Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"I need to go out for a bit." Li Minghu came down from the second floor and told Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun, "I've been assigned a mission from above."

"How about having dinner before you go?" Lin Ning quickly asked, "I've already made your share."

"No need, it's quite urgent." Li Minghu smiled and said, "Let Sister Zhao eat it for me."

With Zhao Yuanzhen's appetite, she could certainly eat any amount, so Lin Ning just responded with an "oh" and didn't ask further.

As Li Minghu set off, his mood grew slightly heavy.

Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue had been out of contact in Chongying for too long, so long that even the Privy Council suspected that Ichiro Koremune might have set a trap to lure and assassinate them—although, upon reflection, it seemed quite improbable.

Li Minghu's mission this time was to confirm their exact situation.

Ichiro Koremune met her through official channels without hiding much, directly informing Li Minghu that they had gone to the Mysterious Realm of the Heavenly Cloud Sword.

"If no one has ever returned from within, how do you know that the Heavenly Cloud Sword is hidden in the Mysterious Realm?" Li Minghu questioned.

"We don't know," Ichiro Koremune answered, "Looking across the mythology and history of Chongying, the Heavenly Cloud Sword is the noblest divine sword we can think of. Naming the Mysterious Realm after it is our way of showing the utmost respect, as well as warning other Onmyoji of its immense danger. Enter at your own peril if you lack the resolve to face death and not return."

Li Minghu was silent for a moment, recognizing the implication:

This Mysterious Realm is extremely perilous, and past Onmyoji tasked with exploring it never returned. I've informed your people of this, yet they insisted on entering.

"Take me to see it." Li Minghu instructed.

Upon arrival at the cave, she entered the pool and swam toward the deep area for a while, soon noticing the subtle presence of sword pressure surrounding her.

It felt as if it could easily tear through clothes and cut skin, leaving a faint stinging sensation.

The two continued diving without stopping until they reached a critical depth. Ichiro Koremune took out an underwater communication board, intending to warn Li Minghu of the dangers below again. However, he saw her proceeding without hesitation, diving toward the unfathomable depths.

She vanished from Ichiro Koremune's sight.

——————————

Inside the Mysterious Realm, no matter how the pair persuaded, Sect Leader Chen Yanwei simply shook his head, refusing to lend the Divine Sword.

When asked, he only responded, "The Divine Sword can only be wielded by the sword master," and further inquiry was met with, "What are the intentions of you two?" If asked again, it was a threat to life.

Yan Yu opted for a compromise, saying, "Since you are unwilling to lend the Divine Sword, why not take the initiative to slay demons yourself and pave a way for survival for all of Shushan? That is also your duty as the Sun Sword Master."

Chen Yanwei still shook his head, answering questions with, "I am only at the Golden Core Realm, unable to fully harness the Divine Sword's power," and further, "If I am captured by Nascent Soul Realm demon cultists and lose the sword, can you bear the responsibility?"

If further provoked, it would result in death.

Yan Yu, truly exasperated, complained:

"We're trapped here, and once the demon cultists completely overrun Shushan, won't you be caught and lose the sword anyway? Why not strike now, when we can still choose the time and place for the battle? What exactly is the Sect Leader waiting for? Why not let the elders hear?"

Chen Yanwei flew into a rage:

"How dare you talk about being overrun when Shushan's survival isn't yet sealed? This brat is demoralizing the sect's morale and will not be forgiven!"

Reborn on Mount Emei, Yan Yu began a tirade against the Sect Leader:

"This Sect Leader is a giant baby, isn't he? With the Sun True Obscurity Sword at his disposal, he refuses to lend or fight, yet strikes against disciples without hesitation, decisively and ruthlessly. I see Shushan's Shangqing Sect clearly ruined by him!"

"Indeed," Mei Yingxue, usually cold and detached, couldn't help but grow angry, "in my view, he's already made up his mind."

"What kind of plan?" Yan Yu asked.

"To flee," Mei Yingxue resolutely stated, "The last few times Shushan fell, the Sect Leader fled on his own without ever considering us Emei disciples."

"He's clearly planned it out: the sect may fall, but the sword cannot be lost! That's why he uses the sect's wealth and us disciples as bait to create the best escape opportunity in the chaos when all the demon cultists rush Shushan!"

Yan Yu frowned and thought carefully, then said:

"What you said makes some sense."

"Of course it makes sense," Mei Yingxue replied, "All these events have happened in history, you know? The Sun True Obscurity Sword abandoned him because of this very reason."

A light rain began to fall from the sky, but Yan Yu couldn't be bothered to find shelter, only saying fiercely:

"In that case, there's no need to consider persuading him. How about directly taking him down and grabbing the sword?"

"Taking down the Sect Leader?" Mei Yingxue seriously considered, "It's almost impossible with just the two of us."

"Exactly," Yan Yu sighed, "If the four Nascent Soul elders were on our side, it might be possible..."

As they spoke, a sudden flash of inspiration struck them.

Hmm?

Chen Yanwei didn't dare to engage because he himself was only at the Golden Core Realm and, even with the Divine Sword's might, wasn't confident against multiple Nascent Soul cultivators.

Conversely, if they could persuade the four Nascent Soul Realm elders of Shushan, suddenly ambushing and subduing Chen Yanwei to seize the Sun True Obscurity Sword, could they then turn around the current predicament?

"Who do you plan to start with?" Mei Yingxue asked.

"Tian Yue, I guess," Yan Yu replied, "Elder Tian is of the militant faction and once competed with Chen Yanwei for the Sun Sword Master's position. Once the battle worsens, I'll gauge his attitude."

"Then I'll go talk to Pei Li," Mei Yingxue said thoughtfully, "Since he proposed a strategy of dispersed hiding, he probably cherishes his disciples' lives, so maybe I can appeal from that angle."

The two then flew with their swords to the Ancestor Hall, following the original flow of the debate scene to propose the strategy of staunchly defending the sect.

From previous experiences, it was known that choosing the route of staunch defense would ultimately lead to exhaustion by the enemy's overwhelming numbers.

However, the more they engaged in this war of attrition, the more anxious the elders would become, increasing the chances of persuading or turning them at that time.

Before that, it's best to understand each elder's personality as much as possible.

Meanwhile, as Li Minghu entered the Mysterious Realm and appeared at the peak of Mount Emei, she saw in the distance that the Township Formation was operating at full capacity.

Blade and sword shadows danced, eerie winds and demonic fog swirled, dozens of cultivators clashed chaotically, with people constantly being wounded or falling.

Li Minghu pondered for a moment and thought that since they were all cultivators, this probably wasn't a Mysterious Realm of the Onmyoji school. Judging by appearances, it seemed to be some form of storyline-based trial Mysterious Realm.

She was just about to initiate sword flight when a flash of sword light suddenly landed in front of her.

If Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue were here, they would naturally recognize him as the last elder in the Ancestor Hall meeting who never expressed an opinion—tentatively referred to as "Elder Ding."

"What are you doing here?" Elder Ding asked.

"Senior," Li Minghu bowed in salute, "I..."

"Ah, never mind," Elder Ding interrupted impatiently, "Shushan is doomed anyway, what does it matter what a little disciple like you is doing? Go, fetch me a jug of wine from the village at the mountain base."

Li Minghu accepted the wine gourd he tossed over, hesitated for a moment, and asked:

"Senior, you said Shushan is doomed..."

"Get the wine, and then I'll talk to you," Elder Ding waved her off.

Li Minghu was somewhat helpless and could only fly with her sword to the mountain base village.

The fierce battles high in the sky barely affected the village below. After filling the wine gourd, Li Minghu returned to the top of Mount Emei, where she saw Elder Ding arguing with someone.

"How can you, as an elder of Shushan, be so lazy and slack in the face of the sect's survival?" Chen Yanwei angrily questioned.

"What if I'm lazy? What if I'm slack?" Elder Ding asked expressionlessly, "Do you think if I work hard, Shushan will avoid its fate of destruction?"

Chen Yanwei was momentarily at a loss for words before finally saying:

"How do you know if you don't try?"

"Why do I know?" Elder Ding scoffed, "Yanwei, I've watched you grow up. Do you think I don't know your character? You're always worrying about what might go wrong before the fight even starts. Have you already decided to find an opportunity to flee the sect to preserve the Divine Sword?"

"I have no such intention!" Chen Yanwei flatly denied it, but as he prepared to say more, he saw Li Minghu drawing near and promptly turned away indignantly, flying off with sword flight.