Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"In the end, this dream realm is controlled by the Sun True Dullness Sword," Mei Yingxue said seriously. "As cultivators of Lu Country, he has a higher initial favorability towards us, and will be more tolerant and patient… You've had encounters with the True Obscurity Sun Sword Intent. If the sword intent can transmit memories back to its true form, then your chance of strategizing here is certainly the greatest."

"I highly doubt that," Yan Yu sighed, "If the main body could have the memories of the sword intent clone, then it should wake up immediately and laugh at me hard."

"It would be great if that were the case," Mei Yingxue lamented.

"So, what do you two think?" Sect Leader Chen Yanwei, after hearing the elders' debate, once again left the decision to the two of them.

"How about trying to call for reinforcements," Yan Yu straightforwardly suggested, "Kunlun is in the northwest direction, but the enemy will definitely concentrate their forces there to prevent us from breaking through, or set an ambush."

"We can act contrary to expectations," Mei Yingxue, who had already sound-transmitted to Yan Yu to discuss, also spoke up. "First, have someone break through from the northwest to attract the enemy's attention. If the battle goes wrong, pretend to be repelled and retreat in time to lull the enemy's vigilance."

"Then we'll seize the opportunity to sneak out from the southeast and head toward Kunlun," Yan Yu stated.

The elders were silent for a moment, their faces expressionless, as if NPCs waiting for the system to calculate the outcome.

"Alright," Chen Yanwei finally said, "Lu Gan, you're for seeking help from East Kunlun, so you'll be responsible for attracting the enemy's attention."

Elder A indicated his obeisance.

"You two," he looked at Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue, "The breakout relies on skill, not numbers. Since the plan was proposed by you, you'll be responsible for executing it."

"Yes!" Yan Yu and Mei Yingxue immediately replied.

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In the cultivation world, Shushan is not a single mountain peak but rather the "Mountains of Sichuan", a collective name for a vast range of mountains.

The mountains overall have a higher west and lower east characteristic, and many peaks have flat terrains like a rooftop platform, making them suitable for establishing sects and housing disciples for cultivation.

Conversely, the mountain bottoms are mostly covered by primitive forests, with only small river valley areas traversed by streams where villages of mountain dwellers gather.

Yan Yu followed Mei Yingxue through the mountain forests, only hearing her sound-transmitting:

"The terrain of the mountains here is extremely complicated. If you walk close to the ground, not only is it difficult to trudge through and easy to get lost, but you might also encounter poisonous insects and demon beasts, so foreign cultivators tend to prefer low-altitude sword control to avoid dense forests."

"But if they fly on swords in the air, they won't find us hiding in the dense forests," Yan Yu replied.

He had been paying attention along the way, noticing that Mr. Mei consistently chose routes through thick canopies and places rarely trodden by humans where the sun was often blocked by thick layers of trees.

Even a Divine Sense scan couldn't hire a large group to conduct a carpet search and scan every piece of dense forest.

The more Yan Yu thought about it, the more he found something amiss, because what Mr. Mei could think of, the Shangqing Sect wouldn't have missed.

Even if the elders might not go out often, among the forty or fifty disciples, there should be some as familiar with the nearby terrain as Mr. Mei, right? Why didn't the historical Shangqing Sect have these disciples go seek help?

"It's actually not safe either," Mei Yingxue answered, "In the southwest of Shushan lies the hundred thousand great mountains of Nanjiang, where demon cult demonic practitioners are adept at driving insects and beasts, concocting poisons, and gathering medicine. Foreign cultivators are unaccustomed to navigating through the forests, but for the Nanjiang cultivators, it's not a problem."

Yan Yu pondered, "If we run into each other in the woods…"

"Either quickly kill the opponent," Mei Yingxue answered, "or leak information and attract a high-level Golden Core or even a Nascent Soul old monster to kill us."

As for why it could attract powerful old monsters, Yan Yu already knew the answer in his heart.

The attack of ten thousand gods and demons on Shushan was so grand that it was almost impossible to hide from the world. Whether it be East Kunlun, Penglai, or other righteous sects, it was unlikely that they were still unaware at this point.

As the Shushan Elder said, those sects probably knew they were outmatched, so they could only let others be sacrificed. Even if you successfully broke through to seek help, would they necessarily send reinforcements? Not necessarily.

But someone would definitely come to intercept our breakout, because Shushan likely wanted to desperately give the years of their sect's savings to their disciples and let them escape, making these disciples, in the eyes of the demon path camp, almost like walking treasure chests, a scraping lottery ticket that costs nothing…

Yan Yu suddenly executed a sword technique, and the Liangyi Microdust Sword Qi flashed instantly, piercing through layers of trees and stabbing the head of a hidden Nanjiang cultivator.

This cultivator was a spirit bird tamer, originally intending to ambush the two, but was counterattacked by Yan Yu first. The black dove hiding in the canopy lost its master, and just as it was about to screech in terror, its pupils were filled with sword light.

Mei Yingxue's flying sword pierced its body.

Yan Yu thought to himself, "What a quick follow-up attack." Mr. Mei was indeed a battle-hardened, experienced Sword Immortal, though she had done several years of research on Earth, her skills and awareness showed no signs of regression.

Otherwise, if that spirit bird had screamed, attracting patrolling demon cultivators nearby, the situation would have spiraled out of control.

The two quickly reached the corpse, and Yan Yu deployed Puppet Ah Zhen, spitting out a Great Bright Fire, soon erasing all traces.

Mei Yingxue quietly observed the puppet, suddenly saying:

"The secret technique of the Qiansi Sect does suit you."

"For methods that require control," Yan Yu humbly replied, "I'm somewhat skilled."

"No, even Zhao Yuanzhen can't reach your level," Mei Yingxue shook her head, "Zhou Hongyu's Great Bright Fire, when True Yuan is slightly used to incite it, it fires out overwhelmingly, burning mountains and boiling seas. But to spit out just the right amount like you did, requires incredibly refined True Yuan control, something Zhao Yuanzhen can't manage."

Yan Yu was silent for a while, thinking that with Mr. Mei's candid nature, it shouldn't be sarcasm. She likely just wanted to convey that my skill level exceeded that of the Enchantress.

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In the villa of Jinling Prefecture, Zhao Yuanzhen sneezed multiple times, drawing the attention of the girls around her.

"Someone's badmouthing you, Sister Zhao," Xie Ruoxi remarked casually, "You're sneezing into the food."

"Who's badmouthing? I'm just choked by the cumin powder," Zhao Yuanzhen put her chopsticks down, grabbing a piece of deliciously roasted lamb rib with her hands and boisterously said, "Keep eating!"

"It's been several days, and still no news from the captain?" Lin Ning, on the other hand, had little appetite and asked worriedly.

"If the silence continues, someone will likely be sent to check the situation," Ye Jun reassured everyone, "Just like when Lord Master lost contact before."

"Don't worry," Zhao Yuanzhen said carefreely, "Anyone could run into trouble, but he wouldn't, alright? That guy reacts and adapts faster than anyone in danger."

"Plus, Mei Yingxue, the person Sister Zhao admires the most, is also accompanying this time," Chen Lingyun smiled, "It should be no problem.

Zhao Yuanzhen frowned, about to say, "I've never admired that woman," but she noticed the girls' faces were relieved — given Mei Yingxue's authority in writing cultivation textbooks and Yan Yu's consistent admiration for her, they naturally believed Mr. Mei's strength was formidable, despite never seeing her in action before.

This made Zhao Yuanzhen more annoyed, feeling a sense of being overshadowed by a rival.

Lin Ning still seemed uneasy, suddenly hearing Jing Zhongxian's sound transmission:

"I think you're all too optimistic."

"Where's the optimism?" Lin Ning retorted instinctively.

"Your captain went to find the Sun True Dullness Sword, right?" Jing Zhongxian laughed, "And why do you think almost every Sun Sword Master throughout history was a fervent and belligerent person?"

"Because... a Sword Immortal who isn't fervent and belligerent wouldn't be able to win the qualification to become a Sun Sword Master?" Lin Ning guessed.

"Wrong," Jing Zhongxian said, "The ones who weren't, couldn't pass the test of the Sun True Dullness Sword, and all died."