Within the canyon.
The soldiers of the Great Han court arrived in advance at the prearranged ambush location.
"My heavens."
Wang Zhi, already a True Force martial artist, carried a seven-foot-long Mo Dao over his shoulder and gazed across the boundless land of Heavenly Water Isle. "This immortal cultivation world really is different."
Not just him—most of the soldiers who had trained for years in Tianyong City were setting foot in a true immortal cultivation realm for the first time. They could not help but feel deeply moved.
Zhou Weizhen looked toward the distant mountain peaks. Faintly, he could see cultivators riding flying swords through the air. Longing filled his eyes. "I've heard that in places where spiritual energy is rich, you can even cultivate while sleeping."
"Sooner or later, it will all be ours."
Yu Jike stared into the distance and said with firm conviction, "Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever mountains and rivers flow—that is all territory of our Great Han!"
"Heavenly Court soldiers."
Rong Yanqiu held a long whip forged of metal, shaped like a spine. Her sharp gaze swept across every face present.
"Raise troops for a thousand days, use them for one moment.
"Since Tianyong City was established, we have trained day and night, consuming countless resources. Many soldiers outside the capital have criticized us, claiming we are nothing but useless drunkards.
"Ten years to forge a single sword, its frosted edge never yet tested!
"Ten years of bitter cultivation—for this day of testing the blade!
"The Heavenly Water Isle bandit sect has long harbored intentions to destroy us. It is time for them to witness the sharpness of Great Han's blade!"
"Crusade against Heavenly Water Isle! Serve the court!"
"Crusade against Heavenly Water Isle! Serve the court!"
The Heavenly Court soldiers shouted in unison. Then they quickly fell silent, taking positions on both sides of the canyon, concealing themselves behind scattered boulders and jagged rocks.
50 miles away.
More and more cultivators from Ronghua City and Demon-Suppression Guards converged from all directions, like a plague of locusts sweeping across the land—dense and innumerable.
They stood upon uniform flying swords beneath their feet, forming hand seals with both hands. A dazzling array of spells flickered with brilliant spiritual light, illuminating the entire sky.
Compared to mortal warfare, in the immortal cultivation world, when realm differences were not vast, cultivators often feared encirclement even more—due to factors including but not limited to magic artifacts and mana.
Not to mention, within Ronghua City and the Demon-Suppression Division, there were no shortage of Foundation Establishment cultivators.
A martial cultivator from the Demon-Suppression Division at the middle stage of True Force rode atop a puppet immortal crane. Holding a bronze instrument that buzzed section by section, he steadily closed the distance while issuing commands.
"Pursue them! Capture any one of the demon heretics—reward of 500 spirit stones! Capture a Foundation Establishment heretic—reward of 8,000 spirit stones!"
"Lord Wu!"
A Ronghua City cultivator asked anxiously, "Among them are late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Isn't it too risky for us to chase them like this?"
"What are you afraid of?!"
Wu Wei's eyes were bloodshot. "We have over 200 people! Even if we cannot defeat them one-on-one, we can form a formation and trap them here! It won't be long before the City Lord and the Eighth Prince arrive! Let even one escape, and you'll answer to me!"
With a buzzing hum, the pursuit team accelerated once more.
The distance between them and the so-called "demon heretics" grew ever smaller. Just as they were about to catch up, a massive canyon suddenly appeared ahead. One after another, the heretics plunged into it.
The cultivators did not hesitate. They followed closely into the canyon and finally caught up, spreading out to surround Chen Sanshi and the handful of others completely.
"Heh."
Wu Wei narrowed his eyes. Seeing the long sword in the leader's hand and the Water-Element True Force coiling around his body, he sneered, "You must be Xiao Feng, right? And beside you is Shangguan Siheng of the Zhuxian Sect? Who would have thought the two of you had ties to that barren land. Today, we've caught two big fish."
"Fellow Daoist."
Chen Sanshi said calmly, "I'm afraid you haven't quite figured out who is the fish here."
"Who are you trying to scare?"
Wu Wei pointed at them with his bronze instrument and scoffed. "The City Lord and the Eighth Prince will arrive any moment. I advise you not to continue resisting pointlessly. Perhaps you'll be granted a swift death. Otherwise, you'll be reduced to ashes and your souls annihilated forever!"
Chen Sanshi merely smiled without replying.
At his side, the few companions each summoned their magic artifacts and arranged themselves in formation, their expressions solemn and utterly fearless.
Wu Wei sensed something was off. Just as a feeling of unease crept over him, a sharp shout suddenly descended from above.
"Boom—!"
Thunderous crashes erupted from the top of the canyon.
"Heavenly Water Isle thieves! Stupid as pigs! Already trapped in an ambush, and you still don't know it?!"
Wang Zhi raised his Mo Dao high. The blade radiance swelled continuously as he brought it down in a strike like Mount Tai pressing from above. Pitch-black True Force condensed into the form of a Black Tortoise and smashed down with a thunderous crash.
Wu Wei was greatly startled. He hurriedly raised the bronze instrument to block, but at the same time, a long whip swept across before him like the tail of a giant python.
Simultaneously, one soldier after another clad in gleaming iron armor descended from the sky. Countless talismans shot forth like crossbow bolts, linking together in midair.
"100,000 Heavenly soldiers and generals are here—thieves, surrender at once!"
"Kill! Kill!"
The sudden turn of events caught the Demon-Suppression Division and Ronghua City cultivators completely off guard. All they saw were overwhelming spells and soldiers charging straight at them.
These people wore what appeared to be mortal military uniforms, yet each possessed cultivation—some were martial cultivators, others spell cultivators. Their numbers were impossible to discern.
Rumbling thunder echoed as formation arrays prepared in advance activated one after another. The entire canyon began to quake violently. Countless rolling boulders and logs infused with surging spiritual power crashed down. Even if the cultivators could withstand the impact, their attention would be diverted, allowing enemy soldiers to close in and take their lives.
"There's an ambush!"
"Retreat!"
"Fall back!"
The guards of Ronghua City and the Demon-Suppression Division had spent their cultivation years hunting others in groups. They had never faced such a situation. For a moment, they were thrown into chaos, panic-stricken.
Moreover, in the immortal cultivation world, the majority within any faction were always those of the lowest realm.
Take the Demon-Suppression Division as an example: over 80% were at the Early Stage or Middle Stage of Qi Refining. A late-stage Qi Refining cultivator could be considered a minor leader, commanding over a hundred people—comparable to a Hundred Commander in a mortal army. A Foundation Establishment cultivator was akin to a Thousand-Commander. In truth, the amount of real combat they experienced on a daily basis was not particularly high.
Thus, they quickly fell into complete disarray, no longer obeying any commands, caring only about fleeing toward the canyon's exit.
The more they behaved this way, the heavier their losses became.
Zhou Weizhen, possessing a Heavenly-grade Metal spiritual root, controlled his flying sword. Though it was merely an ordinary sword-riding technique, in his hands it radiated terrifying killing intent, its might irresistible. Ordinary middle-stage Qi Refining cultivators were no match for him in a single exchange. Even late-stage Qi Refining cultivators stronger than him had to treat him seriously.
The others—Sun Buqi, Deng Feng, Meng Quji, Zhang Shun, and the rest—had trained bitterly for 10 years. At this very moment, they finally had the opportunity to unleash everything they had learned.
The two brothers of the Sima clan transformed as they fought—one wielded a long blade and took on the form of a wolf demon, the other held a spear and became leopard-headed. Their demon-like appearances further boosted the morale of their comrades.
The disciples of the Zhuxian Sect fought with spells recklessly, utterly disregarding their own lives.
Though their combined numbers were not large, they unleashed an extremely terrifying combat strength.
In just a few exchanges, the Demon-Suppression Division and Ronghua City lost dozens of cultivators. They no longer had any will to resist, stepping onto magic artifacts in frantic flight.
"These people have never been tempered by war."
Su Can held a magic artifact bow and arrow. "They can gather together to bully others in peacetime, but when it comes to a real head-on clash, they're utterly worthless!"
"Be careful!"
"More are coming!"
Rumbling sounds echoed again as, not far away in the sky, a middle-aged man rode upon an enormous golden blade. As he moved, it was as though he tore through space itself, his eyes splitting with fury as he flew toward the canyon.
Late-stage Foundation Establishment!
Behind him followed two more Foundation Establishment cultivators.
The middle-aged man suppressed his rage and maintained his composure as he gave orders, "Quickly, inform the Shengyun Sect elder at Daze Peak. Tell him that the batch of cultivators trained in Eastern Victory Divine Continent has poured into Northern Yang Dao. Request him to act and wipe them out—perhaps there will be unexpected gains."
At most, the group before them were only at late-stage Foundation Establishment. Once a Golden Core elder made a move, they could be effortlessly exterminated.
"This man is Jiang Shang, the City Lord of Ronghua City," Shangguan Siheng identified. "The two beside him should be Ronghua City's honored guests. The Seven Kill Sect hasn't appeared. Brother Xiao Feng, the canyon is yours. We'll handle drawing them away."
With that said, he summoned his Natal flying sword and met them head-on.
"Demon heretics, give me back my son's life!"
Jiang Shang roared as he strode upon the clouds, lifting the massive golden blade in his hand and colliding with the long-robed cultivator's flying sword.
Mana surged, clouds churned violently.
Main Peak of Daze.
At the summit.
An elderly man with an immortal bearing sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, drawing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Behind him stood an enormous formation disk forged from special stone, embedded with densely packed middle-grade spirit stones. Formation flags were arranged in orderly rows.
Yet the formation was not activated; it remained dormant.
Beside him stood a young cultivator.
The old man closed his eyes and said slowly, "The Shengyun Sect's Ascending Cloud Art can be cultivated by no more than 20 people in each generation. Today, I am passing it on to you. Do you know what that signifies?"
"This disciple will certainly devote himself to cultivation and will not disappoint Master's painstaking efforts."
Wang Jun replied respectfully.
"Mm."
The old man slowly opened his eyes and was about to offer further instruction when movement sounded behind him. A disciple hurried up to the summit.
"Elder Shouzhong!"
The disciple clasped his fists and said, "The City Lord of Ronghua City has sent word. People from Eastern Victory Divine Continent have appeared near Luoxia Mountain. Their numbers seem considerable. He requests that you take action to wipe them out."
"Eastern Victory Divine Continent…"
The old man pondered and said, "Is that them? Is that Ghost Seven's disciple present?"
The disciple replied, "If Elder refers to Chen Lei, he has not appeared for the moment. However, he seems to have connected with the Zhuxian Sect, and there are quite a few Foundation Establishment cultivators participating in the battle."
"Zhuxian Sect?"
Shouzhongzi rose slowly to his feet. "Very well. I shall go stretch my muscles. With great matters imminent, we cannot allow these youngsters to create noise."
He did not ride a magic artifact. Instead, he transformed directly into a streak of escaping light and vanished in an instant, flying straight toward Luoxia Mountain.
But after traveling 50 miles, Shouzhongzi abruptly halted. Looking down at a barren mountain below, he clearly sensed someone lying in ambush within.
"Could it be…"
The corner of his eye twitched. Circling the region of the Li family, he indeed discovered people hidden in several positions.
"Heh. I nearly fell into a child's scheme."
With a hum, Shouzhongzi turned back into a streak of light and returned to the Main Peak of Daze.
"Master?"
Wang Jun looked at him returning so soon, puzzled.
"It is a feint to the east and a stratagem to lure the tiger from the mountain," Shouzhongzi said calmly. "The disturbance at Luoxia Mountain was meant to draw me away. Their true objective is the Spirit-Gathering Grand Formation."
"So that's how it is."
Wang Jun said thoughtfully, "This disciple has dealt with Chen Lei before. That man has always been cunning. It does seem like something he would do."
The reporting disciple asked, "Elder, are you not going after all?"
"Mm."
Shouzhongzi said evenly, "In recent years, nothing is more important than breaking the seal. I will absolutely not leave Daze Peak lightly.
"As for the rest, let them cause their trouble. Once the seal is broken, that little brat surnamed Chen will have no more schemes to rely upon."
"This disciple understands. I will inform Ronghua City at once and let them handle it themselves."
With that, the man withdrew.
"Wang Jun," Shouzhongzi continued, "have you felt that Northern Yang Dao has been somewhat too chaotic lately?"
"Not long ago there was the Ascension Convention, and immediately after comes the Nine Nether Forbidden Land," Wang Jun replied flawlessly. "Many wandering cultivators from other regions have gathered here. Some disorder is only to be expected."
"Is that so? Let us hope so."
Shouzhongzi closed his eyes once more and entered meditation.
Luoxia Mountain, canyon.
Shangguan Siheng and Jiang Shang, along with the other Foundation Establishment cultivators, fought farther and farther away until they soon disappeared from the vicinity, no one knowing where they had gone.
Chen Sanshi held the Xuan Yuan Sword. His entire figure resembled a great river surging through the void. Wherever he passed, a head fell to the ground.
After nearly half the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the spell battle neared its end.
More than 100 cultivators from the Demon-Suppression Division and Ronghua City died on the spot. The rest had long since scattered in panic. On the court's side, only 2 had fallen.
With a thunderous crash, Chen Sanshi merged his body with the flowing water as one. His long sword swept out horizontally, directly crushing the outnumbered Wu Wei of the Demon-Suppression Division. Wu Wei was sent flying like a kite with its string cut, smashing into the cliff face and leaving a massive crater.
However, Chen Sanshi did not take his life. Instead, he severed both of Wu Wei's hands and captured him alive.
This man appeared to be one of the confidants of the Eighth Prince of Great Song. He had once gone to cause trouble at the Bai family and likely knew more inside information about Northern Yang Dao. That would be of great help in the future.
"Do not pursue a desperate enemy!"
Chen Sanshi ordered, "No one is to continue fighting. Leave this place immediately. Disperse into the various mortal regions of Northern Yang Dao and lie low. Await notice of the day to return to Divine Continent. Without a formal order, do not act rashly!"
"Yes!"
Everyone cleaned up the battlefield at the fastest possible speed and then withdrew from the canyon.
After all, they had won through ambush. If they lingered any longer, more cultivators would soon arrive.
The canyon, which moments ago had been bombarded with spells, suddenly fell silent.
"Fellow Daoist Duan?"
Chen Sanshi noticed Duan Silu and the others gathered together, discussing something. "Why haven't you left yet?"