Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Great Demon Appears
When Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and Yu Zhao heard the question, they exchanged looks without changing their expressions, but alarm bells rang in their hearts.

They were not wearing any accessories related to the Five Elements Dao Sect, and the five people approaching were all complete strangers. So how could they call out their sect in one go?

Zhou Jin Yue said carefully: “Fellow Daoist, before asking about us, why don’t you first give your own name?”

The other person quickly said: “Sorry, sorry.”

As they spoke, a group of five came into view, made up of three men and two women.

The five looked about the same age as Zhou Jin Yue and the others. Their figures were straight, their looks were good, and even just standing there quietly, they gave off a hard-to-describe air.

Yu Zhao sharply noticed a faint drifting scent of medicine in the air. Her heart moved.

The next moment, the other side took the initiative to prove Yu Zhao’s guess.

The young woman in green standing in the middle stepped forward and said sincerely: “Three Fellow Daoists, we are disciples of Greenwood Sect. Earlier, we ran into other Fellow Daoists of the Five Elements Dao Sect in the mountains, so I guessed on impulse. Please forgive the offense.”

Her eyes were clear and her tone honest. She even took out her Greenwood Sect disciple token and handed it to Zhou Jin Yue for inspection, lowering her attitude as much as she could.

The Five Elements Dao Sect and the Greenwood Sect were both top super sects in the Cultivation World. Their relationship was not exactly intimate, but on the surface it was very harmonious.

In particular, the Greenwood Sect was best at alchemy. Most of the powerful alchemists in the Cultivation World were in Greenwood Sect. Disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect would not easily offend people from Greenwood Sect.

So once the other party reported their identity, Zhou Jin Yue’s attitude turned around completely.

She cupped her hands and said: “So you are Fellow Daoists from Greenwood Sect. I was rude just now. I am Zhou Jin Yue of the Five Elements Dao Sect. These two are my Junior Brother Zhang Jun and Junior Sister Yu Zhao.”

The young woman in green looked pleasantly surprised and said: “So Fellow Daoist is Senior Sister Zhou Jin Yue!”

A person’s name was like the shadow of a tree.

As the sect ranked first in the Cultivation World, the Five Elements Dao Sect’s disciples were naturally closely watched.

On top of that, Zhou Jin Yue was the First Disciple of the Sect Master. She had both character and ability. Just as many people knew her name as knew the name of the Five Elements Dao Sect.

After Zhou Jin Yue gave a few modest words, the two groups finally exchanged names.

The young woman in green was called Mu Ye, a disciple of the Greenwood Sect Alchemy Hall. Her cultivation level was Late Foundation Establishment.

To talk about the status of an Alchemy Hall disciple, the inner structure of Greenwood Sect had to be mentioned first.

Greenwood Sect divided its disciples into three halls based on their Spiritual Root talents: the Alchemy Hall, the Herb Hall, and the Martial Hall.

Alchemy Hall disciples had outstanding talent in alchemy. Their numbers were the smallest among the three halls, but their status was the most respected.

Next came the Herb Hall. Herb Hall disciples had strong affinity with Spirit Herbs and possessed Wood Spiritual Roots. They were in charge of planting, caring for, and harvesting Spirit Herbs.

Martial Hall disciples had neither talent for alchemy nor affinity with Spirit Plants. They had to complete sect missions to exchange for resources like pills and Spirit Stones.

But even though Martial Hall disciples did not receive as good treatment as Alchemy Hall and Herb Hall disciples, their status was still something countless cultivators fought to gain. Martial Hall disciples also made up the largest portion of Greenwood Sect’s disciples.

This was because Greenwood Sect did not directly give Martial Hall disciples resources. Instead, it used an exchange system as a restriction. As long as you saved up enough contribution points, even Fourth-grade Spirit Pills, which had almost vanished from the Cultivation World, could still be redeemed, and there was no upper limit.

That alone was enough to drive countless cultivators mad with desire.

In the five-man team from Greenwood Sect, only Mu Ye was an Alchemy Hall disciple. The other four were Martial Hall disciples who had taken on the mission to protect her.

The other young woman was named Dai Xia. The three men were Chen Qing An, Tian Han, and Guo Ming En. All three had cultivation at Early Golden Core Stage.

They greeted each other again according to proper etiquette, and their relationship naturally became much closer.

Mu Ye asked: “Senior Sister Zhou, you arrived at Dragon Roar Valley two days earlier than us. Have you found any trace of the Seven-colored Deer?”

Zhou Jin Yue did not hide anything. She shook her head with a sigh and said: “There has been no news at all. I am even starting to suspect that the Seven-colored Deer was just a rumor someone made up on purpose.”

Mu Ye also sighed.

She had the same guess in her heart.

There were very few truly foolish people among cultivators.

The news about the Seven-colored Deer had appeared in a strange way and then never had any follow-up. It obviously seemed suspicious.

Mu Ye was just unwilling to accept it.

She had come here especially for the Seven-colored Deer. She had even taken out pills she had treasured for many years and spent a high price to hire four Martial Hall disciples to protect her.

Now she was going back empty-handed, and those treasured pills were wasted. How could Mu Ye feel good about that?

Her gloomy mood only lasted for a short moment before she quickly cheered up again.

Even if she did not find the Seven-colored Deer, at least she had made friends with Zhou Jin Yue and the other two. That was some comfort.

She was just wondering if she should head back when the ground under her feet suddenly shook violently. Stones bounced up and down like fish out of water.

Flap flap –

Huge flocks of birds burst out of the forest in panic.

Beast roars rose and fell from all directions.

The sky seemed to be covered by a layer of dark fog, giving off an ominous feeling.

Yu Zhao’s pupils shrank. She raised her voice and shouted: “Careful, a Great Demon is nearby!”

In the Cultivation World, only Demonic Beasts at Nascent Soul Stage or above could be called Great Demons.

When a Great Demon appeared, heaven and earth changed color, and it would also trigger a small-scale beast tide.

“A Great Demon?!”

Everyone’s faces changed at the same time.

Nascent Soul Stage cultivators were strong enough to start their own sects and rule a region of the Cultivation World. Nascent Soul Stage Great Demons were even more terrifying. Their defense was thicker and their life force far more tenacious.

Zhou Jin Yue had never expected to meet a Great Demon during what was supposed to be a normal training trip. Her expression grew heavy, and her heart pounded wildly.

Someone cried out: “Senior Sister Zhou, let’s leave here quickly!”

Among everyone present, Zhou Jin Yue had the highest cultivation level and a special status, so Mu Ye instinctively treated her as the backbone.

“No.” Zhou Jin Yue refused without hesitation: “My Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters are still in danger. I will never abandon them!”

She turned to give orders: “Zhang Jun, Yu Zhao, contact the other Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters. Find a spot that is closest to everyone and have them gather there.”

Then she looked at Mu Ye and said: “Junior Sister Mu, if you can still move freely, leave as soon as you can. If you cannot get away, then I, Zhou Jin Yue, will give my life to protect your safety!”

At great moments, one needed calm.

Zhou Jin Yue usually looked gentle and easy to get along with, but in a crisis, the dignity and sense of duty of a First Senior Sister showed through without doubt.

Mu Ye glanced at her four fellow disciples, wanting to ask for their thoughts, but all she saw on their faces was panic.

Then she looked back at Zhang Jun and Yu Zhao from the Five Elements Dao Sect. The two of them were already following Zhou Jin Yue’s instructions, using the sect’s special communication method to contact their fellow disciples.

Compared side by side, the difference was clear.

Mu Ye gritted her teeth and said: “Senior Sister Zhou, I will go with you!”

She was not blindly trusting Zhou Jin Yue.

It was just that, by comparison, disciples of Greenwood Sect gave her less confidence right now.

If she had to entrust her life to one side, she would rather choose Zhou Jin Yue, whom she had only just met once!

This was the unique personal charm of First Senior Sister Zhou Jin Yue that made all disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect submit willingly.

The situation was urgent, so Zhou Jin Yue did not have time to comfort the people from Greenwood Sect. As soon as Yu Zhao and Zhang Jun picked out a suitable gathering spot, she led everyone there at once without stopping.

By her Dao heart, Zhou Jin Yue swore that she would protect all the disciples and get them safely out of Dragon Roar Valley, no matter the cost.