***
Behind this Void Returning Stage great cultivator were twelve Divine Transformation practitioners and seventy-two Nascent Soul practitioners.
Click~
With a light sound, the faceplate of his helmet opened automatically, revealing an exceptionally handsome and extraordinary countenance.
It was Xiao Ning of the Taishang Dao Sect!
As a great cultivator of the Void Returning Stage who had only recently advanced, he was required to preside over the Sword Sect branch of the Ancient Cultivator Response Department for a period of one hundred years.
Looking down at the crimson array patterns that were currently fading away, he was just about to use his divine sense to perform a search when a streak of flowing light arrived from an unknown location, sliced through the horizon, and hovered before him.
Within the hazy white light was a sword-shaped jade talisman the size of a palm.
"Martial Uncle, is this not the Sword Sect's..."
One of the Divine Transformation cultivators behind him spoke but then hesitated.
"Yes, it is a Sword Sect Talisman Order."
A Sword Sect Talisman Order was utilized by cultivators at or above the rank of Elder within the Sword Sect to transmit messages to Sword Sect disciples.
Upon hearing those words, the crowd behind him was filled with indignation.
"The Sword Sect is truly going too far!"
"Our Taishang Dao Sect is also an immortal sect; it is bad enough that they usually look at people through their nostrils! But now they actually dare to treat us like subordinates!"
"Martial Uncle! Why not just crush it directly and then report to the sect, demanding that the Sword Sect provide an explanation!"
The group spoke one after another, looking as though they were filled with righteous indignation, yet not a single person laid a hand on the talisman order hovering in mid-air.
Every single one of them had deeply mastered the essence of the 'Path of Stability and Prudence.'
Perfected One Xiao Ning was somewhat speechless.
However, within the time it took to speak those few sentences, that Sword Sect Talisman Order seemed to have grown impatient from waiting.
With a flash of white light, it actually charged directly into the space between Perfected One Xiao Ning's eyebrows.
The crowd was greatly alarmed and retreated one after another, leaving Perfected One Xiao Ning standing alone in his original position.
Within the talisman order, there was only a single sentence.
'The person who emerged from seclusion in Xuanjian City of Sword Province is a member of my Sword Sect; there is no need for concern.'
A grand voice echoed, and the jade talisman, having fulfilled its mission, exploded, transforming into a streak of swimming, purple, and sharp aura that circled within his sea of consciousness.
It was the Taixu Evil-Breaking Sword Qi.
Only a powerful sword cultivator who had surpassed the Void Returning Stage could unleash such a thing.
It was a material for refining techniques that he was in desperate need of and had previously been unable to obtain despite his efforts, yet now it had taken the initiative to deliver itself to his door.
Was this a payment provided in advance?
But you should at least tell me what I am supposed to do!
"Martial Uncle, are you alright?"
Another Divine Transformation cultivator asked loudly.
Looking at his martial nephew who was standing far away from him, the corner of Perfected One Xiao Ning's eye twitched slightly.
In recent years, something unknown had occurred within the Taishang Dao Sect, leading to the emergence of a trend known as 'Steady-Stream Cultivation,' which had influenced many people.
The number of cultivators within the sect who practiced breath-concealing and avatar divine abilities had increased significantly.
Putting everything else aside, this group of martial nephews who had followed him might very well be avatars.
"The Sword Sect is an orthodox immortal sect, and their relationship with our Taishang Dao Sect has always been quite good; you do not need to be so cautious."
"Martial Uncle is right."
"However, it is not certain that someone might not be impersonating them, after all; it is better to be careful."
Who would actually dare to impersonate a Sword Sect Talisman Order?
Perfected One Xiao Ning grumbled inwardly.
Forget it!
"The Sword Sect Talisman Order this time is a Purple Sword Talisman Order; the person who emerged from seclusion in this vicinity is a Sword Sect cultivator, and we only need to inform the Mayor later."
A Purple Sword Talisman Order was a high-level talisman order that was only one grade lower than the Ancestral Sword Talisman Order.
It seemed that the identity of the person who had emerged from seclusion this time was not low.
Could it be one of the four great elders of the Sword Sect?
Or perhaps a certain Grand Elder of the Sword Sect whom they were not aware of?
"Yes!"
The group responded in unison and then followed Perfected One Xiao Ning as they descended toward the city below.
On the outskirts of Xuanjian City, following the closure of the City-Guarding Grand Array, a young man wearing a white tracksuit walked in at a leisurely pace.
His appearance was ordinary, and his temperament was sunny and easy-going, causing anyone who saw him to feel a sense of goodwill in their hearts.
However, after taking only a few steps, he suddenly stopped and raised his head to look into the distance.
One Void Returning practitioner, twelve Divine Transformation practitioners, and seventy-two Nascent Soul practitioners.
"Not bad, not bad at all; they are all disciples of immortal sects with pure divine souls."
It was not in vain that he had used his own bloodline as a guide three years ago to cast a spell and deceive that stupid younger brother of his into seeking his own death, allowing him to collect all the materials in one fell swoop.
Otherwise, in the current era, it would truly be a thousand times more difficult to hunt a high-grade living soul of the Void Returning Stage without leaving any hidden dangers behind.
Not to mention that massive quantity of auxiliary souls.
With the Seven Great Immortal Sects co-governing the world, even with his current cultivation realm, he did not dare to slaughter the mortal world on a large scale.
"Alas—"
With a light sigh, a small, silver-white banner appeared in the young man's hand.
Shimmering light flowed over its entire body, and phantom images of dragons and phoenixes leaped and soared upon it, making it look like a legendary spirit artifact of an immortal family.
This was a Ten Thousand Soul Banner, a classic magical artifact of the demonic path.
However, due to the changing of the eras, the great powers within the demonic path had also carried out improvements upon it.
Otherwise, if it were the original version that was filled with a sinister and ghostly aura, the great powers of the orthodox path would have blocked your door before you even began to refine the treasure after collecting the living souls.
"Refining a magical artifact is truly not easy."
In truth, now was not the best timing either; a great ancient cultivator had emerged from seclusion, and the heavens only knew what their cultivation realm was.
If it happened to be an old monster at the level of an immortal sect's Grand Elder, he might be swatted to death with a single palm.
But the opportunity was rare...
He had been planning for this Ten Thousand Soul Banner for a long time, and he had even refined his own biological younger brother into it.
The Void Returning Stage cultivator of the Taishang Dao Sect was right before his eyes; the divine soul of that person alone was worth two ordinary Void Returning practitioners.
If he could refine this Ten Thousand Soul Banner using this Perfected One Xiao Ning as the main soul, he was confident that he could advance to the next realm within one hundred years.
As his thoughts turned at lightning speed, he took out two dark purple beads that were glowing with an eerie light.
With a refinement using his magical power, the purple light within the beads faded away, and they became pure white and flawless.
As soon as he released his hand, the pure white beads fell to the ground, but they did not shatter; instead, they melted directly into it.
The beads continued to sink and descend, finally seeping into the array foundation of the City-Guarding Grand Array.
Buzz!
With a light sound, an illusory clear light rose up from the array foundation and charged toward the high heavens.
"There are still three hundred and sixty-four locations."
Just as his voice fell, one illusory figure after another walked out from his body and charged toward the city—or more accurately, toward the locations of the array foundations within the city.
If it were not for the fact that this City-Guarding Grand Array had just been activated, he would not have been able to reverse its nature so easily.
Inside Xuanjian City's Third High School, because the City-Guarding Grand Array had closed, many people who were previously inside the classrooms had come outside.
"Notice: The Void Returning Stage great cultivator Perfected One Xiao Ning has arrived in this city along with the ancient cultivator negotiation team."
"The City-Guarding Grand Array has been closed."
"To ensure the personal safety of all citizens, please do not leave the school or the stations of the various major sects for the time being, and wait for further notice."
The announcement rang out quickly and spread throughout the entire city.
In an instant, the tense atmosphere within Xuanjian City dissipated by quite a bit.
Regardless of the situation, with a Void Returning Stage cultivator presiding over the area, even if that ancient cultivator who emerged from seclusion truly intended to cause trouble, it would be easier to stop them.
Zhang Yunlu came out of the classroom, and as she felt the spiritual energy gradually becoming peaceful, she looked into the distance.
However, she saw streaks of clear light rising into the high heavens, transforming into two massive illusory figures of a dragon and a phoenix.
They circled in the sky above Xuanjian City, weaving through the clouds and mist in an incomparably magnificent display.
"As expected of a Void Returning Stage cultivator; his entrance is truly grand and stylish."
She could not help but sigh in admiration.
"Grand and stylish?"
Xu Xing walked to her side and raised his head to look at the dragon and phoenix phantoms enveloping the entirety of Xuanjian City.
"This thing was likely not created by that Perfected One Xiao Ning."
"Ah?"
It was not Perfected One Xiao Ning?
Then who could it be?
"Among demonic cultivators, there is a type of magical artifact that is extremely malicious yet quite easy to refine."
"It requires the collection of many living souls, and it also requires the divine soul of one or more great cultivators to serve as the main soul."
"Are you saying... the Ten Thousand Soul Banner?"
It had been a very long time since any cultivator had refined such a forbidden magical artifact.
"Correct."
Xu Xing nodded his head and continued to explain.
"However, in the collection of living souls—whether it be the massive quantity of auxiliary souls or the hunting of the divine souls of powerful cultivators—it is easy for problems to arise."
"The great powers within the demonic path designed an array for this purpose."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunlu recalled the ancient history she had seen on the Spirit Network, and her heart could not help but tighten.
"The Soul-Aweing Array? You don't mean to say..."
"Your reaction is very fast."
Xu Xing offered a compliment, his gaze still fixed upon the dragon and phoenix phantoms.
"The thing above our heads is indeed the Soul-Aweing Array, and it is even a modified version."
Nowadays, even a Ten Thousand Soul Banner required packaging, being made to look like a spirit artifact of an immortal family.
I have updated the internal glossary with the new characters, organizations, and terms introduced in this chapter. Please let me know when you are ready for the next segment.