Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Chapter 234 The War Begins
In the center of the Demon-Slaying Desert, the sun hangs high in the sky, shining on the vast yellow sand and reflecting thousands of golden rays of light.

In the boundless blue sky, the seven giant boats carrying the Qi monks slowly stopped.

On the Lingyun Sect's giant boat, Zhuge Qi's calm voice spread out: "Lingyun Sect monks, form a battle array!"

Thirteen Jindan elders left the giant boat first, followed closely by a group of foundation-building cultivators. Chen Yuan and the other three followed Jin Luoheng's instructions and dispersed to avoid attracting too much attention, but the distance was not too far so that they could lend a helping hand if one person was in danger.

Before leaving the giant boat, Chen Yuan touched his storage bag, took out a wooden mask with a pine tree painted on it, and put it on his face.

He obtained this mask by chance, and he could not remember which demon cultivator he got it from. It was a top-grade magic weapon with only one function, which was to block others' spiritual sense from spying on him.

If someone wants to peek at his face, their spiritual awareness must be far superior to Chen Yuan's. If they force their way in, he will know it.

Sun Congyao was closest to Chen Yuan. When he saw Chen Yuan wearing a mask, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn't ask anything.

At the same time, the cultivators on the other six giant boats also left the giant boats one after another, followed the Jindan cultivator, and formed a formation.

Although they were said to be in formation, these cultivators had always been solitary. Even after nearly three years of fighting with the demonic cultivators, they had always fought on their own. More than 2,000 cultivators stood together without any order, and it was a mess.

The Jindan cultivators from various sects did not care about this and no one was restraining the formation. After all, after the war started, everyone would fight on their own.

The cultivators from the six major sects intentionally kept their distance. Each cultivator wore the standard robes of their respective sect so as to distinguish between friend and foe. Only those immortal cultivation families came to the side of the sect to which they were affiliated.

Chen Yuan noticed that Song Qingru stood together with several family cultivators. One of the middle-aged men looked at her with concern, but she returned to her usual cold look and just said a few words lightly and said no more.

A thousand feet away from the Qi cultivators, there were an equally large number of demon cultivators.

These demonic cultivators were divided into three groups, with the Blood Spirit Sect cultivators in blood-stained robes standing in the middle, with about seven hundred of them.

There are several blood spirits circling around every Blood Spirit Sect monk. From a distance, it looks like a thick blood cloud.

The cultivators of the Hehuan Sect stood on the left, several dozen feet away from the cultivators of the Xueling Sect. The female cultivators were of various shapes and sizes, each with their own merits, while the male cultivators were handsome and elegant, with romantic demeanor. The pairs looked like a couple from heaven, but the expressions on their faces were extremely solemn.

On the far right, there are thousands of demon cultivators who are not from the two major demon sects. They are dressed differently and have strange appearances. Some look like big-headed children, and some look like pale zombies. The spiritual weapons they use are also strange and bizarre, but all of them are filled with demonic aura and are hideous and terrifying.

Chen Yuan looked around and made a rough estimate. The number of foundation-building demon cultivators was less than that of Qi's foundation-building cultivators, less than two thousand.

In front of the group of foundation-building demon cultivators, there stood more than seventy Jindan cultivators, releasing their spiritual pressure unscrupulously, which was enough to change the color of the sky and the earth.

Dark clouds gathered together, blocking out the dazzling sunlight. The sky and the earth were dark, the air seemed to become solidified, and the atmosphere was extremely depressing.

However, the Jindan cultivators from the six major sects of Qi State and the immortal cultivation families gathered together, and they outnumbered the Jindan demon cultivators by several numbers. How could they sit idly by and watch the Jindan demon cultivators oppress their own cultivators? They also released spiritual pressure one after another.

Chen Yuan saw the handsome Taoist priest from Tiangang Sword Sect who had once gifted him the sword light, the old monster Qu from Wanshou Mountain, Xie Chaohong from Ziyang Sect whom he had severely offended, the white-haired old man who had researched the secret technique of demon pills, and the purple-robed female cultivator who had a grudge with Jin Luoheng.

They stood in the forefront of the Qi monks and released their spiritual pressure at will, crushing all the dark clouds covering the sky above the Qi monks, and the bright and warm sunlight came down again.

Within a radius of ten miles, half is bright and half is dark, with a clear distinction.

The cultivation level of Jindan cultivators is limited. Even if they gather the strength of dozens of people, they can only change the celestial phenomena within such a small range.

If a Nascent Soul cultivator takes action, it will be enough to change the color of heaven and earth within a radius of a hundred miles.

When the Jindan cultivators on both sides released their pressure, Lin Hao, Sun Congyao and Shen Danmei's gazes passed over the group of foundation-building cultivators in front of them and fell on Jin Luoheng, with a hint of joy on their faces.

The pressure exuded by Jin Luoheng was only slightly weaker than that of Zhuge Qi beside him, but was actually on par with that of Xie Chaohong. He was indeed a cultivator in the late Jindan stage!
The three of them were overjoyed when they noticed Jin Luoheng's cultivation level.

Jin Luoheng's cultivation has greatly improved. Regardless of whether he wins or loses this battle, his status in Lingyun Sect will be greatly improved. As disciples, they will also benefit from it.

Chen Yuan also saw Jin Luoheng's cultivation level, but beneath his calm face, his eyes were quite complicated, with some hesitation, some hesitation, and finally he became determined.

No matter how advanced Jin Luoheng is, he will not change the plan he has already made.

The other Lingyun Sect cultivators did not share the same mood as Lin Hao and the other two. Although Qi had a large number of Jindan cultivators, the pressure they exuded was inferior to that of the more than seventy Jindan demon cultivators on the opposite side.

Moreover, the two major demon sects have profound foundations, profound inheritance, and countless treasures. The strength of the monks in the sects is often higher than that of the monks of Qi State. In this battle, the Qi State side is still in great danger.

However, not all sects can eliminate the influence of the sound of the War Drum. Apart from the Lingyun Sect, only the Tiangang Sword Sect and the monks from the Wanshou Mountain have clear eyes.

The faces of the foundation-building cultivators from Guiyuan Sect, Mingyin Valley, and those from immortal cultivation families were flushed, and they were full of fighting spirit. They looked at the demon cultivators opposite with murderous eyes, and they couldn't wait to rush up and have a good fight. They were not afraid at all because of the gap between the Jindan cultivators on both sides.

As for the Zi Yang Sect, as the number one sect in Qi State, it suffered the greatest losses after the defeat and had the most urgent desire to win, so it sent out more than 500 foundation-building cultivators, almost twice as many as other sects. Every cultivator was deeply influenced by the War Heaven Drum, their eyes were red, and they were fearless and more like demon cultivators than the devil cultivators themselves.

At this time, thousands of feet high in the sky, out of sight of the cultivators on both sides, a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators stood facing each other, overlooking the thousands of cultivators below.

One of the sides consisted of only seven people, who were the leaders of the six sects of Qi State and a supreme elder of Zi Yang Sect. After seeing the difference in cultivation between the Jin Dan cultivators of both sides, their expressions became a little solemn, yet they maintained their composure.

But Bai Yanji, the leader of Guiyuan Sect who was the last to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, clenched his hands tightly behind his back, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

There were six people on the other side. The leader was wearing a dark robe and had an elegant appearance. He looked only seventeen or eighteen years old, but his eyes were full of vicissitudes of life. He was none other than Yan Zhang, the head of the Blood Spirit Sect and the great monk who was feared by everyone in Donghua Continent.

He looked down at the cultivators on both sides who were as small as ants below, with a smile on his face, his clothes fluttering, and his temperament free and easy, just like an immortal. No one would have thought that he was a demon cultivator with countless blood on his hands.

Yan Zhang raised his head, looked at the Qi Yuanying across from him, and said with a smile: "If you fellow Daoists change your minds, this battle can be avoided."

Ziyang Sect's head, Taoist Du Qing, said calmly, "The arrow is on the string and must be shot."

Yan Zhang nodded slightly and praised: "The cultivators of your country are more dignified than the cultivators of Wu country. After this battle, the time for the cultivators of your country to relocate their sects can be extended from three days to five days."

The Taoist master surnamed Shen, the head of the Tiangang Sword Sect, snorted coldly, raised his head and stared at Yan Zhang with his eyes as sharp as swords: "The outcome is still unknown, Brother Yan, don't be too confident!" His cultivation is only in the middle stage of the Nascent Soul, but as a sword cultivator, his combat power is extraordinary. Even when facing a great cultivator, he has no fear at all.

Yan Zhang didn't take his provocation seriously. He chuckled and said no more.

……

When the Nascent Soul cultivators of both the righteous and evil sides were exchanging words, the army of cultivators finally started the fight.

Both sides would not allow the Foundation Establishment cultivators to be slaughtered wantonly, and every time a battle broke out, the Core Formation cultivators would tacitly rise to high altitudes and open up another battlefield.

This has been the case in every battle in the past. Usually, as long as a Jindan cultivator died or one side fell into a disadvantage, they would retreat on their own initiative.

After the Jindan cultivators had decided the winner, the foundation-building cultivators would naturally also decide the winner.

But today is the decisive battle, and both sides are fighting to the death.

After the Jindan cultivators have determined the winner, they will attack the foundation-building cultivators and inflict maximum damage to the opponent.

After three years of fighting, the two sides have formed a blood feud. If they did not wantonly slaughter the other side's low-level cultivators, they would also suffer heavy losses on their own side. They would even attack the foundation-building cultivators first.

When the Jindan cultivators from the two major demon sects came forward, Chen Yuan saw Liu Fan.

He rushed straight towards Elder Wang Xian of Lingyun Sect, but his eyes were roaming over the group of foundation-building cultivators, as if he was looking for someone.

Chen Yuan smiled slightly, stroked his storage bag, took out a dark green steel fork, and went to meet a demon cultivator in the late foundation building stage.

This steel fork was a top-grade spiritual weapon that he got from Yue Zishan's storage bag after he robbed and killed Yue Zishan and others. It had a pure and positive aura, not like something used by a demon cultivator. It should have been obtained from the foundation-building cultivator who was guarding the Guiyuan Sect's spiritual stone mine.

The commonly used spiritual weapons in Chen Yuan's hands either exploded or were taken by the white ape in the Fantasy Moon Mountains. He was temporarily out of spiritual weapons. After returning to the sect, he practiced and refined this steel fork for two months and was able to use it as easily as his arm.

The opponent he chose was a demon cultivator who also controlled a top-grade spiritual weapon, but was not from one of the two major sects. His aura was comparable to Chen Yuan's, and both had recently entered the late stage of foundation building.

The two men were evenly matched in chess and immediately started fighting, with no clear winner.

At this time, Liu Fan had already started fighting with Wang Xian, but his attention was still on the Lingyun Sect's foundation-building cultivators below, looking for Wei Wuji. However, after a quick glance around, he found nothing.

Over the past few years, Liu Fan has been obsessed with the two magic weapons in Wei Wuji's hands. He inquired from many sources about the physical cultivators in Lingyun Sect, and asked several cultivators under his command to search for his whereabouts. Every time he went into battle, he also paid special attention to the cultivators of Lingyun Sect, but found nothing.

He was very puzzled. With Wei Wuji's strength being not inferior to his own and few rivals below the Jindan stage, he should be well-known. However, no one had ever heard that there was such a physical cultivator in the Lingyun sect who was able to rival a peak foundation-building cultivator.

Liu Fan found out that in the entire Qi State's immortal cultivation world, only the Zi Yang Sect had a physical cultivation tradition. More than 20 years ago, a physical cultivator who only had the Qi Refining level appeared, but he died in the secret realm of Dongxu Mountain.

It is said that in the past few years, a Jindan elder of Ziyang Sect has trained a body cultivator, but he only has Qi refining skills, which is far from Wei Wuji.

Liu Fan once suspected whether Wei Wuji was a cultivator from Ziyang Sect, but after thinking about it for a while, he rejected this idea.

At that time, Wei Wuji's strength was almost the same as his, and Yu Qing set up an ambush to kill him, but failed in the end. There was no need to conceal his identity. He should be a cultivator from the Lingyun Sect, but he hid himself so deeply that no one knew that he was a physical cultivator.

Liu Fan calmed down and continued to look for Wei Wuji's trace. During this period, he killed two cultivators in the early Jindan stage and became famous.

But Wei Wuji seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth and never showed up in the Demon-Slaying Desert, so Liu Fan always returned empty-handed.

Today the forces of good and evil will engage in a decisive battle. Liu Fan learns that the six sects of Qi State are almost sparing no effort. The Lingyun Sect has even sent out its deacons and disciples, so Wei Wuji will certainly not be absent.

But after a careful search, he still found nothing.

Liu Fan frowned and released hundreds of blood spirits in his body to block Wang Xian's flying swords that kept attacking him. He was still unwillingly searching for Wei Wuji's trace.

This time, he focused on a dozen mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators who covered their faces, and used his powerful spiritual sense to spy on their faces, but still found nothing.

Suddenly, he remembered that Wei Wuji used the strength of his physical body to repel the blood spirit. His mind moved and his spiritual sense reached out to several late foundation building cultivators who were covering their faces.

Wei Wuji's body is so strong that after performing the secret technique, he is comparable to a fifth-level monster. It is very likely that his cultivation has reached the late stage of foundation building.

After all, the threshold for physical cultivation to improve its level lies in the physical body. As long as the physical body is strong enough, it will not be hindered by bottlenecks.

But at this moment, Wang Xian noticed that Liu Fan was absent-minded. He was furious and pointed at someone, shouting, "Behead him!"

The bright yellow flying sword in front of him split into thirty-six sword lights, all slashing towards Liu Fan. Within a thousand feet radius, sword energy was everywhere.

Liu Fan's expression changed. He dared not be careless anymore. He withdrew his spiritual sense and concentrated on fighting the enemy.

Because of Wei Wuji's incident, he has a deep understanding of Lingyun Sect. Wang Xian has been famous for a long time and is only one step away from the middle stage of Jindan. He is proficient in the art of flying swords and has extraordinary strength. He should not be underestimated.

As soon as he had a thought, the hundreds of blood spirits in front of him condensed into thirty-six blood spirits, with rich blood light, and rushed towards the sword light differentiated by Wang Xian, blocking the attack.

The two men fought each other and rose to a height of thousands of feet to avoid affecting the foundation-building monks below.

Only after one side is completely defeated and loses the power to resist, will these Jindan cultivators kill the foundation-building cultivators and weaken the opponent's potential.

The two of them were already a bit slow, and the other Jindan cultivators had already risen to high altitudes and were fighting in a group.

Magical weapons and blood spirits intertwined, the ghosts of spirit beasts danced, the sea of ​​fire and the long river collided, countless brilliant lights shone, and the momentum of the fight between the Jindan cultivators was earth-shaking, affecting an area of ​​thousands of feet. Some foundation-building cultivators were caught up in it and could only die silently.

The cultivators from both sides simultaneously lowered their lights to escape, only a few dozen feet off the ground, almost falling into the desert, just to avoid the aftermath of the fight between the Jindan cultivators.

(End of this chapter)