1,000 soldiers against 50,000!
This battle showed the significant disparity between the numbers in both armies.
Up above in the Tianhan Gate tower.
In the strife, Tantai Xuan had his eyes fixed on the battle beneath the gate tower.
He lifted his head and looked out in the sand in the distance. Was there a vast, endless land on the other side of this desert?
In the gate tower.
The war drums continued beating. Every time a beat sounded, it seemed to pierce through someone’s chest, letting the blood flow quicker.
Below.
Xue Tao was leading the charge. He triggered the Spirit Qi in his Qi Core.
After that, the Xuanwu Guards behind him triggered theirs as well.
The Spirit Pressure formed by a thousand people became very much like a stone, smashing down all of a sudden.
The Madun Dynasty army was stunned. Several soldiers started quaking, and the horses whined in fear!
“Charge!” Xue Tao bellowed.
He clutched onto a metal spear that was strapped to his back and, all of a sudden, flung it forward like it was an arrow that pierced through anything. The pole was covered in Spirit Qi, and it whistled as it sailed forth.
Boom!
The metal spear had broken up the formation.
It had blown a hole through dozens of soldiers, and its power was not waning at all. It crashed down viciously onto the ground, blowing a deep hole into it.
Mud and sand were sent flying, and the scene completely shocked the large army of the Madun Dynasty.
Like a hammer that swung at them, the blow had heavily smashed their consciousness.
What sort of demon was this?
Was this a power that humans could draw forth?!
King Yali stood in his golden chariot and took this all in.
And this one blow from Xue Tao had pierced dozens of soldiers with that one spear, and it broke their formation up. This king, who had never once lost a war, could not help but shudder.
“This…”
Meanwhile, this shocking scene was just the beginning.
It was not that there were no strong people in the Madun Dynasty. Some bellowed in rage as they charged forward with a power not second to a martial arts Grandmaster.
Xue Tao bellowed in rage.
He drew two metal spears and kicked the horse’s belly. He leaped into the air and abruptly flung the spears in his hands.
Boom!
The spear had pierced a top-class general from the Madun Dynasty army…
Xue Tao landed on the ground and sped over to retrieve his spear. As his Spirit Qi surged, he made a mess of the enemy’s formation with just one blow.
The Madun Dynasty generals bellowed in rage. Some of them were burly with muscle, and they gripped heavy axes in their hands, speeding toward Xue Tao, their style rather similar to the Overlord.
However…
Xue Tao had flung three spears out in succession, each one heavier than the last.
And one of the spears pierced right through this general.
This battle was incredibly one-sided.
He watched as a Xuanwu Guard leaped up from the back of a horse, his Spirit Qi exploding as he descended like a divine warrior.
King Yali was quivering. There was a look of disbelief and shock on his face.
“These people…are they divine spirits?!”
Just what kind of army was this!?
The Madun Dynasty had conquered so many kingdoms, and they had not lost a single battle, so King Yali, who had long since become accustomed to winning even with just a handful of soldiers, was trembling at this moment.
His heart was bleeding because of the death of his best general.
The Madun Dynasty army could barely handle this one blow. In the face of the Xuanwu Guards, they were nothing more than paper.
Above, in the gate tower.
Tantai Xuan frowned.
“Does the other side not have any cultivators?”
“They can’t even compare to Xirong…” Tantai Xuan muttered under his breath.
He was even a little regretful. This type of regret, if it had to be described, was the sort of disappointment one would feel if they had expected to cross blows with a king, only to be met with copper…
The battle was so tragically one-sided.
Every single one of the cultivators could handle a hundred soldiers on their own. This was the first time the Madun Dynasty had encountered an army of cultivators, and they were thoroughly defeated.
The Xuanwu Guard was like a sharpened blade that had completely crushed King Yali’s confidence.
With the way they had triumphed, they were very much like an army of divine spirits. How could they compete with that?
This ancient kingdom was not one they could afford to mess with.
With King Yali’s angry bellow, the Madun Dynasty army started retreating.
King Yali turned, his gaze filled with horror but mostly curiosity and intrigue.
Just what kind of a kingdom was this?!
However.
At this moment…
Up in the gate tower, Tantai Xuan raised his hand, and the city gates opened.
Led by the Xuanwu Guards, the Great Xuan cavalry was packed so densely they looked like a dark mob charging forth.
King Yali had instantly lost even the will to fight.
Just a thousand soldiers had defeated the army he had been most confident of, and now…hundreds of thousands of soldiers were rushing forth, so what was the point of fighting against this army?
The Madun Dynasty army faced a disastrous defeat.
They retreated fervently toward the desert.
Tantai Xuan led the army to charge after them, and they chased the army several hundred miles out, all the way until the Madun Dynasty army had been ushered out into the endless desert before they finally stopped.
If not for the generals stopping Tantai Xuan…
It was very likely that Tantai Xuan would have been prepared to chase them in the desert.
******
South County.
Dragon Gate of the Coiled Dragon.
A figure walked over, drawing the attention of the South Manor Army. A black blade was strapped to his waist, and some stubble grew on his chin. Dressed completely in white, he stepped forward suavely.
The leader of the South Manor Army subconsciously wanted to draw his blade when he saw this figure. The moment he unsheathed his blade, there was a great force that emerged out of nowhere that forced him to sheath the blade he had just unsheathed.
Nie Changqing laughed, casting his gaze far out into the distance…
Where a huge force had just exploded. A figure dressed in black flew over speedily, crashing into the ground and cracking it.
Tang Yimo detected Nie Changqing’s aura that was powerful beyond compare, and he rushed over.
“Heavenly Lock!”
Tang Yimo’s eyes glimmered.
As if they had become several degrees hotter.
The Heavenly Lock Realm…
That was the realm of his dreams, but it was a shame that he could not find the energy or means to break through to it.
“General Tang, it’s been a long time. Your cultivation has improved again.”
Nie Changqing looked at Tang Yimo, smiling as he greeted the other with a fist and palm salute.
The surrounding South Manor Army retreated and gave up their space.
Quite a few people had recognized Nie Changqing. After all, he had poured in a fair amount of effort during the Nanman tribe’s invasion.
Besides, Nie Changqing’s identity as a White Jade City disciple was rather prestigious among the cultivators.
“I can’t compare to you.”
Tang Yimo smiled.
“The Heavenly Lock Realm… Just what kind of a realm is it?”
Tang Yimo was really curious.
Boom!
He moved, and then a powerful aura was coming off him.
“I request a fight with you, Brother Nie,” Tang Yimo said.
As soon as he said that, he stomped a foot down and opened two meridians in one go, splitting the ground in the process.
His body had turned into a bullet, charging toward Nie Changqing.
Tang Yimo had slowly fallen in love with the feeling of challenging a stronger opponent. It was not unlike the feeling he had when he challenged the powerful people from the Daoist Pavilion during his trip up Tiandang Mountain.
Although he had been beaten blue and black, his cultivation had gone up quite a bit under this sort of pressure.
Because of this, he wanted to challenge Nie Changqing this time.
The Heavenly Lock Realm…
He wanted to try it once.
Nie Changqing smiled.
In the face of Tang Yimo’s challenge, he smiled rather warmly.
He did not activate the Dragon Slaying Knife.
He clenched his fists unhurriedly. There was the sound of bones cracking, followed by the whoosh of his Qi and blood surging within him.
There was an explosive force.
The ground that had been shaking recovered its tranquility.
The South Manor Army surrounding them all looked calm. They went down into the pit and pulled Tang Yimo, who had been bruised all over, out of it.
They had long been accustomed to how Tang Yimo looked when he was heavily wounded.
Nie Changqing arranged his white robes. Tang Yimo was bruised, and his face was swollen, so he no longer dared to rechallenge the other cultivator.
The power of the Heavenly Lock Realm far exceeded that of the Internal Organs Realm.
Tang Yimo felt as if he was facing a looming, towering mountain. Nie Changqing had gone easy on him somewhat; if he really wanted to, he could have killed Tang Yimo with a single swing of his blade.
“My apologies, General Tang.”
Brandishing his knife, Nie Changqing smiled gently.
Tang Yimo limped over and waved his hands. He had been cultivating the eight meridians, and they helped him resist this attack.
“Why have you come to South County this time, Brother Nie?” Tang Yimo asked.
Nie Changqing could not help the somber look on his face now that they were discussing serious business.
“To storm the forbidden area,” Nie Changqing replied.
Tang Yimo and the South Manor Army surrounding them could not help but stare in shock.
The land of the forbidden area had been bringing the South Manor Army extreme stress at this time—the pressure brought on by the unknown was incomparably terrifying…
Because they did not know just what lay behind the wall of air of the forbidden area.
Would they bring South County danger?
Tang Yimo had once dispatched Qi Core Realm cultivators over to explore, but not a single one had returned. He had even wanted to make the trip himself, but Tang Xiansheng had convinced him to stay in the end.
And now, Nie Changqing was looking to barge into the forbidden area.
“Do you know what lies behind the forbidden area, Brother Nie?” Tang Yimo probed after he inhaled a deep breath.
Nie Changqing shook his head. “I don’t, but the forbidden area is dangerous, and there’s no doubt about this. Not even the Young Master dares to think too little of it.”
“The decision to make this journey had been a big one. Heaven and Earth have changed so much, and the era of the cultivators from the past is returning, so no one will be able to tell whether Alien Evil Spirits will descend in the future. The era of cultivators had been such a developed and extensive one, and even then, hordes of philosophers had not been enough to stop those Alien Evil Spirits. If we don’t work hard to cultivate, it’s likely we won’t be able to either.”
“And so I have to go into the forbidden area, not only to explore but also…to search for power, to become stronger,” Nie Changqing expounded on the purpose of his journey to the forbidden area.
“Alien Evil Spirits, huh?”
Tang Yimo fell silent. He did not know too much about the Alien Evil Spirits, but…that powerful Nanman person who had been able to control dirt had made quite a lasting impression on him.
He had found out after that such an existence had actually been an Alien Evil Spirit.
On top of that, there were a lot of Alien Evil Spirits as powerful as that one had been.
And they had caused the glorious era of cultivators from the ancient times to go extinct.
“In the future…would it really be that dangerous?”
Tang Yimo’s eyes were gleaming.
Nie Changqing looked at the gleaming moon and then shook his head. His hand fell onto the handle of his blade, and he caressed it gently.
“Who would be able to tell? Perhaps the Alien Evil Spirits would never descend upon us, but we can never be sure. This is not something we can take a bet on… We can only hope to become stronger so, at the very least, if the Alien Evil Spirits do descend, we would be able to wave our blades in their faces and not…follow in the complete and utter defeat of the era of cultivators, perishing to a sad tune.”
“For what other reason do we become stronger if not to guard the earth beneath our feet, so our blood will not flood this very land?”
Nie Changqing heaved a sigh.
All he wanted was to give Nie Shuang and Ru’er a carefree, worry-free life.
Tang Yimo, with all his bruises and swollen face, fell rather silent at this moment as well.
At this moment, he suddenly thought about how he had been in the Immortal Ascension Site when he was begging for an Immortal Encounter.
Had he not embarked on the path of cultivation to protect the people he wanted to protect?
“I understand,” Tang Yimo said seriously.
“Follow me, Brother Nie.”
Tang Yimo turned and led the way. The forbidden area was not too far from the Dragon Gate.
After getting on their horses, they rode for about two hours before they reached their destination.
Several encampments had already littered around the forbidden area.
The South Manor Army guarded the area, and hundreds of thousands of South County troops had also set up camp there.
This was to ensure they would be able to receive help in time should a crisis unfold in the forbidden area.
But there seemed to be a limit on the number of Spirituals on the other side of the forbidden area.
But Tang Yimo did not dare relax, because he was not sure if an accident might occur.
Under the cloak of the night, Nie Changqing walked through the camps. Quite a few people caught sight of him and had looks of admiration on their faces.
The camps were a place to idolize the strong, anyway.
Nie Changqing, as a cultivator in the Heavenly Lock Realm, was far stronger than their General Tang, so it was only natural that he would gain their respect.
Besides, they had all heard the news that someone as strong as Nie Changqing was storming the forbidden area, and this made them all the more in awe of the man.
Nie Changqing looked at these South County troops, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Finally, he reached the warped wall of air.
Nie Changqing of the Heavenly Lock Realm had already created Spiritual Sense. At this moment, his Spiritual Sense lingered in the air, and vaguely, it seemed to pulse.
This wall of air was giving him an unbearable amount of pressure.
He exhaled roughly, his face somber.
The stronger he was, the more he could feel how terrifying this wall of air was.
Nie Changqing did not choose to step into it immediately.
Instead, he stood where he was and adjusted himself, adjusting the condition of his own body. He did not know what unknown danger was awaiting him, so he had to face it in the best condition.
News of Nie Changqing storming the forbidden area had quickly spread within South County.
Quite a few powerful people had heard this news, and they all left the mountains.
Daoist Pavilion, Tiandang Mountain.
Xie Yunling stepped out of the main gate, dressed in his Daoist robes.
Li Sansui mulled over it for a while and then stepped out as well, following right behind the other.
Sword Pavilion, Zhongnan Mountain.
Sword Saint Hua Dongliu and Ximen Xianzhi left as well.
They hurried over to the forbidden area in South County.
Quite a number of schools and sects in the Jianghu rushed over as well. In a moment, the forbidden area in South County had grown to become quite lively.
The number one Heavenly Lock Realm cultivator was about to storm the forbidden area, a place fraught with the unknown.
How could they not be curious? How could they not anticipate the outcome?
Xie Yunling brought along Li Sansui to the forbidden area in South County.
Tang Yimo saw Li Sansui and then rubbed at his nose awkwardly. Xie Yunling, on the other hand, was warm. Tang Yimo had had no malicious intent when he challenged the Daoist Pavilion—all he wanted was to force himself to break past his limits.
Xie Yunling could tell as much, so he bore no hatred toward the other.
After all, Tang Yimo was beaten black and blue by Li Sansui every time he came around, so the Daoist Pavilion…was not suffering, really.
“Take this talisman with you, Nie…”
“This is the Five Elemental Talisman, something I drew up during the transformation of the Heaven and Earth, with reference to the elements.”
“There is a total of five talismans with five techniques—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth… Five elemental Daoist methods,” Xue Yunling said.
“Perhaps they’d be of help to you.”
Nie Changqing hurried to receive the items, thanking the other sincerely.
“Remember, you have to stay alive… The issue with the Alien Evil Spirits is something I know a little bit about, and this world needs outstanding talents like you.”
Xie Yunling patted Nie Changqing’s hand, his words sincere and his wishes earnest.
Nie Changqing nodded seriously.
He would definitely stay alive. There were a lot of people waiting for him, after all.
Sword Saint Hua Dongliu, on the other hand, did not have much to say. He looked at Nie Changqing and could do nothing but talk about sword spirit with him.
Sword spirit was the only specialty he had.
Just as well, Nie Changqing had once learned about knife spirit, and both the sword spirit and knife spirit achieved a similar outcome even if they were different, so perhaps he might be able to give Nie Changqing some inspiration on knife spirit.
******
Buzhou Peak.
Because of the transformation of the Heaven and Earth, Buzhou Peak, which was already at a high elevation, became even loftier and more magnificent. Like a gigantic tower, it seemed to be supporting Heaven and Earth.
Li Sansi sat atop Buzhou Peak, working Spirit Qi. In fact, on Buzhou Peak, Spirit Qi was exceptionally dense, and it was no weaker than that on the Beiluo Lake Island. It lived up to its reputation as a heavenly abode.
After all, Buzhou Peak had a Dragon Gate.
Li Sansi worked hard on cultivating, and he finally refined all five organs.
He was rather serious.
Although he had been the first cultivator to step into the Internal Organs Realm, he had now fallen behind quite a bit. Nie Changqing had become a Heavenly Lock Realm cultivator, and yet he could still barely deal with elementals.
A black ox was settled beside Li Sansi, huffing out hot breaths through its nostrils.
Suddenly…
The black ox lifted its head, fear filling its eyes. Its entire body was hunched over on the ground as if it were a quaking bluestone.
The moonlight was almost like water.
On the bluestone steps of Buzhou Peak, a shadow walked over slowly, one step after the other, unhurriedly.
That was the silhouette of a lady. She held a long flute against her lips as she played a gentle tune, and a haunting flute melody cut through the air.
Li Sansi, who had been cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes.
He lifted his head and looked toward Buzhou Peak.
Young lady Zhu Long looked as if she had leaped onto the moon.
Li Sansi looked at Zhu Long and stood up immediately. However…
A powerful aura was emanating off Zhu Long, rumbling!
The whole of Buzhou Peak seemed to tremble violently.
That aura was so powerful that even Li Sansi, who was in the Internal Organs Realm, could barely lift a finger…
Zhu Long shut her eyes, her long lashes fluttering lightly.
The flute melody bore fruit.
Zhu Long’s red lips parted as she said, “You’re too weak.”
Li Sansi was stunned. He did not expect Zhu Long’s first words to be this piercing.
He fell into silence.
He…was weak?
He had refined all five organs and was a top-class cultivator in this day and age… He could not hold a candle to people like the Overlord and Nie Changqing, but still, he was not weak, right?
But at this moment, in the face of the terrible aura Zhu Long was giving off…
Li Sansi felt like a tiny ant.
He…really did seem rather weak.
Also, did Zhu Long really come down the mountain just to call him weak?
Rumble!
Black clouds gathered up in the sky.
Li Sansi lifted his head immediately.
It felt like his heart was being gripped by an immense hand.
Suddenly, he saw thunder striking down from the skies, dazzling.
As it turned out, Zhu Long was surviving a calamity tonight.
He saw Zhu Long opened her eyes, one of them black and the other white.
The thunder that had covered the expanse of the skies seemed to have disappeared.
The young lady negated the thunder calamity just by opening her eyes. She then shut her eyes slowly, returning to playing a flute melody, making her way back into the lofty peaks of Buzhou Peak.
The Heavenly Lock Calamity was like a gentle breeze to the face, as far as Zhu Long was concerned.
Li Sansi stood rooted to his spot, feeling lost.
After quite some time…
He finally exhaled and laughed. He was not disheartened.
The fixed his gaze on Buzhou Peak. Sitting on the black ox with his back straight, he held on to his wooden sword and turned to leave.
Li Sansi rode the black ox and headed north, heading toward the forbidden area in Great Xuan with no hesitation.
He needed pressure, and he needed a breakthrough.
Since that was the case…
Then he would wander the unknown forbidden area.
Between life and death…let that be where he broke past himself.
This journey there would only strengthen him.
…
