Immortality and cultivation begin with full comprehension.

Chapter 775 The building is about to collapse, and there is no way to save it (Seeking monthly votes)

On the sand table, small flags representing the Zhao Kingdom's reinforcements are densely planted in the direction of Black Wind Valley, giving people a strong sense of oppression.

“What my uncle says is absolutely right.”

Li Yunjing walked to the sand table and glanced at the enemy and friendly forces. "Golden Emperor Sword Lord was defeated last time. I guess he doesn't dare to attack the city directly. He probably wants to have a protracted war with us."

"I had the same idea."

True Lord Chiyang snorted coldly: "Last time he escaped with his life by luck, this time I will make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

He paused, then looked at Li Yunjing, "Has the 'generous gift' you mentioned before been prepared, nephew?"

"Uncle-Master, please take a look."

"According to our repeated surveys and combined with old records in the city, there is an ancient battlefield site called 'Luohunpo' fifty miles west of the city."

Li Yunjing smiled slightly and pointed his finger at an area on the west side of Iron Wall City on the sand table: "This place has a unique terrain, with extremely heavy Yin energy underground, and there are remnants of natural maze arrays, which have a strong interference effect on divine sense detection."

"The fastest and safest marching route for the Zhao reinforcements coming from Heifengyu must pass through the edge of Luohunpo."

He gestured to another spot: "They are eager to demonstrate their military strength and will not take the long way around."

The Crimson Sun True Lord's eyes lit up: "You mean..."

"We can set up an ambush at Luohunpo in advance."

"I will lead my fellow disciples from the Shenxiao Dao Sect, along with experts from the Wang and Mo families who are skilled in concealment and formations, to infiltrate ahead of time and set up the Five Elements Divine Thunder Demon Suppression Formation."

Li Yunjing said with certainty, "This formation can draw upon the Yin energy from the earth. When combined with the Divine Firmament Thunder Technique, its power is multiplied, and it is extremely difficult to detect."

"At that time, once more than half of the Zhao army has entered the ambush range, you, Uncle, can deliberately show weakness inside the city, or even feign instability in the formation, to lure the Golden Radiance Sword Lord into rushing to attack the city and causing his formation to advance."

"Once their main force is completely trapped, I will launch a grand formation at 'Soul-Falling Slope,' unleashing a barrage of lightning strikes that will surely cripple their core forces and disrupt their plans!"

"at the same time!"

"Uncle-Master, you personally led the main force of the Yuanyang Dao Sect and took advantage of their confusion to decisively launch a counterattack out of the city!"

Li Yunjing pointed heavily at Iron Wall City, "With inside and outside cooperation, even if the Golden Emperor Sword Lord has extraordinary abilities, he will find it difficult to reverse the defeat!"

"Excellent! Wonderful!"

"What a brilliant scheme to lure the enemy into a trap, with insiders and outsiders working together!"

As True Lord Chiyang listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. He clapped his hands and laughed, "That old man Jinhuang is always arrogant. Seeing that we are 'exhausted,' he must be anxious. This plan has a very high success rate!"

"Not only is my nephew a brilliant strategist, but he is also bold and precise in his use of troops!"

His gaze toward Li Yunjing was full of admiration: "If this plan succeeds, the elite troops of Zhao will be wiped out here, and the gates of the country will be wide open!"

"You flatter me, Uncle-Master."

"We still need our senior uncle to oversee the central command and coordinate the overall situation before we can achieve complete success."

Li Yunjing said modestly.

"Haha, very good! We'll do as my nephew plans!"

"I hereby issue an order to secretly select elite troops, under your command, to secretly go to 'Soul-Falling Slope' to set up an operation!"

True Lord Chiyang immediately made a decision, his expression turning solemn, "I will arrange everything within the city properly, and I will definitely lure that old man Jinhuang into this deadly trap!"

"Accept the decree!"

Li Yunjing cupped his hands, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

Night fell again, and "Ironwall City" seemed no different from usual. The patrol teams were still there, and the restoration work had not stopped.

But an undercurrent was already brewing. Several elite squads, taking advantage of the darkness and the cover of the formation, silently slipped out of the city and pounced like ghosts toward "Soul-Falling Slope," fifty miles away.

Fallen Soul Slope is a remote and desolate place with jagged rocks and crooked dead trees.

Even during the day, this place appears eerie and gloomy, often shrouded in miasma, and rarely visited by ordinary people.

The malevolent aura left over from the ancient battlefield lingers for years, forming a natural barrier that interferes with spiritual consciousness, making it an ideal place to set up an ambush.

Li Yunjing led ten True Persons of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" and dozens of skilled individuals carefully selected by Wang Hanyun and Mo Ying, who were adept at earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of escape technique), concealment, and array-assisted techniques, silently infiltrating the depths of Luohunpo like water droplets blending into the night.

"With this place as the core, within a radius of ten miles, set up the 'Five Elements Divine Thunder Demon Suppression Formation'."

Li Yunjing transmitted his command telepathically, his voice resounding directly in everyone's minds to ensure that it would not leak out.

"Yes!"

The group accepted the order and immediately set to work.

Xiao Anran, Lei Zhen, and other True Persons of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" served as the main array masters, occupying the five core array positions of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth respectively. They took out the array flags, array plates, and lightning-attribute spirit stones that they had prepared in advance, and began to carefully outline the array's structure.

Their movements were precise and swift, their magical energy fluctuations were compressed to the extreme, and coupled with the natural concealment of the dense Yin energy in this place, they were almost undetectable.

The people brought by Wang Hanyun and Mo Ying were responsible for setting up auxiliary concealment formations and trigger mechanisms on the perimeter, while using earth magic to further reinforce their hiding places and dig out several secret passages for emergency evacuation.

Li Yunjing hovered slightly below the center of the formation, his divine sense spreading out like the finest silk thread.

On the one hand, it monitors the entire deployment process to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

On the other hand, it scans the surrounding area like a radar, paying close attention to any energy fluctuations coming from the directions of "Iron Wall City" and "Black Wind Valley".

As time passed, deep underground, a terrifying killing formation that combined divine thunder magic with the Yin energy of the earth was gradually taking shape.

The array patterns flickered with barely perceptible five-colored lightning, held back yet containing destructive energy powerful enough to tear apart a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Everyone held their breath, concealing their aura to the extreme, like stubborn rocks buried underground, waiting for their prey to arrive.

Just after noon the next day, Li Yunjing suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes.

"coming."

His concise telepathic message resonated in everyone's minds.

The ground vibrated with an extremely slight yet incredibly dense sensation.

In the distance, a massive cloud of spiritual energy was faintly moving toward them, and its chilling aura could be vaguely sensed even through layers of land and arrays.

Through the blurry images transmitted by the miniature monitoring arrays pre-arranged on the periphery, one could see the massive, dark army of Zhao, like a moving steel jungle, marching in along the predetermined route.

At the front of the group, several powerful auras spread out without any concealment, like torches in the night. These were the high-level cultivators from the Zhao Kingdom, led by the Golden Emperor Sword Lord.

The army moved slowly and cautiously, with the vanguard constantly sending out small teams to scout the high ground on both sides.

However, the unique environment of Luohunpo obviously affected their judgment, and the reconnaissance teams were completely unaware of the deadly danger lurking deep underground beneath their feet.

The main force of the Zhao state is gradually stepping into the range of a death trap.

Li Yunjing's eyes were cold, like the most patient hunter, silently calculating the extent to which the enemy troops had entered the ambush zone.

"The striker has passed..."

"The central army enters..."

"The rear guard..."

When he sensed that the strongest auras had also fully entered the maximum power range of the formation, his eyes suddenly burst forth with dazzling divine light!

It's now!

Without hesitation, he activated the core of the formation buried underground!
"Array up!"

"Array up!"

Li Yunjing's low shout was like a thunderclap, resounding deep underground!

In an instant, the entire Fallen Soul Slope shook violently!
The once desolate and barren land suddenly erupted with incomparably dazzling five-colored divine light! The five-colored lightning, blue, yellow, red, white, and black, roared out from the depths of the earth like ancient ferocious beasts that had broken free of their restraints, instantly intertwining to form a terrifying lightning prison covering an area of ​​ten miles in radius!
Rumble, rumble—! ! !
A deafening roar of thunder echoed across the heavens and earth, drowning out all other sounds from the Zhao army. The raging power of the thunder perfectly merged with the Yin and deathly energy that had accumulated underground for millennia, transforming into streaks of gray-black destructive lightning. Like living tentacles of death, these lightning bolts lashed out, entangled, and tore apart all living beings within their range!
"Oh no! An ambush!!"

"Form ranks immediately!!"

"Help me—!!"

The Zhao army was instantly plunged into extreme chaos and panic.

"Boom!"

The cultivators in the core area of ​​the formation, whether they were at the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core stage, didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly vaporized by the intertwined Five Elements Thunder and Evil, their bodies and souls annihilated!
The cultivators on the periphery were terrified and tried to raise their protective magic treasures and form a battle formation, but the lightning energy that had been fused with Yin energy was extremely corrosive and penetrating. Ordinary protective light shields collapsed at the first touch, and the spiritual light of the magic treasures quickly dimmed and shattered!
Screams, explosions, and thunderous roars mingled together, creating a symphony of death.

Countless severed limbs and broken magical artifacts were thrown into the sky, only to be crushed into dust by subsequent lightning strikes.

The strong smell of blood and burnt food instantly filled the air, making people nauseous.

"Who dares to plot against me?!"

A roar of shock and rage erupted from the center of Thunder Prison, and a dazzling sword light, seemingly forged from pure gold, shot into the sky, forcefully creating a small safe zone that protected the Golden Sword Lord and several Nascent Soul cultivators beside him.

In just a few breaths, tens of thousands of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators and a small number of Golden Core cultivators were reduced to ashes!
The losses were so severe that they were incalculable!
Realizing what was happening at the last second, the Golden Emperor Sword Lord intervened and protected part of the core power.

However, even Nascent Soul cultivators appeared quite disheveled in this meticulously prepared and long-awaited destructive formation.

The dazzling sword light swayed violently under the frenzied impact of countless lightning bolts, flickering unpredictably. The Golden Sword Lord's face was ashen, clearly indicating that he was struggling to hold on.

Of the more than twenty Nascent Soul cultivators he brought, fewer than twelve are still standing unharmed beside him!

The rest were either dead or injured, or isolated in other parts of Thunder Prison, too busy to take care of themselves!

"What a vicious formation! What a precise calculation!"

Jinhuang Sword Lord was both shocked and furious. He frantically scanned the area with his divine sense, but due to the special environment and array interference of "Falling Soul Slope", he could not pinpoint the exact location of the ambushers.

Just then, the city gates of "Iron Wall City" burst open with a roar!

"kill!!!"

True Lord Chiyang charged ahead, his body transforming into a crimson meteor, carrying raging Yuan Yang True Fire, like an enraged fire god, straight towards the chaotic Zhao army! Behind him, twenty Nascent Soul cultivators of the "Yuan Yang Dao Sect" and tens of thousands of elite disciples, like a flood bursting its banks, roared and launched their charge!
The timing is perfect!
This was the perfect moment when the Zhao army was severely damaged by the minefield, its formation was in chaos, and its supreme commander was temporarily trapped!

"Old man Jin Huang! Prepare to die!"

With a long roar, True Lord Chiyang locked onto Golden Emperor Sword Lord, who was struggling to withstand the lightning. He unleashed a punch, and the blazing fist light burned mountains and boiled seas. Wherever it passed, the remaining lightning energy was forcibly evaporated!
"Chiyang! You're despicable!"

Jinhuang Sword Lord was so angry he almost vomited blood. He had to distract himself from dealing with Chiyang Zhenjun's fierce attack, and his protective sword light dimmed even more.

At the same time, underground, a cold glint flashed in Li Yunjing's eyes.

"Fellow disciples, follow me and fight our way out! Our target: the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Zhao Kingdom!"

At his command, he transformed into a streak of azure lightning and burst forth from the ground. The "Yin Yang Five Elements Heavenly Evolution Sword" in his hand emitted a clear and melodious sword cry, heading straight for a Nascent Soul Level 5 cultivator from the Zhao Kingdom who was frantically resisting the lightning.

Xiao Anran, Lei Zhen, and ten other "Shenxiao Daozong" True Persons followed closely behind, like eleven unsheathed sharp swords, precisely cutting into the battlefield, specifically targeting and killing those Zhao Kingdom high-level cultivators who had survived the lightning formation but were already injured!
Wang Hanyun, Mo Ying, and others led their troops to patrol the perimeter, clearing out the scattered Zhao soldiers and waiting for an opportunity to launch a coordinated attack to expand the gains.

A coordinated attack from within and without, striking from both above and below!
The Zhao army, which had already suffered heavy losses, completely collapsed.

Soldiers cannot find their generals, and generals cannot take care of their soldiers.

Fear spread like a plague. Countless cultivators abandoned their armor and weapons, wanting only to escape this deathly inferno, but they were often mercilessly killed by the pursuing allied cultivators or the rampaging lightning demons after only a few steps.

Luohunpo, this ancient battlefield, is once again stained red with blood today, becoming the true burial ground for the Zhao Kingdom's reinforcements!
In the Battle of Fallen Soul Slope, the main force of Zhao's reinforcements was almost completely wiped out. The Nascent Soul True Monarch, Golden Radiance Sword Monarch, was seriously injured and fled. More than half of the twenty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators who accompanied him were lost, and countless Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators were killed or wounded, severely damaging the Zhao forces.

News of this battle spread like wildfire throughout the Zhao state and even neighboring states, causing a tremendous shock.

The success of the "Great Victory at Iron Wall City" and the "Ambush at Fallen Soul Slope" completely shattered the resistance and psychological defenses of the Zhao state on the western front.

The allied forces were unstoppable, with no force able to effectively halt their advance.

Chiyang Zhenjun and Li Yunjing did not give the Zhao state any chance to catch its breath.

After a brief rest and complete control of Ironwall City, the allied forces split into two groups, like two red-hot daggers, and fiercely stabbed into the heartland of Zhao, which had already been breached.

Led personally by the True Lord of Chiyang, and with the elite of the Yuanyang Dao Sect as the main force, the group marched along the official road and headed straight for Tianxiong Pass, a major town in western Zhao State.

The garrison troops in the cities along the way were already terrified at the mere mention of the news; some surrendered at the first sign of trouble, while others collapsed after offering only a little resistance.

The Yuanyang Dao Sect's army swept through the land like a whirlwind, capturing more than ten cities in succession. Their unstoppable advance pressed directly into the heart of the Zhao Kingdom.

Another route, coordinated by Li Yunjing, was centered around the disciples of the "Shenxiao Daozong" and supplemented by the four families of Wang, Mo, Liu, and Zhang, as well as the surrendered cultivators they had recruited. Like mercury flowing across the ground, they rapidly advanced along the pre-planned territory of the Zhao Kingdom, which belonged to the "Shenxiao Daozong" sphere of influence.

Li Yunjing made full use of the local vassal forces' familiarity with the terrain, people, and resources. Often, before the main army arrived, the envoys to persuade them to surrender, or even the internal support personnel, would have already arrived.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless and having received Li Yunjing's promise of "no past transgressions and preservation of interests," many city commanders and local families chose to surrender and open their gates to him.

Resistance became sporadic and ineffective.

Occasionally, a few forces loyal to the Zhao state would attempt to resist from their strongholds, but they were often quickly crushed by the powerful thunder magic of the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" and the precise guidance of local collaborators, and instead became the targets for establishing their authority.

The coalition forces advanced at a speed far exceeding expectations.

Every day, new cities are planted with the flags of "Yuanyang Dao Sect" or "Shenxiao Dao Sect".

A large amount of resources, population, and territory were rapidly acquired and integrated.

Throughout the Zhao state, from the court to the common people, there was widespread sorrow and lamentation.

The imperial family's prestige has been tarnished, and centrifugal tendencies have intensified in various regions. There have even been instances where prefectures and counties have acted independently and no longer obey the central government's orders.

The State of Zhao, once a powerful nation, is disintegrating at a visible pace.

While the allied forces were advancing triumphantly, Li Yunjing was not blinded by victory.

He continuously dispatched more administrative disciples, formation masters, and craftsmen from the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" in the rear to quickly take over the administration of the newly occupied areas, repair city defenses, establish order, appease the refugees, and firmly control important resource points.

At the same time, he strictly disciplined his subordinates and vassal forces, strictly prohibiting burning, killing, and looting, emphasizing "winning hearts and minds is the best policy", and striving to truly transform this vast land into a stable territory and war potential for the "Shenxiao Dao Sect" at the lowest cost and fastest speed.

In just six months, the State of Zhao lost half of its territory!
Apart from "Tian Zhao City", the remaining half is also unstable in other places, and many forces have already considered betraying the Zhao Kingdom and seeking other ways out.

Meanwhile, in the surrounding countries, many powerful sects had not even realized that the situation in Zhao had deteriorated to the extreme.

The envoy from Zhao had just gone to another country to negotiate aid from other powers when he heard that several more cities within the country had fallen.

This situation has even frightened some of the more powerful sects that had been eyeing it.

The alliance between the two major sects, "Yuanyang Daozong" and "Shenxiao Daozong," is truly insane. Such combat power makes other sects hesitate and dare not send troops to Zhao State to fight against the two great Xuanmen sects.

If they were to fail, it would embolden the ambitions of the Yuanyang Dao Sect and the Shenxiao Dao Sect, who would not only want to defeat the Zhao Kingdom but also invade their territory.

The capital of the Zhao state, Tianzhao City.

The once prosperous and thriving imperial capital is now shrouded in gloom and despair.

The palaces still stand majestically, yet they cannot conceal the unease that lingers beneath.

The streets were deserted, people were restless, and rumors flowed quietly through the neighborhood like sewage in a gutter.

In the Golden Palace, Emperor Zhao's face was ashen, his eyes sunken, and he had long lost the majesty he once possessed as the ruler of the world.

The prince and his officials were utterly silent, their faces ashen, and an atmosphere of despair permeated the air.

"Trash! They are all a bunch of trash!"

Emperor Zhao slammed a military report sent by an 800-li express courier to the ground, his voice hoarse and furious, "Three more cities lost! At this rate, the enemy will be at the gates of my capital in less than a year!"

No one in His Highness dared to respond.

The defeats came like snowflakes, long since extinguishing their last shred of hope.

"Where are the reinforcements? Where are the envoys I sent to the 'Great Yan Dynasty' and 'Mingxin Temple'? Why have we not heard from them yet?!"

Emperor Zhao's gaze swept over several key officials in charge of diplomacy.

"Your Majesty... the 'Great Yan Dynasty' replied that... there are also rebellions within the country, and they are unable to attend to matters in the east..."

An elderly minister stepped forward shakily and prostrated himself on the ground: "'Mingxin Temple'...they mentioned that they need to convene a council of elders to discuss the matter, but no decision has been made yet..."

"Discuss?"

"They're just observing!"

"They're waiting for my Zhao Kingdom to bleed its last drop of blood!"

Emperor Zhao was so angry that he trembled all over, but he was helpless.

The world is a cold and indifferent place; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Former allies who called each other brothers are now just bystanders watching from the sidelines.

"Your Majesty! It's not good!"

"General Liu, who guarded the 'Nanli River'... he... he led his troops to surrender!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and a eunuch rushed in, his voice trembling with sobs: "The south gate... is wide open!"

boom!
This news was like the last straw, breaking down the psychological defenses of everyone in the hall.

If the strategic pass of "Nanli Jiangtian" is lost, the enemy can advance unimpeded, penetrating the most prosperous southern hinterland of Zhao, and forming an encirclement with the allied forces to the west and north!

"You traitor Liu! How dare you betray me?!"

Emperor Zhao suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously, before being hurriedly supported by the eunuchs on either side.

The hall suddenly fell into chaos.

Cries, screams, and desperate sighs mingled together.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of miles away from "Tian Zhao City", there was a city that had just been planted with the purple thunder flag of "Shenxiao Dao Sect".

Inside the former important town of Fengxi Fort of the Zhao State.

Li Yunjing stood on the newly renovated watchtower of the city garrison, overlooking the streets that were gradually coming back to life.

Xiao Anran stood behind him, reporting the latest battle situation and the takeover status.

"...The garrison commander of Nanli, Liu Kun, has surrendered. Our army has taken the Nanli River defense line without bloodshed."

"Uncle Chiyang has also broken through Tianxiong Pass, and his troops are heading straight for Longling, the ancestral home of the Zhao royal family."

Xiao Anran's tone carried a hint of excitement, "The Zhao Kingdom is already on the verge of collapse, beyond saving."

"The more critical the moment, the more we must remain calm."

"The land we receive needs to be assimilated as soon as possible and transformed into our sect's strength."

"Those generals and local strongmen who surrendered should be used, but they should be guarded against even more."

Li Yunjing remained calm, showing little joy, and simply said, "The control of the resource points must be firmly in the hands of our own people."

"Don't worry, Vice Sect Leader Li, everything is proceeding according to plan."

"However... according to reports from our spies, several major powers and sects in the surrounding area seem to be getting restless."

Xiao Anran respectfully said, "Especially the 'Great Yan Dynasty' and 'Mingxin Temple,' although they haven't directly sent troops, there are clear signs of them mobilizing troops within their own countries and sects. I'm afraid..."

Li Yunjing's lips curled into a cold smile: "I'm afraid they want to wait until we and Zhao are both exhausted from fighting, or until our army is deep in Zhao's territory, with our battle lines stretched out and most vulnerable, before they come to reap the rewards, or even... bite us back?"

"Exactly."

Xiao Anran nodded solemnly: "We must be on guard."

"It doesn't matter."

"They dare not enter the fray easily."

"The Battle of Luohunpo not only destroyed the elite of the Zhao state, but also their courage."

Li Yunjing's gaze was fixed on the distance, as if it could pierce through mountains and rivers. "They are afraid, afraid of becoming the next Zhao state."

(End of this chapter)