Old Ox Mountain (1)

The Book and Sword Gate and the True Spirit Gate fought to a draw, while the Double Brightness Forces routed the Lin Lineage's army. Mo Wen and Jiang Qing were about to win another battle and take down Lin Kunxue in one fell swoop.

This should have been an excellent situation, but the team composed of Zi Maple Valley, Jade Moon Shan Household, and Hemu Dao was directly scattered by Ge Household's Hundred Corpses Grand Formation at this moment.

In the midst of the fierce battle, Ge Qinglan, the patriarch of the Ge Household family, used her natal spirit zombie to Shen Xing and shatter his already dilapidated protective Spirit Artifact with a single punch.

Rotten and crumbling, like ten fingers soaked in ice water, gleaming with an icy light, like sharp daggers piercing through Shen Xing's thin fairy robes.

The latter felt as if his internal organs were pressed against ice, and a chill seeped into his blood vessels from the inside out. After only a few breaths, others could clearly see that a layer of frost had formed on Shen Xing's eyebrows, and cold dew was constantly seeping out of his pores.

Despair instantly appeared on his face, who had been Foundation Establishment for many years. He never imagined that a single careless move would result in his heart meridian being chilled and his hot blood turning to ice.

Shan Sheng wanted to draw his sword to save him, and Li Mingyuan also summoned a green water salamander to wash away the death aura from the corpse in front of him, forcing it back several steps. The two of them were free to turn around and save him when they heard a muffled thud at the same time.

This was because, in just a few breaths, Shen Xing was frozen into a thick piece of frozen flesh by the cold air.

Before Shan and Li could react, Ge Qinglan's natal spirit zombie clenched its fist and smashed Shen Xing's body into several pieces with a loud thud.

Not long after Kang Dabao won the first city, Ge Qinglan seized Shen Xing and retaliated against the New Cloud Alliance.

The moment the body parts from the Shen Xing fell to the ground, the morale of the Changning Sect disciples visibly rose.

The newly appointed sect leader of Zi Maple Valley looked visibly grim as Shen Tu. In that moment of distraction, he almost had half his head bitten off by the Second Tier Black-Haired Zombie from the Ge Household's Foundation Establishment envoy.

The foul-smelling fangs brushed past his ear, and the Shen Tu on Shen Tu's chest suddenly lit up. A ferocious Black-Fanged Viper detached from his body, flicked its tail, and the Second Tier Black-Haired Zombie was violently whipped back several steps by the snake's tail.

Shen Tu finally managed to widen the gap between himself and the Second Tier Black-Haired Zombie, but the Black-Fanged Viper spirit on his chest was only First-Tier Supreme-Grade. He only won because of the surprise attack, which caused the Ge Household's Foundation Establishment Black-Haired Zombie to suffer a small loss.

That's already quite good. It's only been a few years since Shen Tu and Foundation Establishment. To be able to cultivate this spirit beast, which hasn't been with me for long, to the First-Tier Supreme-Grade and refine it into a soul spirit to Protect Body is already quite remarkable.

Although he was unwittingly pushed into the position of leader of Zi Maple Valley by Shen Xing, the benefits that the leader of Zi Maple Valley can gain at present are not many.

When Shen Ang died unexpectedly, Chen Ye took away the artifacts that had been passed down for many years. The remaining sect's treasury is now firmly Shen Xing by Shen Xing, an elder of the clan.

Therefore, without the legacy of the previous sect leader, his current Shen Tu is nothing more than that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment. Even compared to the newly promoted Foundation Establishment of the Book and Sword Gate Sect, his performance is not particularly outstanding.

The Black-Haired Zombie clung to him again, and Shen Tu, having no suitable Spirit Artifact in hand, naturally found it difficult to defend himself.

Looking at Shan Sheng and the others, they were all completely suppressed by Ge Qinglan, an old woman, and no one could save them. Therefore, Shen Tu had no choice but to wave the flag to summon some of the disciples who were Hundred Corpses Grand Formation back to help.

However, the Ge Household's Foundation Establishment could not meet his expectations in the battle against Shen Tu. Shen Tu wanted to summon the latter, but although the Feng Prefecture Ge Household was not considered a direct descendant, he could not even get his hands on the natal spirit zombie that was passed down through generations.

With these skills, he was more than capable of dealing with a minor character like Shen Tu, who had only recently Foundation Establishment. However, it didn't take long before he had Shen Tu complaining bitterly.

If it weren't for the fact that the Shen Tu valued the position of the Zi Maple Valley sect leader, he might have ended up fleeing in a sorry state on the spot under the attack of the Ge Household's Foundation Establishment.

Both of their own Foundation Establishment Ancestor were gaining a significant advantage. This turn of events boosted the morale of the Ge Household disciples who were forming a Sha Qi, and the already menacing aura of the corpse refiners intensified even further.

Ge Qinglan, who was holding the white-faced corpse banner at the head, seized the opportunity and struck the ground with the long banner in her hand. A faint black spiritual pattern slowly spread out from her to the various cultivators in the formation.

As if receiving some kind of message at the same time, the Ge Household members all cut their palms, and with a squeeze of their bows, a line of crimson blood floated in mid-air, automatically connecting and condensing into a strange rune, which then stuck to the corpse beside the Ge Household members.

The corpses had different methods and their eyes were all different colors, but as soon as this rune hit them, all of their eyes turned crimson.

For a moment, the roars that rose and fell disturbed their minds, causing the three cultivators opposite to frown.

Not only was the roar disturbing, but a wisp of black smoke seemed to rise from the corpses in the Hundred Corpses Grand Formation, greatly weakening the power of the Dao techniques and Law Artifact shot by the cultivators from various schools.

A strike of the same force, which might have shattered half of the flesh armor of a similarly ranked corpse a moment ago, would now only leave behind a charred mess.

At the same time, a wisp of yellow corpse energy emanated from the seven orifices of Ge Qinglan's natal spirit zombie, which was absorbed into the banner held by Ge Qinglan, who was in charge of the main formation and was holding the white-faced corpse banner.

After doing this, the latter's expression turned solemn. He slammed the long banner into the ground again, and another layer of yellow light enveloped the claws and teeth of the corpses in the formation.

With the black smoke Protect Body and the yellow light harming their enemies, the power of the Ge Household's Hundred Corpses Grand Formation significantly increased.

With the balance of power shifting, even though the Ge Household family only had nearly a hundred disciples and a hundred or so First Tier corpse refiners, while the opposing three families had nearly five hundred disciples—almost double the number of their enemies—they found it incredibly difficult to cope.

This was partly because they needed to allocate a significant portion of their elite forces to assist Shan and Li in dealing with Ge Qinglan's several Second Tier refined corpses.

However, it is an undeniable fact that the Ge Household's Hundred Corpses Grand Formation is indeed ferocious. If they rely solely on the strength of the three families without any reinforcements, then defeat is only a matter of time.

Whether it's Shan Sheng or Li Mingyuan, they are both considered skilled among Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivators, but neither of them has the ability to turn the tide at this moment.

Nanny Sun, observing the battle from the rear, saw the situation very clearly. After weighing her options for a long time, she decided to leave Pei Yi behind as a backup, while she herself led half of her men, raised her staff, and prepared to go to the rescue.

Seeing this situation, and knowing that Mo Wen and Jiang Qing were already capable of handling the fresh troops brought by Chen Ye, the sect Sect Leader Kang Da also prepared to carry the Ink Abyss Flag and go to their aid alone.

Of the three families, the one with the weakest foundation and the most diverse followers, Hemu Dao, couldn't withstand the black smoke and yellow light of the corpse-refining technique even before Nanny Sun arrived. In an instant, its formation collapsed.

As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole, and what's more, the breach exposed in the formation due to the collapse of the Hemu Dao is a truly terrifying one.

Almost instantly, the main disciples of the Jade Moon Shan Household and Zi Maple Valley made a decision: they could not fight. Now, the question before them was how to calmly lead their disciples out of the battle.

The corpse-refining creatures recklessly tore flesh from the fleeing disciples of Hemu Dao. Their sect leader, surnamed Han, looked dejected, but he himself was barely able to save himself.

If he hadn't accumulated a substantial fortune over the years by exploiting the Daoist Black Shoes's influence, he wouldn't have been able to afford several Second-Tier Lower-Grade defensive talismans.

They might end up like their own disciples, running amok and being easily gutted and devoured by sharp teeth and claws that appear out of nowhere.

Hemu Dao has appeared prosperous over the years, and in order to expand its power as quickly as possible, he, as the sect leader, has been accepting disciples almost without discrimination.

In less than twenty years, Hemu Dao had grown to nearly three hundred members, a truly astonishing number in the small Pingrong County. The sect leader, surnamed Han, was quite proud of his actions, but he also frequently criticized Kang Dabao for being stubborn and inflexible.

In his view, given the current prestige of the Chongming Sect, Sect Leader Kang Da should be open to all kinds of people. If he were to open up the sect to accepting new members, Chongming Sect would have hundreds of disciples within just a few years.

The sect leader surnamed Han never understood that shortcuts have their drawbacks, but today, his disciple's words and actions have given Sect Leader Han a very vivid lesson.

However, even the slightest disturbance can cause a great upheaval, bringing both mud and sand with it!

The sect leader surnamed Han couldn't bear the chill for long. His Second Tier defensive talisman was truly eye-catching, and several elite members of the Ge Household urged First-Tier Peak corpse refiners to come and take him away.

Fortunately, Li Mingyuan returned in time, throwing out over a hundred drops of heavy water. Each drop was only the size of half a finger, yet each one was as heavy as a thousand pounds, smashing more than ten corpses to pieces. He then grabbed the sect leader surnamed Han and left.

He was doing this for the Spirit Stone, and the other Hemu Dao disciples weren't going to refuse to help, but first they had to ensure that the person who paid the Spirit Stone survived.

Despite facing immense pressure from Ge Qinglan, a late-stage cultivator, Shan Sheng and Shen Tu, with the help of Nanny Sun, managed to extricate their disciples from the battlefield.

Now that the Ge Household members have secured their share of the spoils, few are interested in taking a bite out of the Shan Household and Zi Maple Valley.

The chain reaction caused by the defeat of Hemu Dao did not stop there. The Book and Sword Gate, which had always been on par with True Spirit Gate, also experienced turmoil. They were almost broken through by several Foundation Establishment from True Spirit Gate, along with various spirit beasts and hundreds of disciples.

It was all thanks to Ye Zhen's Jade Slip that the bright yellow jade slips formed a small array, encircling the two reckless Second Tier spirit beasts. Before the True Spirit Gate Foundation Establishment could even come to their aid, the jade slips shot out one after another, piercing the vital points of the two beasts. In just a moment, one was dead and the other was injured.

The True Spirit Gate's counterattack failed to gain any advantage and instead resulted in a significant loss, which allowed the New Cloud Alliance to recover somewhat from its decline.

Ge Qinglan was clearly also worried. She saw that the Book and Sword Gate was not showing any signs of disintegration, Zi Maple Valley and the Shan Household still had fighting power, Double Brightness Allied Forces were still following Jiang Qing, suppressing the small formation without a Foundation Establishment leader from the Changning Sect, which was on the verge of collapse.

Rash actions are not advisable; this is something those two spirit beasts, who suffered greatly at Ye Zhen's hands, learned firsthand.

Although Ge Qinglan had great confidence in her family's Hundred Corpses Grand Formation, which had been passed down for generations, she had no intention of drawing fire for the True Spirit Gate.

A silver bell suddenly appeared on the white corpse banner in Ge Qinglan's hand, and the bell rang loudly throughout the arena.

The unrestrained and arrogant corpses suddenly suppressed their arrogance and brutality, obediently abandoning the delicious flesh that was already in their mouths, and once again formed a strict formation under the control of their master's corpse-driving whip.

Sect Leader Kang Da guessed most of what the old woman Ge Qinglan was thinking: the old lady was probably reluctant to part with her money and didn't want to fight for the time being.

After leading Shan Sheng and Shen Tu to calm the two groups of cultivators down and prepare for battle, he beckoned Pei Yi, who was waiting in reserve, and ordered him to lead his disciples to gather the fleeing soldiers.

These scattered cultivators cannot be allowed to roam freely across the mountain. Firstly, such cultivators are easily provoked by battle formations and may become violent. If they are allowed to escape, many mortals nearby may suffer.

Secondly, retreating without a fight is a major taboo on the battlefield, and these Hemu Dao disciples would certainly not let it go unpunished.

His family, surnamed Han, cannot protect them. After this probing battle, the New Cloud Alliance will definitely send people to attack the formation. This is a life-or-death task, and each family is probably unwilling to contribute their men. So, it's good to use these defeated soldiers as the vanguard.

The Foundation Establishment of the True Spirit Gate also sensed Ge Qinglan's scheme. With just a glance, they tacitly agreed on the plan.

The leader of the True Spirit Gate led a charge, sending out their Iron Scale Cavalry to attack. This sudden action caught the Book and Sword Gate Sect cultivators off guard, and a layer of their thick formation was violently scraped off.

Even the Inkstone Dragon Screen Wall, which had always been used as a protective barrier, was overturned by this Iron Scale Cavalry.

The owner of the screen wall, the Grand Elder of the Book and Sword Gate, looked extremely grim. This was a rare Second-Tier Upper-Grade defensive magic Law Artifact, which he had always cherished. He never expected it to be damaged today.

The damage to the magical Law Artifact the Book and Sword Gate was not limited to the Grand Elder alone. After the Iron Scale Cavalry came and went, all sorts of elegant magical Law Artifact, such as writing brushes, inkstones, chess pieces, zithers, calligraphy, and paintings, were shattered and scattered all over the ground in front of the Book and Sword Gate.

The True Spirit Gate Foundation Establishment leader, who was leading the Iron Scale Cavalry, took advantage of the situation and left. Before the cries of the Book and Sword Gate disciples subsided, he led the True Spirit Gate Sect's main force out of the battlefield.

The Changning Sect's expedition was a risky move to test the strength of the various families in the New Cloud Alliance.

However, after testing the waters, they discovered that the various factions of the New Cloud Alliance were incredibly tough. Not only that, the two sides escalated the test into a major battle, which was not uncommon in Cloud Horn Prefecture, resulting in the loss of two Foundation Establishment.

The Changning Sect lacks the strength to break the New Cloud Alliance's blockade in a single battle. Therefore, they can only wait and see until the situation changes before taking action. Ideally, Dai Fu would return with the head of the Daoist Black Shoes.

Seeing that the True Spirit Gate had retreated back into the formation before her, Ge Qinglan cursed inwardly. The spiritual light of the white-faced corpse banner in her hand faded, and the banner itself descended.

Ye Zhen, the leader of the Book and Sword Gate, frowned. He could tell that Ge Qinglan was leaving, and he also knew that after this, it would be a long time before the cultivators of the Changning Sect dared to go into battle again.

By then, it would be much more difficult to eliminate the Changning Sect cultivators who were holding their positions. We should take advantage of this time to leave as many people behind as possible.

Just as Ye Zhen was hesitating, a sharp eagle cry rang out throughout the entire arena.

"Snow-Feathered Night Owl is back first?!"

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