Pressing the Camp and Seizing the Banner
Gu Honglang's expression immediately changed. Without the slightest hesitation, he returned the mourning staff in his hand and held it behind him, but unexpectedly, he was hit hard by two Golden Light.
The Golden Light immediately dissipated and the Yin Qi flew everywhere. Gu Honglang's eyes were sinister. He summoned back the mourning stick and held it in his hand. He felt it was as hot as burning coal.
"This fellow's pupil technique is truly amazing!" The old cultivator exclaimed inwardly. Even with his extensive experience, he felt that the newcomer's pupil technique was something he had never seen before and could hardly find an equal to.
"Senior Brother, why are you back?" Jiang Qing seized the opportunity to pick up the Crimson Heart Scorching Sun Sword. As soon as he held the sword, his wrist trembled repeatedly.
The Sect Leader Kang Da, watched with growing anxiety, his expression unreadable, only glancing at Slaughter and Extermination and speaking softly, "If I don't return, how can I still bear the title of senior brother?! Go back and take over the command of the formation for the Second, rest your strength, and then come back to fight. After breaking the formation, I still have many things to settle accounts with you one by one."
Jiang Qing's face darkened, feeling that he had once again become a burden to his senior brother. However, he knew that this was not the time to be coy. He returned to the formation and took the Six-Leaf Azure Lotus Great Banner from Duan Anle, who had returned defeated.
As for Yuan Jin, he rushed to the front lines before Ye Zhengwen was seriously injured, but he was unable to block Tie Xishui's full-force attack and could only snatch Ye Zhengwen back with his chest collapsed.
Tie Xishui and the others were unwilling to do so and were about to urge the Demon Correction Office- Slaying Division to rush forward for their lives when a huge buzzing sound came urgently from behind.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Kang Dabao had released the spirit insect pouch, and a large swarm of insects rushed in.
Compared to the ignorant Qi Refining Qi Refinement from before, Tie Xishui and the three Foundation Establishment from the Chengshan Sect were naturally more alert and immediately changed color, each using their Spirit Artifact to block the insect cloud.
Whether it was the square seal and long spear or the golden fire talisman, they were all enveloped by the insect cloud and trapped in the formation.
Tie Xishui, in a fit of anger, raised his head and cursed at Kang Dabao, "Kang Dabao, your disciples have rebelled and caused chaos. As the head of Double Brightness Sect, you not only do not order them to surrender and seek leniency from the law, but you also help the wicked."
Could it be that your Chongming Sect is truly devoid of loyalty and righteousness, and intends to defect to the Two Instruments Sect to commit acts against the law, betray the state court, and abandon your Lord?!
Kang Dabao ignored his nagging and didn't respond to him. He simply picked up his Slaughter and Extermination and charged at Gu Honglang, who was standing ready for battle.
Seeing this, Tie Xishui's expression hardened even more. He was particularly skilled in military affairs. Even though the insect swarm was coming on strong and was wreaking havoc, he did not sit idly by and wait for death. Instead, he seized the opportunity and urged the drummers in the formation to beat the heavy drums.
Seventy-two life-sized war drums sounded simultaneously, their sonic runes forming a colorless barrier, but the insect cloud's mandibles easily chewed them up and broke through it.
The Qi Refining Qi Refinement in the formation, who were not very knowledgeable, were so frightened that their expressions changed. As the drums thundered in their ears, their hearts pounded incessantly.
As soon as these Lion Insect with silver armor on their backs approached the front lines, they threw the Qi Refinement cultivators into a panic.
Fortunately, Tie Xishui and the other Foundation Establishment remained relatively calm. Even though the Lion Insect swarm, carefully raised by Sect Leader Kang Da, was impervious to swords and spears and water and fire, the methods of Foundation Establishment cultivators could still manage to wipe out some of them.
Once the Qi Refinement cultivators regained their footing, even though Sect Leader Kang Da's mere one or two thousand Lion Insect were formidable, they were powerless against them and had no choice but to retreat in defeat.
However, Yuan Jin, who had taken back the banner from Jiang Qing, did not let the opportunity slip by. With Mo Wen leading the rear, the disciples of Ingenious Craftsman Fort, who had been recuperating, used various puppets to launch a surprise attack. Duan Anle and Pei Que ashamed but brave, regrouped their troops and followed closely behind.
In an instant, the Chengshan Sect's forces, which had just been rampaging under the leadership of Tie Xishui and the other three, found themselves attacked from both sides, and the balance of power shifted dramatically.
Tie Xishan, who was in the main force, was not flustered. Although he only had troops from Tanggu County, Tanggu was a major city in Cloud Horn, and the number of cultivators he had recruited was much greater Chongming Sect.
So he was about to send troops to reinforce the area when he saw unusual activity again in Learning Forest Mountain.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that Second Master Ming, who had been stationed outside the mountain leading the Zi Maple Valley disciples to besiege Shen Tu Ming Household family, was not skilled enough. He was ambushed by the combined forces of Second Master Ming Hun, who was wounded and went into battle. He was stabbed in the waist and abdomen, screaming in agony. His left hand was covered in blood as he clutched his waist, and most of his internal organs rolled out. He was almost cut in two by the uncle and nephew.
The head of the Demon Correction Office Division sent by Tie Xishui to supervise the army was only an early-stage cultivator, and his abilities were hardly impressive. He was so frightened by the scene that he trembled and took a few steps back.
Even a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator like him was afraid, so how could the many disciples of Zi Maple Valley not be in turmoil when they saw their sect leader, the only Foundation Establishment True Cultivator the sect, suddenly seriously injured?
Unfortunately, this head of the Demon Correction Office Division was a rare soft-hearted man. He couldn't bear to kill anyone, so how could he maintain order and control the situation?
At this moment, Ming Household Ming Hun of the Ming family returned to the formation, sparing no expense on Spirit Stone Spirit Vein, causing the gusts of wind to become even more powerful.
Second Master Ming, caught up in the thrill of the battle, disregarded his advanced age and personally led his men, swords in hand, to charge into battle.
Even the early-stage cultivators of Zi Maple Valley found it difficult to suppress this vigorous and powerful old cultivator. He led his men to slaughter them, causing even greater chaos in Zi Maple Valley, which in turn stirred up restlessness among the other Qi Refinement forces caught in the midst of the battle.
Tie Xishan was decisive. After a moment's thought, he realized that the Ming Household cultivators were nothing more than a ticking time bomb. Even if they managed to break through Zi Maple Valley's formation, they would only be at the end of their strength. In terms of the overall battle situation, they were of little importance. So he sent men to reinforce Tie Xishui as usual.
This time he did the right thing. As soon as this group approached, regardless of their size or strength, it greatly reassured the Chengshan Sect's troops.
The Foundation Establishment in short robes was able to free his hands from the direction of the insect cloud. With a slash of his long spear, a sharp, bright light, like a full moon, cut through the crowd of Qi Refinement in front of the Chongming Sect, leaving a large patch of blood-red light that stained his black pupils red.
Pei Que, who was at the forefront of the charge, was out of luck and ran into this fellow's heavy blow.
Those who were close enough heard a "crack" sound, but there was no surprise. They saw the Law Artifact in Pei Que's hand shatter, and the protective talismans he had desperately summoned vanished like paper. He was sent flying backward in a twisted and contorted posture, and it was unclear whether he was dead or alive!
You must know that Pei Que is the sect leader's disciple! His status is extraordinary!
An uproar immediately broke out within the Chongming Sect's formation. Several key figures instantly changed color, and even Yuan Jin and Jiang Qing, standing in the middle of the main formation, were momentarily stunned.
"Silence and do not cause any disturbance!" Just then, a flash of pain crossed Duan Anle's face. Even though his junior brother had just been ambushed, he remained calm in the face of danger and stepped out of the central army to stand at the front of the formation.
But then, the banner in his hand shone brightly with spiritual light. He pointed it forward, his face solemn, and he shouted in a stern voice, "Those who harmed my fellow disciples, pay for your blood debt!"
"Those who harmed my fellow disciples must pay with their blood!"
"Those who harmed my fellow disciples must pay with their blood!"
But this slogan wasn't just shouted by the Chongming Sect. The cultivators of the Chengshan Sect had endured the arrows and crossbow bolts from the puppets of Ingenious Craftsman Fort for so long, as well as hundreds of Daoist spells, and had also been attacked by the Lion Insect swarm led by Sect Leader Kang Da. Countless lives had been lost. If we're talking about blood debts, how many of them hadn't they owed? Who didn't hate them? Who didn't feel indignant?
The instigator who caused Pei Que's fate to remain unknown was the Foundation Establishment from the Chengshan Sect, dressed in a short robe. His sword-like eyebrows furrowed, and he raised his long spear high, standing on a flying boat, shouting in mid-air, "Live and die together, strengthen Chengshan!"
"We will live and die together, our strength will be as solid as a mountain!"
"We will live and die together, our strength will be as solid as a mountain!"
Beneath the sharpest point, another round of blood and flesh splattered, staining the yellow earth a new color; human life was worthless in the midst of battle.
Even Tie Xishui and the other Foundation Establishment, who were in the middle of the situation, seemed to be mesmerized by the rich blood before them. Their faces grew fierce, and they attacked the insect cloud with even greater intensity.
Under such circumstances, Tie Xishan still retained a trace of the ruthlessness he had shown during his arduous cultivation years ago. He prepared to ask the only mid-stage cultivator beside him for protection, and then led his men to fight their way through the enemy lines.
But the moment this thought arose in his mind, he was stunned by Jiang Qing, who was gathering strength and nurturing his sword within the Double Brightness Formation.
He didn't know how long the latter would need to recuperate before entering the formation, but if there was no Foundation Establishment protecting him, he feared that the great banner behind him would be difficult to protect, and might even be cut in two by the Double Brightness Sword Immortal, affecting the Demon Correction Office Division.
Helpless, Tie Xishan could only watch as the two sides on the flanking sides were locked in a bloody mess, unable to break the deadlock.
He urged the battle flags on, hoping to break through Yuan Jin's main formation and secure victory before Jiang Qing recovered from his injuries, relying on their numerical advantage.
Little did they know that on the other side, in a small battlefield, the situation was gradually becoming clearer.
"Cough," Gu Honglang coughed up a mouthful of hot blood, staring at the Sect Leader Kang Da in front of him with an incredulous look in his eyes. If he hadn't been in the midst of a battle, he would have stood there dumbfounded.
After suffering some hardship, the old cultivator sighed inwardly, "How many years has this fellow cultivated? He's clearly only at the mid-stage, yet his spiritual power is so condensed! It's almost on par with some Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators who haven't accumulated much."
Not only is his pupil technique exceptionally high, but his halberd skills and body cultivation are also extraordinary. How could a small, remote sect that has been established for two hundred years produce such a talent? Even among the disciples of powerful sects like the Two Instruments Sect and Cloud Water Sect, which dominate several states, it would be difficult to find someone like him."
Kang Dabao put down his fist stance. After taking the Jiaolong Blood Crabapple and cultivating the Primordial Ancient Body to a minor level, he was able to defend against enemies with the move "Eight Wastelands Suppress the Mountain". Compared to his previous predicament, he had made great progress.
The sudden turn of events caused Gu Honglang, who had only assumed Gu Honglang's superior pupil technique and had closed in on him, to suffer a great loss, which was only to be expected.
He also witnessed his three disciples fall into the formation, their fate unknown.
Although he was burning with anxiety inside, he knew the importance of the matter. He just watched coldly as Gu Honglang coughed up blood incessantly. The black flames on the blade of the Slaughter and Extermination's Halberd in his hand had not yet subsided and continued to roll, scorching the Yin Qi on the latter's mourning staff and causing it to dissipate a thick layer. He didn't know how many years of hard work this evil cultivator had accumulated.
However, this slight setback was far from enough to make Gu Honglang, the Yin Wind Valley, admit defeat.
As soon as he finished his incantation, he formed a hand seal with his left hand and pointed with his right finger. He then separated a portion of the remaining Yin Qi from the mourning staff and placed it in front of him to form a wall, deflecting the two Golden Light that Kang Dabao had launched again.
Taking advantage of the latter's lack of renewed strength, Gu Honglang immediately summoned the White Bone Banner again and waved it swiftly.
Even from several feet away, Kang Dabao could hear the cracking sound of the extremely strange and precious Spirit Artifact breaking. After a flash of heartache, Gu Honglang's face turned crimson, and he almost vomited blood again.
But the next moment, nine skeletons stood up again beside him, each with a mid-stage cultivation level, and each with eighteen different weapons of varying lengths in their hands.
This was clearly not Technique Method that Gu Honglang could use casually. However, his expression was solemn, black energy flickered on the White Bone Banner, and he seemed to have withered several times over. Even without a close look, an ordinary person would know that this fellow had suffered damage to his vital energy.
Once the nine skeletons formed a circular array, they deliberately encircled Sect Leader Kang Da within it.
A fierce wind swept through the formation, and an ordinary Foundation Establishment would be stripped of their flesh and skin by the knife-like, icy wind in no time, turning them into a set of crystal-clear, jade- Higher Vehicle white bones.
However, Kang Dabao was clearly not among them. The Primordial Ancient Body he cultivated was a high-grade Body Refining Cultivation Method of the Zhou Grade Upper-Grade, so he was naturally not afraid of such wind and air. Even though he was surrounded at this moment, he did not show much worry on his face.
But then they saw Sect Leader Kang Da raise the Slaughter and Extermination, the black flames on its blade incredibly powerful, roasting nearby bones until they were faintly brittle.
"The Military Strategy Taught by the Star Lord of the Wood Palace" is indeed a superior halberd technique Higher Vehicle for generations by the Jingnan Yuan Household. Kang Dabao clearly only grasped a little of its true meaning, but wherever the halberd's light flowed, bones were bound to be injured.
However, Gu Honglang's White Bone Array was truly bizarre. Kang Dabao only saw that the bones were damaged and destroyed, but he did not see that the number of bones in the formation had decreased by even one.
After the chaotic battle, he felt that he had cut through at least seven or eight skeletons, but the dead creatures in the formation were still densely packed and tireless. He immediately realized that there was something strange about Gu Honglang's formation and that he needed to find a way to break it so that he would not be trapped here by this monster.
Although Gu Honglang, who was standing holding the banner with sweat dripping down his face, was also in great discomfort, a slight smile appeared on his face, and he could not hide his smugness.
"No matter how skilled you are, unless you discover the weakness of my White Bone Array, you will never be able to escape unless you achieve False Core."
With a "boom," Kang Dabao unleashed his Eight Wastelands Suppress the Mountain once more, and a skeleton immediately shattered and fell to the ground. This time, the Sect Leader Kang Da did not let it go easily, and stomped heavily on the skeleton as it was struggling to get up and pick up the Spirit Artifact.
But when he activated his divine eyes, his pupils were filled with a wisp of golden energy, scanning the joints of the skeleton, Gu Honglang, who was holding the banner, immediately changed color. He spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood onto the banner, making it much brighter, increasing the aura of the skeleton in the formation, and making the skeleton much thicker as well.
But at that very moment, even the usually focused and inquisitive Sect Leader Kang Da showed a hint of delight, exclaiming in surprise, "So that's how it is!!"
He swung his short halberd repeatedly, forcing the attacking skeletons to retreat one after another. At the same time, he used his strength to crush the skeleton beneath his feet into dust, leaving only the first toe bone of the right foot, which was as clear as jade and intact, and he put it into his hand.
He then examined it closely, muttering a count, but only stopping at "eight." Kang Dabao's face lit up with even greater joy, "Just as I thought, once these white bones are removed, the first phalanx of the right foot can never be regenerated."
"Pfft!" Gu Honglang's face showed surprise as he spat out a mouthful Essence Blood, followed by another. How could he have imagined that the Sect Leader Kang Da's Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes of Truth-Seeing, after reaching the pinnacle of his cultivation, were most adept at discerning truth from falsehood?
Even though the skeletons in the formation had become increasingly powerful under the nourishment of Essence Blood, they were still no match for the relentless and all-out attack of Sect Leader Kang Da.
Just as the last skeleton's right toe bone was collected by the latter, the White Bone Banner in Gu Honglang's hand could no longer hold on and shattered with a crash.
He was also shaken by the force of the attack, barely managing to regain his footing when he saw Kang Dabao, who had broken through the formation, charging towards him like a tiger descending a mountain or a dragon entering the sea, wielding Slaughter and Extermination.
"What a hardship!" It's no wonder Gu Honglang complained; he never imagined that Kang Dabao had grown to such an extent.
Back then, he had sparred with Yue Lan, an elder of the Two Instruments Sect's Battle Hall, and thought that his own skills were slightly weaker. Not long ago, Gu Honglang heard that even though Kang Dabao had several powerful allies, he had not gained any advantage over Yue Lan, so he boasted that his own skills were superior.
Looking back now, it's hard to say whether Yue Lan was too reserved back then, or whether Sect Leader Kang Da has made too much progress in just a few years. Whatever the reason, after losing the White Bone Banner, Gu Honglang only had one path left: to take advantage of the situation and flee.
If such an opponent wanted to leave, even Sect Leader Kang Da would find it difficult to stop him. After another punch landed on Gu Honglang's chest, the wall of yin wind in front of the latter collapsed, making him dare not fight again.
Gu Honglang haphazardly scattered seven or Second-Tier Supreme-Grade talismans to hold them off for a while, then summoned two of his trump cards, the White Bone Warriors, which finally managed to stop Kang Dabao. After that, he ignored Kang Dabao and flew away in his flying shuttle.
The Sect Leader Kang Da had no time to pursue them. With a quick glance, he located the Tie Xishan banner. Without the slightest hesitation, he chose a spot where the Double Brightness main force was slightly in disarray and charged towards it.
Relying on his powerful physical body, carrying hundreds of magical spells and various Law Artifact, his skin was torn and bleeding, but he finally made it to Tie Xishan.
The Demon Correction Office Division leaders who stayed behind to protect Tie Xishan dared not stop them, yet they also dared not not stop them.
Fortunately, Kang Dabao's attention was not on him. After giving him two Golden Light, which made his Qi and Blood surge and he almost fell to the ground, Kang Dabao ignored his death and focused his eyes on Tie Xishan, who was holding a banner and fleeing.
After pondering for a moment, the Sect Leader Kang Da did not reveal the Golden Light in his eyes. Instead, he quickly caught up, smashing several elite Qi Refinement who had risked their lives to stop him with a few punches. He landed beside Tie Xishan, whom he had not seen for a long time. His words were urgent but also gentle. "Brother Tie, please leave the flag before you go."
"Sect Leader Kang is always joking. This banner belongs to me." Tie Xishan felt he hadn't finished speaking when Kang Dabao grabbed him by the throat. The hand that he thought was inseparable from the flag was even more of a joke. The latter simply reached out and gently lifted his hand, easily snatching the banner from his grasp, leaving the Tanggu County with only a numb hand.
With a "crack," the tall banner was cleaved in two by a heavy halberd. Everyone on the Demon Correction Office Division's side, whether outside Learning Forest Mountain or in the main or side formations, felt a lightness on their backs and their aura dimmed, as if they had lost a great deal of strength.
Just then, both sides heard a sharp shout, and everyone on the battlefield, regardless of whether they were friend or foe, was startled.
"Those who dare to fight even after the banner has fallen will be spared death!"