Chapter 62: The Traitor

A hundred white dragons soared out of the misty sea to confront the four attacks. Naturally, fifty of them were sent to deal with Linghuo Shangren’s attack.
These white dragons, formed from spiritual energy, rushed forward immediately, only to scatter in chaos as their roars and explosive breaths shook the heavens.
Fortunately, when Muyuan Zhanxing slashed at seven or eight white dragons in a row, his vital energy was exhausted, causing his sword to weaken and disappear soon after. The sky fire, extremely powerful, ignited five of the white dragons upon impact, creating five fire dragons in the air. After struggling and rolling around in pain, they exploded one after another, barely reducing the sky fire to a single flame, which was then swallowed by the remaining dragons.
The mighty golden sword, “Rui Po Kongxu,” was immediately surrounded by five white dragons as it descended, instantly engulfing the sword. Soon, both the dragons and the sword vanished.
The attacks from Qianshun, Wanchang, and Yongshan were thankfully blocked by the white dragons.
However, Linghuo Shangren’s “Yun Kong Zhen Huo” was met first by ten white dragons, which were instantly burned to ashes without any resistance. These true flames were still at the early stage of leaving the body, and under Dongzhen Shangren’s control, the white dragons only possessed the strength of late Yuan Ying stage, so they collapsed at the slightest contact.
Still, Dongzhen Shangren saw that the ten white dragons had absorbed some of his true flame energy, so he immediately sent another forty white dragons to confront it.
Roar! Roar!
The white dragons howled and scattered, turning back into spiritual energy that filled the sky and earth.
Yun Kong Zhen Huo burned forty white dragons in one go, while half of its energy rushed into the white mist layer above Zhuiyun Peak.
Whoosh!
The entire white mist layer ignited like a spark thrown into white oil, spreading rapidly. In the blink of an eye, an area of a hundred miles became a sea of fire, with each wave of spiritual energy igniting another.
But Yun Kong Zhen Huo’s energy was completely consumed by this misty spiritual energy. Although the view of Zhuiyun Peak reappeared, the true flame never reached it.
Inside Zhuiyun Tower, Dongzhen Shangren took a deep breath in relief—he had managed to withstand Linghuo Shangren’s attack.

In the air, Linghuo Shangren paused for a moment before smiling interestingly and saying, “Not bad. This great sect defense formation can actually gather all the spiritual energy from the surroundings to defend against attacks. The idea is truly excellent. With a cultivator at the mid-Yuan Ying stage controlling the center of the formation, it can withstand my ultimate attack. It seems that the Xianyun Sect does have some depth.” Qian Shun, Wan Chang, and Yong Shan could only stand silently aside. Huai Qing, in front of the Xianyun Hall, felt relieved when he saw that the Demon Extermination Formation had indeed withstood the attacks of the powerful enemies. As for the lower-level disciples on Zuiyun Peak, who had been terrified by the huge sea of spiritual energy fire above them earlier, they immediately cheered loudly when the white mist reappeared, their spirits lifted. “Hall Master, what should we do now?” Yong Shan asked cautiously. A flash of anger vanished instantly from Linghuo Shangren’s eyes as he smiled and said, “Wait a moment. Let my spiritual awareness scan this formation to figure out the best way to attack.” Yong Shan was shocked and immediately fell silent, realizing that his question had somewhat seemed like an attempt to push the Hall Master of Huoyue Palace, which naturally angered him. Just then, the forty Golden Core cultivators from Huoyue Palace attacked the thirty-five cultivation peaks of the Xianyun Sect. Each peak used the Demon Extermination Formation to easily block those forty attacks of true energy. As soon as the attacks arrived, each peak activated the formation, turning the white mist into a white dragon, a group of white pythons, hundreds of blades, or dozens of sword formations. Each peak gathered spiritual energy to create various attack methods while simultaneously fighting back against the Golden Core cultivators from Huoyue Palace. The dragon soared through the air, roaring and attacking with its claws and tail, dealing fierce blows to the Golden Core cultivators. The white pythons rose into the air, coiling around them and biting fiercely, some even resorting to collective self-destruction. The blades rushed upward with a loud sound, slashing at the Golden Core cultivators with deadly precision and chilling intensity. The spiritual energy sword formations flew into the air to surround the Golden Core cultivators, attacking and defending with ease, leaving them in a desperate situation. This wave of attacks by the Xianyun Sect managed to kill all ten early Golden Core disciples of Huoyue Palace. Several mid-Golden Core cultivators also suffered severe internal injuries and were temporarily unable to attack the Xianyun Sect. After a while, all the Golden Core cultivators who had attacked the Xianyun Sect returned to the skies above Zuiyun Peak and reported the situation to Yong Shan.

“What? This sect defense array can not only defend but also launch attacks!” Yongshan said in pain.
Linghuo Shangren glanced coldly at the people of Huoyue Gate, then his eyes lit up as he laughed loudly, “Yongshan, Chuiyun Peak is controlled by someone at the mid-Yuan Ying stage, and even the four of us together can’t break its defenses. But the other peaks are controlled by people at the Jin Dan stage— I don’t believe their defenses are as strong as Chuiyun Peak’s. Let’s start by destroying those thirty-five peaks. By the time I look back, if only Chuiyun Peak remains, how can it withstand our four attacks?”
Yongshan smiled.
Linghuo Shangren, Qianshun, Wanchang, and Yongshan immediately flew away from Chuiyun Peak and headed to the other peaks. Meanwhile, the Jin Dan stage members of Huoyue Gate began patrolling the skies.
The four arrived above Fenglan Peak, the cultivation site of Huaiqing’s eldest disciple, Kangfeng.
“Let’s attack together!”
Seeing the spiritual energy flowing around Fenglan Peak, as if all the spiritual energy from the other peaks was converging there, Linghuo Shangren spoke cautiously.
“Yes, Lord!” Qianshun, Wanchang, and Yongshan replied in unison.
Instantly, the four unleashed their ultimate techniques again.
“Meteoric True Fire!”
“Woodly Origin Star Slicer!”
“Heavenly Fire Descension!”
“Piercing Void!”
Just like when attacking Chuiyun Peak, the four cast the same spells simultaneously, confident that Fenglan Peak would crumble instantly.
Suddenly, to their astonishment, the white mist on Fenglan Peak formed a hundred giant white dragons, which, just like on Chuiyun Peak, managed to fend off their attacks.
Only after the massive sea of spiritual energy disappeared did Linghuo Shangren say awkwardly, “What kind of sect defense array is this? How can all thirty-six peaks share their spiritual energy and combine their magical powers, yet still have equal defenses?”
Qianshun, Wanchang, and Yongshan were also puzzled, looking at the layers of white mist below them in confusion.
This time, Yongshan didn’t dare to ask Linghuo Shangren again and waited quietly, curious about what other tricks the Lord of Huoyue Gate might have up his sleeve.
Linghuo Shangren pondered whether to use his ultimate technique—projecting his Yuan Ying to draw on the natural spiritual energy and directly compete with Xianyun Sect for it, before attacking the sect defense array. While this might break Xianyun Sect’s array, it would cost him some of his vital energy and lifespan, a high price to pay.

Just as Linghuo Shangren hesitated, Yongshan suddenly burst into laughter and then sent a message to him through his spiritual sense. “Patriarch, our informant inside the Xianyun Sect just sent me a message. He told us to go to his cultivation peak—he has a way to disrupt this Thirty-Six Peaks Demon Extermination Array.” Upon hearing this, Linghuo Shangren also laughed wildly. Soon, the four of them arrived above Longyao Peak, the cultivation site of Elder Huaijin. At that moment, on Chuiyun Peak, Huaiqing was comforting the lower-ranked disciples. “Everyone, listen up. This is the great protective array left to us by our sect’s ancestors—called the Thirty-Six Peaks Demon Extermination Array. Once activated, all peaks can serve as the core of the array, ensuring equal defensive strength for each one. You can now relax and stop making noise; just wait quietly for the enemy to leave.” Huaiqing patiently explained this to calm the disciples’ anxiety. Only then did the hundreds of disciples fully settle down, ceasing their chatter and even crying. Suddenly, Huaiqing’s face turned pale, filled with disbelief, and then with resentment. “Huaijin…” The lower-ranked disciples, with their keen ears, heard those two words spoken by Huaiqing. Above Longyao Peak, the layer of white mist began to thin rapidly, and the spiritual energy from the surrounding cultivation peaks could no longer flow freely—meaning the sharing of spiritual energy among the Thirty-Six Peaks was no longer possible. “Fellow Huaijin, abandon darkness and embrace light! Welcome!” Yongshan laughed wildly in the air. Then, Linghuo Shangren, Qianshun, Wanchang, and Yongshan all landed on Longyao Peak. Huaijin stood at the core of the array, constantly changing his techniques to reverse the Demon Extermination Array and completely disperse the white mist. Both Huaiqing and Dongzhen Shangren realized that Huaijin had betrayed the sect. They both felt regret, but their hearts were filled with despair. The Thirty-Six Peaks Demon Extermination Array had been Huaiqing’s greatest reliance for protecting the sect. Who would have thought that a traitor like Huaijin, even one of his own junior disciples, would exist? Such despair could almost break even a Yuan Ying. “Huaijin, you traitor!” Filled with anger, Huaiqing flew straight above Chuiyun Peak, using his vital energy to spread these words throughout the Thirty-Six Peaks of the Xianyun Sect. Everyone on the peaks heard Huaiqing’s words and, through the situation of the Demon Extermination Array, realized that Huaijin had betrayed the sect. Immediately, everyone on the Thirty-Six Peaks began to curse and insult Huaijin with all their might.

But what’s the use of that?