Qi Shuming opened the gates of the Immortal Mansion, unleashing a dazzling display of myriad auspicious mists and countless beams of light that made every droplet of mist above Emei Mountain sparkle with crystalline brilliance, their divine light resplendent with vibrant colors.

All those across the corners of Emei Mountain — practicing martial arts, meditating, or worshiping — were stunned by this extraordinary sight.

At first, they thought Zen Master Xiao Yue had revealed another "miracle" and rushed towards the peak, only to realize it wasn't so, and then started heading towards the mountainside.

Eventually, everyone gathered at the entrance to the Immortal Mansion that led to the outside world, a portal that ripped open on a precipitous cliffside, where Immortal Energy swirled within, the light inside blazingly radiant.

More and more people crowded around, conversing animatedly; those with courage and high martial skills even wanted to rely on their Qinggong to ascend and venture into the cave.

In fact, by this time, Xuan Zhenzi and Xun Lanyin had already left with the departing disciples of the Emei Sect using the Taiqing Invisible Sword Escape.

These Disciples had all refused to leave, wanting to share the fate of the Emei Sect, repeatedly begging on their knees, but Qi Shuming obstinately insisted, forcing them all to depart.

Thinking this departure might be their last, the disciples, tears streaming down their faces, kowtowed to their masters; Li Yingqiong and Zhou Qingyun even wished to leave behind their Purple and Blue Double Swords but were refused.

There were elders and those of the younger generation pleading on behalf of Golden Cicada; even Xuan Zhenzi spoke up, mentioning how in his past life, Golden Cicada was so devoted to the Dao that he had not enjoyed any celestial blessings. Given that he was still young in this life, he should be allowed to leave and not face disaster here.

Qi Shuming did not permit it, "As the son of the Sect Leader, how could he shrink from duty while the entire sect faces such a crisis? Others may leave, but he cannot!"

Qi Xia'er tearfully knelt to plead with her parents, offering to take Golden Cicada's place, "I have been a disciple of Master You Tan for many years and have received my full share of divine fortune. Golden Cicada is our family's boy; mother and father, please allow me to stay in his place, so he may continue our Qi family's lineage."

Xun Lanyin laughed on the spot, "Silly child, have you lost your senses? The Qi family's descendants are already in the Human World, why the need to remain behind? In this life, he is destined to ascend to immortality; staying would only possibly ruin his path to immortality, and that's not worth much.

All our children are capable; you each have your responsibilities and none can shirk them! Now, with the Emei Sect facing a great calamity, if truly unable to withstand the Demon, is there any hope for those within the nest? To confront these demons, if you fear them, you will surely lose!"

Xun Lanyin displayed a woman's grace, "All female disciples of the Emei Sect, listen! Whether you are leaving or staying, you all have your responsibilities. If, indeed, we all fall at the hands of the Blood Demon and the Red Corpse God Monarch, those of you who are temporarily departing have the duty to revitalize Emei and continue the Dao tradition! Then, you may likely have to endure humiliation, taking refuge beneath others, not knowing how much indignation you'll have to swallow, which might not be any easier than those who stay. Delay no further, go now!"

Finally, those who were leaving made their bows and goodbyes, led swiftly apart by Xuan Zhenzi and Xun Lanyin to safe locations.

After the gates of the Immortal Mansion were opened, Qi Shuming distributed tasks to each person, instructing them on their positions and how to act if they encountered the Red Corpse and the Blood Demon.

And so, several days and nights passed, within the Immortal Mansion all was quiet, serene.

However, outside, the Jianghu people were accumulating in greater numbers, the bold and skilled ones beginning to climb the cliff.

The entrance to the Immortal Mansion stood dozens of feet above the ground, normally a smooth, unbroken cliffside that, when opened, revealed a portal. Immortals would fly in and out freely, thus avoiding disturbance by mortals.

Now, these individuals, relying on their adept Qinggong, had climbed up, a total of five entered the portal, advancing cautiously and discussing among themselves, "Brother, do you think there really could be treasures in here? I have a bad feeling about this."

"A natural phenomenon, there must be treasures emerging, the legends always say so."

"But what if it's a demon?" another female disciple questioned, "Could this also be a demon's cave? It seems very likely that there might be a great demon inside capable of swallowing clouds and spewing mists."

Another elder said, "Didn't someone ask Ancestor Zhu and the other masters? They said that this place is filled with outcasts from the Emei Sect, sinners whose wicked deeds were expelled from the sect by the Great Ancestor, sealed within the mountain."

"Then should we still dare to enter? They must be extremely evil and will kill us on sight!" The woman was visibly anxious.

"What's there to fear? If they are evil, aren't we, the Black Mountain Five Ghosts, any better? Since coming to Emei Mountain and becoming disciples, we've learned the Nine Heavens Sword Skill in a few months, mastering it thoroughly, but what use is that?

They have Immortal Laws but won't teach us. Let's ally with the underground Emei Sect, inform them of all that's happening above, and as long as we can learn Immortal Laws, we'll help those below to deal with those above!"

The five continued inside, traversing a long corridor, arriving at a vast stone hall.

Inside the great hall, which served as a reception area, there were many giant stone seats, ornately carved with dragons and phoenixes, awe-inspiring in grandeur. It was devoid of people when suddenly, colored mists stirred and, from the largest stone throne at the center against the north wall, Emei Sect Leader Qi Shuming appeared.

"Immortal!" The Black Mountain Five Ghosts hurried forward excitedly upon seeing him, "Immortal! We beseech you to take us as your disciples! We'll help you fight against that Xiao Yue Monk outside!"

The one leading them moved particularly fast, and in an instant, he was in front of the stone seat.

Qi Shuming shouted loudly, "Blood Demon! You think you can fool me?"

He raised his hand and emitted Taiqing Divine Light, enveloping the man below, ready to unleash the Taiqing Mysterious Sect's Invisible Sword Energy. But suddenly, the man's body rapidly contracted into a sphere of flesh and blood, with bones and muscles gathered together, the size of a bowl, not stopping for a moment, explosively expanding outward anew.

"Pop!" A crisp explosion sounded, and the Taiqing Divine Light issued by Qi Shuming was shattered on the spot.

Flesh splattered outward, turning into a very fine mist of blood in the process, supported by a beam of demonic light that rapidly expanded to fill the entire hall. At the same time, three blood shadows burst out, streaking towards Qi Shuming atop the stone seat like lightning!

Qi Shuming was well-prepared. He raised his hand to release a shield, which quickly enlarged to the size of a door panel in front of him, embossed with the figure of an ancient fierce beast—Bi Xi—emanating white flames all over.

Bi Xi opened its mouth, spouting a dense beam of fiery light, shooting straight at the first blood shadow head-on.

Qi Shuming's Iron Turtle Immortal Shield had been powerfully refined by him several times. He, along with the other two immortals of the East Sea, had secluded themselves at the Fishing Rock for many years, refining treasures and swords—this was one of their accomplishments.

Originally, this device emitted a burst of cold flame that could melt metal and consume gold. After numerous refinements, what now spewed forth was the Pure Yang Taiyin Immortal Fire, mixed with the Nine Heavens Spiritual Energy, specifically designed to suppress all evil demons.

The blood shadow in the middle was blocked by this flame, while the two on the sides split and converged, striking from the left and right flanks.

Qi Shuming enveloped his body with the Taiqing Mysterious Sect's Invisible Sword Energy and combined it with the Taiqing Divine Light to keep those two blood shadows at bay. At the same time, he released a mass of invisible sword edges that shredded the two blood shadows into pieces.

The blood shadows instantly dispersed, each dot of blood regrouping into a blood-colored silhouette, lunging inward with increased ferocity. The more they were cut down, the more they multiplied, quickly becoming dense and almost tarnishing the Taiqing Divine Light with a reddish hue.

Just as Qi Shuming and the Blood Demon Deng Yin were fighting fast and furiously, the rest of the Black Mountain Five Ghosts also underwent a transformation, shedding their corpses to become blood-colored silhouettes.

As it turned out, the leader of the five was Deng Yin, the three that followed him were his disciples, and the last one was the Red Corpse God Monarch!

At the same time, mist surged from the two stone seats on the left and right, revealing two people—Xuan Zhenzi and Xun Lanyin—both manipulating their hand seals, dueling with the four figures behind them.

The Red Corpse God Monarch transformed into seven blood shadows alone. With Shi Feiyang's assistance, his Seven Evil Incarnations grew even more formidable. He threw all his strength against Xun Lanyin, while the remaining three blood shadows jointly attacked Xuan Zhenzi. Immortal fire, blood light, sword energy, and demonic flame quickly became intertwined, exploding noisily with lights flashing in all directions!

The moment they began the fight, Zen Master Xiao Yue and the Jiulei God also rushed in with all their disciples.

Zen Master Xiao Yue cleared the way with the twin Immortal Swords of Heavenly Wisdom and Light, while the Jiulei God hurled Yin Thunder, blasting out a string of green fires with earth-shattering booms.

At that moment, the two old masters of Song Mountain appeared, hurling Taiyin Divine Thunder and unleashing Flying Swords. Bai Guyi faced off against Zen Master Xiao Yue, and Zhu Mei against the Jiulei God. After a brief exchange, Bai Guyi flew toward a cave on the left, while Zhu Mei drew the Jiulei God towards a cavern on the right.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, Qi Shuming, Xuan Zhenzi, and Xun Lanyin also left their seats, flying backward, where the wall suddenly cracked open to reveal a passage. They all retreated into the passage.

As they entered, the wall closed immediately. However, those blood shadows were so fast, they stuck closely to them like maggots on bones and burrowed into the passage as well.

Qi Shuming's strategic arrangement was to lure the enemy, causing the invaders to scatter throughout various corners of the Immortal Mansion, and then fully activate the Liangyi Dust Formation to isolate and eliminate them one by one.

Deng Yin, relying on his Divine Power, had no concerns, pursuing Qi Shuming wildly with relentless attacks.

Three blood shadows materialized above him, displaying nine blossoms of bloody flames, and from their fingertips, thirty beams of Blood Shadow Demon Light shot out. They crisscrossed in an instant, forming a Demon Net that ensnared Qi Shuming, intent on destroying him.

If anyone else fell into the Demon Net, they would only need to see the interwoven demonic light and let it dazzle into their hearts, instantly falling prey to the Blood Demon Illusion Realm. In the next second, their bodies would turn into a puddle of blood, body and soul destroyed!

Qi Shuming, with a lineage of ten generations of cultivation from the Mysterious Sect, had firm resolve and a solidified Primordial Spirit. Unaffected by the demonic light and relying on his Magical Treasure and Divine Skills, he forced his way through the Demon Net, tearing it apart and breaking free with the Taiqing Mysterious Sect's thousand-year-old Invisible Sword Energy.

The two chased and fought, covering thousands of miles in an instant, exchanging tens of thousands of moves. But as they were within the Liangyi Dust Formation, with space and time distorted, they actually never completed a single corridor.

Elsewhere, the battle was also fiercely intense. Can Xia, holding the Innate One Qi Talisman, controlled the Array from Spiritual Jade Peak, fully activating it. Seeing the three immortals and two elders successfully leading the enemy to different locations, he ordered the gates to rise, alternating to completely seal them off.

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