The Cry of the Weak is as Melodious as a Wind Chime

On the same day, Teruno Sect.

The council hall doors were tightly shut, and a yellow talisman was pasted on each of the doors and windows. The array patterns under the eaves glowed with a faint light, suppressing all sounds inside the hall to a certain extent.

Lu Guang sat in the sect leader's seat, his fingers resting on the armrest, and remained silent for a long time.

There were seven people in the hall, all of whom were elders of the Zhaoye Sect who could currently make decisions.

The old man on the left was the first to lose his composure.

"Is that guy surnamed Nie really planning to stay on the mountain indefinitely?"

"I don't know."

Lu Guang turned his head to look east.

Only half of the mountain's silhouette could be seen through the paper window; Nie Chenzhou's temporary residence was in that direction.

It has been more than half a month since this person came up the mountain.

In the first few days, Lu Guang was afraid that the "fish" would escape, so he held a banquet one day and asked for advice the next. He even found a reason to let Nie Chenzhou see the old medicinal plants in the mountains.

only...

But then it turned out the other way around.

Nie Chenzhou is not leaving.

Lu Guang did not stay, nor did he mention going down the mountain. He spent his days either drinking tea in the courtyard or watching the outer disciples practice at the foot of the mountain.

Once, he even squatted by the herb garden and chatted with the old demon in charge of the herbs for half an hour, asking him all about where the Zhaoye Sect had the most people, which road led out of the mountain, and how many rounds of disciples patrolled at night.

A thin-faced elder said, "I've said it before, it's easy to invite a god but hard to send him away. Sect Master, why don't we make things clear today? Zhaoye Sect Temple is too small to accommodate such a big shot as him."

"And then what happens after it's made clear?"

Lu Guang asked, "What if he doesn't leave? What should we say then? Should we kick him out?"

The thin-faced elder shut his mouth.

Lu Guang looked down at his right hand.

Beneath the skin of the back of the hand, a few wisps of bluish-black energy were receding towards the wrist. The color had already faded considerably, and the borrowed ghostly energy was about to dissipate.

In order to prevent Nie Chenzhou from realizing that the Ghost Face Token had never been truly used, Lu Guang would draw out a wisp of ghost energy from the token every three days and press it into his meridians.

Lu Guang can endure it for now, but if this drags on, he won't be able to hold on for more than ten days.

"What about the children in Zongli?" Lu Guang asked.

The elder in charge of law enforcement replied, "Yesterday we were divided into three teams. The smallest ones are all in the outer courtyard. If anything changes, they can leave the mountain via the old road to the west as soon as possible."

"What about the people we've placed in the prefectural city?"

"We're already waiting. If anything goes wrong with the mountain lanterns, we'll knock on the gate immediately."

Lu Guang nodded. Those who needed to be moved had been moved, and the paths that needed to be kept open had been kept open. If they took any more steps, they would alert Nie Chenzhou.

"When will Senior Shen return?" an elder asked.

Lu Guang tucked his hands into his sleeves.

"wait."

"But what if..."

"wait."

After the second sound, the hall fell silent.

But suddenly someone outside the hall laughed.

"Sect Leader Lu, I trusted you so much, yet you betrayed me. This is not right."

All seven people in the hall looked up at the same time.

The yellow talismans on the doors and windows first bulged outwards, and then they all cracked open.

"boom--"

The entire council hall sank down, and the soundproof array couldn't even hold for a moment before shattering into countless points of light.

Then, the wooden door made a long thud as it was pushed open from the outside.

Sunlight streamed into the room.

Nie Chenzhou stood outside the threshold, still wearing that moon-white long robe, the cuffs clean, and his hair neatly tied up.

He was backlit, his face hidden in shadow, only the smile at the corner of his mouth was clearly visible.

"Mr. Nie."

Lu Guang remained seated. "The council hall is an important place for our sect. Shouldn't we have someone announce our arrival before entering?"

An elder stood up and shouted, "The Zhaoye Sect treated you as a guest; why did you force your way in!"

Nie Chenzhou glanced at him and swayed his right sleeve slightly.

No one could see where the ghostly aura came from.

The elder's robe suddenly collapsed, and he was sent flying backward, his back slamming into a pillar, which cracked in several places.

He coughed up blood as soon as he landed, and tried to get up, but he couldn't get any strength in his arms.

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly became tense, with some drawing their swords and others forming hand seals.

"stop!"

Lu Guang stood up.

He walked down the steps, step by step, to the front of the elders, and stood in front of them, blocking their way.

At this point, Lu Guang didn't try to deny it, but simply asked in a deep voice, "When did you figure that out?"

"First day up the mountain." Nie Chenzhou stepped over the threshold.

Lu Guang's eyelid twitched.

"The energy within the Ghost Mask Token isn't used like that," Nie Chenzhou said. "Your injuries have healed too quickly, and the ghost energy on your body is too weak. It needs to be replaced every three days. Sect Leader Lu is having a hard time pretending, and I'm having a hard time watching you."

"Since you already knew, why didn't you leave?"

"I can't bear to part with it."

Nie Chenzhou walked to a chair and wiped away non-existent dust from the back of the chair with his fingers.

"What I give you can heal your old wounds and also give Teruno Munechika another path."

He looked up. "I really don't understand why you would betray me."

"I was born and raised in Yan State. Even if Zhao Yezong and the court are at odds, it's just a family quarrel behind closed doors. It's none of the business of outsiders. Besides, the reputation of being a spy for an enemy country is too unpleasant. After I die, I will have no face to explain to my ancestors."

"That's one reason, though."

After listening, Nie Chenzhou nodded.

Lu Guang didn't reply. The energy beneath his feet had already spread along the cracks in the bricks, connecting with the array's core in the mountain. He began to examine the entire mountain gate to see if there was anything unusual.

"Stop looking, I have no help."

Nie Chenzhou smiled and said, "I'm enough to deal with you all by myself."

As the last word fell, his aura was no longer concealed in the slightest!

The sound of wood cracking echoed from inside the hall.

Several elders, their robes clinging to their bodies, stumbled backward, the weakest among them nearly collapsing to their knees.

Lu Guang spread his arms wide, releasing his vital energy to block the crowd, his shoes leaving two long marks on the blue bricks.

The auras collided... no, it should be said that Nie Chenzhou's ghostly aura swept over the area unilaterally.

In a matter of moments, the enormous council hall was completely transformed into thick black water by the ghostly energy.

The disciples in the mountains sensed something was wrong and cleverly ran to ring the bell.

Several deacons who were nearby were leading their disciples this way, but they had only just crossed the mountainside when they were forced to stop by the overwhelming ghostly aura.

"Sect Master! This is not the City Destruction Realm!"

The elder in charge of law enforcement struggled to his feet, his face drained of color.

Lu Guang certainly knew.

The oppressive air pressure was so great that even the rocks were sinking. He, with his City Destruction Realm cultivation, was bearing the pressure head-on, as if he were fighting against a massive boulder weighing tens of thousands of pounds. Every breath he took was extremely difficult.

"You take the younger disciples and leave first!"

Lu Guang shouted behind him, "Don't turn around!"

The three elders turned and left, while the remaining few placed their hands on Lu Guang's back and sent streams of vital energy into his body.

Despite this, they continued to suffer defeat after defeat.

Lu Guang pulled the sect leader's token from his waist and slammed it into the ground.

"Activate the formation!"

All the lampposts in the mountain lit up at the same time.

Beams of white light rose from various parts of the mountain, passed over everyone's heads, and converged in the center.

A few breaths later, a layer of white light fell down, enveloping the entire Teruno Sogo within it.

Rain fell from the sky.

The rain was light; the water droplets, upon encountering the ghostly aura, emitted white smoke, gradually fading the blackness.

The overwhelming aura surrounding Nie Chenzhou finally paused for a moment.

Seizing the opportunity, Lu Guang shouted to Nie Chenzhou:

"As long as the mountain base remains intact, the formation will not dissipate. So what if you are at the Breaking Cloud Realm? You won't be able to leave anytime soon. The city is right below the mountain. I have already ordered people to wait in the city. The news will be sent to the imperial court soon and spread throughout the city."

Lu Guangqiang, barely holding on, said, "A mere Cloud-Breaking Realm cultivator from Beiche Continent infiltrates the heart of Yan Kingdom and dares to slaughter an entire sect. Guess how many people the imperial court will send to surround you?"

"You not only betrayed me, but you also dare to threaten me?" Nie Chenzhou laughed as he sat in his chair.

One of the elders gritted his teeth and retorted, "You wicked fiend, you've already entered the formation, and you still dare to be arrogant!"

Nie Chenzhou turned to look at him: "What level are you at? Why are you talking to me like that?"

The elder did not answer.

"I'm stronger than you, so why can't I be arrogant?" Nie Chenzhou laughed. "Shouldn't the strong ruthlessly humiliate the weak?"

He spoke calmly, as if asking something perfectly ordinary.

"I'll give you another question."

Nie Chenzhou raised a finger. "I knew it was bait from the very first day, so why did I stay on the mountain for more than half a month?"

Lu Guang felt a tightness in his chest, a bad premonition suddenly arising within him.

Nie Chenzhou asked and answered himself: "I am not yet proficient in using the Three Incenses Reversal Formation passed down in my clan. Zhaoye Sect has the Mountain Root and so many living people, so it is perfect for me to practice with."

Lu Guang's expression finally changed: "You dare to undermine the foundation of my sect!!!"

"You got it right." Nie Chenzhou snapped his fingers.

At the foot of Mount Teruno, a beam of black light rose simultaneously from three directions.

The three beams of light did not shoot into the sky, but instead climbed upwards along the white light shield. When they reached the mountaintop, the black light merged and formed another layer of shield.

Black is on the inside, white is on the outside.

The next instant, the black shroud pushed outwards.

"Snap!"

The grand formation left behind by generations of the Zhaoye Sect cracked open at the mountaintop and couldn't even hold on for a moment.

Cracks instantly covered the entire white cover!

The white light shattered.

Lu Guang was connected to the mountain formation. He was struck in the chest by a heavy hammer, spitting out a mouthful of blood several feet long, and his knees hit the ground heavily.

Several elders behind him were also thrown aside by the recoil and rolled into the black mud.

He ignored the blood, grabbed the sect leader's token to prop himself up, and called down the mountain, "Don't rush into the enemy formation! Form groups of three and move closer to the elders of each academy!"

The sound only traveled a hundred feet before being crushed by the oppressive ghostly energy.

On both sides of the mountain road, a hundred mountain gate lanterns swayed simultaneously, then suddenly went out.

The black array completely enveloped the Zhaoye Sect.

Darkness pressed up from the foot of the mountain, and the entire mountain gate was plunged into night in the blink of an eye.

In the darkness, blurry ghostly faces emerged, crawling along the eaves and stone steps. Cries, laughter, and screams mingled together, turning the place into a ghostly paradise.

The disciple, who was descending the mountain, crashed into the "black shield," his forehead split open on the spot, and he couldn't even get an inch out.

Some tried to slash with swords, others tried to ram with their shoulders, but the "black mask" remained completely still.

The younger ones didn't know what had happened; they only knew that the mountain gate was gone and it was dark, so they cried and went to find their master.

The cries came one after another.

Nie Chenzhou stood in the middle of the darkness, closed his eyes, and listened for a while.

"The cries of the weak are as melodious as wind chimes."