Chapter 596: Exceptionally Difficult

Chen Che nodded and shared his thoughts.

It was unrealistic to expect a war without casualties, but he still didn’t feel confident about fighting a battle with such low odds of success.

“Generally speaking, for a Cultivator to increase their strength, there are three main avenues. They can raise their Cultivation Realm, learn a more powerful Cultivation Technique, or obtain a Magical Artifact of a higher Grade.”

Although Meng Qingxuan’s Cultivation Realm wasn’t high, she still did her utmost to help Chen Che find a solution.

“Then what about obtaining a higher-grade Magical Artifact?”

“It’s not that easy.”

Chen Che shook his head.

Ordinary Magical Artifacts weren’t worth his consideration; even if he went through the trouble of Sacrificial Refinement, they probably couldn’t withstand a single blow from Wen Yangxi. His Sword Pill could be strengthened through its core, but the Blood Sword Pill was in Duobao’s hands and couldn’t be easily reclaimed.

The Gourd was already Tier Four, and that was its current limit.

He still had the Wind and Cloud Fan. With some Sacrificial Refinement, it would be usable. It would be a nice addition, but it was a far cry from being the trump card he needed to turn the tables.

“I’m talking about this…”

Meng Qingxuan tapped her finger on Chen Che’s chest, where a Fierce Eyes hung. “We could ask Yu Qian if he can improve this Fierce Eyes. If one isn’t enough, what about two? Or three?”

“That’s right!”

Chen Che smacked his forehead. ‘How could I not see what was right under my nose?’

Relying on quantity to achieve quality was a crude method, but it might just work. He wasn’t a professional Casting Master; for something like this, he’d have to rely on Yu Qian’s judgment. Still, Meng Qingxuan’s proposal had given him a new avenue to explore.

…

The Cultivators remained gathered in Chu State for three full days.

Then, on the evening of the fourth day, amidst shouts of “The Array is down!”, the Thirteen Water Light Array flickered twice like a dying lightbulb before it finally gave out. As countless eyes watched, the pillar of light vanished, and the Barrier that had sealed off the region shattered into innumerable fragments with a resounding CRACK.

In the next moment, everyone surged forward, excitedly swarming the mountaintop.

On the other side of the mountain lay the domain of the Mist Rain Tower.

Stretching out from the mountaintop was a vast, boundless plain. Rivers—some meandering, some mighty, some mysterious—snaked across the flatlands, crisscrossing the expansive terrain before them.

This was the domain of the Mist Rain Tower—

Its lands were rich in waterways, with rivers covering sixty percent of the territory. Many of its cities were even built right along the riverbanks. Its core region, in particular, was shrouded in constant rain and mist, hence its name: the Mist Rain Tower.

“What is that?”

Just then, a cry went up. Someone was pointing into the distance, their eyes filled with disbelief.

“What’s going on?”

The Cultivators gathered on the summit scrambled to look in the direction that person was pointing.

Having reached the front, Chen Che narrowed his eyes. There, where the sky met the earth, atop a cliff that looked as if it had suddenly sprung from the ground, innumerable streaks of iridescent light and rainbow bridges converged with the speed of Flying Shuttles.

Everyone present recognized it at a glance: this was a phenomenon that could only be caused by a massive gathering of Cultivators.

“Is the Mist Rain Tower planning to fight a defensive war?”

“How has it only been a few days? The Mist Rain Tower has already gathered another army of Cultivators? Where is that place?”

A roar like a tsunami swept across the mountaintop.

A more knowledgeable Cultivator, his expression grave, explained to his companions:

“That is the Mist Rain Tower’s first major chokepoint. The stronghold is called the Celestial River Mountain Range, and it’s a massive cliff face. The sheerest drop is over twelve hundred zhang high. Countless upstream rivers converge there, turning into waterfalls that look as if they’re pouring down from the Milky Way itself—that’s how it got its name!”

“The Celestial River Mountain Range spans two states and is even larger than Chu State… If the Mist Rain Tower uses it as their fortress and forces us into a siege, we’ll be in deep trouble.”

As he finished, the Cultivator’s eyes were filled with worry.

Before his voice had even faded, many Cultivators had already transformed into streaks of Escape Light and shot forward. Others impatiently summoned their Demon Beasts to scout ahead.

Chen Che and the old man exchanged a look, each seeing the resignation in the other’s eyes.

Truly, man’s plans were no match for the heavens. Just three days ago, they had concluded their meeting and decided to split up. They never imagined the Mist Rain Tower would make such a move.

A moment later, one of the scouts rushed back, frantically announcing his findings to the surrounding crowd:

“I found a massive gathering of Cultivators at the Celestial River Mountain Range! Countless Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Qi Refining masters! Along the rivers, fleet after fleet of Spiritual Boats are transporting mountains of supplies to the range.”

“By a rough estimate, the Mist Rain Tower’s total force is somewhere between seventy and eighty thousand!”

Hiss—

Hearing this, a chill went down everyone’s spines. This wasn’t an army of mortals, but an army of Cultivators!

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Shaotian called another meeting. He stated that the situation remained grim, and the plan for the two sects to split up would be postponed. They would reconsider it after they had taken the Celestial River Mountain Range.

This time, Qiu Tianshui didn’t demur as he had before, but agreed readily.

However, not long after the meeting concluded, the Mist Rain Tower made another move.

As night fell, countless torches and lanterns lit up the Celestial River Mountain Range. Seen from a distance, it looked as if a river of stars had fallen to the mortal realm. This scene alone was enough to show the vast distribution of the Mist Rain Tower’s forces.

The scale of their deployment might even rival that of the recent battle for Chu State.

Some tried to get closer for a better look, but they were immediately struck down by the enemy’s Golden Core masters.

The sheer scale of the enemy’s presence cast a pall over the Cultivators of both sects. And as the night deepened, the long, drawn-out call of a Horn echoed from deep within the Celestial River Mountain Range.