Chapter 141: The Mountain Gate Shattered! Hundreds Against Tens of Thousands

The 256 disciples of Serene Void Academy swiftly assembled into a massive spear formation under Song Ping's command.

"By the spear I am named—and that name is Serene Void!" Standing behind the formation, he gripped his former chief disciple identity token, voice ringing with unshakable resolve. "Brothers! Call after me! By the spear we're named—and that name is Serene Void!"

"By the spear we are named—and that name is Serene Void!"

"Regardless of life or death, for the sake of our honor, we strike!"

With a unified roar, the 256 disciples poured their power into the cracks in the defensive barrier.

Outside the gate, the three academies launched a joint assault, while Serene Void's disciples stood shoulder to shoulder in defense. Holes formed across the fractured barrier of spirit qi, and the surrounding space slowly began to distort.

"Zhou Fan, you worthless thief! I'm going all out!" Song Xiao'er roared from within the formation, pouring every drop of spirit qi from his Heavenly Pool. "Senior Martial Brother Lu... hurry! The honor of the Serene Void Academy rests on you!"

All the Serene Void Academy's disciples pushed against the barrier, shouting in unison as they drew spirit qi from their Heavenly Pool.

The disciples from the three academies jeered, "How can they hold us off with just two hundred men? Their chief hasn't even shown himself. He's probably a coward. They should just open the gate and let us in!"

"Never!" The Serene Void Academy's disciples roared in defiance, pouring even more spirit qi into their defense.

Under their unified shout, the scattered radiance of Wish Power around them intensified, converging and surging into the teleportation chamber toward Nantian Yijian.

It circled him once, then returned to the Serene Void Academy disciples through the same channel, filling their dantian and meridians, coursing through their muscles and bones.

As the Wish Power accumulated, the radiance thickened, eventually becoming visible to the naked eye, sheathing them in a fine golden light.

From within the Serene Void Formation, a disciple shouted, "My power... It's getting stronger?!"

His shout drew everyone's attention to the golden glow.

"What is this? I can feel Senior Martial Brother Nantian supporting us... Is this like what happened on the ship?"

"Could this be the Wish Power Senior Martial Brother Lu spoke of?"

"Yes! This is Wish Power! That warm, flowing current of energy... I felt it back on the ship, too!"

"This power is strengthening our link with Senior Martial Brother Lu! He's sending us strength through the chief disciple identity token!"

"Strike, brothers! Don't waste Senior Martial Brother Nantian and Senior Martial Brother Lu's help!"

At that moment, the Serene Void Academy disciples were electrified with renewed energy, and the spirit qi they released grew even purer.

"How did this bunch of trash suddenly get so fired up?" Zhou Fan frowned, confused by the shouting and the golden light radiating from the disciples. "Could this be some new function Lu Chen unlocked in the chief disciple identity token?"

"Indeed, it's strange. We should speed up to avoid any unexpected accidents," Wen Ziming said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the barrier. "Ten more coordinated strikes should tear through it completely."

Yun Ping noticed the golden glow enveloping the Serene Void Academy's disciples but remained silent. However, the subtle shift in his expression betrayed his recognition. He clearly understood this kind of energy.

The disciples of the three academies pressed their attack, hammering at the barrier's cracks with their respective formations. While Wen Ziming and Zhou Fan maintained precise control over their own formations, Yun Ping quietly directed the Jade Flame Academy's disciples to fall back.

Under the relentless barrage, cracks spread across the entire surface of the Serene Void Academy's barrier. The defensive shield could collapse at any moment.

The two academy chiefs other than Yun Ping clenched their identity tokens and shouted to their followers:

"Wind Lightning's disciples!"

"White Cloud's disciples!"

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Use your strongest techniques! Break through the Serene Void Academy's gates in one strike!"

The disciples of the White Cloud and Wind Lightning Academies, as well as a few stubborn ones from the Jade Flame Academy shouted furiously as they unleashed their spells and techniques together. Their fierce effort made it seem as if they were the ones suffering in this battle.

"Senior Martial Brother Song, what should we do? The numbers are too overwhelming!" Wang Xiaolong spat blood as he stood at the tip of the spear formation. "At this rate, the barrier will collapse."

"We have to give it everything we've got! Hold on for just a few more minutes!" Song Ping shouted, eyes fixed on the faint markings appearing beneath them. "The underground formation is fully activated. We only need one final step to trigger the counterattack."

"Still trying to trigger the counterattack? Forget it!" Wen Ziming snorted coldly and leapt into the air, driving his Gentleman Sword straight into the barrier's crack. In an instant, soft, cloud-like etchings spread across the crack, gradually expanding as Wen Ziming infused them with his spirit qi.

Bang!

A crisp, sharp sound echoed as the defensive barrier over the Serene Void Academy's gate shattered.

Seeing the barrier shattered, the disciples in the spear formation held their ground, ready to use their bodies for one last stand. Just then, Lu Chen's voice echoed through their identity tokens.

He instructed, "

Brothers, don't charge. I'm deliberately luring them in. Fall back to the plaza immediately. Clear the area in front of the gate

."

At the same time, he poured refined spirit qi into each disciple through his chief disciple identity token.

"Does Senior Martial Brother Lu want us to retreat? Could this really be him?"

"It's definitely Lu Chen," Song Ping confirmed, waving to dismiss the formation. "He must be preparing the Serene Void Formation for a full strike. Fall back and clear the area."

Seeing the barrier shattered, Zhou Fan bellowed, "Are you retreating? Everyone, charge! They must have acquired unique treasures from the Demonic Beast Forest! Besides, the so-called chief disciple of Serene Void Academy is only at the early Qi Regulation Realm! Whoever defeats him can claim his position!"

The disciples of Wind Lightning Academy were closest to the gate and surged forward first. Three thousand Qi Regulation Realm disciples moved past the gate, stretching the frontline into an arc to encircle the Serene Void Academy's disciples in a single sweep.

Lu Chen smiled faintly, sitting cross-legged in the center of the Spirit Gathering Formation. "Do you really think the Serene Void Academy's gate is that easy to breach? Since you've come, let me show you the full might of our formation."

Outside the Serene Void Academy's gate, cultivators kept pouring in. This became the perfect opportunity for the Serene Void Academy's disciples to display their newfound strength after returning from the Mountain Gate Trial. With such a dramatic surge in power, anyone would assume it came from rare, fortunate encounters.

With the promise of these treasures at stake, no one wanted to miss their chance. More and more disciples flooded into the academy, and at that precise moment, the defensive barriers surrounding it vanished entirely.

Seeing this, the cultivators outside seized the opportunity. Tens of thousands launched spells and soared through the air toward the academy.

Noticing the barrier's disappearance, Yun Ping said calmly, "Disciples of Jade Flame Academy, stay on standby. Let them take the lead."

"What are we waiting for?"

"Brothers, let's rush in! Grab whatever resources you can! If we don't, someone else will!"

Despite Yun Ping's attempts to hold them back, greed overtook the crowd. More and more cultivators could no longer restrain themselves. They unleashed their spells as they charged toward the Serene Void Academy.

From within the Heavenly Mandate Hall, the elders of the Three Peaks and Six Academies observed the battle. They watched the 256 disciples standing against tens of thousands, curious to see what the Serene Void Academy's disciples had gained in the Demonic Beast Forest that made them so conspicuous upon returning.

This lopsided battle—just a few hundred against tens of thousands—unfolded under the tacit consent of the sect's higher-ups.

"Old Jun, aren't you worried about your disciples?" Shan Long asked softly, standing at the gate of Mountain Ocean Peak and observing the situation at Serene Void Academy. "Two hundred against tens of thousands? Even a Sunken Core Realm cultivator would struggle with that. How do you expect your Qi Regulation Realm disciples to handle it?"

Jun Wudi sipped his tea calmly. "Worry? Tens of thousands of cultivators? Would you believe me if I said that not one of them will set foot in Serene Void Academy's plaza?"

Fang Yuan leaned forward, curious. "

Oh?

I'd like to see what gives you such confidence. Is it your nephew, Jun Laoye? Or the new chief disciple, Lu Chen? Or perhaps that seemingly insignificant Nantian Yijian? I doubt it's that girl."

He stepped to the cliff's edge. "I'm genuinely curious. How can you claim that none will reach the plaza when it's tens of thousands against just two hundred?"

"It's not the numbers that give me confidence. I have faith in their potential. They may not even know their true backgrounds, but I know their ancestors were far from ordinary."

Jun Wudi sipped his tea and rose. "Watch closely. Not a single one of them will make it in, and at least half won't even leave this place alive."

"Their ancestors?" Shan Long glanced back. "Could they really be from some extraordinary sect or aristocratic clan?"

"As for Little Jun, there's not much that needs to be said. Fearlessness runs in the Jun Clan, and he's no exception. Being my nephew, raised by my own hand, his temperament mirrors mine perfectly."

Finishing his tea, he extended a wave of spirit qi toward Serene Void Academy. The spirit qi circled the academy twice before dissipating.

In that instant, something within Serene Void Academy awakened, though from the outside, nothing appeared to have changed.