The Unparalleled Sword Emperor Chapter 2591 - 2566: Storm Mountain Range!

"Because... the human heart is treacherous!" Lin Bai remarked with a faint smile.

Lan Yuxin and Hu Xiner stared at Lin Bai, utterly puzzled.

Lin Bai spoke without emotion, "Didn’t you hear the words of the Tianhua Mountain Sect Leader moments ago?"

"The Demon Sect lacks any disciple organization or faction; they’re all lone operatives, loose cultivators!"

"They storm into the Phoenix Song Area, slaying anyone in sight and seizing every treasure!"

Lin Bai declared.

Lan Yuxin responded, "Even then, the Phoenix Song Area shouldn’t have crumbled so utterly!"

Lin Bai pressed on, "Lan Yuxin, don’t you see? The Demon Sect disciples invading the Phoenix Song Area are probably few, but those originating from inside could number many!"

Lan Yuxin and Hu Xiner shared a glance, their faces filled with bewilderment as they turned to Lin Bai.

Lin Bai clarified, "With no organization or titles among Demon Sect disciples, no one knows their numbers or identities!"

"In a sprawling region like the Phoenix Song Area, families and sects abound, bound to clash at times!"

"Previously, they kept up appearances because the Phoenix Song Area thrived in peace and abundance!"

"But now, with the Demon Sect’s arrival, everyone scrambles for self-protection, racing to bolster their power and snatch cultivation resources!"

"The Demon Sect’s presence handed them the perfect excuse for war!"

"These families and sects, desperate for strength and resources, turned on each other, ravaging and looting!"

Lin Bai stated calmly.

Lan Yuxin and Hu Xiner’s expressions grew icy.

Lin Bai went on, "Many warriors likely exploit the chaos, pretending to be Demon Sect under the cover of war; a black robe and bamboo hat suffice to pose as one, rampaging with fire, murder, and plunder!"

"One dons a black robe, and soon a hundred follow suit!"

"They believe they’re just using the Demon Sect’s name, unaware that slipping into the black robe makes them true Demon Sect disciples!"

"That’s the Demon Sect’s cunning scheme!"

Lin Bai sneered coldly.

Lan Yuxin asked, "Lin Bai, do you mean... the Phoenix Song Area’s collapse stems purely from its own warriors slaughtering one another?"

Lin Bai replied, "The Demon Sect bears some blame, but the bulk of the fault lies in their infighting. Otherwise, could the Demon Sect alone topple the Phoenix Song Area this swiftly?"

Lan Yuxin fumed, "But why resort to this? Don’t they realize the Demon Sect is the shared foe across the East Continent?"

Lin Bai gazed at Lan Yuxin and smiled, "Lan Yuxin, here’s an analogy for you!"

"Suppose we’re both at Great Perfection of the Heaven Martial Realm, and I hold an Elixir Pill to reach the Divine Elixir Realm—one you’ve long desired, yet I refuse to share!"

"Then the Demon Sect descends, dooming the Phoenix Song Area, and breaking through to Divine Elixir Realm would boost your survival odds!"

"Wouldn’t you then seize my pill, advance your cultivation, and gain an extra day in the Phoenix Song Area?"

Lin Bai fixed Lan Yuxin with a grave look and questioned.

"I..." Lan Yuxin fell silent briefly.

Lin Bai chuckled, "Trust me, you would! When death looms, even the noblest souls unleash their inner demons!"

"In this martial realm, survival of the fittest reigns supreme—nothing more commonplace."

Lin Bai shook his head as he spoke.

"And those escaping the Phoenix Song Area cry for its revival and unity—how utterly ridiculous!"

Lin Bai shook his head once more.

Hu Xiner declared, "The true joke isn’t them, but this world itself!"

Lin Bai turned to Hu Xiner at her words and laughed, "You’ve caught me off guard today. Beneath that alluring facade beats a real heart."

Hu Xiner offered a subtle smile, brushing off whether Lin Bai mocked or praised her, and stayed silent.

The Spirit Boat soared across the Phoenix Song Area’s lands.

Throughout the journey, Lan Yuxin’s face remained somber.

Lin Bai, seasoned by the martial world’s battles and the sight of corpse-littered wastes, felt little stir now.

Lin Bai approached Lan Yuxin, lightly tapping her shoulder, and assured, "Don’t fret—we’ll triumph in this war!"

Lan Yuxin gave a bitter smile, "Why?"

Lin Bai affirmed resolutely, "Because defeat is not an option!"

Lan Yuxin regarded Lin Bai intently and probed, "Lin Bai, have you witnessed realms where rivers run red with blood and bodies pile high?"

"Have you endured such horrors?"

"Is that why you remain so calm?"

Lan Yuxin inquired with curiosity.

Lin Bai laughed, "What makes you think that?"

Lan Yuxin confessed, "I’m dying to uncover your history!"

Lin Bai smiled wryly, eyes distant with memory, and murmured softly, "Yes, I’ve beheld lands as ravaged as the Phoenix Song Area now!"

"A close companion lost her whole family in that strife!"

"All perished, leaving her the sole survivor!"

"Yet she refused to yield, striving harder than anyone!"

Lin Bai spoke softly.

Lin Bai recalled the Territories of all nations, Lingdong, and Bai Xiaoxiao.

During the Five Poison Sect’s invasion, Lingdong lay in ruins, dynasties and warriors obliterated, and Bai Xiaoxiao’s Shenwu Kingdom Royal Family wiped out in a single night.

Bai Xiaoxiao alone endured.

From then on, she swore to unite all Under Heaven!

Lingdong’s cataclysm mirrored today’s Phoenix Song Area horror!

Back then, Lin Bai had proclaimed, "We will win because we cannot afford to lose!"

Defeat would doom the land to eternal barrenness, a demon-haunted domain!

Over seven days and nights, Lin Bai’s group traversed the Phoenix Song Area, brushing past dangers that Lin Bai dispatched effortlessly.

At last, on the eighth dawn, they reached the Storm Mountain Range!

The Storm Mountain Range served as the Feng Family’s domain!

"This must be the Storm Mountain Range, yet it appears nothing like it!"

Lan Yuxin observed from the Spirit Boat, eyeing the terrain ahead.

Before Lin Bai stretched a desolate mountain chain, far from the grandeur of the Feng Family’s holdings as the Phoenix Song Area’s premier clan.

Lin Bai sensed the oddity too; after pondering briefly, he announced, "It’s the Formation!"