, sensitive to sounds, immediately recognized it. "It’s Di Qi!"
Yu Xiaoli angrily exclaimed, "Did he do this to Senior Brother Huaiming?"
"Huaiming, I thought you’d surely die," Di Qi’s voice came from the shadows, laced with regret. "What a splendid tragedy of allies turning on each other—ruined by you."
"Your Divine Evolution Temple is truly detestable. Why won’t you pests just die like the rats you are?"
"I’m... really starting to tire of this."
Beneath his gentle tone lurked a murderous intent, manifesting as four shadowy black dragon phantoms that surged in different directions.
Xie Ziyin swiftly retreated, shielding the unconscious Huaiming behind him as he clashed with the dragon using the power of the stars.
The little spirits of Jade Rhinoceros Valley huddled behind their "Little Turtle" senior brother, using him as a shield while they collectively fought the dragon.
The Thin Monk, his focus entirely on his senior brother and his cultivation the weakest among them, stood no chance against the black dragon. Just as the dragon’s claws were about to rend him apart, Lu Jiayao—who, for some inexplicable reason, had been left untouched in the eye of the storm—rushed over and yanked the Thin Monk to safety. He then raised his flute and played a melody to combat the dragon.
Even if this dragon was just a phantom, it probably still counted as a demonic beast, right?
In any case, brute force sometimes worked where skill failed—his horrendous flute playing seemed to dull the dragon’s movements, making it sluggish.
Wen Shuangbai lashed out with her Fire Plume Whip, binding the roaring, thrashing dragon. Suddenly, her brow furrowed, and she turned toward the sacred banner.
A shadowy figure emerged from a dark corner, making a beeline for the banner.
No—Di Qi was trying to destroy the sacred tower!
Wen Shuangbai kicked the dragon away and gave chase, only to sense something mid-stride.
She smirked, pivoted abruptly, and leaped onto the dragon pursuing her. With a few deft movements, she yanked out its "tendon."
No need for her to intervene—Senior Sister Zhuohua had arrived.
A woman clad in fiery red streaked toward them like a blazing comet.
Li Zhuohua was late to the scene and had no idea what was happening.
But this damned black-clad bastard dared to steal Qingling Mountain’s sacred banner and attack her juniors? He had a death wish!
With her here, who dared harm her people or take what was hers?
Without wasting a single word, Li Zhuohua swung her sword at Di Qi.
Her swordsmanship had reached perfection.
This strike was so formidable that even the frigid mountain’s sword intent yielded, granting her the essence of a Sword Saint.
The sword’s aura blazed like wildfire. Di Qi clenched his fist, his gaze locking onto Lu Jiayao, whose flute playing grated on his nerves. With a claw-like motion, he yanked Lu Jiayao in front of him, using him as a shield against the golden sword’s might.
Li Zhuohua desperately tried to retract her strike.
But the sword’s momentum was unstoppable. No matter how fast she reacted, the residual sword energy still struck Lu Jiayao.
"Pfft—!" Lu Jiayao’s eyes widened as he coughed up a torrent of blood. The force sent him crashing into a wall, then rebounding with such violence that he tumbled down the stairs, rolling and bouncing from the 81st floor all the way to the 70th, 60th... until he finally came to a stop at the 40th.
Every organ in his body felt shattered. His head lolled, his vision darkened, and he passed out.
He didn’t know that behind him lay a spherical formation, now dark after its energy source had been severed.
He also didn’t know that Li Zhuohua’s sword energy had cracked his storage ring.
As he lay unconscious, spirit stones, pills, and raw spirit stones spilled out, rolling toward the formation.
A faint hum. A glimmer of light.
The formation reactivated, gradually brightening once more.
---
A quarter-hour earlier, outside the sacred tower.
Elder Cao suddenly arrived in a hurry. "Sect Master, trouble—the people of Di Province are marching toward the tower."
The three old-timers were shrewd. Cao Xing’s words were all they needed.
Turtle Elder sighed. "The Purple Flame Realm’s tactic of inciting the masses and playing the victim is truly masterful."
Xu Jingshu instructed Cao Xing, "Xiao Cao, guard the mountain pass. Don’t let them through. And have our people watch for instigators in the crowd—keep an eye on them."
Cao Xing acknowledged the order and hurried off to prepare.
Soon, the people of Di Province surrounded the sacred mountain in layers, blocking all exits.
Their fury was palpable.
They hurled eggs and rotten vegetables at the elders and disciples of the three great sects guarding the base of the mountain.
The cultivators couldn’t retaliate.
Most of the crowd were ordinary, defenseless civilians.
Their faces twisted with rage, they raised their fists and shouted:
"Murderers! You killed our Di Province’s sect leader! You schemed to steal our sacred tower!"
"You vile scum—fix the Mystic Heaven Mirror and reveal the truth to the world!"
"They won’t dare! Those with inner demons can’t reach the end—none of them can ascend to the sacred hall and claim the banner! They shut off the Mystic Heaven Mirror to cheat!!"
"Get out of Di Province! Give us back our sacred tower!!"
"Yes, give it back!"
"Even if you take the tower, we’d rather die here than let you take it from Di Province! Right?!"
"RIGHT!! RIGHT!!"
The crowd’s fervor grew. Some even dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground as they wailed, "Sacred tower! Heavenly Dao! We beg you—smite the wicked and save Di Province! Save Mystic Heaven!!"
The others joined in, their voices hoarse with desperation.
Until someone in the crowd suddenly said, "Huh? The Mystic Heaven Mirror just lit up again?"
"Has the tower truly answered our prayers?"
"No—isn’t that Lu Jiayao? Is he dead?"
"Wait, there are so many people in the sacred hall... And that man in black—isn’t that Di Qi?! Why is Di Qi inside the tower?! And why is his golden dragon now black?"
The once-fervent crowd: "......???"
