Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

DaHuang Mansion, Qiyang City, within a secluded secret chamber.

At this moment, there are seven figures sitting here, each exuding immense vitality and robust health.

Simply by sitting there, they radiate an intimidating force that could oppress any soul.

These are none other than six martial arts masters!

They have gathered here today because they share a common enemy—Gu Chen!

Among the six martial arts masters, two are from the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan, while the other four hail from Shen Zhou.

At this time, one of the masters from Shen Zhou spoke up, breaking the silence, "Gentlemen, my Sunset Sword Sect has traveled thousands of miles for a single purpose—to kill Gu Chen!"

"The Heavenly Saber Sect, too, shares this resolve," another master stated gravely.

Unlike the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan from Yan State's DaHuang Mansion, the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect are situated far away in Shen Zhou. To think they would travel such distances to this desolate frontier just to kill Gu Chen.

This clearly illustrates the depths of their intent to kill Gu Chen.

The main reason being, the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect had been closely monitoring Gu Chen; upon hearing that he had obtained the ancient inheritance of Pure Yang Martial Sect and defeated the outstanding martial talents of Yan State, they could no longer sit idly by.

The Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect did not wish to see Gu Chen's growth continue. Thus, they each dispatched two master-level figures. Four masters crossed an entire large state to come here to kill Gu Chen.

"This little beast's growth is too rapid, and his strength is improving day by day. In such a short period, he has already reached this stage. Gentlemen, if we do not act now and allow him to keep growing, it won't be long before he becomes a master. By then, it will truly be too late!" said the master from the Heavenly Saber Sect, his face somber.

Upon receiving news of Gu Chen, they hastened here without pause. As for why they chose DaHuang Mansion, it is mainly because there lay Gu Chen's greatest number of enemies.

And DaHuang Mansion is also the stronghold of the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan. Not just that, but the Marquis of Pingxi is here as well.

When the four martial arts masters from the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect arrived here, they immediately contacted the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan. Having learned of their arrival and purpose, both clans dispatched two masters to engage in this secret meeting.

Both the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan had long-harbored deep resentment towards the Jing Tian Department, and especially in the ancient trial of the Pure Yang Martial Sect, Gu Chen had slaughtered their most outstanding successors. Naturally, both clans were filled with unbridled rage towards Gu Chen.

All these reasons added together brought these four parties, totaling six martial arts masters, to assemble here today. Were this news to spread, it would send shockwaves throughout the land.

Gu Chen, after all, is simply a junior, and to have such a formidable force mobilized against him, even he would be astonished by his own "high price" if he knew.

Of course, all this is primarily due to Gu Chen's terrifying rate of strength progression, which has alarmed them so greatly that they have resolved to eliminate him with a thunderous strike.

"Given that brat's rate of progress, he may very well have reached the Returning to True Stage by now. Even for a martial arts master, it wouldn't take long at all. Once he achieves the realm of a master, who could stand against him if a master of the Innate Realm does not intervene?" said the leading master from the Sunset Sword Sect in a grave voice.

The two masters from the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan exchanged glances, finding the words of the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect to be reasonable.

And this time, the masters from the Qiu family and White Tiger Clan who had come here were the same two who had once exchanged blows with Jing Tian Department's Heavenly Rank Commander Wang Jiuzhi outside the Tongtian Pagoda.

The burly man from the White Tiger Clan asked in a cold voice, "How do you plan to proceed?"

At this remark, Qiu Tianhua also turned his attention to the four individuals from the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect.

The leading master of the Sunset Sword Sect was named Luo Ang, an elderly man with streaks of white in his hair, who held a high position in the Sunset Sword Sect and ranked fifth among the core ten elders.

At that moment, a flash of ferocity gleamed in Luo Ang's eyes as he said, "I have reliable information that Gu Chen is currently en route to DaHuang Mansion. Once Gu Chen arrives, we shall strike him down with the swiftness of thunder, slaughtering this little beast on the spot!"

The leading master of the Heavenly Saber Sect, named Dai Tong, whose standing was equivalent to Luo Ang's in the Sunset Sword Sect, also spoke up, "The Heavenly Saber Sect and Sunset Sword Sect will each dispatch a martial arts master. With both masters attacking, Gu Chen will undoubtedly die."

"Killing him would be as easy as slaughtering chickens and cutting grass," Luo Ang added with an indifferent smile, full of confidence.

This time, the Sunset Sword Sect and Heavenly Saber Sect had deployed four master-level individuals, inclusive of Luo Ang and Dai Tong. Two additional masters had also come, each having undergone two blood renewals, making them exceedingly powerful. In their view, they were more than sufficient to deal with Gu Chen.

To avoid any accidents, they sought the cooperation of the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan, requesting their assistance in the assault against Gu Chen.

Hearing this, Qiu Tianhua, the martial arts master from the Qiu family, furrowed his brow and said, "Gu Chen is a member of the Jing Tian Department. Do you not know the strength of Wang Jiuzhi? If you kill Gu Chen in public, do you think you'll be able to leave Yan State alive?"

The burly man from the White Tiger Clan, Wan Tinggang, spoke up gravely, "Even if the Jing Tian Department of Yan State is in decline, it is still the Jing Tian Department. If you kill Gu Chen in front of everyone, they will certainly not let the matter rest."

Luo Ang replied, "We can make contact with the Marquis of Pingxi. DaHuang Mansion is his domain, and there is animosity between him and Gu Chen. The death of his legitimate son, Cao Zhen, is deeply tied to Gu Chen. I believe he will make a move. With his help in covering our tracks, even the Jing Tian Department will not be able to trace us."

"Are you sure?" Qiu Tianhua shook his head, showing his disagreement, "The Marquis of Pingxi is a noble of Da Xia, with a high rank and great power, commanding an army of six hundred thousand Xuan Iron soldiers. Even our Qiu family and White Tiger Clan typically avoid provoking him. How can you be so certain that a person from the Da Xia royal court will join hands with us?"

The White Tiger Clan's Wan Tinggang was even more blunt, "If he were to join forces with us against Gu Chen, once this news gets out, how would the world view him? Tiandu would certainly hold him accountable. Although the chance is small, the risk is too great for him. Moreover, for a personage like the Marquis of Pingxi, it's unlikely that he would take Gu Chen seriously.

To be honest, the probability of him allying with us is not high."

"Besides, do you think the Marquis of Pingxi would trust us?"

Hearing the words of Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang, the fifth elder of the Sunset Sword Sect, Luo Ang, and Dai Tong of the Heavenly Saber Sect fell silent.

However, Luo Ang soon let out a sinister laugh and said, "No matter, we won't seek out the Marquis of Pingxi, we'll turn to the demonic cult instead!"

"The demonic cult is at loggerheads with the Jing Tian Department. If we join forces with them to kill Gu Chen, they would definitely be willing."

Qiu Tianhua frowned and said, "The demonic cult? Are you out of your minds to ally with the demonic cult?"

At that moment, Dai Tong of the Heavenly Saber Sect indifferently said, "Brother Qiu speaks amiss. The enemy of our enemy is our friend, just as with our relationship. Collaborating with the demonic cult against Gu Chen is not unfeasible. Once the deed is done, we can lay the blame entirely on the demonic cult."

Taking a deep breath, Qiu Tianhua said in a grave tone, "Have you considered how great the risk of this matter is? If we ally with the demonic cult and the news gets out, everyone under heaven would be justified in putting us to death!"

"The Six Union God Sect has emerged this time with overwhelming momentum. Moreover, they've gained control of some secret method that allows them to manipulate specters. Once the Six Union God Sect rises, the entire Shen Zhou will be without a single peaceful day!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ang faintly smiled and said, "Brother Qiu, why so serious? Whether it's the Six Union God Sect or Da Xia, what difference does it make to us? Besides, the Six Union God Sect won't rise up, have you forgotten?"

With that, Luo Ang stretched out his hand and pointed at the sky.

Qiu Tianhua immediately understood the meaning behind Luo Ang's gesture. Raising an eyebrow, he said, "You mean the six major sacred lands will take action?"

Dai Tong from the Heavenly Saber Sect said, "As long as the six major sacred lands exist, Shen Zhou will never descend into chaos. Moreover, wouldn't the Qiu family be tempted by the power of the specters?"

Hearing this, Qiu Tianhua's expression shifted. The higher the rank of the specter, the more bizarre its abilities, and most importantly, they had incredibly long lifespans and faced no bottlenecks in breakthroughs.

Truthfully, no one in the world wouldn't be interested in the secret method controlled by the Six Union God Sect that could manipulate specters.

Many people coveted it, for merging with a specter was akin to becoming an immortal, with greatly increased lifespan. The path of martial arts would be clear and unobstructed by any bottlenecks. This terrifying power was truly something few could resist.

"Perhaps, fusing with specters will become a trend in the future," Luo Ang said with a light smile.

Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang of the White Tiger Clan were alarmed, seemingly thinking of something. They looked at Luo Ang of the Sunset Sword Sect and Dai Tong of the Heavenly Saber Sect with suspicion and uncertainty, saying, "Have you already sworn allegiance to the Six Union God Sect?!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Ang and Dai Tong merely smiled faintly, not saying a word.

Although they did not answer, in that moment, Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang already had their answer.

"Aren't you afraid we would spread the word about this, or use it to blackmail you?" Qiu Tianhua furrowed his brow.

With a calm demeanor, Dai Tong from the Heavenly Saber Sect spoke leisurely, "Brother Qiu is welcome to try. By speaking openly, we've already shown our sincerity. Moreover, the strength of the Six Union God Sect has reached an incredibly formidable level, not much less than what it was three hundred years ago. Perhaps even greater!"

Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang were shocked by these words, for Dai Tong had revealed quite a bit of information to them.

Luo Ang, with an indifferent face, said, "Not to mention the Six Union God Sect itself, just the six major demonic branches under its command, any one of which could rival our top forces. You can imagine how terrifying the strength of the Six Union God Sect, which controls these six branches, must be, right?"

"Another piece of news for the two of you: Shen Zhou might be undergoing changes soon, and it would be wise to choose sides promptly. Staying neutral is the least desirable position. With that said, I hope you both will give it thorough consideration."

Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang fell silent. Luo Ang and Dai Tong's words had truly frightened them, as even the Sunset Sword Sect and the Heavenly Saber Sect had sworn allegiance to the Six Union God Sect.

And that might not even be the whole picture. With the current chaos under heaven, who knew how many more forces had already switched allegiances and joined the Six Union God Sect.
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In a somber voice, Qiu Tianhua said, "We can agree to act against Gu Chen, but we will not make a move ourselves. After all, my Qiu family's main base is right here. Should any trace be discovered, the impact would be too profound. We can provide assistance with intelligence or other areas."

Wan Tinggang of the White Tiger Clan also nodded in agreement, "The White Tiger Clan feels the same."

Luo Ang and Dai Tong frowned slightly upon hearing this. Exchanging glances, they knew it would not be easy to compel the Qiu family and the White Tiger Clan to take direct action against Gu Chen, so they agreed to the proposal.

With these two local powerhouses from DaHuang Mansion to coordinate with, their efforts to deal with Gu Chen would surely be much easier.

Then Luo Ang added, "As for the second matter, please think it over carefully after you return, Brother Qiu and Brother Wan. Our sincerity is substantial."

Qiu Tianhua and Wan Tinggang naturally knew what Luo Ang was referring to. They nodded, preparing to report back the information they had received today.

Unbeknownst to Gu Chen, before he even set foot in DaHuang Mansion, the enemies seeking his demise had already gathered together, planning his death.