A Crushing Defeat
The battle raged within the formation, but the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes outside were not about to let this opportunity slip by. They regrouped their troops and launched a surprise attack.
A strong smell of burning suddenly filled the smoke-filled battlefield, and a ferocious crimson dragon burst forth from the Wuji Dao Seal in the Fire Dragon Daoist's hand.
It was about four or five zhang long and about one zhang thick. The entire dragon's body seemed to be made of countless flames. With each breath, flames and smoke fell from the tips of its teeth.
The crimson dragon twisted and tumbled in the air for a moment, then roared as it charged toward the group of cultivators who had suddenly appeared at the forefront.
This group of cultivators came from the Chang County Lin Household. Like the Mo Household of Hong County, they were once top-tier clans in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Their clan started by refining magical artifacts, and their Law Artifact and armor were far superior to those of other forces in the Clear Cloud Alliance.
Even so, as the crimson dragon swept through their formation, all the Lin Household cultivators felt the surrounding temperature rise sharply. Their armor was already burning hot, and if they didn't use their spiritual power to resist, even their undergarments would probably burn to ashes.
The Crimson Dragon arrived suddenly. The Lin Household cultivators, who were advancing with high spirits, were caught off guard and the Crimson Dragon grazed through their formation. Four or five cultivators were instantly burned to ashes. The entire formation paused, and they dared not advance rashly again.
Jin Yi, who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, thought to himself that this Fire Dragon Daoist was indeed a well-known rogue cultivator in Yunjiao Prefecture. His skills were truly remarkable. Just this Spirit Transformation Technique alone was far superior to his own. If they were to truly face off, the outcome would be uncertain.
He had only managed to break through the state court's grand formation with a rare, low-grade Second-Tier Lower-Grade -Formation-Breaking Pearl, and with victory already secured, he naturally wouldn't take the initiative to challenge the Fire Dragon Daoist to a duel to determine who was superior.
Even the Chang County Lin Household only had half of their forces trapped by the Fire Dragon Daoist, which did not affect the overall situation at all.
Once the Zhou Ting's detachment is defeated and the formation base for the Auspicious Brocade Gate's main formation is re-established on the Jiazi Xu Mountain, the Clear Cloud Alliance be in an invincible position in this arena battle fought by the Two Instruments Sect against the Zhou Ting.
Those who achieve Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes will naturally gain the favor of the higher sects, and will be invited to preach the Dao at the Golden Core Elixir stage, thus proving their destiny to become immortals.
Indeed, the flames spewed by the Crimson Dragon were blocked by the Lin Household cultivators who had recovered from their panic. These Lineage cultivators had been together for many years and had their own methods in battle, making them far superior to the Pingrong that Sect Leader Kang Da had hastily cobbled together and trained for a few months.
Even for Foundation Establishment True Cultivator like Fire Dragon Daoist, breaking through this small formation of dozens of people would require some effort.
However, the Clear Cloud Alliance had far more than just this one group. Sect Leader Kang Da personally led his men, wielding the Star-Shooting Crossbows. Several volleys of arrows were fired into the formation, causing the True Spirit Gate cultivators who had replaced the Lin Household cultivators to fall to their deaths.
It was a real disaster, with people and horses all thrown into chaos. His family's cultivators were quite skilled at controlling beasts, and their "Iron Scale Cavalry" was quite famous in Cloud Horn Prefecture. The knights were all carefully selected Middle Qi Refinement Refining, and they rode First Tier spirit beasts called Iron Scale Horses.
Taking advantage of the Lin Household's front line being trapped, the armored elder Iron Scale Cavalry attempted to charge in, but was repelled by several rounds of Star-Shooting Crossbows, resulting in heavy casualties for his elite force, leaving him filled with regret.
However, the Foundation Establishment in the Brocade Robe of the Clear Cloud Alliance showed no sign of urgency. He snatched the war drum that had been handed to his nephews and nieces and began to beat it furiously intermittently.
Although the disciples of Ingenious Craftsman Fort could no longer build cannons with the same power as before, they still managed to produce a row of First-Tier Supreme-Grade mechs.
This is not like the cheap training puppets that Sect Leader Kang Da bought from shops in Xuanwei City back then.
Each mechanical puppet has a different design, some are humanoid, some are beast-like, some spew water, fire, and lightning, and some are protected by ice, wind, frost, and snow.
Each of them possesses combat strength comparable to an ordinary Peak Qi Refinement Refining cultivator. They are unpredictable in their methods and fearless in the face of death.
The small formation of cultivators sent to the forefront by the Pingrong was composed of two major sects in the county, the Fellow Cultivators Association and the Hemu Dao, yet they were still repeatedly defeated by this group of mechanical puppets.
With the great formation broken, few of the local militias formed by the various families in Pingrong County still had the will to fight. The only reason they had not collapsed was that they still held a sliver of hope after seeing that the Fire Dragon Daoist and the Star-Shooting Crossbow had made some gains.
But now that the real mechanical puppet from Ingenious Craftsman Fort has stormed in, everyone's hearts are bound to change.
Fellow disciples, as close as brothers, fell one after another, some with half their bodies shattered, others without heads. Who wouldn't be terrified?
When the smell of blood becomes strong enough, it overwhelms the minds of these village soldiers, making them forget the Spirit Veins, cave abode, and beautiful Immortal Method that Sect Leader Kang Da promised before the battle.
"I'm not fighting anymore, I can't win!"
"After I go back, I'll become Rogue Cultivator. Even if I die of old age in a mortal fortress, it's better than being trampled into mincemeat here."
"You plague-stricken state and the Two Instruments Sect, I curse you!"
Even though Sect Leader Kang Da had changed direction and several crossbow bolts had decimated most of the mechanical puppets at Ingenious Craftsman Fort, he still couldn't quell the fighting spirit of the Pingrong were already riddled with arrows.
Unfortunately, at this very moment, the crossbow bolts and strings for the Star-Shooting Crossbow were running out and urgently needed to be replaced.
"Collect!" Sect Leader Kang Da fired one last arrow, killing the stubborn old cultivator leading the True Spirit Gate on the spot. He then dismounted from the crossbow and ordered the crossbowmen to put away the Star-Shooting Crossbow.
Such powerful military equipment should not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Clear Cloud Alliance again.
"It's time to retreat!" Kang Dabao knew that even the most elite cultivators of the Pingrong County Fellow Cultivators Association and Hemu Dao could not withstand a single attack from the mechanical puppets of Ingenious Craftsman Fort after their formation was broken. The other families would be even more helpless against the military might of the Foundation Establishment sects.
Despite the fact that the number of cultivators on both sides is not much different at this point in the battle, with less than three hundred people remaining on each side.
However, it was difficult to find even a cultivator at the Late Qi Refinement among the local soldiers of Pingrong County. Their quality was far inferior to that of the three Foundation Establishment sects of the Clear Cloud Alliance. On the other hand, they had no shortage of Law Artifact, talismans, spirit beast puppets, and all of them were of high quality.
The fact that the three hundred weak soldiers under Sect Leader Kang Da did not collapse on the spot after the formation was broken, and that they held out for a while, already shows that he was a skilled commander.
The carefully arranged array formations had no chance to be used at this moment. The cultivators from various families in Pingrong County had no recollection of the coercive and enticing words spoken by the Sect Leader Kang Da on behalf of the state court. Even close relatives like the Lu Household and Tie Household were only concerned with escaping to save their lives.
If the state government fails to win this battle, it will be questionable how many people will even bother to read any future arrest warrants or similar documents issued in Cloud Horn Prefecture.
Each family consists of intelligent people, so there's no need to fear too much that the state court will settle accounts later.
Sect Leader Kang Da, was not particularly flustered. After all, he was used to thinking about defeat before victory. As soon as the defense line collapsed, Zhou Yixiu and Ye Zhengwen led the Chongming Sect disciples to retreat quickly, following Kang Dabao's previous plan.
The Second Tier flying boat that the Daoist Black Shoes left for Kang Dabao came in handy at this moment.
"Kang Dabao, can you bear the blame for losing the formation?!" It was the Fire Dragon Daoist, seeing this scene, abandoned the Lin Household cultivators who had been unable to break through for a long time, flew back and shouted sternly at Kang Dabao.
While Sect Leader Kang Da was surprised, he did not panic despite the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator's angry rebuke.
He first tried to organize the state guards around him to fight and retreat, but found that even they had no will to fight. Kang Dabao then made a decisive move and fled towards the flying boat with Jiang Qing and Chu Huer, who had been following him.
At this moment, he wouldn't take the Fire Dragon Daoist's threats to heart. Heaven knows what benefits the state court had promised this old scoundrel to make him work so hard.
If the great formation were still intact, Kang Dabao might very well lead his disciples here to risk everything for the sake of the nation and gamble on who would emerge victorious.
But now the tide has turned, and since the Foundation Establishment True Cultivator Fire Dragon Daoist cannot turn the tide, he should no longer expect to lead his disciples to serve the country loyally here.
It's a battle they're clearly destined to lose. They're not some chosen one, nor are they some kind of divinely ordained hero. They've lost the hearts of the people. What's the point of fighting?
Even if the state government were to settle accounts later, it would only amount to the destruction of their families and the extermination of their clans, which would be no different from today.
At this moment, Jin Foundation Establishment, who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, stopped standing by and took out a golden silk net. He covered several Late Qi Refinement Fellow Cultivators Association the net. With a change of his spiritual technique, the net shrank to the size of a palm, and the cultivators from the Fellow Cultivators Association were directly cut into pieces by the golden silk.
With the Foundation Establishment's arrival, the morale of the Clear Cloud Alliance soared. The Fire Dragon Daoist's Crimson Dragon abandoned the Lin Household cultivators, swung its tail, and roared towards the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robe with furious eyes and gritted teeth.
Jin Yi, who was at the Foundation Establishment Net was not suitable for fighting against Spirit Artifact of the same level, so he put it away and instead summoned a gleaming ancient mirror to face his enemy.
The ancient mirror's surface resembled a deep pool, reflecting all the surrounding flames.
The red dragon's arrogance had barely subsided when the Fire Dragon Daoist was enraged. With a change of his spiritual technique, a golden scale appeared on the inside of the red dragon's mane, shining brightly. In a short while, all the scales on the red dragon's body fell off, and the tender flesh was covered with golden scales in an instant.
Lightning flashed faintly above its dragon horns.
The moment the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes frowned, several white bolts of lightning shot out from the golden dragon's horns. The ancient mirror absorbed only one bolt, and the Foundation Establishment felt a tingling sensation in his meridians. The ancient mirror then blocked the lightning bolts one by one.
At this moment, the ancient mirror was charred, and the meridians of the Foundation Establishment cultivator in brocade robes seemed to be burned by the flames. He was in so much pain that he could only take a deep breath and look at the Fire Dragon Daoist with astonishment in his eyes.
"How could this Rogue Cultivator have mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique to such a high level?!"
The Foundation Establishment in brocade robes was horrified. Seeing that the Fire Dragon Daoist's methods were far superior to what he had expected, a sense of foreboding immediately rose in his heart.
Putting everything else aside, even if the Fire Dragon Daoist's golden dragon unleashed a few more bolts of lightning, he feared he wouldn't be able to withstand it and would risk both death and the loss of his Dao.
Jin Yi, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, waved to the True Spirit Gate's formation, which was pursuing the remnants of Pingrong County's army. However, the True Spirit Gate's leader ignored him and continued his relentless pursuit.
"My family's Foundation Establishment True Cultivator had his arm grazed by the Star-Shooting Crossbow. There's no reason for us Qi Refinement cultivators to fight to the death for you, the Lin Household patriarch!"
Seeing that the cultivators of the True Spirit Gate ignored him, the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes barely dodged a bolt of lightning. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes, and a Squad Commander appeared in his hand with a burst of spiritual light.
The Lin Household cultivators, who were far from the two Foundation Establishment cultivators and had already engaged a group of the Fellow Cultivators Association, saw the command flag and immediately abandoned the remaining enemies in front of them.
The two small formations on the left and right immediately merged into one and rushed to the base of the Foundation Establishment in brocade robes.
Jin Foundation Establishment threw the Squad Commander in his hand from mid-air to the old Lin Household cultivator who was in charge of the formation. The burly old cultivator blushed and clenched the Squad Commander tightly with both hands, then swung it down sharply.
Old Xiu felt as if his vital Qi and Blood had been completely drained away by the banner in an instant, leaving only a thin skin clinging to his facial bones on his once rosy, round face.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rose in front of the Lin Household's formation, and the old man uttered a hoarse "Imperial Edict" from his dry throat.
Upon hearing the sound, the Lin Household cultivators sprang into action, shouting in unison, "Imperial Edict!"
Upon hearing the word "edict," the Fire Dragon Daoist felt as if he had been struck in the chest by a heavy hammer, and the color drained from his face. After the "edict" was uttered, a strong wind suddenly arose in the arena.
The gale stirred up by the banners swelled up in response, like a several-foot-long sword, and slashed fiercely at the neck of the golden dragon, which was pressing down on the brocade-clad Foundation Establishment with its four sharp claws, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"Hiss!" The golden dragon roared in agony as large patches of its scales cracked open, but no blood seeped out. Golden spiritual light flowed across the ground, and its golden scales gradually turned crimson.
The Lin Household cultivators had just set up an array to save their Foundation Establishment Ancestor. The old Lin Household cultivator, who had just been presiding over the array and waved his flag, suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground.
A concerned junior in the formation reached out to help, but as soon as he lifted the old man up, tears streamed down his face.
A kind elder who was once tall and strong is now as thin as a paper doll, so thin that you could pick him up with two fingers.
It was clear that all the blood, flesh, and marrow in his body had been drained by the Squad Commander, leaving him with no vitality left. How could he possibly be saved!
Seeing the Lin Household cultivators' formation with such sharp and powerful winds, and their perfect teamwork, the Fire Dragon Daoist felt both hatred and envy.
If this Foundation Establishment in brocade robes hadn't had the advantage of a far superior background, he would surely have been killed on the spot by the Fire Dragon Daoist. Fortunately, apart from possessing two Spirit Artifacts, this Foundation Establishment in brocade robes had nothing else to fear. The Fire Dragon Daoist was confident that even the Crimson Dragon could defeat him.
Just when Fire Dragon Daoist thought that the Lin Household cultivators had lost their main force and would need to rest for a while, another old woman from the Lin Household, with white hair and wrinkled skin, picked up the banner from the hands of the previous Lin Household cultivator, used the Secret Method as usual, and with her face flushed, she waved it fiercely.
This old woman's cultivation was clearly inferior to that of the previous old cultivator. The moment the Lin Household cultivators finished their greetings, before the protective aura had even fully formed, their meridians were severed, and they died on the spot.
The Lin Household cultivators' faces showed even deeper sorrow. Suddenly, another old man in Hemp Robe stepped out from the crowd. He picked up the banner, swung it fiercely, and a gale instantly formed, slashing directly at the hideous wound on the red dragon's neck.
The Fire Dragon Daoist glared and clenched his fists, his spiritual techniques changing several times, but the Crimson Dragon still immediately disintegrated into countless rays of light, scattering red flowers all over the top of the Jia-character Xu-number mountain.
"Pfft!" With his magic broken, the Fire Dragon Daoist's expression changed drastically, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He had already damaged his vital energy, and he probably had less than half of his skills left. With no more thoughts in his mind, he immediately took out his spirit boat and fled for his life.
Upon seeing this, the Lin Household's Brocade-Clad Foundation Establishment snorted coldly. This fellow had exhausted two highly respected elders of the clan to death on the spot, and yet he still wanted to escape unscathed? There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world!
He immediately took to the air and shouted to the Clear Cloud Alliance cultivators, "True Spirit Gate and Ingenious Craftsman Fort cultivators, rest where you are! Protect the array masters as they restore the array foundations. The Lin Household cultivators, your merits are insufficient; follow me to pursue the remaining enemies! Do not slacken your efforts!"
The cultivators from True Spirit Gate and Ingenious Craftsman Fort could easily tell that this was a Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes trying to steal credit for the Lin Household. They turned a deaf ear to it and continued their pursuit of the fleeing heads and military merits.
Especially the True Spirit Gate cultivators, whose Foundation Establishment were only injured, not absent, and whose cultivation was even higher than the Lin Household's Foundation Establishment cultivators, so why would they pay any attention to him?
The Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes flew into a rage, ignoring even the Fire Dragon Daoist. His golden net swelled to ten zhang in diameter and was swung towards the True Spirit Gate cultivators.
Unexpectedly, the disciples of the True Spirit Gate did not give an inch, unleashing a barrage of talismans and magical Law Artifacts at the Foundation Establishment cultivator in brocade robes. Their ruthlessness was no less than when they had previously attacked the magic array.
Caught off guard, the Foundation Establishment cultivator in brocade robes had his usual top-grade defensive magic Law Artifact destroyed by the Star-Shooting Crossbow. He could only use his golden silk net to block most of the True Spirit Gate disciples' attacks, and then draw a spiritual light shield in front of him to barely block the remaining attacks.
The Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes was filled with hatred, his eyes practically bloodshot. The cultivators of the True Spirit Gate also lined up their ranks, ready for battle. The gray-robed old man leading the Lin Household's main formation even gripped his Squad Commander, waiting for the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes to give the order, at which point he would mercilessly unleash the gale.
Seeing that the disciples of Ingenious Craftsman Fort had gained the upper hand, the Foundation Establishment in Brocade Robes still had his head. If a fight broke out on his side after the great victory, and the news reached the ears of the alliance or even the important figures of the upper sects, the situation would not look good.
Having grasped the situation, Jin Foundation Establishment retrieved his Spirit Artifact from mid-air before coldly snorting at the True Spirit Gate cultivators. "Disperse your formations and pursue the remaining enemies. I will discuss this matter with your master during the alliance's meeting!"
After speaking, the Foundation Establishment in brocade robes boarded a flying boat and sped towards the direction of the Fire Dragon Daoist. Since he couldn't claim all the credit for himself, he couldn't let go of the greatest credit!
Thank you to Brother Zhai Tian Qi Xian for the 500 coins!
Thank you to reader 20221215222022747 for the 100-point donation.
Thank you to reader 20190221135010472 for the eight Extended Net Moon.
Thanks to the users of "Lianpufeng", "Yishangweike", and "Jianjianfa" for their Extended Net Moon.
Thanks to Gu Ying Mu Feng, Reading Super Seriously, W Yan Yang Tian, One Night 97, onlyevva, It's Hard to Nibble, and Feiyuyu for their monthly votes.