Taking the Path of Hell

"PROTECT THE SECT! TIAN BA HAS BEEN ATTACKED!"

"No, Master. We are brave disciples, we are not cowards! We will fight alongside you all!" one of the junior disciples shouted loudly. This was followed by the approval of other disciples, and the noise of their agreement began to swell. Meanwhile, some senior disciples, well-trained in combat, joined the front lines alongside the teachers and Elders of the sect.

"You must listen to me. You are all part of the Tian Ba sect; you cannot put yourselves in danger. Besides, I am your teacher. You must listen to what I say."

"But--"

"Promise me that you will protect the sect. Most importantly, promise me that you will take care of yourselves and protect each other."

Upon hearing this shout, Jian Hong, who had just arrived from the back forest, froze. He stood at the very back of the line. However, after a moment, he broke through the ranks and ran forward. "Hey, Jian Hong! Get back! You can't go there! It's dangerous!" his teacher yelled.

But Jian Hong kept running. "Don't worry, Master. I know my limits!"

When he reached the gate, Jian Hong saw with his own eyes the sect members who had already been killed. The scene outside the gate was truly horrifying. Blood was splattered everywhere, and the clash of swords was deafening. "The demons... are attacking Tian Ba?"

The towering gate, which separated Tian Ba from the outside world, was now half destroyed. The demons, in various forms, were attacking the sect members brutally.

Jian Hong's patience was tested. He clenched his fist, and a bluish light appeared along with a sword now gripped in his hand. "Whether life or death, only a coward would retreat from the battlefield."

The young man, with his hair tied in a small crown, leaped forward, advancing into the battlefield. His sword pierced the heart of one of the demons as he landed. "The weakness of these creatures lies in their hearts. So I must aim for their chest whenever possible."

Jian Hong moved swiftly, his sword cutting through the air. But when one of the demons attacked him with internal energy, Jian Hong immediately dodged, though the energy hit his arm. "The demon's power is stronger than some I've faced before. He's using internal energy, so I must avoid it. I can't afford to get hit by a force that could damage my meridians further."

As the demon closed in, Jian Hong leaped into the air and stabbed his sword into the demon's back, driving it all the way to the heart. Blood gushed out as Jian Hong withdrew his sword, but the demon's body turned to smoke and dissipated into the air.

Not stopping there, another demon, seeing his comrade dead, charged at Jian Hong, trying to stop him from killing more. "A weak human like you dares to kill my comrade?"

"If humans are born weak, then what do you call your clan? Isn't it enough for you to stay on the border? Why must you invade our lands?" Jian Hong stared at the demon fiercely.

The demon in front of him had a body made of stone, with red lava flowing through the cracks in its form. It had two horns, and its face was like a skull, though more fleshed out. "This is war. Whoever loses will follow the rules of the victor."

"But you haven't won yet. The cultivators are still guarding the border, and you have already violated the rules of war!"

"We demons are not humans. We don't follow any rules. For us, as long as we can conquer the human world, we will do anything." The demon teleported in front of Jian Hong in the blink of an eye. It lifted the young man in its arms and then slammed him down hard.

Jian Hong's body hit the ground. Fortunately, he quickly planted the tip of his sword into the earth, which softened the impact. "This demon's cultivation is one level higher than the previous one. But why does the difference in power feel so much greater? I need to think of a way to win without using internal energy."

When the fire demon prepared to attack again, Jian Hong saw it out of the corner of his eye. He jumped and kicked the demon's head while in mid-air. However, Jian Hong was thrown backward, crashing into the remnants of the gate.

The ruins of the gate collapsed onto Jian Hong's body, piece by piece. "Its body is so strong. It feels like I just kicked steel. The demon has an elemental affinity for fire, but why is its body made of stone?"

Wu Hao, one of the Elders who was fighting demons in the area, looked at Jian Hong in panic. "Why are you here? Quickly go inside and protect the sect."

"I will fight with you all." Still holding his chest, Jian Hong tried to rise and move the debris off himself.

"You foolish child! After this battle, we don't even know if we'll survive. But the sect must stand. You cannot allow yourself to die in vain!" Wu Hao was pushed back when a sword scratch hit his face. "Argh!"

"Elder Wu!" Jian Hong shouted. When the demon tried to hurt Wu Hao again, Jian Hong ran forward. Ignoring the pain and wounds on his body, he blocked the demon's sword with his own.

Jian Hong's gaze was sharp. "No one will harm the members of the Tian Ba sect!" After holding the sword off long enough, Jian Hong finally managed to push it aside and attacked the demon brutally, leaving it with no chance to fight back. The demon was forced to retreat.

The demon with the body of a thousand legs and a bull's head growled angrily. As Jian Hong prepared to strike again, the fire demon returned. It breathed fire from its mouth, almost hitting Jian Hong, but the young man quickly dodged.

Seeing this, Wu Hao quickly stepped in front of Jian Hong and unleashed his internal energy, a blue aura, to hold off both demons. "This battle is not safe for you. As an Elder, I command you to go back inside and protect the sect."

"No. Elder, trust me, we will win. No one will die in this battle."

After saying this, Jian Hong and Wu Hao stood back to back, spinning to ensure they were facing the six demons who had surrounded them.

"Jian Hong, if you die, don't expect me to return your body to your family," Wu Hao said, his gaze still focused on the demons.

"Then let's promise not to die."

As the six demons attacked, Jian Hong and Wu Hao leaped into the air. They attacked from above. But since Jian Hong had no cultivation, he couldn't stay in the air for long. Eventually, he landed and dashed through the gaps between the demon's legs, swinging his sword, managing to wound them.

Red fluid splashed onto Jian Hong's body as he managed to injure the demons. But despite his efforts, the demons didn't die. "What's wrong? Before, they died when I pierced their hearts. But why are their wounds healing so fast now?"

"EVERYONE, COMBINE YOUR STRENGTH! FORM THE SOUL SEAL FORMATION!"

Upon hearing the command from one of the Elders, the wounded sect members slowly began to rise. They raised their hands toward the sky, and a blue light appeared. A triangle was formed, filled with many straight lines.

The blue formation, called the Soul Seal, could seal the souls of all living creatures. Its strength depended on the number of people in the formation and the strength of the souls being sealed.

Meanwhile, Jian Hong could only look up, staring at the formation from where he stood. "If I had internal energy, maybe I could also help in this formation."

Yes, since childhood, Jian Hong had been unable to open his meridians. This made it impossible for him to cultivate, despite trying dozens of methods. The result was always the same—Jian Hong could not cultivate.

Now, the demons had dropped their weapons, holding their heads in pain as their souls were slowly drawn into the seal. "ARGHHH!!!"

But this formation quickly drained the internal energy of each of its users. Some of the disciples couldn't endure and vomited blood. Some even fell unconscious.

"This formation uses too much of the cultivation base. If they keep this up, their bodies could be destroyed," Jian Hong thought, but there was little he could do.

One hand of Jian Hong slapped the air, regretting his useless birth. "If only I could cultivate through the Divine Path, then I would be able to help them right now."

At that moment, Jian Hong suddenly remembered the deaths of the demons. His forehead furrowed as he began to think. "Some demons died when I pierced their hearts. They turned to smoke and vanished. But the stronger demons had fire power and bodies as hard as stone."

"That means, when their hearts were destroyed, they burned and turned to smoke. But the stronger demons draw power from the fire itself. Even when I pierced their hearts, they didn't die. The stone, it must be a symbol of protection. If I can get rid of the stone, the fire inside them will burn them from within."