Longevity starts with choosing Hextech enhancement

Chapter 398 Your Excellency: A Desperate Struggle - All-Out Attack
The initial cleaning of the array base is a relatively simple task.

All you need to do is remove the spirit stones that haven't been used up yet, rinse them with a special spirit liquid, and then mark all the damaged areas with paint.

However, these three seemingly easy steps are actually quite simple.

In reality, it was extremely difficult, to the point that even the Arhats in the temple couldn't help.

The first step is very simple; almost any disciple could handle it.

However, starting from the second step, the difficulty will gradually increase.

It should be noted that even the replaceable ordinary array bases used as the array bases of a fifth-order grand array are made of top-quality spiritual materials.

Therefore, although they don't look very big.

Even the lightest piece weighs over 800,000 jin (400 tons), and there are many others weighing over a million jin (500 tons).

If one does not have the cultivation level of Nascent Soul or Golden Core, they would hardly be able to lift it.

However, the most difficult part is actually the third step.

If the earlier steps could be solved by cultivation, this final step tests a cultivator's sensitivity to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the strength of their divine sense.

In the vast majority of cases.

Only fourth-level cultivators can rely on their powerful divine sense to observe and find the subtle damage.

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, don't you find this strange?"

Xiao Chen was puzzled by this: "A large portion of these array bases clearly did not use spiritual materials that can shield divine sense."

"However, they can still interfere with external divine senses from probing, forming a natural barrier."

"This made it impossible to entrust this task to the disciples."

Zhang Shouquan shook his head: "It's not surprising at all. There must be a reason for this."

He turned around with a smile, his left hand on his hip and his right hand outstretched: "Want to know what's going on?"

"Give me the books first."

However, to his surprise, Xiao Chen neither refused nor presented the book after hearing this.

Instead, she suddenly widened her eyes and looked him up and down.

A perfectly timed look of surprise crossed his face, as if he had heard something incredible.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Chen's expression changed: "I always thought you were very good at formations."

"So you didn't know either!"

"For such a simple, basic question, I actually have to study the tips and tricks that others have given me first."

"Are you sure you can do it? If not, I'll go and call Fellow Daoist Gangyuan back to help."

Ok?
Zhang Shouquan was taken aback. "Who are you saying can't do it?"
Why do you have to doubt my skill in array formations?
He immediately retorted, "How could I not know such a simple, basic question?"

"The art of array formations is to emulate nature. Each high-level array base carries the array master's design philosophy and his personal insights into cultivation."

"The fifth-order grand formation already involves the understanding of the Great Dao, so how could it be something that third-order cultivators can delve into?"

"Of course, only a Nascent Soul True Monarch can handle it."

After saying that, Zhang Shouquan proudly raised his chin.

Xiao Chen offered appropriate encouragement: "Wow, you even know this? You're really amazing! I'm impressed!"

Zhang Shouquan turned his head and said, "Then what do you think?"

He then reached out again, demanding, "Now you can give me the book, right?"

He didn't realize it yet.

Xiao Chen hadn't actually agreed to give it to him after answering the question.

However, since he already wants the classics...

Xiao Chen stopped joking and went along with it.

Then I started my task of cleaning up the base.

Judging from the previous situation, Zen Master Jingchi is really working hard. Let's not just joke around, but seriously help him share some of the burden.

It is worth mentioning that.

Although Xiao Chen was not very helpful in the subsequent repair of the array base.

But he still listened to the explanation and memorized all the words written in the book.

Since cultivators have good memories anyway, let's memorize it first.

Maybe I'll have a chance to use it in the future.

In addition, after cleaning the array bases piled up in the warehouse, Xiao Chen also participated in refining spirit ore.

Just like the Zhaokong Sect did back then, they forcibly used their true essence to repeatedly wash away most of the impurities in the spirit ore.

Thanks to its exceptional quality of true essence, the purification effect was quite good, and it was of great help.

Ultimately, with the help of the three of them, Zen Master Jingchi's efficiency in repairing the array base was greatly improved.

Over the course of half a month, not only were several damaged array bases repaired in a timely manner, but also a small portion of the previously replaced spare array bases were repaired.

The most direct manifestation of this is that Zen Master Jingchi not only had time to rest.

They can even find time to participate in the rotation defense.

In contrast, the sea creatures' attacks have been slow to yield results.

They had already estimated that the formation of Pudu Temple was about to collapse, but they couldn't wait for the chain reaction to occur.

At first, the sea creatures wondered if there had been a calculation error.

However, after half a month...

They have also realized that either the intelligence they obtained from the human traitors three years ago was problematic in itself.

Either Pudu Temple has already received support.

Ironically, even at this point, there were still some Golden Core cultivators among the human race who secretly sided with the sea race and acted as spies.

They exchange cultivation resources for helping them gather intelligence.

However, due to their lower cultivation level, information is often transmitted much more slowly.

The battle between Asakusa and Kaido ended almost a month ago, and it took several detours to finally deliver the news to His Majesty.

Of course, there are advantages to delaying it.

That means the content is clearer and more comprehensive.

For example, intelligence reports mentioned that Xiao Chen successfully dismantled the Thirty-Six Turns Cold Smoke Golden Talisman through Yang Fire Fiend and a fortuitous encounter.

The message came from what the Iron Fan True Lord himself told his disciples.

This was to prove that the human race's fortune was unbroken and that they were still blessed by Heaven, thereby encouraging the disciples to believe that the human race would surely win and that this battle would be won.

"Xiao...Chen".

His Majesty held the intelligence report and softly read out the name of the culprit: "It's you again."

"You killed Huang'er, and you destroyed the Zhaokong Sect."

"You are the one who saved the Sword Pavilion, and you are also the one who destroyed the Shallow Sky Sea."

He murmured and shook his head, slowly exhaling a long breath: "So there really are people in this world who can be born from calamity."

Then he looked up at the starry sky and wondered: "Could it be that fate truly exists in this world, and everything has already been predetermined by cause and effect?"

His Majesty didn't believe in this before; he only believed in his own fists and bloodline.

But now, he's really starting to waver.

It wasn't just because of Xiao Chen, but also because back when the decision was made to attack the Sea of ​​Compassion.

One of his few close friends, Zheyuan, had expressed his opposition.

It was a sea spider that had lived for over nine thousand years and possessed strength comparable to the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage, but it had always hidden in an extremely deep abyss in the far sea and dared not come out.

What he said at the time was: "The time is not yet ripe, and we have not yet accumulated enough strength."

"It would be best to be patient for a while longer and then take that step completely."

At that time, His Majesty simply thought he was afraid, and also wanted to seize the initiative.

He then gathered the fourth-tier demons and golden-core sea fish he encountered along the way, forming a coalition to attack the Compassionate Sea.

But things have developed to this point.

He also had to admit: "Perhaps Zheyuan is right, I was too impatient."

Actually, this story begins about three hundred years ago.

Long before the abnormal spiritual energy was detected on the Compassionate Sea side, the great demons of the distant sea had already noticed that the concentration of the spiritual energy tide was changing every morning.

And this change has become increasingly apparent over time.

Under such circumstances, in those unknown places, round after round of bloody competition quickly erupted.

In the vast, endless sea, the most primal and brutal process of natural selection began first.

Countless sea fish and sea beasts were defeated in the battle and became a pile of minced meat.

However, many more sea fish mutated, and many more sea fish defeated their own kind, plundered their essence and blood, and thus broke through to a higher realm.

To some extent, the Venerable One also enjoyed the benefits of the spiritual energy tide.

Over a period of more than two hundred years, he successively killed a total of thirty-three fools who dared to challenge him.

Each one, when placed in the outside world, is equivalent to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

The number of ordinary fourth-tier demons they hunted on a regular basis was countless; they had forgotten the exact number.

Thus, he acquired a vast territory and became a regional overlord.

He even tamed three giant sea monsters as pets and mounts to show off his power.

And after absorbing so much blood and flesh essence, the Venerable One finally broke through his bloodline limit and took a firm step toward the fifth rank.

But that's precisely where the problem lies.

His extremely thin dragon bloodline greatly hampered him, preventing him from fully overcoming that hurdle.

This is a very big difference between demons and humans.

For humans, even those born with spiritual bodies need to start their cultivation from Qi refining.

However, for the demon race, as long as their bloodline is strong enough, they can be born with power comparable to Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core.

For example, the Golden Phoenix Clan possesses power equivalent to that of a Golden Core cultivator from birth.

As long as they survive to adulthood, they can directly bypass the bottleneck between major realms and enter the fourth rank without any hindrance.

However, bloodline is also the biggest constraint for all non-pure-blooded demon races.

The vast majority of them reach the peak of their lives the moment they reach adulthood.

If one cannot break through the limits of bloodline, even after thousands or tens of thousands of years, it will be difficult to improve even half a step further.

His Majesty encountered such a problem.

He was a dragon, but one whose bloodline was not pure, or even somewhat diluted.

Reaching the fourth rank was already a struggle, and it had essentially exhausted the potential within his bloodline.

This caused him to be stuck on the edge of the fifth rank, and he remained stuck there for more than 30 years, unable to break through completely.

Under these circumstances, the Venerable One also had a serendipitous encounter.

He unexpectedly obtained a storage ring left behind by human cultivators during the Great Exploration period. Inside, he found a sea chart and a legacy.

Thus, it was discovered that there were many islands and spiritual veins far to the west, including a large spiritual vein comparable to a fifth-order one.

Meanwhile, a large group of humans also lived there, many of whom were cultivators.

Just like how humans would think that demons are treasures from head to toe and can be used as spiritual materials.

For powerful demons, human cultivators are simply natural prey.

If we can devour enough human cultivators, we can then occupy that pseudo-fifth-order spiritual vein.

The Venerable One would have a greater chance of breaking free from the shackles of bloodline and ascending to become a fifth-tier demon lord.

And he has that ability!
Although he only took half a step, he still gained power far exceeding the limit of the fourth tier.

As long as the Divine Transformation Realm doesn't emerge, no one in the Compassionate Sea can stop him.

With this thought in mind, His Holiness visited his few close friends, seeking their help to jointly invade the Ocean of Compassion.

As a result, Zheyuan rejected him.

The others, having grown much stronger over the past century, turned their backs on him and engaged in a fierce battle.

The Lord is very strong; he successfully swallowed the first few traitors whole.

But when he arrived at the last place, he did not find his old friend, but instead encountered another predator who had taken over the nest.

They started their fiercest battle the moment they met.

Unfortunately, that predator was also quite powerful, almost on par with the Venerable One.

The fierce battle lasted for half a month, and the victory was hard-won at the cost of the Venerable One being seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Although he suppressed his injuries by devouring his opponent, he was still severely weakened.

He will be almost unable to engage in any intense combat afterward, and it will likely take decades to fully recover from his injuries.

In the past, His Excellency would have had no choice but to hide in a corner.

But now things are different. He knows that in the far west, there is a place called the Sea of ​​Compassion.

There is plenty of blood food there, as well as many things called pills and elixirs that can help heal injuries.

If he can take that place, he can quickly recover from his injuries and advance further!
On one hand, they hide, hoping not to be discovered by the other apex predator and thus become its prey.

On one hand, there is the opportunity to embark on expeditions, to hunt weaker humans, and to gain opportunities for advancement.

His Majesty set off for the west side without much hesitation.

After all, even though he was injured, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse, and he was still stronger than many ordinary fourth-order great demons.

Moreover, in the distant seas, while fourth-tier great demons are not exactly abundant, they are not difficult to find.

As long as he can gather enough cannon fodder for his own use, victory is not just wishful thinking.

In fact, the initial situation almost entirely aligned with His Majesty's plan.

The raid went exceptionally smoothly. Just as the bloodline memories and the inheritance had described, those human cultivators were greedy, short-sighted, and fought their own battles.

With just a little cultivation resources, one can easily recruit many traitors.

There were even fools like the Zhaokong faction who were moved by a little bit of petty gain and willingly allowed themselves to be used by him.

Under such circumstances.

The Venerable One successfully collected a considerable amount of fourth-tier wood-type spiritual liquid, which greatly accelerated the recovery speed of his injuries.

If things continue smoothly from here on out, that would be wonderful.

But things in the world don't always go as he wishes.

A guy named Xiao Chen suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely disrupting his plans and causing him to perform a series of astonishing feats.

In the end, he almost single-handedly pushed the invasion to the brink of failure.

He even wasted a precious golden talisman that he had obtained from a ruin in his early years.

His Majesty only regrets that he is not at his peak condition and cannot personally crush this despicable little thief to death.

If he hadn't been injured, none of this nonsense would have happened.

"Alas, in the end, one wrong step leads to another."

His Majesty sighed deeply: "The tide has turned, and fate has been sealed."

Now, the compassionate sea people are united and advancing triumphantly.

The sea creatures, however, had lost the initial momentum of their sudden appearance, and various minor problems began to surface due to their hasty assembly.

With the balance of power shifting, it's difficult to see any hope of victory if the stalemate continues.

"But I'm not willing to accept this."

His Excellency's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

His voice was very low, so low that almost only he could hear it: "Rather than make a humiliating exit, let's go all out!"

Speaking of which, he learned the phrase "go all out" from his own people's tradition.

His Majesty likes these four words very much, because he has stood here today through one life-and-death battle after another.

Since we've already suffered heavy losses, we might as well take one last gamble rather than retreat.

If we can win this gamble, we can take down Pudu Temple.

The previous losses are no longer important; he will devour blood and food to heal his injuries, thus winning everything directly.

With the Ocean of Compassion as his new territory, he can accumulate even more power and build an even stronger force.

Then, following the directions mentioned in the materials seized over the past few years, we continued westward, heading towards the legendary Storm Sea, and even the Southern and Central Regions.

To conquer more territory, acquire more resources, and gain greater power.

Thus, they can seize the initiative and gain an advantage in the upcoming major changes.

Only in this way can he avoid missing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity due to injury.

After all, the Endless Sea is simply too vast.

The Venerable One is not naive enough to think that he alone could encounter human relics and think of hunting human cultivators for food.

He must accomplish the above series of objectives before other top predators realize this opportunity.

After careful consideration.

Instead, His Excellency became even more determined to take a gamble.

Next, he will stake everything and lead all the great demons in a personal charge into battle.

The Daoist cultivators were still patrolling the perimeter; they certainly wouldn't have imagined he had the courage to fight to the death.

Before the human race is fully assembled, this will be his best chance to turn the tide.

"Order to halt the attack."

His Majesty's gaze hardened: "Tell everyone, it's time for this war to end."

"We will rest for six hours, and then at midnight, I will personally lead everyone to attack the Pudu Temple formation."

After clarifying the situation and giving instructions to his subordinates.

His Majesty then sat atop the nautilus and gradually clenched his fist.

It was only at this point that he began to feel silent anger over Asakukai's defeat.

That is to say, all those useless people had already died in battle, otherwise he would have loved to devour them all alive.

In particular, he only obtained three gold talismans in total from that ruin.

I used one card in the middle, so I only had two left.

It's simply intolerable that such a precious item was wasted.

Once it's done, he'll definitely capture Xiao Chen and pay with his life.

It was soon past midnight.

Before launching the attack, His Majesty, unusually, stood before the demons to give a pep talk: "The success or failure of the past three years depends on this one move."

"I hope to see everyone at their bravest tonight, and to share the blood and gourd hidden in the formation with you all before sunrise."

"Furthermore, all the rewards I promised you after the victory will be doubled!"

"Push it to me!"

At his command, the demons below became excited.

You should know that His Majesty had promised them an extremely generous reward.

If it could double again, it would be an unimaginable fortune even for a fourth-tier great demon.

Moreover, they all firmly believed that the Venerable One, who was practically a half-step Demon Lord, would never deceive them.

In fact, in this respect, the credibility of monsters is stronger than that of some humans who go back on their word.

Even His Majesty did not lie completely.

Although he promised far more spiritual items than he already possessed, he did not completely deceive his demon subordinates.

After all, only the powerful demons who survived could receive the reward.

At that time, probably only a small fraction of them will be qualified.

In addition, the large sum of money gained from conquering Pudu Temple would be enough for him to fulfill his promise.

As for failure, there's naturally no need to worry about rewards.

So after six hours of peace...

In the dead of night, under the dim moonlight, the sea creatures launched their final battle against Pudu Temple.

"Thump! Thump! ...Thump!"

At midnight, the bronze bell rang nine times in succession, each sound louder than the last, echoing throughout the entire Pudu Temple.

All the monks were awakened by the sound of the great bell.

After a brief period of confusion, they quickly realized that a major crisis was about to unfold.

Even Xiao Chen and the others who were refining spirit ore were alerted and quickly came out of the courtyard, where they saw an unforgettable scene.

The nautilus, towering over three thousand feet tall, crashed head-on into the Pudu Temple's grand formation.

Its enormous size was almost like a moving mountain.

With every gesture, they can cause extraordinary destructive power.

On either side of it, dozens of sea monsters swarmed out!

They all revealed their true forms, almost all of them reaching hundreds of feet in size.

One of the silver ribbonfish, nearly two thousand feet long, descended from the sky.

It was almost as if the Milky Way had fallen from the sky above Pudu Temple.

"Hi~!"

Almost everyone gasped in horror at that moment, staring in disbelief at the apocalyptic scene.

Everyone couldn't help but feel a sense of pressure.

Without a doubt, the sea creatures have come out in full force this time, ready for a final battle.

(End of this chapter)