Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 478 The Restoration of France
"The Golden Core cultivator was actually forced away by himself?!" Upon seeing this scene, the Qingjue Guards, who were full of fighting spirit, were suddenly filled with pride. Their arrogance was almost immediately on display, and it was hard to see the usual complacent and unassuming demeanor that their elders in the sect often showed.

Bian Hu took a deep breath, and only now did his right hand, which was tightly gripping the magic weapon, dare to tremble slightly. "That's a golden elixir!"

If his Shishan Sect in Puzhou ever produces a True Core cultivator, he, as the sect leader, would gladly kill himself by crashing into the sect's ancestral hall.

It was truly audacious of Kang Dabao and his group of juniors to actually dare to offend the dignity of the higher cultivators. Especially Yuan Jin, who was usually unremarkable, actually dared to use his Dao soldiers to force this dignified Pill Master to come and help him.
"He's risking his life like that, he probably won't live long!" Bian Hu thought to himself for a moment, then stopped. He turned his head and looked at the Grand Master Kang, who was holding a short halberd and silently watching the direction Gu Chengsen had fled, for a long time. Finally, he sighed and said, "If this kid continues to be so domineering, I'm afraid it's hard to even guess who the next Grand Master of my Shishan Sect will be."

Kang Dabao and Bian Hu were actually quite apprehensive. The reason they were able to force Gu Chengsen to retreat was because they had just achieved the Golden Core stage, but lacked suitable magic weapons for refining and transformation of their core essence. Furthermore, they had been severely injured by Chu Yanran's Six-Sided Embroidered Bamboo Bone Golden Thread Lamp.
If any one of these factors is not met, our side will likely face only defeat and destruction.

He might be comparable to Yuan Buwen, but if they were to truly fight, he might be less experienced than the latter. Jiang Qing and Bian Hu, the alchemist, might be evenly matched. After all, few of the four hundred Qingjue Guards had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, so they should be qualified to be alchemists.

Even with their combined strength, they are still far inferior to Yue and Yuan, who can fight Wu Feng Shangxiu alone. If Gu Chengsen is willing to risk his life, the outcome of today's battle is hard to predict.

That being said, even if Gu Chengsen valued his life, didn't this disciple of the Chixin Sect still manage to retreat calmly? How could the Grand Master Kang and his group of lesser cultivators dare to pursue him?

Thinking of this, Sect Leader Kang suddenly couldn't suppress his injuries and vomited a mouthful of hot blood. The Golden Qi of a dignified cultivator is not so easy to withstand. If it were someone with a fake core in a different situation, they might have also been killed by Gu Chengsen's full-force attack.

After Kang Dabao vomited blood, all the cultivators present paled. Even Bian Hu, the only outsider, showed genuine concern and rushed over to examine his injuries.

"It's nothing," Sect Leader Kang waved his hand and turned to Yuan Jinyan, saying, "Second brother, you continue to oversee the search for remaining enemies among the various factions in the alliance. If you encounter any troublesome ones, surround them if you can, and let them go if you can't. Make sure there are no more casualties among the disciples in the alliance."

"Understood," Yuan Jin replied, his body drenched in sweat as if he had just been pulled from the water.

Commanding a military force is an extremely demanding task. Not to mention Yuan Jin, even someone like Shu Zhengde, who is well-versed in military affairs and has entered the imperial court, would find commanding a major battle of the Imperial Guards of several cities exhausting, no less so than fighting to the death with several peers.

Fortunately, at this time, of the two Golden Core cultivators belonging to the Red Heart Sect, the sect leader, Red Bone Cultivator, was still recovering from his injuries and probably had little chance of winning against Chu Yanran.
Chixin Daozi Gu Chengsen has just been forced to leave, and it is unknown what his future plans are, but he is unlikely to get involved in the battle again in the short term.
All four fake core cultivators, except for the Grand Elder Red Maple Core Master, perished.

In other words, at this point, only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators are rallying their followers to form an array for self-preservation. With the Red Heart Sect leaderless, no one in the group has the ability to overturn this situation.

Kang Dabao, disregarding his long period of recuperation, was eager to rush off to help Lady Qi. After all, whether he could actually help was one thing, but whether he would go was another.

This time, however, it was Jiang Qing who remained to protect Yuan Jin. Bianhu Dan Master was given a dangerous task by the Grand Master Kang, but unlike Yuan Jin, he didn't try to find excuses to refuse. He simply looked at the short halberd gleaming with mysterious light in Kang Dabao's hand and obediently agreed without saying a word.

After all, he knew this day would come when he joined the Chongming Alliance. The Grand Master Kang didn't just want to hang him up as a figurehead and support him; he really wanted him to be at the forefront and lead the troops into battle.

"However, even a cultivator with red bones is no match for Senior Chu, is he?"

Bian Hu put away his magic weapon and rode alongside Kang Dabao toward the place where Chu Yanran and Hong Gu Shangxiu were fighting fiercely at the front of the battle.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At this moment, the Red Bone Cultivator was in a rather disheveled state. He could be considered a seasoned cultivator, having formed his core nearly two hundred years ago, but perhaps due to limitations in aptitude and resources, he was still only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm.

The cultivation after the Core Formation stage is infinitely more difficult than the Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining stages.

Those who can form a genuine Golden Core are all geniuses within their respective provinces and sects. However, even these geniuses, after forming a Golden Core, may encounter some setbacks in their cultivation and remain stuck at the bottleneck of the initial stage for the rest of their lives.

Logically speaking, for a Red Bone cultivator to surpass a newly promoted junior like Chu Yanran based on her years of experience in Core Formation shouldn't be considered too difficult.

However, the latter's magic weapon was extremely powerful, and it was clear from its appearance that it was of extraordinary origin, unlike the Heart-Burning and Bone-Corroding Token used by the Red Bone cultivator.

In his prime, Honggu Shangxiu was found to have a weakness by Chu Yanran and was forced to flee in a sorry state. Now that he is still injured, how could he possibly be a match for this vile woman?!

Whether to fight or not is not up to him, this heretical cultivator, to decide.

Hong Gu Shang Xiu had some difficulty withstanding the purifying fire blade projected by Chu Yanran's palace lantern. After the flames melted the spiritual light on his forehead, the hand seal in his hand immediately broke open. The pain made his nostrils burn and blood gushed out.

"You wicked woman!!" Red Bone Cultivator cursed again, his brows twitching as the constant wails and screams of the Red Heart Cult members reached his ears.

"Even if this lowly maidservant is unable to take my life, if I were to flee alone, wouldn't I be losing all my ancestral possessions and my entire fortune here?! If that were to happen, even after I recover from my injuries, wouldn't I be no different from a rogue cultivator?! How could I possibly hope to pursue the path of cultivation again?!"

The plight of rogue cultivators at the Golden Core stage will be evident in the example of Wu Feng Shangxiu, a path Hong Gu Shangxiu would not wish to follow.

Upon reaching this point, the Taoist seemed to be driven to desperation. He clenched his right hand into a sword shape and slashed fiercely at the last joint of his left little finger.

A section of finger bone, about five inches long, along with a few drops of hot blood, fell off. Xiu silently chanted a spell on the red bone, and as soon as the difficult and obscure incantation was uttered, the flesh and blood attached to the finger bone rotted into mud and fell off in a sparse mess.

The translucent finger bones were suddenly revealed, resembling blood jade, dazzlingly beautiful.

"Edict!"

After Honggu Shangxiu let out a loud shout, his finger bones shattered and scattered into red dust. The Burning Heart and Corroding Bone Order suddenly exploded into a scarlet blood mist in Honggu Shangxiu's palm, and bronze skeletons, numbered according to the Heavenly Stems, emerged from the air wrapped in corrosive black smoke.

The ground was instantly melted by the poisonous fog, creating honeycomb-like pits, and the smell of rotting flesh caused all the surrounding spiritual plants to wither and turn yellow instantly.

Chu Yanran's expression hardened slightly as the colorful embroidered lantern spun rapidly on her wrist, its six lampshades reflecting six different colors of light: red, gold, blue, purple, and white.

As the poisonous mist falling from the sky was shredded into dust by the colorful light, the bamboo-bone lamp stand emitted a clear phoenix cry, and the phantom images of six magical treasures—sword, mace, knife, spear, lance, and club—came out together and slammed down on the ten bronze skeletons.

The movements of these ghosts suddenly froze. Hong Gushangxiu frowned, his hand about to change the spell again, but unexpectedly, he had only made half of the spell when the old wound on his left shoulder burst open. Dark red blood instantly broke through the ointment that was repairing his body, gushing out as if it were free.

Not long after Hong Gu Shang Xiu's momentum waned, seeing that the bronze skeletons were all beaten and listless, a fierce look flashed across his face. Then, the red demon tattoo engraved on his waist suddenly detached and transformed into a figure over ten feet tall, protecting him.

The red demon spewed out black smoke with sparks from its seven orifices, which mixed with a few wisps of poisonous mist that had not yet dissipated. Just as it wrapped around the bronze skulls, it suddenly expanded and burst, and the flying bone fragments actually reformed in mid-air into a burning ghost face totem.

"Break!" Chu Yanran's pretty face turned cold. She bit her tongue and spat out her essence blood. Several silver seal characters appeared on the surface of the six-sided embroidered bamboo-ribbed gold-thread lamp. They leaped out from the red flames bursting from the lamp wick and scattered in more than a thousand places in just a few breaths.

Even under the blazing sun, these crimson flames were still dazzling and bright as stars.

"Just who is this lowly servant girl?!"

The expression on Hong Gu Shang Xiu's face grew increasingly grim. The ghost face totem floating in mid-air was twisted and deformed under the scorching heat of the supreme yang fire. The red ghost on the other side had its beard and hair standing on end, and the ferocious look on its face also faded a lot. The madness between its brows was gradually replaced by fear, and the wild roar was stuck in its throat and could not be heard!
"Fight to the death then! Do you really think my four hundred years of cultivation have been for nothing?!"

The crimson flames burned brighter and brighter, and suddenly a blood-red array rose from the ground. The Heart-Burning and Bone-Corroding Token flew out of the red bone cultivator's hand and instantly transformed into a bone spear that burst out of the ground.

Before the dark green venom condensed on the spear tip could even drip, the spiritual energy of half of the spiritual herbs and trees on Mount Mugen was instantly devoured by the poisonous mist, and within a few breaths, they rotted into a lump of mud.

This bone spear was obtained by the Red Bone Cultivator after nearly three hundred years of studying the profound mysteries of the Red Heart Sect's top-grade Hong-level cultivation technique, "Burning Marrow and Scorching Bones Technique." He also used his natal magic weapon to refine and utilize it, making it a true trump card. If he cannot stop Chu Yanran's momentum, then there is indeed no need for further battle.

Chu Yanran flicked her fingers, and the palace lantern in her hand leaped into the air before her, spinning rapidly. Clusters of crimson flames formed a wall of fire, scorching the poison on the bone spear until it was completely dried. The foul odor that had just escaped was immediately burned away by the wall of fire. However, the "Burning Marrow and Scorching Bones Technique" practiced by the Red Bone Cultivator was not to be underestimated. Chu Yanran's wall of fire could not block it. After only a short while, it carved out a hole the size of a tree stump, and starlight scattered in all directions, like shooting stars.

The moment the bone spear pierced the wall of flames, the illusory images of six magical treasures—sword, mace, knife, spear, lance, and cudgel—shook and rushed to block, only to be blasted away to an unknown location.

With the last barrier outside Chu Yanran's palace lantern blocked, it meant that there were no more obstacles between the two magical treasures!

"boom"

The six-sided embroidered bamboo-ribbed gold-thread lamp collided with the bone spear formed by the Heart-Burning and Bone-Corroding Order. A ring of air burst forth where the two magical treasures struck, and the surrounding rocks cracked in response. Two cultivators who were fighting far below the rocks were caught in the crossfire. Their minds were thrown into chaos, and both suffered internal injuries and serious wounds.

The red bone cultivator's eyes widened in shock. As his injuries worsened, he vomited black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs, and the decaying bones caused foul-smelling pus to seep from the cracks on the surface.
Chu Yanran's expression grew colder, but her eyes flashed like lightning. The golden flame of the wick inside the palace lantern suddenly surged nine feet, and clusters of crimson flames rose again, burning the remaining poisonous mist around them into a sky full of phosphorescent fire.

A crisp "crack" shook the battlefield, and the broken bamboo lanterns suddenly burst forth with their original radiance.

The six colorful rays emanating from the six embroidered brocades bound the vital acupoints of the red-boned cultivator like chains. The bright lamp wicks burned brighter and brighter, and the thousands of flames projected out almost roasted the red-boned cultivator, skin and bones, until they were charred dry.

Clutching the Heart-Burning and Bone-Corroding Token tightly, the latter had no more will to struggle, and the mournful cries of the loyal followers around him could no longer move him in the slightest.

The old man opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply, sucking the Crimson Demon, which was teetering on the brink of death under the lamplight, into his belly. Although Chu Yanran was young, witnessing this scene, how could she not know that the Red Heart Cult member was about to escape?!

Even if we can't stop him, we'll make sure this old man suffers another layer of skin!

The beautiful woman stretched out her soft hand, and the ten scallion-white hairs intertwined to form a mysterious incantation. The six colorful embroidered bamboo-ribbed golden-thread lamps immediately increased in size, and the six magical treasures that had just been repelled and scattered in all directions solidified again, suddenly pressing down on the red bone cultivator.

The latter showed absolutely no intention of resisting. The moment the Crimson Demon entered his stomach, he clutched the Heart-Burning, Bone-Corroding Token and turned to flee. What of a thousand-year-old foundation, a lineage of cultivation, disciples, concubines, or children—was any of these more important than his own life?!

Having cultivated for many years, and having honed his skills in the face of life and death for countless years, the Red Bone Cultivator was indeed quite adept at finding a way to survive. Even though he was in a very sorry state, he managed to escape from the increasingly tight fire prison woven by Chu Yanran.

As Chu Yanran watched the figure of Hong Gu Shang Xiu fade away, the two, Headmaster Kang and Bian Hu, arrived in a disheveled state, covered in blood. The beautiful woman did not reprimand them, but listened attentively to what they had to say. A hint of surprise suddenly rose in her eyes and then quietly disappeared.

As Chu Yanran dispersed her divine sense, the entire Mugen Mountain was exposed, revealing that most of the Red Heart Sect members had scattered like birds and beasts. The only ones who still had the will to fight were a few stubborn members of the Red Heart Sect with white hair and beards, who were still gathered at the core array plate, constantly repairing it.

With a flick of her slender finger, the six colorful embroidered bamboo-ribbed gold-threaded lamps hanging in front of her slowly stopped turning and ceased to rotate. They gradually withdrew the surrounding crimson flames into their own, leaving only one delicate flower remaining on her fingertip.

With a sip of her almond-shaped lips and a fragrant breeze, Chu Yanran's crimson flames, carried by the wind, burned ever brighter as they hurtled toward the Red Heart Sect's array masters. By the time the flames reached them, they seemed to have covered half the sky, transforming into a sea of ​​fire.

The fate of these array masters was not hard to guess; they didn't even have a complete body, and they vanished with the wind. On the other hand, the core of the Wood Mountain Grand Array was still solid. Under such an attack, it only dimmed its spiritual light for a moment, and there was no sign of any major damage.

After doing all this, Chu Yanran showed no sign of pride. Instead, she spoke softly and melodiously, "Young Kang, go and inform the Duke of Qin's mansion that today, the two senior cultivators of the Red Heart Sect have all fled. Our department is currently searching for and eliminating the remnants of the Red Heart Sect, and all fourteen counties within the territory of Fazhou will be recovered by today. This is a small contribution to repay your generous treatment."

"Yes!"

————Shanbei Road, Sanding Prefecture

Both being Golden Core sects, the current battles experienced by the Jin family of Ligu and the Beikui sect are far more intense than those of the Chixin sect.

Outside the mountain gate, which was not particularly luxurious or grand, most of the people from Wu Laoshan, who had been in charge of the northern route of the mountain for many years, were crowded together.

The Imperial Guards led by Shu Zhengde, a general of the Imperial Guards, had just quelled the rebellion of Wang Beixing, the elder of the Blood Sword Sect's Battle Hall.

The Yingshan Army, which was built by Fei Yeyi, the head of the Fei family, and has shown its prowess in every battle.
There were also disciples from various sects in the northern part of the mountain who were affiliated with Wu Lao Mountain, and elite troops from the five prefectures who were ordered to serve by the Duke of Qin's mansion.
There are already more than two dozen highly skilled cultivators who were once rare to see. Not to mention the presence of Master Yueyin and Fei Tianqin in the center, what can a mere Golden Core cultivator possibly use to resist them?
If it weren't for the return of his prodigy and the presence of the venerable Wen Fengzi in the center, the Jin family head would have readily given in, kneeling and bowing in reverence.

Even so, the Jin family of Ligu and the Beikui Sect have fewer and fewer disciples available, not because Wen Fengzi is no match for Master Yueyin.

Indeed, due to the schemes of the former and Jin Fengqing, Yueyin Zhenren was injured and ended up in a situation where he was evenly matched with Wen Fengzi, who was still recovering from his injuries.

Although Jin Fengqing was no match for Fei Tianqin, he could easily hold his own against this veteran.

As for the remaining powerful spirit ships and cultivators on the other side, Xiaoshan now gathers at least one-third of the Golden Core sects in the entire Shanbei Dao. With the mountain gate formation that is already in great disrepair, they can barely maintain their position.

The various factions had long been dissatisfied with Wu Lao Mountain, and they were even less inclined to have a favorable impression of the Qin State Duke's Mansion, which had brought Wu Lao Mountain under its control.

Furthermore, Wen Fengzi's instigation, along with the claim that soon most of the Nascent Soul sects in the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty would rise up in rebellion, and that the whole world would be in rebellion, with the Shanbei Dao being the first place to raise an army, would surely bring great wealth and honor to all the families within it.

Thanks to Wen Fengzi's half-truths and half-lies, seemingly nonsensical rhetoric, the morale of the various factions in Xiaoshan was still relatively high, enough to hold out for some time.

After all, if the world really changes drastically, and each family puts in so much effort and risk their lives to help others, it is not impossible that they will actually become rich and powerful in the future, and that their humble cultivation will be able to ascend to the halls of the capital.

The sound of cannons rang out again today, and even though the Jin family head was recuperating in his quiet room, he could faintly hear it. Since he wasn't the one on duty today, the Jin family head could suppress his fear and focus on his recovery.

Unexpectedly, as time went on, the sound of cannons outside grew louder, and gradually, the noise of drums could no longer be masked and came through the walls.

The Jin family head found it difficult to calm down. He drew a few lines with his fingers and glanced at the scene on the mirage screen. He was shocked and then broke out of his meditation and rushed towards the great formation.

The mirage screen still retained the image of Wen Fengzi being severely injured by the Five-Colored Magic Sword of the Moon-Hidden True Man. If Jin Fengqing hadn't risked his life to snatch him back from the front lines, he might not have survived.

Meanwhile, Master Yueyin was not as smug as one might expect. He watched as the Fei family's Yingshan army was forced to retreat by Xiaoshan's grand formation, and Fei Tianqin made no noteworthy achievements amidst the encirclement.

"After these few battles, the Fei family of Yingzhou is not as formidable as I had previously heard."

The various factions gathered in Xiaoshan were quite resilient. Even though their own master was seriously injured again, they gradually stabilized their position and showed no signs of collapsing.

The Moon Concealer Master had also suffered considerable losses from injuring Wen Fengzi, making it difficult for him to achieve further success. Moreover, he saw that his own army's momentum was gradually being worn down by the formation used by Xiao Shan's side. After calculating for a while, he realized that he had indeed gained a lot of advantage.

With their forces overwhelming their strength, there was no need to expect to achieve victory in one battle. Upon realizing this, Master Yueyin sounded the gong to signal a retreat.

The Immortal Dynasty's forces retreated like a tide, and Fei Tianqin, who had been besieged by several high-level cultivators, was much more composed in his retreat than before. He only glanced briefly at the Yingshan Army, who had easily escaped the entanglement with the cultivators from Xuanxiao Mountain and returned to their formation, before swiftly returning to his own tent.

A feather brushed past the layers of spiritual barriers within the tent, revealing a gigantic alchemy furnace that was burning hot. Beside the furnace stood a Taoist priest with a sinister face, looking listless and clearly overworked.

Fei Tianqin skipped the pleasantries and went straight to the point: "The play can't go on for much longer, how much more energy do you have left?!"

(Thanks to the super handsome guy who can't wake up every day for the 1,745 coins)

(End of this chapter)