Before long, Zhang Ling arrived at the summit of Red Rock Mountain, where over a dozen Foundation Establishment stage cultivators had already gathered in front of a stone hall. Standing before these individuals was Senior Uncle Han, a Golden Core stage cultivator, standing motionless. Their faces were solemn, and no one spoke. Seeing this, Zhang Ling knew the situation was serious. The transmission talisman he received earlier had outlined the current circumstances. He walked into the group and stood beside his fellow disciple, Hao Ming. Hao Ming simply nodded at him, his expression grim as well. After waiting a while, more than twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered. Essentially, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Red Rock Mountain, except those on missions, were present. At this moment, Senior Uncle Han, standing in front, raised his head and scanned the cultivators before speaking. "Everyone who could come is here. I will now explain the situation." The corpulent Senior Uncle Han's face was stern, exuding the aura of a high-level cultivator. "Just now, the Golden Core elder stationed at Azure Moon Lake sent a distress signal. Two Golden Core stage demon cultivators from the Otherworld are attacking the formations at Azure Moon Lake." "You all know that Azure Moon Lake, like Red Rock Mountain, is one of the smaller array eyes guarding Yanh霞 City's grand formation. This is of utmost importance, and we must provide assistance. I have decided to lead fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators to support them." Senior Uncle Han scanned the assembled cultivators. A moment of silence ensued as they exchanged glances.
Azure Moon Lake was under attack by Otherworld demons and had sent a distress signal, indicating that it couldn't hold out for much longer. Hearing that there were two Golden Core stage Otherworld demons, they were naturally unwilling, their faces clouded with uncertainty, and some even showed signs of panic. It was obvious that the situation was fraught with danger. Senior Uncle Han's face darkened, and he coldly snorted. "Azure Moon Lake is only five or six hundred miles away. Although it is currently besieged by Golden Core stage Otherworld demons, the grand formation should hold for a while. If we don't reinforce them, Red Rock Mountain will become the next target." "Don't harbor any illusions. This has happened before. These Demon-Sealing Stones distributed around the Immortal City all affect each other. Once Azure Moon Lake falls, the formation we guard here will weaken by a third, and then the Otherworld demons will invade..." "Now, those whose names are called will join me in battle." After saying these words with a grim expression, Senior Uncle Han nodded to a blue-armored cultivator standing in front. The blue-armored cultivator faced the other cultivators and announced loudly. "Kui Gang, Du Wu, Wang Minghao..." Each name called brought a more unpleasant expression to the face of the cultivator in question. This blue-armored cultivator possessed the strength of the late Foundation Establishment stage. His name was Feng Kang, and he was one of the cultivators brought by Senior Uncle Han. Previously, he had been stationed at the entrance of the Demon-Sealing Stone cave. "Zhang Ling, Tian Jing," Suddenly hearing his name, Zhang Ling frowned slightly, his heart sinking. In the blink of an eye, fifteen names had been announced. Half of these were disciples of the sect, and the other half were rogue cultivators. "Alright, you all go and prepare. We will depart in half an hour." Senior Uncle Han said to the fifteen disciples with a cold expression. Then, after giving a few instructions to Feng Kang, he disappeared in a flash of red light. "Junior Brother Zhang Ling." Zhang Ling, with a somber expression, was about to leave when he heard a transmission from Senior Brother Hao Ming. He couldn't help but glance at him. Senior Brother Hao Ming was also one of the fifteen, along with Junior Sister Tian Jing. Including him, the Hao Yuan Sect accounted for three.
Zhang Ling turned his head and scanned the fifteen people. At that moment, many were talking in small groups. He walked over to Hao Ming, and Tian Jing also nodded to him. The three walked and talked for a few moments. Before Hao Ming could speak, he already understood his meaning. Hao Ming first grumbled a few times, then spoke of mutual assistance between fellow disciples. The other two naturally had no objections. At this time, sticking together was the best way to survive. The remaining people, whether rogue cultivators or disciples from other sects, had similar thoughts. The three separated, and Zhang Ling returned to his cave. He first went to the medicine field and harvested some rare spiritual herbs, then put the Twin-Tailed Orange Cat into the spirit beast pouch. Afterward, he looked at the Six Jia Bewildering God Formation set up outside the cave, and after thinking about it, he put all the array flags into his storage bag. He vaguely felt that this reinforcement of Azure Moon Lake would not be easy, and bringing the formation would provide more means of survival. Suddenly, a soft sound came from the sky, and he saw a red glow covering the sky, causing him to start in alarm. This was a sign that the protective formation of this place was fully activated. The red light curtain quickly covered several miles, enveloping the entire Red Rock Mountain. This was the first time he had seen the formation here fully activated, which foreshadowed the situation to come. "Junior Brother Zhang." Zhang Ling, with a somber expression, was looking at the scene in the sky when he heard Wu Minghan's voice behind him. He saw Wu Minghan piloting a flying boat, quickly landing on the ground. "Senior Brother Wu." Zhang Ling cupped his fist at him, considering it a greeting. "Junior Brother, I also know about the Azure Moon Lake incident. If I hadn't been on a patrol mission just now, I would have been involved as well. Most of the cultivators patrolling this area have already returned." Zhang Ling could only smile helplessly. They were just Foundation Establishment cultivators, and since Senior Uncle Han of the Golden Core stage had spoken, they had no room for negotiation. Especially at this time, naturally no cultivator dared not go. Senior Uncle Han was not an elder of their Hao Yuan Sect and would not have any protective intentions towards them. If any cultivator dared not go, Senior Uncle Han would definitely not show mercy. Yanh霞 Immortal City had considered this when issuing the Demon Subjugation Order to these sects. Those who could come here to be stationed were all minor figures in the sect. Those disciples protected by elders would naturally not come to such a dangerous place so early. Wu Minghan suddenly tossed a storage bag and took out a palm-sized jade box, handing it to him. "This is" Seeing this, Zhang Ling showed a puzzled expression. Wu Minghan gestured for him to open it. With a click, Zhang Ling opened the box and saw a small cyan-blue bead inside, shimmering with silver light. "Heavenly Thunder Pearl." Seeing this treasure, he was shocked. He turned to look at Wu Minghan, who was smiling brightly. "This treasure was previously exchanged by me from the sect's treasure cave. Junior Brother, this trip is dangerous. With this treasure, you can have an extra layer of protection for survival." "Such a rare treasure, I dare not accept it." Seeing this treasure, he was naturally a little tempted, but why would Wu Minghan give him this treasure for no reason? "Hehe, Junior Brother, don't overthink it. This is because the Foundation Establishment Pill you exchanged from me before helped my family greatly."
"Junior Brother also knows that I come from a small family attached to the sect. There is usually a Foundation Establishment cultivator in the family year-round. There are many such families in the sect. Although we are attached to the sect, we are not entirely disciples of the sect. We also have the identity of family cultivators." "A few years ago, the Foundation Establishment stage elder in my family was nearing the end of his lifespan, and there was no next Foundation Establishment cultivator in the family. You must know that the sect does not look favorably on families without Foundation Establishment cultivators." "The family elders exhausted their wealth to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill from the Hao Yuan Sect, but that Foundation Establishment Pill did not allow me to break through. Without a Foundation Establishment family, it would be removed from the sect's roster in an instant. At that time, it would either be annexed by other families or intercepted and killed by some rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators. Whether it could exist was another matter." "Fortunately, the Foundation Establishment Pill that Junior Brother gave up allowed me to successfully advance, which spared the family from disaster." Hearing Wu Minghan's account, Zhang Ling showed no expression, but shook his head and said, "At that time, I also exchanged a talisman treasure from Senior Brother, which can be regarded as each taking what he needed." "Haha, in fact, this is also a small thought of mine. Junior Brother was able to kill a cultivator of the same rank in a short period of time before, and his strength is definitely not that of an ordinary cultivator. Although this treasure is precious, what I value is Junior Brother himself." "Junior Brother, please accept this treasure. If Junior Brother can return safely, I wonder if you would be willing to serve as a guest elder of my family." Wu Minghan suddenly said with a hearty laugh. "Guest Elder?"