Promise!

Chapter 313, The Final Battle

The Star-Picking Pavilion, a quiet room.

Meng Duangui opened his eyes and recalled what he had seen and heard at the mysterious gathering. He still found it unbelievable. Suddenly, he wondered if he should tell Yuwen Shentong about such a secret. This thought only flashed through his mind and was quickly dismissed.

"Leaking information about the Regent might only earn me a small reward, but it would offend the 'Spirit Lord.' I was forcibly brought in before and have already established a connection with him. If that's the case, it could be life-threatening, or at the very least... even if the 'Spirit Lord' doesn't care, it will still leave a bad impression."

'Moreover, the rise of the Spirit Lord will first and foremost affect the five great clans. Why should someone from a noble family like mine be the first to be targeted?'

Even if, hypothetically, the "Spiritual Lord" were to manifest in the future and replace the five great clans, I, as a follower, would still undoubtedly benefit.

Upon realizing this, Meng Duangui chuckled softly: "Regent? Loyalty? Ha!"

Loyalty comes at a price. Compared to the 'Spirit Lord,' Yuwen Shentong didn't offer him enough foreseeable benefits, so loyalty was out of the question.

……

Shi family.

Thinking back to the mysterious gathering, Shi Yaotang felt a surge of hope. He pondered how to find something of high value to exchange with other Spirit Realm Apostles for, thus removing the spell planted on him by his ancestor.

'wrong! ’

After some thought, he suddenly realized he had fallen into a trap: 'Even if I successfully complete the transaction and remove the 'Seed of Yang God Power' planted in my body by my ancestor, so what? My ancestor will immediately sense it; planting another one would be incredibly easy! It might even attract even closer surveillance!'

In other words, if I want to solve my own problems, the root cause isn't the 'seed of Yang spirit power' from my ancestor, but rather that if I want to change my fate, I'm essentially fighting against a powerful clan.

'The only thing that could originally rival the gate valves was the gate valves themselves, but now…'

Shi Yaotang conjured the indescribable figure of the 'Spirit Lord': 'I had never heard of this powerful being, the Spirit Lord, before. His sudden appearance, and the fact that he seemed to be summoning people for the first time, remind me of recent major events, including last year's earthquake and the unprecedented sudden death of the late emperor.'

'If I'm not mistaken, the manifestation of the Spirit Lord may be related to this. In that case, He may currently be in a weakened state and likely has certain needs. In other words, if I want His help, what can I offer Him?'

'Yes, the only thing useful to this great being is my own identity—a direct descendant of a powerful clan, this very shell of myself.'

'But if I make such a sacrifice, in the future I myself, my family, and others may all be controlled by the Spirit Lord.'

Shi Yaotang hesitated for a moment, but remembering the family's cruelty and ingratitude towards him, he dismissed it with a cold laugh: 'Without a Spirit Master, I'm destined to be devoured anyway. It's already like this; what can get worse?'

"Even if things turn out as I suspect, or even worse, a lose-lose situation is better than a lose-lose situation!"

At that moment, he made up his mind to risk everything, even his own soul, and resolutely began to pray.

In other words, Shi Yaotang did not know that the so-called 'Spirit Master' was Zhuang Jin, whom he had once provoked; otherwise, he would never have done such a thing.

—The world is so strange. Zhuang Jin put on a disguise and had this filter. In Shi Yaotang's eyes, she seemed to have transformed from a lowly being whom he looked down upon into a high-class goddess who could be admired from afar but not touched, thus winning his fervor and loyalty.

……

Yong'an, the capital city, is located on the seventh ring road.

'Danger often brings opportunity, and this time, it turned out to be a good thing for me.'

Ye Fan recalled his experiences at the mysterious gathering, sorted out the information he had gathered, and summarized his thoughts.

He had a very clear understanding of himself. In such a mysterious gathering, even the powerful beings of the Innate, Yin, and Yang realms above were helpless. What could a mere Nascent Soul martial artist like himself do?

Instead of worrying unnecessarily and creating unnecessary troubles, it's better to seize this opportunity and use this channel to improve yourself.

'At least for now, and for a long time to come, this mysterious gathering and my identity as an apostle of the Spirit Realm are more beneficial than harmful to me.'

'As for the troubles of being controlled by others, I'll deal with that when I break through to the Innate Realm, or even higher.'

Ye Fan shook his head in thought, when suddenly his mind was touched.

He immediately sat cross-legged and silently recited the three-part name prayer. Using himself as the anchor point, a flash of light appeared in front of him, and two objects appeared out of thin air: one was a cultivation technique that Xuan Yuan Ni Huang had promised to directly reach the Yin God, and the other was a silver jade talisman.

During the previous transaction, Ye Fan felt guilty and supplemented Xuan Yuan Nihuang's information with a possible immortal relic treasure. It was information about an enemy he had a grudge against. Xuan Yuan Nihuang confirmed this information, and this jade talisman was a bonus as compensation.

Xuan Yuan Nihuang was very good at handling people. When she wanted to do someone a favor, she went all the way and even provided a spiritual energy point appraisal to reassure Ye Fan. With the appearance of these two items, the appraisal information was immediately reflected in his mind.

"The 'Azure Wood Longevity Technique' is the very cultivation method I practice, up to the Yin Spirit chapter. This jade talisman, however, is a consumable technique, capable of unleashing three strikes from the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm."

'So it's the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm... Hmm, the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm?!'

"I'm currently only at the Fetal Breathing stage. Above that is the Innate True Qi stage, then the Innate罡气 stage, and finally the Innate Corpse-Severing stage—that's several major realms!"

Ye Fan's mouth gaped open, his heart pounding with immense joy, followed by a profound sense of security: 'Just as I suspected, the mysterious gathering channel for Spirit Realm travelers is an incredible opportunity for me!'

After a moment, he suppressed his joy and calmed his mind, thinking of something else: 'On several previous adventures into Songling, my companions were either killed or injured. They all say I, Ye, am a jinx—this is truly slander and defamation… Only Brother Liu trusts me, saying he has made a discovery and inviting me to explore a certain area in the Qingqu district of Songling.'

'I was worried about the danger before, but now that I have this, I may be able to go.'

"Perfect timing. The location that Fellow Daoist Liu mentioned isn't deep within Pine Ridge, where the Spirit Lord might be hiding terrifying beings, but merely on the outskirts of the Green District. The strongest beasts there are only at the Five Viscera Realm. When in danger, I always instinctively shield people in front of me. And if all else fails, this jade talisman will save my life..."

……

Zhuang Jin's Holy Spirit Pearl has undergone a transformation, becoming the 'Spirit Master'. He has recruited Spirit Realm Walkers and held a mysterious gathering. These effects will take time to unfold.

The Great Qian Dynasty and powerful clans, under the leadership of the reclamation order, gathered martial artists from various states in the capital to cleanse the beast tide. The reclamation of Songling was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Songling is the most wondrous place in the Nine Provinces. Through reclamation and excavation, rare and precious natural treasures have emerged in an endless stream, and relics of immortals have frequently appeared. Many lucky individuals have risen to prominence there.

During this great land reclamation movement, the capital city of Yong'an flourished. The shadow of the late emperor's sudden death and the previous beast tides had faded away, and the city was thriving and prosperous.

Among them, the five powerful clans, naturally at the top of the food chain, take the lion's share and feast on the meat; the aristocratic families follow suit and can gnaw on the bones; and the rogue martial artists from Yong'an in the capital, attracted by the reclamation order, can also drink a sip of watered-down meat soup.

With the injection of additional resources, the conflicts among all levels of society in Yong'an, the capital, were temporarily suppressed, and everyone was enveloped in a fervent atmosphere of developing Songling.

This continued for several months until the Songling reclamation project was completed, and on this day, they advanced to the deepest core of the red zone.

……

On this day, outside the Songling Red Zone, Zhuang Jin, Shangguan Yunchang, Meng Duangui, Yang Shiji, Lu Sizhe, and Mou Zonglun gathered together, talking.

As fellow Yin Gods who were pioneers in pioneering the land from various aristocratic families, and having gathered in Yunzhou together, they were relatively closer to each other than the Yin Gods from other states and powerful clans.

“Songling has been developed into the red zone. We’ve only seen Vajra Realm beasts before, but no Great Vajra Realm beasts. Could it be that they’ve all gone into hiding because they saw the power and influence of our aristocratic families this time?”

"Those Vajra Realm beasts here can hide for a while, but they can't hide forever. Today, didn't the five great clans lead us to set up a great formation using the Suspended Sky Mirror as the base to search the mountains and seas and investigate the core of the red zone, Songling?"

"We will find them today, but those several Vajra Realm beasts gathered together may put up a fight. This decisive battle is crucial to the success or failure of our land reclamation strategy!"

"Although Yang Shen warriors are slightly weaker than Great Vajra Realm beasts, when we warriors form an array and gather the strength of the masses, we will naturally be victorious. Brother Meng, you can rest assured."

"Ahem, planting a flag is not something we should do... What I mean is, we should be more cautious."

……

Meng Duangui echoed Zhuang Jin's words, feeling slightly heavy-hearted.

As a Spirit Realm Traveler, he naturally knew from the mysterious gathering above the white mist that there was a big guy in the core of Pine Ridge. He originally intended to avoid it and didn't want to come, but now that the reclamation has reached this point, it's not something he can do as he pleases.

Fortunately, today we are only forming a formation with peripheral support, and the distance is relatively far. Even if something unexpected happens, we can escape immediately, and the danger is relatively controllable.

This was agreed upon beforehand and permitted. The five major clans never intended to use these representatives of the Yin Gods of the aristocratic families as cannon fodder. They even planned to have them build their territories and invest resources in them. Therefore, they promised that if any unexpected changes occurred, they could leave on their own if the formation was breached.

Zhuang Jin and Shangguan Yunchang were both aware of this matter, but they were more relaxed. Zhuang Jin was at the Yang God realm and at this level, so even if there were any unexpected events, he could protect himself more than enough.

At this moment, a signal came from the core of the Songling Red Zone. They prepared themselves and entered the formation from different directions, leading the Xiantian and lower-level martial artists below them.

……

"Fellow Daoists, let's begin!"

Today, the royal family is in seclusion at Xuanyuan Nanshan. Regent Yuwen Shentong, the Yangshen Ancestors of the Shi, Mu, and Gongshu clans, Shi Yongnian, Mu Tianyuan, and Gongshu Yuheng have all arrived.

The five Yang Gods, the Yin Gods representing the Nine Provinces Clans, and the thirty-six Yin Gods from powerful clans, along with one thousand and ninety-six Innate Realm and one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred Qi Condensation Realm warriors, formed a formation with the Suspended Sky Mirror Master Realm as its core.

hum!
With the combined efforts of the masses, the main mirror of the Suspended Mirror shone brightly, displaying the Nine Palaces in the sky and the Eight Trigrams on the ground. The light and shadow of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams rotated and enveloped the core of the Songling Red Zone.

This is the "Sealing Heaven and Locking Earth Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation" created by the five major clans after observing the Heavenly Mirror's Jiazi Demon-Slaying and using rare treasures to deduce its power. With the power of more than 100,000 martial artists, the aura of this formation at this moment is even more magnificent and enduring than when the Heavenly Mirror accumulated the primordial energy of heaven and earth during the Jiazi Demon-Slaying period.

As the array's power swept across the area, the three terrifying beasts within Songling finally revealed themselves.

One of them is the phoenix.

Its golden crown on top is like a solidified flame, with a vermilion crystal-like mark on its forehead. Its neck feathers point downwards, gradually turning crimson, each one gleaming with a glassy luster. Its wingspan is tens of feet wide, and its forty-nine tail feathers spread out in a fan shape. Each tail feather has a unique eye-like pattern at the end, sometimes like the rising sun, sometimes like a flowing river of stars, and sometimes like a blooming lotus.

As a beast of the Great Vajra Realm, when it flies, it is truly like a sun across the sky, with three layers of halo from the inside out. The innermost layer is orange-red, like a burning flame; the middle layer is a translucent gold, like the sun's corona; and the outer layer is a flowing rainbow of colors. Wherever it passes, grass and trees grow wildly, and birds follow.

Upon the appearance of this phoenix, Zhuang Jin immediately sensed that his 'Phoenix Nirvana Blood' came from it. However, at this moment, the phoenix was clearly not in the mood to cause him any trouble, and it soared into the sky in a phoenix dance.

The second is the Qilin.

It has a dragon's head, deer antlers, lion's eyes, tiger's back, bear's waist, snake scales, horse's hooves, and ox's tail. Its entire body is like a fine piece of mutton fat jade. The single horn on its forehead spirals upwards, and its body is surrounded by three layers of warm white, seven colors, and red gold halos.

With each step, auspicious clouds appeared beneath our feet, and beasts gathered behind us. In the blink of an eye, we were crossing mountains and rivers, about to break out of the core of the Songling Red Zone.

The third is Xuanwu.

It lives in symbiosis with a tortoise and a snake, with dark armor and dark scales. Its back has nine layers of dark armor with star patterns, and wherever it is, dark clouds roll in, threatening to crush the city.

At this moment, his figure was enveloped in a mysterious yellow light, yet he was about to disappear into the ground.

These were none other than the first level of the Three-Headed Vajra Realm, indestructible beasts, but at this moment, they all sensed the danger and wanted to escape from this place!

However, the five major clans had been preparing for a long time; how could they let them succeed?
Five Yang Gods, dozens of Yin Gods, over a thousand Innate Realm cultivators, and a hundred thousand Qi-nuding martial artists, along with the power of the Suspended Sky Mirror's master realm, formed a world of their own. This array world was real and authentic, instantly enveloping the Phoenix, Qilin, and Xuanwu, covering this area.

Upon entering this array world, the Phoenix, Qilin, and Xuanwu, originally auspicious beasts of heaven and earth, are rejected and locked by the heavens and earth of this world.

Heaven unleashes its murderous intent, shifting stars and changing constellations.

In the world of the array, the stars of each void node rotate, and amidst the thunder, endless chaotic lightning falls.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Click!

Strands of chaotic lightning followed, striking the indestructible and immortal bodies of the three divine beasts, causing their bodies to shimmer with light but leaving no trace, which further enraged them and provoked a fierce counterattack.

The phoenix soars through the nine heavens, bringing forth a raging inferno that burns mountains and boils seas.

The Qilin's voice was like gold and jade, and wherever it stepped, the earth cracked open, bursting forth with golden light.

Xuanwu soared into the sky, unleashing a massive flood.

The world of the array is like the end of the world, constantly bursting with cracks, yet quickly repairing itself and restoring itself to its original state.

The five Yang Gods, Xuanyuan Nanshan, Yuwen Shentong, Shi Yongnian, Mu Tianyuan, and Gongshu Yuheng, remained hidden within the formation without making a move. One reason for this was to preserve their divine essence in preparation for unforeseen circumstances.

Secondly, this array world can draw on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from the outside world without fear of depletion. However, the three great Vajra Realm beasts, the Phoenix, the Qilin, and the Xuanwu, are different. Under the seal, they cannot replenish themselves and will eventually run out. The more they struggle and become ferocious, the faster they will die.

The three great Vajra Realm beasts, Phoenix, Qilin, and Xuanwu, quickly realized this as well. They knew that if they didn't struggle, they would die just like frogs being slowly boiled in water.

Just when they were caught in a dilemma—

Deep underground in Songling, an ancient beast awakened, causing the earth to tremble and golden light to shoot towards the heavens. Its mere presence caused the formation formed by the 100,000 people to shake violently.

……

(End of this chapter)