Chapter 1696: Grand Wei Study
Ji Gang and Lao Sheng stepped to Fang Chen's side, examining the route displayed on the star map.
"Lone Light Star... Core Disciple Fang, is this really the Taicang Realm?"
Daoist Miyu, just as before, was fast asleep in the pocket over Fang Chen's chest.
"We have indeed arrived at the Taicang Realm." Fang Chen nodded and pointed at the target star. "This is Lone Light Star. Our mission is to clear out the demonized individuals here."
"It seems the demonic calamity in the Taicang Realm is already everywhere," muttered Old Sheng to himself.
Initially, he had thought the demonic calamity was an isolated phenomenon, but it wasn't until the expedition began that he realized the Taicang Realm had already fallen into total chaos because of it.
"I expected the journey to take a considerable amount of time but I never imagined we would reach the Taicang Realm so effortlessly." Ji Gang sighed with emotion. "The methods of Ancient Immortals are truly beyond our comprehension."
"While this expedition to the Taicang Realm carries certain risks, it is also an opportunity."
Fang Chen controlled the immortal essence from thousands of boats and gathered them into the Black Dragon Boat. He steered the Black Dragon Formation, hurtling toward Lone Light Star.
The eyes of Ji Gang and Old Sheng brightened slightly.
"An opportunity..."
They had reached the same realization. In an expedition, people would inevitably die. If they could slay a seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal this time, they could extract the Ancient Immortal Register from their body. That was a great opportunity. If they were to wait in line at the Enlightenment God Palace, who knew how many eons it would take to obtain an Ancient Immortal Register?
***
Lone Light Star sat like a hanging solitary lamp in the lonely Qingming, with countless immortal boats crisscrossing the skies above it.
Incessant techniques erupted in every direction.
A Lotus Flower Immortal Boat Formation stood tall in the void. With it as the center, the battlefield stretched for a hundred thousand miles. It was boat against boat, formation against formation , and cultivator against cultivator.
In this theater of war, whether they were cultivators of the Lower Four Ranks, the Middle Three, or the Upper Three, all were merely pawns in a vast sea of people. They followed their respective Immortal realms into the fray.
At the core of the Lotus Formation sat a single vessel, pure and white as jade. Standing upon it were over a hundred figures, all in the Immortal Realm. They were arrayed like a constellation of stars, guarding a young girl at the center.
"Core Disciple Xuan, I fear we cannot hold out much longer. If we lose this battle, Lone Light Star will be completely seized by those demons," said a grave-looking middle-aged man as he walked slowly to her side and cupped his hands.
He wore a black-and-white Daoist robe, and his cultivation vaguely emanated the aura of a seventh transformation.
Core Disciple Xuan said softly, "Hold for as long as possible. I have received notification that reinforcements from the Fangcun Realm and the Shenwang Realm have already set out. It won't be long before they arrive."
Even as she spoke, her attention remained fixed on a formation five thousand miles away. That formation resembled an eight-legged spider, constructed from six thousand immortal boats. In contrast, her Lotus Formation consisted of only four thousand boats. The disparity in strength between the two sides was glaring.
The middle-aged Ancient Immortal sighed softly. "Let us hope the reinforcements arrive quickly."
He suddenly leapt from the Lotus Formation, transforming into a streak of light to plunge into the battlefield.
Another seventh-transformation Ancient Immortal had appeared on that front and was engaging in a slaughter.
An exploration team member asked in a lowered voice, "Core Disciple Xuan, do we truly have reinforcements?"
Core Disciple Xuan was silent for several breaths before shaking her head. "I'm not certain. But we must hold this place. If they occupy this as a logistics star and use it as a springboard, over a hundred of our stars behind us will be overrun by them."
The team member said resentfully. "These demonized individuals are too loathsome. I just never expected that even those as powerful as core disciples would fall to this. Core Disciple Xuan, it feels as if the entire cultivation world is undergoing a tribulation. If we can't endure it, I don't know what the future will look like."
At that moment, the Eight-Legged Formation moved.
The cultivators on the Lotus Formation immediately became vigilant, ready to pour in their immortal essence at any moment.
In a mere instant, the Eight-Legged Formation had advanced thousands of miles.
Core Disciple Xuan's gaze pierced through the layers of the void, fixing upon the core disciple within the Eight-Legged Formation. The other party was also looking at her.
"Core Disciple Xuan, you should tell your subordinates to stop. Your Wandao Immortal Sect cannot hope to block our path. We were once acquaintances; I truly have no wish for us to kill each other," the core disciple of the Eight-Legged Formation said, his voice ringing precisely in Core Disciple Xuan's ear.
"Core Disciple Wang, have you forgotten your identity just because you fell to the demons? A dignified Core disciple of the Grand Wei Study, now walking side-by-side with the demonized, causing chaos across the Taicang Realm. Countless lands are devastated and countless fellows have died because of you!"
Core Disciple Xuan said coldly, "If your brothers from the Grand Wei Study saw your actions, what would they think?"
Within the Eight-Legged Formation, Core Disciple Wang smiled, a trace of faint contempt flashing in his eyes. The world believed they had "fallen to the demons," but they did not know that this so-called fall was merely the awakening of memories from a past life.
They had never changed. Ever since birth, their sole purpose had been to conquer the Nine Mortal Realm and restore the glory of the Abyss of Demons!
"You won't be able to hold out much longer in this battle. We've fought for over two hundred years. Today, it's time for a conclusion. In all this time, the Wandao Immortal Sect hasn't sent a single person to reinforce you. It seems that across the vast Taicang Realm, we have already seized control of at least seventy percent."
Core Disciple Wang smiled again, attempting to break his opponent's spirit and make her lose her will to fight. If he didn't, a clash between two Immortal Boat Formation would result in a pyrrhic victory even if he won.
Core Disciple Xuan seemed to perceive his attempt at psychological warfare. She ignored his transmission and refocused her attention on the battlefield.
The situation was indeed far from optimistic. There were too many demonized individuals on Lone Light Star, and many had yet to reveal their true identities. These hidden threats were the most dangerous. Often, in the heat of battle, they would suddenly expose themselves, slaughtering their former companions to stand alongside the demonized.
Core Disciple Wang murmured to himself, "This battle should come to an end. Excessive casualties serve no purpose for my race."
In the next instant, the aura of the Eight-Legged Formation suddenly became profound and mysterious.
Core Disciple Xuan's eyes widened. "Not good. Has he mastered Formation Immortal Technique!?"
Simultaneously, an invisible spiderweb seemed to manifest between heaven and earth. The cultivators clashing with the demonized beings felt themselves ensnared by the web. Their movements became restricted, and even their immortal techniques became difficult to cast.
Seeing that, Core Disciple Xuan immediately activated the Lotus Formation, making it spin frantically to slice through the silken threads in the void.
Each unfolding lotus petal acted like a razor-sharp blade and the spider silk could not last long against them. However, this method was too inefficient. Compared to the Formation Immortal Technique unleashed by the Eight-Legged Formation, Xuan could only sever a tiny fraction of the threads.
The tide of the battlefield began to turn one-sidedly. Every second, cultivators were falling at the hands of the demonized.
