Chapter 681: Start of War

Chapter 681: Chapter 459: Start of War

Bao Sanping, still wearing a faintly regretful expression, slipped quietly into the barracks. Inside were a dozen or so Qi Cultivation Cultivators, all belonging to the same squad. There was no fighting at the moment, and with the barracks being several dozen li from the front lines, things were relatively stable.

“Sanping, I’ve got a Treasure-Hunting Mouse. Want to see?”

The speaker was a Cultivator around Bao Sanping’s age. He pulled Bao Sanping over conspiratorially, clearly eager to show off his newly acquired Spirit Beast.

Bao Sanping’s interest was piqued. The moment he nodded, the man pulled out a grimy, dark-furred rat and held it out in front of him.

Seeing the large rat, Bao Sanping couldn’t help but laugh.

“This isn’t a Treasure-Hunting Mouse. It’s obviously just a mutated rat that’s absorbed the blood and qi of some living creatures. It doesn’t even qualify as the lowest-grade Spirit Beast. Where on earth did you find it?”

“I dug it out of a pit up at the front lines. The little guy isn’t afraid of people, and I feel like we have a connection. I figured it wouldn’t be much trouble to raise, so I decided to keep it.”

“When you were cleaning up the battlefield? I’m surprised there were still rats. I thought all life out there had been completely wiped out.”

After exchanging a few more words, the two fell silent. Bao Sanping returned to his own small room and activated an array to block Divine Sense. His expression immediately shifted, becoming one of sober composure.

He reached up and touched his own face, a smile spreading across his lips. Such a novel experience was a rarity for him.

This “Bao Sanping” was, of course, Fang Qingyuan in disguise. He and Bear Wind had arrived here many days in advance, but he neither contacted Cui Dong City nor informed anyone of their arrival. Instead, he chose to first conceal their whereabouts.

This allowed him to seize the initiative, rather than being led around by the nose by Cui Dong City.

As a Nascent Soul Level Cultivator, Bear Wind’s appearance had to be saved for the most critical moment to deliver a decisive, final blow.

To achieve this, Fang Qingyuan decided to infiltrate the allied forces of the White Mountain Sword Sect and the Illusion Sword Alliance below and play his own part.

He chose Bao Sanping primarily because such a low-level Cultivator attracted little attention. If he had tried to replace a Core Disciple of the Illusion Sword Alliance, he would have undoubtedly faced various methods for identifying their own members. Impersonating one so rashly would have quickly led to his exposure.

Besides, the Illusion Sword Alliance and the Qingyuan Sect were currently quasi-allies. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Fang Qingyuan to target one of their Core Disciples without a word. After all, once this was all over, they would still need to be allies.

Thus, a disciple with a low cultivation realm and an insignificant status became Fang Qingyuan’s prime target.

Of course, Fang Qingyuan had no intention of harming Bao Sanping. The real Bao Sanping was currently unconscious inside the Immortal Mansion, his body shrouded in a layer of illusory light.

This was the result of combining the Bee Queen Fang Ruoxi’s Voice of All Things and Ten Thousand Luminous Illusion Eye, further enhanced by the calculations of her Destiny Divine Technique. Together, they formed a unique method for controlling a Cultivator’s mind.

First, she used Voice of All Things to link to Bao Sanping’s soul. Then, through the Ten Thousand Luminous Illusion Eye, she fabricated a series of scenarios, allowing them to observe Bao Sanping’s most genuine reactions to various situations.

Originally, the Bee Queen was incapable of such a feat. But after she broke through to the Golden Core Realm, and with the aid of the Destiny Divine Technique, the Virtual Illusion Realm she created with her three great Talents had become indistinguishable from reality.

With the Bee Queen’s vast divine soul and immense mental power rendering the illusion, forget a Qi Cultivation Cultivator like Bao Sanping; even a Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator wouldn’t notice anything was wrong. Only Golden Core Cultivators, supported by the principles of their own Golden Core which the Bee Queen could not imitate, were difficult to deceive. As for any Cultivator below the Golden Core Realm, if the Bee Queen wished it, they could remain lost in her illusion indefinitely, never knowing to struggle. It was like drinking Pigeon Poison, dying in a state of bliss.

Fang Qingyuan’s reactions just now had fooled the dozen or so men in the barracks. This wasn’t an imitation born from Fang Qingyuan’s own analysis, but the genuine reaction of Bao Sanping himself. This was because the very same scene was playing out simultaneously within Bao Sanping’s consciousness, deep inside the Immortal Mansion.

At that moment, the real Bao Sanping was still living out his story in the world fabricated by the Bee Queen, while Fang Qingyuan had already settled in, preparing to use Bao Sanping’s perspective to see exactly how the Illusion Sword Alliance’s military array operated.

……

「Ten days passed in a flash.」 During that time, Fang Qingyuan remained perfectly in character as Bao Sanping, never doing anything to arouse suspicion. Then, one day, a mournful horn blast echoed through the camp.

DOOOOM…!

“The order has been given! Soldiers of Squad Ding-20, assemble at once!”

Mimicking the reaction of the real Bao Sanping in the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan followed the other Cultivators from his barracks out into the open ground.

The Squad Commander of Squad Ding-20, after confirming everyone was present, led the group swiftly toward the central camp.

Just like the Protective Array erected by the opposing Thick Earth Alliance and Sharp Gold Alliance, the Illusion Sword Alliance had also set up its own vast and complex Array.

The entire Military Array Camp was, in fact, one massive Array. If the enemy wanted to launch a surprise attack, they would need the ability to breach the Array quickly. Otherwise, they would be forced to fight from outside its perimeter, unable to charge into the camp itself.

This was the case for both sides, which was why after so many years of war, neither had made significant gains. The defensive measures available to Cultivators were simply too numerous.