Chapter 232: Wei Hai's Attack

Before Lin Xiao entered seclusion, he had instructed Liu Yunian to use the Yin-Yang Life and Death Array if the sect ever faced danger.

Holding the array disk in his hand, Liu Yunian felt uncertain. Although Brother Xiao had thoroughly explained how to use the array, he couldn't shake the anxiety in his heart.

A Nascent Soul cultivator... He was only at the Qi Refinement stage. Could he really stand against someone so powerful?

Time was running out, and there was no room for self-doubt. After carefully reviewing the instructions Lin Xiao had given him, he steeled his resolve and ran out of the storage room, heading towards the front of the mountain.

There was no other option!

Right now, this Yin-Yang Life and Death Array was the sect's only hope of contending with a Nascent Soul cultivator. They had to try.

Not long after the entire village and the Foundation Establishment cultivator from Shangyang Sect, who had been poisoned, were safely brought into the Heart-Testing Path, Wei Hai arrived at Shuxi Village. A disciple who had scouted ahead guided him.

By then, it was early morning, and the sky in the distance was turning pale.

As soon as Wei Hai flew over Shuxi Village, he noticed it was completely deserted. Not a single person was in sight. But soon, his attention was drawn to the mountain path, where it was crowded with people.

Surprised, Wei Hai raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself or perhaps to the disciple he was holding, "A whole group of mortals standing on a mountain path instead of sleeping? Interesting."

At that moment, a calm and elderly voice echoed through the skies above Shuxi Village.

"What brings you here, esteemed one?"

Wei Hai immediately spread out his spiritual sense to locate the speaker but found nothing. There seemed to be a barrier on the mountainside that blocked his senses.

It seemed this newly emerged sect had some tricks up its sleeve.

He responded, his voice booming across the sky, "Thieves! Return my spirit stone mine, and perhaps I will spare your lives."

Upon hearing this, Liao Pantou realized that the situation wouldn't end peacefully. However, he pretended not to know what Wei Hai was talking about and responded, "I'm not sure what spirit stone mine you speak of. We possess no such thing belonging to you."

Only our sect's own spirit stone mine, he thought to himself.

Wei Hai sneered at the response, "The guilty will always have excuses. If you don't hand over what belongs to me, don't blame me for being merciless!"

With that, he raised his hand, launching a massive black-and-red fireball toward the mountainside where the voice had come from.

The enormous fireball shot through the air, its searing heat causing the vegetation below to wither instantly.

In the next moment, the fireball collided with Lingxian Sect's protective array, shattering into countless smaller fireballs that rained down from the sky, igniting the surrounding forest.

Some of the fireballs fell towards the Heart-Testing Path, where the villagers stood. However, the petals on the ground suddenly rose into the air, forming a protective barrier that shielded the villagers from the falling flames.

The peach trees along the path swayed, shedding more petals that covered the road once again.

Inside Lingxian Sect, the members standing under the protective array watched in shock as the massive fireball exploded above them. They were frozen in place, stunned by the spectacle.

It was their first time witnessing such destruction.

A strong sense of dread washed over them, paralyzing them with fear. The terror in their hearts was so overwhelming that they couldn't even muster the instinct to flee.

Was this the power of an immortal?

In the past few months of cultivation, they had believed that cultivating was a way to lead better lives for themselves and others. They thought that becoming a cultivator meant growing crops more efficiently, escaping poverty, and pursuing truth, goodness, and beauty.

Although Elder Liao occasionally warned them of the harsh realities of the cultivation world, it had always seemed like a distant story to them, something abstract and far away.

Even their closest encounter with danger—when Lin Xiao single-handedly defeated the Silver Frost Serpent—hadn't felt as real. After all, that opponent was a demon beast, not a human.

They had always believed that immortals, with their dignity and grandeur, were different from ordinary people. They held themselves to what they thought were the standards of immortals, striving to do things mortals couldn't and to help others.

But now, they had seen the truth. The immortals of the outside world were capable of terrifying destruction. To such powerful beings, all those weaker than them were mere ants.

In the face of such overwhelming power, they were helpless.

Lin Ying, only seven years old, was initially stunned into silence. But after a moment, tears began to stream down her face. However, she bit her lip, refusing to cry out loud.

Her third brother had told her that when facing enemies, she must not cry. Even if she couldn't hold back, she shouldn't let anyone hear or see her fear.

This terrifying display of power shocked most of Lingxian Sect's members.

But it didn't faze Liao Pantou.

Watching the fireball explode, he thought, This guy's not that strong. The fireball was poorly formed and lacked substance, a sign of weak foundations and unstable spiritual energy. His cultivation method must be subpar, probably only of middle-grade mystic rank at best. If I were at full strength, dealing with this Nascent Soul junior would be child's play. Sigh, what a pity.

He glanced down at the Heart-Testing Path. Who would've thought that Lin Xiao's creation would be so formidable, even capable of protecting people? This level of path is rare, even among sects in the cultivation world.

The stunned sect members were jolted back to reality by Sun Yigao's shout, "Put out the fire!"

Everyone snapped out of their shock and saw that Sun Yigao was already using irrigation techniques to extinguish the blazing forest. They quickly suppressed their fear and joined in the effort.

Meanwhile, Wei Hai, seeing his first attack fail and noticing spells being cast to extinguish the flames, grew irritated.

Do they really think they can hide behind this turtle shell? he thought. Right in front of me, they dare to put out the fire?

He was determined to break through this protective array. If he had managed to shatter Shangyang Sect's array, how hard could it be to smash this small sect's defenses?

Just as Wei Hai was about to launch another attack, he sensed a group of people approaching the village from the road outside.

No one noticed that the sky over Shuxi Village, which should have been growing brighter with the morning light, was gradually darkening.