Chapter 118: An Unprecedented Great Demon

Yuntian sat down slowly and said in a deep voice, "Five hundred years ago, a Great Demon led the demon race to sweep across the Nine Provinces."

"Six human ancestors exhausted the fortune of the Nine Provinces to barely seal it away."

"A Great Demon?" Li Yunji’s heart trembled.

Those legends, which he thought existed only in ancient books, were actually true.

"An unprecedented Great Demon," Yuntian nodded slightly, his youthful yet steady voice echoing once more. "Its power was comparable to that of the gods."

"The human ancestors sacrificed their mortal bodies, and in the end, my Yun family ancestor, Yun Chen, used the Yin-Yang Array Eye to imprison it in the depths of the South Sea."

As Yuntian spoke, his tone grew increasingly heavy. His youthful brow furrowed, and his eyes revealed a sense of melancholy.

"Since then, the fortune of the Nine Provinces has withered. For five hundred years, no one has been able to break through the Heavenly Gate or embark on the path to ascension."

"Even practitioners of all major disciplines have found it difficult to break through to the second rank."

Li Yunji lowered his head in thought.

No wonder today’s top experts are only of the second rank; it turns out they are all hindered by the aftermath of sealing that Great Demon.

"So, your South Sea Yun family is responsible for guarding that Great Demon through the generations?"

Yuntian nodded, his tone firm: "Exactly."

Li Yunji glanced at the rune in his hand and frowned: "According to what you say, this sealing formation should also be in your custody. Why did it fall into the hands of the Witch Tribe?"

Yuntian let out a long sigh and explained: "Three hundred years ago, the seal on Mu Nanqing’s formation cracked once."

"At that time, the Yun family predecessor responsible for guarding it had his mind clouded by a trace of Mu Nanqing’s demonic aura."

"He stole the secret method of the Yin-Yang Array Eye, fled the South Sea, and eventually ended up in the Northern Desert, changing his surname to Tuoba."

"That is the origin of the Northern Desert Witch Tribe."

So that was it.

Li Yunji’s mind raced as the clues became clear. This was the goal of the Witch Tribe!

They intended to break the seal and release Mu Nanqing!

Yuntian nodded, his gaze sharp as he replied coldly: "Indeed."

"If the seal is broken, the human world will inevitably suffer a catastrophe."

"Since your family head knew that the Northern Desert Witch Tribe consisted of rogue Yun family members, why didn't he take action to stop them earlier?" Li Yunji questioned.

If they had nipped the Witch Tribe in the bud early on, there wouldn't be all these problems today.

"It’s not as simple as you think!" Yuntian retorted impatiently. "The family head must constantly guard against the seal loosening; he cannot simply leave the South Sea!"

Li Yunji made an "oh" sound and touched his chin, shifting the topic: "This Yin-Yang Array Eye shouldn't be that easy to undo, right?"

A cold light flashed in Yuntian’s eyes as he spoke slowly: "The Yin-Yang Array Eye is inherently unsolvable, unless..."

"Unless what?" Li Yunji felt a vague sense of unease.

"Unless Mu Nanqing is allowed to recover the demonic power of his peak period."

"Isn't he sealed?" Li Yunji asked grimly. "How could he recover it?"

Yuntian remained silent for a long time before saying in a grave tone: "Sacrifice."

"Using at least ten thousand practitioners as sacrifices to reshape his demonic soul can help him break the seal."

Li Yunji was shaken to the core!

So those thirty thousand private soldiers weren't aiming for a specific target at all.

It was everyone at the Heshan Poetry Gathering!

What kind of poetry gathering was this?

It was clearly an altar!

"The Yun family head must have foreseen this catastrophe, right?"

Li Yunji suddenly recalled what Gu Xian'er said when she came to Beiling. The catastrophe mentioned by Yun Zhengxin must have referred to this.

Yuntian nodded: "The family head said that you are the only one who can resolve this crisis."

It was the exact same thing Gu Xian'er had said.

"Then did Senior Yun say how to resolve it?" Li Yunji asked, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

"This is a heavenly secret," Yuntian stated righteously. "If the family head were to reveal it, it would only lead to unpredictable changes."

Great, asking was a waste of time.

Li Yunji let out a long breath, forced a fake smile, and asked again: "Has your family head ever been wrong?"

"What do you mean by that?!" A trace of anger flashed in Yuntian’s eyes: "The family head’s art of divination has always been accurate."

"I was just asking," Li Yunji laughed. "Why are you getting so worked up?"

Yuntian hung his head and ignored him.

"By the way," after a moment of silence, Li Yunji spoke again, "Gu Xian'er used this sealing technique last night."

"Will that cause any problems?"

Yuntian’s brows twitched, and he muttered, "No wonder the seal loosened."

Then he let out a sigh of relief and continued: "Fortunately, the family head reinforced the seal in time, otherwise she would have caused a huge disaster."

After speaking, Yuntian glared at Li Yunji impatiently and asked coldly: "Did you tell her to activate the technique?"

"Absolutely not!" Li Yunji immediately raised three fingers in an oath.

"I kept telling her not to, but she insisted on activating the rune!"

"I swear on my conscience, it has absolutely nothing to do with me!"

Without blinking or missing a beat, Li Yunji said it so convincingly that he almost believed it himself.

Yuntian frowned slightly, unable to detect any deception, and lowered his face again.

Li Yunji took a sip of tea and asked tentatively: "Is Gu Xian'er very close with your South Sea Yun family?"

Yuntian thought for a moment and explained: "After Tuoba Mu fled the South Sea, the family head sent his subordinates to hunt him down."

"Who would have thought that Tuoba Mu was so well-hidden that the protectors found nothing after searching for years."

"So they simply established a stronghold in the Central Plains, which became the predecessor of the Ming Tower."

So you were the same family all along.

No wonder Gu Xian'er could be so close to Yun Qiwu.

The hall remained silent for a long time. Yuntian looked Li Yunji up and down and said impatiently: "Now that you know the ins and outs of the matter, how do you intend to deal with it?"

Judging by his tone, he did not seem to have high hopes for Li Yunji.

Li Yunji put down his teacup, his expression serious and his gaze firm: "I don't know!"

Yuntian almost cursed out loud.

If you don't know, why act so profound?

Li Yunji began to count on his fingers: "Thirty thousand private soldiers—can't handle them."

"The Heshan Poetry Gathering is just around the corner, and many great scholars have already arrived—can't stop it."

"The Northern Desert Witch Tribe—can't find them."

"The only way right now is to persuade my second uncle and the Crown Prince."

"Do you think I can convince them with these stories?"

"You'll only make excuses," Yuntian snorted in disdain. "I don't know what the family head sees in you."

"Why don't you ask your family head how I should handle this?"

Li Yunji’s words were laced with resentment.

If your family head says I can resolve it, he should at least give me a hint.

Just shouting without taking action is nonsense.

Yuntian stopped responding, turned, and swept away.

After walking a few steps, he sighed again, took a pill from his sleeve, and placed it on the table with great reluctance.

"What is this?" Li Yunji frowned.

"A gift from the family head for your first meeting," Yuntian said, sounding a bit jealous. "It’s made from South Sea fairy herbs."

"It can help you improve your cultivation."

Li Yunji’s eyes lit up: "How much can it improve?"

Yuntian didn't look him in the eye, pouted, and said: "With your current cultivation, you can break through."

Upon hearing this, Li Yunji did not hesitate for a second. He grabbed the pebble-sized pill and swallowed it whole!

He was currently at the fifth rank; after the breakthrough, he would be at the fourth!

To hell with the chastity curse!