Great Red Immortal Sect

Chapter 554 Battle Front
Frontier, Qinghu Lake.

The grassland, a blend of green and black, stretches as far as the eye can see, with cattle and sheep grazing. At its center lies a vast, azure lake, its surface shimmering and boundless like the sea. Wild geese often fly high in the sky, and silver fish leap from the water.

Traces of infighting can be seen along the lake. Most of the mortal cultivators and monks are of mixed Liao customs, and there are even remnants of other foreign tribes.

The area near Qinghu to the west is heavily influenced by the Xikang Plain. Prayer flags and five-colored prayer flags left by the ancient Xiangxiong Kingdom can be seen everywhere, printed with dense scriptures, incantations and auspicious symbols. The skulls of young boys and girls can be found everywhere on piles of stones of all sizes.

If you go east, you will reach the vast Dai region where the Northern Wei Tuoba clan rose to power. Beyond the ancient capital of Shengle, you will see the Yan and Yun regions, which are respectively governed by the Taizhen and Qinghua sects.

This formed the basic battle line between Liaodong and Lijiang.

The void above Qinghu Lake suddenly shattered, and a gleaming white fist slammed out, creating a howling wind and surging lake water.

A young man in a white robe stepped out, his sleeves adorned with sun, moon, dragon, and snake patterns. His handsome face exuded an air of authority, and with a casual gesture, his surging blood energy condensed into a rainbow that soared straight into the heavens.

It was Feng Yan. He looked calm and there were no signs of injury on his body. With the supernatural ability of regenerating from a drop of blood, there were few injuries in the world that could trouble him.

Riding the wind, it flew straight south.

To the south of the lake lie the ruins of the ancient Qiang people, a vast gray-yellow desert with only a few magnificent, broken mountains and hills. The soil is muddy yellow, and the dark gray stone carvings are mostly decorated with images of ram-headed demons.

This place is the [Huangdi Desert] under the jurisdiction of Yunxiang Prefecture. Now it serves as an important town on the border of Liao, but there is no sign of construction and it is completely silent.

Feng Yan's eyes brightened slightly, his gaze gleaming as he surveyed the area.

In the past, when the two countries were in a standoff, they would send out a large number of soldiers to charge back and forth, set up battle formations, and make a grand show of force. But now, there is no sign of any low-level cultivators.

In the current situation, even Foundation Establishment is of little use, let alone military formations that have achieved Fetal Breathing or Qi Refining, which are meaningless.

Even if you gather a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators and form an army, with the help of spiritual artifacts, you can at most touch the edge of the Vajra of Wish Power. The Purple Mansion can kill them all with a thought. What's the point?
The outcome of a battle is often decided by only the most elite group of cultivators.

With his supernatural powers, killing millions would be an easy task. The troops he keeps are only used for garrisoning and cleaning up the mess. At this stage, the troops are even less useful.

Iron-gray clouds gathered in the desert, and smoke and sand swirled and scattered. A magnificent black palace sat in the center, which was the temporary palace of the Liao prince [Tie Sui], and also a rare evil spirit artifact, forged by the Northern Star Heretic.

Feng Yan rode the wind down and went straight to the palace. When the guards on both sides saw the newcomer, they all bowed down and dared not utter a sound.

The palace gates opened, splitting into upper and lower sections, resembling the gaping maw of a beast ready to devour its prey. Gray clouds gathered within, forming a long path that extended into the inner hall.

The hall was decorated mostly in gray and white, with black snakes slithering about in the corners, making the hall seem even more demonic.

Several white stone lanterns hung in the air, their lamp holders filled with wisps of pure white spiritual clouds that did not dissipate, radiating a pure and clear light of true qi, unaffected by any evil influences, illuminating a burly man on the black iron throne.

This man was ugly, with skin as black as charcoal and hair like iron brushes, yet he was tall and imposing, like a sea-patrolling yaksha. He wore a wide, iron-gray royal robe embroidered with ferocious beasts, mostly whales, salamanders, owls, tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves.

The massive throne, forged from black iron, could barely contain the man's body. From a distance, it looked like some kind of demon in human form, with a restless and volatile aura of fire emanating from him, ready to burst forth at any moment.

Prince of Liaodi, Tie Sui.

This person cultivates the supreme fire, and his cultivation level has reached the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm, which is quite remarkable.

On the left is a white jade nine-tiered lotus platform, upon which sits a monk, middle-aged in appearance, with kind eyes and a round face, short stature, and a golden kasaya embroidered with lotus flowers.

Surrounding him, circles of light gathered, emanating auspicious power, as if millions of people were constantly chanting his Dharma name, with golden radiance and auspicious light spreading endlessly.

On the right, below the steps, stood a young man draped in a deep purple robe. He had gentle features and a refined demeanor. Purple aura clung to him like clouds, yet within it were specks of demonic light.

The young man was the first to notice Feng Yan's arrival, bowed respectfully, and said:

"I have seen the Demon's Appearance."

Tie Sui, seated at the head of the table, lowered his gaze slightly, a smile appearing on his beast-like face. A rough, harsh voice emerged from his throat, mixed with a foul sulfurous odor.

"General Feng Yan is not in charge of the overall battle situation at Xishan. What brings you to my palace?"

As a descendant of the Xiao clan, he received the Emperor's favor and possessed a clear mind, thus avoiding being burned by the fire. However, the evil accumulated through his cultivation was transferred to his physical body, resulting in this ugly appearance.

Feng Yan frowned slightly, and the atmosphere in the hall momentarily froze.

He ignored the prince and paid little attention to Jingxing Zhenren who had emerged from the Demon Land. Instead, since entering the hall, this Blood Qi Grand Cultivator had been looking at the golden-robed monk beside him.

"【Mingying】, how is the Pure Land arrangement going?"

Feng Yan asked the question in a detached tone.

On the white jade lotus platform, Mingying slightly raised her head, first chanting a Buddhist prayer, and then slowly opened her eyes. From the halo beside her, a series of sorrowful cries rang out.

"All sentient beings in the ten directions, with sincere faith and joy, in this degenerate age, my path is easy to follow—" Suddenly, various signs of compassion and vows arose around him, as if the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss was manifesting. Judging from his cultivation, he had reached the Bodhi level, the first stage, which was much stronger than the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

However, the Great Master Mingying quickly stopped chanting. He felt a sharp divine intent locking onto him, and a warning arose in his heart.

The round-faced monk withdrew his strange appearance, stepped down from the lotus platform, bowed slightly, and said:
"Reporting to the general, I have already established the [Pure Land of Wishes] in the Great Void. First, I put it away and transformed it into a golden seed, and then I hid it with turbid qi. Even if the King of Lanshan has great abilities, he will not be able to find it."

Feng Yan nodded slightly. At present, the main force to resist the immortal path of Li Kingdom still has to rely on Shi Xiu.

This Venerable Mingying was one of the four Buddhist masters from Liaodi, known as the "Wangshengdao," and was a major force in protecting Qinghu.

This path has a long history and is the origin of modern Buddhism. It is an ancient Buddhist lineage. In later generations, after the fall of the Xia dynasty, another Buddha appeared, whose Dharma name was "Great Vow Immeasurable World-Honored One". He established this Dharma gate for opening up the Pure Land and widely gathering vows.

Feng Yan then turned his gaze to Tie Sui and asked in a deep voice:

"Now, the area between Qinghu and Daidi is under my jurisdiction. The main force of the Lei tribe is attacking Xishan. King Lanshan will also be there, and I will definitely be unable to leave at that time."

"Can you protect this Qinghu Lake?"

His tone carried a hint of doubt, though the current arrangements here could be considered quite comprehensive.

Ming Ying brought not only the Pure Land Treasure with him, but also three Vajra companions. This lineup alone is enough to easily suppress a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator.

The Pure Land of the Lotus has been passed down since ancient times and has been nurtured for a long time. It has accumulated a great karmic burden and is presided over by a great master of Buddhism like Mingying. It should be safe and sound.

Iron, seated on the black iron throne, pondered for a moment before speaking:
"If Song Yunlan of Lanshan does not come out, this place will be as solid as a rock, and no one can conquer it."

“I have been fighting him in the Six Prefectures for years. His son has barely broken through and only has one supernatural power. He is not a threat. Taizhen has not supported him much. He either mobilizes the armor spirit of Tifeng Mountain.”

Tie Sui spoke in a deep and serious tone. He had been stationed here for many years and was quite familiar with the army of the King of Lanshan.

Although this prince wields great power, he is responsible for protecting the border defenses from Qingzhou to Yongzhou. Tianshui is just one of the many places he is responsible for. Even though he is a late-stage Purple Mansion cultivator with immense power, he has very limited number of immortal cultivators under his command and has been retreating to the frontier in recent years.

As long as Xishan, the main battlefield, can exert enough pressure, and Lord Fengyan can hold back the main forces of Leibu and Lisong, then the pressure at Qinghu will be nothing.

"Don't forget, the Thunder Department of Dali has also been transferred here."

Feng Yan's tone carried a hint of warning, but Tie Sui simply smiled and said:

“I am naturally prepared, General, there is no need to worry. Even if Zhuoxie attacks, we can handle it here. In the battle between the two sides, we are just following the orders of the Lord. If he has one more Purple Mansion, we will have one more Great Master here. It's not much difference.”

Seeing the other party's expression, Feng Yan stood up, his tone growing colder:
“When I arrived at the North Sea, I happened to meet that True Man Bijie. He is not easy to deal with, and his mountain gate is right next to Tianshui. I think he is most likely to come to your place.”

“She Lei is not easy to deal with. If you are not careful, you may suffer.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the monk and the demon beside Tie Sui, both of whom were being punished by the village thunder. If they were to be struck, it would be difficult to deal with them.

"General, rest assured, I have naturally invited a Taoist master to keep an eye on things. So what if the Sword Immortal is away from the country? Does our Great Liao lack one?"

Tie Sui's tone was quite confident, as if he had been prepared for this.
Feng Yan was too lazy to say anything more. He had already fulfilled his responsibility as the commander by coming here. At that time, Xishan would be his main battlefield, since the location of that spiritual mountain was much more crucial.

He broke through the void and left this place.

The news of the Song family obtaining the [Changwu Ancient City] could not be kept secret. The officials in Liao naturally understood the other party's intentions. There were only a few suitable spiritual sites to settle in this city, so they naturally prepared to defend it long ago and give the immortals of Li Kingdom a hard time.

He was in charge of the western border, and there were two other fronts, namely in Daibei and Yanyun, where the fighting should be even fiercer.

Now, all Liaodi needs is to delay the fall of that Great Wall as much as possible, so that the leaders in the rear can make a response and prepare a way to deal with the Great Wall.

【Changwu Ancient City Wall】was originally a crucial border defense weapon of the Xia and Yan dynasties. Later, it was refined into a magical treasure by Emperor Taizu of Shu.

This city was originally built to defend against the Zhao court in the north. Its power is immense, and its usefulness in such a war far exceeds imagination. Moreover, it has a mysterious connection to the fate of the nation.

Feng Yan rode on auspicious clouds formed from blood-red light, his thoughts shifting.

"The Earth-based magic weapon should be made using Wood-based magic. This is a scheme orchestrated by the Mysterious Demonic Land, but we don't know its current status."

After traveling north for a long time, they finally saw a tall and majestic sacred mountain ahead. At the summit, layers of golden-red flames surged, and various kinds of copper and iron were visible emerging from the rocks. Looking eastward, a pure white river could be seen stretching endlessly into the distance.

Xishan and Baihe are the main battlefields.

Feng Yan stood with his hands behind his back, looking towards the southern sky. He could already see golden thunder surging and azure lightning leaping. Heavy dark clouds piled up in the sky, lingering for a long time, and faintly emanated a vast and powerful aura.

"Da Li Thunder Department."

(End of this chapter)