Chapter 3823: The Slaughter Ground
Previously, Duan Ling Tian had been considering the advantages and disadvantages of staying in the Flying Dragon Sect or joining one of the top emperor-rank forces in the Eastern Ridge Mansion. He decided to take his time considering this matter while he stayed in the Flying Dragon Sect. Moreover, when the top emperor-rank forces send their people over to recruit him, they definitely would not come empty-handed. He thought that if the offer was good enough, he would join them. However, after finding out about the Imperial War with the Tai Yi Sect, he had begun to change his mind.
‘The Imperial War will take place in the Imperial War Realm. It’s where outdated emperor-rank forces or top lord-rank forces would fight in hopes of producing Emperors of Gods. Lord-rank forces are unlikely to declare war on outdated emperor-rank forces even if their strength is on par with each other. After all, despite having the same strength, the cultivation resources of lord-rank forces are inferior to that of outdated emperor-rank forces. Hence, on the rare occasion that lord-rank forces declare war, their opponents are usually also lord-rank forces. During the Imperial War, both sides will give out many of their prized resources. Needless to say, those with better resources will have a higher advantage.’
Duan Ling Tian recalled the things he had learned about the Imperial War while he was in the Linghu clan’s library. The sects naturally would give out resources to their members during the war. Not only would it boost their members’ strength, but it would also motivate their members.
Although most of the stronger members would be enthusiastic about the Imperial War, many among the younger generation did not share the enthusiasm. Unfortunately, even if they lacked enthusiasm, they still had to participate in the war unless their cultivation bases were lower than that of a King of Gods. Apart from that, members could only take a temporary break after making a certain level of achievements.
The Imperial War Realm, the Supreme War Realm, and the Powerhouse War Realm, where the corresponding wars were fought, were also known slaughter grounds. A Formation compass would be left in the Imperial War Realm and Supreme War Realm to monitor the situation there. Unlike the other two realms, a supreme powerhouse would be present in the Powerhouse War Realm to keep watch. Needless to say, in all three realms, those who broke the rules would be killed by supreme powerhouses.
‘Since the Imperial War between the Tai Yi Sect and the Flying Dragon Sect will start soon, the Flying Dragon Sect should have already listed information of the war by now,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself as he walked to a corner where many people were gathered.
A projection from a Formation hung in the air in front of the crowd.
As Duan Ling Tian drew closer, the conversations in his surroundings entered his ears. He discovered that most of the people present were inner disciples who had just returned to the sect or had just come out of closed-door cultivation.
“I didn’t expect to receive such a huge surprise when I returned to the sect after being away for such a long time,” one disciple said with a sigh, “I know our sect tried to declare the Imperial War on the Tai Yi Sect a few times but was rejected by the Tai Yi Sect. I didn’t expect the Tai Yi Sect to take the initiative to declare war on us this time.”
“I didn’t think I’d have to participate in the Imperial War in my lifetime. Who knew I’d participate in one not long after becoming a King of Gods? In any case, this is a good opportunity for improvement.”
“It’s mostly the outer disciples who are against the war. The majority of inner disciples are looking forward to the war.”
“The Imperial War will provide the Golden Dragon Elders with a good chance to break through and become Emperors of Gods. That aside, I heard we’ll be given many cultivation resources! We’ll also be able to obtain treasures from our opponents. After all, we’re not allowed to use spatial rings that will self-destruct and that we can only use ordinary spatial rings.”
“How many people do you think will bring their valuable treasures to the Imperial War Realm?”
“I disagree. They won’t leave their valuables in the sect. If they truly don’t want to bring their valuables to the Imperial War Realm, they’ll have to leave them in their homes. However, if they do that, they’ll definitely be discovered and condemned for their actions.”
Duan Ling Tian was rather surprised by the conversations that he overheard. He did not expect so many people to look forward to the Imperial War. He looked at the rules and regulations of the Imperial War projected in the air.
The Imperial War will take place in the Imperial War Realm that was created by the three strongest emperor-rank forces in the Eastern Ridge Mansion. The three forces would then activate the Formation left behind by a supreme powerhouse in a Formation compass. The divine rocks needed to power the Formation would be equally shared by the Flying Dragon Sect and the Tai Yi Sect.
There were three entrances in the Imperial War Realm. One would be located in the Flying Dragon Sect, one would be located in the Tai Yi Sect, and the final one would be decided on by the top emperor-rank forces since it would be used by them.
Inside the Imperial War Realm, the Flying Dragon Sect and Tai Yi Sect would have their own bases where their members could rest and recuperate.
There were three battlefields in the Imperial War Realm that occupied 90% of the realm: the Quasi Emperor Battlefield where the advanced Lords of Gods fought, the Lord Battlefield where rudimentary and intermediate Lords of Gods fought, and the King Battlefield where Kings of Gods fought. Although their sizes were about the same, the number of people on each battlefield was quite different.
The King Battlefield was the most chaotic due to the large number of people followed by the Lord Battlefield. The Quasi Emperor Battlefield was where the high-ranking officials would fight and where Emperors of Gods might appear so it was also the focus of everyone’s attention.
‘In the King Battlefield, Kings of Gods can kill their opponents…’ Duan Ling Tian instantly thought of his friends, Hou Qing Ning and Ding Yang, who were only rudimentary Kings of Gods. Needless to say, as rudimentary Kings of Gods, they were in very vulnerable positions. He was most worried for Hou Qing Ning since Hou Qing Ning was much weaker compared to Ding Yan. Ding Yan’s strength was comparable to an intermediate King of Gods, after all.
“Those who became rudimentary Kings of Gods for fewer than 100 years would be accompanied by inner deacons of their respective sects during the Imperial War. As for the others, they would have to form their own groups.” Duan Ling Tian felt slightly relieved for his friends when he read this. However, he shook his head after thinking about it. Based on what he read, it seemed like rudimentary Kings of Gods had high chances of dying without the protection of inner deacons. On the other hand, rudimentary Kings of Gods like Ding Yan naturally had better chances on the battlefield.
Due to Formation from the supreme powerhouses, other Formations would not work in the Imperial Realm Battlefield. This naturally included Mirror Image Formation. It meant that even if members from the same sect killed each other, no one would be the wiser unless there was a witness or if the culprit foolishly admitted to his crime. However, no one would be willing to do that. After all, one would be punished for killing one’s comrades. A light sentence was to destroy one’s cultivation while a heavy sentence was a death sentence. The matter was taken very seriously during the Imperial War since internal killing would affect the sect’s overall strength.
‘Human heart is the most unpredictable. One can’t even trust one’s comrades completely unless one has absolute strength,’ Duan Ling Tian thought to himself. He knew how cruel humans could be, after all. Hence, he would not easily trust another person.
After a moment, Duan Ling Tian walked away. When he was passing a counter with a long queue to accept missions, he overheard the conversations in the surroundings.
“What about this mission from an outer elder? The elder needs someone to help him deal with his clan’s issues since he doesn’t have time to return to his clan. This mission is easy for advanced Kings of Gods and has minimal risks. You just need to show up, reveal your identity, and display your strength.”
“This is a good mission as well. All you have to do is help an inner deacon deliver something back to his home. The contribution points you’ll receive are quite high as well. However, his home is quite far away.”
Duan Ling Tian discovered that most of the missions were like trivial chores.
At this moment, someone moved next to Duan Ling Tian and said, “It seems like many people are trying to accumulate as many contribution points as they can before the Imperial War begins.”
“Young Master Hua?” Duan Ling Tian said, slightly surprised when he saw Hua Tian Du, the Young Master of the Eastern Oriental Sect, standing next to him.
Hua Tian Du smiled wryly. “Duan Ling Tian, we’re both inner disciples of the Flying Dragon Sect. You can just address me by my name. You wouldn’t like it if I addressed you as Revered Elder Duan, right?”
It was no secret that Duan Ling Tian was a Revered Elder of the Linghu clan before he joined the Flying Dragon Sect.
In fact, Duan Ling Tian did not think there was anything wrong with addressing Hua Tian Du as Young Master. However, since Hua Tian Du disliked it, he could only acquiesce. “Very well.”
