txolops Chapter 182 The Army Arrives! Lin Chuan Becomes the Backbone of the Battlefield!
Chapter 182 The Army Arrives! Lin Chuan Becomes the Backbone of the Battlefield!
Two days later, Han Li and his two companions, along with more than a dozen Core Formation cultivators, arrived at the Huanglong Mountain position.
The Nascent Soul cultivators were fast and made their way ahead, while the Core Formation cultivators were slower, but they all arrived safely. As a result, the defensive strength of Huanglong Mountain was further enhanced.
Another day has passed.
A streak of light flew shakily from the horizon and landed on Huanglong Mountain.
The light faded, revealing a pale-faced, wounded old man—it was Bu Yunhe, who had previously been stationed at the front line.
His breathing was unsteady, clearly indicating that he had recently been in a fierce battle.
The bald, burly man quickly went to greet him and helped him into the hall.
"Fellow Daoist Bu, how are your injuries?" Lin Chuan asked.
Bu Yunhe waved his hand, sat down in the chair, and took a sip of spiritual tea before he could catch his breath.
"He won't die."
He took a breath, his face grave. "However, the pursuing mages are no ordinary people. They have two Grandmasters—equivalent to mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in Tiannan. There are also four or five other early-stage Nascent Soul mages. My position was breached by them."
"Two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators?"
Upon hearing this, the bald, burly man not only did not panic, but instead breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's good. Fellow Daoist Lin is also in the mid-Nascent Soul stage, and with the four of us in the early-Nascent Soul stage, we should be able to handle it with the help of the great formation."
Bu Yunhe nodded, his gaze lingering on Lin Chuan for a moment longer.
Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator—this is the backbone of this position.
"How long will it take for those Mulan mages to get here?" the monk surnamed Ma asked.
Just as Bu Yunhe was about to answer, Lin Chuan suddenly spoke up.
"We've arrived."
His voice wasn't loud, but it caused everyone in the hall to change their expressions.
next moment--
"Rumble..."
A muffled sound of war drums drifted from afar, growing louder and closer, like thunder in a clear sky, causing the entire Huanglong Mountain to tremble slightly.
Everyone in the hall suddenly stood up.
"It seems the Mulan people are chasing us quite closely; we barely got back before they caught up with us."
Bu Yunhe's face was frosty, and his eyes revealed murderous intent.
"Let's go and meet these Muran mages."
Lin Chuan led the way and walked outside.
……
On the south side of Huanglong Mountain, a sea of emerald green mist surges endlessly.
Beyond the sea of fog, a large group of dark Muran mages were riding in several strangely shaped flying magical artifacts, neatly arranged in the high sky.
Some of those flying magical artifacts were shaped like giant birds, some like flying carpets, and some like lotus platforms. They were so numerous that they covered the sky and blocked out the sun.
The mages all had cold and stern expressions, their bodies shimmering with spiritual light, exuding a murderous aura.
At the very front of the army of mages stood a dozen or so people side by side, their bodies shimmering with various spiritual lights and precious energies; they were the high-ranking mages of the Mulan people.
Among these dozen or so people, three stood out the most.
A person was enveloped in red light, and a strange, bowl-sized fire snake coiled around his body, flicking its tongue, looking ferocious and terrifying.
The fire serpent was entirely crimson, with clearly visible scales, and it seemed to be alive, radiating intense heat.
The man was extremely thin and tall, like a bamboo pole, seemingly so tall that a gust of wind could blow him over.
His face was sinister, a cold smile playing on his lips, and he was toying with a short, jet-black staff in his hand.
Another person was shrouded in a black robe, obscuring their face, but their entire body emanated an eerie black aura, and faint ghostly wails could be heard emanating from their robe, sending chills down one's spine and making one dare not approach.
And that was indeed the case—everyone else was clustered around the other two, while the black-robed mage stood alone in front of the crowd, as if he were not one of the other mages.
The other sorcerers also looked at the man in black with furtive and awe-inspiring gazes.
But if you look closely, you'll find...
This reverence even contained a hint of disgust.
"Mr. Tianku, shouldn't we begin?"
The tall, thin man smiled and spoke to the man in black robes with unusual politeness, "The cultivator formation here seems to be three times more powerful than the previous one. Moreover, I've heard there are quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators here, so it will probably take a while longer."
The black-robed cultivator shook his head, his voice hoarse and stiff, indistinct as if he had no tongue: "They're already coming out, we don't need to make the first move. Let's test the supernatural abilities of the cultivators here first, then we'll see."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the emerald green sea of mist in front of him suddenly surged and split open a passage.
Six figures emerged from the passage.
The leader, with a youthful face and a deep, ocean-like aura, was none other than Lin Chuan.
Behind him, Han Li, the bald-browed giant, Bu Yunhe, the cultivator surnamed Ma, and Gu Shuangpu filed out one after another. The six of them stood suspended in mid-air, facing the Mulan mage opposite them.
"Six Nascent Soul cultivators..."
The tall, thin man frowned slightly. "It seems this stronghold will be a bit difficult to take down."
The Muran mages frowned secretly.
Although they had two Grandmasters in charge, the other side also had six Nascent Soul cultivators, one of whom was in the mid-Nascent Soul stage.
Given that the enemy is protected by a large formation, a direct attack would inevitably result in significant casualties.
The man shrouded in red light lingered his gaze on Lin Chuan for a moment before leaping out and landing between the misty sea and the army of mages.
"I am Ku Yao, the Grand Master of the Fire Department. Now that you've come out, you must be planning to test your supernatural powers first. How do you intend to compete? One-on-one, or a free-for-all regardless of numbers?" His voice was loud and clear, echoing between heaven and earth.
"One-on-one, life and death are left to fate."
Lin Chuan's voice came out softly.
Ku Yao's gaze narrowed slightly as he sensed the mid-stage Nascent Soul aura emanating from Lin Chuan, and he felt a slight sense of apprehension.
But he remained outwardly calm, nodding and saying, "Alright, one-on-one then. Who wants to go first?"
"I've come to meet you!"
A clear voice rang out, and the cultivator surnamed Ma from Haoran Pavilion was the first to fly out.
He stood on a white cloud, his clothes fluttering, and he truly had the air of an immortal.
Without wasting words, Ku Yao rubbed his hands together, and the fire snake coiled around his body suddenly sprang up, transforming into a giant fire python several meters long. It opened its blood-red maw and pounced towards the cultivator surnamed Ma!
The fire python was entirely crimson, with its scales clearly visible and lifelike; it was the fire spirit transformation technique that Ku Yao had cultivated for many years.
When the fire spirit is cultivated to its peak and condensed into a physical form, its power far surpasses that of ordinary spells.
The cultivator surnamed Ma had a solemn expression. With a wave of his hands, an ancient scroll flew out from his sleeves, unfurled in the air, and transformed into a huge Bagua diagram.
The runes on the image flowed and flashed with spiritual light, protecting him in the center.
The fiery python slammed into the Bagua diagram with a deafening roar, sending sparks flying everywhere! The Bagua diagram trembled violently, yet it steadily blocked the attack.
Ku Yao sneered, and a fiery red banner appeared in his hand.
He shook the fire banner, and the fire python, as if it had taken a powerful tonic, swelled in size and increased in power, frantically crashing against the Bagua diagram.
Not to be outdone, the cultivator surnamed Ma raised his hand and waved it. A snow-white flying knife shot out from his sleeve, turning into a white light and heading straight for Ku Yao's face!
Ku Yao dodged the flying knife with a flash, and waved the fire banner in his hand. A fire dragon rushed out of the banner to meet the flying knife.
The two fought back and forth in the air, locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
The Bagua diagram collided with the fire python, unleashing a deafening roar; the flying knife entangled with the fire dragon, shooting out sparks everywhere.
For a moment, the sky was filled with flashes of light as spells clashed, captivating the attention of both sides.
However, after a stalemate lasting about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn—
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the Bagua diagram in the air suddenly twisted and shook, followed by countless crimson beams of light shooting out in all directions.
The entire array was instantly riddled with holes and tattered.
Just as everyone was witnessing the shocking scene, another loud rumble came from one corner of the array.
A burst of flame shot out from it, soaring more than ten feet into the air. When the flames died down, a blood-red, radiant figure was revealed. The fire python beneath his feet had shrunk back to its original length of about ten feet and looked listless, clearly having expended considerable energy.
On the other side, the situation of the monk surnamed Ma was not much better.
His face was ashen, his eyes lifeless, and his breath weak. But the old man gritted his teeth, reached out and beckoned to the tattered array diagram. The broken Bagua diagram flashed with light and shot into the sky. A moment later, the array diagram transformed back into a scroll and fell down into his hands.
The two exchanged a glance, neither showing any intention of making another move.
"If it's a draw, how about we call it a day?" Ku Yao spoke first.
The cultivator surnamed Ma nodded and retreated to his own camp.
"Who among you will fight me?"
Among the monks of Mulan, the tall, thin Nascent Soul stage cultivator flew out, his gaze sweeping over the five people opposite him, a cold smile on his lips.