Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 513 Unfinished Mission
Perhaps it was because the fresh head on Yuan Jin's banner was too conspicuous, but the shouts of killing from the Chongming Alliance, accompanied by the gongs and drums, made the disciples of the nearby Sanxian Cave dizzy and disoriented, as if they had lost their parents.

It is true that the general is the soul of the army. The disciples of the Three Immortals Cave were almost scared out of their wits when they saw Yuan Chang's terrifying face.

At this moment, even the few peak cultivators who were usually known for their courage and fighting spirit were rarely heard among them. They hunched their shoulders like the other disciples of the Three Immortals Cave, showing no sign of daring to stand out.

Jiang Qing, along with the two alchemists Bian and Xu, stood atop auspicious clouds, overlooking the battle. Whenever they saw which side's Three Immortals Cave disciples were well-organized and advanced in a controlled manner, they would descend and use their magical treasures and artifacts to dampen their spirits.

After breaking through six formations and killing more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, the morale of the Three Immortals Cave was truly at an irrecoverable level. Yuan Jin seized the opportunity, and the golden characters on the banner suddenly shone brightly.

The flags of each battalion and the hundred-man army also emitted a spiritual light, and the flag bearers, who were usually very stingy, took out pieces of mid-grade spirit stones and put them in their hands. As the array base spiritual materials that had just been given to them were refined in an instant, a large amount of spiritual power was seen to be combined with the array formation and poured into the array flags.

The dazzling light emanating from over a hundred military flags flashing simultaneously was so striking that before the disciples of the Three Immortals Cave could react, a plethora of enhancement runes—"Forge Courage," "Strengthen Heart," "Protect Body," "Recover Spirit," and "Break Edge"—were showered upon the cultivators in the formation as if they were free.

Before Duan and Kang, leading the Qingjue Guards, could even exert their strength, they saw a general from the Chizhang Guard tear off his already tattered spiritual weapon armor, wield a mountain-splitting axe, and charge bare-chested. In just a few breaths, he had completely annihilated the hundred-man army formation that had a breach in the Three Immortals Cave.

When it burst out of the crowd, it was covered from head to toe in colorful bits and pieces.

Yuan Jin, who was in charge of the main force, saw that the man's eyes were spitting fire and smoke was rising from his head, which scorched the fresh intestines hanging on his forehead into a charred color. Then he shouted several times and led his soldiers to charge forward.

Large chunks of flesh and blood flew out, the wails grew more and more miserable, and the general's shouts and encouragement grew louder and louder, proving him to be a truly fierce general.

"Ahem, Second Senior Brother, the head of the Yang family of Hongshan is really going all out."

The one speaking to Yuan Jin under the banner was Zhou Yixiu, whose figure had become even more hunched. Yuan Jin turned his head upon hearing the voice and looked at the latter's pale face. He was even a little worried that Zhou Yixiu would be overwhelmed by the murderous aura of the army of thousands of people who had marched together.

However, Zhou Yixiu was getting old and his actions became somewhat stubborn. Since his brothers could not persuade him, they had no choice but to leave him under the central banner so that Yuan Jin could take good care of him.

After carefully examining Zhou Yixiu for a while and confirming that she was indeed unharmed, Yuan Jin breathed a sigh of relief and then began to ponder the deeper meaning behind Zhou Yixiu's words.

Yuan Jin and Zhou Yixiu, who had also lived in Yehushan for a long time, had a general impression of Yang Xun, the head of the Yang family in Hongshan, and both felt that he was sinister and not a kind person.

However, actions should be judged by deeds, not intentions. At least the Yang family has always been respectful, and Yang Xun has always been brave in battle. Therefore, it should not be judged solely by personal likes or dislikes.

In fact, Yang Xun's desperate fighting style was quite effective.

As the saying goes, "One man's willingness to sacrifice himself is enough to frighten a thousand men." The head of the Yang family was quite astute, and the timing he chose was indeed perfect.

He charged forward alone for a while, and then led his elite troops in another charge. In just a few breaths, a large part of the elite army of the Three Immortals Cave, which was fighting against Qingjue and Chizhang, collapsed.

The rout of these core members of the Three Immortals Cave sect truly sounded the death knell for this hastily assembled group. Yang Xun's actions also set a bad example for the Chongming allied forces.

The Kangda Sect Leader's long-standing practice of rewarding trust and punishing righteousness has indeed been effective. Even in this great battle of a thousand men, some still dare to follow suit and leap out into battle, even charging straight into the enemy's stronghold single-handedly.

After all, what foundation do ordinary cultivators have? If they yearn for a longer path to immortality, then having the chance to risk their lives for a bright future is already a rare opportunity, so why should they cherish their lives?
Although the disciples of the Three Immortals Cave were of varying quality, they were not yet at the point of collapse. Seeing that more of their comrades who jumped out died than survived, the fiery atmosphere that had surged in the various military formations of the Chongming Alliance gradually cooled down.

Upon witnessing this scene, Duan Anle, who was in charge at the front, not only did not show any anger, but also breathed a sigh of relief. While charging into battle could certainly boost morale, if the goal was truly to secure victory, it was still necessary to stabilize the army's formation.

The Chongming Alliance is now almost certain of victory. The right thing to do is to continue to overwhelm the Sanxiandong army with its overwhelming force. At that time, the latter will lose their will to fight. Even the strong among them will be swept away by the fleeing soldiers and become lambs to the slaughter!
The Azure Jade Six-Leaf Lotus Formation is a military formation originating from the Zhang family of the Li clan and popularized by Zhang Yuandao, the founder of the Chongming Sect. It has long been improved and enhanced by several veteran soldiers through the Fei family's connections, thanks to the help of the Grand Master Kang.

The current changes in offense and defense are far beyond what they were when Yuan Jin led his army to reinforce Jia Chou military camp. The disciples selected from the Chongming Sect, while not quite having mastered the Azure Jade Six-Leaf Lotus Formation to perfection, are certainly highly skilled.

But then Duan Anle changed the command flag in his hand, and the group of fellow disciples in the Qingjue Guard formation quickly changed their positions and incantations. The difference in the time it took for the spiritual light to appear in their palms was only a fraction of a second.

The sharp lotus leaves are like knives and axes, rising and falling without any reason. Whether it is a spiritual mountain cliff as solid as diamond or a cultivator's physical body tightly wrapped in a magic robe, once it touches it, few can escape unscathed.

With the Qingjue Guards maintaining their discipline and composure, the Chizhang Guards, whose formation had already fallen into disarray, had no worries about their rear when they charged into battle.

The Blood Jade Burning Formation that Yuan Jin tailored for him was found in the old papers of the armories of various counties. Although it may lack some of the essence, it has achieved some results over the years thanks to Yuan Jin's tireless practice.

Even though the Crimson Guards' formation was already scattered, they were still no match for the Three Immortals Cave disciples whose fighting spirit had waned. Even with some losses, the thought of the generous supplies promised by Yuan Jin before the battle made the killing intent in their eyes fade away.

Moreover, at this moment, it was not only the two teams that Chongmingzong had personally trained that were desperately exerting their strength.

The newly compiled array formations created by the Hanshan Sect, selected from virtuous young men, have already begun to show results. Since Xu Liuxian was promoted to Pill Master, he has boldly begun to recruit rogue cultivators to establish their foundations. Whether they are taken in as disciples or made guest advisors, in just a few short years, the number of true cultivators in the Hanshan Sect has increased to the number of two hands.

Zhou Zhaoyi and Ji Yunsheng, these two trusted sworn brothers, have also made great progress in their cultivation. If they gather their forces and launch a surprise attack, which of the Three Immortals Cave's army formations can withstand them for even a moment?
Over the years, the Shishan Sect has managed to make Puzhou as impregnable as a fortress. After all, it is a prefecture, and no matter how barren and desolate it may be, it is still more than enough to support a pseudo-core sect.

Compared to most families in the alliance, the equipment of the Shishan Sect disciples was obviously a level higher. In other words, the Chongming Sect disciples, whose entire sect was quite enthusiastic about picking up storage bags, were a cut above them.

Despite their slightly weaker military formation, their strength and resources allowed them to fight valiantly, with He Yuanhe and his fellow cultivators causing the motley crew from the Three Immortals Cave to flee in disarray.

Besides the two fake alchemy sects mentioned above, there is also Xiu Ming assisting Mo Wen in leading over a hundred magical artifacts from Qiaogong Fort, with more than ten kinds of puppets appearing one after another.
Furthermore, the Ming family sword formation, presided over by Ming Hui, was dazzling and its myriad swirling lights pierced the darkness.
Furthermore, the heads of the five foundation-building families of Hemudao, Ma, Shan, He, and Lu also took the lead, personally guiding their family elites to bravely fight on the front lines.
Finally, there were over a thousand local soldiers from Ping and Jin counties, and hundreds of volunteers selected from over four hundred families in Hanya Mountain. They were so tempted by the readily available military merits that they spared no effort and were able to kill the disciples of Sanxian Cave so badly that they cried out in agony.

With such a downward trend seemingly irreversible, people's hearts are naturally in turmoil.

The number of retreating disciples from the Three Immortals Cave began to increase. Many of the newly added Chongming Sect army formations did not even get close to the enemy before the opposing square formations scattered.

Faced with such a situation, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the main formation in the Three Immortals Cave could neither resist nor dare to stop it. In fact, even they themselves couldn't say what the point would be if they continued to persist.

Therefore, the outcome of the battle at Leihua Mountain is certain to be decided by no other means. Just as Kang Rongquan had become accustomed to the slippery surface, even the number of times the Qingling magic array on his spirit boots could be activated was exhausted by the surging waves of blood.

All that remained was the fact that the blades in the hands of Jin Shilun and his son had been dulled by the neck bones of the disciples from the Three Immortals Cave, and their two handsome faces were covered in blood.

As Han Xundao, Yuan Changsheng, and the others repeatedly used their magical weapons to reap lives, they remained unfazed, even as their meridians were torn and burned by the exhaustion.

Standing on the clouds, Jiang Qing finally saw the Chongming Alliance's army formation resemble a wave, washing away the colorful sand and gravel of Sanxian Cave, leaving it in ruins and unable to rise again.

"The Three Immortals Cave is no more here!!"

Before Jiang Qing could even utter a sigh, and before Bian and Xu could react, a purple-robed alchemist with a hint of satisfaction on his face stopped concealing his aura, and rushed to his side with lightning speed, praising him:

"Having witnessed the might of your army today, I, Tiger, understand that the so-called overwhelming force is nothing more than this."

"Fellow Daoist Tiger, you're too kind," Jiang Qing said politely, managing a slight, strained smile before falling silent.

Over the years, as his swordsmanship has become increasingly refined, Jiang Qing's personality has become increasingly aloof. Apart from a few close people within the sect, it is difficult for outsiders to see any other expression on his face.

However, since this Pill Master surnamed Hu was introduced by his own Uncle Lian, Jiang Qing couldn't be too cold towards him.

The former had once helped Lian Xuepu, so Lian Xuepu reciprocated by asking the Chongming Alliance to give the second-grade top-quality spiritual vein to the Tiger-surnamed alchemist so that he could set up a Daoist temple.

After all, it was already quite remarkable that the Chongming Alliance could bring its allied forces to Shanbei Road, let alone stay in this place with no foothold for long. Since they were going to sell anyway, they might as well sell to a Liang family who were close to Lian Xuepu, so that they could at least strengthen their power.

These days, Ye Zhengwen has been searching for information everywhere and has finally learned some bits and pieces of news about the Hehuan Sect.

Dozens of male cultivators, comparable to Pan Bi and Wei Jie, spend their days revolving around a Crimson Snow Immortal. If the sordid affairs and filthy squabbles within them could be compiled, they would be enough to support half of the storytellers of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty.

It is true that Lian Xuepu was the most favored among them, but his disadvantage was that he had no background and his path to enlightenment had been cut off. In terms of having full wings, he was far inferior to the others, such as Chunfeng and Fentao.

If he were still all alone as before, Lian Xuepu might not have anything to worry about.

However, since he has already begun to fight against Chu Han, the highest-ranking of the twelve Spring Breeze Envoys under Jiang Xue Zhenren, in order to protect Chongming Sect, he also needs to gather his forces and listen to his advice.

These fake Core Formation forces are merely icing on the cake. Lian Xuepu's transcendent status within the Hehuan Sect has long been known. Even though Chu Han and others are True Core Formation cultivators with promising futures, they are far less popular than Lian Xuepu in the eyes of those Golden Core sects.

After all, everyone knows that Master Jiangxue is aloof and dislikes being disturbed by outsiders. Therefore, it would be a very worthwhile thing to seriously befriend Lian Xuepu, a close person of Master Jiangxue.

In just over a month, many cultivators from the surrounding area sent their close nephews, nieces, and direct disciples to inquire about his well-being, including the Yang family of Yezhou, who had a fairly good relationship with Sect Leader Kang.

These powerful clans may be cruel and ruthless, or insatiably greedy, but by no means can they be called fools. Just as ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring, they are the ones most keenly aware of the changing times.

The bustling activity in front of the Hehuan Sect is a result of the increasingly desolate state of Wulao Mountain, another Nascent Soul sect located nearby.

This logic is indeed self-evident, since Wu Lao Mountain has no successor, it's no wonder that its vassals are each seeking their own way to survive. After all, apart from Wu Lao Mountain, no one else seems to care too much about whether the northern route of the mountain will change hands in the future.

Therefore, given the current obsequious attitude of many cultivators towards Lian Xuepu, in this battle at Leihua Mountain, Chongming Sect might not even need to appear as the main character; they could easily see the bandit stronghold of Sanxian Cave wiped out.

But according to Lian Xuepu's own thinking, since Chongming Sect was already being targeted, it was better to show some strength and avoid trouble.

As long as others can see your sharp claws, even if there are still people in the Hehuan Sect who covet the Fei family's position, they will choose a more opportune place to make their move.

Objectively speaking, the Chongming Sect has now become Lian Xuepu's Achilles' heel. However, with Headmaster Kang's Chongming Sect still on the rise, it seems only a matter of time before this Achilles' heel is transformed into a powerful force.

However, since Leihua Mountain was captured by Chongming Sect, Lian Xuepu was clearly unwilling to let his fellow disciples suffer losses, so he demanded a very good price from the Hu-surname alchemist. It's just that the repayment period is rather long; it will take half a century to pay off the principal and interest.

To be honest, this deal was hardly a bargain. But since it was a favor his martial uncle had to repay, what else could Chongmingzong, from Yuan Jin down, possibly say?

Jiang Qing was always intelligent and could easily sort out these complicated matters. However, he had no intention of exchanging pleasantries with the Tiger-surnamed alchemist. He only hoped that Yuan Jin below could finish presiding over the military formation as soon as possible and come up to take the old cultivator in purple robes to deal with him.

In an instant, Lei Huashan's blood energy surged to the sky, even making the newly risen sunset seem to be dyed a shade darker.

The shouts of killing, pleas for mercy, wails, and cries went unheeded. At that moment, a sweet, salty, and fishy smell permeated the air, attracting countless hungry, gray-feathered birds of prey.

They are often frightened away by the soaring evil aura, but then they are reluctant to leave and turn back. Heaven knows how long their race will be tempted to eat the flesh and blood on this mountain today, so they are unlikely to give it up.

Yuan Jin ignored the cries of agony in the arena and paid little attention to the ferocious bird overhead. Although this battle was a great victory, it was actually largely due to the overwhelming strength of his three alchemists, which rendered the Three Immortals Cave faction disorganized.

The army's many shortcomings were overshadowed by this great victory. If they become complacent from then on and fail to be mindful of potential dangers, they will surely suffer another great loss in the future.

Yuan Jinli stood under the banner, observing the situation perfectly. For every word he spoke, Zhou Yixiu beside him would inscribe a word on a jade slip, a tacit understanding between them.

However, just as the brothers were enjoying their time together, Jiang Qing, who was above them, received two more messages: "A Golden Core cultivator is leading an army toward this place; the sect leader has already set off to return to the sect."

(End of this chapter)