Chapter 856: Chapter 742 Discussion (Extra release for monthly votes)
Heaven Extinction City.
"What exactly happened before?"
Liang Ruolong was fleeing for his life toward the human race’s territory in an Escape Light.
Even now, his mind was somewhat muddled.
His last memory, however, was the scene where a Mahayana Period elder Mr. Che was fighting a true spirit phoenix from the Monster Clan.
Then... endless Immortal Thunders came crashing down!
Had it not been for the protection of the "Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array," which is a Quasi-Immortal Array, it’s likely that all the cultivators in Heaven Extinction City would have perished!
Even so, the Quasi-Immortal Array was eventually completely shattered under the barrage of successive Immortal Thunders.
A large number of high-ranking cultivators betrayed and turned on each other in a fight over the super teleportation array in their desperation to escape...
The terrifying Monster Beast Army surged forth like a tidal wave...
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Liang Ruolong knew he did not have the ability to compete for the teleportation array and chose to give up and flee into the wilderness instead.
Luckily for him, and being only at the Nascent Soul Stage, he didn’t attract much attention, and with too many others also fleeing for their lives, he actually managed to escape from that Battlefield of Flesh and Blood.
After that, it was a mad dash to a safe area within the human race’s territory.
"The fall of Heaven Extinction City marks the complete breach of the ’Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array’... The human race’s domain is now fully open to the Monster Clan’s army... What follows will be the near Three Realms Mountain battlefield and several large domains suffering cataclysmic disasters... I’m not sure if the Demon Clan will take the opportunity to plunder."
Although Liang Ruolong didn’t know before, after reaching Nascent Soul, he had read quite a few classics.
He knew that such events had happened several times in the history of the human race.
Each time, there was a tremendous loss of life; the human race paid a heavy price to push the enemy back and return the battle lines to near the Three Realms Mountain.
"Alas... are the common folk about to suffer another calamity?"
Contagion Qi was rising around Liang Ruolong, like a long white-grey snake.
Suddenly, his figure stiffened as he saw Monster Clan’s Escape Light flickering in the sky, seemingly in pursuit of a small team of cultivators.
Within the team, a Transcendent God cultivator, caught off guard, was severed in two by a scaled Monster Clan member.
A Nascent Soul flew out from the severed body, immediately forming hand seals and escaping into the sky.
The Monster Clan member closely followed.
However, the lurking Contagion Snake on the ground didn’t move, grabbing the two halves of the body.
"The Storage Bag of a Transcendent God cultivator!"
Liang Ruolong’s eyes lit up.
Only in such chaos could he stumble upon such a windfall.
...
Three Realms Mountain.
Fang Xi turned into a white-haired old man carrying a black sword, entering a public market.
He was preparing to send an anonymous letter, hoping to make a contribution to the human race.
However.
Just as he had located the stationed cultivators.
Boom!
A teleportation array roared, followed by crimson radiance flickering above the market.
"Is this..."
He looked up, squinting his eyes, recalling something he had learned in the Sky Brahman Army, "The human race’s highest warning signal... Three Realms Mountain battlefield... It seems I’m still a bit late."
With this thought, Fang Xi couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed.
He had intended to issue a warning ever since Xiao Qing’s tribulation.
But it seemed that he was still too late.
Boom!
Countless signal talismans flew chaotically as messages carried by flying swords flitted through the air like sparrows.
Amidst the confusion, a Returning to Emptiness cultivator soared into the sky, with a murderous tone declared, "The Monster Clan has broken through the Three Realms Mountain’s defenses. Now the market’s Great Array is activated, teleportation arrays are sealed... All cultivators are hereby conscripted to join the defense immediately!"
"Anyone who dares to flee will be executed without mercy!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sword Lights mixed with Array Radiance flashed, instantly slaying a few cultivation-robbers causing trouble, thereby deterring the other cultivators.
Fang Xi, of course, knew that the various markets, military camps, and the gates of powers like the Heavenly Charm Sect in the Three Realms Mountain were essentially anchors.
They had enjoyed the benefits previously; now they had to make use of their sect’s Great Array, desperately holding back the Monster Clan’s advance to buy time for reaction and evacuation of the nearby domains.
"With the Monster Clan like this, the Demon Clan will probably become restless..."
"This situation could quickly turn into one of the tragic invasions recorded in human history..."
Fang Xi shook his head, having no intention of staying behind.
A flash of Silver Light appeared in his hand, revealing a ’Small Void Transfer Talisman.’ Then his figure vanished from sight.
This ’Small Void Transfer Talisman’ might not be capable of countering the market’s array by itself, but combined with the ’Treasures of All Heavens,’ everything was naturally different.
Fang Xi first returned to the Mortal World, and then he returned to his spatial coordinates in the Sky Brahman Domain.
"As usual, once faced with a great battle, each domain is automatically divided into a war zone, with the strongest force of the domain taking the lead... All super teleportation arrays stop being used for private purposes..."
"Tsk tsk... The value of my personal super teleportation array has certainly risen."
After a slight sigh, Fang Xi flew into Sky Brahman City.
"In those days... The Divine Calculator had prophesied that opening up the Sky Brahman Domain was very beneficial. Now it seems to be ever more prescient..."
...
Moon Invitation Immortal City.
Fang Xi, in the guise of the Wang Family Ancestor, twiddled with prayer beads, wore a hempen robe, and the Little Mysterious Turtle followed by his side.
He stepped out of the Dongfu and casually summoned a member of the Wang family, "Go inform Wang Lingying... just say..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a red Escape Light zigzagging its way toward him, landing in the middle of Lake Heart Island.
"Friend Wang..."
Chi Songzi’s face bore an unprecedented solemn expression, "The city is convening a meeting of high-level cultivators. All those who have reached Returning to Emptiness and above should proceed to ’Mingyue Palace’ to discuss matters..."
"Very well."
Fang Xi twisted the prayer beads and said to the surrounding Wang family members, "Discuss this further upon my return..."
He rode a wave of golden light, arriving with Chi Songzi at the core of Moon Invitation Immortal City.
A majestic hall stood quietly by the lakeside, with strands of Lunar Luster coiling along the walls.
"This Mingyue Palace, is it not the place that the founding cultivator of Moon Invitation Immortal City, using supreme magic power, forcibly relocated from some Immortal Mansion Secret Realm..."
Chi Songzi introduced Fang Xi.
Recently, Moon Invitation Immortal City’s attitude towards the Wang Family Ancestor, suspected to be a high-level Array Master, had improved a great deal.
Both men entered the Mingyue Palace and saw that several cultivators were already seated on chairs that resembled crystal.
Fang Xi glanced around and noticed many familiar faces.
For instance, Fairy Chen, who had undergone Soul Possession, Fairy Shi, as well as Master Dongqiuzi, and so on...
A warm smile spread across his face as he greeted each cultivator.
"Fairy Chen, it’s been a long time... How have you been?"
Fang Xi asked with a gentle smile, still twirling his prayer beads.
For some reason, Fairy Chen always felt that this Wang Family Ancestor, who dealt with matters calmly and steadily, possessed a demeanor that could remain unflinching even if Mount Tai were collapsing before him.
Feeling a surge of goodwill in her heart, she replied, "Thank you for your concern, Sir. I am well..."
For cultivators above the Nascent Soul Stage, as long as the Nascent Soul is unharmed, rebuilding after Soul Possession is a simple matter.
Moreover, this process does not affect further cultivation or breakthroughs on their Taoist Path.
It might even be possible that by possessing a body with greater potential and aptitude, one can aspire to even higher realms!
Before long, a few more cultivators who had reached Returning to Emptiness arrived.
Fang Xi counted them and found that even those who had been in perennial secluded cultivation had been summoned.
At this moment, there were a total of thirteen cultivators at the Returning to Emptiness stage present.
’So these are the high-level cultivators of Moon Invitation Immortal City?’
’There are quite a few less than before...’
He sighed inwardly.
In recent years, Moon Invitation Immortal City had to withstand the conscription by Star Sect and had also experienced losses such as Guang Qianjian falling during explorations.
No cultivator had ascended to Return to Emptiness during this time.
As a result, it was only natural for the number of Return to Emptiness cultivators to decline.
After a moment, a cultivator in a golden robe looked around and sighed, "Bow and Xia’s Soul Lamps have been extinguished... they won’t be able to make it this time."
This man, with late-stage Returning to Emptiness magic power, was the Grand Elder of Moon Invitation Immortal City’s Elder Council.
"What? Wasn’t Bow in Three Realms Mountain battlefield? Could it be that he encountered some misfortune along with Xia?"
The cultivators present discussed among themselves.
The astute high-level cultivators immediately grasped the implications, and their expressions turned extremely solemn, "Could it be... the front lines have suffered a crushing defeat?"
"Indeed..."
The Grand Elder sighed heavily, "The latest news from Star Sect is that Three Realms Mountain battlefield has suffered a crushing defeat. Our human race’s ’Thirty-Six Celestial Northern Dipper Array’ has been completely destroyed... The Monster Clan has already made rapid advances, attacking our human race’s various strongholds in Three Realms Mountain... Even if these strongholds fight to the death, they can only hold out for less than a month..."
Upon hearing this dire news, every cultivator felt as if a heavy stone weighed on their heart.
For a while, no one spoke.
"To my knowledge, according to wartime convention, it should now be the Mahayana Patriarch of Star Sect who takes charge of the overall situation..."
Fang Xi coughed lightly and asked, "How should we, the cultivators of Moon Invitation Immortal City, respond?"
"What Friend Wang has said is precisely to the point."
The Grand Elder stated, "Nowadays, with numerous issues at hand, if there is no command from the Five Elders, our cultivators of the Star Domain will not embark on expeditions to other domains... What we need to do first is to refurbish the Great Arrays, secondly to prepare our troops for war, and thirdly, to seize the opportunity to eradicate hostile forces such as the Sky Demon Association!"
As he spoke to the end, his tone could not conceal the rising murderous intent, "Friend Wang... you are skilled in Arrays, the task of repairing the Arrays, I entrust to you and Fairy Shi."
Fang Xi looked at Shi Xianzi, somewhat surprised, and noticed that she was also looking towards him, giving him a friendly smile.
"So Fairy Shi is also skilled in Arrays. I am happy to be her assistant!"
After a brief consideration, Fang Xi agreed.
"Well then, I entrust this matter to the two of you. Anything you need, just ask of Friend Chi. Once the task is accomplished, there will certainly be plenty of Immortal Jade for you both..."
The Grand Elder nodded in approval and went on to discuss other issues, "Moreover, we need to call upon nearby affiliated forces to form a large army of cultivators and train in Battle Arrays..."
The art of Battle ArraySkills in the Earth Immortal Realm was far more mature than in the Lower Realm.
Moon Invitation Immortal City also had inheritances obtained from the Taiyin Secret Realm, and it was rumored that the city was secretly raising a ’Taiyin Taoist Soldier’.
In times of true warfare, a Returning to Emptiness cultivator serving as a core, with the Taiyin Taoist Soldier as the wings and tens or hundreds of thousands of lower-level cultivators providing magic power, it was said that their destructive power was comparable to a Mahayana cultivator!
Of course, such a Battle Array was cumbersome to move and easy to be broken internally, and was still far inferior to a true Mahayana cultivator. Nonetheless, it was the most potent war tactic available to such Returning to Emptiness forces.