CHAPTER 918: CHAPTER 915: AMBUSHED

Others curiously looked at Situ Shu.

Because Huo Anshou asked the question that everyone wanted to ask but dared not.

Situ Shu pinched the spell with one hand, opened a small barrier, and his expression became serious: "Because the people of the Demon Sect have appeared!"

"What?"

A simple sentence instantly caused a huge commotion.

Demon Sect.

A strange and fearsome existence.

They had long vanished into the dust of history, so much so that many people had forgotten them, even thinking they were already annihilated.

But who could have anticipated that the Demon Sect would suddenly show up?

Thinking of the encirclement of the Nine Provinces’ elites by the Demon Sect a thousand years ago, everyone’s hearts uncontrollably raced.

Because the Nine Provinces Elite Tournament was merely a competition, a contest with only wins and losses, generally not involving loss of life.

However.

Once the Demon Sect is involved, it becomes a big deal.

Not only are there wins and losses, but also life and death.

"The purpose of the Demon Sect appearing at this time is already quite clear." Situ Shu’s face showed no emotion: "However, while the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, we do not know the distribution of the Demon Sect."

"The only thing we can do is to counter-attack, lure out the members of the Demon Sect, and catch them all in one go!"

"Therefore, the location for the second round of assessment is set in Shadow Valley."

This statement caused another huge commotion at the scene.

Because no one expected that the second round of assessment would be set in Shadow Valley, a place known to be a former stronghold of the Demon Sect.

A thousand years ago, the Demon Sect attacked the Nine Provinces’ elites, which then ignited the wrath of the Nine Provinces’ strongmen, who in anger stormed Shadow Valley and fought a fierce battle there.

They almost leveled it to the ground, although they annihilated the Demon Sect members living in Shadow Valley, the Demon Sect had several strongholds and was not completely eradicated.

Nevertheless, Shadow Valley has always been a forbidden area for humans, and even cultivators dare not easily approach it.

It was a place people dared not visit on a normal day, but now they must go there for assessment; who could remain calm in such a situation?

Situ Shu saw the unease in everyone’s hearts and spoke: "The sharpness of a treasure sword is forged through grinding!"

"You need a bloody battle to temper your state of mind!"

"Moreover, we Nascent Soul Stage Experts will secretly protect you. You can rest assured about your safety!"

Everyone was very reluctant, but at this point, they had no retreat.

They could only brace themselves and charge forward.

Situ Shu waved his right hand, and a blood-colored jade token appeared in front of each of the eighty-one disciples participating in the competition.

Situ Shu said: "This time, the Demon Sect disciples will surely come in droves, and your task is to kill the Demon Sect disciples."

"This jade token will record the number of Demon Sect disciples you kill."

"Three days later, your scores will be calculated based on the performance recorded in the jade token, and the ranking of this Nine Provinces Elite Tournament will be determined by the final scores."

"This means that this competition only has two rounds of assessment, and this is the final round!"

The rules of the competition were simple and easy to understand, but they were filled with many dangers.

"Let’s go, head to Shadow Valley." Situ Shu said as he rose into the air and quickly flew toward the northern Shadow Valley.

Others also rose into the air, closely following Situ Shu.

"This assessment spans three days."

"What you need to do is to find the remnants of the Demon Sect from a thousand years ago."

"Incomplete cultivation techniques, damaged magical treasures, anything related to the Demon Sect is acceptable."

"Three days later, the top three forces will enter the final assessment."

Situ Shu’s voice echoed in their ears, but everyone knew these words were meant for the Demon Sect disciples to hear.

"Senior Sister Bai, Senior Sister Zhong, Senior Sister Zhu, Sister Jian, when we reach Shadow Valley, make sure not to separate from me."

Xu Wendong secretly transmitted to the four, as their cultivation levels were very weak, except for Zhongli, who had a Golden Core Stage Level 3 cultivation, the remaining three were Second Layer of Golden Core Stage cultivators.

This cultivation level might be very strong in their respective sects.

But.

In the current environment, they belonged to the lowest tier.

So, Xu Wendong had to ensure their safety.

He did not want to see his women tragically die in front of him.

Bai Jie nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, we will surely protect ourselves, definitely not dragging you down!"

They knew their position and understood that their task in this battle was not to kill the enemy but to protect themselves.

Well, killing the enemy was something Xu Wendong could handle.

All they needed to do was stay safe.

An hour later.

A bottomless abyss appeared ahead, as if the earth had been slashed in two.

It was as if a Divine Dragon had descended from the Nine Heavens, smashing into the ground, forming a winding, uneven pit stretching for dozens of kilometers.

The canyon’s bottom was pitch-black, even the sun could not shine within.

This was once a stronghold of the Demon Sect.

It was also here that the most brutal battle of the Nine Provinces occurred.

Xia Hou looked at Xu Wendong, a hint of apprehension in his eyes: "Your master Wuming was severely injured here back then, nearly losing his life!"

A thousand years ago, the Elixir Sect received an imperial edict from the Qingzhou Imperial Family, assembling Golden Core Stage cultivators and above to attack Shadow Valley.

He brought several elders from the Sect to besiege the enemies, and that battle was exceedingly brutal; even he nearly lost his life.

Even now, recalling it still brings some fear.

"Alright, you may proceed; we’ll stay here to protect you!" Situ Shu’s voice resounded in their ears.

"Yes!"

Everyone acknowledged in unison, then stepped on their flying swords and dove toward Shadow Valley.

Nine Nascent Soul Stage Experts and twenty-seven Golden Core Peak Experts landed on both sides of the canyon to protect them.

They claimed to protect, but in fact, they were waiting for the Demon Sect to appear.

Because their purpose in coming here was to draw out the enemy.

So.

It was only a matter of time before the Demon Sect showed up.

The visibility in the canyon was dim, even though all present were Golden Core Stage cultivators with extraordinary eyesight, the visibility was less than 100 meters.

Xu Wendong’s eyes were full of suspicion: "Why is there an array fluctuation here?"

Meng Hao said: "This place was once a stronghold of the Demon Sect, and it is said that back then, the Nine Provinces’ strongmen had to work together to break the Demon Sect’s array, so the presence of array fluctuations is normal."

Xu Wendong nodded slightly, the explanation was reasonable, but for some reason, he felt an uneasy sensation.

Indescribable and inexplicable.

It seemed that there were hidden dangers unknown to them here.

"Was that battle really so brutal back in those days?" At this moment, Bai Jie’s voice sounded, tinged with confusion.

Meng Hao affirmed, saying: "It’s said that the Nine Provinces’ strongmen suffered heavy casualties here, and even Nascent Soul Stage Experts fell."

If Nascent Soul Stage Experts fell, the brutality of that battle can only be imagined.

Bai Jie looked to the side, murmuring: "Since that battle was so brutal, why are there still living utensils here?"

Xu Wendong suddenly gazed ahead and saw several porcelain bowls placed on a stone table in the distance.

His pupils trembled, exclaiming in alarm: "Not good, we’ve fallen into an ambush, quickly leave here!"