The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 203: Breaking the Array

Yaoguang’s psychic thought rapidly transmitted more information to Tang Fenghua and the others. ”Target the following areas next. Several of them must be destroyed in the next round of attacks.”

”Understood,” Tang Fenghua replied at once.

Wang Feng hesitated before speaking. ”Chief, engaging a Sky Patrol Warship head-on isn’t a wise move. They can rely on the warship to fight while recovering, but we—”

”I know what I’m doing.” Yaoguang cut him off. ”You only need to complete your respective tasks.”

”Yes,” Wang Feng answered.

Tang Fenghua was well-traveled and highly experienced. As he examined the attack targets Yaoguang had designated, he seemed to notice something. As if clarifying things for Wang Feng and the others, yet also asking to confirm, he said, ”Chief, the points you want us to attack all seem to be key nodes of the sword cultivators’ amplification arrays. Does that mean... Can you read them?”

”Heh. You seem to have forgotten that I can even improve a level 6 spirit-gathering array. With that in mind, isn’t it reasonable that I can identify the nodes of these arrays as you repeatedly attack them?” Yaoguang said with a smile.

Tang Fenghua and the others froze for a moment. News of Yaoguang improving the spirit-gathering array was currently known to only a very small circle. Tang Fenghua, who had personally guarded Yaoguang, naturally knew of it.

Isn’t he only able to understand spirit-gathering arrays? Now it seems like he also understands amplification arrays! And being able to identify their nodes and flaws after only a few attacks means that his proficiency in arrays is likely far higher than anyone has imagined. Tang Fenghua thought.

”Artifact refinement, array arts, body cultivation, psychic cultivation... Chief Yaoguang is truly an all-rounder.” Tang Fenghua could not help but be impressed.

”You flatter me,” Yaoguang said. ”Alright. Break the arrays. We will first weaken the sword cultivators’ amplification tactics, then inflict heavy injuries on all of their sword cultivators. Once they lose their sword cultivators, this Sky Patrol Warship will be nothing more than a sitting duck to us.”

”But if we do that... We will no longer have enough strength to break through the Spring Rain’s defensive array.” Tang Fenghua sounded somewhat regretful. But then, as if realizing something, his pupils suddenly constricted. ”Wait, Chief. The Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique that you had the spell cultivators prepare in advance... Is it for this very moment?”

”The Spring Rain isn’t an advanced Sky Patrol Warship, but it’s still far better than the one the Thousand-Beast Sect sold to us. With this Sky Patrol Warship as a reference, I believe it won’t take long before the sect truly gains the ability to forge Sky Patrol Warships,” Yaoguang said calmly.

The reason he had chosen to confront the Spring Rain head-on instead of the Vajra was still a matter of capability. He had already experienced the power of third-generation Sky Patrol Warships of the same tier as the Vajra. They were not something his current forces could capture.

Even with the Spring Rain, he could only rely on catching them off guard. If the opponent became cautious, like now, and withdrew in time after realizing they couldn’t suppress the Sea Guardian Institute, he would have no better solution.

However, when the Great Sun Sword Sect faced the Nine Cauldrons Sect, they were filled with envy and resentment. Unless they saw absolutely no hope, they wouldn’t retreat easily. That gave Yaoguang the opportunity to seize this Sky Patrol Warship.

”Alright. Quickly destroy all arrays that amplify the sword cultivators’ strength, then deal heavy damage to every sword cultivator aboard the Spring Rain. Ideally, shatter all of their life-bound flying swords!” Yaoguang said.

”Yes!” Tang Fenghua responded with high spirits.

The other leaders of the Sea Guardian Institute, having received Yaoguang’s explanation, were likewise burning with fighting spirit. One after another, they struck again, their flying swords surging forward under the guidance of the Eight-Nine Wind and Thunder Array toward the Spring Rain.

The cultivators aboard the Spring Rain were unwilling to accept that an entire Sky Patrol Warship’s arrays were being treated as a stepping stone by the Sea Guardian Institute, so resistance was fierce.

Each round of clashes left life-bound flying swords severely damaged. Many cultivators even had their life-bound flying swords destroyed during the exchanges.

However, the life-bound flying swords of the Sea Guardian Institute’s great cultivators carried the traits of the Thousand-Spirit Master. Even if they were badly damaged, replacing them and nurturing them for a month or two was enough to restore their combat strength.

But for the Great Sun Sword Sect, those who lost their life-bound flying swords would not recover in three to five years. The intense fighting lasted for more than ten minutes. Every sword cultivator fought without holding anything back. The shockwaves of battle not only tore apart the clouds in the sky but also evaporated the sea surface.

The force from the endless collisions formed massive tsunamis that swept across the sea, spanning thousands of kilometers. Countless islands were submerged by these tsunamis. Amid such fighting, the number of sword cultivators each side could deploy continued to decrease. Seventy, sixty-eight, sixty-five, sixty, fifty-four...

The Sea Guardian Institute had fewer and fewer sword cultivators able to fight, and the same was true for the Spring Rain’s sword cultivators. Especially after all the amplification arrays aboard the Spring Rain were completely destroyed, the rate at which the Great Sun Sword Sect’s sword cultivators suffered severe injuries skyrocketed.

By this point, when twenty-six flying swords pierced the void and struck toward the Spring Rain, not a single flying sword emerged from within to intercept them. Even the spell cultivators resisting were now few in number. Yet the warship did not retreat. Instead, it continued to press closer.

Clearly, it intended to rely on its arrays to hold out, exhausting the Sea Guardian Institute’s sword cultivators while also preventing them from escaping once they realized the arrays could no longer be broken.

”Chief!” Wang Feng shouted excitedly. ”All sword cultivators aboard the Spring Rain have been heavily wounded by us and have lost their combat capability!”

”You’ve done very well,” Yaoguang said.

Sensing that the spell cultivators had already finished preparing the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique, he said, ”It’s time.”

He turned directly to Tang Fenghua and the others, who had deliberately conserved part of their strength. ”Close to within fifty kilometers! Prepare to board and seize the ship! Kill all who resist!”

”Yes!” Upon receiving the order, Wang Feng, Tang Fenghua, and the others immediately surged toward the Spring Rain.

Earlier, getting close to the Spring Rain inevitably provoked counterattacks from its sword cultivators, but this time, all cultivators aboard didn’t react, simply wearing

grim expressions as they took advantage of every second to recover their true origin.

A Sky Patrol Warship was essentially a mobile sect gate, and the most important feature of a sect gate was its defensive power. Although a second-generation Sky Patrol Warship could not compare with a third-generation one, its twelve layers of defensive arrays were embedded one within another. Together, they were still capable of withstanding more than a hundred sword cultivators attacking at full strength for over a dozen rounds. The capability to withstand a dozen rounds should not be underestimated.

A sword cultivator in peak condition, striking with full force, could only unleash around a dozen attacks in succession. Once they did that, they had to take time to recover their true origin before continuing the assault. That recovery process, depending on the pills and spirit stones used, could take from one hour to over ten.

While they were recovering, the Great Sun Sword Sect’s sword cultivators would also be recovering. On top of that, the enemy could call for reinforcements or rush repairs to their arrays. With such back-and-forth, breaking a Sky Patrol Warship became nearly impossible.

Therefore, even though by now the Spring Rain clearly lacked the ability to counterattack, the Great Sun Sword Sect did not withdraw. Instead, they continued to press closer. They were simply waiting for the Sea Guardian Institute’s sword cultivators to be forced to stop to recover, at which point they would put all their force into a counterattack and turn the tide.

”The Sea Guardian Institute is indeed formidable, but in the end, victory will surely belong to us.” Zuo Chuan’s expression was icy. He turned to his aide. ”How is the recovery of the first batch of sword cultivators going?”

”The first twelve sword cultivators are already able to re-enter the fight, albeit barely,” the aide replied.

”Good. Have them ready. The moment the Sea Guardian Institute’s sword cultivators run out of steam, strike at once and fight them to the death!” Zuo Chuan ordered.

The adjutant responsible for primordial psyche reconnaissance suddenly said, ”Captain, several cultivators proficient in perception techniques have advised me that they have received mental warnings. Moreover, we still have no idea what the Sea Guardian Institute’s spell cultivators have been doing this whole time. They might be preparing some kind of killing spell. I suggest a temporary withdrawal!”

”A killing spell?” Light flickered in Zuo Chuan’s eyes. ”According to the intelligence we have, the Sea Guardian Institute has a total of thirty-six spell cultivators. In just over ten minutes, there’s only a limited number of spells they can prepare. None of those spells can instantly shatter twelve level 6 defensive arrays.”

He then looked at the adjutant. ”We are already less than three thousand kilometers from those spell cultivators. With psychic thought amplification arrays in place, you still cannot determine what they are preparing?”

”The enemy is far stronger than we anticipated. I can guarantee that the leader must be a fifth-tier primordial psyche cultivator who has endured dozens of temperings by Purple Firmament Divine Lightning!”

The adjutant spoke with conviction. ”Aside from a fifth-tier primordial psyche cultivator, I cannot explain who else could possess such methods, to the point that even with more than a dozen of us using amplified psychic thought—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the psychic thought fluctuations suddenly halted. The next instant, a voice filled with dejection, and even a trace of panic, came through. ”Captain, the Sea Guardian Institute’s spell cultivators have revealed their trump card! It’s the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique!”

”The Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique?!” Zuo Chuan instantly understood the Sea Guardian Institute’s intent. ”They want to dismantle our Sky Patrol Warship’s defensive arrays in a single strike? Completing this spell in just over ten minutes is indeed impressive, but the Spring Rain has twelve defensive arrays. Unless they mobilize over a hundred spell cultivators to cast it together, they will never be able to do anything to the Spring Rain!”

He immediately issued orders. ”Do everything you can to interfere with the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique. This is our home field. Everyone else, maintain the defensive arrays!”

”Yes.” The cultivators acknowledged the command.

Soon, a dense curtain of azure light-rain appeared at the far edge of the Spring Rain’s vision. This was the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique, famed as the bane of all defensive arrays!

Almost at the same time, under Yaoguang’s command, twenty-six sword cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect struck together. Their fierce sword light carried edges sharp enough to tear the void as it slashed brutally toward the twelve defensive arrays shimmering with radiant light.

”Interfere at full power. Sword cultivators, intercept!” Zuo Chuan roared.

With one psychic thought amplification array after another activated, more than a dozen primordial psyche cultivators aboard the warship unleashed their psychic thoughts simultaneously.

Unlike before, when they had to fight across thousands of kilometers, this time the outburst of psychic thought occurred within a hundred fifty kilometers of their warship, fully within the range where they could maximise the interference.

However, it was useless. Vaguely, it was as if an information-blackout zone had appeared before them, silently erasing all the psychic thoughts exerted by the primordial psyche cultivators, leaving no impact whatsoever on the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique streaking in like flowing light.

As for the flying swords launched by the twelve sword cultivators who had just caught their breath, twelve of them were intercepted with extreme precision by twelve of the twenty-six incoming swords. The remaining fourteen slammed viciously into the twelve defensive arrays.

Radiant light exploded. Among the twelve defensive arrays, the strongest one, a third-generation level 6 defensive array, was struck by three sword lights at once, shaking violently. As those ripples spread outward, the rain of light from the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique followed closely behind, falling directly onto the ripples.

Each streak of light seized upon the oscillations, dismantling the most critical nodes with astonishing precision. Under this process of disintegration and erosion, the arrays that had just been rippling moments before rapidly dimmed.

Hold them! Hold them! Zuo Chuan and everyone aboard the Spring Rain shouted inwardly at the same time.

But the rain of light formed by the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique did not stop eroding simply because of their desperate cries. It was as if a faint crack rang out. The strongest third-generation level 6 array collapsed under the constant erosion.

The moment that array failed, it triggered a chain reaction. The remaining eleven arrays were eroded even faster, holes forming rapidly. Under the relentless bombardment of the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique, they began to shatter and disintegrate.

This scene caused Zuo Chuan and the others, who had been absolutely confident in the defensive power of the Sky Patrol Warship, to freeze in place.