Translator: AnubisTL
North of the Great Wilderness Domain, bordering the ice plains, stood towering Spirit Mountains, their slopes covered in ancient, gnarled trees.
Within this tranquil and auspicious spiritual land, birds occasionally soared across the sky, painting a scene of timeless serenity.
This was the location of the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate.
Even amidst the current turmoil, the Spirit Vein Land here remained undisturbed, a haven of peace.
It wasn't that the demonic path forces lacked the desire to launch a full-scale invasion; rather, the area was protected by a formidable fourth-tier formation.
Should the demonic path forces attempt a major assault, True Monarch Taixuan, who oversaw this fourth-tier formation, could still secure a significant advantage, even against three peerless demonic path patriarchs!
However, True Monarch Taixuan had already departed for Moonchase Palace, personally safeguarding the righteous path's future hope.
Now, the Taiyi Sect stood utterly vulnerable!
Boom!
The once-clear sky was instantly shrouded in dark clouds, plunging the world into sudden twilight.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these dense, ominous clouds weren't carrying rain, but rather swirling with dense demonic qi.
From within the swirling darkness, menacing black spirit warships emerged, their hulls gleaming like obsidian, a sight of overwhelming grandeur and terror!
Within the ranks of pitch-black spirit warships stood cultivators with solemn and dignified expressions, arranged in orderly formations from the qi refining realm to the foundation establishment realm.
The banners fluttering from the spirit boat fleets revealed their allegiance: the Ghost Sword Sect!
Meanwhile, on the western horizon, vast numbers of cultivators were driving yin corpses forward.
The Yin Puppet Sect had arrived as well!
The once lush, verdant forests withered instantly as the endless procession of refined corpses passed through, their life force drained away.
The sheer number of corpse puppets on the ground was staggering, each refined from yin corpses at least a century old—a truly terrifying force.
In the skies above, a crimson main hall descended, surrounded by swirling blood-red mists.
The entire airspace above the Taiyi Sect Mountain Gate was now completely sealed off by demonic path forces.
"Heh, Rakshasa actually entrusted the Blood Cloud Hall to his disciples? Quite the grand gesture."
A light chuckle suddenly echoed through the air above the Yin Puppet Sect's ranks.
"Zhu Jiuyin, this is the critical moment. Surely you've brought out your millennial corpses by now?"
A towering figure, bearing a massive pitch-black sword on his back, materialized. As he spoke, his gaze fixed on the Taiyi Sect's Spirit Mountain in the distance.
Gui Li's eyes flickered open and closed, his dark pupils swirling with surging demonic qi.
"Naturally. Once we've crushed the Taiyi Sect and intercepted True Monarch Taixuan and the Pure Yang Physique on their return journey, victory will be assured."
"Let's just hope that brat Gui Fan can hold his own and drag out the final battle. After all, the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation won't fall easily!"
Zhu Jiuyin chuckled, but a flicker of solemnity flashed in his eyes.
Their current operation was a risky gamble. During Gui Fan's duel with the Pure Yang Physique, the Startling Moon Formation had sealed off the surrounding realm, severing all communication and transmission.
Anticipating this, they planned to seize the opportunity to crush the righteous path's last stronghold: the Taiyi Sect's Mountain Gate!
Once the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation fell, the righteous path's cultivators would have nowhere left to turn.
At that point, the demonic path would gain an absolute advantage in the war.
"Chi Yuan is crippled, and that old ghost Taixuan isn't at the mountain gate either."
"What good is a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation without a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to command it?"
"Watch me shatter it with a single strike!" Gui Li declared in a deep voice, casually striding through the air until he hovered directly above the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate.
As his words faded, Gui Li drew his Lifebound Ghost Sword from its sheath behind him and unleashed a ferocious sword strike toward the mountain gate below.
The pitch-black sword light seemed to cleave the very heavens and earth, its power unimaginably vast.
Just as the blade's edge was about to fall, a series of clear, luminous glows erupted from the ground.
Hum!
The Grand Formation autonomously reactivated, shielding the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate.
At that moment, the once-tranquil Taiyi Sect erupted into chaos.
"An enemy has invaded!"
"Quick! Report to the supreme elder! An enemy has invaded!"
"Hiss! Demonic path fiends are attacking! The sky outside is completely darkened!"
"Supreme Elder! Supreme Elder!"
No alarm bells were needed. Every core formation realm cultivator meditating within the mountain gate clearly sensed the violent disturbance.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Figures soared into the sky—the Taiyi Sect's supreme elders, pillars of the sect's strength.
"How could this happen?"
"Are the Ghost Sword Sect and Blood Spirit Sect launching a joint attack?"
"Not only that, look at the ground over there! Is that the Nine Netherworld Prefecture? There are so many yin corpses!"
"What should we do? Patriarch Taixuan has gone to Moonchase Palace and we don't know when he'll return!"
"Damn it! These demonic path scoundrels have broken their word!"
The faces of everyone present darkened. They had never imagined the demonic path would launch a full-scale assault at such a critical moment.
But the reality was undeniable, leaving no room for further lamentation.
"Quick! Join me in activating the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation to defend against the enemy! Send someone to inform Patriarch Taixuan immediately!"
One elder reacted swiftly, immediately taking his position at the Formation Core.
The other supreme elders, realizing the urgency, rushed to their designated positions within the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation, preparing to jointly activate the formation and repel the demonic path's massive offensive.
However, just as they were about to activate the formation, a core formation realm supreme elder suddenly spoke up, as if remembering something:
"I recall a fellow Daoist from the Shangqing Sect was preparing to condense a nascent soul within our mountain gate! Is activating the formation at this moment..."
This was a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation. Once fully activated, it would instantly drain all spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
Anyone at a critical moment of breakthrough would undoubtedly suffer a catastrophic backlash—at best, their cultivation would be crippled; at worst, they would perish.
"Are you talking about that old woman surnamed Wen? She's just an outsider. In such a dire situation, we can't afford to worry about her!"
"Junior Sister Bi Yun is right. If we're still concerned about outsiders at this point, then the Taiyi Sect deserves to be wiped out!"
Hearing these voices, the late-stage core formation cultivator leading the group spoke impassively:
"Activate the formation!"
As his words echoed, spiritual light erupted from every corner of the Taiyi Sect.
All spiritual energy in the surrounding heaven and earth was instantly drained, plunging the area into a vacuum-like state.
Boom!
A terrifying aura surged outward as the Fourth-Tier Grand Formation fully awakened. Its power defied description—it truly seemed to borrow the strength of heaven and earth itself.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Taiyi Sect, within a hidden cave abode on Spirit Mountain:
Pfft!
An old woman seated in meditation suddenly spat out a mouthful of crimson blood.
"What's happening? Why has the heaven and earth disappeared?"
"Is it related to the disturbance just now?"
Wen Xing's disheveled hair framed a face etched with terror. Her aged, trembling body struggled to contain the violent surge of true essence within her.
"No..."
Her wrinkled face twisted with bitter resentment. One misstep had led to eternal regret.
Having been on the verge of breaking through to the nascent soul realm, she now found herself cut off from the heaven and earth spiritual energy she needed.
Clatter!
In an instant, she retrieved a massive pile of spirit stones from her storage pouch—roughly estimated to be several thousand, including a significant number of mid-grade stones—forming a small mountain before her.
She desperately tried to draw spiritual energy from these stones to stabilize her condition, hoping at least to suppress the rampaging true essence within her.
Though the pile seemed vast, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the energy required to condense a nascent soul.
The surging true essence continued to ravage her meridians, threatening to tear them apart.
Even Wen Xing herself doubted whether she could stabilize her condition. At this point, she no longer sought to advance; she only hoped her cultivation realm wouldn't plummet too far.
In desperation, she began expelling the chaotic true essence from her body, abandoning her earlier greed.
The moment she opened that channel, it was like a dam bursting. A torrent of true essence surged forth like an unstoppable flood, impossible to contain.
In a matter of moments, her aura rapidly weakened.
Wen Xing's heart turned to ice as despair washed over her.
It's over. Everything is lost!
The realm she had painstakingly cultivated through years of secluded meditation was now dissolving like a bubble in sunlight.
I hate this.
Meanwhile, the Taiyi Sect elders were gritting their teeth, desperately holding their ground against the overwhelming enemy. They had no time, nor any desire, to concern themselves with Wen Xing's plight.
The pressure was simply too immense. Even with the support of the Fourth-Tier Grand Formation, they were treading on thin ice, on the verge of collapse.
They faced two nascent soul realm powerhouses, and these were no ordinary cultivators—they were the peerlessly formidable demonic path patriarchs!
Gui Li's towering figure moved with relentless precision, his sword flashing in unpredictable arcs. Each strike landed with uncanny accuracy, striking vulnerable points with deadly precision.
Six Taiyi Sect core formation true lords, working in unison to activate the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation, struggled to keep up. They barely managed to parry the relentless sword qi, preventing damage to the mountain gate.
Though they barely maintained their defensive stance, their anxiety grew with each passing moment.
As the core formation elders of the demonic path closed in, they clutched Restriction-Breaking Talismans in their hands.
Although third-tier Restriction-Breaking Talismans could inflict only limited damage on a Fourth-Tier Grand Formation, they still posed a threat.
Rumble!
As expected, the core formation true lords of the demonic path showed no restraint in using their third-tier Restriction-Breaking Talismans. Upon reaching the edge of the Grand Formation, they immediately activated the precious talismans.
The Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation trembled slightly, as if shaken to its core.
Sensing this, the faces of the few core formation true lords guarding the formation darkened.
"Kill them!" A beautiful female cultivator in the core formation realm snarled, her eyes burning with murderous intent.
If left unchecked, the Grand Formation might be breached.
This Fourth-Tier Grand Formation had been inherited from the Ancient Era, enduring countless ages of change. It had been established when the Taiyi Sect was first founded.
Over such a long period, the formation had inevitably developed flaws and weaknesses.
These flaws and gaps weren't due to carelessness in the formation's initial setup, but rather the inevitable changes wrought by time, the cyclical nature of the years, and the shifting seasons.
Even the most powerful formations require regular maintenance by a formation master.
However, the Great Wilderness Domain hadn't seen a new fourth-rank formation master in centuries. These age-related defects and omissions couldn't be fully repaired.
The formation masters of the Taiyi Sect could only patch the holes and make makeshift repairs, treating the symptoms but not the root cause.
"Junior Sister Bi Yun, do not act rashly!" an elder supreme elder warned, stopping her impulsive plan.
"But if we continue like this, we can't hold out for long! The Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation will inevitably be breached!" True Lord Bi Yun protested urgently.
"Then that is our fate," another elder replied. "In our current situation, we can only maintain our defensive posture. Any attempt to counterattack would likely hasten the formation's collapse!"
Hearing this, True Lord Bi Yun, clad in emerald robes, gazed skyward.
Above, Gui Li and Zhu Jiuyin loomed, their eyes fixed on the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation like predators sizing up their prey, searching for any weakness to exploit.
"Damn it!" True Lord Bi Yun hissed, her lips pressed into a thin line as she focused intently on maintaining the formation.
Zhu Jiuyin raised an eyebrow, his gray robes swirling as he conjured a gust of chilling wind. "You certainly have remarkable composure, Brother Gui Li. Let's press the attack!"
"That's all we can do!" Gui Li nodded, sheathing his pitch-black ghost sword behind his back.
In an instant, a small cauldron radiating a divine glow materialized in his hand.
It was a four-legged square cauldron, each side etched with lifelike True Spirit patterns: the Azure Dragon, Black Tortoise, Vermilion Bird, and White Tiger—the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron!
The moment the cauldron appeared, Zhu Jiuyin's eyes narrowed, scrutinizing it intently.
"Brother Gui Li, you truly possess extraordinary Fortuitous Destiny," Zhu Jiuyin remarked with a hint of envy. "To think this legendary cauldron from the Ancient Era would fall into your hands."
Gui Li remained unfazed, uninterested in further conversation. "Enough with the pleasantries," he said. "Brother Jiuyin, it's time to unleash those millennial corpses of yours, isn't it?"
Zhu Jiuyin shook his head and chuckled, then waved his hand through the air.
Boom!
The world instantly grew dark and sinister, filled with chilling yin energy. In the northern and southern corners of the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation, two figures materialized.
Their faces appeared perfectly normal, but their clothing was utterly bizarre, unlike anything from this era. Moreover, they radiated an intense yin energy, clearly not living beings.
Yet despite this, the figures seemed to possess a degree of consciousness. Their movements lacked the stiffness typical of refined corpses, instead flowing with remarkable fluidity.
"Yin corpses imbued with sentience? Living corpse puppets? Has the Yin Puppet Sect truly refined such a heaven-defying creation?" Gui Li's usually impassive face flickered with surprise at the sight of these animated yin corpses.
"Heh, these are mere trifles," Zhu Jiuyin said modestly, though his eyes gleamed with pride. "They're nothing compared to the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron."
Animating a yin corpse with spiritual intelligence was already an act against the natural order. If a millennial yin corpse were to spontaneously develop its own spiritual intelligence, how terrifying would it become?
The elders of the Taiyi Sect were about to experience its true power firsthand.
Before launching his attack, Zhu Jiuyin called out:
"Blood Spirit Sect brats, bring out your Blood Cloud Hall too! Dragging this out won't do you any good!"
From behind the rolling blood clouds, a voice immediately responded:
"As Senior Jiuyin commands!"
The moment the words faded, a torrent of overwhelming blood qi erupted from the Blood Cloud Hall, instantly engulfing the entire sky and staining the once-clear heavens crimson.
Boom!
The Blood Cloud Hall descended from the sky with unimaginable force, as if intent on annihilating everything in its path.
Simultaneously, the two spiritually intelligent millennial yin corpses stirred, launching a ferocious all-out assault on the Great Evolution Demon-Slaying Formation.
Gui Li silently chanted the Universal Treasure Manual, activating the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron.
The Four Symbols True Spirits seemed to come alive, their roars, howls, and cries echoing across the Human Realm as they manifested in the mortal world.
At that moment, every core formation true lord who had been gritting their teeth in defense felt their scalps tingle with an indescribable pressure.
Disaster was truly upon them!
(End of the Chapter)
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