Veiled Clouds Surge, Shading the Sky and Sun

Seeing that Xie Wushuang was trying to escape, Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu hurriedly moved to intercept him. Unfortunately, their methods were still somewhat lacking. Xie Wushuang took out a Black Small Boat and vanished into the vast Great Void in the blink of an eye.

That Small Boat was clearly a Void Traversing Spirit Artifact. It was incredibly fast and left no trace behind, so it was probably a Spirit Artifact specially meant for fleeing or pursuit.

With Xie Wushuang gone, Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu could only return helplessly.

"Venerable, we were incompetent and failed to keep that fellow here!" Kou Ta said awkwardly.

He had previously claimed that he would definitely keep the other party here, yet the other party had escaped, and they had been completely unable to stop him.

Yang Zhengshan smiled gently and said, "All right. I told you long ago that doing your best was enough. You didn't have to capture him by force. It's better that he escaped. That way, he can draw over more enemies."

"From now on, I'll leave those Yin Soldier Blood Puppets outside to you!"

The reason he had asked Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu to act was to conceal their true strength from the enemy.

Two Initial Golden Core Realm Golden Core cultivators were not enough to make the Wuchang Ghost Sect take drastic action. When Xie Wushuang returned to request reinforcements, at most, he would bring Golden Core cultivators from the Soul Refining Hall.

Then, they could wipe out the Soul Refining Hall in one fell swoop and sever one of the Wuchang Ghost Sect's arms.

Since Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu had already made their move, it was only natural for them to clear away the Yin Soldier Blood Puppets outside the Forward Outpost Base.

Blazing Flames Soaring, the flames instantly burned away the overwhelming black mist. With Hundred Arms Waving, countless Yin Soldier Blood Puppets were smashed into minced meat in an instant.

In only a few breaths, a huge gap appeared in the densely packed ranks of Yin Soldier Blood Puppets.

At the same time, the Flying Boat Army once again took the initiative to attack, cooperating with Hong Fuxiu as she scattered endless flames.

The crimson flames almost burned the forests within a hundred li into a wasteland, and they also reduced a million Yin Soldier Blood Puppets to ashes.

Northern Wanhua Mountain Range.

The enormous Bone Flying Boat was moored beside the Blood Pool. Inside the Skull Cabin at the bow, Xie Wushuang reported to Li Shanghun that the Yin Soldier Army ahead had been blocked.

"The other side seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. We hadn't received any information about them beforehand," Xie Wushuang said.

Li Shanghun's heavy eyelids drooped. "You said they had two Golden Core cultivators?"

"That's right, two of them. They had only just formed their Cores. I can confirm that they have been in the Golden Core Realm for no more than thirty years!"

"You couldn't even handle two juniors who had just formed their Cores?" Li Shanghun raised his gray-white eyes and looked at him indifferently.

Xie Wushuang's entire body trembled. "Hall Master, forgive me! This subordinate was incompetent! Although those two weren't highly cultivated, their Divine Path Intents countered this subordinate. One appeared to be an Artifact Cultivator and could create countless arms, making him completely unafraid of this subordinate's Devouring Dao Intent. The other wielded Southern Bright Leaving Fire, which most strongly countered this subordinate's Blood Qi Devouring Path!"

He felt deeply aggrieved as well. In terms of cultivation, he could steadily suppress Kou Ta and Hong Fuxiu by a minor realm, but once they fought, the two of them working together were able to keep him on the defensive.

On the way back, the more he thought about it, the angrier and more stifled he became.

Li Shanghun's dark, swarthy face remained as unmoving as an ancient well. In a flat tone, he said, "Apart from the two Golden Core cultivators, what other forces do they have? Demonic Beasts or Immortal Cultivators?"

Seeing that he had stopped questioning him, Xie Wushuang immediately relaxed and replied, "They built a city in the canyon. There are cultivators and Martial Artists inside, but no Demonic Beasts!"

"However, they have many Flying Boats. There are several hundred Large Flying Boats and Medium Flying Boats. Oh, right, they also set up many Puppets on the city walls. They're all Second-tier Puppets, numbering several thousand!"

Li Shanghun pondered. "Puppets and Flying Boats? What do their Flying Boats look like?"

"The Large Flying Boats should be some kind of fire-attribute Flying Boat. There's a Vermilion Bird Statue at the bow, and it can use flames to attack!"

"A Vermilion Bird Statue!" A sharp glint flashed through Li Shanghun's eyes. "The Yunxiao Yang Family!"

"The Yunxiao Yang Family?" Xie Wushuang thought for a moment before saying, "You mean the Yang Family of the Tianyun Sword Sect? That can't be right. I heard that the Yang Family's master, Yang Zhengshan, was a Wood Attribute Cultivator who excelled in the Way of Wither and Flourish!"

Although Yang Zhengshan did not possess a resounding reputation, he was by no means unknown.

In particular, he had interacted with the Wuchang Ghost Sect many times, so the Wuchang Ghost Sect naturally knew of his existence.

Previously, Chang Buzai had even sent the Soul Hooking Hall to investigate the Yang Family. It was only because the Tianxian Dao had suddenly destroyed the Tianji Pavilion that Yang Zhengshan had avoided that trouble.

"The Yunxiao Yang Family's Flying Boats have Vermilion Bird Statues. You also said that those two Golden Core cultivators had only just entered the Golden Core Realm. Hmph, they actually dare to oppose our sect. This Yang Zhengshan is truly Extremely Arrogant!" Li Shanghun said in a frigid voice.

They were currently at the critical juncture of occupying the entire Wanhua Mountain Range. Just as they were about to succeed, the Yunxiao Yang Family had suddenly appeared. It was easy to imagine the anger in Li Shanghun's heart.

"Hall Master, I've heard of this Yang Zhengshan as well. He has some ability. You may need to act personally," Xie Wushuang said softly.

He did not say this because he believed Yang Zhengshan could be mentioned in the same breath as Li Shanghun. Rather, he felt that it would be better for Li Shanghun to act personally.

If someone else acted instead, wouldn't that make him appear utterly incompetent? Only if Li Shanghun acted personally could it show that the enemy was too strong, rather than that he lacked strength.

Li Shanghun nodded slightly. "Then we'll deal with Yang Zhengshan first!"

Afterward, Li Shanghun began mobilizing the Yin Soldier Army and the Golden Core experts of the Soul Refining Hall.

Although he called Yang Zhengshan arrogant, he did not underestimate him in the slightest. In fact, he even felt that Yang Zhengshan must have some kind of trump card.

Without some kind of trump card, who would dare provoke their Wuchang Ghost Sect?

Therefore, he nearly gathered all of the Soul Refining Hall's High-End Military Force. This included two Vice Hall Masters, two Division Masters, and two Vice Division Masters. Together with himself, there were seven Golden Core cultivators in total.

In addition, there were six Yin Soldiers at the Demon King level, as well as an army of three million Yin Soldier Blood Puppets.

These were all the forces he could mobilize at present.

Everything else was manageable. The crucial matter was the Yin Soldier Army. Yang Zhengshan's guess had been correct—the Wuchang Ghost Sect's Yin Soldier Army was already nearly exhausted, and the Corpse Sea had almost been hollowed out by them.

Of course, even if the Corpse Sea had been emptied, the Wuchang Ghost Sect still possessed quite a number of Yin Soldier Blood Puppets.

The Yin Soldier Blood Puppets scattered throughout the Wanhua Mountain Range and the Yunxiao Mountain Range still numbered thirty to forty million.

Several days later, Bone Flying Boats took off from all over the Wanhua Mountain Range and flew south. As time passed, Bone Flying Boats gathered around the Flying Boat carrying Li Shanghun, advancing grandly toward the southern part of the Wanhua Mountain Range.

At the Forward Outpost Base, Lin Xiqiu hurriedly returned.

"The Wuchang Ghost Sect is here!" The moment he saw Yang Zhengshan, he spoke urgently.

"How many have come?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"More than three hundred Flying Boats. They're all Large Flying Boats!" Lin Xiqiu said solemnly.

The Wuchang Ghost Sect's Bone Flying Boats were much larger than the Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats. Although the White Jade Capital also had several hundred Flying Boats, most were Medium Flying Boats—the Blazing Sun Flying Boats. There were only a few dozen Vermilion Bird Cloud Boats.

"How long until they arrive?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"They should arrive in two days," Lin Xiqiu replied.

Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes. "Go bring Xuan Zhen and Yue Yao back. We're about to have a fierce battle!"

Xuan Zhen and Yue Yao were still waging guerrilla warfare outside. Their results during this period had been excellent. Xuan Zhen had obtained quite a few Yin Soul Generals, while Yue Yao had gathered many Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts.

The Yin Soul Generals were sent to the Divine Soul Hall to be cultivated into Divine Generals.

The Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts were placed in the Spirit Source Land. In the future, they would become part of the Spirit Source Land.

Although it would take time to cultivate those Yin Soul Generals into Divine Generals, and those Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts were merely a rabble, this would still improve the strength of the White Jade Capital and the Spirit Source Land.

As for whether any of them refused to submit, there definitely were some.

The Yin Soul Generals were all disobedient. The process of transforming them into Divine Generals was entirely forced, leaving them no opportunity to resist.

As for the Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts, whenever they dared to resist and cause trouble, someone would naturally skin them, pull out their tendons, and eat their flesh.

There were also Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts with wild, untamable natures in the Spirit Source Land. It was just that those Strange Beasts and Demonic Beasts had all ended up as dishes on everyone's tables.

Lin Xiqiu soon found Xuan Zhen and Yue Yao and brought them back to the Forward Outpost Base.

With Lin Xiqiu's speed, he could travel from south to north and back through the Wanhua Mountain Range within a single day. More importantly, his Void Traversal consumed very little energy. Even if he traversed back and forth without stopping, he would not feel tired.

After Xuan Zhen and Yue Yao returned, Yang Zhengshan summoned all the Golden Core cultivators and Demon Kings of the White Jade Capital.

Counting Su Mei, Su Qingfu, and Su Jiangxue, the White Jade Capital now had twelve Golden Core cultivators and Demon Kings.

Apart from Yang Zhengshan, Su Mei was the strongest, followed by Yue Yao, then Su Qingfu and Su Jiangxue. After that came Green Ox, Lin Xiqiu, Yunxiao, and Xuan Zhen. The remaining Kou Ta, Hong Fuxiu, and Yu Qingyi had only entered the Golden Core Realm recently, so their strength was not far apart.

Green Ox's strength was even greater than Lin Xiqiu's. Although this Old Ox spent all day at home, his cultivation had actually reached the mid-stage Demon King realm, and his strength was quite formidable.

As everyone gathered, Yue Yao looked at Su Mei and the other two. She was stunned at first, then smiled knowingly.

"Lady Fox Venerable! Long time no see!"

Su Mei smiled and nodded. "Indeed. In the blink of an eye, several decades have passed!"

"I never imagined I'd be able to work alongside Lady Fox Venerable again. It truly is Yue Yao's good fortune!" Yue Yao said with a smile.

Su Mei smiled sweetly. "That isn't quite right. It should be our honor to join the White Jade Capital and serve the Venerable!"

The two gathered together and whispered to each other, while the others paid little attention.

They had known each other for a long time. Back in the Wanhua Demon Court, the Spirit Deer Clan had been close to the Fox Clan. When Yue Yao had led the Spirit Deer Clan to submit to the Yang Family, it had been Su Mei who gave her guidance.

On the other side, Yu Qingyi was also whispering with Hong Fuxiu. She held Hua Qingzhu with an air of boastfulness, making Hong Fuxiu envious to the point of aching.

During this period, Yu Qingyi had already familiarized herself with Hua Qingzhu's functions. She had also moved all the Treants she had previously cultivated into the Hundred Flowers Cave Heaven, fully accepting this heaven-sent surprise.

With Hua Qingzhu, Yu Qingyi's strength had risen another level. Hua Qingzhu could do far more than help cultivate Flower Soldier Tree Persons. It could also assist Yu Qingyi in battle, strengthen her Path of Spirit Bestowal, and deepen her comprehension of Wood Attribute Dao Intent.

Spirit Treasures all carried Dao Intent and could assist their masters in comprehending it.

For example, the Life Realm Immortal Palace could give Yang Zhengshan an opportunity to comprehend Dao Intent.

Likewise, Hua Qingzhu could give Yu Qingyi an opportunity to comprehend Dao Intent. Hua Qingzhu was a Spirit Treasure belonging exclusively to the Wood Attribute, and it inherently contained several kinds of Wood Attribute Dao Intent. If Yu Qingyi could comprehend even a little of it, it would definitely be an enormous gain.

"Madam truly has heaven's favor. I'm so envious!" Hong Fuxiu said with a face full of envy.

"Giggle, just cultivate diligently. Perhaps you'll have a chance to obtain a Spirit Treasure in the future too!" Yu Qingyi said with a grin.

"Let's forget it. I wouldn't dare Hope For such a thing!" Hong Fuxiu shook her head repeatedly.

There were only a few Spirit Treasures in the entire Myriad Flower Domain.

As for Authority Artifacts, the Myriad Flower Domain could still produce more than a dozen. But Spirit Treasures were secrets held by the various major powers, and few people could name even several of them.

Everyone gathered In Twos and Threes, chatting and laughing, without the slightest sense of tension before the imminent great battle.

Of course, this did not mean that they did not take the coming battle seriously. It was simply because they all knew that Yang Zhengshan had already reached Half-step Entering Dao, so they did not have much worry about the battle ahead.

Time passed second by second. The sky changed from day to night, then from night back to day.

The soldiers and cultivators rested for two days. Both their Physical Strength and Magic Power had recovered to their peak condition.

They stood at their respective positions, waiting for the enemies who were about to appear.

When the blazing sun hung overhead, a vast stretch of dark clouds suddenly appeared on the northern horizon.

The dark clouds surged, Shading the Sky and Sun as they rolled over. Wherever they passed, the air was filled with gloomy Yin Energy.

Naturally, those were not dark clouds, but the Wuchang Ghost Sect's Bone Flying Boats. More than three hundred Bone Flying Boats flew together, advancing in a Grand and Majestic display.

Vast numbers of Yin Soldier Blood Puppets gathered together, as did vast numbers of cultivators who practiced Yin Attributes. The Yin Energy they unconsciously revealed was hardly any weaker than that of a true Ghost Domain.

Aboard the Bone Flying Boat, Li Shanghun gazed at the Forward Outpost Base drawing closer and closer.

Of course, he did not know that it was called the Forward Outpost Base. He thought it was a city—the city established by the Yunxiao Yang Family.

The name Forward Outpost Base had been given by Yang Zhengshan himself.

Strictly speaking, the Forward Outpost Base was not a city. Although it had walls, it had no gates. Although it enclosed the canyon, there were only a dozen or so pavilions inside and no other buildings. Thus, it was merely a temporary settlement.

By then, the Yellow Earth Thick Spirit Array had been fully set up. The array isolated Spiritual Sense from the outside and also prevented the aura within from leaking out.

Even Li Shanghun could only see the towering city walls and the Flying Boats hovering in midair. He could not use his Spiritual Sense to investigate the interior of the Forward Outpost Base.

As he watched the walls drawing nearer and nearer, a sharp glint flashed through Li Shanghun's murky eyes.

"A Third-tier Great Array! It seems the Yang Family is even stronger than I imagined!"

That was what he thought.

Large Flying Boats, a Third-tier Formation, and multiple Golden Core cultivators.

A power like this was rare even throughout the Myriad Flower Domain.

There were more than a hundred Golden Core Powers in the Myriad Flower Domain, but most of them had only one or two Golden Core cultivators or Demon Kings. There were only a few that could truly be called major powers.