Chapter 442: Chapter 44: Assault on Core Formation
Besides the congratulations and inquiries from the junior disciples within the Sect, the younger generation from various forces in the state mostly offered exaggerated flattery and compliments.
To address the Sect’s situation, Biyun Sect gathered almost all forces in the state with some combat prowess, so many came to celebrate Li Ji’an.
Among the many forces, the four major Fake Pill Clans and the Odd Stone Forest were the most prominent, followed by the Foundation Establishment Clans.
Among them, the youth from the Yan Family were the most cordial, with eyes full of excitement that never left Li Ji’an from beginning to end.
Li Ji’an did not disappoint them; after sharing his insights and experiences, he cordially inquired about the state of the Yan Family, drawing envy from many forces within the state for the Yan Family youth.
Afterward, everyone took their leave, and Li Ji’an commenced a retreat to consolidate.
In his previous life, he established his Foundation at thirty-seven and formed his Core at one hundred fifteen, spending seventy-eight years in the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Considering his spirit root talent and cultivation spiritual talent in this life, he set a goal for himself to aim for Core Formation within sixty years at the latest.
Six months later, Qingmen Sect officially issued a bounty on Biyun Sect’s True Disciples.
Among them, Li Ping’an, the Chief True Inheritor, had a bounty of up to thirty thousand spirit stones, while others ranged from five thousand to twenty thousand.
Biyun Sect similarly retaliated, offering counter-bounties for Qingmen Sect’s True Disciples, pricing them slightly higher.
Soon, both sides raised the stakes, with the bounty price reaching a staggering height.
Under such great rewards, there would undoubtedly be brave men, especially since many new True Disciples had not yet established their Foundation, attracting all sorts of forces to spy.
For a time, the number of cultivators in the areas of both Sects surged, most being unfamiliar faces, resulting in numerous conflicts.
However, both Sects were prepared; their True Disciples stayed within the Sect and did not venture out.
Another half a year passed, and with no result from the bounty, Qingmen Sect mobilized their sect’s army, heading straight for Biyun Sect.
Biyun Sect was equally well-prepared, with various major forces in the state dispatching cultivators under Biyun Sect’s unified command to confront Qingmen Sect.
In April, both sides clashed fiercely on the northern border of Cangyun State.
Qingmen Sect, with four True Pill Masters, sent three this time, facing Elder Tian and Xiao Changfeng, clearly having an advantage.
However, with Biyun Sect fighting on home ground, the various Foundation Establishment forces in the state dared not defy the edict and were forced to join the battle, having double the Fake Pill and Foundation Establishment combat strength compared to the opponent.
Notably, a Tier Three Clan Guardian Beast from Beast Taming Liu Family shone brilliantly, joining forces with Liu Family’s Fake Pill Ancestor to slay two Fake Pill True Men from Qingmen Sect, and even providing urgent support to Elder Tian, restraining one True Pill Master from Qingmen Sect.
The first battle resulted in Qingmen Sect’s defeat and retreat, with significant casualties.
This did not calm them down; rather, they became angrier, as Qingmen Sect’s Supreme Elder’s direct disciple in the later phase of Core Formation was crippled during the battle, becoming a ruined person.
Afterward, Qingmen Sect’s Supreme Elder, furious, personally led the family’s forces to support the front line.
Forcing Biyun Sect’s Master Yun Qing, with not fully healed old injuries, to passively confront them.
Ultimately, resulting in mutual exhaustion, further aggravating Master Yun Qing’s injuries.
Meanwhile, the opponent brought numerous mid-tier forces, which pushed Biyun Sect’s side, having already experienced one bitter battle, into continuous retreat.
Ultimately, they had to fall back within their Sect’s boundaries, relying on the Sect’s grand array and high-tier spirit vein to quickly recover, thereby turning the situation into a war of attrition.
Finally, Qingmen Sect’s side, unable to bear the attrition after half a year, retreated once more.
In the ensuing few years, Qingmen Sect used the Eighteen Spirit Strongholds as their base to engage Biyun Sect in a prolonged tug-of-war.
In the first three years, True Disciples with less than twenty years of Foundation Establishment were not sent to the battlefield, allowing time for growth.
In the fourth year, besides Li Ji’an, the Chief True Inheritor, other True Disciples, even the newly established Hu Zaiyi and Shen Xingchen, were dispatched to confront the enemy.
Other Inner Sect Disciples, even those still in the Qi Cultivation Stage, were sent early to live and die with the Sect.
By the fifth year, seven of the Sect’s True Disciples had already fallen, besides Shen Xingchen; the other six were those who had entered the Sect earlier.
These True Disciples, upon appearing on the battlefield, were targeted by concentrated fire, as the bounty remained unrevoked, their true disciple worth was comparable to Fake Pill, and less challenging, naturally becoming targets.
Yao Rui faced life-threatening dangers multiple times.
Six years passed in a blur, only Li Ji’an could remain calm.
Moreover, Old Huang had been dispatched to the front line at the onset of the war, always living alone, letting him feel at ease.
However, if this continues, once at the moment of the Sect’s life and death, Li Ji’an’s stable days will come to an end.
Fortunately, a turning point appeared in the seventh year.
Ten Thousand Laws Palace, who had been excavating Black Water Swamp tombs alone, announced abandonment, unable to break the first three tiers of the tomb chambers, even rumored True Monarch of Ten Thousand Laws was severely injured by restriction backlash while breaking the front tier tombs.
However, this rumor was quickly suppressed by Ten Thousand Laws Palace.
When Li Ji’an learned of this, he raised his eyebrows.
Based on the prediction by Zou Yan, Li Ji’an speculated that this event likely fit the prediction that within the domain, there was no True Monarch guarding.
However, whether True Monarch of Ten Thousand Laws was fallen or cultivation dropped below True Monarch Realm, was unknown.
Just a month after Ten Thousand Laws Palace retreated from Black Water Swamp, Glazed Sect in the northern part of Celestial Origin Province reentered Black Water Swamp tombs on a large scale.
During which, conflicts arose with Qingmen Sect’s Han River Immortal City guardians, leading to a significant battle.
Qingmen Sect’s True Pill quickly returned, and the two Sects erupted into war.
Biyun Sect seized the opportunity to join forces with Glazed Sect, attacking from both front and back, turning defense into offense!
