Chapter 844: Chapter 736 Major Battle Between Two Clans (Extra release for monthly votes)
Earth Immortal Realm.
Three Realms Mountain.
A human race fortress proudly stands.
It seems to be cast entirely of fine iron, every inch of its walls engraved with numerous secret symbols.
The fortress is pitch-black, like a towering sword that reaches the heavens.
It is none other than the Sword Gate Gorge, one of the thirty-six dangerous passes of the Three Realms Mountain belonging to the human race!
At this moment.
Atop Sword Gate Gorge!
A cultivator with a sword at his side, a hint of deep red between his eyebrows, is surveying the distant battlefield.
His cultivation is as profound as the ocean, and he has actually reached the Integration realm!
He is the commander of Sword Gate Gorge, born into the Sword Sect, known as ’Master Stone Sword’!
"Reporting to the senior, all materials and personnel within the fortress have been accounted for..."
A robust man clad in black armor riding an Escape Light twists and turns as he arrives, his cultivation also at the late stage of Returning to Emptiness.
He reports with a somber face, "In the city, there are sixteen Returning to Emptiness cultivators, forty-nine at the Transcendent God stage, and reserves of Spirit Stone, Immortal Jade, and Spiritual Pills are fully stocked, enough to sustain the ’Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array’!"
"Thank you, young friend... You’ve done well in this matter."
A usually stern Master Stone Sword’s face slightly curves into a smile, "Do you know the brilliance of our human race’s ’Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array’?"
"Of course..."
The man surnamed Meng replies respectfully, "This Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array was originally an array from the Immortal World. After generations of our human Array Masters pondered over it, it was at last reintroduced to the world... Although it has been somewhat downgraded, it is still a near-ninth-tier Great Array!"
"The brilliance of this Array lies in that all thirty-six dangerous passes are as one, leaving no flaws... The enemy would have to dismantle them one by one in order to break through!"
"Exactly... And since every fortress is energetically connected, even if one is breached, it will not affect the operation of the Great Array. The more it progresses, the harder it becomes to breach... This is the profound mystery of the Immortals."
Master Stone Sword, stroking his beard, smiles and says, "Since you know this much, young friend Meng, why did you still turn to the Monster Clan to act as a spy, attempting to carry out a treacherous deed far beyond your capacity?"
"What?"
The man surnamed Meng is startled, and then with a vicious look in his eyes, without a second thought, spits out a pitch-black sphere.
The Thunder Pearl exploded suddenly, containing a whopping ten thousand and eight smaller pearls. Each pearl emitted a flashing light, exploding in a chain reaction, spreading an extremely dangerous aura.
"The Sky Demon’s Ten Directions Annihilation Divine Thunder of the Monster Clan!"
Another faint voice comes from the void, as a scholar in blue appears, unfurling a scroll in his hand.
The Ten Directions Annihilation Divine Thunder entered the scroll, and the endless Thunder Light is utterly extinguished within...
"Young friend Meng..."
Master Stone Sword speaks with a chilling voice, "I’ve always valued you, hoping for you to become a talent of the human race. Why did you stoop to this?"
But the man named Meng is suddenly enveloped in a layer of blood-red light, apparently using some kind of Blood Sacrifice technique.
He burns his Essence Blood and Magic Power, his Heavenly Spirit opening above his head, a golden Nascent Soul emerges, attempting to seize the chance to flee for his life.
But in the next instant, a small stone sword flies out, piercing the Nascent Soul through.
The stone Flying Sword returns to Master Stone Sword’s hand, who retrieves it and sighs, bowing in gratitude to the scholar, "Thank you, sir, for the warning. Otherwise, I would have made a grave mistake..."
"Having received the assignment, I am also a guard of the Sword Gate Gorge, there is no need for such courtesies, senior."
The scholar too is an Integration realm cultivator, returning the greeting with a bow, meticulous in courtesy.
"Haha, with sir here, Sword Gate Gorge has nothing to worry about..."
Master Stone Sword laughs heartily, but then his expression suddenly darkens.
"As Meng Dao Immortal was wholeheartedly striving for a breakthrough in the Integration realm, I’m afraid that’s exactly why he was lured by the ’Sky Demon Association’..."
The scholar explains, "Although he advanced to the late stage of Returning to Emptiness, his potential is exhausted. Among the Monster Clan, however, there are some utterly rare Spiritual Pills that can transform one completely. The main ingredients for such pills are extremely rare and valuable within the human race, beyond the reach of even Integration cultivators, but in the territories of the Monster and Demon Clans, though they are equally precious, some can be obtained..."
The human, demon, and monster races occupy vast territories, and within their domains grow Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Medicine beneficent to the human race, and conversely, beneficial substances to the Monster and Demon Clans within human-controlled areas.
The three races commonly use such precious resources to entice traitors, which is nothing out of the ordinary.
Reflecting on this, Master Stone Sword cuts through his mental entanglement, "This time, the Primeval Great Saint has broken through and become a True Spirit-level being, born of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan. The Heavenly Phoenix is almost the top Mahayana being of the Monster Clan. Even though it doesn’t have the full power of that ancient phoenix, it’s still not an easy opponent..."
The founders of the Monster Clan are recognized to be the True Dragon and Phoenix that created the Phoenix Seal and Dragon Chapter Scripts.
Those two True Spirit-level beings have long vanished from sight, according to rumors either ascending to the True Immortal Realm or having already exhausted their lifespan and entered Destruction.
The Heavenly Phoenix Clan later saw the rise of another Mahayana being, also a True Phoenix, with a Bloodline reverting to its ancestral power!
Generally, once members of the Heavenly Phoenix and Flood Dragon Clans within the Monster Clan break through to the Mahayana level and revert their Bloodlines to their ancestors, they tend to be a notch stronger than other True Spirits.
And now, within the Monster Clan, there are two True Spirit-level phoenixes.
For both the human and demon races, this certainly poses a significant pressure.
Several days later.
The massive army of the Monster Clan has already emerged outside Sword Gate Gorge.
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
Upon the backs of giant lizards, the sound of numerous war drums starts, connecting together, as countless array patterns coalesce in the void, forming a Heavenly Drum!
Thump thump!
Thump thump!
Along with the sound of the Heavenly Drum, thunderclouds suddenly form in the sky, bringing a heavy oppressive force.
Each drumbeat seems to strike right at the hearts of the guards at Sword Gate Gorge.
Several low-level cultivators immediately flush red, spewing Essence Blood from their mouths, falling to the ground, dead!
"The Monster Clan’s Thunder Drum Array... uses the hide of a Kui Cow!"
Master Stone Sword and the scholar stood at the highest point of the fortress, watching this scene, both with grave expressions.
"The Kui Cows are also a unique branch among the Monster Clan. It is said that their ancestors failed to ascend to a True Spirit but still nearly entered the Spirit Realm... After death, their hide was taken by the True Spirit ’Fire Kylin’, and over a thousand years, turned into three hundred and sixty-five ’Kui Cattle Drums’. If the sound of the drums resonates at the same time, it can transform into a ’Thunder Drum Array’!"
The scholar, holding a scroll in hand, spoke confidently, "This is an important war treasure of the Monster Clan... In past wars, it was deployed in the middle or later stages, but this time... the visitor surely means no good!"
He and Master Stone Sword exchanged a glance, each seeing the weightiness in the other’s expression.
Boom, boom, boom!
A phantom Kui Cow’s Thunder Drum emerged, countless thunder lights flashing, bombarding the Great Array of Sword Gate Gorge!
The Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array, truly once an Immortal Array, now emanated a pale white xenon light.
Although the xenon light appeared flimsy, it astonishingly managed to block the tens of thousands of lightning strikes that could grievously injure Transcendent Gods at the stage of Returning to Emptiness!
Roar! Roar!
Shriek!
Countless Monster beasts roared, faintly forming another Array.
A dark green Demon Qi rose, enveloping a million miles around.
Within this Demon Qi, shadows of various Monster beasts would occasionally appear.
"Thousands Demon Array!"
Master Stone Sword’s face grew somber, "Send the order... Prepare the Prohibition-breaking Immortal Thunder Cannon!"
Above Sword Gate Gorge, huge bronze cannons began to adjust their barrels.
These massive cannons, heavy as mountains, were inscribed with countless Immortal runes, evidently war weapons excavated by the human race from the ruins of an Immortal Mansion.
Each firing required a substantial consumption of Immortal Jade, and the ’Immortal Thunder’ created posed a significant threat to Integration cultivators.
Aside from being difficult to move and consuming too much, they almost had no other drawbacks.
More astonishingly, these Prohibition-breaking Immortal Thunder Cannons were particularly effective against various Prohibitions, destroying them with ease.
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Following a command, numerous Prohibition-breaking Immortal Thunder Cannons thundered all at once.
Beams of white light fell into the Thousands Demon Array, the dark green Demon Qi instantly dissipating a large swath, revealing many hidden members of the Monster Clan.
Under the Immortal Thunder, they naturally turned into ash...
Whiz!
Suddenly, a Five-color Xia Light burst from within the Thousands Demon Array, commanding the Demon Qi like a royal member of the Monster Clan, directly leading the myriad demons.
Each of the Prohibition-breaking Immortal Thunders, upon being swept by the Five-color Xia Light, astonishingly vanished in an instant.
A power far surpassing Integration emanated from the Thousands Demon Array, causing even Master Stone Sword to tremble, "Impossible..."
Shriek!
Accompanied by an angry cry of a phoenix, an incredibly majestic bird suddenly emerged from within the Thousands Demon Array.
It had the forehead of a Kylin and the tail of a fish, the neck of a snake and thoughts of a mandarin duck, the back of a dragon and a turtle, the chin of a swallow and the beak of a chicken, and all five colors represented... Its noble aura surpassed the Heavenly Phoenix; indeed, it was a True Spirit Phoenix!
"A Mahayana Level True Spirit... to make a move personally in the first wave of attack!"
Master Stone Sword and the scholar looked at each other, each seeing a glimpse of desperation in the other’s face, "It appears we... are destined to lay down our lives for our tribe today..."
The next instant.
Five-color divine light burst forth!
A woman clad in a crimson robe, her face imposing and beautiful beyond measure, emerged.
She drew out a phoenix hairpin from her hairdo and lightly traced it in the air.
In the void, a silvery arc of light flashed and was gone, followed by frantic dancing of the Five-color Light.
Boom!
There was a rumble at Sword Gate Gorge, and then...
This human race’s frontline fortress, Sword Gate Gorge, slowly started to crumble... until it vanished without a trace...
Streaks of Escape Light fled from the chaos, only to be targeted by high-ranking Monster cultivators lying in wait to hunt them down.
Splurt!
A small stone sword emerged, emitting an astonishing sword cry.
Master Stone Sword became one with his sword, releasing the most splendid and dazzling strike of his life!
Whiz!
The Sword Qi stretched for three thousand miles, one sword light chilling the Nineteen States!
This sword light struck down a seventh-order large demon directly, then shot towards the exalted woman in the crimson golden robe.
The female cultivator slightly furrowed her brows, and with a light tap of her fair and delicate fingertip.
That beam of Sword Light instantaneously disintegrated, revealing a sword baby within.
A flying bird’s Phantom flashed through the void, and the sword baby disappeared without a trace...
Days later, the Thunder Light Fortress behind Sword Gate Gorge came under attack by the Monster Clan, its commander, ’Master Ten Thousand Thunders’, was slain, with not even his Nascent Soul escaping...
Next were Heavenly Flood Pass, Ten Thousand Swords Peak...
The Monster Clan’s army was unstoppable, breaking through eighteen Celestial Fortress strongholds in a short time, causing the human race to be alarmed thrice in one day!!
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