Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

On the horizon, a majestic Mystical Black Main Hall appeared before one’s eyes.

It towered like a mountain, vast as a city.

Pieces of pristine white curtains fell from the rooftop, swaying in the wind, occasionally enshrouded with the scent of incense fire, resembling a Heavenly Palace amidst the clouds.

”It’s been preserved, relatively intact.”

Jiang Ding silently observed this place, the holy land in the hearts of all Luoxu Sect cultivators, their spiritual sustenance.

The site where the Ancestor Master’s tablet stood.

High-Level Cultivators, especially those born into Sects, often have extremely profound feelings for their own Sects, including some of the Diabolism Sects.

Because this is their home.

Outer sect disciples labor day in and day out, earning a few Spirit Stones with great difficulty, years of hardship for a few Magic spells, often subject to oppression, insults, and the confiscation of their scant remaining Spirit Stones.

With just a word from their uncles and elders above, dozens or hundreds of low-rank disciples must lay down their lives, only a handful surviving out of hundreds who’ve braved death innumerable times.

For such sacrifices, the reward is nothing more than a bottle or two of Elixirs, a Magic Tool or two at most.

Sometimes not even that.

With just some smooth talking, the fruits of one’s life-threatening endeavours can be taken away instantly, leaving them with nothing.

Under such circumstances, expecting the likes of outer sect disciples to have feelings for the Sect is too laughable; they’d rather see their own Sect destroyed.

It’s different for the High-Level Cultivators born into Sects.

The outer sect disciples view the elder known as the bloodthirsty slaughterer, who once killed hundreds of low-rank disciples, as kind and affectionate. He frequently helps them and sometimes even appears a tad silly.

The inner sect disciples, true heirs who act arrogantly and whip disciples for fun, are seen as adorable junior brothers in their eyes.

Mentored with love by Masters, looked after by Uncles, admired by junior sisters, tenderly cared for in silence by senior sisters...

All these sentiments are genuinely heartfelt.

After all, who wouldn’t like a fellow disciple who is gifted, steadfast in character, and handsome?

It’s only right to often look after them, patiently correct their mistakes, impart life wisdom, and help out with Spirit Stones when they’re in a pinch.

Once High-Level Cultivators grow up, there won’t be any more troubles.

Everyone in the Sect, their juniors, looks up to them with reverence and admiration. At their command, the whole Sect exerts their utmost efforts, loyally dedicating their lives to protect and strengthen the Sect...

Many High-Level Cultivators spend the majority of their lives within their Sect.

Given all these factors, it’s not difficult to see why High-Level Cultivators develop such deep sentiments for their Sect.

Just like Immortal Baimei, ruthless and profit-oriented, with scarce emotional ties, yet still willing to fight to the death for the Sect—I’m the sum of these factors.

”Shuoyang Heavenly Monarch, too, had an extremely deep affection for his Sect.”

A glint flashed in Jiang Ding’s eyes.

The Ancestor Temple here was preserved far too well.

The white curtains unblemished, the incense fire that has endured for ten thousand years still lingers, it must have been deliberately reinforced.

”This Formation Method...”

Jiang Ding expanded his Divine Sense, occasionally injecting probing Treasure items, bit by bit assessing the condition of the Formation Method.

Scattered around were the corpses of Golden Pill Monks and fragments of Magic Tools.

Obviously, there had been cultivators tempted by this place before, who then perished here. As one came, one died, leaving the area deserted.

”A fourth-tier top-grade Formation Method, undamaged by external forces and capable of activating all of the Falling Void Sect’s Formation Methods in an instant for reinforcement. It is the most central location of the Falling Void Sect.”

”But now, after ten thousand years without any maintenance, its functionality has been greatly affected...”

Jiang Ding silently calculated, and after several days, he arrived at an answer.

”Now, with the surrounding auxiliary Formation Methods either broken or collapsed, taken together, it should have... the capacity of a fourth-tier medium-grade Formation Method. Its drawback is that it’s rather rigid; many parts operate sluggishly, and breaking through it wouldn’t be difficult.”

”The number of Golden Pill Monks needed is at least three hundred.”

Jiang Ding pondered over the number required to enter the Falling Void Sect’s relics, his expression changing slightly as he realized something was wrong, ”It seems we don’t have enough... No, these Golden Pill Monks can’t keep fighting, their lives matter too, and too many deaths would be undesirable.”

”But even if they all survive now, it seems we still don’t have enough.”

A chill ran down Jiang Ding’s spine.

Golden Pill Monks, rarely seen in the outside world, powerful enough to suppress a whole domain, many had perished in battle, and he himself had killed quite a few, now their numbers were dwindling, it was possible that there were not even three hundred in the entire region.

”Right, there are also Blood Cloud and the others.”

Suddenly, Jiang Ding thought of something and his eyes lit up, ”Each of them can barely be considered as forty Golden Pill Monks, the three of them together account for a hundred and twenty, that should be nearly enough.”

”Scorching Sun Swordsman...”

Just thinking about this person made Scorching Sun Swordsman somewhat of an eyesore.

He dared chase after his wealth.

Shameless, utterly disgraceful.

”Alright.”

”Now it’s time to meet the Scorching Sun Swordsman, Blood Cloud, and the Six Dao Saint, these three. On such a fine day, instead of working for me, they choose to play at assassination, utterly ridiculous.”

Jiang Ding’s hand rested on the hilt of his sword, murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and he turned to leave the Ancestor Temple.

...

Jiang Ding flew through the sky, wandering haphazardly around locations such as Dizifeng Peak and the Sutra Pavilion, searching a wide area and finding not even a single hair of a cultivator.

”Where have they all gone?”

Jiang Ding furrowed his brow, extended his Divine Sense, and focusing it on a White Jade Sword thousands of kilometers away, he asked, ”Where is the place with the most cultivators?”

After a long while,

”Little Martial Uncle!”

The voice of Han Lin came through, mingled with the sound of rushing wind, as if he was fleeing in a sorry state, accompanied by occasional curses like ’give me back my Essence Blood Ganoderma’ being shouted, which he blocked out in a single motion and, catching his breath, said, ”The place with the most cultivators? Little Martial Uncle, it should be the Spiritual Medicine Garden. Many Golden Pill Monks are gathered here, breaking through the Formation Method and scavenging for elixirs.”

”It’s even said that there is a Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng here that has become sentient, its juices can increase the chances of Infant Formation by a layer or two.”

His voice suddenly became burning hot.

”Little Martial Uncle, would you like to come?”

”I can’t catch it, but I can sense where it is. If we can catch that sentient Nine Elements Spiritual Ginseng in the end, I only need a single drop of its juice.”

”We’ll see.”

Jiang Ding was noncommittal and cut off the communication.

That thing was of no use to him.

What really mattered for his Nascent Soul breakthrough was the Great Sun Nascent Soul Art; he needed no aid, and with a one hundred percent chance, he could break the Golden Pill and condense the Nascent Soul, from then on controlling the Falling Void, with a lifespan of one thousand two hundred years.

But the research was a bit troublesome.

After all, it was the Nascent Soul secret technique of a Domain Ruler, involving the strongest individual power in the domain. Even with the Nascent Soul Cultivators not long ago joining in to assist him and Zhang Junsheng with some key issues, progress was still dreadfully slow.

The latest calculations by the Xianmen Science Institute’s computers suggested that, at the current pace of development, it would take at least three thousand seven hundred years to come up with a rough draft.

Three thousand seven hundred years!

This made Zhang Junsheng somewhat despondent and lately a bit discouraged, lacking the motivation to work.

Because of this, the Xianmen Science Institute even designed a sleeping plan for Jiang Ding.

Xianmen allocated four to seven Divinity Transformation opportunities, planning for him to enter the Sleeping Hidden Realm at the age of two hundred fifty, to awake every five hundred years to advance the development of the secret technique of Nascent Soul formation, then continue into sleeping state to delay the passage of Life Energy.

To wait thus, for thousands of years, until the Great Sun Nascent Soul Art was successfully developed.