Demon Sword Sect's Undercover

Yingtai, this Overseas Immortal Mountain, has been severely ravaged during this time. Over a month has passed, and nine-tenths of the entire Immortal Island has been occupied by the Sea Demons, leaving only the core architectural complex, Zhuolang Palace, in human hands.

Zhuolang Palace is also the center of the entire defense array of Yingtai, the most fortified place. Only after thousands of years of constant improvement does it have the current defensive power.

To be precise, the true first Mountain Gate System in the Jinxiu Cultivation Realm was implemented by the Northern and Southern Heavenly Gates. Because they are each situated deep within the ocean's great mountains, it was impossible to provide a sense of safety to the disciples below without it.

In past tides, Yingtai always stood to the last, relying on the Mountain Gate Defense Array—mysterious and solid as a rock. But this tide is different; the Sea Demons have become smarter.

In the Yingtai Sect, there has always been a tradition of accepting Sea Demons as disciples, also serving as a supplement to the student body. Isolated overseas with a sparse population, it was an unavoidable measure.

There was also an intention to win over the Sea Clan, each with extraordinary talents, from a cultivation perspective, truly extraordinary geniuses. Over hundreds of years, it has cultivated some powerful Sea Clan members, even including a Nascent Soul Sea Demon.

The Yingtai Sect believes in the inclusivity of education, believing that over time, it can change their temperament and character. To be honest, in over a thousand years, no Sea Demon has ever betrayed, not even during the tides of their kind.

But this time, a major problem has arisen.

That Nascent Soul Sea Demon, for reasons unknown, suddenly defected. With its strength and knowledge of the Yingtai Array's mysteries, it easily broke the protection of the Yingtai Array, leading to the massive defeat in this tide, with countless losses, and the vast array reduced to just the core part of Zhuolang Palace.

This traitorous Nascent Soul Sea Demon was jointly killed by Yingtai Masters, but it caused irreparable damage. The array's range was drastically compressed, and cultivators suffered more than a thirty percent loss, even including two Nascent Soul Masters.

Originally, Yingtai had nine Masters. Now, only six remain, with a significant decrease in strength, not to mention the losses of the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment disciples below.

Struggling to survive.

Xiang Anshi's face was livid, and the Fairy Hong Xiu, who returned with him, was also somewhat disheartened. She hadn't expected her legacy to suffer such a great loss in the tide; in fact, since taking charge of Yingtai, she had frequently proposed to several Masters to be cautious of outsiders mastering the sect's core secrets, but her warnings were ignored, dismissed as overly cautious.

Her caution was warranted, based on the blood-stained experience of countless betrayals in the Universe Cultivation Realm and the Demonic Beast clan's unwavering adherence to bloodline purity. The Yingtai Sect hadn't experienced this until now, and when they did, it was too late.

They hadn't been back for many days; the Sea Demons' strategy for Yingtai Immortal Island now was to allow entry but not exit. For Xiang Anshi, this was his home, and in no way could he abandon it and live incognito; for Fairy Hong Xiu, not entering meant permanently losing Yingtai's trust, wasting a decade of effort.

Accompanying them were two Masters, and through combined efforts, they narrowly made it inside, temporarily giving the struggling Yingtai Sect a breath of relief. But how long this breath could last, no one knew.

Should they continue to hold out, or break through? It was a tough decision.

Seizing the opportunity while the Sea Demons caught their breath, over a dozen cultivators from Yingtai's leadership gathered together. They felt somewhat ashamed, so they collectively turned their gaze to Fairy Hong Xiu, who, while sighing, felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.

The Daoist legacy finally centered itself, but it was nearly lost.

"Actually, it's a very simple matter; the key is whether we have the determination. Yingtai Immortal Island has already been factually destroyed, and our persistence is not very meaningful."

The crowd was silent, acknowledging the truth in her words. In places like Overseas Immortal Island, they usually sound grand and ethereal, but once under attack, they face a significant embarrassment: lack of support.

The distance from the mainland is truly too great. Even the Nascent Soul Masters' swift messages cannot be guaranteed to reach, let alone face numerous Sea Demons intercepting along the way; this is why they could only receive alerts from Linhai's Wo Sect during the Dushan ceremony, but not from Yingtai.

Messages sent numerous times all disappeared into the sea without a trace.

With no support, the final outcome would be tragic, delaying would be catastrophic, causing strength to diminish beyond half, leaving escape impossible.

For such an island, it might not be able to confine Nascent Soul Masters. Golden Core cultivators, if strong enough, have a chance to escape with some luck. However, the difficulty lies with the small Foundation Establishment cultivators... as for the mortal populace on the island, they cannot be cared for either.

In the chaos of breaking out, the Foundation Establishment cultivators become targets; they can't fly fast, run far, rise high, or dive deep. Once Zhuolang Palace is breached, they are lambs to the slaughter.

Dragging them with hover rafts isn't viable either; the target is too large, exactly what a Net-Casting Nascent Soul Sea Demon would aim for.

So, in terms of escaping people, it would only be feasible for the Nascent Souls to cover the retreat while the smaller cultivators scatter and seek fortune. But if only some Foundation Establishments escape and the Nascent Souls and Golden Cores are trapped here, this Daoist legacy might as well be extinct; expecting Foundation Establishment cultivators to strive anew is unrealistic.

Every insider understands these critical points, but no one speaks them aloud; no matter the choice, it seems wrong.

Fairy Hong Xiu has also realized this. These Yingtai Masters wish to place all responsibility on her, letting her bear all the pressure; heartless perhaps, but this is reality. If she is to truly establish herself in Yingtai, she must overcome this hurdle; otherwise, why should these Masters and Golden Cores listen to her thereafter?

"Organize a seed team, taking the potential talents from each realm with them; their task is solely to escape. The rest will cover and fight to the death, volunteering to sign up, or I will appoint them in seven days."

Possessions can't be considered anymore; they were mostly lost in the previous attacks. So they can leave now, as long as tasks are properly distributed.

Fairy Hong Xiu, shrewdly, resolved the disagreement with a simple volunteer system. Choose yourself as a potential talent? That's cowardly; choose to cover the rear? Then perfect; choose neither? Still fearing!

Someone asked, "Why seven days? We're losing strength each day, why not now, while we still have power?"

Fairy Hong Xiu raised her head, quietly observing the group. "I'm gambling! Gambling that we still have support! But if support doesn't arrive within seven days, then there's no need to wait."

A Nascent Soul Master was very surprised, "Who would support us, through miles of distance, with no contact or situational awareness?"

Fairy Hong Xiu's gaze turned far away, "If in the Universe, there would be such a group of madmen, but I'm not sure if those in Jinxiu are mad enough? If they come, then Yingtai will henceforth share both honor and disgrace with them!"