Chapter 543: Bombardment and Formation, Landslide Returns, Canyon Collapses (II)

The Falling Cloud Sect even triggered a thunderstorm, destroying the formation's foundation and dashing any hopes the Sword Sect had of repairing it. With the formation shattered, the battle entered its next familiar phase. The Falling Cloud Sect's puppet army surged forward in unison, ready to blanket the mountain in fire and steel! It was easy to imagine that after a few rounds of relentless bombardment, the defensive formation on the eighth mountain would be thoroughly disrupted, leading once again to chaotic pairwise skirmishes.

However, just as the puppet army of the Falling Cloud Sect emerged, countless "stars" suddenly lit up above the eighth mountain. Or at least they looked like stars; in reality, they were... sword orbs! Over a hundred sword orbs converged in the air, weaving together a vague yet clearly noticeable formation diagram in the sky. The moment Elder Linghu of the Falling Cloud Sect saw the diagram, his expression changed drastically. "The Myriad Sword Diagram!"

In a flash of panic, he thrust out his palm in an attempt to disrupt the formation before it could fully coalesce. Yet before the strike landed, a radiant sword light shot skyward.

Shhhk!

The massive palm imprint disintegrated instantly. A youthful Daoist with bright eyes and a graceful bearing emerged from the eighth mountain, his figure radiating calm authority.

"Fellow Daoist Linghu, let the juniors settle their own fight. It wouldn't look good if you interfered," he said with a smile.

At the sight of him, Linghu Jie's face darkened. "Kaiyang!"

Adept Kaiyang smiled gently. "So, shall we fight, or shall we simply watch things unfold?"

Linghu Jie fell silent. As the two exchanged words, both sides had already launched their assaults. The Falling Cloud Sect's puppet army let loose an unrelenting barrage, raining down indiscriminate firepower on the cultivators clustered atop the eighth mountain. Simultaneously, the Sword Sect's Myriad Sword Diagram flared with brilliance, unleashing a tidal wave of sword energy that descended like a storm of blades.

The Four-Sect Alliance forces, who had been poised to exploit the chaos, suffered massive casualties in an instant. At this point, there was no backing down for either side. Yet just then, high above the battlefield, thunderclouds began to gather, and bitter winds howled across the sky. Shrill winds tore through the heavens; silver lightning writhed across the sky like serpents of pure fury.

Seeing this, Linghu Jie exhaled in relief. With clouds gathering, the Myriad Sword Diagram was bound to dissipate quickly. As expected, moments later, the sword orbs scattered and withdrew, flying back to their respective owners. Under the bombardment of heavenly lightning, artifacts that were tethered to the wielder's spirit, like sword orbs, could not endure; if anything, they only brought danger to their owners.

Just like that, the battlefield returned to equal footing.

"Attack!"

"Everyone, charge!"

With the orders of two Adepts, both armies surged forward like mighty rivers crashing into one another. In one corner of the field, Luo Chen and Chu Kui looked up, their eyes filled with awe as they watched the sword formation slowly dissipate. A formation of a hundred cultivators, unmatched in slaughter. Even Adepts would think twice before clashing head-on with such a formation. Fortunately, both time and terrain were on their side.

Seeing the sudden eruption of battle, Chu Kui shuddered inwardly. "Good thing I joined the Luo Tian Society and can act with you freely. Otherwise, in a battle of this scale, the title 'Tian Kuizi' would be nothing but a joke."

Luo Chen offered a stiff smile, his expression unreadable.

The foundation of an upper sect is not something people like us can even fathom.

They had thought the puppet army was already the pinnacle of battlefield dominance, and they hadn't expected sword cultivators pulling out a battle formation like that. However, in the unique terrain of the Jilei Nine Mountains, the Myriad Sword Diagram couldn't last long. The battle had now returned to the scenario they were most familiar with.

After the initial clash, the torrent of cultivators began to break apart into scattered skirmishes. Before long, there were over ten thousand such battle pockets scattered across the field. This was the ideal situation for the now-infamous Tianlan Duo and the perfect environment to fish in troubled waters.

"The spirit energy fluctuations are too wild. I can't condense the Water Mirror," Luo Chen said.

Chu Kui understood the situation well. "So... we stick to the original plan?"

"Yeah. Head for the edge of the battlefield and look for openings."

Having come to an agreement, the two suppressed their auras and silently flew toward the outskirts of the eighth mountain. From experience, they knew the more the battlefield fractured, the wider its perimeter would become. If they lay in wait in the outer regions, there would surely be prey walking right into their trap.

***

Six hours later, Luo Chen whispered, "How many has it been?"

Chu Kui's face darkened as he raised three fingers. "Three early-stage ones. One looked like an Inner Hall disciple from the Flame Alliance."

Luo Chen frowned. "They're grouping tighter. Our window's shrinking."

It wasn't just the Sword Sect doing this; the Four-Sect Alliance was no different. Chu Kui sighed. "What can you do? Many people are taking risks to rack up merit points just like us. The Sword Sect Alliance and the Four-Sect Alliance alike. As far as I know, the Twin Fiends of the Netherworld and the Four Elders of Lian Cang are doing the same thing."

The Twin Fiends of the Netherworld and the Four Elders of Lian Cang were all top rogue cultivators, just like Chu Kui. They were widely known within the immortal cities they called home. Back during the Green Pill Valley's Dao Scion Competition, Luo Chen had seen the Twin Fiends of the Netherworld, a man and a woman. They were invited by Shangguan Yan and secured third place for her in the first round. Even He Yuanqing, who was by no means a weakling, had been forced to rely on Chu Kui and several elites to barely take second.

As for the Four Elders of Lian Cang, they were already renowned even a whole century back. Now that all four had reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment, it was rumored that their combined strength could rival an Adept. If figures like them were hunting the same way Luo Chen and Chu Kui were, they would be vastly more efficient.

"So what now?" Chu Kui asked hesitantly.

Without Luo Chen's Water Mirror to guide them, they were practically fumbling in the dark.

"Let's change locations!"

"Alright."

A familiar scene repeated itself; they drifted away from the battle zone, scouting along the edges for a new place to launch surprise attacks. As they passed a canyon, Luo Chen suddenly paused midair.

Chu Kui looked down at the melee below. "You planning to dive into that mess?"

It was indeed a tough fight; at least ten Initiates were clashing below. By their original plan, they were to avoid engagements of this scale. Yet this time, Luo Chen didn't hesitate to summon his enchanted artifact. "Let's go. The boy is down there. I can't just watch him die."

Huh?

Chu Kui blinked, then spotted the disheveled young man below and immediately understood. "

Oh...

Right, he's the son of one of your people. And since I'm one of your people now... I suppose I have to help."

He muttered to himself as he summoned his Heaven-Equaling Staff. Down in the canyon, a chaotic battle was unfolding. Judging by their robes and badges, the combatants were vassals of the Flame Alliance and Inner Hall disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect.

"Slaughter these Falling Cloud Sect disciples and we'll earn major merit!"

"No mercy!"

"Attack!"

In the midst of the chaos, an old man with ash-grey hair stood tall amidst the throng. His eyes burned with violence as he barked out commands like a battlefield general. His fingers moved in rapid succession, weaving intricate hand seals. Under his control, a flying sword sliced through the crowd like a viper. With every pass, screams erupted in its wake.

He was a late-stage Initiate! Though his breakthrough was recent, Zheng Tianfang was already a figure of fearsome repute among the many vassal forces. It was also thanks to his strong ties with the Flame Alliance that the surrounding fighters obeyed him without hesitation.

On the other side of the battlefield, the disciples of Falling Cloud Sect fared far worse. They were young Inner Hall cultivators, and their eyes were wide with panic. Their team leader had been ambushed and slain at the very start. And now, trapped within the confines of a narrow canyon, they couldn't deploy their puppets effectively. Their greatest strength was reduced to dead weight in such tight quarters. They were restricted and stifled and were being overwhelmed by these second-rate fighters. Under such unbearable pressure, someone finally snapped.

"Then we'll all die together!" a voice shrieked.

It came from a young man with veins bulging along his neck. He was only at the third stage of Foundation Establishment, but desperation had twisted his face into a mask of madness. Without hesitation, he poured everything he had into the puppet beside him, activating its core with wild abandon. The enemies all scrambled to dodge, but in the chaos of battle, it was too late to react. One mid-stage Initiate got caught at the edge of the blast, and most of his body was instantly vaporized. The Falling Cloud Sect disciple who launched the attack felt a surge of joy.

Just then, a shrill voice rang out behind him. "Senior Brother Li, why did you kill Junior Brother Wu!?"

Senior Brother Li froze. A puppet was falling to the ground, no longer guided by its master, who had been caught in the very center of the light beam.

Did I just... kill my own comrade...?

While he stood stunned, a flying sword pierced straight through his chest like lightning. "You can't even distinguish friend from enemy. You lack combat experience, and you dare to space out in the middle of battle? With that kind of mentality, you think you're fit to call yourself an Initiate?"

Zheng Tianfang's voice was icy as he withdrew his blade. He didn't bother looking at the man who was already crumpling to the dirt, lifeless. Instead, he turned to the last three remaining disciples.

Among the survivors, Qin Yuanjiang stood rooted in place, trembling.

All my senior brothers are dead!

Of the three, he was the only one who had just recently stepped into the Foundation Establishment Realm, and now, somehow, he was the eldest among them.

"Senior Brother Qin, what do we do? Our puppets are all destroyed. We're going to die!" one of the juniors stammered.

Listening to his two junior brothers' frantic cries, Qin Yuanjiang forced himself to stay composed. "What are you afraid of? Draw your enchanted artifacts and fight!"

He took a deep breath and added, steady now, "We're disciples of the Falling Cloud Sect. We don't sit around waiting to die. The flying sword techniques the elders taught you are meant for killing just as much as defense!"

As he spoke, he abruptly pulled out a long golden sword. Its blade was sharp, cold, and perfect, as if it had never been drawn before.

Faced with this sudden display, Zheng Tianfang merely chuckled. "Nothing but a few cornered rabbits. Just die already."

The other Initiates burst into laughter, already certain of victory. But just as they were about to end it all, Zheng Tianfang's face suddenly shifted. He jerked his head upward.

High above, a crimson-robed Daoist hovered in midair, both hands raised as if he was dragging something down from the heavens. In the next instant, he let out a deep roar, "Landslide!"

Boom! Boom!

Two thunderous explosions echoed out as both canyon walls suddenly collapsed. The massive cliffs detonated, and spirit energy surged violently as shattered rocks tore through the air.