Showdown Between Major Powers
The sky had darkened, and the clouds were rushing by with a fierce wind.
It was a perfect night to kill.
The inner city wall of Qiuzhou was 15 zhang high and was built of blue-and-white iron stones weighing 10,000 jin each. On it, the horse walkway was 4 zhang wide, with a crenellation every 3 zhang and a tower every 5 li.
Led by Zuoqiu Ting, the four climbed the steps to the three-story city tower, enjoying a panoramic view of both the inner and outer cities in the rushing evening breeze.
The stronghold of the Lei Xiao Sect, Lei Chi Zhai, is located on a low hill outside the eastern city.
The Daoist temple-style buildings cover the entire mountainside, spanning dozens of acres.
At the top of the low hill stands a nine-story purple array tower, where lightning flashes and electric birds circle, making it extremely conspicuous.
"Whoosh!"
A young Great Mind Master of Imperial Court, his brow radiating light, used his Beast Taming -taming technique to control a Black Feather beast several meters long, carrying Thunder Law Profound Ice on its back, to attack from mid-air, intending to destroy the formation.
A ten-foot-long golden feathered arrow shot out from a plaza within the Lei Chi Zhai, slaying the Black Feather beast in mid-air, turning it into blood mist and tattered feathers.
"Boom!"
The Thunder Law Profound Ice fell and crashed to the ground.
The area, spanning several tens of feet, was razed to the ground.
Lu Cangsheng, dressed in a black robe, stood atop the tallest building below the nine-story array tower, observing the situation below and issuing commands.
Immediately, the crossbow with the Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool on it in the square changed direction and fired another ten-foot-long golden arrow. The arrow, like a golden meteor, streaked through the night and struck a Calamity Fire Realm Great Mind Master the Imperial Court five miles away.
The Great Mind Master's body exploded instantly, leaving not a single piece of intact flesh behind.
One side attacked, the other defended; the battle was at a stalemate.
The Imperial Court's next offensive was even more ferocious.
Eight magical war chariots attacked from the sky and the ground in eight different directions.
The chariots sped along, the air vibrated, and the entire city trembled.
"Whoosh!"
Inside Lei Chi Zhai, the nine-story array tower expanded violently, increasing in height tenfold, transforming into a purple mountain peak a thousand meters high, covering several miles of land, and completely destroying the eight war chariots.
The Thunder Law Profound Ice inside the vehicle was activated, transforming into eight waves of lightning that were released.
Lightning flashed continuously in the eastern part of the city, sometimes shooting straight into the clouds, sometimes stretching across the sky.
This large-scale martial arts duel is comparable to a battlefield confrontation, and the destructive power it unleashes has surpassed the level of the Five Seas Realm.
On the third-floor tower of the inner city wall, Qi Xiao observed the surroundings and then looked at the invitation card in his hand. "Sixty percent of the Imperial Court's top martial artists have arrived, and many first, second, and third-rank figures have already appeared, but after fighting for half an hour, they still can't break through Lei Chi Zhai's defenses."
Shi Shishi, "Lu Cangsheng's Turtle Shell Divine Skill can be called the best in the world!"
Zuoqiu Ting, with one hand behind his back and an air of elegance, smiled and said, "In terms of defense, no one in the younger generation can compare to Lu Cangsheng. Moreover, the Lei Xiao Sect understands the Thunder Law Profound Ice better than any other force, so they naturally know how to defend against it and how to detonate it in advance."
Li Weiyi, dressed in a black Daoist robe with his hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, exuded a mysterious yet relaxed air amidst his handsome appearance. "That array tower is quite extraordinary. The energy it unleashed just now felt like even Ge Xiantong himself would have been forced back. Was it set up by an array master below the Mind Master?"
Zuoqiu Ting said, "The Lei Xiao Sect dispatched ten young-generation Calamity Fire Realm Great Mind Master to Qiuzhou City. Using the Thunderclap Tower, a fourth-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool, as the base, it took them three months to set up this nine-story array tower. Its defensive strength far surpasses any array that an ordinary Mind Master could set up in a short time."
The power of Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool varies depending on the number of sutras inscribed inside, and they can be divided into nine grades.
A text containing one hundred to two hundred characters is called a "first-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool".
A work of two to three hundred characters is called "second grade".
A work of three to four hundred characters is called "Grade Three".
On Lei Chi Zhai Square, the heavy crossbow wrapped in a cloud of magical energy, with more than a hundred scriptures flashing on its surface, is a first-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool.
Li Weiyi didn't know much about the magical artifacts and warfare in this world, so he asked, "Lei Xiao Sect can use fourth- Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool, why doesn't the Imperial Court use fifth-grade or sixth-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool? Or even Thousand Character Scripture Magic Tool?"
Qi Xiao laughed and said, "Brother Weiyi, we are martial cultivators at the Five Seas Realm. With the grade and quantity of our internal energy, it is difficult for us to effectively activate the Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool."
"Only top-tier martial artists who have cultivated sixth-order Qi can unleash the full power of a first-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool."
"A second-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool, with my cultivation level, I can only unleash a portion of its power, probably around 60-70%."
"The higher the grade, the more difficult it is to activate, and the power can indeed be stronger, but the strength is limited."
"For example, if I wielded a fourth-grade sword inscribed with a hundred-character scripture, I could only unleash one or two tenths of its power. It could only slightly increase my combat strength, giving me a chance to challenge the inheritor."
Give me a Thousand Character Scripture Magic Tool, and I dare to challenge the inheritor.
"But what if you get robbed?"
"My Qi Family, a powerful clan with millions of members, a prestigious family in Lizhou, only possesses three Thousand Character Scripture Magic Tool, each a treasure of our clan."
"Is it worth turning yourself into a fat sheep for such a small increase in combat power?"
"Moreover, with our cultivation at the Five Seas Realm, activating a high-grade magic weapon takes a considerable amount of time. You might not even have activated the magic weapon before someone severs your head with a single sword strike, just like Hua Yuzi."
"In one-on-one combat, it's best to use a suitable magical weapon."
"Only clashes between major powers require powerful weapons and formations."
"The Thunderclap Tower and nine great formations of the Lei Xiao Sect were activated by ten Calamity Fire Realm Great Mind Masters and a large number of Great Mind Master of the Earth Fire Realm and Skyfire Realm together to unleash their peak power, transforming into a thousand-meter-high array mountain. The consumption of mental power is definitely not small."
Zuoqiu Ting said, "The Imperial Court's Thunder Law Profound Ice is almost depleted, and they should be activating the high-grade Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool soon. Look, the Imperial Court's Five Seas Realm martial artists are gathering on a large scale."
Qi Xiao asked, "Young Master Ting, what level of magical artifact do we plan to activate when we attack the Governor's Mansion and the headquarters of the Far West Ash Region?"
"Keep it a secret for now," Zuoqiu Ting.
Li Weiyi pondered the quality of the several trump cards and magical artifacts he possessed.
The "Corpse Cloth Soft Armor" he wore close to his body was probably of the lowest grade, not even reaching the level of Thousand Character Scripture Magic Tool. This was because he was able to activate the faint blood-colored scripture and unleash some of its power when he was in the Spring Realm.
He couldn't yet perceive the scriptures inside the "Ghost Flag," indicating it was of a higher rank.
The Ghost Flag's most important attack methods are the power of ice and the ghost generals sealed within.
The "Evil Camel Bell" is likely a top-tier artifact, involving the taboo figure Yu Tuo Nan, and therefore it is something they dare not reveal.
The "Black Iron Seal," which Coffin Master mentioned before, is a treasure of the Lei Xiao Sect, and can be used in life-or-death situations.
Li Weiyi felt that he was the "fat sheep" Qi Xiao had mentioned. Using the Black Iron Seal would significantly boost his combat power, making him a formidable opponent even against inheritors. However, he was certain that trouble would follow the Qianlong Lantern Festival.
The Yellow Dragon Sword is actually his most suitable magical weapon. As he grows, its power increases, as if it were tailor-made for him, allowing him to perfectly unleash his strength.
Li Weiyi secretly pondered whether he should find several more martial arts masters to activate the Black Iron Seal together, so that he could deliver a fatal Phoenix-born Unicorn-young at a crucial moment.
"Splash!"
A barrage of magical arrows rose into the night sky, like a bright galaxy flying towards Lei Chi Zhai.
At the same time.
The martial arts practitioners from the Five Seas Realm of the Imperial Court have all assembled on the streets.
Led by nine Seventh Sea Realm martial artists, nearly a hundred Five Seas Realm martial artists joined forces to unleash their magical energy, which was then channeled into a cauldron-shaped Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool.
The surface of the cauldron-shaped ritual implement burst forth with crimson light, spinning as it rose off the ground.
It grew larger and larger, and brighter and brighter.
After ascending ten zhang into the air, the cauldron transformed into the size of a house, flames burned, and five hundred and thirty-five scriptures flickered on its body, illuminating the entire eastern city.
The dark clouds in the sky were illuminated by the light of the cauldron, turning them crimson.
"Whoosh!"
Inside Lei Chi Zhai, a ten-foot-long golden crossbow bolt flew out.
The sound of it cutting through the air was as loud as thunder.
The cauldron-shaped magical artifact shook slightly, causing the air to ripple, countless scriptures to fly out, and an energy burst that shattered the crossbow bolt into several pieces.
The cauldron-shaped magical artifact soared into the air, releasing its vast power, shining like a blazing sun.
"Activate the array tower with all your might!" Lu Cangsheng shouted.
"Boom!"
The nine-story array tower transformed once again into a thousand-meter-high purple lightning mountain, colliding with the cauldron-shaped magical artifact.
The hill where Lei Chi Zhai is located shook violently, some buildings collapsed, and cracks appeared in the mountain.
Fortunately, the attack was withstood and the formation remained intact.
Qi Xiao said, "The Imperial Court is really going all out! In the end, war is about people. The more martial artists there are, the stronger the magical artifacts they can use, and the deeper their foundation. The difference in strength between the two sides is huge. Lei Chi Zhai's formation will be broken sooner or later. Once the formation is broken, the battle will probably be one-sided!"
"The Lei Xiao Sect is no weakling; after all, they were once the rulers of the Lingxiao Shengjing. The price the Imperial Court will have to pay to take them down will be enormous," Shi Shishi.
Zuoqiu Ting nodded. "Knowing that the Imperial Court forces led by Ge Xiantong were coming to the East City, Lu Cangsheng did not immediately flee the city or abandon the Qianlong Lantern Festival. This shows that he must have something to rely on."
Li Weiyi smiled and said, "Perhaps Lu Cangsheng guessed that the Zuoqiu Courtyard would definitely lend a hand."
"I think he just can't bear to part with that Longevity Pill ticket!" Qi Xiao said.
Shi Shishi, "That's Longevity Pill, who would be willing to give it up?"
"Whoosh!"
Nearly a hundred more martial artists from the Imperial Court, all at the Fifth Sea Realm, activated a hammer-shaped, Grade 5 magic weapon inscribed with a hundred characters of scripture, rising from another part of the city and attacking Lei Chi Zhai.
A terrifying aura, chilling to the bone, emanated from the inner city.
A silver, shuttle-shaped magical artifact descended straight down from the clouds, surrounded by countless scriptures.
It swept through the Defensive Formation of the Dragon Gate stronghold with unstoppable force, crashing to the ground and kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
"Boom!"
The powerful shockwave traveled for miles, reaching the city walls.
Zuoqiu Ting, Li Weiyi, and the other three immediately looked over.
The Dragon Gate stronghold was the residence of an ancient Longevity Realm Giants, covering a vast area and possessing formidable defensive capabilities. However, it was suppressed by the Dispelling Characters, and under the attack of the Silver Shuttle, all Defensive Formation collapsed, and buildings within the residence crumbled in droves.
The forces attacking Dragon Gate came from the Far West Ash Region.
That silver shuttle-shaped magic artifact was activated by more than two hundred martial artists at the Five Seas Realm.
They were numerous and powerful, coming from different factions, and each of them was an outstanding individual.
Phoenix-born Unicorn-young stood atop a tall building several hundred meters from the Dragon Gate stronghold, her long hair swaying in the wind. She gracefully reached out into the void, retrieved her silver shuttle-shaped magic weapon, and it floated in her palm.
"Whoosh!"
The silver shuttle-shaped magical artifact melted, turning into a liquid Flowing Silver Mask, which he then placed on his face. He then ordered an attack on Dragon Gate, leaving no one alive.