Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 614 Tianxing Loses His Formation, Bu Se Rushes to His Aid
— Several months later
This time, Fei Tianqin really went all out. He left Sheshan Hall and Xuanwei City, passed through Yunjiao Prefecture and Xian Prefecture to replenish his supplies, and combined the strength of the six Golden Elixir sects since Chongming Sect. In just over a month, he broke through the Huizhou defense line formed by Qianfolin and Hongfen Temple.

It was during this battle that the news of Jiang Sanye, who was of the same rank, achieving a mid-grade elixir was finally revealed to the public.

Not long after Headmaster Kang revisited the former site of the Yunze Witch Lord's Palace, Fei Tianqin, that old bird, was still in no hurry to rest. He used the Yingshan Army as the vanguard to break through the great formation formed by the other nine Golden Core sects of Huangpi Dao, who were hastily responding to the battle.

Nine Golden Core cultivators either died or fled, causing chaos and disorder throughout most of Huangpi Dao.

The disintegrating cultivators, blinded by the terror of life and death, formed small groups and wreaked havoc in all directions, causing countless acts of wrath and resentment.

Sect Leader Kang occasionally shows kindness, but he has no power to defy Fei Tianqin's strategy of speed and efficiency. At most, he can only ask the cultivators within the Chongming Sect's jurisdiction to lend a helping hand if they can.

The changes that occurred in Huangpi Road were clearly beyond what the True Immortals on the other side had anticipated. Even Xiang Tianxing, who had only just heard the news, had to abandon the front line in Dingzhou and bring five Golden Elixir cultivators from the Star-Picking Tower to provide support in order to somewhat quell the morale of the army.

Kang Dabao heard that the Yuejian Mountain team was already on the road, but when they were halfway there, they turned back for some unknown reason.

Even he knew about this news, let alone keeping it from the local residents of Huangpi Road, which made everyone in Huangpi Road even more anxious.

Fei Tianqin's attack was extremely ruthless. Even if Xiang Tianxing himself intervened, he could only save his life at most. The five cultivators from the Star-Picking Tower were indeed extraordinary, but the hearts of their Golden Core disciples had already been broken, so it was difficult to reverse the situation.

The Fei family's military force was not slowed down too much by the cultivators from Zhaixing Tower. The huge army pushed Xiang Tianxing and the others all the way to the intersection of the Ancient Xuandao and Huangpidao, Guxian Peak, with one fresh life after another.

This old bird has been getting a rather frighteningly cold look lately. If the Golden Core cultivator opposite him were to be caught by him and had no outstanding ability to escape, he would be injured if he got close and killed if he was just grazed.

Fei Donggu and Kang Dabao were equally ruthless. It was only because Zhaixinglou was willing to send out five top cultivators that they were able to barely hold on to the two.

Even so, at least one-third of the Golden Elixir cultivators of Huangpi Dao have perished.

You must know, this is a truly barren place. And who knows how many centuries it will take to make up for the lives lost in this mass of golden core cultivators?

Objectively speaking, this was somewhat taboo. Even the headmaster Kang, who was always by his side, was worried that the old man with the flat hair was acting so crudely and might anger the real people on the other side. They were so annoyed that they decided to send one of them to take Fei Tianqin's life first.

Sect Leader Kang temporarily put aside these distracting thoughts and began to examine the low peak that lay before him.

"Once you step across, the territory on the other side will be under the control of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Kang Dabao's eyes lit up, and after a moment of golden light, most of the ancient immortal peak's layout in front of him became useless.

As the boundary mountain between Huangpi and Guxuan, Guxian Peak obviously did not need to make too many arrangements for the Nascent Soul portal of Yuejian Mountain in the past.

After all, although the Yunze Witch Lord Hall, Thousand Buddha Forest, and Red Powder Temple, which are in charge of Huangpi Road, are extremely cruel, the leaders of these places know how to be respectful and obedient to the cultivators of Yuejian Mountain.

Therefore, the scattered formations set up on Yuejian Mountain were originally just for show, and also to collect some commercial taxes from passing merchants.

Even at their peak, these formations were not very powerful, let alone now that they are in disrepair. Xiang Tianxing ran several days faster than the Fei family's team, which meant that the Fei family's formation had been hastily repaired.

However, it is obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that this belated attempt to salvage the situation is of little use. Even with these large formations added, this place is still not a good place to resist the enemy's overwhelming numbers.

The only way for Xiang Tianxing and his group to break the deadlock is to find strong reinforcements to rely on.

The saying that Master Kang was benevolent and righteous was not an exaggeration. Just as he sighed for Xiang Tianxing, the sound of drums and gongs rose from the rear, and the several righteous soldiers who were attacking the front retreated quickly as if they had been granted a pardon.

The opposing cultivators were clearly unwilling to let them go easily. Before the Fei family's reinforcements even arrived, countless spiritual lights burst forth from Ancient Immortal Peak. The once well-organized Yi Cong army formation was suddenly severely damaged, with a thick layer of flesh torn off, and it immediately collapsed.

The Foundation Establishment cultivators at the forefront became the target of everyone's attacks, and most of them barely escaped with their lives.

The few scattered Qi Refining cultivators who fled in panic had not yet stopped groaning when the first few who had fled were led aside by the Fei family disciples who were waiting at the front of the formation.

These Fei family members didn't say much, but after a few words of reprimand, they raised their silver knives, which gleamed brightly.

A few breaths later, accompanied by streaks of blood shooting into the sky, heads fell to the ground.

The remaining Qi Refining cultivators, who had just returned from their retreat, were just beginning to feel a sense of shared sorrow when they saw the once fierce Fei family disciples so busy that they didn't even wipe the blood off their knives before stuffing the Foundation Establishment spiritual items into their own pockets.

Then a cultivator with exceptional pupil techniques came over with a register, and skillfully reviewed the merits and demerits of the other cultivators, determined the rewards, and inquired about their past conduct.
During this time, someone went through the origins and hometowns of the deceased cultivators one by one, and talismans were attached to the bulging storage bags for safekeeping.

Finally, as one spirit stone after another and one rare treasure after another fell into the hands of these people, the survivors, their faces filled with joy, either left or stayed.

Money is indeed tempting; just this one set, even along the way, has been seen several times. The other followers who were waiting in the rear also felt their hearts heat up considerably.

"Trading one's life for a better future is truly a worthwhile deal!!"

Fei Nanying, watching from the side, didn't feel sorry for the supplies. He thought that when there were no more military tokens to use, it would be better to use these worthless items for testing purposes.

This system of rewarding merits and punishing demerits was devised by Master Kang, so he naturally wouldn't be distracted by it. He simply rushed over to Fei Tianqin's side.

Those rogue cultivators risked their lives to verify the array formation of the ancient immortal peak opposite them. A group of array masters, including Wei Gu, used the mirage screen in front of them and kept calculating with compasses in hand.

Drops of hot sweat cascaded onto the ground, creating a cloud of white steam.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the clearly defined battle positions were revealed before Fei Tianqin's sharp eyes.

More than a hundred flying boats of various ranks, resembling dark clouds obscuring the sun, were driven to the front by the Fei family disciples and suspended above the Ancient Immortal Peak.

Before the Star-Picking Tower could react, the gilded array-breaking patterns covering the ship's surface suddenly shone brightly, the patterns flowing with a cold spiritual light, enveloping a large amount of spiritual energy from heaven and earth and drawing it to the ship's belly.

The massive cannons lined up on the hull gleamed with a dark blue lightning, dazzlingly bright.

"put!"

The flagship's bow, Fei Donggu, read it in a low voice.

In an instant, beams of lightning as thick as bowls shot down like divine punishment, crashing into the makeshift array that had been temporarily patched up on the ancient immortal peak.

How could such a well-calculated formation possibly withstand such attacks?

In the eyes of the Great Sect Leader Kang, the broken array patterns shattered instantly like a spider web, golden light fragments flew everywhere, and rubble accompanied by the screams of cultivators splattered. The mountain walls were barely covered with a layer of flesh and blood before being blasted into smoke by the next wave of lightning cannons. On the mountainside, dozens of third-tier crossbow platforms were lined up along the mountainside.

The crossbow platform is based on black iron wood and inlaid with high-grade spirit crystals for power. The bowstring is made of the tendons of a third-order golden python, which gleams with dark purple spiritual light. Each crossbow platform has three crossbow bolts that are ten feet long.

The arrowhead was wrapped with a pale purple flame talisman, and the shaft was engraved with armor-piercing patterns. It could pierce even the robes of a pseudo-core cultivator with a single arrow.

"Release the arrows!" As soon as the commander of the Shooting Camp, Fein, gave the order, the trembling of the bowstrings immediately drowned out the screams that filled the mountain.

A barrage of crossbow bolts shot out like meteors, some piercing straight into the remaining array flags in the formation, scattering sparks everywhere.
Some were nailed to the rocks of the peak, and the explosive talisman exploded with a roar. Purple flames, along with rubble, surged forth, scorching large sections of the mountain wall black and turning countless lives into fresh fuel.

Kang Dabao watched as half of the ancient immortal peak began to burn into a sea of ​​fire, and the last bit of the array's mystical light was about to be completely devoured by the rapidly spreading flames.

At this moment, he suddenly began to admire Xiang Tianxing in the formation.

He felt that if he were in the other's shoes, he might not have the ability to make these scheming cultivators from various factions try their best to stabilize their positions.

"No wonder he can become the head of general affairs of a Nascent Soul sect!"

After all, he is a peak Golden Core cultivator whom all the True Immortals say has the potential to form a Nascent Soul; he should naturally possess this ability.

Just as the sect leader Kang sighed, another batch of freshly made, gleaming golden puppets were brought forward under Fei Nanying's command.

It was at this moment that the drums and banners in the Fei family formation suddenly became lively.

Because of repeated reprimands, the rogue cultivators, whose minds were deeply imprinted with the military system, took the lead in action; followed by the five Golden Core sects and their vassals brought by Fei Tianqin.

Kang Da's Chongming Alliance is considered exceptional, ranking last alongside Fei's Yingshan Army.

The immortals in the eyes of mortals suddenly became worthless, their formation so tight that they were even more closely packed together than pomegranate seeds in autumn.

The more than a thousand golden puppets were actually hastily made.

Even though each one was two zhang tall and its weapon was extremely ferocious, it was still just a silver-plated spearhead.

However, before they had even reached a hundred feet, half of it had already rotted away. As a result, most of the cultivators who controlled the puppets showed pain on their faces, and their spiritual consciousness was damaged, making it difficult for them to continue.

However, apart from a few unlucky souls whose brains splattered on the spot, this was considered a good thing. After all, they only had to wait to be dragged back to the clinic by the Fei family disciples in charge of the search, and they no longer had to use their own flesh and blood to withstand the light of the Dharma, like the rogue cultivators behind them.

A large group of rogue cultivators didn't even see their opponents' faces before dissipating into wisps of smoke. However, they had no choice but to retreat. The magic swords of the Golden Core sect disciples behind them were also bright and clear, and their own flesh and blood were still no match for them.

One after another, the scattered cultivators collapsed and regrouped, and before they knew it, the lucky ones had completely merged into the Golden Core Sect's formation.

The disciples of the Chongming Alliance and Yingshan Army's Golden Core Sect standing behind them also felt a chill run down their spines.

"There is no retreat, only advancement; this is what it means to advance without retreat!"

As Xiang Tianxing heard the wailing from the other side getting closer, even his fellow disciples behind him showed signs of fear.

Kang Dabao stood on the high platform behind the formation, watching the scattered puppets and charging rogue cultivators in front of him, his eyes gleaming with spiritual light. He knew perfectly well that the Fei family patriarch was single-mindedly focused on a quick victory and would not care about the lives of those under his command.

Or to put it another way, not showing compassion for these lives at this moment is the true way to show compassion for human lives.

Even under such a disregard for human life, after only two or three days, the sea of ​​fire on Ancient Immortal Peak curled into dark purple embers in the twilight. The traces of lightning on the charred peak walls had not yet faded, but the spiritual light of the remnant array of the Star-Picking Tower had already dissipated like a broken string.

As Kang Dabao's magic eye found another crucial point, Yuan Jin, wielding a third-tier spirit puppet, led the Qingjue and Chizhang guards to break through the strong formation again, causing another gasp of surprise from those in the formation.

It was at this moment that Jiang Qing, acting as the arrowhead, cut off the last superior cultivator on the opposite side before the Golden Core cultivator could do so.

The central army's battle flag was shattered, and the remaining cultivators either surrendered or fled, leaving only a chaotic purple light at the summit. This purple light was easy to spot; apart from Xiang Tianxing, no one else on the other side possessed such a conspicuous spiritual energy.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he suddenly crushed a blood-red jade slip, and his essence blood instantly ignited into a sky full of red mist, completely obscuring the vision of the Chongming Alliance disciples who were the first to gather around.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, he gripped his halberd tightly, used his last bit of spiritual power to unleash a streak of light, and fled towards the Ancient Mysterious Path like a stray dog.

"I go!"

Fei Tianqin gave a light shout and made instructions, and the sect leader Kang and the others immediately stopped in their tracks.

A hundred dragon-headed flying boats hovered in mid-air, the cold light of the gilded array-breaking patterns gradually fading, and the heavy cannons on the hulls remained silent like lurking giant beasts.

The third-tier crossbow platform on the mountainside had ceased fire, and the captains were gathering the remaining explosive crossbow bolts. Beside the black iron wood base, the confiscated magical artifacts were piled up into a small mountain, and the high-grade spirit crystals gleamed with a warm light in the twilight.

More than a thousand broken golden puppets lay scattered at the foot of the mountain. Though reduced to scrap metal, they bore witness to the devastation they had caused by the enemy's retreat. It was these hastily made consumables that tore open a gap in the ranks of the rogue cultivators and sect disciples.

Fei Nanying stood at the bow of the flagship, his black robe stained with gunpowder smoke. His sharp eyes swept across the battlefield, but he didn't seem too concerned about Xiang Tianxing's escape. He simply said in a loud voice:
"Pass on my orders! Sweep away the remaining enemy forces, imprison those who surrender, and kill those who resist; quickly inventory the spoils, use urgently needed items to temporarily replenish military supplies, and collect double the amount from the Fei family vouchers after the battle; the dead will be compensated according to their merits, and the wounded will be sent to the hospital! We will rest for half a day, and after that, we will advance again!"

The order was relayed throughout the army. Merit-recording cultivators carried their registers and moved among the corpses, while storage bags with talismans affixed to them were neatly stacked.

The alchemists hurried along, constantly on the move;
Artifact makers naturally became highly sought after, surrounded by cultivators carrying all sorts of broken magical artifacts.
The rogue cultivators, who had survived the calamity, were completely exhausted, yet they still clutched the spiritual treasures they had risked their lives for, not letting go for even a moment.

The sect leader Kang had never imagined things would go so smoothly. It seemed that even Zhaixinglou had lost a cultivator in this battle.

Half a day had passed, and Fei Tianqin still hadn't returned, nor did they know if Xiang Tianxing was still alive. However, from Fei Nanying to Headmaster Kang, there was no real worry.

The army moved out on time, and just then, Kang Dabao, with his strong spiritual sense, sensed that another troop had arrived behind him.

He spoke with Fei Nanying and Fei Donggu together, and then used the Full Moon Visualization Method to see the flags and leaders of the troops. He was surprised and asked, "Why is Chief Clerk Buse here too? If this is reinforcements, it's not very strong, is it?"

As the procession drew closer, the pot-bellied monk, as usual, rushed forward with a smile on his face.

But whether it was just his imagination or not, Master Kang felt that after so many years, this time when he saw the wine-and-meat monk again, the latter seemed to have acquired a more profound air about him.

(End of this chapter)