txolops Chapter 172 The Mighty Army Presses In, the Bell Tolls over the Ruins
Chapter 172 The Mighty Army Presses In, the Bell Tolls over the Ruins
At the edge of the sky, that thin black line transformed into an endless black ocean in just a few breaths.
Dark clouds, heavy as lead, pressed down on the mountains surrounding the Cangxuan Sect.
The wind howled, snapping ancient trees and whipping up sand and stones everywhere.
The once clear sky over Dongzhou was split in two by this terrifying foreign force.
Half of it was the dazzling golden light emanating from the Cangxuan Sect's protective array, and the other half was the endless darkness brought by the Guixu Sect's army.
Three ancient warships, each thousands of feet long, hovered in mid-air a thousand miles away from the Cangxuan Sect, resembling three ancient behemoths.
The warship was entirely black, with a deep blue array of light flowing through its wood grain.
The heavy anchor, forged from cold iron through countless hammer blows, was thrown from the void and firmly anchored to the surrounding mountain peaks, locking the entire space in place.
On the deck of the main warship, Mo Tianwen, the Grand Elder of the Guixu Sect, stood with his hands behind his back, facing the wind.
His deep blue beard and hair danced wildly in the wind, and his deep-set eyes shone with a captivating, eerie blue light.
Behind him, the thirty-six island lords and seventy-two peak lords were arranged in a fan shape.
These people were all clad in heavy armor and wielded powerful magical artifacts. The spiritual energy emanating from their bodies converged, causing tiny cracks to appear in the surrounding void.
Below the warship, countless deep-sea monsters churned in the clouds.
The deep-sea turtle, as large as a mountain, let out a deep roar, and with the flapping of its limbs, it stirred up violent storms of water vapor.
A giant sea dragon with wingspans of over a hundred feet hovered above the warship, its dragon eyes fixed on the Cangxuan Sect ahead, constantly spewing out highly corrosive black poisonous mist.
Tens of thousands of elite sword cultivators from the Guixu Sect sat cross-legged on the backs of warships and giant beasts.
They were dressed in uniform dark-colored Taoist robes, with the Guixu Sect's unique Heavy Water Magic Sword resting across their laps.
No one spoke; the only sound was the synchronized breathing of the entire person.
The killing intent of these tens of thousands of people solidified into a thick, blood-red cloud that loomed directly above the Guixu army.
This is the foundation of the overlord of Dongzhou; when he does not move, he is still, but when he does, he has the power to destroy the world.
Faced with such a terrifying force capable of annihilating hundreds of ordinary sects, the Cangxuan Sect also displayed its unparalleled prowess as the number one sect in the Eastern Continent.
The echoes of the nine-ringed Dao bell still lingered atop the main peak of Cangxuan.
A huge, semi-circular golden light shield firmly protects dozens of mountain peaks, including the main peak.
This is the Taiyi Dividing Light Array, which has been passed down for ten thousand years by the Cangxuan Sect.
On the surface of the great formation, countless golden runes flowed like swimming fish, each flash accompanied by a deafening sword cry.
At the highest point of the sect's protective formation, a white jade boulder, hundreds of feet in diameter, hovered in mid-air.
Zhou Chongyue, the Grand Elder of the Cangxuan Sect, sat upright in a grand chair, his golden Taiji Taoist robe fluttering without wind.
Beside him stood eight Nascent Soul stage elders lined up, each occupying a position in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation.
Each person held a formation flag in their hand, continuously pouring their vast spiritual power into the white jade floating stone beneath their feet to maintain the operation of the sect's protective formation.
Beneath the white jade floating stone, 100,000 Cangxuan Sect disciples, dressed in snow-white robes, hovered in mid-air on their swords.
They were arranged in the formation of Heaven, Earth, and Man, layer upon layer, densely packed, like a white forest.
One hundred thousand flying swords pointed straight to the sky, and the sharp sword energy gathered into a vast golden river of swords within the formation.
The rushing Jian River shredded away all the cold, damp air that tried to seep in.
The two armies faced each other, separated by a thousand miles, with a death zone drained of its spiritual energy in between.
Any bird or beast, or even a gentle breeze, that enters this area will be crushed into nothingness by the invisible aura of the clash between the two sides.
The world is dead silent.
Mo Tianwen broke the silent standoff by taking a half-step forward, the deck beneath his feet rumbling loudly.
He opened his mouth, and his voice boomed in the ears of every Cangxuan Sect disciple, accompanied by rolling thunder.
"Zhou Chongyue!"
Mo Tianwen's voice was icy cold.
"Hand over my sect's young sect leader, Zhou Tianqi, and Elders Song and Chen! I will order a retreat today! Otherwise, in half an hour, the great flood of Guixu will surely engulf Cangxuan, turning your ten-thousand-year-old lineage into a vast, desolate wasteland!"
These words were arrogant and domineering, leaving no room for negotiation.
Tens of thousands of disciples of the Guixu Sect shouted in unison, their battle cries shaking the heavens. Combined with Mo Tianwen's words, they exerted extreme psychological pressure on the Cangxuan Sect.
Faced with this overwhelming force, Zhou Chongyue did not stand up.
He simply raised his right hand slowly and pressed it lightly in mid-air.
The swords of the 100,000 Cangxuan Sect disciples below simultaneously emitted a high-pitched hum, their sword energy soaring into the sky and pushing back the Guixu Sect's roar.
"Mo Tianwen!"
Zhou Chongyue's voice carried a cold, hard edge that seemed to have seen through the ways of the world.
"You've lived for over a thousand years, is your brain clogged with deep-sea silt? You and I both know that the Heavenly Fire was stolen, my sect's Second Elder died tragically, and even your sect's disciple was publicly cursed to death. There must be someone behind all this, stirring things up and trying to incite a bloody war between our two sects!"
Zhou Chongyue's gaze pierced through the void like a sharp sword, staring directly into Mo Tianwen's eyes.
"You've mobilized such a large force today, sending out your entire army. If a fight breaks out, you'll only be playing into the hands of the mastermind behind it all. Zhou Tianqi is suspected of murdering one of our sect's elders and stealing our sect's treasures. I've merely detained him pending trial; I haven't taken his life. If you have any sense, you should withdraw your troops immediately. Once the truth is revealed, and if it truly has nothing to do with the Guixu Sect, I will personally come to apologize!"
Upon hearing this, Mo Tianwen threw his head back and burst into laughter.
The laughter was filled with disdain and sorrow.
"Zhou Chongyue, don't try to intimidate me with your moral high ground!"
Mo Tianwen abruptly stopped smiling and roared:
"A mastermind behind it all? Of course I know there is a mastermind! But so what? My Guixu Sect's young sect leader, a man destined to rule the entire Eastern Continent, has been treated like a dog, his collarbone pierced and locked in a death row! How can I face the Guixu Sect's sect leader with such a humiliating disgrace?"
Mo Tianwen suddenly waved his wide sleeves and pointed at the golden array of the Cangxuan Sect.
"Your Cangxuan Sect cares about face, but does my Guixu Sect not? You dare not gamble with the opinions of the world, so you captured Zhou Tianqi. If I retreat today, how will I explain this to the elders and disciples of the Guixu Sect? This debt can only be settled with swords. You want to find out the truth? Fine! I'll shatter your shell, trample you under my feet, and then I'll have plenty of time to investigate!"
Zhou Chongyue's fingers tightened suddenly on the armrest of the grand master's chair, and the rosewood armrest instantly turned into dust.
He knew that the negotiations had broken down.
In this conspiracy, dignity and face became the most deadly grill.
Both he and Mo Tianwen were caught in the same predicament, neither able to back down.
"Since Elder Mo insists on seeing blood, then I will grant your wish!"
Zhou Chongyue stood up, and a sharp sword intent that could pierce the sky erupted from his entire body.
"Since its founding, the Cangxuan Sect has never had its mountain gate breached. Today, I'll see if your Guixu Sect's heavy water can break the backbone of my Cangxuan Sect!"
He roared, "The entire clan, heed my command! Prepare for war!"
"promise!"
One hundred thousand disciples roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
"kill!"
Mo Tianwen also stopped wasting words and waved his hand sharply.
The war broke out instantly.
The Giant Whale Island Lord standing beside Mo Tianwen let out a furious roar, and his burly body suddenly grew ten feet taller, transforming into a terrifying monster that was half human and half whale.
He gripped the trident of the Sea God with both hands and hurled it fiercely at the Cangxuan Sect's protective formation.
The trident transformed into a raging, thousand-foot-long dragon of raging water in mid-air.
Surrounded by pitch-black heavy water, the mad dragon opened its blood-red maw and, with immense power, slammed into the golden light barrier.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.
The golden array barrier shook violently, creating huge ripples.
The spiritual energy storm generated by the collision swept outwards, directly flattening several small mountain peaks hundreds of feet high below.
"Release the arrows!"
An elder of the Cangxuan Sect glared angrily and waved the array flag in his hand.
The golden runes flowing across the surface of the Taiyi Dividing Light Array instantly converged into a single point.
Immediately afterwards, thousands of thick golden sword energies shot out from the formation like a torrential rain, heading straight for the raging water dragon.
The sword energy and the heavy water clashed together in mid-air, creating a deafening roar.
The water dragon was pierced by the sword energy, turning into a shower of black rain, while the sword energy itself quickly dimmed and dissipated under the corrosive influence of the heavy water.
This was just the first wave of probing attacks.
As the Lord of Giant Whale Island made his move, the thirty-six island lords and seventy-two peak lords of the Guixu Sect all unleashed their respective natal magic weapons.
In an instant, the sky was filled with the brilliant light of colorful magical treasures, which rained down on the Cangxuan Sect's protective formation like a meteor shower.
The deep-sea turtle and the sea-overturning dragon also began to exert their power.
Venom, frost, and heavy water spheres poured down in a deluge.
The Cangxuan Sect was not to be outdone.
Under the elder's command, the 100,000 disciples constantly changed formations.
The sword energy retaliated wave after wave like a tidal wave.
With each collision, magical artifacts shattered, and giant beasts let out painful cries.
The world was filled with blinding light and deafening explosions.
Behind the main peak of Cangxuan, on a tall tower with an excellent view.
Gu Yan and Li Qingge stood side by side, silently gazing at the battlefield in the distance, which resembled a hellish inferno.
Li Qingge's face was as pale as paper. She gripped the long sword at her waist tightly, her knuckles turning bloodless from the force.
As she watched her fellow disciples struggle within the formation, and as the beautiful land of Dongzhou was destroyed by war, her heart ached as if it were being cut by a knife.
"Senior Brother Gu..."
Li Qingge's voice trembled.
"If a real war breaks out... Dongzhou is finished... Regardless of who wins or loses, its millennia-old foundation will be destroyed in an instant..."
Gu Yan tucked his hands into the sleeves of his blue robe, his face solemn and his eyes deep.
He looked at the explosion in the distance, feigned a heartbroken expression, and let out a long sigh.
"Yes... we're at their mercy, like fish on a chopping block. The schemes of this mastermind are truly ruthless to the extreme. They've used the dignity of both sects as a wager, forcing them to kill each other..."
Gu Yan spoke words of compassion and empathy, but deep down, his heart was filled with absolute coldness and fervor.
He closed his eyes, and the Divine Demon Golden Core in his dantian began to slowly rotate.
The Grandmaster-level Everlasting Youth Technique silently circulated within his body.
Gu Yan's senses were amplified to an extreme degree at this moment.
He clearly sensed that with each collision on the battlefield ahead, and with the wounds and bloodshed of those low-level giant beasts and cultivators, an extremely dense aura of blood and qi and scattered spiritual energy permeated the world.
These forces would normally dissipate into the world over time.
But now, they are drawn by the Everlasting Green Technique, transforming into wisps of cyan energy that are barely perceptible to the naked eye. Following the trajectory of the dissipating spiritual energy, they quietly converge toward the tower where Gu Yan is located.
"Such pure blood energy..."
Gu Yan was secretly amazed.
The Guixu Sect lives in the deep sea year-round, cultivates water-based techniques, and possesses a powerful physique and qi and blood strength far exceeding that of ordinary people.
For Gu Yan, this dissipated energy was nothing short of a great tonic.
The cyan energy surged into the body through the acupoints all over the body, and was quickly purified and absorbed by the Divine Demon Golden Pill.
Gu Yan felt his cultivation, which had already reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, gradually advancing towards the late-stage of the Golden Core realm.
On the surface, Gu Yan remains the same peerless genius who worries about the country and its people.
He turned his head to look at Li Qingge, whose eyes were red-rimmed, his tone firm yet gentle.
"Junior Sister Qingge, don't despair. As long as we haven't given up, we will definitely find the mastermind and bring peace to the world."
Li Qingge took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and nodded heavily.
"Senior brother is right. The Grand Elder and the others are still holding the line. As the eldest senior sister, I can't just sit here and wallow in self-pity."
Just as the two were talking, the battlefield ahead underwent another unexpected change.
On the Guixu Sect Master's warship, a ruthless glint flashed in Mo Tianwen's eyes.
He quickly formed hand seals while chanting incantations.
"The Return to Nothingness Divine Array, activate!"
With a loud shout.
The three giant warships simultaneously lit up with a blinding blue light.
Tens of thousands of Guixu Sect disciples simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood essence, which merged into the formation of the warship.
In the sky, endless black water began to gather, eventually condensing into a black water blade ten thousand feet long.
This water blade seemed poised to cleave the heavens and earth, radiating an aura of despair and destruction.
"cut!"
Mo Tianwen clenched his fists and then slashed downwards.
The ten-thousand-foot-long water blade, accompanied by a piercing shriek that seemed to tear through the void, slammed fiercely into the Taiyi Dividing Light Array of the Cangxuan Sect.
"Snap!"
A crisp cracking sound rang in everyone's ears.
The seemingly indestructible golden light shield was breached by the full force of the black water blade, resulting in a massive crack that stretched for hundreds of feet.
"withstand!"
Zhou Chongyue's eyes were bloodshot, and he spat out a mouthful of blood as he frantically poured his vital essence into the array's core.
The eight Nascent Soul elders were also pale-faced, desperately trying to maintain the operation of the formation.
Although the crack is still slowly healing, this brief breach is already fatal enough.
Following the crack, dozens of smaller deep-sea behemoths and hundreds of elite sword cultivators from the Guixu Sect, like sharks smelling blood, pierced through the defenses and stormed into the heart of the Cangxuan Sect.
"kill!"
Once inside the formation, close-quarters combat between sword cultivators erupted instantly.
Blood stained the white jade square, and severed limbs and fragments of magical artifacts fell from the sky.
There is no more sparring here, only the most primal killing, where lives are lost every minute, every second.
Seeing this, Li Qingge could no longer contain herself.
She drew her longsword, its blade gleaming like frost, and was about to rush forward to support her fellow disciples.
"etc!"
Gu Yan grabbed Li Qingge's wrist.
His gaze was not fixed on the fierce battle on the front lines, but rather on a patch of empty space at the edge of the protective array's core.
Just a moment ago, through the paper sword servant hidden in the void, he keenly sensed a strange spatial fluctuation that did not belong to the Guixu Sect or the Cangxuan Sect.
Taking advantage of the moment when the protective array developed cracks and Elder Zhou Chongyue was distracted in repairing it, someone silently sneaked into the core area of the array's eye.
The method was so subtle that it far surpassed even the thieves who stole the Yin-Yang Heavenly Fire. If Gu Yan hadn't possessed a paper sword servant modified from meteorite iron in his symbiotic space, he wouldn't have been able to detect it at all.
"Senior Brother Gu, what's wrong?"
Li Qingge asked anxiously, not understanding why Gu Yan would stop her at this moment.
Gu Yan turned his head, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
"Junior Sister Qingge, one more or one less makes no difference on the front lines. We have more important things to do."
Gu Yan lowered his voice and spoke urgently.
"I just used my master's secret method of tracing the source to detect that an extremely hidden aura has sneaked into the core of the array amidst the chaos."
"What?"
Li Qingge was shocked.
"If the array's core is destroyed, the sect's protective array will surely break, and the Cangxuan Sect will truly be doomed! Who is that aura? A death squad member from the Guixu Sect?"
Gu Yan shook his head, his eyes reflecting the flames of the burning house.
"No, there wasn't a trace of heavy water in that aura. If I'm not mistaken, the mastermind who's been stirring up trouble in the shadows has finally decided to make a move in person."
"Let's go to the center of the formation and meet this important figure."
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