Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Jiang Ding was truly angry.

Cultivators killing each other, for Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasures, for grudges and grievances, today you kill me, tomorrow I kill him, each engulfed in their chaos without any justice to speak of.

As long as they don’t slaughter mortals on a large scale, don’t betray the interests of their race, don’t use humans as cultivation resources.

There’s nothing to say, it’s all about one’s own ability.

But this kind of act, which destroys the foundation of the Sword Dao, was something he utterly abhorred.

This was digging at his very root!

Perhaps, right now, a future Sword Dao genius, who could have enlightened him, had died, potentially delaying his own cultivation time by years or even decades. To whom could he complain?

Only when the Sword Dao prospers!

When elites and outstanding talents emerge one after another, only the strongest at the apex of the Sword Dao can venture further.

”Stay calm...”

”Stay calm.”

Jiang Ding took a deep breath, ”Such wastefulness, such destruction of foundations, is a historical norm. History always moves in an upward spiral; it’s not unusual for base characters to forsake the long-term development of the Sword Dao for their short-term gains. One must learn to accept the existence of such base characters.”

”If a Sword Dao genius dies, they die. It’s regrettable, but there’s nothing that can be done.”

Jiang Ding concealed himself, tracking the black-robed person for several months. After the person finished their affairs and flew towards the Great Sun Sword Sect, his footsteps finally halted as he watched the person leave.

”Immortal Blood Bone...”

Jiang Ding muttered to himself.

This black-robed person was none other than Immortal Blood Bone, a core disciple of the Great Sun Sword Sect, whose Sword Intent aligned with the Blood Path. Although the person concealed their identity, it was useless against him.

”Blood Bone’s master is Immortal Burning Bone.”

Jiang Ding recalled Scorching Sun Swordsman’s memories, ”Immortal Burning Bone is a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. He has been for two hundred years, walking all the way with the Great Sun Sect from a time of insignificance, enduring countless bloody storms, earning numerous military merits in the wars against the Northern Plains clans, personally slaying several Nascent Soul Monks, with countless more wounded.”

”Such old-generation Nascent Soul Immortals of the Great Sun Sword Sect share good relations. Immortal Jianyang, the strongest of the Great Sun Sword Sect, was once saved by Immortal Burning Bone on the battlefield, and vice versa. The bonds formed amidst fire and blood are profound.”

This was to be expected.

When the Great Sun Sword Sect was still known as the Great Sun Sect, especially in the earlier days when their power was relatively weak, if they had not been united amongst themselves, they would have perished long ago, without the chance to grow into today’s Great Sun Sect and Great Sun Sword Sect, which dominate much of the Northern Plains.

”Later, when they shared wealth and honor, their relations changed.”

”The Great Sun Sword Sect split into the Clan Faction and Master-Disciple Faction, with Immortal Burning Bone as the leader of the Clan Faction.”

Jiang Ding analyzed the political situation within the Great Sun Sword Sect, using methods taught in moral education textbooks.

”However, there isn’t as strict a division between the two as there is within the Northern Plains clans. If a Nascent Soul Immortal of the Great Sun Sword Sect wishes to join the Clan Faction, all they need to do is send their kin and disciples, and they will be accepted.”

”Conversely, if this Nascent Soul Immortal wants to join the Master-Disciple Faction, taking an outside disciple suffices.”

”Neither the Clan Faction nor the Master-Disciple Faction would reject a Nascent Soul Immortal from within the Sect. There are no strict demarcations between them; the two factions are more like two groups competing for interests within the Sect, with personnel occasionally moving between them.”

”In other words, if one were to make a move against Immortal Burning Bone and the information lockdown was not strict, it could very well provoke the retaliation of dozens of Nascent Soul Immortals from the whole Great Sun Sword Sect.

Despite their competition, there is a considerable amount of unity and interest exchange amongst them.”

Jiang Ding furrowed his brows.

”Regarding strength,”

”Immortal Burning Bone was already in the Mid-stage of Nascent Soul two hundred years ago... To estimate conservatively, one must not overlook the possibility that the opponent has already advanced to the later stages of Nascent Soul.”

”But as for the Great Sun Sword Sect...”

Jiang Ding pondered for a moment, quickly covering his tracks, ”The legacy of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion naturally gets suppressed when facing me, even if I’m still in the Golden Core Period. Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators can be considered as mid-stage, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”

”The same goes for the concealment of information.”

”That should be about it, it’s essentially this. My role as bait must seem natural, not too strong but also not too weak. I need to think this through a bit more...”

...

After traversing a distance, the cloaked figure reverted to his true form, a stern-looking young man with the countenance of a wolf and the eyes of an eagle.

”Greetings to Immortal Blood Bone!”

”Greetings to my senior...”

As he entered the mountain gate of the Great Sun Sword Sect deep in the mountains, disciples and elders from both the inner and outer sect respectfully saluted, including Golden Pellet Realm inner sect elders who showed deep reverence in their gestures, not feeling there was anything wrong with saluting a peer.

Sword Intent Sword Cultivators were much stronger than typical Golden Pill Monks.

Even without the status of core disciples, they would do the same, for the powerful are revered.

Immortal Blood Bone walked past indifferently, without any response to the salutes of the surrounding cultivators.

Occasionally, when encountering Gold core sword cultivators who were also core disciples, he would respond with a nod or take the initiative to salute depending on their ranking on the Dueling Platform, sometimes smiling.

Occasionally, upon meeting a generous elder brother, after chatting and laughing for a few sentences, he would touch the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed, revealing genuine feelings.

These were his real brothers.

They discussed profound truths in normal times and relied on each other’s trust on the battlefield.

Even as the struggle between the Master-Disciple Faction and Clan Faction within the sect grew increasingly fierce, with people dying from time to time and both wings and interests greatly impaired, like the late-stage Golden Core inner sect elder killed by Immortal Fufeng, which was not a coincidence. That elder managed a vast estate for a certain core disciple.

However, the dignity and safety of core disciples were never touched in their struggles, regardless of the faction, and no matter how worthless the Sword Intent Sword Cultivator was or how much he deviated from the norm.

The more ruthless the Immortals of Nascent Soul, the more they were cautious in this regard.

They had come from hardship, had feelings for their own people, and after nearly a thousand years of cultivation, they had not turned themselves into heartless, desireless puppet dolls.

Passing peak after peak, Immortal Blood Bone finally stopped, his face showing a respectful and admiring expression.

This was a thousand-zhang-high peak.

It was entirely dark grey in color, without a hint of greenery. Looking further up, it was shockingly covered with white bones and corpses everywhere, blanketing the whole mountain peak, a thick layer that hid the original color of the earth.

There must be millions of corpses here!

Those of commoners, the Demon Race, Qi Practitioners, Foundation-building cultivators, Golden Pill Monks, and Nascent Soul Monks!

All sorts of corpses piled up, forming a mountain!

In the center of the mountain peak, there was a vein of Earth Fire, with thick smoke and patches of white ash wafting out, and the air was full of the stench of decay, filling every nook and corner, forcing one to hold their breath and not dare to show the slightest hint of it.

This was the place of quiet cultivation for the leader of the Clan Faction of the Great Sun Sword Sect, Immortal Burning Bone.

Burning Bone Mountain!

”Is that you, disciple Blood Bone?”

”Come up.”

From the peak, a hoarse and harsh voice echoed out, like the sound made by the friction of two semi-rotten bone fragments against each other.

”Yes, Master!”

Immortal Blood Bone respectfully performed a grand salute and cautiously walked upwards.