Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 761 Expanding Territory and Stabilizing the Border (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

A huge black nest, its surface riddled with holes, where countless Soul-Devouring Gu were wriggling.

"Demon-burning oil, prepare!"

Yan Yang gave the order in a cold voice.

The disciples of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" quickly poured oil around the nest, and then a bolt of lightning struck down!
Three armies launched an attack simultaneously!
Li Yunjing stood quietly at the highest point of the Shenxiao Temple, looking at the magnificent landscape of the Hengyue Mountains.

He was waiting for news from the front lines!
This is his third major operation as the de facto leader of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect"!
First, they used force to achieve peace in the East China Sea; then they pacified the South China Sea, and now it's time to "cross the mountains".

Once this matter is settled, the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" will have its foundation firmly secured.

The battle at the "Cave of Ten Thousand Bones" is becoming increasingly brutal.

"boom!"

The "Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Talisman" exploded above the head of the Ten Thousand Bones Demon Lord, and purple lightning poured out like a celestial river, tearing a gap in the dark aura surrounding the Demon Lord.

Yet this demon lord, formed from countless bones, remained completely unharmed.

With a wave of its hand, dozens of thick bone spears shot out from the ground, heading straight for the White Tiger Army's Supreme Elder. The baleful aura on the bone spears could even corrode the lightning barrier.

"Formation!"

The Supreme Elder of the White Tiger Army roared, and five "Nine Heavens Thunder Prison Array Plates" landed simultaneously, instantly covering an area of ​​a hundred miles with golden thunder nets.

Twelve Nascent Soul cultivators from the "Divine Firmament Dao Sect" infused their magic power, causing dense lightning patterns to appear on the lightning net. Each lightning pattern transformed into a tiny lightning spear, shooting towards the Myriad Bone Demon Lord.

"Roar!"

The Demon Lord of Ten Thousand Bones was trapped by the lightning net, but he refused to give in. His bones exploded, and countless tiny bone fragments reassembled in the air, transforming into hundreds of bone soldiers who rushed towards the Zhao family cultivators outside the lightning net.

"Breaking Evil Arrow, fire!"

The head of the Zhao family gave an urgent order, and fifty archers fired their arrows at the same time. The arrows, imbued with pure Yang spiritual power, pierced through the bone soldier's chest and blasted him into bone dust once again.

But the bone soldiers could not be completely killed, and the evil aura of the Ten Thousand Bones Demon Lord continued to nourish new skeletons.

"broken!"

The Supreme Elder of the White Tiger Army felt a chill in his heart as he watched the spiritual light of the lightning net gradually dim.

This demon lord's recovery ability far exceeds expectations. If this drags on any longer, the spiritual power of the Thunder Prison Array Plate may not be able to sustain it.

"Central support!"

He decisively crushed the communication talisman given to him by Li Yunjing: "'Ten Thousand Bones Cave' has encountered the Ten Thousand Bones Demon Lord at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and the Thunder Prison Formation is about to be broken!"

Before half an incense stick's time had passed, the thunderous roar of the "Sky Patrol Ship" echoed across the sky.

The "Sky Patrol Ship" hovered above the "Ten Thousand Bones Cave," its thunder cannons aimed at the Demon Lord. Ten Nascent Soul cultivators from Thunder Punishment Peak leaped down, their thunder-patterned spears gleaming with dazzling golden light.

"Elder White Tiger, we're here to help you!"

New energy was injected into the Thunder Prison Array, and the golden lightning net suddenly expanded, binding the Demon Lord of Ten Thousand Bones tightly.

A cultivator from Thunder Punishment Peak roared as he activated the "Five Elements Divine Thunder," and golden lightning pierced through the Demon Lord's skeleton, exploding inside his body.

"Crack!"

The Demon Lord's left arm snapped off with a snap, but the eerie green flames in its eyes burned even brighter: "You... all must die!"

It suddenly spewed out a mouthful of black malevolent energy, which condensed into a giant maw in the air and bit towards the nearest "sky patrol ship".

"not good!"

The Supreme Elder of the White Tiger Army unleashed his final "Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Talisman." The lightning collided with the baleful aura, and the giant maw instantly vanished. However, due to the exhaustion of his power, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"Get entangled with it!"

The elders of "Thunder Punishment Peak" worked in perfect harmony, their lightning intertwining into chains that bound the Demon Lord's limbs.

"Hurry up!"

"Keep shooting at him!"

The Zhao family leader then led the remaining cultivators to concentrate their "Evil-Slaying Arrows" on the Demon Lord's head.

That is the core where the skeletons coalesced, and also its only weakness.

"Pfft!"

A single arrow struck with deadly accuracy, shattering the Demon Lord's head. The ghostly green flames instantly extinguished, and his massive body collapsed, turning into a shower of bone dust.

But at that moment, a black streak of light suddenly flew out from the bone powder and fled into the depths of the public area.

"It's the remnant soul of the Demon Lord!"

The Supreme Elder of the White Tiger Army wanted to give chase, but was stopped by the cultivators of Thunder Punishment Peak: "We need to thoroughly clean up the 'Ten Thousand Bones Cave' to prevent the remnant souls from launching a counterattack!"

……

As news of victories came from one forbidden area after another, Li Yunjing's expression finally relaxed.

Three months later, troops were withdrawn from the three forbidden areas one after another.

The three-month sweep across the mountains resulted in the deaths of dozens of Nascent Soul stage experts, including Buddhas, demons, monsters, and ghosts, as well as nearly a thousand Golden Core stage experts.

As for the low-level ones, they are countless and difficult to estimate.

The atmosphere along the entire "Mountain Crossing" area was completely transformed, and there were no longer any forbidden zones for humans.

After these areas were cleared out, the benefits were naturally distributed according to military merit. In short, Li Yunjing handled things fairly and did not mistreat anyone.

After the "crossing the mountain range" stabilized, the neighboring countries outside the mountain range learned that the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" had made another big move.

Unfortunately, the situation was already set in stone. These powerful sects from various countries had no chance to cause trouble and could only watch helplessly as the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" completely stabilized the "Hengyue Mountain Range".

After stabilizing the area, the army of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" went deep into the "Youyue Kingdom" and took the opportunity to eliminate the remaining "Youming Ghost Sect" cultivators in the "Youyue Kingdom"!
In addition, within the "Ming Dynasty," the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" dispatched another group of people to assist the "Northern Emperor Faction" in clearing out the barbarians in the northwest.

In just one year, the entire "Shenxiao Dao Sect" stabilized its six major territories: the East Sea, the South Sea, the Ming Dynasty, the Hengyue Mountains, and the Youyue Kingdom.

Inside the council hall of Shenxiao Temple, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Li Yunjing sat in the main seat, holding a map of the six regions in his hands.

The azure waves of the East China Sea, the reefs and islands of the South China Sea, the cities of the Ming Dynasty, the peaks that traverse the mountain ranges, and the plains of the Youyue Kingdom are all outlined with golden lines, marking the military outposts and spiritual vein distribution of the "Shenxiao Daozong".

Below the hall, the Five Elements True Man, the Nine Nether True Man, Li Cangqiong, Ling Xiaozhi, the Supreme Elder of the White Tiger Army, over a hundred Supreme Elders, along with his disciple Yan Yang, the dispatched Xuanzhenzi, and representatives from various forces, all gathered, their expressions filled with excitement.

"The six regions were settled in one year, a momentous event unprecedented in the ten thousand years of the Shenxiao Dao Sect!"

Xuanzhenzi stood up first, lightly waving his whisk, his tone filled with excitement, "After the 'Crossing the Mountains' was cleared, my 'Yuanyang Dao Sect' has set up a permanent array eye at Soul Devouring Cliff, forming a joint defense with the 'Shenxiao Dao Sect's' Thunder Prison Array. No demonic cultivator will dare to cross the line again."

This was the most successful investment for the Yuanyang Dao Sect.

Having wiped out all the cultivators in one fell swoop, the territory obtained by the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" now completely belongs to the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

These resources are equivalent to one-tenth of the resources of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect".

Such wealth is enormous!
With these resources, the strength of the Yuanyang Dao Sect will surely increase significantly.

Moreover, with the help of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" is ambitious and has plans to send troops to the neighboring "Zhao State"!
The Shenxiao Dao Sect was able to expand its power through several wars, and so can the Yuanyang Dao Sect!

This time, in addition to discussing official business, Xuanzhenzi also shouldered the important responsibility of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" and wanted to have a private talk with Li Yunjing after the meeting.

Their "Yuanyang Dao Sect" must obtain the support of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" before they can send troops to the "Zhao State".

Otherwise, even if the Yuanyang Dao Sect wins a war against a behemoth sect, it will suffer heavy losses.

This is different from their original intention.

When he needed someone's help, Xuanzhenzi naturally had to be the first to speak up and praise Li Yunjing and the "Shenxiao Dao Sect"!
Otherwise, why would he have this thought?
What does the prosperity of your "Shenxiao Dao Sect" have to do with my "Yuanyang Dao Sect"?
As soon as Xuanzhenzi finished speaking, voices of agreement immediately rang out in the council hall.

"Thanks to the 'Divine Firmament Dao Sect,' my Zhao family has been allocated three spirit mines around the 'Ten Thousand Bones Cave,' and now the speed at which cultivators in our clan break through to the Golden Core stage has increased by 30%!"

The head of the Zhao family rose and cupped his hands in gratitude: "From now on, for the joint defense of the Northwest of the Great Ming Dynasty, the Zhao family is willing to provide a hundred elite cultivators without hesitation!"

"After the northwestern barbarians were wiped out, the Xuanmen tradition has been widely spread in the area, and the remaining barbarian tribes no longer have the power to cause trouble."

The Supreme Elder of the Northern Emperor Sect followed suit: "However, we have not yet deciphered the Blood Prison Runes discovered in the barbarian holy land. We still need the array masters of the Divine Firmament Dao Sect to assist in the research in order to prevent the barbarians from causing trouble again."

"The core of the six-domain joint defense lies in the word 'mutual assistance'."

“The allocation of spiritual mines and resources is a reward for the efforts of all parties, but more importantly, it is about safeguarding this hard-won peace.”

Li Yunjing nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd below the hall, his voice steady: "Regarding the Blood Prison Runes mentioned by the 'Northern Emperor Sect,' samples can be handed over to the array masters of 'Seven Star Peak' after the meeting, and I will personally lead the research."

"Sect Leader, although the Six Domains are settled, there have been unusual developments in the East Sea recently!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Five Elements True Man suddenly spoke up, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity: "The internal strife between Ye Wuhen and Mo Wentian seems to have suddenly subsided, and the Netherworld Ship of the 'Heavenly Demon Sect' has been frequently appearing on the border of the East Sea, which may indicate a new scheme."

These words immediately created a tense atmosphere in the council chamber.

"Joint defense in the East China Sea must not be relaxed!"

"The 'Sky Patrol Ship' and 'Divine Firmament Warship' need to increase their patrol frequency, and the garrison on 'Divine Firmament Island' must be on standby at all times."

Li Yunjing tapped the East China Sea region on the Six Domains map with his fingertip, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Does the 'Yuanyang Dao Sect' have troops stationed in the East China Sea?"

“The Yuanyang Dao Sect has three temporary outposts in the East China Sea, ready to support Shenxiao Island at any time!”

Xuanzhenzi immediately replied, "But..."

“Our sect recently received intelligence that the Zhao Kingdom, which borders our Yuanyang Dao Sect, is secretly in contact with the remnants of the Tianmo Sect and has even taken in several cultivators who escaped from the Youming Ghost Sect.”

He changed the subject, his expression slightly hesitant, "If it is not dealt with in time, it may become a hidden danger in the six domains."

Li Yunjing's heart stirred.

Xuanzhenzi's sudden mention of the Zhao state was clearly more than just a "report of potential dangers".

"The Zhao Kingdom is a top-tier cultivation nation, and its number one sect, the 'Zhao Clan Immortal Sect,' is quite powerful!"

He looked up at Xuanzhenzi and said calmly, "If the Yuanyang Dao Sect wants to take action, it needs solid evidence and cannot act rashly."

"Vice Sect Leader Li, please be wise!" "Our Yuanyang Dao Sect has obtained evidence of collusion between the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect and the Netherworld Ghost Sect."

"However, the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect seems to have connections with the 'Heavenly Demon Sect.' If our sect sends out troops alone, we fear that the Heavenly Demon Sect might launch a secret counterattack."

"Therefore, the Yuanyang Dao Sect earnestly requests the support of the Shenxiao Dao Sect!"

"Of course, your sect does not need to send a large army. You only need to borrow experts and formation masters to help our sect stabilize the battle situation."

Seeing this, Xuanzhenzi knew the time was right and bowed, saying, "After the matter is accomplished, I am willing to give 30% of the spiritual veins within the Zhao Kingdom to the Shenxiao Dao Sect!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall showed expressions of understanding.

The "Yuanyang Dao Sect" is not "dealing with hidden dangers" at all; it clearly intends to use the power of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" to annex the resources of the Zhao Kingdom.

Although other factions were dissatisfied, they dared not say much.

Now that the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" is powerful and the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" is its core ally, it is not their place to interfere in this matter.

Li Yunjing remained silent for a moment, then traced the Zhao region on the map with his fingertip.

The State of Zhao borders the Yuanyang Dao Sect. If the Yuanyang Dao Sect can stabilize the State of Zhao, it will indeed consolidate the northeastern border of the Six Regions and reduce the enemy's counterattack on its territory.

However, he also knew that the Yuanyang Dao Sect was ambitious and its strength would increase greatly after annexing the Zhao Kingdom. Whether it would still be able to obey orders as it was now was still unknown.

"can."

“The Shenxiao Dao Sect can borrow personnel, but the Yuanyang Dao Sect needs to make two commitments.”

Li Yunjing finally nodded, but added conditions: "First, when sending troops to Zhao, you must not indiscriminately kill mortals or implicate innocent cultivators; second, after Zhao is pacified, you must establish three joint defense cities within its territory, jointly garrisoned by the Shenxiao Dao Sect and the Yuanyang Dao Sect, in order to stabilize the situation."

As for the involvement of other forces, Li Yunjing did not elaborate.

There are quite a few affiliated forces that follow the "Yuanyang Dao Sect". When the two countries go to war, the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" will naturally be able to raise a huge army of cultivators.

There's no need for people from the "Great Ming Cultivation World" to participate here; the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" doesn't want too many people sharing their benefits.

"Thank you very much, Vice Sect Leader Li!"

Xuanzhenzi's eyes flashed with wild joy, and he immediately bowed and agreed: "'Yuanyang Dao Sect' will abide by Vice Sect Leader Li's rules and will never dare to kill innocent people indiscriminately. The joint defense stronghold will also be set up as agreed!"

The weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

With the support of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", annexing the Zhao Kingdom will be a piece of cake. At that time, the resources of the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" will double, enough to compete with the top sects in the world.

The meeting in the council chamber lasted until dusk, during which the various factions finalized the details of the joint defense, the resource allocation list, and the research plan for the Blood Prison Rune.

After the meeting, Xuanzhenzi stayed behind and accompanied Li Yunjing to a secret room in the Shenxiao Temple to discuss the specifics of sending troops to the Zhao Kingdom.

"I am aware of your plans."

In the secret chamber, Li Yunjing looked at Xuanzhenzi: "My Shenxiao Dao Sect is certainly willing to support the Yuanyang Dao Sect, but this time the main force will definitely be you. You must be aware of this."

"I know this!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanzhenzi's face was full of gratitude: "The Yuanyang Dao Sect will never forget the great kindness of Vice Sect Leader Li! Once the Zhao Kingdom is pacified, I will personally oversee the handover of the spiritual veins."

"The matter of the spiritual veins is not urgent."

Li Yunjing interrupted him, his tone serious, "What I'm more concerned about is whether Zhao can be successfully conquered."

"Don't worry! We know a great deal about the State of Zhao!"

Xuanzhenzi put away his smile. "We are unwilling to go to war with a powerful force unless we are absolutely certain of victory."

He knew that Li Yunjing's words were not unfounded. A battle between top sects was no small matter, and the consequences of defeat would be unimaginable.

Even a behemoth like the Yuanyang Dao Sect cannot afford to lose such a top-level battle.

"Vice Sect Leader Li, please take a look. These are the results of our investigation into the Zhao Kingdom over the past three years!"

Seeing Li Yunjing pressing for details about combat strength, Xuanzhenzi immediately took out a crystal jade slip from his storage ring and handed it over: "Although the Zhao Clan is a top-tier sect, its mountain-protecting formation, the 'Ten Thousand Zhao Returning to the Origin Formation,' has a fatal flaw, located at the 'Falling Star Cliff' on the west side of the formation's core. The formation's foundation there has been in disrepair for many years, and there are only three Golden Core cultivators guarding the formation, making it the weakest point of the entire formation."

Li Yunjing took the jade slip and immersed his consciousness into it.

The jade slip not only marked the flaws in the mountain-protecting formation, but also recorded in detail the troop distribution of the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect.

The Zhao Clan Immortal Sect is a sect bound by family ties.

All the leaders of the sect throughout history have been members of the Zhao family.

This Zhao Clan Immortal Sect has a total of seventeen Nascent Soul cultivators, three of whom are in seclusion researching their breakthrough to the Divine Transformation stage, leaving only fourteen capable of engaging in battle.

Of the more than three thousand Golden Core cultivators, half were stationed on the border, leaving only a little over a thousand within the sect.

At the Golden Core realm, people from other families make up the majority, which is quite different from the Nascent Soul realm.

In addition, there were also some affiliated forces of the Zhao family in the Zhao state, including clans and sects.

Many of them are related to the Zhao family by marriage!

It can be said that the relationships within the entire Zhao state were extremely complex.

It's not a sect, not a family, not a dynasty; it's all ambiguous and seemingly rigorous, but in reality, it's full of loopholes.

As stated on the jade slip, Zhao Kun, the second elder of the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect, dissatisfied with the sect leader's monopolization of the spiritual veins, has secretly contacted the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" and is willing to act as an inside agent.

If even high-ranking officials are fighting amongst themselves, then it's no wonder that outsiders are hardly reliable.

How reliable is the inside man?

Li Yunjing raised his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny.

While internal strife among top sects is common, the risk of defecting in the heat of battle is extremely high, and a slight misstep can lead to total defeat.

Zhao Kun was already a high-ranking official, yet he still rebelled. It shouldn't have happened in the first place. Li Yunjing had some doubts about this relationship.

"This is Zhao Kun's token. He has infused a wisp of his primordial spirit into it. If there is any betrayal, the token will shatter."

Xuanzhenzi was prepared and took out another blood-red token: "We also made an agreement with him that after the war, we would ensure that he becomes the sect leader of the second sect in Zhao, the Kunyuan Sect, and grant him three spirit mines. He has no reason to betray us."

Li Yunjing ran his fingertips over the blood-red token, sensing the faint fluctuations of primordial spirit within it. After confirming that everything was correct, he nodded and said, "In that case, I'm relieved."

Li Yunjing handed the blood-red token back to Xuanzhenzi, but his fingertips remained on the crystal jade slip, his gaze falling on the markings of the Zhao Clan's in-laws.

"Among the affiliated families of the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect, three families control the spiritual vein transportation lines of the Zhao Kingdom: the 'Liu Family' in the east, the 'Lin Family' in the south, and the 'Xue Family' in the west."

"Before the war begins, Zhao Kun needs to secretly contact these three families and promise them a share of the spiritual veins after the war!"

"If we can cut off the spiritual vein supply of the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect, their mountain-protecting formation will not last more than three days."

Xuanzhenzi quickly said, "Our plan has an extremely high success rate!"

"The plan is good."

"Half of the Golden Core cultivators stationed on the border by the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect are from outside the clan, and many of them have relatives in the capital of Zhao."

Li Yunjing changed the subject, his tone becoming more serious, "On the day the war begins, we can have the affiliated forces of the 'Yuanyang Dao Sect' surround the outer perimeter of the capital, besieging it but not attacking! If cultivators from other clans know that their relatives are safe, their fighting spirit will be greatly reduced, and they may even surrender voluntarily."

This move of "encircling without attacking" precisely exploited the fatal weakness of the Zhao Clan's Immortal Sect, which was "mixed with family and sect"!

Although cultivators from other clans serve the sect, they find it difficult to sever the ties with their families. Once their families are tied down, it becomes difficult for them to fight to the death.

"This is a great plan!"

Xuanzhenzi immediately understood and bowed, saying, "We have already set up ten strongholds in Zhao and have thousands of people lying in wait. We can mobilize our subordinate forces at any time. As long as Zhao Kun cooperates in conveying the message of 'protecting the safety of relatives,' we can definitely break their will to fight."

Seeing that Xuanzhenzi had perfected the details, Li Yunjing agreed to the plan.

As for the reinforcements from the "Shenxiao Dao Sect", they will only go to the battlefield to serve after the "Yuanyang Dao Sect" makes its move.

“We plan to send troops in three years. At that time, my Yuanyang Dao Sect will send thirty Nascent Soul cultivators, two thousand Golden Core cultivators, and a million-strong army divided into three routes: to contain the border garrison of the Zhao Clan Immortal Sect, to besiege the capital, and to launch the main attack on Falling Star Cliff. What does Vice Sect Leader Li think of this deployment?”

Xuanzhenzi asked one last question.

"We will focus our attack on Falling Star Cliff, and my Shenxiao Dao Sect will provide ten True Persons to assist us."

Li Yunjing pointed to the distribution of Nascent Soul cultivators of the Zhao Clan in the jade slip, "If things don't go well, our sect will send more experts to help."

……

The discussions in the secret room lasted for two hours, with every detail being repeatedly considered, from troop deployment to emergency plans, from sealing off the spiritual veins to the collapse of fighting spirit.

When Xuanzhenzi left with his perfect plan, it was already late at night, but the lights of Shenxiao Temple were still bright.

After Xuanzhenzi left, Li Yunjing stood alone in the secret room, his fingertips tracing the map of the Six Domains, his brows slightly furrowed.

"The Zhao Clan Immortal Sect..."

He muttered to himself, "Why is the 'Yuanyang Dao Sect' in such a hurry?"

Logically speaking, the Yuanyang Dao Sect had just received a large amount of resources from the Hengyue Mountains and should have first digested and absorbed them to consolidate its foundation.

However, they were eager to take action against the Zhao Kingdom, even willing to give up 30% of the spiritual veins in exchange for the support of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect".

This unusual behavior aroused Li Yunjing's suspicion.

"Could it be... that they've also sensed something?"

Li Yunjing's gaze sharpened as he recalled the recent news from the East China Sea.

The internal strife within the "Heavenly Demon Sect" suddenly subsided, and Ye Wuhen and Mo Wentian surprisingly joined forces to begin reorganizing the demonic cultivator forces.

In addition, there are rumors that the Zhao state secretly harbored remnants of the "Netherworld Ghost Sect"...

All signs indicate that the undercurrents in the cultivation world are surging rapidly.

"It seems that I am not the only one who has noticed the signs of an impending calamity."

Li Yunjing took a deep breath and took out an ancient tortoise shell from his storage ring.

This is a Xuanwu tortoise shell that he obtained from the "Xuanwu Hall," which can reveal the secrets of heaven.

He infused his magic into the tortoise shell, and fine cracks immediately appeared on its surface, vaguely forming a blurry pattern...

(End of this chapter)