The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 215 - 210: A Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness

Chapter 215: Chapter 210: A Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness

Talking about Enlightenment Dao, he was attacked by four experts and had no choice but to escape into Sword Cliff.

The disciples of Mount Shu inside Sword Cliff were shocked to see him and began attacking with their sword artifacts. Enlightenment Dao bellowed, "Hold! It’s me!"

Xu Hai and Xu Qing, two brothers, recognized the person and hastily shouted, "Stop!"

Enlightenment Dao steadied his footing and saw that Sword Cliff was filled with disciples from the lineage of Mount Shu, all of whom were extremely agitated.

"It is indeed the senior!" Xu Hai exclaimed with joy.

"Hmm!" Enlightenment Dao gave a slight nod.

The swarm of Mount Shu’s disciples hurriedly paid their respects and asked about the situation outside Sword Cliff.

Enlightenment Dao nodded in response and said, "Outside, there are many experts from the Demon Path assembled, a vast crowd, and they are currently attacking Sword Cliff. It’s very dangerous."

Xu Hai clenched his teeth and said, "It’s detestable that the traitor stole a corner of the formation’s seal mark, otherwise these people would never be able to breach our sword formation!"

The sword formation of Shu Mountain was forged by the ancient Patriarchs with great effort and labor. Even experts of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Third Layer might not be able to break through it. However, as the formation was activated, a traitor stole a corner seal mark, thus preventing the sword formation from operating at full capacity. This allowed people from the Demon Path to breach it at its weakest point, causing heavy casualties in Shu Mountain and forcing them to retreat into Sword Cliff. Nevertheless, this was their last retreat. If Sword Cliff were breached, they would have no choice but to engage in a desperate fight to the death with the Demon Path. However, the Demon Path was formidable and outnumbered them, not to mention they had many more powerful experts than Shu Mountain. If they really started an all-out fight, Shu Mountain would likely only face defeat.

Enlightenment Dao said solemnly, "Don’t panic! Those sects haven’t sent help yet, which probably means that the jade talismans you sent out have been intercepted. Only I received Xu Hai’s jade talisman, which is why I rushed here. The Sword Dao Will of this Sword Cliff can protect you temporarily, but it can’t protect you forever. We must think of a solution quickly."

Shu Mountain had sent out jade talismans seeking help while under attack by the Demon Path, but obviously, many of those talismans had been intercepted. Even the few that got through might have reached people who were in the Jade Pure Sky listening to Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch preach about the Great Dao. Thus, the only one who came to aid Shu Mountain was Enlightenment Dao.

The disciples of Shu Mountain all looked ashen-faced. This siege by the Demon Path was too powerful; they simply couldn’t resist, and they feared that this ancient great sect would be destroyed in one fell swoop.

Xu Qing asked, "I wonder, senior, do you have any method to help our Mount Shu overcome this great calamity?"

Enlightenment Dao thought to himself, "Should I ask my senior sister again? I fear even heaven knows, but no one has intervened, obviously there’s something fishy. Moreover, this time the Netherworld Blood Sea has also intervened. Does Shu Mountain possess something that they desire?"

The Netherworld Blood Sea had long remained out of sight, only becoming frequently active recently. With them joining the Demon Path to attack Mount Shu this time, Enlightenment Dao really couldn’t fathom what scheme they were brewing.

With so many experts from the Demon Path outside, Enlightenment Dao might be tough, but how many could he defeat by himself? This was not like the time of Havoc in Heaven when those Immortals were only performing lip service, each not willing to exert their full strength. These people from the Demon Path were united, determined to break Shu Mountain. How could it be stopped? If it weren’t for the theft of a corner of the Mountain-Protecting Sword Formation’s seal mark, the situation wouldn’t have degenerated to this extent.

Enlightenment Dao felt that even if he asked his sect to intervene, it probably wouldn’t change the outcome; the people from his sect would definitely not take action.

This was his own karma. If his sect intervened, the Lingbao Lineage would again become entangled with the people of the Lower Realm, which would be very troublesome.

Enlightenment Dao pondered and said, "Does your Mount Shu possess any treasures that these people from the Demon Path covet? Otherwise, they probably wouldn’t be so unanimous. Is it just to destroy Mount Shu out of spite? If they wanted to destroy, it should have been Mount Wudang instead."

Everyone couldn’t help but shake their heads. Apart from Sword Mountain, what other treasure did Shu Mountain have? Yet the prohibitions on Sword Mountain were so numerous that those from the Demon Path couldn’t possibly steal the swords from Mount Shu Sword Mountain.

Enlightenment Dao sighed and said, "Forget it."

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a tremendous force pressed down on Sword Cliff, followed by a loud bang. Many disciples turned pale, and some even vomited blood.

"This is bad, there’s a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer expert attacking Sword Cliff!" Xu Hai’s face drastically changed, he exclaimed.

Enlightenment Dao used his divine skills to check, only to see a man outside wielding two divine swords and using his divine skills, the terrifying force shaking the entire Sword Cliff. The Sword Dao Will was on the verge of collapse! The multitude of demons outside roared in unison, cheering, as breaching the Shu Mountain Sword Cliff was now within their reach.

Enlightenment Dao was shocked inwardly. This person was none other than Poxun from the Netherworld Blood Sea, the eldest disciple from the line of Ancestor Minghe, who had reached the realm of Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven, the Law Realm! Once one becomes a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal, each advancement was as difficult as scaling the heavens, only achievable by those with great fortitude and fate. Guanyin, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and other Bodhisattvas had been diligently cultivating for so long and still hadn’t managed to make this breakthrough. It speaks volumes about how difficult it was to advance a level once reaching Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal.

Enlightenment Dao’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer expert to arrive. He could be considered a contender for the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal as well, but only because his true self had not yet emerged from the Five Elements Mountain. Otherwise, he would have already congealed the Primordial Dao Fruit and cultivated the Hunyuan True Qi.

The difference between a Second Layer and a First Layer Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal was like heaven and earth. Even with the Nine Dragon-Consuming Steles at hand, he was not confident. Furthermore, the newcomer wielded both the Yuan Tu Sword and the Abi Sword!

Poxun had come to Mount Shu, bringing with him the Abi Sword, and then took the Yuantu Sword from Vishnu. With both swords in hand, he intended to forcibly break through the Sword Dao will on Sword Cliff.

Enlightenment Dao frowned and massaged his temples, saying, "This is not good, not good at all! We must think of something. If we let him break through, everyone else here, except for me, would likely be killed. We must find a way to stop him."

Suddenly, he felt waves of Sword Dao will surge into his body, causing him to pause in surprise. Turning his head, he saw the character "Sword" carved by Song Lun on Sword Cliff emitting rays of light. These rays all entered his body, making him feel as though his power had greatly increased, almost making him want to roar up at the sky!

He had already been meditating on the Sword Will at Sword Cliff for a long time, receiving the legacy of Song Lun, and now, in Mount Shu’s critical moment, the sentient Sword Dao will had bestowed itself upon him, instantly elevating his combat strength to an immensely terrifying level.

"The dark willow blooms and suddenly, there’s a new village! Indeed, heaven doesn’t seal all paths—this line of survival for Mount Shu must indeed rest with me!" Now, with his cultivation greatly enhanced, Enlightenment Dao could perceive subtle phenomena unseen by others. With calamities befalling Mount Shu, all chances of survival seemed gone except for a slim thread that resided in him. He was of the Lingbao Lineage, also known as Sect of Interception, specifically intercepting this thread of survival.

Xu Hai and Xu Qing turned pale and asked, "Senior, what should we do?"

Enlightenment Dao drew the Seven Stars Sword from behind him and said, "I shall go out and meet this fiend and see what he’s capable of! You all just wait inside for now!"

Xu Hai hurriedly said, "Senior, this person is a high-level expert from the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven; you might not be his match if you go out!"

Enlightenment Dao laughed and replied, "Don’t worry, I have my ways to deal with him!"

Xu Qing added, "Senior, please do not overexert yourself. Do not lose your life for the sake of our Mount Shu, that would truly disgrace us!"

Enlightenment Dao nodded and said, "Rest assured, no need to worry about me. Though he is from the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer, I too possess the power to fight!"

Enlightenment Dao first brought out the Nine Dragon-Consuming Steles, formed a spell with his hand, and flicked nine drops of his vital blood, which landed on the steles. Then, the nine steles transformed into nine Longtou Daorens, each wielding a Seven Stars Sword.

He transformed the Swallowing Dragon Stele into his body doubles, able to resist other experts, to prevent being encircled during his duel with Poxun—that would indeed be disastrous. The Sword Dao will was infused separately into the nine Dragon-Consuming Steles, causing all nine Longtou Daorens to roar fiercely, frightening Xu Hai and Xu Qing into -stepping back.

Enlightenment Dao declared, "I will confront Poxun; you stop the Demon Path warriors!"

"Yes!"

The nine Longtou Daorens responded in unison.

With Song Lun’s Sword Dao will empowering him, he felt as if he had devoured a creator, possessing boundless strength.

"This is also the thread of survival that Song Lun left for Mount Shu. Good, with this spirit will empowering me, I shall completely repel the horde of demons!" Enlightenment Dao thought to himself and stepped out from Sword Cliff.

Poxun was just feeling that the Sword Dao will inside Sword Cliff had weakened considerably and was about to break in when suddenly, a sword light shot out. This sword light, like a Divine Dragon, actually possessed the power of a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal Second Layer of Heaven! Poxun was greatly shocked, thinking, when did Mount Shu have such a powerful expert? He quickly swung both swords, managing to block the stab from Enlightenment Dao’s Seven Stars Sword, but was then caught off guard by a loud shout: "Explode!"

Poxun inwardly cursed, swiftly gathering his Divine Skills, only to see Enlightenment Dao’s body explode—it was merely a Sword Shadow Clone, not his true self.

With that explosion, countless waves of Sword Qi swept back, causing Poxun physical pain and cutting deep gashes into his flesh.

"Heaven and Earth Laws, serve me!" Poxun called out, only to see mysterious ripples flash into existence.

Rules belong to the acquired, while Laws to the innate; the two are incomparable. Poxun, having understood the mysteries of Law and peering into the essence of all things, could potentially see through them completely, create from the void, and achieve the Third Layer of Creation Boundary!

The immense Sword Qi pressed against those Law barriers. Although it barely managed to break them, it lost much of its force and failed to injure Poxun significantly.

The nine Longtou Daorens each wielding a sword charged at Green-robed Ancestor and three others, while Flying Liann, not wanting to expend his mana, secretly moved to the side, choosing not to intervene.

This moment became a maelstrom of chaos, shrouded in darkness, and lacking Three Talents, turning into a fierce battle. The tens of thousands of Demon Path forces began to assault Sword Cliff, where the disciples of Mount Shu formed a massive Sword Formation to protect each other, with the outcome still undecided.

How the battle concluded remains to be told in the next installment.

PS: There are always 24 hours in a day that I don’t feel like writing... Feeling fatigued, procrastination setting in, can’t stand it, trying to overcome it. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)