Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Jiang Ding focused intently, and with the final stroke, it was complete.

Hum!

The twelfth Great Sun Heavenly Gang Ban was accomplished!

Accompanied by the humming sound, the twelfth Great Sun Heavenly Gang Ban shone brilliantly. Runes formed and vanished upon it, like an absolute rule in the shape of a sphere, extending out billions of rune networks. In an instant, it merged with the original eleven Great Sun Heavenly Gang Divine Prohibitions, becoming a whole.

Hum!

The Taiqing Flying Sword was deep red all over, humming as it vibrated, experiencing earth-shattering changes within an extremely short time. The aura of the sword escalated to another level in a mere instant.

The sharpness of the sword was now visible, its momentum piercing the skies, terrifyingly formidable. Golden Pill Monks didn’t even have the right to look directly at it.

Attempting to do so would result in one’s eyeballs being punctured by countless Sword Qi in an instant, causing blood to spurt like a fountain, impenetrable by any Golden Pill protective shield.

At last, it achieved the status of a high-grade Nascent Treasure!

Refined for nearly a hundred years, spending over a billion low-grade Spirit Stones each year, creating ten Geng Metal, using top-notch Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures like Scorching Sun Spirit Iron without regard to cost, and with a Dao Child-level person working tirelessly day and night, it finally paid off.

”I have become much stronger...” Jiang Ding thought with a surge of joy in his heart. He caressed the red-hot sword body, letting the Sword Qi sizzle at his fingertips as light blue smoke rose.

He could clearly feel his Mana, Divine Sense, and Divine Soul undergoing changes, improving. The sword improved just as its owner did.

This was the influence of one’s Life Sword of Dao Foundation on a Cultivator. Bound together in life and death, they accompanied each other for a lifetime.

After a moment of appreciation, Jiang Ding took out a small pile of Moon Creek Crystal Stones, creating a stream-like mist of Yin energy that flowed through the space around him without distinction between heaven and earth.

Placing the Taiqing Flying Sword within the Yin mist and the Sword Qi, amidst the hissing sound, the sword’s body returned from being deep red to its original Bluegold color. The metal fatigue that had almost reached its limit within the sword was significantly alleviated, and its Spirituality became more active.

The two divine items in the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, the Sun Flame Crystal and Moon Creek Crystal Stone, were heralded as the pinnacle of Sword Refining opportunities created through the exploration of the Immortal Path by the Realm Domain Master-level Sects.

”With the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, I can bring it back once I reach the Nascent Soul Stage. Then my Cultivation speed and swordsmanship research progress will greatly accelerate...” Jiang Ding planned in his heart.

The Great Sun Heavenly Pond was the cradle of the Dari Swordsman, dramatically boosting the growth of any Dari Swordsman. Without the Great Sun Heavenly Pond, a Dari Swordsman was incomplete.

After nourishing the Taiqing Flying Sword in the Yin mist and crystal stream for a long time, it was retrieved and flew before him.

Jiang Ding carefully observed his Life Flying Sword, feeling its changes.

”It’s sharper and its ability to harness the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi has also strengthened.”

”Correspondingly, its capacity to accumulate murderous intent has also become stronger,” he couldn’t help but think to himself in silence.

Now, through the Taiqing Flying Sword, even in this battlefield shrouded by unknown forces, he was able to sense the presence of various powerful beings, almost all of them Nascent Soul Monks, and many were of the level of Immortal Dinghai, Immortal Luling—top-level Cultivators from the Xianmen Sect, unaware of friend or foe, with terrifying keenness.

The killing intent within him was stirring, with crimson flashes occasionally surfacing in his eyes, becoming more and more severe.

”Good news indeed.”

”Very good news.”

Jiang Ding gradually got used to this barely controllable chaos of murderous intent, no longer afraid, accustomed to coexisting with it, and murmured to himself, ”Immortal Dinghai and the others are not dead, that’s good, a great fortune.”

In such a battlefield, the only thing a Nascent Soul Monk could rely on to survive was luck.

He looked in a certain direction.

That was where the Eight Great Immortal Sects were situated—far behind in complete safety, similar to his position within the Xianmen Sect.

There, he recognized eight familiar auras gathered together, sensed by the Taiqing Flying Sword. Layer upon layer of the Refinement Void Level battlefield could not shield them. This was a destined encounter, almost equal to a causality-level sensation.

This sudden gathering of the eight-pronged aura signified that something was about to happen.

Jiang Ding felt a vague sense of expectation.

”Jiang Ding,”

It was perhaps coincidental when the voice of Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch reached him, tinged with fatigue yet also invigorated, ”After three years of blood warfare, the steady and gradual strategic advancement of the Eight Great Immortal Sects has been shattered by us at a considerable cost. Chaos has erupted within, and the coalition forces of the Eight Immortal Sects have temporarily retreated. We need not worry about the immediate annihilation of the Immortal Sect Fleet.”

”Is protecting that old Xuanwu creature of any use?”

Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch let out a cold laugh, ”Who decided that we must aim only at that old Xuanwu creature? Utterly foolish!”

”Since that old creature from Wanshou Immortal Sect was so eager, the first to step out and provoke Xianmen, let him bear the consequences. We carefully selected our timing, the artillery of the Immortal Sect Fortress bombarded suddenly, catching that old creature from Wanshou off guard and inflicting severe injuries.”

”At that moment, he faced a slight risk of death, a small chance of complete fall.”

”It was the same for Xianmen. In fact, under the assault of the other seven Great Experts, the chance of annihilation was even higher compared to Wanshou Immortal Sect.”

”Then, that old creature from Wanshou disregarded everything, frantically fled under the slight chance of perishing, causing disruption in the battle lines of the Eight Great Immortal Sects, leading to immediate collapse and a great number of Divinity Transformation Nascent Soul Cultivators dead.”

”Hahaha!”

”It perfectly illustrates the saying, the dogs that bite do not bark, only the foolish ones do.”

Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch was elated, filled with scorn, ”That old creature acted uncouth and fearless of death, the first to jump out, supposedly looking far ahead. I thought he would indeed fight to the bitter end, but the moment he faced the risk of falling, he fled in such an undignified way.”

”It’s true, the older one gets, the longer one lives, the closer to twilight years one comes, the more afraid of death they become.”

He mused not without sentiment.

The Immortal Path respects the personal.

In the hearts of many cultivators, all the things in the world, all the people combined, could not compare to one ten-thousandth of their own lives.

Even their own Sects, to which they have attached countless emotions since learning to speak in childhood, and have spent tens of thousands of years with, can only come in second place, a distant second.

To battle for the Sect, to kill for the Sect, to fight for the Ancestor Master’s continued legacy, all these were acceptable, as they were fighting for their own interests, for many years of emotion.

But to die for these reasons was unacceptable.

”The current situation is, the Eight Great Immortal Sects have temporarily given up a direct attack, and need some time for rest and healing.”

”Having suffered defeat on the frontal battlefield, they plan to open a new battlefield within the realm.”

Divine Mechanism Heavenly Monarch seemed to have difficulty speaking, apologetically, ”I’m sorry, we old fellows are not strong enough, lacking the initiative on the battlefield, we cannot prevent the imminent landing operations of the Eight Great Immortal Sects within the realm.”

”Once multiple Small Worlds fall, the Cosmic Star River in all of the Big Dipper’s myriad stars will be breached in an instant, and the Outer Realm Army Formation of Xianmen will also be affected to a considerable degree.”

”Only then will the Eight Great Immortal Sects launch their next attack.”

He bowed his head, his feelings of guilt visibly expressed.

He detested his own helplessness, for allowing the war within the realm to start with such a great disadvantage from the outset, making a junior face such a situation, such a war.

”Senior, there is no need for apologies.”

”This is a very good thing, for both me and Xianmen.”

Jiang Ding stood up, placing the Taiqing Flying Sword back into the scabbard at his waist.

In that moment, his eyes swiftly shifted from slightly red to deep red, the crimson shade veiling his entire eyes, bloodthirsty and frenzied, igniting an instinctive strong warning in others.

All things between heaven and earth, the Cosmic Star River, were then enveloped in a thin layer of blood, hazy and indistinct.

Only the silhouettes within, especially those of the powerful, became ever more distinct.