"Hahaha! Branch Master Chen is truly a heroine! To be honest, my City Lord's Manor's lineage has been preparing in the Land of Exile for a long time, all for this day—the day when our Ancestral Spirit will reappear in the world!"
"This is not the world of Land of Exile, but the world beyond all the heavens! You are beyond all the heavens! Beyond the heavens, free from all constraints!"
The city lord was somewhat excited. He looked up at his head, his gaze meeting a straight golden beam of light in the sky. He raised his hands slightly, as if to cover the high sky.
The city lord, a being at the Earth Immortal realm, exuded a powerful aura, his eyes filled with longing for the world beyond the heavens.
How long has the City Lord's Manor been preparing? How long have the ancient ancestors been gone? Perhaps no one in this world knows anymore!
The mission of the City Lord's Manor is not only to protect Phoenix City, but also to find the Ancestral Spirit Ancestral Spirit and let it lead everyone back to their original world, back to the world of the ancient ancestors, back to the era of cultivators!
All of this requires countless resources, countless manpower and material resources, generations of cultivators who are willing to sacrifice their lives, and generations of cultivators who are ready to follow in each other's footsteps.
Today, after the ancient ancestors have vanished into history, the Deng Lifu, the trusted Phoenix City!
This is a grand plan, a tragic plan, a plan of defiance and despair, and a plan to bring cultivators back to the heavens!
At this moment, the city lord no longer concealed his intentions and clearly stated the City Lord's Manor's plan, which he intended to implement. Apart from the young man, Xu Long, and Deng Shouchong, the others were clearly shocked.
None of them expected that the city lord's plan was to find the Ancestral Spirit and then return to the realms beyond!
This is clearly an extremely important matter. It seems the city lord was prepared in advance, otherwise he wouldn't have revealed everything to everyone at this critical juncture.
But this plan clearly aims to leverage their power, and even integrate them into the City Lord's Manor. Wouldn't that mean they would lose their independence?
Even if the Ancestral Spirit Ancestral Spirit is found, will the forces that sealed it directly annihilate everyone? How can we protect ourselves or retaliate then?
The city lord's statement about a stable world beyond the heavens, free from the restrictive nature of the Land of Exile, does indeed make breaking through to the Immortal Realm easier. However, this matter is somewhat sudden, and everyone can't help but feel a little worried.
Yuan Changhe and Chen Yuping had clearly made some guesses. As Earth Immortal for many years, they had long heard about the Ancestral Spirit and had conducted countless investigations in their daily lives. However, they did not expect that the City Lord's Manor had been planning to search for the Ancestral Spirit all along.
Their concern was how to find the exact location of the Ancestral Spirit. The Land of Exile was extremely vast, and now there was an endless tide of Mist Beast surrounding the city.
Even if we find the Ancestral Spirit, it probably won't be able to save him, right? At least it won't be easy, and he's very likely to lose his life in the Ancestral Spirit's sealed location.
The city lord saw the expressions on everyone's faces and felt a slight disappointment.
He took over Phoenix City after the old city lord. At that time, Phoenix City had been militarily exhausted and its fighting power was strong, but the environment was extremely difficult.
The city lord accepted them into Phoenix City and allowed the establishment of the North and South Daoist temples so that one day they could work together to find the Ancestral Spirit. However, the city lord was quite disappointed by their hesitant expressions.
He glanced at the young man beside him and saw that he still had a cold and stern look on his face. There was no hesitation in his blood-red pupils, as if he was ignoring the many difficulties in finding the Ancestral Spirit.
The city lord also sensed that the young man's aura was exceptionally heavy. Among the worried crowd, he was like a Sea-Calming Divine Needle stability, single-handedly suppressing the atmosphere of doubt.
The city lord felt slightly gratified. This Fellow Daoist Xu was a cultivator who considered the overall situation, and the agreement between the city lord's Dharma Body and the young man was correct!
Seeing the hesitant expressions on everyone's faces, Deng Shouchong immediately stepped forward and bowed to the four Earth Immortal in the room.
Then, pointing with one hand to the broken bronze chariot and the other to the direction of the North Division Dao Field, he said in a sorrowful and indignant tone:
"Esteemed seniors, in Phoenix City today, our generals have fallen on hard times, and our troops have mutinied from within! Outside, a horde of Mist Beast looms menacingly; inside, Higher Mist Beast lurk in the shadows. We have reached the final juncture!"
"Esteemed seniors, you are all pillars of Phoenix City, with countless disciples within its walls. Yet I ask only this: amidst the Mist Beast Tide, within the Eternity Ice Mist, are there any survivors?"
" The Mist Beast tide is currently lurking in the outer city, but those inside can see it clearly. If the Ancestral Spirit doesn't intervene, and the Mist Beast tide grows stronger, who will be able to stand against the Heaven Patroler!"
Deng Shouchong's words suddenly awakened everyone. They all only wanted to preserve their power, and in their hearts they were even wondering: Could those countless hordes of Mist Beast possibly pass through the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram?
Even if there are Higher Mist Beast in the city, would it dare to provoke several Earth Immortal? Since it still holds power, why risk its life?
Deng Shouchong's grief and indignation and the city lord's disappointment lie here. In his words, the most important thing is not the Mist Beast Tide, but the Heaven Patroler!
While it's true that the Eight Gates can be tightly closed when the Mist Beast Tide attacks, we are currently beset by internal and external troubles. If we don't repel the Mist Beast Mist Beast, its overwhelming force will eventually draw out the Heaven Patroler.
Upon hearing the Heaven Patroler, the hesitant expressions of the crowd turned into fear. His reputation was far more terrifying than the Mist Beast Tide. At least, no one could say that they were not afraid of that Heaven-Slaying One Sword.
Deng Shouchong's words were simple: if the Ancestral Spirit are not found, then when the Heaven Patroler arrives, we'll all be out of a job!
Only by finding the Ancestral Spirit to deal with the Heaven Patroler can one survive the Heaven Patroler's sword, which brings us back to the city lord's plan.
The city lord looked at Deng Shouchong in the arena with encouraging eyes. The descendants of the old city lord were indeed courageous. These Earth Immortal cultivators looked like they were something, but in a moment of crisis, they were not even as good as Grand Cultivators.
They're all so focused on their own little corner of the world, not even checking if the Heaven Patroler has arrived, or how many more days they can keep their heads on their shoulders! What a bunch of useless idiots!
"The city lord is right. If the Heaven Patroler are lured by the Mist Beast Tide, Phoenix City will surely fall. But have we found the location of the Ancestral Spirit? If we have to go out into the open for battle, how should we allocate our fighting force?"
Perhaps intimidated by the title of Heaven Patroler, Yuan Changhe and Chen Yuping exchanged glances for a moment, and it's unclear whether they were communicating True Spirit.
Two breaths later, they both asked the city lord in unison, "Does this mean you've agreed to establish a united front against the Mist Beast tide?"
"Very well! Fellow Daoists, you are all people of great wisdom and understanding! My City Lord's Manor's lineage has investigated the location of the Ancestral Spirit Ancestral Spirit for countless years and has even established a faint connection with it."
" The Ancestral Spirit is sealed within the core of the earth's crust. Successive city lords have been perfecting the teleportation channel. Now, all I need to do is remain in Phoenix City, and once I open the channel, I can reach the earth's crust. There is a seal at the Center; when everyone works together, we will surely break the seal and rescue the Ancestral Spirit!"
"Now, all we need to do is send cultivators out of the city to engage the Mist Beast Mist Beast horde in open battle, repel the attacking horde, and put Phoenix City in the initiative. The weakened Mist Beast horde will also delay the arrival of the Heaven Patroler. As for the allocation of combat power..."
"Uncle! Your nephew requests Muster Platform out of the city to fight the horde of Mist Beast! Just to buy Phoenix City enough time!"
"Lord City Lord! I, Xu, am also willing to venture out of the city to fight the horde of Mist Beast in the open!"
The city lord first clarified the united front, and then took the lead in saying that he could reach the crust of the earth where the Ancestral Spirit was sealed, and that everyone needed to work together to open the Center.
Before he could assign combat forces, Deng Shouchong preemptively declared that he wanted to go out of the city for field battles. Since it was the City Lord's Manor's suggestion, he naturally had to set an example!
Immediately after Deng Shouchong, the young man said that they should go out of the city together for a field battle.
This was part of his agreement with the city lord. The city lord would protect him in front of Yuan Changhe, and then open the teleportation channel, leaving the task of fighting the Mist Beast tide to the young man.
When the city lord saw that the two had volunteered, his expression softened considerably. He nodded solemnly to the young man, then Deng Shouchong and handed him his jade token.
After Deng Shouchong accepted the jade token with a tragic expression on his face. He glanced at the crowd and then turned to leave.
At this moment, Xu Long had no choice but to follow the gazes of the various Earth Immortal present, heading towards the Muster Platform in the east of the city.
The young man's cold gaze swept arrogantly over the crowd, and no one dared to meet his eyes. A look of disdain appeared on his stern face before he turned and City Lord's Manor.
"Um... Our Pill Cauldron Sect is willing to engage in open battle outside the city!"
"Our Rogue Cultivators Association is willing to defend the city against Higher Mist Beast!"
After the young man disappeared, the two people in the room spoke one after the other.
Yuan Changhe and Chen Yuping had clearly communicated earlier. Yuan Changhe did not want to leave the city, but with Deng Shouchong's statement in front and the young man staring at him from behind, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree to leave the city.
Chen Yuping wanted to reclaim her innate treasure, so she stayed in Phoenix City to deal with the vanished Higher Mist Beast.
Watching the two make their statements, he secretly shook his head. On the surface, everyone was united, but over the years, they had been outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and they still harbored their own thoughts.
Fortunately, there was an agreement made with the young man beforehand; otherwise, Deng Lifu would have been in a passive position by now, and the City Lord's Manor's plan would have been difficult to implement.
After the group had assigned their tasks, Chen Yuping first went to the North Division Dao Field, and then the Two Yuan Family Brothers returned to the South Si Dao Field, as they still had some matters to attend to and personnel to arrange.
Xu Long and Deng Shouchong arrived at the Muster Platform in the east of the city. Before he even reached the garrison, he felt a chilling aura enveloping him from the air.
The intense killing intent was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the cultivator's heart.
Once they reached the sky Muster Platform, even the clouds were a deep crimson, and when the intense sunlight fell, it looked like a tangible bloodbath spreading out.
Xu Long was startled. The scene at the Muster Platform was exactly the same as the barrier of the fifth gate in the Eight Trigrams Formation Diagram?
"Fellow Mo Yu, does this aura seem familiar?"
Seeing Xu Long's changing expression, Deng Shouchong suddenly spoke up tentatively, with a half-smile on his face.
Xu Long rolled his eyes at him. "Why the hell are you showing off?"
Now I have to go out of the city with you for a field battle. Can you Fu San out of those four hordes of Mist Beast by yourself?
Why bother seeking out Ancestral Spirit when you're so reckless? Why don't you just chop down the Heaven Patroler yourself? What's the point of having me as the protagonist?
After the two arrived inside the Muster Platform, Xu Long saw one bronze chariot after another reflected in his eyes.
Perhaps because it was not in combat mode, the chariot was unusually quiet inside and out, and no unstoppable power was emanating from it.
The bronze beams above the carriage were also empty, without the command flags that fluttered high in the wind.
After Deng Shouchong inside, Ma Fang and his group were already waiting there. After everyone greeted each other, they suddenly saw Xu Long behind them.
At this moment, everyone's eyes lit up, as if they were pleasantly surprised, and they greeted Xu Long warmly:
"Fellow Mo Yu! When did you arrive in Phoenix City? Why haven't I, Old Ma, been seen here?"
"Fellow Daoist Mo Yu! After our parting in Blackwater City, we all thought you had perished... but we never expected to meet you again in Phoenix City!"
"Fellow Daoist Mo Yu! Your righteous act during the Mist Beast Tide truly makes you a hero of the Land of Exile!"
"Fellow Mo Yu! We have met again in Phoenix City! This is the will of Heaven! Your power and righteousness are beyond our comprehension..."
Upon seeing Xu Long, Ma Fang and her group were both surprised and delighted. They were surprised by his formidable combat prowess, which allowed him to emerge unscathed from the Mist Beast Tide and even appear in Phoenix City.
What pleased them was his formidable fighting prowess. Deng Shouchong had given them advance notice before they left the city, and they had been somewhat uneasy at first, but upon seeing Xu Long, they felt inexplicably at ease.
Perhaps it was because of the sense of security Xu Long gave everyone during their trip in Blackwater City that they developed a dependence on and even a superstitious worship of Xu Long formidable fighting prowess.
At this moment, Xu Long was surrounded by the crowd and flattery, and Deng Shouchong's ambiguous smile became more and more obvious.
Xu Long was a little embarrassed by the camera; they probably had no idea what trouble the old schemer had caused in Phoenix City.
After a period of commotion, Deng Shouchong presented the city lord's jade tablet and Muster Platform to be beaten to summon all the cultivators on the command platform. He was preparing to go out of the city for a field battle.
The drumbeats, "dong dong dong," went from slow to fast, from light to heavy. At first, they sounded like muffled thunder, and after a series of drumbeats, the muffled thunderous sound reverberated throughout the camp like rolling thunder.
The resounding drumbeats mingled with the footsteps of the cultivators, along with faint shouts of urging and cursing.
Waves of magical Magic Power flashed through the Muster Platform camp, and streams of Magic Power appeared on the chariots.
A dazzling array of colors flashed across the sky, and the blood-red sky was shaken by the sound of drums. A straight passage had already appeared at the city gate.
Before anyone knew it, countless divine steeds had been harnessed to the front of the chariot, and they stood quietly guarding the bronze chariot.
Even with thousands of troops, the vast camp remained quiet until the order to set off was given.
Only the thunderous sound of drums echoed in the symphony, as countless cultivators waited silently atop their carriages for something.
After the third drumbeat, the young man and the city lord arrived together.
The appearance of the two Earth Immortal did not cause the slightest disturbance in the camp. The entire camp was like a crouching beast, tightly concealing its claws before its prey.
However, within the vast camp, there was an overwhelming aura, and a strong sense of killing intent was brewing within it.