Chapter 326 - 300: The Battle of Jingmen

Chapter 326: Chapter 300: The Battle of Jingmen

"What is that...?"

Witnessing such a scene with his own eyes, Chu Mu’s pupils contracted sharply.

That was the central district of Jingmen City!

The Righteous Alliance’s functional headquarters in Jingmen City, the Cave Mansions of High Tier Cultivators—they were all in that area!

How could something like this happen in such a heavily guarded and vital location?

Flames shot into the sky as if some massive energy source had been detonated. The violent blaze gushed out wantonly, its shockwave sweeping away everything in its path.

The deep, rolling RUMBLE was like thunder from the heavens, incessant and arriving in wave after wave.

"Hmph!"

Just then, a cold snort rang out. The sound wasn’t loud, but it pierced through the thunderous roar of the flames.

In the next second, it was as if an invisible giant hand descended from the sky, visibly compressing the raging, sky-high flames.

In just a few short breaths, the world-ending inferno had vanished.

If not for the lingering traces of the fire and its roar, anyone would have suspected they were hallucinating...

’What happened?’

Chu Mu stared blankly at the devastation left behind after the flames dissipated, his confusion mixed with a growing sense of dread.

Chu Mu took a deep breath, trying to suppress the turmoil in his heart, but questions continued to swirl in his mind.

’The heart of the city is where High Tier Cultivators reside.’

’How could a scene like this unfold in such a place?’

"What was the reason?"

"Sabotage from within?"

Filled with doubt and lingering fear, he took out his Sound Transmission Order and sent out several messages, trying to find out the cause of the commotion.

Before any replies arrived, a majestic voice suddenly rang out.

"For the next forty-eight hours, the main camp is under lockdown! Without a Decree from a Perfected Person, entry is permitted, but none may leave!"

As soon as the voice faded, streams of Array Prohibitions began to swirl. The City Defense Array, which normally only maintained basic operations, activated at full power. It completely enveloped the city, clearly sealing it off from the outside world.

Cultivators wearing the Magic Robes of the Righteous Alliance hurried through the streets, responding to the sudden crisis in an orderly fashion, as if following a pre-existing plan.

Chu Mu’s expression grew heavy. He glanced down at his Sound Transmission Order; a few replies had arrived.

A moment later, he put the Sound Transmission Order away and, without lingering on the bustling street, headed straight back to his residence.

He collected all the Array Prohibitions and Puppets he had set up in the courtyard into his Storage Ring, then called for Wangcai and opened the sealed room.

Stepping inside, he was met with the sight of a small Blood Pool. Within it, a mass of Bloodline Essence hovered and pulsed, wisps of crimson light swirling around it as if absorbing the essence from the pool.

He walked over and reached out, and the mass of Bloodline Essence flew into his grasp.

Although he had inspected it many times over the past six months and found no trace of the white-robed man’s Divine Soul within the Bloodline Essence, it seemed the man had been telling the truth—his time had been short, and his soul had dissipated on its own.

Still, Chu Mu dared not be careless. He flung out a series of Techniques, placing multiple seals on the Bloodline Essence. He then took out a Sealing Box, a Spiritual Artifact he had specially refined, and sealed the Bloodline Essence inside.

Once all was done, he placed the Sealing Box inside his robes. He took out his Sound Transmission Order again, his expression thoughtful, his resolve hardening.

He sent out several more sound transmissions. The replies were prompt, but they revealed no useful information; everyone was just as clueless as he was.

But regardless, one fact was very clear.

Jingmen City, this frontline bastion, would know no more peace.

Whether it was sabotage or some other factor, it clearly wasn’t an internal problem within the Righteous Alliance. The most likely source was the Longevity Sect.

The flames of war had already spread into the city itself. There would be no peace from here on out.

The potential profits were great and the temptation strong, but he had no intention of pulling chestnuts from the fire.

’The moment the lockdown is lifted, I’m leaving!’

He took another deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning thoughts in his mind. He closed his eyes, attempting to distract himself with Cultivation.

’Just forty-eight hours. Two days. It’s a very, very short time.’

BOOM!

He had just closed his eyes when another tremendous roar echoed out, and the very world seemed to tremble!

As heaven and earth shook, the Array Prohibitions on his house flared into view. Countless Array Prohibition Inscriptions flowed across their surface as if under some terrifying pressure, and he could faintly hear a distinct CREAKING sound.

He shot to his feet, Magical Power circulating as his entire body tensed.

"AWOOOO..."

Wangcai was clearly startled as well. It let out a roar, its savage beast-like eyes scanning the surroundings with extreme vigilance.

BOOM!

Just then, another explosion thundered, and the world shook once more. The tremors continued as if from a sustained earthquake, with one boom following another, and the shaking was incessant.

CRACK!

Finally, as if unable to withstand the terrifying pressure, the Array Prohibitions shattered, and the house collapsed!

Through the billowing dust and debris, what filled Chu Mu’s vision was a sky full of brilliant light and a shadow that blotted out the sun...

Chu Mu looked up. A colossal shadow and a dazzling radiance had completely taken over his field of view.

The scene was strangely familiar.

A long-buried memory uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

"The Longevity Flying Boat!"

Chu Mu’s heart trembled. His hands and feet went cold, and he even found it difficult to breathe.

In the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World, there were many, many Flying Boats of all shapes and sizes.

But there was one type of Flying Boat that was known to almost everyone.

The Longevity Flying Boat, also hailed as the guardian treasure of the Longevity Sect.

A Tier Four Flying Boat, comparable to a Nascent Soul!

And this terrifying type of Flying Boat...

Right now, in the sky above, there were... three of them!

The Flying Boats blotted out the sun. Countless dazzling beams of light poured out from the ferocious-looking cannon muzzles on the vessels, bombarding the City Defense Array and causing the continuous booms and earth-shattering quakes!

The light was brilliant and beautiful, but its sheer power was undeniable.

Each beam of light held a terrifying power comparable to a full-force strike from a Nascent Soul Cultivator!

And countless such terrifying attacks were crisscrossing the sky!

In other words, the moment the Grand Array fell, Jingmen City would likely be razed to the ground in an instant!

The entire scene made one fact excruciatingly clear.

The Longevity Sect had attacked. The so-called final battle had begun!

Chu Mu swallowed hard and scanned his surroundings. Beneath this almost world-ending terror, the populace was in a state of panic.

But under the control of the Righteous Alliance, order remained stable. Compared to normal days, there was even an added air of grim discipline.

He glanced again at the thunderous assault in the sky. As his heart wavered, countless thoughts raced through his mind, searching for a way to break out of his current predicament.

"Elder Chu!"

Just then, a voice called out suddenly from behind him.

"Elder, the Vice Hall Master has sent me to ask for you!"

Chu Mu turned to see Xie Ning hurrying toward him.

The woman’s face was pale with fright, her expression clearly one of panic and terror.

"Elder..."

"Lead the way."

Before Xie Ning could finish, Chu Mu calmly accepted.

The situation was clear. It didn’t matter what had happened; what mattered was that with things having developed to this point, his plan to slip away was now just wishful thinking.

It was still unknown which way the scales of victory would tip.

But one thing was certain: as long as the Longevity Sect didn’t break through Jingmen’s defenses immediately, what would follow was bound to be a protracted stalemate.

Being in Jingmen City, not a single Cultivator would be able to escape it.

Rather than waiting to be forcibly drafted, it was better to take the initiative and join the fray. That way, he might be able to seize some measure of control.

...