It is an illusion of the Demon race! As expected of a demonic cultivator!

"Could it be that Ji Hanliang is planning to summon the Demon race back into this world?"

As soon as Elder Bai finished speaking, a wave of shock rippled through all the disciples of the Seeking Immortal Sect present.

"Summon the Demon race?"
"Centuries ago, the Demon race emerged and brought disaster to countless lives."
"If they are allowed to return, it will undoubtedly plunge the mortal realm into misery and bloodshed."
"We must prevent such a tragedy from happening."
"Indeed, we have to stop them."
...
...

Li Muchen raised a hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"To stop Ji Hanliang from summoning the Demon race, we must disrupt their sacrificial ritual tonight."
"Ji Hanliang practices a heretical art; without living sacrifices, he can never break through to the next realm of cultivation."
"Listen up, everyone—"
"For tonight's operation, you must unleash your ultimate techniques."
"We must ruin the ritual."
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
...
...

Li Muchen double-checked the squad assignments to ensure everything was in order, then led them to infiltrate the small town, which now had only a tiny fraction of its original population left.
......

In the dead of night,
Li Muchen and the others indeed spotted a group of cultivators marching onto the town's main street.

Thanks to the invisibility spells cast upon everyone by Elders Bai and Lan, the group of cultivators remained completely unaware of their presence.

Among the enemy cultivators, Li Muchen and his companions watched as an elderly man in a black robe stepped forward.

Elder Bai narrowed his eyes, a look of faint astonishment crossing his face: "It's actually him?"

Li Muchen turned to Elder Bai and asked, "Elder, you know that man?"

Elder Bai nodded and spoke softly, "Fifteen years ago, I crossed paths with him in a duel of magic."

"A magical duel?" Li Muchen exclaimed in surprise.
He never would have imagined that Elder Bai, who always appeared so scholarly and refined, had once engaged in such fierce battles.

"In the end, who won?" Li Muchen asked, feeling a bit curious.

"Naturally, I won."
A flicker of disdain crossed Elder Bai's eyes.

"His name is Gu Sheng. He possesses extraordinary talent, but an intensely competitive and aggressive nature."
"Had he simply focused on orthodox cultivation, he would have achieved great things in the future."
"Never did I expect that Gu Sheng would choose to walk the path of heresy."
"Since he is the one leading the vanguard sent by Ji Hanliang, he must have been by Ji Hanliang's side for many years."

Li Muchen concurred with Elder Bai's assessment.

"Elder Bai, can you tell what realm of cultivation Gu Sheng is in now?"
Although Li Muchen possessed a system, he was himself only a beginner who had just stepped onto the threshold of cultivation.
When it came to discerning the cultivation levels of others, he was entirely powerless.

"Gu Sheng's cultivation seems to be on par with mine."
"Cultivators of the same tier can only vaguely sense each other's strength; it is impossible to see through them at a glance."
"However, my cultivation is slightly inferior to Elder Lan's."
"I reckon that Gu Sheng's power should not exceed that of Elder Lan."

Li Muchen turned his gaze to Elder Lan and asked, "Elder Lan, is Elder Bai correct?"

"Mm, Gu Sheng's cultivation is indeed slightly lower than mine."

Hearing Elder Lan's affirmative reply, Li Muchen finally felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Among the opposing group of cultivators, Gu Sheng appeared to be the leader.
Without a doubt, the leader would also be the strongest individual within their faction.
When the time came, they would leave it to Elder Lan to suppress Gu Sheng.
As for the others, he still needed to confirm their strength.

"Two elders, what about the cultivation levels of the others under Gu Sheng?"
"Are there any other supreme-tier cultivators among them?"
"And how many high-tier cultivators do they have?"

Glancing over at the enemy ranks, there were roughly seventy to eighty people in total.
At least in terms of raw numbers, his side held the advantage.
As long as the number of high-tier and above cultivators on both sides did not differ too drastically, they would not face insurmountable trouble.

However, Elder Lan's next words caused the smile on Li Muchen's lips to instantly flatten.

"From what I can perceive, Gu Sheng is currently the only supreme-tier cultivator on their side."
"However—"
"They have fifty high-tier cultivators."

Li Muchen's pupils dilated in disbelief as he stared back at the main street.
What?!
There were only seventy or eighty people in total, yet fifty of them were already high-tier cultivators?
That meant they outnumbered the high-tier cultivators on his side by a full twenty people!

Elder Bai sighed, "It seems Ji Hanliang has truly thrown caution to the wind this time."
"In the Northern Ji Kingdom, cultivators are everywhere."
"Yet high-tier cultivators remain difficult to attain."
"Ordinarily, only major sects like our Seeking Immortal Sect are capable of nurturing several hundred high-tier cultivators."
"Factions like the Green Wood Mountain possess merely a single master as a high-tier cultivator and a sovereign as a supreme-tier one."
"Large sects such as ours, naturally, would never willingly serve as lackeys under someone like Ji Hanliang."
"I surmise that the sects under Ji Hanliang's command do not include any major ones."
"This batch of high-tier cultivators is likely one of his ultimate trump cards."
"From this, we can gauge how gravely Ji Hanliang regards this living sacrifice."
"In a moment, adapt to the situation as it unfolds."
"Especially you, Young Master; you must stay close to Elder Bai."
"I will take charge of subduing Gu Sheng."
"Elder Bai, you shall escort the Young Master and act according to circumstances."
"Everyone else, follow the squad divisions and coordinate to encircle their high-tier cultivators."
"Tonight's battle will undoubtedly be brutal."

Li Muchen nodded solemnly. He knew the night would not be easy, yet he felt no trace of fear.
After all, he was protected by the protagonist's halo; should a genuine emergency arise, the system would certainly not ignore him.
In short, he would stick close to Elder Bai and have Li Zhenyi and the other two bodyguards protect him intimately.

Instead of acting rashly, Li Muchen and his group continued to observe, waiting until the concealed villagers were located before making their move.

Sure enough, after a short while,
Gu Sheng began to channel his arts.

Watching closely, Elders Lan and White immediately recognized the technique Gu Sheng was employing: the Demonic Phantom Illusion Art of the Demon race.
This technique required the targets to be in an unconscious state to be cast effectively.
Those who had already fallen asleep offered the optimal condition for the spell.

The technique trapped a person's soul within a dream realm from which they could not awaken.
Those trapped within the illusion would believe that everything inside was their genuine reality.
The caster could conjure up whatever the victims desired most within the illusion—whether people, objects, or past experiences.
Once seduced by their deepest desires, the trapped victims would willingly agree to a trade and sacrifice their souls.
And the caster would seize the opportunity to strip them of their lives.
This was the exact process of a living sacrifice.

It was Li Muchen's first time witnessing this firsthand, and to say he was unfazed would be a complete falsehood.