Chapter 130: Open fire, hand over Bai Ye, and we'll retreat immediately...
The island lord of Liangyi Island stepped out of the warship, his body surrounded by the flow of Yin and Yang energies. As he took a step, a huge Yin-Yang wheel appeared, with black and white fish swimming tail to tail, and an ancient sword slowly rose from the center of the array.
He reached out and gripped the sword hilt, pointing forward: "Qi Yuntian, even now, are you still holding onto the airs of the number one sect in the Nine Provinces? Without Zhong Jiuli in charge, killing you would be as easy as slaughtering a dog."
Before the words were even finished, the longsword had already slashed down, its light like a cascading silver river, its momentum astonishing, causing space to collapse wherever it passed.
His sword strike wasn't aimed at Qi Yuntian, but rather at Sanqing City.
"How dare you, the leader of a sect, commit such a despicable act!" Qi Yuntian's eyes were bloodshot, his body radiating light, and his figure appeared in the sky above Sanqing City in an instant. He swung his halberd and slashed down at the sword light.
"Boom!" The sword and halberd clashed, and the void trembled.
Below, many mortals who had not yet entered the city at the city gate cried out in alarm. The little shopkeeper was also mixed in with the crowd entering the city. She cursed her bad luck in her heart. If she were hit by the aftershocks of the dissipated sword energy, it would be too unjust to die.
Just as the dissipating sword energy was about to fall into the crowd below, Qi Yuntian's figure flashed again, and with a wave of his hand, he set up a barrier to protect the mortals.
Her eyes burned with rage, and she swung her halberd backhand, unleashing a divine light like Pangu splitting the heavens and earth, the halberd's light traversing the sky and heading towards the nearest warship.
"Boom!"
The warship's protective shield was no match for the full force of the Mahayana cultivator's attack. The entire warship shattered under the blow, and the hundreds of cultivators on board were also reduced to dust.
This is why Qi Yuntian wanted to intercept that sword beam. The city-protecting formation can block attacks from ordinary cultivators, but in the hands of a Mahayana cultivator, such a formation is as fragile as paper and can be easily pierced with just a few blows.
"Don't give her a chance to fight back, attack together!" Yin Laogui shouted, his ghostly aura surging, urging everyone to surround and attack.
The combined pressure of more than ten Mahayana cultivators created a terrifying scene, resembling a collapsing mountain or a massive wave, causing the protective array of Sanqing City to tremble violently, let alone Qi Yuntian, who was facing it all.
However, faced with such pressure, she brandished her halberd and charged forward fearlessly.
She swung her halberd, which resembled a reversed Milky Way, and attacked the crowd. Facing the siege of a group of Mahayana cultivators, she only attacked and did not defend, using a reckless fighting style to briefly suppress them.
However, this is clearly unsustainable. If a real battle breaks out and numerous Mahayana cultivators fight each other recklessly, the scene would be unimaginable, and the entire Central Continent would likely be reduced to ruins.
At that time, not only will the Void Demon Clan invade, but the entire Nine Provinces will be destroyed by internal strife.
Even though many Mahayana cultivators did not use their full strength, after hundreds of moves, Qi Yuntian's blue robe was soaked in blood, and his body had many bloody holes that were visible from the front and back.
"Have you really thought this through?" Qi Yuntian cleaved through hundreds of ghostly figures with his halberd, flashed out of the encirclement, and used the halberd to support himself as he shouted loudly.
“Once the sect leader returns from the void, which of the sects present today can withstand the wrath of a true immortal? If you retreat now, we may spare your lives.”
Yin Laogui chuckled, "Heh, how come Peak Master Qi, who is so tough, can't even stand up straight? I said, let us pass, and I guarantee that I won't harm a single person from your Sanqing Sect. We only want Bai Ye."
"We only care about our own ancestors, and we will never harm a single member of your Sanqing Sect." The heads of the various families in Guzhou also said the same thing.
They really didn't dare to touch the people of the Three Pure Ones Sect. After all, their own ancestor was not around, and there were no Mahayana cultivators in the clan to keep them in check, so they didn't have enough confidence.
"Peak Master Qi, considering your arduous cultivation and the imminent threat of a formidable enemy, we have no intention of harming you. Please withdraw," another sect leader advised.
"If you want to cross Sanqing City, you'll have to step over my dead body first." Qi Yuntian refused to retreat an inch and held his ground.
"Then I'll grant your wish." Yin Laogui shouted fiercely, and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his hand swelled up, sending out countless vengeful spirits that blotted out the sun.
The only sound in the world was the mournful howling of ghosts, which frightened the people in the city into hiding in their homes. The crying children were held tightly in their mothers' arms, unable to make a sound.
Qi Yuntian was surrounded by ghosts. No matter how she swung her halberd, the vengeful spirits seemed endless, constantly attacking her and devouring her protective aura.
"Let's go." Yin Laogui waved his hand at the group, and the warships floating in the sky started moving at the same time.
The massive warships passed over Sanqing City and, amidst the terrified gazes of countless people, headed towards the distant Sanqing Sect shrouded in spiritual mist.
The warships traveled a short distance past the city before stopping once more. Ahead, they had reached the territory of the Sanqing Sect, and the towering Dragon Python Rock came into view.
Above Dragon Python Rock, Liu Xianyue stood in the air in a red dress, with the disciples of the Myriad Elephant Pavilion standing guard behind her.
Jiang Zhiming, dressed in white, stood beside her, gently waving a feather fan, exuding an air of elegance.
The peak masters of the Three Pure Ones Sect led their disciples, standing on their swords, clearly ready for a great battle.
It was quite a coincidence that Qi Fengzhu was on his way to the city to help his relatives evacuate when he unexpectedly encountered a joint attack from various sects. This hot-tempered Zhan Fengzhu could not stand such treatment and started fighting with everyone without saying a word.
Seeing the dark mass of warships before her, Liu Xianyue guessed that Peak Master Qi must have encountered this group of people.
She glanced coldly at the crowd and asked again, "Gentlemen, why have you come to the Sanqing Sect in such a grand manner today? Are you here to start a great war?"
"Pavilion Master Liu, you flatter us. A great calamity is imminent, and all we wish to do is welcome back our trapped ancestor," the Gu family head replied loudly.
The Valley Master of Sword King Valley swung his sword forward, saying, "Hand over Bai Ye, and my Sword King Valley will retreat immediately."
"Pah, I really didn't need to ask that question." Liu Xianyue spat inwardly.
She leaped forward first, her fiery red dress billowing in the wind, and a crescent-shaped longsword formed from crimson flames appeared in her palm.
"If you're going to fight, then come up here and face your death." The long sword, carrying the force of splitting the heavens, slashed down at the crowd below.
"Insolence!" The Valley Master of Sword King Valley swung his sword in response.
The frost-white sword energy and the flame-like blade light collided in mid-air, and the blinding light instantly engulfed the heavens and the earth. The vast sea of clouds evaporated under this attack, and distant mountains collapsed in the impact, with rocks flying everywhere.
"Even with you and Jiang Zhizhi added, the Sanqing Sect still can't stop the combined army of various sects. What will you use to hold them off?"
"Does Pavilion Master Liu really intend to gamble away the Wanxiang Pavilion's millennia-long foundation?"
"Sect Master Jiang, the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion has always been detached from worldly affairs and has never been involved in any conflicts. Why bother getting involved in this mess?"
A cacophony of voices rose from the crowd, all urging the two to leave and cease their assistance to the Sanqing Sect.
"Shut up!" Liu Xianyue shouted, and a Vermilion Bird Dharma Image that blotted out the sky appeared behind her.
The divine bird flapped its wings, and a torrential downpour of fiery flames filled the sky, turning the entire sky blood-red.
The peak masters of the Three Pure Ones Sect simultaneously emerged, selected their respective opponents, and engaged in battle.
The sky was instantly enveloped by various magical lights and true forms of Dharma bodies. More than a dozen Mahayana cultivators unleashed their Dharma bodies, shattering the void and causing the earth to collapse.
Countless mountains and rivers collapsed in this battle, and even the city of Sanqing, tens of thousands of miles away, trembled violently during the fighting.
This earth-shattering duel shocked the entire Central Continent. However, at this moment, the battle was only taking place among the top combatants; most people were still observing.
If the top combatants have determined the winner, the disciples below do not need to take action, since these young disciples are the foundation of each sect.
A dozen or so Mahayana cultivators were locked in fierce battle in the sky, and as time went on, their numerical advantage began to emerge.
Even though the peak masters of the Sanqing Sect possessed extraordinary abilities, they were ultimately no match for the relentless attack. The first to fall from the sky was the peak master of the Medicine Peak. Her natal medicine cauldron was shattered by a powerful divine force, and her body was cut in half at the waist, plummeting down the mountainside below.
"Master!" a disciple of Medicine Peak exclaimed. Immediately, more than a dozen disciples of the Three Pure Ones Sect flew towards the distant mountains and forests, trying to rescue their master.
"Stop them!" the Valley Master of Sword King Valley shouted, ordering his disciples to prevent the disciples of the Three Pure Ones Sect from coming out to rescue the people.
"Yes, sir." Dozens of people flew out from the warship to intercept, and the battle began to spread to the young disciples.
The battle collapsed faster than expected. Despite Liu Xianyue's desperate efforts to stop it, people continued to fall from the sky. To make matters worse, countless warships rushed from all over Kyushu to Zhongzhou, heading towards the territory of the Sanqing Sect.
A few came to help, but most were like sharks that had smelled blood, wanting to get a share of the spoils.
Many evil cultivators who had previously been suppressed by the Sanqing Sect and dared not cause trouble have also set off for the battlefield. Evil cultivators such as the Xuan Yin Sect and the Blood Fiend Sect have rushed to the battlefield, hoping to take advantage of the chaos to bite off a large piece of fat from the Sanqing Sect.
"Go back and activate the sect's protective formation!" Liu Xianyue, engulfed in flames, roared fiercely. Her Vermilion Bird Dharma Image, which had dimmed considerably, swooped down to block the way for everyone, buying them time to retreat.
"It's too late to leave now." Yin Laogui roared, and the soul banner in his hand moved again, and the sky-covering ghostly creature reappeared, almost completely obscuring everyone's vision.
The Vermilion Bird Dharma Image cried out to the sky, then exploded with a "bang," sending divine fire flying in all directions. Liu Xianyue blasted an escape route by self-destructing her Dharma Image.
The peak masters and young disciples of the Sanqing Sect managed to escape back to the sky above Dragon Python Rock, but Liu Xianyue alone stood before the army.
She coughed up blood, her face as pale as paper. Facing the formidable enemies surrounding her, a mocking smile appeared on her lips. "Laughable, pathetic, lamentable!"
She looked up at the void, as if trying to find that person through the endless void.
"Zhong Jiuli, you big fool, look at this... this is the Kyushu you risked your life to protect!" This roar was like the last lament of the Vermilion Bird before its self-destruction, striking straight to everyone's hearts.
Inside the sect-protecting formation, countless disciples of the Sanqing Sect clenched their fists tightly, their eyes bloodshot, filled with both sorrow and rage.
They all knew that their sect leader had resolutely stepped into that unknown void for the sake of all living beings in the Nine Provinces, to fight to protect the Nine Provinces.
But these so-called great sects and powerful families raised their knives at this moment, stabbing her sect and slaughtering her disciples.
"Liu Xianyue, stop spreading rumors! No one has ever asked Zhong Jiuli to protect the Nine Provinces," someone in the crowd mocked.
Liu Xianyue raised her eyes slightly, locked onto the person, and then, without even bothering to say another word, raised her sword and slashed down in mid-air.
The crimson blade light transformed into a Vermilion Bird afterimage, piercing through the void. The man, along with all the cultivators within ten feet of him, were vaporized, not even having time to let out a scream.
"You ant, you don't even have the right to mention her!"
"You're courting death!" The Valley Master of Sword King Valley was furious. The group of people Liu Xianyue had killed were his disciples from Sword King Valley.
He swung his sword, and the frost sword energy transformed into a giant frost dragon, rushing straight towards Liu Xianyue.
On the other side, sect leaders were also making their moves, all wanting to kill Liu Xianyue in one blow.
Faced with a combined attack from several sect leaders, the heavily injured Liu Xianyue was powerless to resist.
At this critical moment, the guardian beast of the sect, Longmangyan, which had been dormant for countless years, finally awoke.
It emerged from the clouds and, without a word, unleashed a powerful dragon tail sweep that instantly capsized countless warships and sent several Mahayana cultivators flying.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liu Xianyue leaped onto the dragon's head and was helped back into the formation.
The two forces were separated by a great formation, facing off against each other across the vast expanse of the dragon and python.
"Heh, do you think hiding back like cowards will do you any good? A mere sect-protecting formation, how can it stop us?" the Chu family patriarch said coldly.
As a family renowned throughout the Nine Provinces for its array formations, there is no array they cannot unravel. Moreover, with dozens of Mahayana cultivators present, breaking it by brute force is only a matter of time.
Ignoring the commotion outside, Liu Xianyue sat cross-legged, took a pill, and began to heal her injuries. The other peak masters did the same, remaining in place to heal their wounds.
Elder Yaofeng was too badly injured and was taken back to the Sanqing Sect for treatment. He will be unable to fight for a while.
......
Dongzhou, Storm Island.
At the top of the solitary cliff, Jiang Lian stood quietly, her long, sea-blue dress billowing and rustling in the fierce wind.
She seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at the endless hurricane.
From behind came a series of hurried footsteps, and Chu Erniang's voice came from afar, "Island Master, Island Master, something terrible has happened."
Jiang Lian turned around at the sound and asked, "What's wrong?"
"This is a message that just came from Zhongzhou. Take a look." Chu Erniang didn't reply, but handed her the jade slip containing the message.
Jiang Lian released her divine sense to probe the jade slip. When she saw that the major sects had joined forces to besiege the Sanqing Sect, she didn't react much. But when she saw that the people behind them were besieging the Sanqing Sect under the pretext of capturing Bai Ye, she couldn't sit still anymore.
"Go back and gather your men, we're heading to Zhongzhou." Jiang Lian said, then, with Chu San Niang in tow, they vanished and returned directly to the city.
......
Ancient city, Baidi City.
In front of the ancient stone gate covered with vines, Bai Zhu paced back and forth anxiously, looking as restless as an ant on a hot pan.
"Ancestor, oh Ancestor, if you don't come out of seclusion soon, our Bai family will be wiped out." Bai Shu muttered to the tightly closed stone door.
Since obtaining the scroll of laws brought out by Bai Ye, Old Lady Bai has been in seclusion in the back mountain for cultivation and has not emerged from seclusion until now.
Normally, Bai Shu would be overjoyed if his grandmother went into seclusion to cultivate. The higher the ancestor's cultivation level, the stronger and more stable the Bai family would be.
But it is precisely at this critical juncture that such a major incident has occurred in the Sanqing Sect, and no one from our own family is coming to help. How can we remain in-laws in the future?
The Bai family does have other Mahayana cultivators, but those ancestors are all asleep in their caves and rarely come out of seclusion. Without the Bai matriarch's verbal instruction, no one can persuade those ancestors to take action.
"Grandma, come out quickly! Help!!!" Bai Shu shouted in despair, "If you don't come out, my two sons will be dead!"
Bai Shu shouted until her voice was hoarse in front of the stone gate, but she still couldn't get her grandmother to come out. Helpless, she had to beg Bai Lan.
"Aunt Lan, could you please send some people so we can go to Zhongzhou ourselves?"
Bai Lan appeared from the void and replied indifferently, "Aye and Qingji are both in seclusion at Tianjing Lake. Even if the Sanqing Sect is destroyed, it won't harm them."
"But, but, they specifically asked to arrest A-Ye!" Bai Shu shouted.
"That's just a pretext for sending troops. Even if we don't go, they won't dare to touch the Bai family bloodline."
"Aunt Lan, Zhong Jiuli is fighting for the sake of all living beings in the Nine Provinces. Are we really going to stand by and watch?" Bai Shu shouted angrily.
"You little brat!" Bai Lan flicked her sleeve and gave her a light tap on the forehead. "Now that you're all grown up, you dare to challenge me? Why weren't you this tough when I was changing your diapers? When did I say I wouldn't go?"
Bai Shu was forced to retreat repeatedly by her series of questions and dared not say anything more.
"Wait, I'll go knock on the gate and ask my ancestor to come out of seclusion. Without the ancestor's protection, even if you bring a hundred Aunt Lans, it won't be enough to defeat them."
Just as Bai Lan finished speaking and was about to leave, the stone door behind her creaked open, and the old lady Bai, who had been in seclusion for a long time, stepped out through the hazy mist.
......
In the Central Plains, outside the gate of the Sanqing Sect.
Beneath the dark, heavy clouds, banners of various colors fluttered in the air. Tens of thousands of cultivators had gathered here, completely surrounding the entire mountain range.
Flying boats and warships blotted out the sky, and the air was filled with the light emitted by magical treasures. Countless cultivators busied themselves outside the great formation, all in an effort to break through this ancient formation.
Every day, new forces join this hunt. They come from all over the Nine Provinces. Some have old grudges against the Three Pure Ones Sect, some are simply there to take advantage of the chaos, and many others are there just to kick the former number one sect while it's down.
The light of the sect-protecting formation rippled continuously amidst the relentless attacks, and each flash of light meant that a massive amount of spirit stones had been consumed.
Liu Xianyue expressionlessly pulled out piles and piles of top-grade spirit stones and handed them to the peak master of the formation without blinking an eye to maintain the great formation.
Jiang Zhiming gazed intently at Liu Xianyue and softly called out, "Little Sparrow."
"Hmm?" Liu Xianyue looked up at her.
“I have a way to get out of this predicament. But if I use it, it will be much harder to track down the Void Demon Clan in the future.” Jiang Zhizhi’s voice was hesitant, something that was unusual for her.
As the head of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, she was born knowing her destiny and understanding cause and effect, and she would never show such a hesitant expression.
"What do you want to do?" Liu Xianyue asked.
I want to help you break through.
"No need!" Liu Xianyue shook her head and refused. "I will walk my own path. Why do I need your help?"
Jiang Zhizhi chuckled softly, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "Yes, I said it because I knew you would refuse. I guess it's because I'm reluctant to part with my cultivation, and reluctant to let the distance between us grow ever wider."
"What nonsense are you spouting, Jiang Zhiming? Let me tell you, if you dare to do anything like sacrificing yourself to help me break through, I'll burn your Tianji Pavilion to the ground! Do you hear me?" Liu Xianyue warned her loudly.
Jiang Zhizhi nodded slightly, which was taken as an agreement.
Liu Xianyue asked worriedly, "You won't do anything underhanded, will you?"
"Won't."
"You'd better be," Liu Xianyue muttered. She wanted to warn them a few more times, but the protective formation of the sect could no longer hold.
Before turning away, she glared at Jiang Zhizhi one last time, saying, "I'll scold you when I get back."
The Vermilion Bird Dharma Image soared into the sky, and Liu Xianyue, wielding a flaming longsword, crashed into the very center of the enemy formation like a sun falling to earth.
"boom!"
A crimson blade of light swept across the heavens and earth, instantly vaporizing hundreds of cultivators within its scorching heat, along with the warships they were on, which shattered along with it.
This earth-shattering blow plunged the bustling battlefield into a moment of deathly silence.
The next second, a frenzied battle cry erupted.
"Kill!! Since you dare to come, then don't go back." Yin Laogui roared, waving his hand to unleash a swarm of ghostly figures. Dark clouds pressed down overhead, and ghosts howled, creating an extremely terrifying scene.
In the sky, more than ten towering Dharma images appeared one after another, each carrying a mountain-like aura of power.
Battle is imminent.
All the young disciples of the Sanqing Sect took out rows of spiritual energy cannons that glowed with spiritual light from their storage rings.
The jet-black cannon barrels were engraved with various amplification arrays, and the top of the barrels was filled with top-grade spirit stones. This was a backup plan prepared by Liu Xianyue in advance. If the situation became uncontrollable, these spirit energy cannons could hold off the enemy for a while.
"Fire!" At the command of Senior Sister Zhanfeng, all the cannons lit up with spiritual light.
Countless psionic cannons bombarded the enemy ranks, and with just one round of firing, countless vacuum zones were cleared out within the enemy ranks.
The cultivators hit by the psionic cannons were reduced to nothing, not even flesh and blood. As for the warships hit by the psionic cannons, they were shattered into countless pieces.
The sky was filled with falling fragments of warships.
"Oh my god, this battle is hopeless! The other side has money to burn!" The rogue cultivators were so frightened that they scrambled to their deaths and fled in terror.
Their escape immediately caused the formation to break apart, and many people followed suit without understanding why. Of course, there were also many rogue cultivators who had only come to join in the fun, and they fled when they saw that things were not going well.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of people scattered and fled thousands of miles away, hiding in the rear to watch from the sidelines, not daring to join in this deadly spectacle.
Upon seeing this, the eldest disciple of Sword King Valley immediately brandished his sword and shouted, "Don't panic! These kinds of spirit energy cannons consume the most spirit stones. They don't have many top-grade spirit stones to consume. Follow me to form a sword formation and charge forward!"
"Charge into the Sanqing Sect, and you can take whatever treasures you desire!" A disciple from another sect shouted, boosting morale.
The previously scattered allied forces regrouped. Their numbers were so vast that as far as the eye could see, there was a dense, overwhelming mass of heads.
"Keep firing! Charge into the crowd!" Senior Sister Zhan Feng waved her hand and gave the order again.
The sounds of gunfire rang out again, and all sorts of spiritual energy filled the sky. Countless young cultivators died in this great war that arose from greed.
"Senior sister, we've run out of spirit stones."
"Me too."
"We're out of spirit stones."
Many people's cannons have stopped firing. Even the best spirit stones can't withstand such high-speed fire for long. The battle situation is urgent, and there is no time for everyone to replace their spirit stones.
The artillery fire had barely subsided when the enemy noticed.
The allied forces of the various religions immediately erupted in cheers, "They've gone out of control, let's charge!"
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Author's note: [hugs] I'll definitely deal with them. The little tiger will come to the rescue in the next chapter.
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