Army Presses the Border!

[Immortal Artifact: South Heaven Gate]

[Grade: Tier 2]

[Note: This artifact, crafted by the old monster Lu Yu of Nanxingyuan in the Great Wilderness Mountain, is modeled after the 'Southern Heavenly Gate' and is a component of the immortal artifact 'Little Shu Mountain Realm,' serving as an entrance and exit. It is guarded by divine generals, and entry and exit are restricted. Those who trespass are not permitted; the Heavenly Marshal and the Golden-Armored Divine Man will apprehend them without exception. Note: The power of this treasure is entirely confined to the 'Little Shu Mountain Realm'; it is useless outside of it.]

"The Heaven-Gazing Mirror is a component of the Heaven Gate, and the Heaven Gate is a component of the 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm'."

"I didn't expect that."

"This Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is actually an Immortal Artifact!"

Lu Qingfeng was taken aback at first, but then a smile bloomed on his face.

If the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is naturally formed and determined by fate, even if Lu Qingfeng occupies it, he can only use it briefly in "The Primordial World".

It's not very useful.

But since it is Immortal Artifact, Lu Qingfeng only needs to analyze its refining method, and he will be able to refine it whether he unfortunately dies and is reincarnated in the future or in the real world.

"Cultivating in the 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm' is much better than the Three Mountains and Nine Rivers."

Lu Qingfeng was overjoyed.

Lu Qingfeng glanced at the South Heaven Gate again, his smile widening.

He reached out and beckoned.

Two fist-sized, translucent crystals flew out from the Heaven Gate, radiating bursts of light from all six sides. If an ordinary cultivator were here, they would be immediately drawn into them, overwhelmed by the boundless energy, losing all sense of direction.

It is not something else.

It is indeed Immortal Crystal.

"It seems that the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm has suffered considerable losses. Demoting these cultivators and stripping them of their cultivation is not enough; we also need to invest Immortal Crystal to replenish it."

These Immortal Crystal cannot be seen from a single Heaven Gate.

But once the Heaven-Gazing Mirror is hung up, it will be able to reflect the truth. The four sects, including Peach Mountain, must have had this in mind when they separated the two treasures. With the four sects holding the Heaven Gate overseeing the process, no one would dare to steal from them.

Lu Qingfeng roughly counted and found that there were no less than two thousand Immortal Crystal.

He stared at it for a long time and made some estimates.

"It consumes about thirty to forty Immortal Crystal every year."

Lu Qingfeng couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Immortal Crystal are precious.

A Mahayana True Immortal would only obtain a single Immortal Crystal after a thousand years of normal cultivation.

In other words, without relying on other means to earn Immortal Crystal, it would take the continuous cultivation and condensation of thirty to forty thousand Mahayana True Immortal to sustain the operation of Immortal Crystal 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm'.

It's really quite terrifying.

Keep in mind that there might not even be two thousand True Immortal in the entire Southern Florescence Realm, and that's a top-tier realm. In the Chiyan Realm or even the Black Star Realm, the number of True Immortal could be counted on one's fingers.

Thirty to forty thousand Mahayana?

I wouldn't even dare to think about it.

Certainly.

The Peach Mountain Four Sects must have ways to earn Spirit Stone and Immortal Crystal. Moreover, each of the four sects 'Earth Immortal has Blessed Land, Blessed Land absorbs and transforms the Chaos energy from the universe into its own essence. The Immortal Crystal they can produce each year are incomparable to those of Mahayana True Immortal.

Supplying a 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm' might be a bit of a pain, but if it can cultivate a single Earth Immortal, or even continuously 'produce' Earth Immortal, what are mere Immortal Crystal worth?!

As far as Lu Qingfeng knew, the four sects had possessed the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm for over 100,000 years. The annual consumption of thirty to forty Immortal Crystal, even calculated over 100,000 years, amounted to an astronomical figure of three to four million Immortal Crystal.

"Wrong."

"Every three to five thousand years, there is a Righteous-Evil Sword Duel in the 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm'. At that time, most of the True Immortal will perish, or even one in ten will survive. The number of other Qi Refining and Primordial Spirit cultivators who die is even more countless."

"The dissipation of these cultivators' cultivation power into the world can greatly reduce the consumption of Immortal Crystal."

Lu Qingfeng suddenly thought of something.

In other words, at this moment, on the eve of the Righteous-Evil Sword Duel, the number of ordinary cultivators and True Immortal in the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is at its peak.

The burden on the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is the greatest.

"After the great calamity."

"Per year, perhaps only three or four Immortal Crystal are needed. In fact, with the cultivation of the cultivators who perished during these great calamities replenishing their strength, three or four Immortal Crystal may not even be needed."

Lu Qingfeng then suppressed his shock.

Three to four million Immortal Crystal is truly astonishing.

Even if it's spread over 100,000 years, or even spread among the four sects of Earth Immortal, it's still not a small number.

If the increase and decrease are cyclical, the peak would only be thirty or forty Immortal Crystal. Calculated this way, over ten thousand years, the maximum would be close to one million Immortal Crystal. Divided equally among the four factions, each would only have two or three hundred thousand Immortal Crystal.

It was still a huge sum of money.

But at least it's not that scary.

"No wonder!"

"No wonder!"

Lu Qingfeng had long known that the Peach Mountain Four Sects deliberately left their opponents with a way out each time they fought swords, in order to repeatedly use this "great calamity" to hone their own True Immortal in the hope of cultivating an Earth Immortal.

But now that I think about it...

Besides this consideration, the heavy burden on the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm, necessitating periodic 'burden reduction,' is likely another reason.

"In the end, it is Immortal Artifact, which cannot compare to a Blessed Land Earth Immortal or Grotto-Heaven with an earth immortal in charge, let alone a primordial world like the Southern Florescence Realm or the Chiyan Realm."

Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

Although this 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm' is good, with his current financial resources, it is difficult to maintain, at least not to maintain the current situation.

If it were the original world, even a low-level plane like the Three Mountains and Nine Rivers, it could continuously absorb the power of Chaos from outside the universe and slowly strengthen itself.

Over the long years...

Perhaps then it can be upgraded.

As for the cultivators among them, as long as they don't ascend to the Primordial Spirit level, no matter how many resources or Spiritual Qi they extract from heaven and earth, they will eventually return to heaven and earth after their death.

This is a loop.

Only when too many cultivators ascend to heaven in a realm, taking away too much resources and Spiritual Qi, will the world become unable to keep up with the demand, resulting in a decrease in Spiritual Qi and resources. Consequently, the number of cultivators who achieve success in their cultivation and are able to ascend will also decrease.

This is also known as the 'Age of Dharma Decline'.

This is the self-regulation of heaven and earth.

After a long period of time when no cultivators ascend to immortality, and even when cultivators are rarely seen, this world will gradually recover as time goes on.

Such as the Black Star Realm.

Even if it was shattered into pieces back then, it can still recover over the years.

Nowadays, there are already cultivators who have been able to cultivate to become True Immortal.

The same principle applies.

Whether it's Blessed Land of Earth Immortal immortals or Grotto-Heaven of Celestial Immortal, whether it's a small realm like the Three Mountains and Nine Rivers or a large realm like the Southern Florescence Realm or the Immortal Qin Realm, or even the entire Primordial World, they will all fall into this cycle.

It's simply a matter of how long it takes.

However, with Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land Earth Immortal presiding over these Celestial Immortal lands, macro-level regulation can mitigate the effects of such situations.

However, since the origins of heaven and earth, large and small, are without a master, the cycles of rise and fall are inevitable.

As for 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm'.

Clearly, it is not yet capable of self-growth and self-promotion. Even without anyone ascending, maintaining a 'balanced' cycle is somewhat difficult.

The level of understanding is probably limited.

Let's not even talk about 'Lesser Shu Mountain Realm'.

Lu Qingfeng gripped the South Heaven Gate and sensed that it had been opened South Heaven Gate to reveal more than ten exits, which were the same as the Ascension Pool he had seen in the Northern Frost Snow Domain.

As for the entrance—

"The Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is full of entrances, and it is eager for more cultivators to come in, so that their cultivation can be transformed into nourishment for this realm."

Lu Qingfeng shook his head.

No entrance is required.

Only exports need to be controlled.

"Firstly, Lesser Shu Mountain Realm is a treasure trove of cultivation for comprehending true laws and understanding Divine Ability Technique Method. Even without considering the tribulations involved, its ability to enhance combat power far surpasses that of many sacred cultivation grounds."

"Secondly, the four factions control the exit. Even if someone manages to seize the South Heaven Gate, without the 'Heaven-Gazing Mirror,' it will be difficult to change the exit. Once they leave, they will fall into the hands of the four factions. This is to prevent cultivators in the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm from obtaining the Heaven Gate by chance and attempting to smuggle themselves out."

But perhaps the four factions did not expect that even after splitting the Heaven Gate and the Heaven-Gazing Mirror and placing them in the hands of two top experts from each faction in the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm, someone could still obtain them so easily that these people could not even send a message back to the Northern Frost Snow Domain.

All precautions were in vain.

With the Heaven Gate and the Heaven-Gazing Mirror in hand, Lu Qingfeng could enter and exit the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm at any time, or cancel the exits in various parts of the Northern Frost Snow Domain.

However, he had other plans in mind.

Instead of rushing to combine the Heaven Gate and the Heaven-Gazing Mirror, they disassembled the newly assembled 'South Heaven Gate' again and returned each of the eight treasures to its original owner.

Although it seems like a "left hand to right hand" transfer, which is somewhat redundant.

However, Lu Qingfeng is cautious in his actions and pays attention to details to reduce the chances of being exposed.

"Apart from those Loose Immortal, I have captured all the True Immortal from the four sects on Peach Mountain."

"It's time."

Lu Qingfeng stood up.

With a sway and a shake, his appearance and attire changed, and he instantly transformed into a middle-aged Daoist with a handsome face and a jade crown.

It possesses an air of authority.

It was none other than Yu Zhenzi, the leader of the Peach Mountain Sect.

As his appearance changed, everyone in the hall seemed to come alive in an instant.

They all spoke their own language, and not only were their appearances and physiques completely different, but their voices, tones, expressions, and personalities were also all different.

The once silent Void-Spirit Hall suddenly became noisy.

Time flies.

Three months have passed since the three True Immortal of Peach Mountain were captured alive and disappeared without a trace, Peach Mountain issued the "Immortal-Gathering Order".

This day.

The leaders of the four factions and more than ten experts from the righteous Loose Immortal gathered together. Among them, none of them had a cultivation level lower than the 'Ten Tribulations' level.

Among them are the Peach Mountain Three Elders, the Seven Swords of Tianshan, the Five Patriarchs of the North Sea, the Snow Ridge Four Divine Monks, and the Four Great Loose Immortal of the Righteous Path, all of whom are figures above the Sixth Tribulation level.

Anyone can stomp their feet.

The entire world will be shaken.

"Old Monster Grand Void has made another breakthrough in strength."

"How should we deal with the evil Daoist priest of Guangyuan?"

"Even a chicken or a dog can be killed with a flick of the wrist!"

The gathering was chaotic, like a bustling market, with people constantly talking and arguing. Some people were naturally loud, their voices were deafening, and they were incredibly annoying.

We want to discuss and come up with a set of rules.

But after more than a month, they still hadn't come to a conclusion. In particular, whenever the True Immortal from the Heaven Mountain, Snow Ridge, and North Sea sects tried to get down to business, there were always a few who would change the subject.

The group of righteous Loose Immortal also followed suit and went off-topic.

The discussion has dragged on without yielding any results.

"Report!"

"The Seven Cultivator Swords of Lion Ridge are leading a group of demons to press on our territory, and they have now reached Golden Pavilion Peak."

A disciple rushed to report this.

"They're here!"

The hall fell silent.

Golden Pavilion Peak is located to the north of Peach Mountain, separated from it only by Peach Mountain Dragon Spring Mountain. Taking another step forward would be considered entering the gates of Peach Mountain.

In the past, sword fighting took place.

At most, they would stay in Dragon Spring Mountain; they wouldn't dare to let these unorthodox methods infiltrate Peach Mountain.

"The enemy has already arrived."

"There's no need for further discussion. Once we reach Dragon Spring Mountain, we'll deal with whatever comes our way."

At the head of the table, the Peach Mountain Sect Leader, Yu Zhenzi, seemed somewhat helpless.

He didn't show any fear.

He stood up on the spot, unleashing a powerful aura that caused all the righteous Loose Immortal present to turn their heads in surprise. "At least an eighth- Bandit Cultivator level!"

While an Eighth Tribulation True Immortal may not be as powerful as the legendary 'Daoist Guangyuan,' he is certainly not weak either. Not to mention, he is the leader of Peach Mountain, whose foundation and wealth far surpass the vast majority of True Immortal in the Lesser Shu Mountain Realm.

Most of the Loose Immortal made up their minds with trepidation.

Without further ado.

Yu Zhenzi's longsword was pointing at—

The immortals stirred.

Heading straight for Dragon Spring Mountain!

A new week begins, Demon Monk is begging for recommendation votes.