Hold Fast, and There Will Be a Way!

No one could have predicted that the Sea Race would choose such a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

If it's a one-on-one situation, then this approach is actually quite common.

However, in a major battle involving multiple sects from two major camps, with dozens of high-level combatants from each side participating.

This tactic of mobilizing all available forces to launch an attack is perhaps a bit too simplistic and brutal.

Under normal circumstances.

Such a straightforward decision would not have been made without having gained an absolute advantage in the early stages, or without having a sure chance of winning.

The main point is that by doing this, the Sea Race are essentially giving up any room for further formation changes and maneuvering.

This truly is a matter of life and death.

This will put the Human Race's defensive capabilities to the test.

Having withstood today's onslaught, we can now fight however we want and win easily.

If we can't handle it, it will be a crushing defeat, and we'll likely suffer a series of setbacks afterward.

But to be honest, this all-or-nothing fighting style did Human Race somewhat off guard.

The most crucial point is that only Xiao Chen and two others were present on the Daoist Sect side.

The rest of the group, including Han Chuan True Monarch, are still on the outskirts.

Now that the Sea Race have launched a decisive battle without any warning, they certainly won't have time to send reinforcements immediately.

In other words, whether it was intentional design or a lucky accident.

The Sea Race have gained a relatively favorable condition for the decisive battle, possessing an absolute numerical advantage.

However, if they force their way into the Fifth-Order Grand Array, they will suffer a great loss in terms of terrain.

A single Fourth-Order Linked Grand Array can suppress nearly half the strength of an intruder.

The effects of this Fifth-Order Grand Array will naturally only be more powerful.

The moment all the Great Demon fell into the formation, they felt an invisible binding force surrounding them.

It felt like falling into a sticky quagmire, where every movement was severely restricted.

All Law Technique were greatly reduced in power, losing at least 70% of their lethality and destructive force.

It couldn't even break through the simplest surrounding barriers, let alone attack the Array Foundation.

Not only that, even their brute strength, which they were so proud of, has been greatly affected.

Under the restraint of the Formation Power, both speed and force were reduced by at least 30%.

As a result, the actual combat power that the Great Demon can exert is almost one-tenth of what it used to be.

The one responsible for guarding the formation at midnight tonight happens to be the newly appointed Zen Master Ming Huo.

But at this moment, he was chanting Buddhist scriptures and making mudras with his hands, and six arms were extending from behind him.

Each arm gripped a Fourth-Order great demon nearby, firmly immobilizing them in place.

From a distance, he looks just like a god of war.

Even under these circumstances, the Sea Race, with their overwhelming numerical advantage and massive size, began to destroy the outer barriers.

Xiao Chen stood at the back, intently observing the situation.

Each time the silver ribbonfish swung its tail across the sky above the temple, it broke several chains formed by the golden Buddhist light nearby.

The Right Side Nautilus only needs to move its body forward one step to crush the numerous floating lotus phantoms around it.

Many more Great Demon were also breaking the restrictions around them.

Although they are much slower than the previous two, they are free from any additional interference.

If no one is able to stop it, the damage can accumulate and become significant.

"There are so Great Demon!"

Gang Yuan True Monarch was taken aback and immediately turned to ask, "Daoist Xiao, what should we do now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shouquan also looked over.

After all, among the three, Xiao Chen is the strongest in actual combat.

In such a sudden and urgent moment, everyone instinctively wants to hear the thoughts of the strongest person.

"Judging from this, the Sea Race are determined to fight to the death. Tonight will be the final battle."

Xiao Chen had quickly calmed down by now.

Anyway, now that there is New Cultivation World as a way out, he himself will not be in any danger, no matter how bad the situation outside is.

Since there's a way out, there's naturally no need to panic.

So Xiao Chen calmly instructed, "Let's stay here for now, so that Universal Salvation Temple can find us as soon as possible."

"Then we coordinate with their commands to help fill defensive gaps."

The Sea Race arrived too suddenly and unexpectedly, so much so that the three of them had only been in contact with the Array Foundation for a few days and hadn't even had time to properly familiarize themselves with the Fifth-Order Grand Array.

If we blindly throw ourselves into battle now, it will be difficult to achieve much, and we may not even be able to get into the most suitable combat position.

It's better to just stay put and wait.

Universal Salvation Temple will certainly not forget these three important combatants.

Even if they couldn't attend to them immediately, they would definitely send someone to find them as soon as possible and request support.

Staying put and waiting is the most convenient way to get in touch.

It may not be the Optimal Solution, but it is the safest choice, avoiding hasty actions that could delay the opportunity and cause side effects.

"By the way, while we're at it, could you please send a message to Daoist Han Chuan Daoist Gang Yuan Daoist Iron Fan?"

Xiao Chen continued assigning tasks, "Inform them to cancel the original plan and move towards Universal Salvation Temple as quickly as possible."

"Ideally, we could reinforce the battle directly from the rear and launch a counter-encirclement of the Sea Race."

"And Daoist Zhang, go back inside and see if you can finish that Array Foundation that was almost repaired."

"If it's convenient, I'll take it with me after it's fixed."

"Having one more Spare Array Foundation is always a good thing."

"I can wait at the entrance for the people from Universal Salvation Temple to arrive."

Gang Yuan True Monarch immediately nodded in acceptance, sat cross-legged on the spot, and took out a Sound Transmission Flying Sword from his hand.

Then they began to compile the transmission content in sequence and activate it one by one.

At this point, you absolutely must not skimp on things that shouldn't be skimped on.

Therefore, although he only needed to contact two people, he sent a total of eight Sound Transmission Flying Sword in all directions.

And there was a deliberate time gap in between.

This ensures that even if an accident occurs along the way, causing some of the Sound Transmission Flying Sword to be damaged, the message can still be delivered in a timely and accurate manner.

Zhang Shouquan also retreated directly to the Warehouse at the back.

Using the refined spirit ore, we should expedite the repair work at hand.

Despite the constant sounds of explosions, howls, and shattering outside.

However, once his gaze fell upon the Formation Pattern, his movements immediately stabilized. Not only were they unaffected, but they actually became even faster under the pressure.

At the same time, Purified Nature Zen Master and others had also realized what was happening.

Meanwhile, based on the situation of the Sea Race Invasion, manpower was arranged to begin resistance.

Just as Xiao Chen had expected, he immediately dispatched people to the Array Foundation Warehouse, asking them to go to the entrance of the Great Hero Hall for unified command.

The powerful performance of the Fifth-Order Grand Array gave Purified Nature Zen Master time to react.

This allows him to calmly assess the situation.

Then, he launched a targeted counterattack. "Junior Brother Jing Chen, go and activate all the stored World-Crossing Puppet immediately."

"Including the two that haven't been fully repaired yet, all of them should be deployed to the left side. We must stop all the Great Demon coming from that side outside the Core Array Foundation."

The so-called "World-Crossing Puppet" is a unique type of mechanical puppet used in battle at Universal Salvation Temple.

It comes in two sizes, the former being a full sixteen zhang tall and the latter eight zhang in size.

They all wore kasayas and carried specially made monk knives, originally intended for the purpose of "saving the world through killing," specifically to deal with the enemies of Universal Salvation Temple.

Moreover, unlike the Thousand Machines Valley, it requires Divine Sense to manipulate.

These World-Crossing Puppet are all commanded using special Buddhist Dao Secret Method, and only one Zen Master is needed to control up to 36 of them.

Of course, even a wealthy temple like Universal Salvation Temple couldn't stockpile that many puppets.

They now have only eleven bodies, and two of them were damaged during the previous defense and have not yet been repaired.

The reason we didn't prepare more in advance was mainly due to two reasons.

The first reason is that once the spiritual materials are crafted into a puppet, there is a time limit for its use; it will eventually become unusable.

The second reason is more important: spirit ore only needs to be stored in the Warehouse, but Fourth-Order Puppet require complex maintenance.

For every large puppet like this, several Golden Body Arhat must be assigned to take care of it.

Over time, the manpower and resources consumed in maintenance also amount to a significant amount.

To put it bluntly, it's not an exaggeration.

If such weapons of war were given to small cultivation Lineage with only one or two Golden Core cultivator, they probably wouldn't be able to afford to support them even with the resources of their entire clan.

Universal Salvation Temple was able to prepare eleven bodies, which is actually quite a lot.

"Junior Brother Jing Chi, you take Junior Brother Fa Zhao and Master Ting Hai, each with three Dharma Flag, to the front and command the Vajra Warrior to stop that beast."

Purified Nature Zen Master took out nine golden Dharma Flag: "Also, tell Junior Brother Ming Huo to keep his distance."

"Even if it means sacrificing some Normal Array Foundation, don't go head-to-head with that beast."

"If necessary, you may retreat to the Worry-Free Empty Gate."

"By giving up outside space in exchange for time."

"This will weaken the Sea Race ' power first, wearing down their strength and vigor."

This Master Ting Hai is not Zen Master from Universal Salvation Temple.

They were survivors who escaped from Awakening Sea Temple.

It also brought very sad news: after being ambushed by the Sea Race, Ying Wu Chan Shi was ultimately mortally wounded and passed away in the temple.

Apart from the few who escaped earlier, the rest of the Awakening Sea Temple disciples perished in the siege by the Sea Race.

Now, it's been over a year since that news came out.

Fortunately, because they arrived early, and because Master Ting Hai was also well-versed in Buddhism and frequently participated in the rotations, it was equivalent to undergoing more than a year of defensive training.

He is now very familiar with the Fifth-Order Grand Array of Universal Salvation Temple, and is practically one of its own.

It's a piece of good news amidst all the bad news.

Then Purified Nature Zen Master took out several more jade bottles and handed them over, saying, "Tonight is destined to be a long and arduous battle."

"Take these bottles of pills with you. Don't worry about saving them; just replenish your true energy whenever it's used up."

"Just remember this: hold firm, and there will be a way!"

The reason Purified Nature Zen Master said this was because Universal Salvation Temple still had a trump card up its sleeve.

This is perfectly normal; it applies to any force that has existed for a certain period of time and has not yet disappeared.

In addition to their overt strength, they must also have some covert resources to deal with those deadly crises.

Despite this, Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing was actually a little flustered.

Because he still doesn't know what the Sea Race ' trump card is.

Assuming His Venerable One isn't a complete fool, he should have been able to anticipate that Universal Salvation Temple would have some hidden tricks up its sleeve.

Therefore, since he dared to launch a general offensive, he must have something to rely on.

Purified Nature Zen Master couldn't guess or see what cards his opponent held, he naturally hesitated to make any rash moves.

We had no choice but to adopt a relatively conservative strategy and wait and see how things developed.

In this situation, unless a decisive blow can be delivered, the side that reveals its hand first will generally suffer.

Furthermore, considering that the Sea Race launched a surprise attack, they had already gained the upper hand.

That's why Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing asked everyone to persevere, in an attempt to gain the upper hand after the opponent has acted.

Especially at such crucial moments, it's essential to remain calm and composed.

Fortunately, as a Buddhist practitioner, he had cultivated a fairly good ability to remain calm and composed, and was still able to deal with the situation relatively calmly.

"Abbot, we've arrived!"

A short while later, Xiao Chen and the others arrived, led by a young novice monk.

Before Purified Nature Zen Master could even offer a polite greeting...

Xiao Chen stated directly, "The situation is urgent, let's cut to the chase."

"Abbot, may we ask how we can help? Please just tell us your needs."

Purified Nature Zen Master Jingxing was not the kind of person who put on airs; upon hearing this, he immediately nodded as a way of expressing his gratitude.

Then he gave a direct order, "Then please have the three lay practitioners follow Junior Brother Jing Hua to the right side of the temple to intercept the attacking Sea Race Great Demon."

"I understand that this task may be a bit too difficult."

"But right now we simply don't have enough manpower to carry out a full-scale defense."

"I have no choice but to ask the three lay Buddhists to overcome the difficulties and withstand the pressure to try and gain as much time as possible."

"Junior Brother Jing Hua is very clear about the specific defense details."

"This old monk implores the three of you to exert your utmost effort in the battle, so that we may buy more time for ourselves and for the entire Human Race."

"The Sea Race is coming on strong, and the Fifth-Order Grand Array must not be lost."

"The safety of the right flank is now in the hands of the three of you!"

I don't know if it's just a habit, but as Purified Nature Zen Master was talking, he ended up bringing up the whole Human Race again.

Generally speaking, in this situation, the party requesting assistance will try to phrase it more tactfully, even if it's just feigned politeness.

For example, everyone should ensure their own safety first, and then do their best to stop the Sea Race Great Demon.

For example, polite phrases like "If it really doesn't work out, the three lay Buddhists may leave on their own" are used.

Although running away now would be a betrayal of trust, and Xiao Chen and the others would certainly not slack off or run away halfway.

But that sounds more comfortable, doesn't it?

However, Purified Nature Zen Master not only didn't say that, but also directly asked the three of them to put in more effort, truly treating himself as an outsider at all.

Xiao Chen found it very strange; how exactly did this person become the Abbot?

It couldn't have been a random draw, and it just happened to be him, right?

Of course, no matter how tight the time is, none of that matters anymore; it's better to be straightforward.

Xiao Chen readily agreed, "No problem, please rest assured, Abbot."

"I can't make any grand promises right now, like guaranteeing I'll complete the mission. But I can assure you I'll fight with all my might until the very end."

After saying that, he prepared to leave decisively.

"Wait a minute, I have three more things to say."

Purified Nature Zen Master then took out three small jade bottles. "Here are several bottles of pills that can accelerate the recovery of true essence. Please take them with you, all three lay practitioners."

"Furthermore, if you have Talisman or other elixirs with you, feel free to use them."

"Afterwards, Universal Salvation Temple is willing to bear all costs on behalf of the three and provide double compensation."

Double compensation?

To be honest, the conditions don't seem that great.

In fact, given the rarity of Fourth-Order Spiritual Item, this is no small sum of Little Qian.

Let's assume that Gang Yuan True Monarch spent a hundred years accumulating about six or seven bottles of elixirs related to combat.

If he can seemingly reasonably expend them in battle, he can seize the opportunity to gain double the benefits.

Those would be worth at least a million Spirit Stone.

If you include Talisman, magical treasures, and one-time-use Spirit Artifact, there's even a chance to receive an additional compensation of several million Spirit Stone.

The only pity is that Newly Promoted True Monarch like Xiao Chen and Zhang Shouquan don't have many possessions.

They just wanted to claim some compensation, but they didn't have the initial capital.

However, Zhang Shouquan had a flash of inspiration and came up with a good idea.

As comrades-in-arms, they could easily share some of the elixirs with Gang Yuan True Monarch without any problem.

Anyway, one person can't finish it all, so it's better to split it 30/70.

However, he kept this thought to himself for the time being, planning to speak up when he reached the right side.

"Understood, thank you for your kindness, Abbot."

Xiao Chen turned around to thank him, then continued to follow Zen Master Jing Hua to the right.

Previously, the right side lacked manpower for defense, and the Sea Race Great Demon had already damaged three outer Array Foundation. Now it is launching a fierce attack inward.

"There are a few questions I need to understand first."

As Xiao Chen continued on his way, he asked, "First, which places are we willing to give up? And which places are absolutely non-negotiable?"

They were, after all, reinforcements, not Buddhist Sect disciples.

Of course, they wouldn't risk fighting for some outer Array Foundation that could be abandoned.

Therefore, Xiao Chen's strategy was to buy time by resisting step by step.

To some extent, he and Abbot Jingxing shared the same views.

"The boundary we need to defend is simple: it's this long corridor on the right."

Zen Master Jing Hua Jinghua drew a straight line with his hand. "Beyond the long corridor lies the Thousand Buddha Glazed Wall, which is also one of the key nexus of the great formation."

"Right behind that is the Core Array Foundation."

"No matter how critical the situation, we must at least protect the Thousand Buddha Glazed Wall and prevent it from destroying this crucial structure."

To be honest, this is definitely not an easy task.

On that Thousand Buddha Glazed Wall, a thousand different Buddha images in various poses and expressions were meticulously painted using seven colors of pigment.

Moreover, some of the images are surrounded by corresponding backgrounds, such as novices and Vajra protectors surrounding the Buddha, making the entire Glazed Wall look vivid and rich in content.

But it is precisely for this reason that it is a full thousand feet long!

It's far too big for a target that needs protection.

It's important to know that once you reach the fourth tier, any Law Technique can have a coverage area of hundreds or even thousands of feet.

Not to mention that each of the Sea Race Great Demon is hundreds of feet tall.

Even a simple swing of its pincers or tail can sweep across an area of several hundred feet.

Under these circumstances, the target of the Thousand Buddha Glazed Wall remains fixed in place and cannot be moved.

This means that in order to protect its safety, Xiao Chen and the others must ensure that none of the Sea Race Great Demon on the right can get within two hundred feet of it.

Add two hundred zhang to each side, and you have a defensive line that is 1,400 zhang long.

There are four of them in total, which means that each person is responsible for an area of nearly four hundred feet.

Of course, there are many Golden Body Arhat moving around below. They are responsible for checking the Spirit Stone Consumption in the Array Foundation and replenishing the missing ones in a timely manner.

However, in the fourth-tier battlefield, they can only play a supporting role.

They are almost incapable of providing direct combat capability.

"How about this, let's discuss the arrangements beforehand."

Xiao Chen assessed the situation and immediately began giving instructions. "If we need to retreat, I will take charge of the far right side of the Glazed Wall."

"Master Jing Hua, you'll be in charge of this section on the right side of the middle."

"Daoist Gang Yuan, please take charge of the section on the left side of the middle."

"As for Daoist Zhang, keep an eye on the far left side of the Glazed Wall."

Without a doubt, the defensive pressure is greatest on the right side and least on the left side of the entire line.

Therefore, Xiao Chen made this arrangement based directly on combat strength and status.

Although he didn't know whether Gang Yuan True Monarch or Zen Master Jing Hua was stronger.

However, he believed that Zen Master Jing Hua's fighting spirit was definitely stronger.

"If there's a problem, say so now."

Xiao Chen concluded by emphasizing, "If everyone is okay with this, then we will continue in this same order, resisting step by step along the existing foundational Array Foundation, and doing our best to delay the Sea Race's advance."

His arrangement was reasonable enough, and naturally no one objected.

However, before parting ways, Zen Master Jing Hua called out to the group, "Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I have another bottle of Calm and Vigorous Pill here."

"Just swallow one pill, and you'll feel no fatigue for the next hour and your strength will be quickly restored."

"Everyone, divide them up now, and each person should take three."

"Use it directly to replenish your qi and blood and physical strength later, don't worry about saving it for me."

As he spoke, Zen Master Jing Hua poured out the elixir and distributed it to the three of them.

He even proactively reminded everyone, "Also, if anyone brought any extra Talisman or elixirs that can be used in battle, please share some with me."

"Please rest assured, even the portion I used will be explained to the Abbot afterward and I will receive double compensation."

There was no need for Zhang Shouquan to say anything; Zen Master Jing Hua pointed this out on his own initiative.

In fact, Universal Salvation Temple is not afraid of them intentionally squandering or overusing the sacred items.

On the contrary, I'm afraid they'll be stingy and unwilling to use their resources, which might delay our defense efforts.

So they simply arranged for Zen Master Jing Hua to take the initiative to remind him.

This indicates that if anyone has anything good, they can share it now.