Chapter 255: Chapter 244: Come to My Human Emperor Banner for a Chat
Several more months passed.
The oppressive standoff at the border did not truly ease with the passage of time.
Instead, it was like a noose tightening ever so slowly.
But human nature is prone to inertia. When the anticipated thunderous strike failed to materialize, nerves stretched to their breaking point inevitably began to slacken, giving rise to an imperceptible sense of relief and a glimmer of wishful thinking.
In the Northwest Land, the frantic clamor of constructing the Northern Defense Array seemed to quiet down somewhat.
Everyone subconsciously believed that perhaps they still had more time.
But beneath this veneer of calm, where undercurrents surged ever stronger—
A sudden, shocking turn of events!
"Great demons sow chaos, plaguing the mortal realm!"
"The sacred might has arrived, its brilliance shining in all directions!"
A series of unified roars, infused with immense Magical Power and an iron will, boomed like thunder from the ninth heaven, instantly drowning out all other sounds between Heaven and Earth. The shouts slammed into the Heart and Spirit of every Northwest Cultivator.
The slogans were like war drums, each cry louder than the last, wave after wave of sound carrying a resolute conviction to cleanse the filth and reshape the order of the world.
Shaking mountains and rivers, shattering the clouds!
At the very instant these cries reached their peak.
Above the Celestial Vault at the Northwest Border, the once-gray sky was suddenly stained by an irresistible force, turning a heart-stopping crimson gold.
A crimson-gold sun forcibly replaced the natural light of the sky.
Its magnificent divine might shone down, illuminating the entire border mountain range and wilderness in a dazzling brilliance!
VMMMMM!!!
From the core of that high-hanging crimson sun, a beam of crimson-gold light—condensed to its absolute limit and filled with boundless killing intent—plummeted down like the first ray of light at the dawn of creation!
The crimson beam rapidly expanded and transformed as it fell.
In the blink of an eye, it became a colossal crimson-gold blade that spanned Heaven and Earth.
No warning, no probing attack.
This giant blade, condensed from the Nanyin Dynasty’s National Guardian Fortune and a Supreme Daoist Skill, descended like a divine executioner. Under the horrified gazes of all the Northwest Cultivators, it viciously chopped down toward a key node of the Northern Defense Array—one that had just been completed, where Spiritual Light was still flowing!
"NO—!!"
A Northwest Cultivator responsible for guarding this spot let out a despairing roar.
SHIIIIINNNGG—!!!
An indescribable sound, as if Heaven and Earth themselves were being torn asunder, erupted!
A terrifying, bottomless chasm several thousand miles long, accompanied by soaring rubble and annihilated Spiritual Light, instantly replaced the original ground.
A single strike!
An important node of the Northern Defense Array—one that had consumed countless resources and the efforts of thousands of Cultivators—was brutally smashed and obliterated.
Along with the several hundred Cultivators stationed there, who were instantly annihilated!
And this was only the beginning!
From within the crimson sun, the sound of war drums grew more frenetic.
Immediately after, countless figures clad in standard-issue Red Armor and wielding uniform Magical Artifacts, their bodies radiating a tangible, iron-blooded killing intent, surged like a bursting flood. They poured through the breached defensive line, swarming into the Northwest’s territory!
It was the Nanyin Dynasty’s elite force that shook the world—the World-Suppressing Army!
The army’s steps were resounding and their formation was tight. Wherever this torrent passed, Evil Qi soared into the sky, dyeing it the color of blood.
The ferocious aura of these battle-hardened elites was enough to make the faint of heart cower before the fight even began.
Behind the World-Suppressing Army came a dense swarm of colorful Escape Lights, like a plague of locusts! There were Sword Cultivators from the Sword Pavilion in their green robes, their flying swords like a downpour.
Confucian Cultivators from the Vast Sacred Land, chanting True Words and invoking Vast Righteous.
And there were Cultivators from other Righteous Sects, both large and small.
Some wielded Magical Artifacts, others unleashed Divine Techniques. They followed closely behind the army like a festering wound, surging toward the heartland of the Northwest!
The peace was utterly shattered.
War, in its most violent and cruel form, instantly ignited the entire Northwest Border!
Cries of battle, the explosive sounds of Magic, and the miserable howls of the dying replaced the usual clamor.
A cruel and epic tapestry of war was forcibly unfurled.
...
Once ignited, the flames of war spread like a wildfire across the plains.
The Nanyin World-Suppressing Army drove deep into enemy territory, nearly unstoppable.
The battle formations they formed were extraordinarily mystical.
The auras of a million soldiers were linked, their Magical Power flowing as one, making them like a single entity!
Their movements were as coordinated as a body’s own limbs, and their transitions between offense and defense were seamless.
Wherever this rolling torrent passed, the hasty defensive lines constructed by the Demon Sect Cultivators were like paper, collapsing at the slightest touch.
Countless Demonic Cultivators and members of Small and Medium-sized Sects could only flee in a panic, scattering in every direction.
Occasionally, a few ferocious individuals or sects would rely on their mountain gates to mount a desperate last stand, but they too were inevitably overwhelmed and crushed to dust, failing to even make a ripple.
And following behind the World-Suppressing Army—this indomitable "Divine Spear"—the Cultivators from the various Righteous Sects were like precise and efficient "scythes."
They did not compete with the World-Suppressing Army for the glory of a frontal assault.
Instead, they specialized in hunting down the scattered fish that escaped the net of the army’s formation, rooting out hidden strongholds, and cleaning up the remaining resistance.
Sword-lights rained down, and Daoist Skills surged like a tide.
Coordinating with the rhythm of the World-Suppressing Army’s advance, they carried out a merciless reaping.
The division of labor between the two was clear, their coordination seamless.
It was obvious that this northern expedition had been meticulously planned and repeatedly rehearsed; it was by no means a spontaneous decision.
...
「Qi Yun Palace.」
The atmosphere was so heavy it felt like water could be squeezed from the air.
Before Yang Cuan floated a massive Profound Gold Scroll, clearly marking all the nodes of the Northern Defense Array.
At this moment, on the scroll, the points representing destroyed or severely damaged nodes were lit up in a glaring red. They were densely packed, numbering nearly a hundred.
These red dots were like festering sores, constantly eating away at the Grand Array’s originally complete network.
Yang Cuan’s expression was grim as he pointed at the red dots:
"Those damned spies were certainly dedicated to their work.
The Nanyin Dynasty must have our complete Array Map in their possession.
Otherwise, there’s no way they could find and destroy these key nodes with such precision and efficiency.
It’s only been half a month, and they’ve already destroyed nearly a third of the foundation we spent over three hard years building!"
"At this rate, the entire Northern Defense Array will be completely paralyzed in two months at most! It’ll become a pile of scrap metal."
Qi Yun stood before the massive Array Map with his hands clasped behind his back. His Deep Blue Daoist Robe accentuated his tall and straight figure, but right now, his back exuded a heavy solemnity.
His gaze was as sharp as a hawk’s, fixed on the spreading "red sores" on the map and the crystal-clear advance route of the southern coalition forces, as if to burn every detail into his mind.
As Yang Cuan’s complaints echoed in his ears, Qi Yun’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.
’Such precise strikes... such an efficient advance... a perfect grasp of the Northwest’s defenses...’
All of this pointed to one chilling fact.
Nanyin’s preparations were far more thorough than they had ever imagined.
Those spies they had rooted out had likely already transmitted a great deal of core intelligence before being exposed.
However, what truly stirred Qi Yun’s heart was not just the enemy’s strength or the leaked intelligence.
It was...
The reaction of the Four Sects!
Logically, with the defensive line torn apart so swiftly and important nodes being destroyed one after another, the four Great Masters should have made a move long ago.
But so far, apart from the lower-level Cultivators and some Small and Medium-sized Sects fighting their own separate battles and taking a beating,
the true core strength of the Four Sects seemed to have gone silent, with no clear orders or powerful interventions.
’Did I... guess wrong?’
’Do the Four Sects... actually have no trump cards saved up?’
Gazing at the ever-expanding red area on the Array Map, Qi Yun slowly rubbed a single die.
’What on earth... are those leaders thinking?’
...
「Several days later.」
Qi Yun left the Palace, concealed his presence, and roamed among the war-torn mountains and rivers of the Northwest.
All he saw along the way were panicked, fleeing Cultivators and the ruins of breached sect gates—a scene of utter devastation.
The speed and efficiency of the southern coalition’s advance were truly shocking.
One day, he reached the outskirts of a black mountain range shrouded in Yin Sha Qi.
From a distance, Qi Yun sensed a chaotic Spiritual Mechanism ahead, and the ceaseless sound of clashing Magical Artifacts made it clear a battle was underway.
A brief sweep of his Divine Sense was all it took to grasp the situation.
About twenty or thirty Righteous Cultivators, dressed in uniform green Daoist robes with mystical Talisman patterns embroidered on their cuffs, were besieging a Sect built into the mountainside.
Above the Sect’s gate hung a plaque inlaid with countless white bones, bearing the twisted name: "Thousand Bone Sect."
It was clearly a small Demon Sect that cultivated the Corpse Dao or the Bone Dao.
The Thousand Bone Sect’s Mountain Protection Great Demon Light was already Broken, and its disciples had suffered heavy casualties.
Only a handful of survivors were left, relying on shattered Restrictions and their Ancestral Hall to mount a desperate last stand. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
Conflicts of this scale were now commonplace in the Northwest and held no interest for Qi Yun.
He shook his head, about to turn and leave, unwilling to waste time on such a trivial matter.
But just as he lifted his foot to depart—
A stern shout, filled with righteous energy, clearly pierced the din of battle and reached his ears:
"You there, Demon! Cease your futile resistance!
Today, we of Nine Kings Mountain shall use the righteous energy of Heaven and Earth to flatten this den of demons!"
The voice was sonorous, carrying the resolute conviction of one who slays demons and vanquishes evil.
’Nine Kings Mountain?’
The moment those three words entered his ears, Qi Yun’s nearly-completed step froze. He whipped his head around, his gaze like lightning, instantly piercing the void to lock onto that group of Righteous Cultivators.
He raised an eyebrow slightly. A flash of surprise in his eyes quickly turned into a keen glint of interest.
’Nine Kings Mountain...’
He was no stranger to that name!
Years ago, when he had helped cure an old ailment in Qian Xin Master’s mount, he had retrieved a Talisman called the Three Rivers Cold God King Talisman from within it.
Later, this Talisman had been put through Refinement by his Magic Technique Panel, but it had unexpectedly drawn the attention of a True Monarch from Nine Kings Mountain.
He was nearly annihilated from afar by that True Monarch.
Fortunately, the Magic Technique Panel’s might was unparalleled.
It reversed the Daoist Intent, changing the Three Rivers Cold God King Talisman into the Three Rivers Bitter Cold True King Talisman, and only then did he escape the True Monarch’s annihilation.
"Heh heh..." A slow curve formed on Qi Yun’s lips. His original intention to leave instantly vanished.
"To think I’d run into some acquaintances right after coming out."
With a single step, his figure appeared silently above the Thousand Bone Sect’s ruined gate. His Deep Blue Daoist Robe fluttered in the whistling mountain wind as he clasped his hands behind his back and looked down at the group of Nine Kings Mountain Cultivators below, who had abruptly stopped fighting, their faces filled with shock and suspicion at his sudden appearance.
Then, with a wave of his hand, a great Profound Black Banner appeared out of thin air, flapping loudly.
"Fellow Daoists, our meeting is fate. Since fate has brought us together, why not come join me on my Human Emperor Banner for a chat?"
...
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