The ancient Grand Array protecting the Immortal Mist City—no one knew precisely when it was crafted. Yet, for tens of thousands of years, this astonishingly powerful protective formation had consistently functioned.
This great defensive array was not normally activated. Once the Grand Array was brought online, it demanded a massive expenditure of Spirit Stones every moment to sustain its operation. The Loose Cultivator Alliance lacked the financial might to ever support its upkeep.
Furthermore, at least eight Golden Core stage cultivators were required, positioned at the four cardinal points and the four corners of the Immortal Mist City, to jointly preside over the formation, enabling the full activation and sufficient protective efficacy of this ancient Grand Array.
Thus, this protective array was only ever brought online during massive cultivation world wars, when the great immortal sects joined forces. Now that the array was active, a column of sky-piercing light cut off everything inside the city from the outside completely.
Hundreds of thousands of cultivators within the city were either on the walls or gazing out, awaiting the arrival of the enemy cultivators.
The Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment disciples of Immortal Mist City finally quieted their anxious unrest upon seeing the Golden Core Ancestors from various sects of the Immortal Mist Realm chatting and laughing atop the city walls. They suddenly understood: with the Grand Array in place and so many Golden Core cultivators guarding them, Immortal Mist City would not be so easily stormed. If the Golden Core Ancestors weren't worried, why should they be?
Ye Qin, Shen Bao, and several dozen other Foundation Establishment disciples from the Azure Pill Sect stood guard on the northwestern section of the rampart, silently awaiting orders to charge out and engage the enemy cultivators in fierce battle the moment they were commanded.
Half an hour later, a dense, dark cloud mass composed of cultivators flew in from the distant horizon, stopping in the sky roughly ten li northwest of Immortal Mist City. Upon closer inspection, one could discern that they were distinctly divided into three formation groups.
Two of these formation groups were quite large: the cultivator masses from the Firmament Origin Realm and the Ten Thousand Moon Lake Realm.
The third group was slightly smaller: the cultivators from the Land of Chaos.
The combined forces of these three immortal realms totaled over sixty Golden Core cultivators, more than two thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators, and the rest—tens of thousands of cultivators—were the vast numbers of the Qi Condensation stage. These Qi Condensation cultivators had arrived near Immortal Mist City by riding the power projected by the Foundation Establishment cultivators’ artifact manipulation, and they descended to the ground upon arrival.
The strength of the combined armies from the three realms was nearly three times that of the cultivators inside Immortal Mist City.
On the walls of Immortal Mist City, the Ancestors from the Seven Great Sects—Ancestor Lu of the Ancient Artifact Gate, Ancestor Tao of the Earthly Lock Gate, Ancestor Huangfu of the Azure Pill Sect, Ancestor Wei of the Great Luo Gate, and others—stood tall, emanating the ethereal bearing of immortals, utterly unperturbed by the sheer numbers of the approaching enemy outside the city.
“Reverend Monk Tianmeng, it has been a century since we last met. Are you well? When I last saw you, you were merely a young boy. I never expected you to become a realm leader today; your cultivation advancement is truly swift!”
As the enemy forces drew closer, Ancestor Lu’s expression turned cold. He narrowed his eyes and spoke in a deep voice toward the distant mass of cultivators.
Lu Ziyou, as the foremost expert within the Ancient Artifact Gate, the strongest of the Seven Great Sects, and the first-ranked Golden Core Ancestor of that sect, was currently representing the entire Immortal Mist cultivation world in dialogue with the cultivators from the Firmament Origin and Ten Thousand Moon Lake realms.
However, his complexion had been poor for the last two years. His temper had become volatile, shifting unpredictably between anger and joy, and the spirited demeanor he once possessed had completely vanished.
According to rumors circulating in the markets, this was due to an infiltration by spies at the Lu Family Stronghold two years prior, resulting in the loss of a certain vital spiritual treasure that had infuriated Ancestor Lu. As to precisely what this crucial spiritual treasure was, no one knew the details to this day. But for something to enrage Ancestor Lu to the brink of madness, it must have been extraordinary indeed.
“Hahaha, Daoist Lu is too kind. Seeing my old friend well today brings me great comfort. A while ago, I heard your stronghold lost something. My disciples investigated and found that the culprits were a few audacious juniors from the Land of Chaos. They have since vanished, but if I can find them, I will certainly bring them to apologize to Daoist Lu. They are young and ignorant; I hope Daoist Lu can forgive their offense,” said the smiling old monk leading the Firmament Origin formation, holding a golden staff. This was none other than Reverend Monk Tianmeng, whom Ancestor Lu had mentioned. This man’s small eyes occasionally flashed with a glint of sharpness that was difficult to look at directly. His build was thin and unremarkable, but the black-horned flying python he stood upon was truly terrifying. This python was as thick as a barrel, covered in overlapping scales, its body stretching for a hundred zhang—at least a seventh or eighth-tier demonic serpent, perhaps nearing the moment it would shed its scales and transform into a flood dragon.
This old fellow Tianmeng had a sharp tongue and ill intent, deliberately prying open the most painful wound for Lu Ziyou. In just a few sentences, he made Lu Ziyou’s face turn purple with rage.
“We are not here today to reminisce. Enough idle chatter. Your Firmament Origin and Ten Thousand Moon Lake realms are aggressively invading my Immortal Mist cultivation world, violating the truce agreement established a millennium ago between the three realms. Wantonly starting a war in the cultivation world and breaking the truce—the consequences are perhaps not something you or I can bear. Are you not afraid of punishment from the senior cultivators who established that pact in the past? It is not too late to retreat now,” Ancestor Lu stated, finally forcing down his anger, as befitted a realm leader.
“The three-realm truce agreement is a matter of a thousand years ago; it should have been abolished long ago,” Reverend Monk Tianmeng paused, then said calmly. “Moreover, the seniors who established that truce have long since departed for the East Sea; why would they return to the Central Continent for minor disputes? The conflicts here should naturally be resolved by us, the junior cultivators, without needing to trouble those esteemed seniors.”
The hundreds of thousands of cultivators within Immortal Mist City, as well as the crowds from the Firmament Origin and Ten Thousand Moon Lake realms, all listened intently, utterly silent. Those whom Ancestor Lu Ziyou, Reverend Monk Tianmeng, and other Golden Core Ancestors referred to as ‘seniors’ were undoubtedly Nascent Soul stage cultivators. For lower-ranked cultivators, such high-tier experts were figures beyond reach, and merely hearing a word from them was a rare privilege.
Ancestor Lu’s expression grew increasingly grim after hearing Reverend Monk Tianmeng’s words. He knew this battle was inevitable; this was merely a final attempt at persuasion. Since the Firmament Origin Realm and Ten Thousand Moon Lake Realm were determined to fight the Immortal Mist Realm, then so be it. The cultivators of the Immortal Mist Realm were no soft persimmons either; it was still uncertain who would triumph.
Ancestor Lu glanced toward Ancestor Tao, Ancestor Huangfu, and the others to his left and right. They all nodded slightly, signifying their agreement to fight.
“Since that is the case, let the battle commence,” Reverend Monk Tianmeng said, wasting no more words.
Outside Immortal Mist City.
Within the formation of the Firmament Origin cultivators, five Golden Core cultivators, one hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, and over a thousand Qi Condensation cultivators took positions on the Gobi desert about ten li northwest of the city, forming a vast circular array and beginning to cast a spell in unison.
Most of the Immortal Mist Realm cultivators observing from the ramparts were completely baffled, unsure what these cultivators were doing. But the very few who possessed profound research in formations and sorceries suddenly changed color in horror, crying out involuntarily, “A Super-Tier Group Curse Spell!”
Cultivation world spells were usually categorized as Basic, Low-Tier, Mid-Tier, or High-Tier. These spells were typically cast by a single cultivator. The attacks of a single cultivator’s spell or artifact had absolutely no effect on the immensely powerful Grand Array protecting Immortal Mist City.
A Group Curse Spell, however, was cast by a large gathering of cultivators working together. Such spells were exceedingly rare and possessed astonishing power, but they had one critical weakness: they took a very long time to cast. By the time the spell was fully formed, the enemy army might already have fled hundreds of li away.
When the cultivators of the Immortal Mist cultivation world engaged in conflict, it usually involved small skirmishes among dozens of cultivators, never requiring such large-scale magic. Such spells were only occasionally seen during massive siege warfare. Consequently, very few cultivators recognized this type of magic. Only a Super-Tier Group Curse Spell possessed the power to shake the protective Grand Array of Immortal Mist City.
The group of over a thousand cultivators from the Firmament Origin spent almost half an hour casting the Group Curse Spell.
A colossal yellow earth spike, a mile long and several dozen zhang thick, radiating blinding yellow light, materialized above the circular formation. This gigantic earth spike hung suspended in the sky; simply pressing down, it could crush thousands of Qi Condensation cultivators.
The cultivators within Immortal Mist City all showed expressions of terror upon seeing this.
Earth Spike—this was the most fundamental earth-elemental spell. When cast by a single cultivator, it rarely exceeded ten zhang in length. But this earth spike was so enormous; its power was thousands of times greater. Even a Golden Core cultivator would not dare to meet it head-on.
They began to worry: the protective barrier of the Grand Array looked fragile; could it withstand the fierce impact of such a massive earth spike? However, no one inside Immortal Mist City moved to stop the Firmament Origin cultivators from casting the spell. The enemy had too many troops; only one-tenth of them were focused on casting the Group Curse Spell; the rest were watching. If the cultivators inside the city were to charge out, the Firmament Origin and Ten Thousand Moon Lake cultivators would likely welcome it.
Without any interference, the group of Firmament Origin cultivators leisurely released this giant earth spike and sent it hurtling toward Immortal Mist City.
The earth spike moved slowly toward the city, gradually accelerating.
BOOM!
Under everyone’s gaze, the colossal earth spike smashed into the light curtain of the Grand Array. The barrier rippled with layers of five-colored waves and dazzling yellow light. A deep impact sound caused the entirety of Immortal Mist City to vibrate violently.
The low-level cultivators inside the city instinctively closed their eyes amid the brilliant glare, their faces pale with dread.
When the light of the collision dissipated and the booming sound faded, the cultivators of the Immortal Mist Realm discovered that the protective light curtain was intact, and the massive earth spike had disintegrated during the violent impact.
All the cultivators erupted in ecstatic joy.
“Hahaha! It held! What Group Curse Spell? It was useless!”
“No matter how powerful that spell is, it can’t compare to our Grand Array!” But the cheers of the Immortal Mist cultivators died quickly. They realized they had celebrated too soon. This was only the first strike. Soon, that group of Firmament Origin cultivators unleashed a second giant earth spike, which they drove toward the light curtain of Immortal Mist City once more.
BOOM! BOOM! ... With every impact, Immortal Mist City shook violently.
This continuous bombardment persisted until, after more than ten giant earth spikes, the mana of the casting Firmament Origin cultivators was completely exhausted, leaving them unable to continue assaulting Immortal Mist City. The light curtain of the Grand Array had, by then, visibly dimmed a few shades.