Chapter 608 - 553: A Succession of Dirty Tricks

Chapter 608: Chapter 553: A Succession of Dirty Tricks

Even the new generation of Beast Masters would be affected by the sharp decline in the number of Demon Beasts.

"Focus on the battle first. Once the situation is stable, we can hunt these Demon Beasts."

Chen Che’s voice calmed everyone’s restless thoughts.

Not long after he spoke, the two Tributors from before were attacked. Their assailant was a single-horned Poisonous Flood Dragon—

This Poisonous Flood Dragon was a rare venomous creature. The toxic underground river, far from harming it, actually allowed it to thrive.

It lurked beneath the toxic water, and as the two Great Perfection Cultivators passed by the pool, it burst out in a sudden attack. It wrapped its massive tail around one man and clamped its great maw onto the other’s arm, attempting to drag both of them into the water.

The Great Perfection Cultivator was decisive, severing his own arm and hastily retreating.

However, before he could make it back to the Spiritual Boat, a Demon Falcon swooped in between the fleet, hooked its talons into his shoulders, and carried him off into the distance.

Incidents like this were countless.

By this point, however, the beast tide was no longer a significant threat. The Two Provinces Alliance Army had advanced to within twenty li of the Celestial River Mountain Range, which put them within the firing range of the Heroic Pass. Almost as soon as they drew near, they were met with the first barrage from the Mist Rain Tower Cultivators.

They would never allow the Two Provinces Alliance Army to build a camp right under their noses.

Compared to this barrage, the beast tide that had been the main force in the previous ambush seemed like a mere appetizer. The long range of twenty li did nothing to diminish the power of the Crossbows, which were forged from Exotic Copper and Iron.

In mid-air, bolts from countless Crossbows, wreathed in Magic Patterns, transformed into a storm of thunder.

This time, there were well over a million Crossbow Arrows. Like a plague of locusts blotting out the sky, they whistled through the air as they swept toward the Spiritual Boats. Some Great Demons couldn’t dodge in time and were instantly engulfed. By the time the storm of Arrows passed, they had been reduced to dust.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Crossbow Arrows that missed their mark lost their momentum, arced downwards, and punched craters the size of washbasins into the ground. Not even a Foundation Establishment Major Cultivator could withstand such terrifying force!

But the Spiritual Boats of the Two Provinces Alliance Army held their position in the sky, neither dodging nor evading. They relied on their Arrays to directly tank the barrage of Crossbow Arrows.

THUD! THUD! THUD.

Arrow after arrow slammed into the Arrays, erupting in showers of brilliant sparks.

"Activate the Arrays!"

With a glance at Chen Che, Meng Qianxun gave a decisive wave of his hand.

Almost simultaneously, not just Jinyun Valley but the entire Two Provinces Alliance Army began to establish their own encampment right in front of the Mist Rain Tower Cultivators, a feat of construction no less impressive than their enemy’s. Bunkers and barricades sprang up one after another.

The hovering Spiritual Boats continuously fired their own Crossbow Arrows, buying time for the Cultivators behind them.

However, just as Chen Che had predicted, the Array on the walls of the Heroic Pass became the first major obstacle. A number of Magic Patterns rivaling the stars in the sky rose up at a visible speed, linking together like chains to swiftly form a barrier that bisected the heavens.

The incoming Crossbow Arrows exploded on impact with the Grand Array.

SWOOSH!

Beside him, Zhao Shifeng narrowed his eyes. He pointed two fingers forward, and with a BANG, a Flying Sword shot out from the Sword Box on his back. It struck one of the chains with a sharp CLANG, and in the next instant, both the sword and the chain vanished.

But his face showed no hint of joy.

He had only managed to destroy it because he had glimpsed a weak point in that particular Magic Pattern. But along this wall, which stretched for hundreds of thousands of li, there were easily hundreds of millions of such patterns. Even if all the Golden Core Cultivators from both sects exhausted their True Essence, they might not be able to break through.

"Save your strength."

Chen Che held up a hand, signaling for him to stop. "Their Golden Core Cultivators haven’t made a move yet... Stay at your peak and be ready to deal with them."

"Yes."

Zhao Shifeng nodded slightly.

Chen Che turned his head to Xiao Chan, who was also observing the battlefield. "Xiao Chan, is there any news from behind Mist Rain Tower’s lines?"

"Nothing at all."

Xiao Chan grinned and glanced into the distance. "I reckon they’re in the same boat."

In the month following the ambush in Chu State, the two sects had appeared to be preparing a full-scale assault, but they were secretly gathering Loose Cultivators and Evil Cultivators to sow chaos in Mist Rain Tower’s rear. This group even included the traitor, Ping Miaohan.

But as of now, there had been no news of any turmoil within Mist Rain Tower’s territories. Any nascent uprisings had likely been stamped out before they could begin.

SWOOSH!

As they spoke, a whistling sound far more violent than before cut through the air. Four massive Crossbow Arrows, each several times larger than a normal one, shot out almost simultaneously. In mid-air, the four Arrows vibrated and suddenly unfurled a massive, crystal-clear net.

The giant net was woven from countless shimmering, ice-crystal threads and spanned several hundred zhang when unfurled. What was truly jaw-dropping was that it enveloped a Spiritual Boat like a fishing net, trapping even the nearby Cultivators. With a piercing whistle, it dragged them all from the sky.

THUMP!

By the time they hit the ground, the Cultivators and the Spiritual Boat alike were frozen into solid ice sculptures.

They left a trail of frost across the rolling grasslands, billowing with a cold mist.

"That’s..."

Chen Che stared.

In the time it took him to speak, hundreds more of these arrows were launched, targeting the Spiritual Boats in the sky. One after another, the boats were caught off guard by the nets and sent plummeting violently to the ground.

Three of these nets were aimed directly at the boat from Jinyun Valley.

"That must be some device Mist Rain Tower uses to capture Spirit Fish. It’s said these massive nets can even capture a Golden Core Great Demon! Of course, the crafting process is surely complex, so they can’t be mass-produced."