Battle on the Verge of Erupting!

Within just three days, three outposts were captured.

Shi Jian gave the Spirit Race no chance to breathe; the bone warships swept across the southern edge of the Marsh Plains from west to east day and night.

At each outpost, the Golden Core demons would lead the charge, followed by Nascent Soul cultivators who would unleash a barrage of attacks to shatter the fortress, and Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation who would finish off the remaining enemies.

The three outposts were not large in scale, with a maximum of two or three Nascent Soul Nascent Soul and twenty or thirty Golden Core cultivators stationed there. Under the simultaneous attack of the five warships' mystical light, they could not even hold out for half an hour.

However, the Spirit Race cultivators reacted quite quickly.

After the outposts were breached one after another, some Nascent Soul Spirit Race sensed something was wrong and fled to their core stronghold in the south ahead of time.

However, this was also the result of Shi Jian's laissez-faire attitude.

Otherwise, how could a mere Nascent Soul ant possibly escape alive?

Seeing Shi Jian release the prisoner alive, Cang Wuji couldn't help but ask, "If we release one, the core will know our tactics."

"It's good to know," Shi Jian said calmly. "If we don't know, their reluctance to emerge from the core makes things more difficult."

Cang Wuji grinned, understanding dawning on him.

Shi Jian didn't want a sneak attack, he wanted to force a war; the Spirit Race had been operating in the Marsh Plains for two hundred years, and their core strongholds were impregnable. A direct assault would inevitably lead to attrition.

However, if the main force of the Spirit Race is forced out to fight in a desolate area, they can truly unleash their full potential by relying on the physical advantages and group attack methods of the Beast Realm Demon Cultivator.

After destroying several outposts, Shi Jian did not continue his northward advance.

Five warships stopped on a wide expanse of water in the middle of the Marsh Plains; this expanse of water covered millions of miles, the water was deep and dark, and large patches of withered spirit lotus floated on the surface.

The Spiritual Qi was thin, and the surrounding dense forests receded for hundreds of miles, offering an extremely wide field of vision.

Shi Jian chose this place to set up camp.

"Why are we stopping here?" Yuan Chong asked in bewilderment, the Dark Gold giant ape's body swaying in the water's reflection.

"If we push two more outposts north, the Spirit Race's outer defenses will be completely cut off."

"We've reached a standstill."

Shi Jian looked north, "Further north, the Spirit Vein are denser, and the Life Dao force is too strong; our warship's talisman array will be suppressed."

He pointed to the deep, dark water at his feet.

"This body of water has sparse Spiritual Qi and the weakest Life Dao force, making it a blank spot in the entire Marsh Plains; the Spirit Race must pass through here to launch a counterattack."

"Instead of letting them choose the battlefield, let them come to a place we've chosen; fighting here will limit the means of Life Dao."

Yuan Chong thought for a moment and didn't ask any more questions; Lang Xin remained expressionless, but his dark red eyes narrowed slightly, which could be considered as approval.

Lei Ming crackled with electricity, but ultimately obeyed its command.

Shi Jian scattered five warships across the water in a plum blossom pattern; the main ship was in the center, with the other four ships guarding the four sides, and the distance between them was exactly within the overlapping coverage area of the Xuan Guang's radiant light.

The Nascent Soul Demon Cultivator took turns on duty, while the Golden Core demons infiltrated the marshland, setting up a three-layered warning network at the bottom of the water, with the Iron-Backed Black Tortoise and the Horned Python as the main forces.

Then came the waiting, forcing the main force of the Spirit Race to retreat.

Shi Jian sat cross-legged on the deck of the main ship, and the three Immortal Foundation slowly circulated.

The Purple Pivot Lightning sank into the Dantian, the Purple Firmament Lightning circulated through the meridians, and the nascent form of the Righteous Yang Lightning appeared and disappeared between the two, growing stronger with each cycle.

He's not in a hurry; the Spirit Race is definitely more anxious than he is.

With three outposts destroyed, the Spirit Race's southern flank is effectively blinded.

The Spirit Vein connection between the core stronghold and the outer strongholds was also deliberately severed by Shi Jian, leaving the northern front in a blind spot.

Without sufficient information, it is impossible to support large-scale troop deployments.

If the Spirit Race want to retake the northern front, they must find a way to gather their main force and head north; and the only way to block them from the north is through this body of water.

Seven more days passed, and on the morning of the eighth day, ripples began to appear on the surface of the marsh.

Shi Jian opened his eyes and saw an extremely rich aura of Life Dao spreading rapidly beneath the water's surface; the aura was like an invisible net, spreading from the north along the underwater Spirit Vein.

Wherever it went, the withered lotus blossoms sprouted new, emerald-green buds.

"They've arrived."

Shi Jian stood up, lightning flashing on his shoulder.

On the northern horizon, a verdant wall of clouds is slowly advancing.

That was not a real cloud, but a condensed body of Dao energy formed by countless Spirit Race cultivators activating their Life Dao force; spiritual light flickered inside the cloud wall, with at least dozens of Nascent Soul auras lurking within.

Behind the cloud wall, three auras far more powerful than those of Nascent Soul pressed down heavily.

Judging from the appearance, only three Nascent Spirit Transformation have arrived from the front.

A flash of purple-gold light appeared in Shi Jian's eyes, and his Divine Sense instantly locked onto the strongest of the three auras; Late Spirit Transformation, with Three-Foundation Perfection, and its Life Dao force aura was as vast as an abyss.

It was indeed Bi Luo, the Late Spirit Transformation Spirit Marsh Plains, the former leader of the Spirit Race in the Spirit Swamp, a cultivator below the Fate-Wielding Dao Fruit, who had come in person.

Cang Wuji flew over from the flank of the warship and landed beside Shi Jian, chuckling, "You guessed it, these Spirit Race are really impatient."

"The destruction of three outposts is a huge loss of face."

Shi Jian said, "Besides, they're not stupid. They know we can't stay here forever; taking advantage of our unstable foothold to gather our main force and launch a counterattack is the most reasonable choice."

"Moreover, the conflict between the Beast Realm and the Spirit Realm is growing daily; the conflict between the two sides has long since become irreconcilable, leaving only war as the only option."

He raised his hand, and commanded the jade talisman to shoot out.

"Yuan Chong, Lang Xin, and Lei Ming, prepare to engage the enemy. Each Nascent Soul cultivator will guard their warship and engage in battle from there."

"Senior Cang, I'll leave it to you to hold the line. I'll deal with Bi Luo, and Yuan Chong and Lang Xin will each take care of one of the other two Middle Spirit Transformation."

Cang Wuji raised an eyebrow slightly. "You, a Middle Spirit Transformation, are trying to entangle three Late Spirit Transformation?"

"Don't worry, even if we can't defeat him, we can still hold him off; besides, we have a senior here. If we really can't beat him, stalling him is still a piece of cake."

Cang Wuji didn't say anything more. He released a slight pressure from the Late Spirit Transformation before returning to the main ship to take his seat in the center.

He was well aware that Shi Jian's combat strength was far beyond what cultivation level could measure. With the completion of two Immortal Foundation, the nascent form of a third Immortal Foundation, and the enhancement of his Lightning-Manifested Arm, he was virtually unmatched among his peers.

He also possesses Dao Artifact, making his combat prowess extraordinary.

Although the Late Spirit Transformation is a much higher level, Shi Jian's speed and the power of his Dao of Lightning attacks could certainly allow him to entangle the enemy without attacking or killing them.

Soon, the emerald green cloud wall advanced to the edge of the water and came to a stop.

After a moment of silence, a crack appeared in the center of the cloud wall, and a tall and slender Spirit Race cultivator stepped out.

The Spirit Race is varied, and there are quite a few humanoid Spirit Race; most of them have vine-like patterns spreading across their emerald green skin, and their eyes are as green as an abyss with no pupils.

This is: Bi Luo.

He hovered a hundred feet above the water, his gaze traversing millions of miles of water before landing on Shi Jian; their gazes met across the void, and the Daoist energy collided, creating a silent tremor.

"A junior from the Beast Realm, killing my people with swift and efficient methods."

Upon hearing this, Shi Jian didn't bother to reply.

Seeing this, Bi Luo didn't mind. He slightly turned his palm, and a beam of emerald light overflowed from his palm and disappeared into the marshland at his feet.

The next instant, the entire body of water exploded.

Countless emerald green vines burst forth from the bottom of the water, each as thick as a mountain peak, covered with barbs, and infused with the life force of the Life Dao, growing wildly.

The vines, like thousands of giant pythons, lashed out at the five bone warships!

As Bi Luo made her move, dozens of streaks of light surged from the cloud wall, and the Nascent Spirit Race Nascent Soul Cultivator the Spirit Race poured out, unleashing a barrage of Daoist spells and Law Technique upon the warship formation in coordination with the vine attack.

Meanwhile, the two Middle Spirit Transformation emerged from the left and right flanks of the cloud wall, heading straight for the warship where Yuan Chong and Lang Xin were located.

"Volley!"

At Shi Jian's command, the array formations on the five warships roared simultaneously.

A pale, mysterious light pierced through the heavens and earth, blasting the foremost vines into dust; however, the one thing cultivators of the Life Dao have in abundance is regenerative ability.

The shattered vines regenerated within moments, even growing thicker than before, clearly forcing him into a war of attrition.

Shi Jian sneered. He had expected this move.

Then the warship shone brightly, changed direction, and five beams of light swept towards the group of Spirit Race Nascent Soul Cultivator of the Spirit Race; wherever the pale beams of light passed, several Nascent Spirit Race Nascent Soul the Spirit Race who reacted slightly slower were directly pierced through.

They were instantly killed on the spot, their blood spilling into the marshland.

The Spirit Race's Nascent Soul formation was thrown into disarray, and their offensive faltered.

In that brief moment, Shi Jian made his move.

The massive bear body, 30,000 feet tall, suddenly materialized, its pale fur gleaming eerily in the lightning. Its right arm, a purplish-blue Lightning-Manifested Arm, was raised high, with countless arcs of lightning converging into a lightning spear.

He took a step forward, shattering the water's surface, and his figure transformed into a streak of purple-gold light, soaring straight into the Bi Luo!

Bi Luo narrowed his eyes slightly, and a burst of emerald light surged from the palm of his hand.

The two Daoist energies collided head-on in mid-air, the thunder fierce and blazing, the Life Dao deep and enduring; the roar shattered the marshland within a hundred miles, stirring up towering waves.

Shi Jian thrust out his spear, the tip of which was filled with endless Purple Firmament Lightning, aiming straight for Bi Luo's face.

Bi Luo dodged to the side, conjuring a long, emerald-green vine in her palm. She lashed out with a whip, the vine carrying a Life Dao force that could corrode all things.

Shi Jian used his Lightning-Manifested Arm to take the whip head-on, and the lightning arcs on his bluish-purple arm exploded, dispersing the Life Dao energy on the vine whip.

My hand felt slightly numb, but the numbness didn't subside.

Bi Luo frowned. Middle Spirit Transformation, she actually withstood his attack head-on?

Shi Jian gave him no time to think, thrusting his thunder spear repeatedly, while simultaneously activating the Purple Pivot Lightning and Purple Firmament Lightning, his dual Immortal Foundation.

A blend of composure and refinement, each spear thrust faster than the last, cracking the void wherever the spear tip passed, with purple-gold lightning arcs spreading in all directions like a spider web.

Bi Luo fought and retreated, fully activating the Daoist essence of the Fate Wielding Immortal Foundation, causing emerald vines to surge from all directions, attempting to entangle Shi Jian.

Shi Jian's body surged with lightning arcs, the nascent form of the Righteous Yang Lightning churning within him, and a righteous and blazing aura merged into the lightning spear.

The spear tip suddenly changed color, a hint of scorching white showing through the purple-gold.

With a single sweep of the spear, thousands of vines were severed.

Bi Luo's expression darkened; the Lightning Bear's combat strength far exceeded his expectations.

Further away, Yuan Chong unleashed a punch, slamming the mid-stage Nascent Spirit Race Middle Spirit Transformation into the depths of the marsh; Lang Xin's body surged with dark flames as he engaged in a fierce battle with another being.

Cang Wuji sat firmly on the main ship, his Dao power at the Late Spirit Transformation enveloping the entire area, suppressing the Spirit Race Nascent Soul and preventing them from approaching the warship formation.

The battle situation is tilting in the direction Shi Jian had predicted.

But Bi Luo suddenly took a step back, a cold glint flashing in his green eyes; he raised his hand, took out a jade talisman from his sleeve, and crushed it.

The moment the jade talisman shattered, a Life Dao force far more vast than Bi Luo itself erupted from the depths of the Marsh Plains.