Chapter 612: Black Clouds Press Down on the Mountain, the Sect on the Brink of Collapse

The peak of Qii Mountain soared to a height of thirty-three hundred zhang. Its sun-facing side was bathed in endless clear skies, while its shaded side was trapped in a perpetual snowstorm.

The Immortal Reception Platform, built with glazed roof tiles and Cold Jade walls, was once a scene worthy of the Immortal Realm, embodying the spirit of the Righteous Dao. Now, however, it was steeped in a gloomy Yin Qi.

Countless vines, each so thick it would take a person to wrap their arms around it, swarmed over the Immortal Reception Platform. With the platform as their core, they blanketed the entire peak.

There was no color on the mountain peak aside from a deep, oppressive teal.

Even the brilliant white snow on the far side of the mountain was smothered beneath the encroaching hue.

BOOM!

A tremendous roar shook the heavens as several large warships and hundreds of Divine Thunder Pagodas surrounding the peak fired in unison, causing the Holy Lotus Sect’s Mountain Protection Array to sway violently.

After several volleys, the Grand Array was clearly weakening. Its Spirit Light had dimmed, revealing glimpses of the mountaintop within.

The Holy Lotus Sect’s Tier Four Grand Array should not have been so weak. But after being besieged for nearly a century, this battlefield had become a meat grinder, slowly bleeding both sects dry.

The Celestial Principle Sect had certainly been severely injured, losing vast numbers of disciples and sinking most of the assets from their northern migration into the war.

But the Holy Lotus Sect, on the defensive and cut off from outside aid, had suffered far more grievously.

With a legacy spanning ten thousand years, their stockpile of Top-Grade Spirit Stones had long been exhausted. They could only power the Grand Array by drawing from the Spirit Vein and using Top-Grade Spirit Stones.

Amidst the teal vines inside the array, Holy Lotus Sect Disciples could be seen scrambling about. As the Grand Array faltered, cries of shock and anguish rang out.

The Celestial Principle Sect, however, did not launch a full-scale assault. Instead, they erected an altar and performed a ritual, summoning several Divine Generals whose power fluctuations matched that of Core Formation Cultivators.

Leading over a thousand Tier Two Puppets, they charged fearlessly toward the breach in the Grand Array.

The vines suddenly sprang to life, leaping from the ground and lashing out like lightning. They swatted the puppets down as if they were nothing more than flies.

But the three leading Divine Generals, treading on auspicious clouds and wielding Divine Weapons, issued decrees in a Jade Sound. The Spiritual Qi on Qii Mountain Peak instantly fell silent.

The Divine Generals erupted in light, and the Jade Sound lingered like a sudden clap of thunder. In their place remained a whip, a book, and a jade scepter.

The power of this one attack, approaching the might of the Nascent Soul realm, was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Before the attack even landed, countless vines snapped and went limp.

In the next moment, however, several Cultivators flew out, charging toward the Three Treasures with no regard for their own lives.

After flying for several li, they detonated their Golden Cores without hesitation, annihilating themselves along with the treasures’ radiant light.

After the fierce battle, a brief calm descended.

“For ten thousand years, the Holy Lotus Sect has exploited the Cultivators of Liang Country, hoarding the resources of five provinces to supply one Sect! They have left the Cultivation Realm of Liang Country to wither and stagnate. The moment True Monarch Jiulian died, new True Monarchs began to appear frequently. This shows how long all Cultivators have suffered under the Holy Lotus Sect!”

A Core Formation True Man from the Celestial Principle Sect stood atop a warship and used a magic art to broadcast his sharp voice for a thousand li.

“This Qu Yang has compounded error upon error! His actions have strayed onto the Demon Path, slaughtering Core Formation Cultivators from the Central Province to refine Human Puppets… Such a method of human sacrifice is an offense against heaven itself! We have already reported this to the Moral Sect!”

“All of you should abandon the darkness for the light at once! Otherwise, when the Daoist Soldiers of Celestial Punishment Peak arrive and judgment is passed, not one person in your entire sect will escape! Do not say you were not warned!”

After the Celestial Principle Sect’s Core Formation True Man finished speaking, the warships turned and slowly departed. No response came from Qii Mountain.

Though they had achieved no concrete military results, the members of the Celestial Principle Sect departed as if they were returning from a great victory.

On Qii Mountain Peak, roots and vines began to grow, refilling the gaps that had been blasted open.

After a long time, a few Holy Lotus Sect Disciples finally appeared. Holding Array Plates, they began to repair the damaged nodes of the array.

As components were replaced and new Top-Grade Spirit Stones were set in place, the Grand Array’s shield of light materialized once more, enveloping the peak in its protection.

It would offer at least some protection when the Celestial Principle Sect next attacked.

But after being battered for so long, with no suitable Array Materials for replacements and its power repeatedly overdrawn, the array possessed the form of a Tier Four Array, but none of its actual power.

Anyone could see that the Holy Lotus Sect was already showing signs of defeat. They had only managed to hold on for so many years through sheer stubbornness.

Even the most loyal Sect Disciples no longer deluded themselves into thinking they could defeat the Celestial Principle Sect.

They only hoped that their enemy would run out of patience, no longer willing to be bogged down by the tough nut that was Qii Mountain, and voluntarily withdraw from Liang Country.

In fact, in recent years, the Holy Lotus Sect had secretly contacted the Celestial Principle Sect on multiple occasions, offering compensation and the surrender of all their territories outside of Qii Mountain.

Unsurprisingly, the proposal was rejected by the Celestial Principle Sect, who not only held the upper hand but were also consumed by rage.

Immortal Reception Platform, Three Worlds Hall.

Several Core Formation True Men stood together in silence. Their eyes met, exchanging unreadable glances before they quickly lowered their heads.

These five were all the Core Formation Cultivators the Holy Lotus Sect had left.

Back when True Monarch Jiulian was alive, the main Sect alone boasted twelve Core Formation cultivators, not even counting the four from the branches who could be recalled at any time.

It was truly deserving of its title as the number one Sect in Liang Country.

Later, following True Monarch Jiulian’s unexpected death, another two Core Formation True Men went missing, and a great number perished in the war with the Celestial Principle Sect.

Coupled with those who passed away naturally as their lifespans ended, and the fact that exceedingly few new cultivators broke through to Core Formation, their numbers could not possibly be replenished.

All of this led to their current predicament.

The Sect’s power was gone, their own futures were uncertain, and the Celestial Principle Sect refused to even accept their surrender.

Crucially, the enemy’s accusations before the array were not baseless. To compensate for his sect’s disadvantage, Qu Yang had disguised himself as a Tribulation Cultivator and captured at least ten Core Formation Cultivators from the Central Province.

His victims were sect masters or the Ancestors of Cultivation Families. For a time, panic swept through the entire Central Province.

This continued until he encountered a Core Formation True Man who possessed a Tier Four Talisman. When Qu Yang failed to capture him within a few moves, he was forced to use a Nascent Soul-level technique.

After the fact, the Celestial Principle Sect used the Water Mirror Backlight Technique to expose him, and even replayed the projection multiple times in front of Qii Mountain.

Once confirmed, the news sent the entire Liang Country into an uproar. The tide of public opinion reversed in an instant.