Indeed, in his final moments, the Beast God thanked Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan replied that it was no trouble, as he had already paid him. This wasn't just polite talk, because the Beast God had indeed taught Lu Xuan how to manipulate demonic energy and control beasts.
Although that method was a secret technique inherent to the Beast God, Lu Xuan, with his knowledge, still managed to extract what he wanted from it. To achieve the Beast God's ability to manipulate and twist fully magical beasts with a wave of his hand was virtually impossible. However, against some weakened versions of Dao soldiers, it still possessed absolute suppressive power.
Lu Xuan gently raised his hand, and a handful of grains appeared in his palm. The witchcraft of the Southern Frontier was completely different from the Taoist arts of the Central Plains. In fact, most of those ancient witchcrafts directly borrowed the power of heaven and earth. This was entirely different from the concept of cultivators in the Central Plains plundering the power of heaven and earth into their own bodies.
Moreover, the practice of true sorcery is both difficult and simple. It's difficult because not everyone can use witchcraft. Only a very few, those who are recognized, can become sorcerers. In ancient times, becoming a sorcerer required a certain innate recognition, rather than acquired cultivation like in the cultivation circles of Central China.
Simply put, if you become a wizard, casting spells becomes very easy. Like the wizards used by the Beast God, their power is immense, capable of destroying the world. But the process of casting the spells is simple. They often only need a few simple ritualistic movements to unleash unprecedented, vast power. This is also the difference between witchcraft and Taoist magic.
Ancient sacrifices required neither blood nor living people or animals. The sacrifices of that time used the simplest grains—the kind Lu Xuan held in his hand. Because grains were the core of human survival.
Just like the grains that Lu Xuan scattered in his hands, this was the greatest respect for heaven and earth.
The Dao soldiers who had been charging wildly suddenly stopped. They stood still, looking at Lu Xuan as if they were seeing the Beast God of the past.
Lu Xuan uttered some kind of ancient incantation. It was like a special language, and the Dao soldiers in front of him began to stir upon hearing it. All the Heavenly Fiend Dao soldiers knelt down on the ground. Not only them, but even the originally frenzied and bloodthirsty fishmen behind him stood frozen in place.
They were originally derivatives of the Beast God. At this time, Lu Xuan inherited part of the Beast God's mantle, and these simple-minded beings naturally regarded Lu Xuan as the new Beast God.
This unexpected turn of events left everyone from Burning Incense Valley dumbfounded. They didn't know that Lu Xuan had known from the beginning that Burning Incense Valley was up to something, so how could he not have made preparations?
In reality, his trip to Southern Xinjiang was essentially to give Incense Valley a reason to take action. He just hadn't expected them to be so impatient.
Yun Yilan's plan was actually quite good. If it weren't for Lu Xuan, the power they brought would have been enough to keep all these cultivators from the Central Plains here. This would have dealt another heavy blow to the Central Plains cultivation world, and it was entirely possible that their other force would have wiped out the entire Central Plains cultivation world.
Seeing that Lu Xuan had subdued the opponent's main force with a single move, the cultivators present could no longer tolerate it.
"Attack! Slaughter these heretics to the last drop!" Clearly, at this moment, Burning Incense Valley had become the epitome of heretics. There was no way around it; labeling was something only the powerful did.
Lu Xuan let out a sharp roar. The Heavenly Fiend soldiers and even the fishmen seemed to have received some kind of command, and began to frantically turn around and charge towards the people of Burning Incense Valley.
Yun Yilan was also a shrewd and ambitious man. Seeing that things were hopeless, he immediately led a team of elite disciples to retreat. As long as they returned to the sect, they could use the sect's formations to deal with these cultivators. However, Hongyu, who was beside Lu Xuan, had been watching him for a long time.
Seeing that Yun Yilan was about to escape, the Golden Cicada was immediately drawn.
"Split Light!!" came a hurried shout. The golden cicada transformed into countless sword shadows in mid-air, directly engulfing Yun Yilan's team.
Sword cultivators are generally straightforward and honest, and Hongyu especially disliked Yun Yilan, who was prone to hiding his true intentions. This time, she was truly enraged. The golden cicada unleashed an unprecedented golden light.
Yun Yilan, confident in his status as a top-tier expert in the current cultivation world, would not back down. A semi-transparent flame appeared in his hand. This flame rose high in the wind, transforming into a sky full of fiery clouds, blocking Hongyu's sword light.
A rare ruthlessness flashed across Hongyu's face.
"Break the Heavens!" The sword energy in the sky suddenly contracted. Yun Yilan instinctively sensed something was wrong, and saw a Bagua bronze mirror rise from his chest, blocking his way.
The next second, a tremendous sense of rupture washed over the hearts of all the cultivators present. Hongyu's Heaven-Shattering Sword had already touched the edge of certain laws. A flash of sword light, and Yun Yilan's body plummeted from the sky...
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Chapter 464 Kui Niu
After Yun Yilan's death, the outcome of the battle was almost a foregone conclusion. The Incense Valley had originally relied on the power of external forces, such as the so-called Heavenly Fiend Soldiers, to deplete the power of the Central Plains cultivation world.
Once these people were easily turned against them by Lu Xuan, they lost their greatest support. Adding to this, Valley Master Yun Yilan was killed by Hong Yu with a single sword strike. The remaining disciples immediately lost their composure.
Some wanted to escape, while others wanted to surrender. But the enraged cultivators from the Central Plains paid no heed. They simply slaughtered all the disciples of the Incense Valley.
The resentment from the massacre at the hands of the Beast God was now being vented on the Incense Valley. This sect, with its thousand-year-old heritage, was ultimately destroyed by its own ambition.
In the Central Plains, near the Swamp of Death, countless layers of flesh and ashes covered the entire land. A joyful firebird danced in the sky. But to the disciples of the Incense Valley, this scene was like a nightmare.
That inconspicuous little red bird, in less than a quarter of an hour, completely annihilated the entire army of Burning Incense Valley. They didn't know what it was, only that the firebird seemed tireless. The flames it ignited could not be extinguished by any means. Once touched, one was reduced to ashes. Even their souls were scattered.
The opponent merely flew around once, turning thousands of mutated fishmen into ashes. Each of those Heavenly Fiend Dao Soldiers possessed combat power equivalent to a Qingyun Sect Leader. But before that firebird, they were like toys, crumbling at the slightest touch. More than thirty Dao Soldiers vanished completely in just a dozen breaths.
The disciples of Burning Incense Valley were panicked, and Shangguan Ce, their leader, was even more so. He had initially underestimated the young woman facing Hongxiu. But after their first exchange, he realized his mistake. This woman was not human. Shangguan Ce had cultivated for quite some time; most cultivators in this world would address him as "senior." However, his level of cultivation was utterly inadequate against Hongxiu.
In fact, the Hidden Immortal Sect's Golden Core standard would roughly be equivalent to Dao Xuan's standard in this world. Lu Xuan and Hong Xiu have progressed further, reaching the late Golden Core stage. As for Hong Xiu, Xin Shisi Niang and others are only at the early stage. In terms of cultivation, they are much stronger than Shangguan Ce, but they are not at the point of being powerless to fight back.
But this time, the True Fire of the Sun was flanking them. This terrified Shangguan Ce, who feared the strange firebird would swoop down and strike him. Even so, the unknown female spiritual cultivator was the greatest enemy he had ever encountered.
It can only be said that Fenxiang Valley's failure to participate in the Beast God War was a huge loss to their horizons. Someone of Hongxiu's caliber was already a formidable foe. If they were to witness the Beast God fighting Dao Xuan and Lu Xuan, they would surely kneel in awe.
Hongxiu is the head steward of the Hidden Immortal Sect. Proficient in formations and possessing a quiet and easygoing personality, she is responsible for various logistical matters within the sect. She rarely ventures outside and has little reputation. However, this does not mean she is weak. In fact, within the entire sect, apart from Lu Xuan and Hongxiu, no one dares to claim they can defeat her.
Shangguan Ce's signature magic weapon was the Mystic Ice Thorn. While everyone in the Incense Valley used fire magic, he was the only one who used ice. He was quite unique. However, what he didn't know was that this traditional variation of the Five Elements magic was completely countered by the Hidden Immortal Sect. This was because the Hidden Immortal Sect's most famous magic weapon was the Five Elements Mirror.
The original purpose of such magical artifacts is to transform or restrain common elements of the Five Elements. The Five Elements Mirror's influence extends beyond just metal, wood, water, fire, and earth; it has long since expanded to include spells based on wind, thunder, and ice. After several rounds, Shangguan Ce chose to surrender.
There was no response from the sect. He had a strong feeling that Yun Yilan was very likely to suffer the same fate as him. Therefore, Shangguan Ce chose to surrender, hoping to survive. He had already sensed that the female cultivator opposite him was becoming impatient. If he insisted on provoking her, he would probably be annihilated.
............
These various trivial matters continued for several years before the Beast God incident finally came to a complete end. Burning Incense Valley was subsequently divided up by various major sects.
The cultivation world in the Central Plains also began to lick its wounds and recuperate. A few remaining sects with established traditions chose to go into seclusion to recover their strength.
Sects suffering heavy casualties and facing a generational gap began to recruit disciples extensively to replenish their ranks with fresh blood. The entire cultivation world was entering a completely new era: the era of Jade Dynasty 2.0.
Just as the new era was dawning, Lu Xuan's Hidden Immortal Sect welcomed a special guest.
That day, a young man dressed in black arrived at the Hidden Immortal Sect. He specifically requested to see Lu Xuan. At this time, Lu Xuan was the number one cultivator in the entire cultivation world, not just anyone. Every day, all sorts of people came to see him, and Lu Xuan, annoyed by the constant stream of visitors, simply refused to see anyone.
But this young man was different. He claimed to be Lu Xuan's disciple. The gatekeepers, no longer daring to be careless, invited the young man into the sect to wait, then reported to Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan was initially taken aback, but then understood.
"I think I know who it is. Let's go see him."