When Jue Ying previously visited the Taiyi Sect to pay her respects to Meng Zhang, she also had the chance to encounter the Deep EarthSpirit General giving a sermon.
Jue Ying had an extraordinary background and a mysterious and powerful mentor like Luo Ye, which placed her at the forefront of knowledge and experience. After listening to the Deep EarthSpirit General's teachings, she couldn't help but praise his profound insights.
Jue Ying remarked to Meng Zhang that it was unexpectedly remarkable to find such an expert in the Taiyi Sect. Despite being at the Refining Qi stage, the General's understanding of the Dao surpassed many Foundation Building cultivators.
Jue Ying didn't know the origin of the Deep EarthSpirit General, but she believed that the Taiyi Sect had a profound heritage. It was truly worthy of being a grand sect with a lineage from the Middle-Earth Continent, even though it had declined to its current state.
Meng Zhang naturally didn't delve into the specifics of the Deep EarthSpirit General's background and modestly responded to Jue Ying's admiration.
Several times, Jue Ying took the initiative to communicate with the Deep EarthSpirit General and benefited greatly from these exchanges.
Jue Ying rested at the Taiyi Sect for a night. The next morning, it was time for the Deep EarthSpirit General to give his regular sermon to the disciples.
Meng Zhang and Jue Ying arrived early and sat on meditation cushions in front of the main hall of the sect.
Though the number of Taiyi Sect disciples had been increasing, not everyone had the privilege to attend the teachings of the Deep EarthSpirit General. Those disciples whom Meng Zhang mistrusted, and others who might have been spies from other sects, were already sent away by him, assigned to various labor tasks, and seldom stepped foot inside the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate.
Before the arrival of the Deep EarthSpirit General, most of the available disciples gathered on the small square.
The belated Deep EarthSpirit General took his place on a high platform at the front without wasting any words and immediately launched into the main subject.
His teachings revolved around the methods and experiences commonly used by Refining Qi cultivators to break through bottlenecks and barriers.
Everyone present was enraptured, fully immersed in the teachings.
Even Meng Zhang, who had already advanced to the Refining Qi stage and had no bottlenecks before Foundation Building, gained considerable insights from this discourse.
The Deep EarthSpirit General spoke for more than an hour before concluding his sermon. Afterward, as the disciples took some time to digest and contemplate the teachings, the General casually selected a few disciples to answer their questions.
Once he gave detailed answers to their queries, Deep EarthSpirit General reluctantly ended the session, leaving the crowd yearning for more.
Even the highest Cultivation Base practitioners like Meng Zhang and Jue Ying did not immediately depart after the General left. They lingered, savoring the knowledge they had just gained.
After a while, Jue Ying said to Meng Zhang, "Taiyi Sect's disciples are truly fortunate to have such an expert as Deep Earth to answer their questions and teach them the Dao."
Meng Zhang nodded in agreement. The current Deep EarthSpirit General was formally the protector of the Taiyi Sect, but in reality, he had already taken on the role of head instructor and elder in charge of imparting cultivation techniques.
Having listened to the teachings of the Deep EarthSpirit General, Jue Ying was ready to leave the Taiyi Sect.
Coincidentally, Meng Zhang had some business in the Firewell Market, so he decided to travel with her, hitching a ride on her flying mount.
The black crane was exceptionally majestic and large, with wingspan exceeding thirty feet. Meng Zhang and Jue Ying easily hopped onto its broad back, sitting side by side with plenty of space to spare.
With both of them aboard, the black crane effortlessly unfolded its wings and soared into the sky, heading towards the Firewell Market.
The sharp and chilly wind at high altitude invigorated both cultivators, who were accustomed to hot and cold extremes.
Neither Jue Ying nor Meng Zhang were particularly talkative individuals. After a few brief exchanges, they fell into an awkward silence.
"Look, it seems there are demonic beasts besieging humans down there," Jue Ying exclaimed loudly.
As she spoke, the black crane came to a halt in mid-air.
Meng Zhang quickly looked down even though they were hundreds of feet above, their cultivator's vision allowing them to observe the events on the ground clearly.
A group of over a hundred poisonous sand lizards had surrounded a human team, fiercely attacking them. The human team appeared to be a merchant caravan, with about ten humped sand lizard beasts in tow, escorted by dozens of cultivators.
Poisonous sand lizards were notoriously formidable demonic beasts found in the Endless Sea of Sand. They possessed robust physical bodies and sharp claws, as well as innate talents for earth-based spells. When provoked, they would conjure stone armors and utilize sandstorms and earth spikes.
Moreover, as their name suggested, they could launch poison attacks, spitting venomous liquid mixed with sand, making it difficult for cultivators to fend off the toxic effects.
"It's strange to see so many poisonous sand lizards here," Meng Zhang mused aloud.
The surrounding area was a desolate and barren desert where even ordinary beasts were scarce, let alone demonic beasts.
As for a horde of demonic beasts attacking human cultivators, that was an unprecedented occurrence.
Regardless of the origin of these demonic beasts, since Meng Zhang had encountered them, he naturally had to intervene.
As a member of the Human Clan, it was the responsibility of every cultivator to help their kind against demonic beasts; it was a matter of race and righteousness.
Furthermore, among the human cultivators below, Meng Zhang recognized a familiar old man—Forest Mountain School's Sect Master, Xu Chengxian.
Though he didn't know why Xu Chengxian was here or why he was besieged by demonic beasts, it was Xu Chengxian's advice during their previous encounter that helped Meng Zhang greatly. Xu Chengxian's guidance led Meng Zhang to contact Shan Ying from Twin Success Valley and, with their support, suppress the aggressive Zhao Family.
Meng Zhang felt that he owed Xu Chengxian a favor, and now, in this situation, he saw the opportunity to repay it.
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