Chapter 624: The Battle Commences
Chapter 624: The Battle Commences
"Black and White Protectors!"
Poison Hand Scholar called out, and the Protectors entered promptly, their expressions carrying a hint of disappointment.
They had thought that Poison Hand Scholar would directly annihilate Fang Xing, the offending fellow...
White Law King was even prepared to recommend a few tortures from the cult, but now it seemed unnecessary.
"From this day forth, Ziran Laozu joins our side, and we are ready to launch the final battle against the Sect Alliance!"
Poison Hand Scholar cleared his throat and said, "You two, when you see Ziran Laozu, treat him with the same respect as you would me..."
"What?"
Black Law King and White Law King exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat incredulous.
Especially White Law King!
She had always considered her defeat at Fang Xing's hands a shame, but now, how could she turn her back on him? Had Fang Xing suddenly become her superior? However, this woman and Black Law King were both intelligent, and with a glance, they guessed that Fang Xing had secretly joined the cult.
As for this ancient Daoist remnant from beyond the mortal realm suddenly becoming a Divine Attendant of the God of Destruction, their minds couldn't wrap around this possibility, and they wouldn't consider it.
"Good, let's move on to the battle plan..."
Poison Hand Scholar, with a nod from Fang Xing, continued, "Now, the seven-sect alliance, with Blood Shadow Gate's mountain gate as its foundation, is entangled with our army... Among their high-end battle forces, there are seven Yangshen cultivators... Among them, the Supreme Temple can perform the 'Summoning Ritual,' summoning a puppet ancestor at the Post-Yangshen Realm to entangle with us."
"Although the ancestors of Feixian Sect and Hongyang Palace are only at the initial stages of the Yangshen Realm, they also have sect treasures... Together, they have the 'Jingtian Six Treasures,' which is enough to entangle divine artifacts..."
"Our side's Great Priests number six, and they need to set up rituals in advance to barely possess Yangshen battle strength..."
"In terms of military formations, our professional teams have an absolute advantage, but due to their small numbers, forcefully attacking the enemy's formation will result in significant losses..."
Fang Xing listened intently, nodding repeatedly.
In the cultivation world, formations were akin to ancient city walls. No matter the era, attacking an enemy protected by walls always demanded a heavy price.
Hence, the saying, 'Attack the heart first, then the city.'
Of course, in the cultivation world, the outcome primarily depended on the strength of the top-tier combatants.
"Before we initiated the final battle, it was only because we lacked the power of a decisive strike. Now that Ziran Laozu has joined us, his cultivation is comparable to the Post-Yangshen Realm, capable of defeating several Yangshen cultivators, thus securing our advantage..."
Poison Hand Scholar explained.
"Post-Yangshen Realm?"
Black Law King was shocked, and White Law King sighed inwardly, knowing that she might never avenge her grudges in this lifetime.
...
The true grand battle was approaching, and for both sides, it was almost like playing with open cards.
The various unusual movements of the Sasheng Sect Army quickly reached the Sect Alliance through their spies.
Regardless of whether it was true or false, the alliance, which was on the strategic defensive, had no choice but to prepare for war.
They even prepared for the ultimate battle.
During this process, the intelligence personnel of various sects experienced countless moving and tragic events, and the casualties on various fronts eventually turned into mere numbers, summarized on the desks of decision-makers.
...
Blood Shadow Gate's Mountain Gate.
Within a theater.
Xilian Immortal personally took the stage to perform, and various puppet shadows and paper figures, accompanied by a lively band, created a bustling atmosphere.
However, for the Yangshen cultivators below, this was merely entertainment.
While they appeared to be enjoying the banquet, their divine thoughts were rapidly intertwining, discussing:
"Sasheng Sect is showing unusual movements... There's a 70% chance that reinforcements from Da Zhou have arrived again!"
"Damn Da Zhou, are the Three Absolute Passes and the Changyuan Defense Line all blind?"
"Hmph, Da Zhou would love to exile all heretics here. It's not like we don't know..."
"And what about the 70% possibility?"
The Blood Shadow Gate's ancestor looked like a porcelain doll, with two braids tied high and a bright red jacket, appearing very festive.
He replied, "There's a 70% chance that it's because the Ziran Sect Leader has joined them... This person is extremely formidable, and I even suspect he has advanced to the Post-Yangshen Realm!"
"Impossible..."
An old man wearing a gray beggar's robe, plump and shaking his head, said, "The resources beyond the mortal realm are limited. If there's one more Yangshen cultivator, we'd be surprised for half a day... Post-Yangshen Realm? How did he cultivate?"
"And... under Qingmu Old Ghost's nose? Haha... This old ghost is truly useless..."
The master of Haoyang Sect, dressed like a Confucian scholar, had a dignified appearance and shook his head, saying, "Qingmu's divine abilities are nothing special beyond preserving his life, and it's no wonder Qingmu Ridge was the first to be driven out of the mortal realm..."
"Now that Qingmu's master has died, let's discuss the upcoming battle."
An old monk with a withered appearance, like a dry piece of wood, pressed his palms together and said, "We have already sacrificed much to support the incense and candle offerings of the six sects to the Supreme Temple, but I wonder if we can summon more Yangshen battle strength?"
The Supreme Temple, known for its summoning rituals, was best at summoning various 'deities' for assistance.
In reality, these so-called deities were their ancestors' Yangshen preserved through various secret techniques, with their divinity merely a facade.
In the Da Zhou Godly Dynasty, they would undoubtedly be brutally suppressed by the Imperial Astrological Bureau.
Even such a secret method of preserving the Yang Shen Concept, it can't be considered resurrection or longevity, and it's more akin to a 'Divine Soul Refining Corpse' with stringent activation conditions.
Even so, the Supreme Temple has a profound foundation. If it receives sufficient faith and offerings, it might be able to summon a semi-godly spirit—if one of its ancestors has reached such a realm!
"Hehe..."
A Daoist wearing a black feathered robe and a Daoist crown shook his head, "Brother Wu, your words are not sincere... My 'Three-Eyed View' has been dealing with the Supreme Temple for nearly a thousand years, and I naturally know that the Supreme Temple has a deep foundation. Every time they help witness pacts, they collect incense and candle money..."
Now, the 'Incense and Candle Money' in the Baubao Merit Wish Pool, I don't know how much has been accumulated. We've already been pushed to the brink, even ancestral treasures have been donated to form the 'Jingtian Six Treasures.' Brother Wu, are you still keeping secrets?"
As long as the Daoist Temple has faith and offerings, it can continuously accumulate its foundation.
Speaking of which, the ancient Supreme Temple allowing the Flying Sword Sect to lead is already a very strange thing.
Several Yangshen cultivators glanced at each other, all feeling that the Supreme Temple was holding back.
"Sigh... Incense and candle money are the last capital of our temple. Once used excessively, we won't be able to maintain the Incense and Candle Spirit Realm, and the risk of the ancestors' divine souls and dharma images dissipating..."
The latest, smallest, and most talkative among the six, the Poison Hand Scholar, spoke up, "Let's start with the first head!"
The face of the Wu Temple Master turned very ugly, "That's the foundation that our Supreme Temple brought from the Da Zhou Godly Dynasty. So many times, facing the threat of sect annihilation, we still couldn't bear to use it..."
"Do we still have a place to retreat now?"
The Blood Shadow Old Ancestor, resembling a porcelain doll, took a sip, "After this battle, my Blood Shadow Territory has been preaching for you for a hundred years! Also, I have a few puppet shadow figurines on hand, which are also the foundation of our sect. This time, I'll activate them all..."
"Good, since Blood Shadow has expressed its stance, I won't be stingy either."
The Yangshen cultivator resembling a beggar said, "Within our sect, there are several ancient jade talismans. When the time comes, using them together will surely make the enemy panic..."
"Amitabha... In the Jingang Temple, there are also three hundred golden-bodied Arhats who can support this great war."
The old monk with dry wood joined his palms.
"Since it's like this, I'll also bring the foundation left by our ancestor."
The Black Feathered Daoist also gritted his teeth, "The Kill-Life Cult won't let us live... As for Brother Wu, if our major sects are destroyed, do you think your family will have good fruits to eat?"
The Wu Temple Master looked around and realized that all the sects had been forced to reveal their ultimate trump cards.
The Blood Shadow Old Ancestor was well aware that he was squeezing out his last bit of oil. Still, he was the most generous as his territory had been taken over by more than half.
He sighed, "Since it's like this, I won't hold back on the Supreme Temple either... When the time comes, the incense and candle money will be used without regard for cost, enough to awaken another ancestor at the Post-Yangshen Realm... If that Ziran Laozu dares to come, they will surely be in for a surprise."
...
Several months later.
Blood Shadow Sect's mountain gate.
Fang Xing flew over a Paper Servant Valley, and his heart couldn't help but feel emotional.
A hundred years ago, he struggled for survival right here.
He never imagined that after more than a hundred years, he would personally lead troops and flatten this place.
He calmed his mind and arrived at the front line.
The Blood Shadow Sect relied on a great formation for protection, and there was also a Paper House Cave and a theatre standing outside the formation, presenting a defensive formation.
In Fang Xing's eyes, it was like a prominent defensive city or bastion during a siege...
With this setup, it could bring more casualties to the attacking side.
Fang Xing's gaze deepened as he saw the dense Blood Shadow Sect disciples within the formation, as well as puppet shadows in the theatre, and layer upon layer of paper figurines in the Paper House Cave...
And the enemies of the Kill-Life Cult were far more than just the Blood Shadow Sect!
The Kill-Life Cult army was also arranged in formations, with the core being the five thousand Guardian Warriors.
Additionally, there were the subdued Flying Sword Sect, the Corpse-Moving Sect's servant army, wandering cultivators...
The number of people exceeded ten thousand, boundless, and the Kill-Life Cult army looked to be more than just tens of thousands?
"Let's begin."
The Poison Hand Scholar stood on a high platform, calmly giving the order.
Boom!
A siege engine was pushed to the front of the formation. This siege engine looked very ancient, and it was also equipped with heavy catapults.
Kill-Life Cultists wearing Great Priest robes stood before a giant stone ball, praying.
"Kill!"
Moreover, there were also captives who were executed after their prayers, and their blood was used to inscribe runes on the giant stone balls.
Fang Xing saw that on the siege engines and the giant stones, a faint mystical glow was emanating.
It was evident that after a series of rituals and blood sacrifices, these siege weapons had temporarily transformed into wondrous objects, capable of dealing more damage to the formation.
"Fire!"
Accompanied by a command, numerous catapults roared.
The catapults fired, and the giant stones smashed into the Blood Shadow Sect's formation, unexpectedly exploding with a bang!
Countless terrifying energy and shockwaves swept across, making Fang Xing think of 'Meteor Burst'!
The war had begun!
(End of Chapter)
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