Testing

"Ah! My sword!"

The white elephant let out a painful cry.

There was both the backlash from the defeat of the Yin Spirit and the regret over the destruction of the flying sword.

Before he even made a move against Gu Jinlai, he had already anticipated this outcome. The sect had promised to make up for any damage to either of their flying swords.

For a moment, he had no choice but to suppress the pain of his Yin Spirit collapsing and quickly turn to Wuchenzi: "How are you!?"

"We held on!"

Wuchenzi's face was somewhat pale, and there was a hint of disbelief between his brows. "He withstood it!"

"They held up!?"

The white elephant's eyes widened.

"Right!"

Wuchenzi said, "He possesses the physique of a great Demonic Beasts. In addition to the ability to change size at will, the Spirit Artifact armor he wears must also have the effect of enhancing defense. After the power contained in the flying sword tore through the armor, it was impossible to tear him apart or shatter him. In the end, although my sword pierced through his body, it failed to kill him."

"Spirit Artifact and armor, the physique of a great Demonic Beasts..."

Bai Xiang kept repeating these two points, then added, "And there's the soul technique! He has a ranged soul technique that disturbed the spiritual energy in our Spirit Artifact, causing flaws in our sword control techniques and affecting their power."

Wuchenzi nodded emphatically.

The effects of soul magic are equally astonishing.

Even...

The failure of this combined attack was all due to the secret techniques of the soul.

"That kind of intense, dazzling soul technique, like the sun shining in the sky..."

Wuchenzi sincerely exclaimed, "Truly worthy of being called a living Heavenly Lord!"

The white elephant nodded, though a lingering fear seemed to remain in its eyes.

But more than anything, there was resentment.

"Can you still draw your sword?"

"Although he can draw his sword, he has combined the spirit of one close-in weapon into Spirit Artifact, and can also use his True Spirit to enlighten another close-in weapon. With the firepower of the two close-in weapons intertwined, I am unable to break through the defenses."

Wuchenzi paused slightly as he spoke, "The key point is that my Shadow Sword seemed to have nowhere to hide in his eyes... Is it because the Heavenly Monarch's True Spirit is extremely sensitive to the spirituality of Spirit Artifact?"

After saying that, he couldn't help but frown.

"So close!"

Bai Xiang recalled the scene where he almost managed to break through the encirclement single-handedly, and felt somewhat resentful and unwilling. "If it were Senior Brother Juan Yue who came, he would definitely die today."

Wuchenzi pondered for a moment, then remained silent.

The Senior Brother Juanyue mentioned by the white elephant is another peak Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivator from the Cold Moon Sect, known as the number one Spirit Transformation in Blue State.

His Shattering Void Sword is a top-grade spiritual sword.

It possesses both sharpness and the ability to cut through the air.

In addition, he has also perfected his sword control technique.

Most importantly, he mastered sword intent.

When the sword intent and the flying sword are combined, it is equivalent to the man and the sword becoming one, and there is no fear of the influence of soul secret techniques on the Spirit Artifact.

If it were him...

It is entirely possible that they will break through and Gu Jinlai with a single sword strike.

"We should now have tested the limits of Gu Jinlai. The next step is to decide whether to transfer Senior Brother Juanyue from the border of Lan and Mu states to deal with Gu Jinlai, or to give up the development of cities such as Luori and Lingxiao. We should discuss this with the elders and the sages before making a decision."

Wuchenzi said.

"Is there any need for discussion? Our probing is tantamount to starting a war. Shouldn't we ask Senior Brother Juan Yue to beat him to death with one blow? Otherwise, if he gets angry and directly invades our Lanzhou territory, he will retaliate in kind, and we will be attacked from both sides."

The white elephant frowned.

"He wouldn't dare."

Wuchenzi said confidently, "As long as Gu Jinlai, he should know what the consequences would be if he really angered our Cold Moon Sect. He has been behaving very well during this time because he knows his own limitations."

He paused, then continued, "Besides, even if Senior Brother Juanyue could kill Gu Jinlai is still affiliated with the Purgatory Sect. I'm afraid that the Purgatory Sect members might end up in trouble, and the other party could benefit from it."

Wuchenzi's words calmed Baixiang down.

Wuchenzi had no doubt that no one, Gu Jinlai, had ever dared to retaliate against the Cold Moon Sect, nor did he.

No one, Gu Jinlai, has ever dared to do that.

He only mentioned that in a fit of anger; it was just something he blurted out.

After calming down, he couldn't help but think of Tan Qingquan, who was stationed in Baihe City.

This elder of the Purgatory Sect is much closer to Lingxiao City and Changjun City than their Cold Moon Sect is to these two cities.

Yuanhua City is located right next to Chi Province.

"Then retreat according to plan."

Bai Xiang said, "Notify Zhuang He and the two elders to retreat. As for Zhou Chi and the remaining protectors and deacons... they all have some problems, or they are simply trying to redeem themselves. Let them lead the troops to engage the repeating muskets and collect more data on them to prepare for the next targeted tactical deployment."

Wuchenzi nodded.

Their attack was largely a probing move.

Gu Jinlai, they have been able to stop them, so the Cold Moon Sect has remained inactive.

Unstoppable...

What else is there to say?

They gladly accepted the four cities, including Sunset, Soaring Sky, and others.

The two elders made a decision, quickly issued the order, and swiftly withdrew.

Zhuang He and the other two Spirit Refining Elders followed closely behind after receiving the order.

Only one elder named Zhou Chi was left to be abandoned. He led the protectors, deacons, and three thousand soldiers to intercept Gu Luochen, Gu Qingmei, and more than a hundred others.

Pity...

Under the barrage of fire from muskets, rockets, and explosives, their fate was sealed.

Roar and flames filled the city.

The battle lasted less than an hour from start to finish.

During this time, Gu Jinlai considered pursuing Wuchenzi and Baixiang, two Spirit Transformation cultivators.

But...

Carrying the close-in weapon system would inevitably affect his speed, making it impossible for him to keep up with the retreating figures.

Without close-in weapon systems, it would be difficult to defend against Wuchenzi, who can still unleash flying swords.

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the two Spirit Transformation and three Spirit Refining tested him and then calmly withdrew.

"Long arms... that's a huge advantage."

From Gu Jinlai the present, he sincerely said this.

In this battle, he realized several of his own shortcomings.

With his current abilities, he could easily kill Spirit Transformation cultivator with a flying sword...

It can indeed be intercepted.

Just now, it even intercepted a combined attack from two Spirit Transformation cultivators.

Intercepting flying swords is one thing, but defeating Spirit Transformation, or even killing Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, is another.

Just like ancient infantry and horse archers, they can kite you to death with their speed and ranged advantage, leaving you helpless.

The same applies to the Spirit Transformation into Spirit Refining.

Some exceptionally talented Spirit Refining at the Refining God level, who possess profound understanding of the essence of the art, can withstand the flying swords of those at the Spirit Transformation, but they are equally helpless against Spirit Transformation level cultivators.

It's not that this Spirit Refining isn't strong, but rather...

You can't hit it.

If a Spirit Transformation cultivator were to abandon their flying sword and engage in direct combat, they might not be able to suppress a peak Divine Spirit Refining has comprehended the profound mysteries of the realm.

Even an ordinary Spirit Refining at the Nascent Spirit Transformation could be overwhelmed and killed by a group of three to five well-coordinated and battle-skilled individuals who were proficient in battle formations.

But if you can't hit the opponent, it's all just empty talk.

"Often, a single specialty can bring an advantage that can be magnified infinitely... Just like the Core Forming and an army. In theory, three hundred elite troops can surround and kill a Core Forming stage cultivator. However, if that team does not have Qi Refining or Gang Condensing that can slow down the Core Forming Formation stage, and they are given one or two months to reach the Core Forming stage, let alone three hundred elite troops, even three thousand elite troops would be unable to escape the fate of slaughter in front of that Core Forming."

Gu Jinlai exhaled. "In terms of speed, my Movement Method is unparalleled, but I'm hampered by the two close-in weapon systems, the heavy armor, and the sword I'm carrying. If I could comprehend the essence of the game, I could completely abandon the close-in weapon systems and the weight... Or, I could train a mechanical tyrannosaurus and transfer the weight to my mount..."

Of course, rocket launchers can also be built.

Only...

Because of their size, rockets fired from rocket launchers often travel at speeds below the speed of sound, making them easy targets for enemy flying swords.

Whether they can successfully break through the defense is a big question.

Sunset City was quickly recaptured.

An elder, dozens of protectors, and deacons of the Cold Moon Sect were abandoned.

Of course, once they realized something was wrong, these people fled very quickly, and their losses did not exceed half.

On the contrary, the ordinary soldiers suffered many casualties.

No one has intervened in this battle, neither in Gu Jinlai.

He was bathed in sunlight, and through his spiritual consciousness, which could also replace divine thought, he stimulated his physical body, causing his bowl-sized wound to heal rapidly.

Before long, Gu Luochen returned. "Ancestor, Sunset City is now completely under our control."

He paused, then continued, "However... it seems the Cold Moon Sect never intended to invade Sunset City. In the few days after capturing Sunset City, they quickly plundered the entire Sunset City, leaving its inhabitants impoverished. It seems they'll need to transport some resources from Lingxiao City..."

Looking back through the Gu Jinlai, he pondered whether he should suggest abandoning Sunset City altogether.

"Transport."

Gu Jinlai said repeatedly, "Without the support of Lingxiao City, many residents of Sunset City would probably starve to death on the streets. Now that they have returned to our rule, I cannot sit idly by and watch such a thing happen."

"Understood, I will send someone to send a message to gather supplies from Lingxiao City."

Gu Luochen nodded.

For the next period of time, Gu Jinlai stayed in Sunset City to maintain order.

However, Sunset City was just a small city; Lingxiao City was their top priority.

After confirming that Bai Xiang, Wu Chenzi, and the others had returned to Lanzhou, he did not linger in Sunset City and quickly returned to Lingxiao City.

Meanwhile, the spies from various factions who were keeping an eye on this battle also sent the news to their respective backers as he returned.

This has never been prevented, either in Gu Jinlai.

They were powerless to stop it.

Back in Lingxiao City, he recuperated from his injuries. Thanks to the astonishing regenerative power of his great Demonic Beasts body and the properties of the Eternal Furnace, he was almost fully recovered in just three days.

Just as Gu Jinlai had gathered all the sword techniques and intended to master them through learning, thus gaining a profound understanding of all their variations, news brought by Gu Junxiu led him to the Autumn Mountains Lingxiao City.

"Any news?"

"Yes, after such a long period of calm, we've finally received some news from over there."

"Good."

From Gu Jinlai, a voice responded.

This round of contact came at just the right time.

He could then consider what technologies he could acquire to address the increasingly dire situation in Star Province.