Chapter 403 - 401: Ganging Up to Attack

Chapter 403: Chapter 401: Ganging Up to Attack

Two days later, banners unfurled, and a murderous aura filled the air.

Bai Zichen squinted, getting his first look at the Taixu Dao Soldiers as they marched out. He hadn’t seen a single one over the past two days.

Numbering over ten thousand, standing nearly ten feet tall, and still retaining some of their Demon Race features, the Taixu Dao Soldiers were an extremely striking sight. It was incredible that he hadn’t noticed them before.

The massive battleship, which had been hidden among the clouds, finally revealed itself. It slowly approached Zengguang Immortal City, projecting an immense and intimidating presence.

Though it was clearly a product of Artifact Refining Creation, he could feel the great power of Heaven and Earth emanating from the battleship.

’The Wuji Ship... a mobile Mountain Gate...’

Bai Zichen heard a wave of suppressed gasps from the Core Formation Cultivators of the Northern Domain around him.

It was the ultimate expression of the Moral Sect’s skills in Artifact Refining, shipbuilding, and puppetry. Only a sect that had weathered countless wars and accumulated vast experience could produce such a powerful engine of war.

Even a Nascent Soul True Monarch would have to steer clear of the Wuji Ship’s might rather than face it head-on.

With enough Spirit Stones, it was equivalent to a mobile Tier Four Grand Array controlled by cultivators, but with even more diverse offensive capabilities.

This was why it was said that a Super Battleship was the true measure of a sect’s power and heritage.

A prodigy of astounding talent might enable a sect to grow rapidly and achieve the status of a Nascent Soul Sect. However, even they couldn’t instantly grant the sect the ability to build a Super Battleship.

Achieving such a monumental feat required high-tier legacies in numerous of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, a complete set of battleship blueprints—with over ten thousand individual components to assemble—and a team of experienced professionals.

No matter how many geniuses emerged, it was impossible to build such a thing from scratch in a short time.

Furthermore, the construction of the Wuji Ship required an astronomical amount of various Spiritual Materials.

Aside from the Moral Sect, which monopolized the Great Zhou and possessed multiple Grotto Heaven Secret Realms, even other Super Major Sects would find the cost to be heart-wrenching.

The Divine Thunder Pagoda on the Wuji Ship began to flash. Bolts of thunder, as thick as massive pythons, filled the sky with blinding light as the Taixu Dao Soldiers launched their attack.

These Taixu Dao Soldiers were ferocious and unafraid of death, completely unfazed by the Taiyi Thunder Light Cannons and the Immortal-Slaying Fire Demon Crossbows, even though these War Magical Artifacts could easily tear them to shreds.

At the same time, all six Nascent Soul True Monarchs from Celestial Punishment Peak flew out, joining the True Monarchs of the Northern Domain. At that moment, Zengguang Immortal City became the place with the greatest concentration of Nascent Soul Cultivators in the entire Cultivation Realm.

As a Core Formation Cultivator, Bai Zichen was assigned to the reserves and did not have to fight on the front lines.

He was perfectly fine with that.

The battlefield was far too chaotic; who knew when a knife might find its way into his back.

"Du Heng, it has come to this. Why bother resisting?"

Meng Kang held the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan, wore the Hydration Suit, and had the Cloud-Piercing Crown on his head. He cut the very image of an enlightened, accomplished master.

"The winner is always right, the loser always wrong. Spare me the lecture... Act as a pawn for the Moral Sect if you wish, but be careful you don’t end up handing over your own ancestral heritage!"

A thousand-foot-tall Demon Body materialized above Zengguang Immortal City, its voice like rolling thunder, booming out in waves.

Its cold eyes swept over all the Nascent Soul True Monarchs present. The emotionless, scrutinizing gaze sent a chill down their spines.

"For your own selfish desires, you cultivated an inheritance from the Demon Realm and murdered many of your fellow cultivators! In the future, you will bring chaos to this world and plunge billions of lives into ruin! The Moral Sect’s ancestors have taught us: all who cultivate the ways of the Demon Realm shall be slain by all!"

Another cultivator flew into the air. Holding a green branch, his face impassive, he spoke in a deep voice.

He swiped the branch through the air, carving out an independent pocket of space. It instantly pulled both him and the thousand-foot Demon Body inside, and they vanished into the void.

The Tier Four Grand Array that protected Du Heng was completely unable to prevent this.

’That’s a Nascent Soul Realm! How can such a Divine Technique exist?’

Bai Zichen was utterly shaken. He couldn’t believe a Nascent Soul Realm could accomplish something like that.

This second cultivator was none other than the Vice Peak Master of Celestial Punishment Peak, Great True Monarch Hongfa. He had just used a Supreme Divine Technique to make both himself and Du Heng’s True Demon Avatar vanish from the battlefield.

On the battlefield, the Moral Sect now held a decisive advantage.

The only remaining concern was Du Heng’s True Demon Holy Body, which possessed an incredible power: it could grow stronger and stronger through slaughter and battle.

It hailed from the Demon Realm, and all living beings in this world were merely nourishment for it. Until it reached Nascent Soul Perfection, it could use this method to grow stronger.

Only for the final, crucial step into the Divinity Transformation realm would it need to blood-sacrifice billions of lives, sever Spirit Veins, invert the world’s Primordial Qi, and summon Demonic Qi to descend, transforming the very nature of this world.

If it succeeded in transforming the Human World into a Lower Realm subservient to the Demon Realm, such a meritorious deed would be directly rewarded by the Demon Realm itself, making the breakthrough to Divinity Transformation and Ascension to the Upper Realm an effortless task.

During their last confrontation, the True Demon Avatar had already shown faint signs of breaking through to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul realm.

With this single move, Great True Monarch Hongfa had eliminated any possibility of the True Demon Avatar achieving another mid-battle breakthrough.

Then, Great True Monarch Meng Kang took a deep breath and gave the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan in his hand a slight flick. In an instant, an apocalyptic True Flame erupted from all directions, engulfing Zengguang Immortal City in a sea of fire.

The searing heat was like the sun itself, a Golden Crow manifesting in the flames. The very air warped into countless ripples as the fire crashed against the Immortal City Grand Array.

Countless bursts of white light flared as the Forbidden defenses melted away like butter in a furnace. The city gates, upon which countless High-Tier Techniques could only leave the faintest scratches, instantly became a pool of molten iron.

The Du Family disciples stationed before the twelve city gates were incinerated into dust by the True Flame without so much as a cry.

A single strike—no, merely half a strike—had shattered Zengguang Immortal City’s first Tier Four Grand Array, erasing it from existence!

’How is the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan so much stronger than the Demon Dragon Awl and the Abi Heavenly Prison Demon Sword...?’

The Moon Xuan Sword appeared in his grasp as his heart pounded in his chest. The surging wave of heat carried the stench of something burning.

Aside from him, all the other Core Formation True Men scrambled to cast Fire-Extinguishing Techniques.

The few who were too slow had their Daoist Robes catch fire, the flames searing their skin and hair. It was a pathetic sight.

Bai Zichen reached out and simply crushed a few stray flames in his palm.

Any clusters of flame that landed on him were swallowed by an invisible, gigantic mouth, leaving not even a scorch mark on his Magical Robe.

’Is it the difference in the Spirit Binder’s cultivation? Is the gap between a Late-Stage and a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul really that vast? Or does the Moral Sect have some other Secret Technique that allows them to unleash the true power of a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure?’

A mere half-swing of the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan held apocalyptic power, shattering a Tier Four Grand Array in a single blow.

Facing the sea of fire, Bai Zichen felt a profound sense of powerlessness.

This was a genuine top-tier Great True Monarch, second only to the Divinity Transformation Great Powers of the Cultivation Realm.

Wielding a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure that had been refined for tens of thousands of years, he was powerful enough to make gods and demons alike recoil in fear.

A menacing black dragon flew out from within the Immortal City. It threw its head back and inhaled most of the scattered flames, preventing them from reaching the second Tier Four Grand Array in the inner city.

After swallowing countless masses of True Flame, the Black Dragon’s body ignited from the inside out. On the verge of death, it plummeted from the sky.

It transformed into a streak of Demon Light and flew back into the hand of an imposingly dignified, middle-aged cultivator.

The Demon Dragon Awl’s strength lay in its Void Locking Enemy ability, excelling at shattering all Defensive Magical Treasures and Protective Secret Techniques. It could ignore and pierce through any Treasure Light or Buddha Light.

Direct confrontations and widespread destruction were not its strong suits. Coupled with an inferior mastery of the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, it was defeated in a single exchange.

Du Heng’s face was grim. Behind him, Profound Nether Heavy Water gathered into a vast river. The raging torrent destroyed countless pavilions and halls as it flowed.

He struck out with his bare hands, the sound of rushing water echoing between heaven and earth as he took the offensive against Meng Kang.

"Well met!"

Meng Kang put away the Five-Fire Seven-Bird Fan. Activating the Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure with a Secret Technique for that single, true strike had been his limit—unlike others who could only rely on the innate power of the treasure itself.

After that one attack, he felt hollowed out; seventy percent of his True Essence was gone.

Forcing it again could have damaged his fundamental Primordial Qi.

"So, you used a Forbidden Technique to gain True Essence comparable to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul realm. No wonder you’re so confident... In that case, I’ll show you what a true Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator is capable of!"

A Celestial Measuring Jade Ruler shot out, and the frenzied nature’s spiritual energy in the air swiftly calmed.

Wherever it passed, all became calm and still.

Du Heng’s expression turned grave. He spat out a single Water Bead, and his palms, now covered in a layer of mystic light, slowly moved to intercept the Jade Ruler.

The impact was silent, yet it sent out black and white ripples that shattered the surrounding space inch by inch. An invisible force then repaired the damage, allowing it to recover just as quickly.

The exchange between the two seemed unadorned and primal, lacking flashy Treasure Light or earth-shaking explosions. Yet, the sheer power radiating from their clash made the distant cultivators struggle to maintain their composure, completely captivated by the display.

"Listen! We shall join forces to isolate this battlefield and suppress their array! The Zengguang Du Family is as venomous as vipers and as rapacious as wolves! They hoard Cultivation resources and destroy the prospects of the Northern Domain’s cultivators! The Du Family Ancestor, Heng, secretly refines a True Demon Secret Technique, seeking to sacrifice billions of lives for his own longevity! This is an act that both men and gods detest, and that heaven and earth will not tolerate!"

A True Monarch from the Moral Sect, clad in armor and wielding a long halberd, shouted the order, commanding the Wuji Ship to unleash its Forbidden arrays and continue its fierce assault on the inner city.

"Disciples of Celestial Punishment Peak, form your arrays and enter the city! Any cultivator who dares to resist will be considered an Enchanted Reversal Cultivator and can be slain without consequence!"

The moment his voice fell, Du Heng’s eyes flashed red. He swung a bare palm from afar, causing the very space in that direction to cave in.

Four Nascent Soul True Monarchs from Celestial Punishment Peak had to join forces to block the palm strike, which struck with the force of a river pouring from the heavens. Even then, they only barely managed to withstand the Divine Power behind it.

An unnatural flush colored the faces of all four. They took a moment to regulate their breathing before rejoining the battle.

Distracted by his other attack, Du Heng immediately fell to a disadvantage against Meng Kang. Trapped beneath the Celestial Measuring Jade Ruler, the distance his flurrying palms could push back the Jade Ruler grew smaller and smaller.

The assembled Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Northern Domain exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing between them. They shifted positions according to their various allegiances, sealing off every possible escape route.

Du Heng had to die today!

The Moral Sect’s tyrannical ways and rigid attitude were problems for the future.

If Du Heng wasn’t dealt with now, all the Nascent Soul Sects in the Northern Domain would face a living nightmare. Not one of them would dare claim they could withstand him alone.

’That man must be True Monarch Yuan Mo, the one from Celestial Punishment Peak who’s been designated the future master of the Immortal City!’

Bai Zichen glanced at the halberd-wielding Nascent Soul Cultivator from a distance. According to the information Yann Yuanzai had gathered, Celestial Punishment Peak had mobilized its full strength for this matter of the Ancient Demon Inheritance.

Two Great True Monarchs, a Heaven-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, a Super Battleship, Taixu Dao Soldiers, and over ten thousand elite disciples from Celestial Punishment Peak... it all seemed a bit excessive.

A major reason for this show of force was to secure a foundation for this True Monarch Yuan, giving him his own domain where he could live out his remaining years in peace.

Yuan Mo was originally from the Northern Domain. In his youth, he had traveled far and wide with his family’s merchant caravan. When he arrived in the Great Zhou, a cultivator from the Moral Sect took note of his character and accepted him into the sect.

After several centuries of arduous cultivation, he became a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

With not much of his lifespan remaining, he wished for the fallen leaves to return to their roots and began to think of returning to his homeland.

It just so happened that an Arhat from the Dharma Aspect Sect came to them seeking aid, creating the perfect opportunity.

By purging the Demon Realm inheritance, Celestial Punishment Peak could establish a branch in the Northern Domain, and True Monarch Yuan Mo would get a domain in his homeland.

It was a chance to kill three birds with one stone, and they had the pretext of a righteous cause. Of course they would do it.