Chapter 466 - 450: The Precarious Five Elements Sect

Chapter 466: Chapter 450: The Precarious Five Elements Sect

The five peaks and their five arrays were linked together as one. Under the ferocious assault, the array thundered and boomed.

Dazzling Battle Array magic and earth-shattering War Magical Artifacts pockmarked the Grand Array of Two Realms Mountain with countless dents.

However, a Five-Colored Spiritual Light flowed throughout the array. Whenever it was struck, the corresponding Forbidden Restriction would activate to counter the attack.

The actual damage was not as severe as one might expect.

The true source of the Grand Array’s imminent danger, the reason it teetered on the brink of collapse, was the three Cultivators suspended high in the air.

One of them was silent, relentlessly pounding the air above the array with one fist after another.

His punches seemed slow, devoid of any great fanfare, yet each blow caused the Grand Array to tremble so violently it felt as if the Five Peaks themselves were about to be overturned.

Another sat cross-legged on a Cloud Platform, eyes closed and fingers forming seals as Mala Beads slid through his hand.

Before him, four children, each holding an absurdly large Banana Leaf Fan, vigorously fanned a great furnace.

One Fire Dragon after another flew out from the furnace and charged toward Two Realms Mountain, carrying a heat so intense it threatened to melt all of creation.

The Battle Array units closer to the attack soon found their mouths parched and their bodies burning with feverish heat.

Even their Heat Resistance and Fire Extinguishing Treasures were useless. This was a flame that ignited from the depths of the heart, making it impossible to guard against.

Two Realms Mountain, at the center of the Fire Dragon swarm, was engulfed in towering flames, and the scorching air itself shimmered with heat ripples.

If not for one of the mountain peaks, where a Forbidden Restriction lit up and absorbed over ninety percent of the firelight, the Cultivators within the array would have been reduced to charred corpses long ago.

The final attacker, positioned at the rear, manifested a Hundred Feet Dharma Aspect.

It had three heads and six arms: a human head in the center, a tiger’s head on the left, and a white elephant’s head on the right.

The first pair of arms bulged with muscles like tempered steel. The second pair resembled great serpents, complete with flicking tongues. The final pair was covered in coarse, bristling black hair.

The three-headed, six-armed Dharma Aspect charged directly at the Grand Array, utterly fearless of the Array Restriction’s counterattacks.

The volleys of Five Elements Magic erupting from the array felt like a mere tickle when they struck the Hundred Feet Dharma Aspect.

Even when a few of the more powerful Five Elements Magic spells caused the Dharma Aspect to waver, it didn’t retreat a single step. Instead, it displayed its divine might, shattering several layers of Two Realms Mountain’s protective light shield.

All three of these Cultivators attacked with the Great Dao True Intent, causing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power to roil. They were, unmistakably, three Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

If the Five Peaks Grand Array weren’t a Tier Four Array, with a control over nature’s spiritual energy on par with a Nascent Soul True Monarch, it would never have been able to contend for control of the energy.

Furthermore, the array contained twelve slaughter-focused Forbidden Restrictions, enough to make even a Nascent Soul True Monarch wary and act with caution.

Whenever the array seemed on the verge of collapse, a Slaughter Divine Power would be unleashed, forcing the three monarchs back or heavily damaging one of their Battle Arrays.

This was how they had managed to survive under such an onslaught for several months.

But the disparity in power was still too great. It was only a matter of time before the Grand Array would be broken.

"In half a year at most, the Sect’s Top-Grade Spirit Stones will be depleted. We’ll have no choice but to draw upon the Earth Vein Spiritual Power... That will be the most perilous moment. I plan to activate the seven remaining slaughter-focused Forbidden Restrictions all at once, to try and grievously wound one of the Nascent Soul cultivators."

Within Two Realms Mountain, despite having been besieged for months, operations continued in an orderly fashion.

The Five Elements Sect Cultivators all attended to their duties. Though their expressions were hurried, there were few signs of panic or disarray.

Three Core Formation True Men stood shoulder to shoulder before the array’s central hub. The one in the lead was an old man with wrinkled skin and white hair, his figure stooped, holding a staff that towered over his head.

"Brother Houtu is absolutely right. We should have focused our efforts on taking one of them down long ago... These three sects aren’t truly united. I doubt they’ll still be working together when the time comes. There’s only one ancestral Treasure, and if they want to curry favor with the Master of Qingqiu, they’ll have to decide on a pecking order first."

Master Qingmu had a burly figure and was full of vigor. He showed no sign of the pain from his Demon Fire Devouring Body affliction.

In contrast, Master Hei Shui on the other side was deathly pale, his aura weak and ethereal, as if he were still recovering from a grievous injury.

As a Tier Four Top-Grade Array, the Five Elements Annihilation Array was most famous for its slaughter-focused Forbidden Restrictions, which were fully capable of killing a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Of course, that was on the condition that the target cooperated by foolishly stepping into the activation range of said restrictions.

But looking at the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs besieging Two Realms Mountain, one used a Fire Element Divine Power, one activated a Dharma Aspect, and one threw punches from a great distance.

From the beginning of the battle to this day, none of them had put themselves in a dangerous position.

Their only chance was, as Master Houtu had said, to unleash everything at the exact moment the array shattered and the enemies swarmed in for the kill.

Once these twelve slaughter-focused Forbidden Restrictions were used, only one could be restored per year. This meant they only had one chance to launch a surprise attack.

"Should we notify the Qingfeng Sect? If we can hold out longer, we might be able to wait for their reinforcements," said Master Hei Shui. He was dressed in a black robe, and his body was wreathed in water vapor, with bubbles constantly forming and bursting around him.

His Black Water Profound Skill had just broken through to Late-Stage Core Formation. His Cultivation had greatly advanced, but he was not yet able to perfectly control the phenomena produced by his True Essence.

"No, that’s unnecessary."

Master Houtu slowly shook his head, his tone heavy as he laid out the plan.

"The Qingfeng Sect only recently became a Nascent Soul Major Sect; they rely entirely on Elder Ge to maintain their standing... In the current situation, even if he were to come, he couldn’t turn the tide. On the surface, it looks like these three sects have their eyes on our ancestor’s heirloom and are trying to seize it by force. But in truth, the will of the Qingqiu Death Sea is behind it all!"

The distance between the Five Elements Sect and the Qingfeng Sect was too great. They could only rely on a special Magical Artifact to send distress signals of varying urgency.

More detailed information would only arrive with the next rotation of disciples stationed at each other’s Sects.

Such a long journey was fraught with danger for Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

They usually had to pay Spirit Stones to travel with large merchant caravans, so the route was never direct, involving many stops along the way.

A single exchange took seven to eight years to complete.

The founding patriarch of the Five Elements Sect had died in the Qingqiu Death Sea, besieged and killed by several Transformed Great Demons.

The cause of this was his theft of a Treasure from the Qingqiu Death Sea.

In the end, only his Nascent Soul managed to escape back to the Mountain Gate. Though he only survived for a few more years before succumbing to his injuries and passing away, the Treasure he stole was passed down through the generations.

This item was only useful to the Demon Race; in the hands of Human Race Cultivators, it was a useless trinket and had never attracted any covetous attention.

This time, however, three Nascent Soul Sects had suddenly mobilized an army of Cultivators to completely surround Two Realms Mountain, posturing as if they intended to annihilate the Five Elements Sect and refusing all attempts at negotiation.

A little careful thought was all it took to see the truth of the matter.

Without a greater power pulling the strings, it was unbelievable. While the three Nascent Soul Major Sects might not be mortal enemies, as top powers in the Dian Country, they surely had their own conflicts.

For them to suddenly shake hands and make peace, mobilize their armies in secret, and patiently commit to a siege that could last for a year and a half—it was simply impossible for them to achieve on their own.

"Don’t pin your hopes on them turning on each other. Once the Grand Array breaks, I will take control of the array hub. Qingmu, you will go and hold back the enemy... Hei Shui, you will take the thirty chosen disciples, flee through the secret passage, and don’t look back. Go to the Great Zhou of the Central Domain, go to the Northern Domain and find the Qingfeng Sect. Carry on the legacy of the Five Elements Sect and rebuild our Mountain Gate."

Master Houtu slowly and deliberately laid out the three men’s fates. Neither of the other two showed much change in expression as they listened, whether it was the fate of staying to die with the Sect or fleeing with the disciples. They accepted it all calmly.

Master Qingmu’s Demon Fire was too deeply rooted, his path on the Great Dao severed. Master Houtu was old and frail, on the verge of death.

Only Master Hei Shui still had the potential to advance further in his Cultivation, so the chance for survival naturally fell to him.

Both men remained silent. Even if they were unwilling to admit it, they understood in their hearts that the Five Elements Sect was facing almost certain doom.

’The Qingqiu Death Sea is a Demon Race Sacred Land, after all. It’s not convenient for them to act directly. If they attracted the attention of the Moral Sect, it wouldn’t matter which Royal Demon Beast clan they belonged to; they would be killed all the same. That’s why they’re using these three sects as their proxies, making this look like a simple treasure dispute between Human Race Cultivators. Since this isn’t within the Great Zhou Territory, the Moral Sect won’t intervene even if they find out.’

Leaning on his staff, Master Houtu walked back to his Cave Mansion, the steady TAP, TAP, TAP of his staff echoing along the path.

’There are still a few months left. No need to be so tense. We should adjust our condition... It’s a pity none of us has truly mastered the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light. Otherwise, with the Divine Light’s blessing, the array’s power would more than double. We might have actually been able to hold out until they were forced to retreat.’

A long sigh escaped him. This was the Five Elements Sect’s greatest regret.

Not a single disciple had ever been able to reproduce the glory of the strongest Divine Light passed down by their founder, the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light.

Master Qingmu, for example, had also attempted to cultivate the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light. But his Divine Light was a limp, powerless wisp only a few inches long, a far cry from the Supreme Divine Techniques described in the sect’s records.

There had long been speculation within the Sect that perhaps only someone possessing the Five Elements Holy Body could successfully cultivate the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light.

Over the years, the Sect had even recruited several disciples with the aptitude of a Celestial Spiritual Root, but in their hands, the Great Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light was just a pale imitation, lacking all of its legendary glory.

After all this time, only one explanation remained.

It was the very source of the Five Elements Sect’s founder’s power, the thing that had allowed him to reach Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, establish the Sect, and create its many legacies: the Five Elements Holy Body.

...

’The nation of Nan Chu alone has as many Nascent Soul Major Sects as the entire Northern Domain. No wonder, aside from the Central Domain, the Northern Domain only ranks ahead of the Western Realm. There’s a huge power gap between it and the southern and eastern domains.’

Upon entering Nan Chu, Bai Zichen abandoned his leisurely flight aboard the Seeking Truth Ship.

For one, he wanted to reach the Five Elements Sect as soon as possible to cure Master Qingmu of the Demon Fire poison, after which he planned to seek information about the Star Palace.

In any case, he was already traveling the world in search of Top-Level Cultivation Techniques and High-Tier Flying Swords, so this could be considered part of his journey.

Secondly, the culture of the Southern Domain was very different from that of the Central Domain. A Spirit Ship like his, flying high in the sky, was a likely target for an attack.

This was a place where even Nascent Soul True Monarchs could act openly as Tribulation Cultivators without any sense of shame.

Packs of wolves circling their prey, the weak becoming food for the strong—the law of the jungle was on full display here.

As long as one was powerful enough, anything they did was considered reasonable, and no one could point a finger in accusation.

To avoid trouble, he simply summoned his Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword and proceeded via Sword Control.

At such speeds, it was doubtful anyone could keep up with him.

And even if someone did spot him in advance, they would recognize him as an extraordinary Cultivator and wouldn’t dare to provoke him lightly.

’Master Qingmu delayed a hundred years of his Cultivation because he rushed to the aid of his Sect. Even if his chronic affliction and hidden injuries are cured, it’s likely too late for his progress on the Great Dao...’

City after city, mountain after mountain, blurred past as Bai Zichen flew onward. He entered the Dian Country far sooner than he had anticipated.