Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Chapter 1322: Chapter 1290: Harmonization Heavenly Tribulation Appears in the Horned Ming Realm

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace harbored murderous intent toward the Nine Great Daoists for avoiding battle.

“For the sake of the sect’s grand strategy, the weak must die.”

He spoke coldly, his probing gaze sweeping toward the other seven.

The Dari Swordsman had to be dealt with.

For a Great Expert, the sect’s future cannot be sacrificed randomly. Thus, a Daoist disciple must be sacrificed—that is the cost of the sect’s full support for these Daoists. Nothing comes without a price.

Moreover, there might be unspeakable dark reasons—perhaps they existed, or perhaps not.

This generation of Daoists was markedly stronger than the previous one. If they ascended to the Harmonization Realm or reached the Peak of Void Refinement, they could pose a threat to the lives and status of the Great Experts.

Such situations were particularly evident in sects like the Shadow Demon Abyss and the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, which enforced harsh internal policies.

Heaven cannot hold two rulers!

In such demon sects, it was absolutely impossible to have two top-tier experts of closely matched strength coexist, as it would only plunge the sect into turmoil.

“But there’s still a twenty to thirty percent chance…”

Many Great Experts wavered.

The growth of this generation’s Dari Swordsman was far too rapid. In just two millennia, he had already achieved battle power comparable to theirs within the same major realm. The future risks were immense.

The sacrifice of a Daoist disciple might be necessary.

“No.”

The Great Expert of the Five Elements Heavenly Sect frowned and refused.

He provided no reason, nor was one necessary. Strong cultivators had their own principles; they only needed to hold firm to their hearts and were accountable to no one else.

“Hmph!”

“Your feeble teacher-student bond is laughable!”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace snorted coldly.

The Great Expert of the Five Elements Heavenly Sect smiled faintly and said nothing more.

If An Tuzi could grow strong, it would be immensely beneficial for him. Perhaps then, he could peacefully cultivate within the sect while the brat fought and struggled outside.

“Dealing with the Dari Swordsman doesn’t require the younger generation to gamble their lives for a slim chance. We can handle it ourselves.”

The Heavenly Mechanism Great Expert said calmly, “The Daoist disciple of the Immortal Palace in this generation has greater potential than I do. Their future holds a higher likelihood of breaking past the Harmonization Realm. If a sacrifice is required, let it be me. Especially since the Jiaoming Emperor has not been slain, and we might already be exposed to the starry sky, we cannot afford further losses in the future.”

His tone was frosty, even regarding his own life.

In his eyes, there existed only the possibility of the greatest victory, the opportunity for triumph. Even his own life could serve as a pawn, sacrificed on the battlefield. Nothing was off-limits.

“On the path of cultivation, if one does not act for oneself, heaven and earth will exterminate them…”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace furrowed his brows.

He no longer persisted, returning to his cultivation to consolidate his foundational essence.

Without the support of other Immortal Sects, even if the Xuanwu Daoist fought desperately, it would effect no change. Acting independently outside the Nine Great Daoists’ formation meant certain death, rendering such action meaningless.

“Two senior brothers, there’s no need to quarrel. Harmony among us is paramount,”

The Great Expert of the Green Wood Immortal Sect spoke softly. “Over the past few centuries, the Eastern Devil School’s fleet, bolstered by numerous Refining Void Cultivators and Nascent Soul Cultivators, has outfitted an array of planet-level warships. Their growth is visible to the naked eye, increasingly fearsome. At present, our strength has become imbalanced with theirs.”

“Now, we must unite as one. Only through unity can we grasp the opportunity to transcend the path of immortality. We must not allow discord to arise.”

“Indeed, that is so.”

The Great Expert of the Five Elements Heavenly Sect chuckled heartily, “At any time, we can summon the Heavenly Tribulation. Surely, the Eastern Devil School wouldn’t dare act rashly. Push us hard enough, and at worst, we’ll ascend prematurely. This demon sect doesn’t frighten us.”

“Of course, I understand!”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace stopped being aggressive, about to say something—when his expression twisted dramatically.

“This is… not good!”

Zi~

Zi Zi~

A wisp of swirling blackness, like strands of silk, seemed to emerge from the depths of the Nine Nether, akin to a primordial serpent of curses, transforming into faint patterns as they slowly surfaced on the resolute face of the Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace. Known as the peerless defensive Xuanwu Dao Body in the Nine Spirits Realm, it couldn’t stop this intrusion.

The cursed patterns from the Nine Nether steadily, bit by bit, corroded the Xuanwu Dao Body and extended into the depths of his Divine Soul.

It was as if a precise targeting mechanism existed. This terrifying curse, capable of easily annihilating Refining Void Peak Cultivators, located the Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace with eerie precision. Something within his Divine Soul even seemed to activate, responding, and amplifying the dreadful curse.

In almost an instant, the cursed patterns of the Nine Nether sprawled across the stalwart face of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Great Expert, spreading throughout his entire body!

A suffocating, boundless aura of malevolent curses radiated outward, centered on him. It surged into the heavens, pervading the entire Medium Thousand World and even extending to the Star River. Even Refining Void Peak Cultivators recoiled in terror.

“A curse?!!”

The Great Expert of the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal Palace was visibly shaken, leaping to his feet.

The Heavenly Mechanism Dao and the way of curses were intrinsically linked. Precisely because of this, he was the first to detect the spine-chilling terror of the curse.

Harmonization!

A curse technique of the Harmonization Stage!

Could Xuanwu possibly be so foolish?

Had he unknowingly fallen for such a scheme without realizing it?

The other Immortal Sect Great Experts were equally horrified, instantly activating their sect’s quasi-seventh-rank grand formations to isolate the sea of curses spreading across the starry sky.

“Despicable!”

“Eastern Devil School!”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace roared furiously in rage and hatred.

His body surged, expanding to reveal a Xuanwu form thousands of meters in size, crafted from incense power and mana. This Xuanwu Dao Body was the combined pinnacle of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace’s mastery of both the Incense Fire and Immortal Dao.

Surrounding the Xuanwu Dao Body, an ancient and majestic palace glowed resplendently. Three hundred and sixty Heavenly Palace Divine Generals, one billion eight million Hairy Spirits of various ranks, and countless Xuanwu Heavenly Palace cultivators fortified the nodes of a formidable formation, utilizing spiritual veins to activate a terrifying Sect Suppressing Formation.

This formation was called the Xuanwu Thirty-Three Layered Heavenly Palace Realm!

This grand formation, along with the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace at its core, originated from the Immortal Sect of the Perishing Immortal Realm in the Upper Realm. This palace had existed since its arrival in this region tens of thousands of years ago and had been refined over millennia, accumulating countless Hairy Spirits, Incense Fire Dao Soldiers, and Heavenly Palace Divine Generals over successive generations.

This was the ultimate foundation of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, its Sect Suppressing Formation!

“Roar!”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace bellowed.

He transformed into an Immortal Xuanwu, surrounded by countless sect cultivators, Divine Generals, and Dao Soldiers, along with a myriad of Immortal Rule Runes.

For a brief moment, his power reached its zenith, infinitely close to the Harmonization Stage.

Such terrifying strength suppressed all directions. In an instant, he could obliterate an Early Refining Void Practitioner and was lauded as an invincible figure within the same realm—a domain overlord born from Upper Realm Immortal Sect legacies.

Zi~

Zi Zi~

Yet, even with such fearsome power, the curse force of the Nine Nether remained utterly unaffected. It relentlessly continued its slow march into the Immortal Xuanwu’s Divine Soul, bypassing the densely woven Immortal Rules to seize control of its soul and body, turning it into a puppet.

The demonic aura emanated was ghastly and eerie, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

“Curse!”

“The Eastern Devil School used the Heavenly Dao Pact to plant this curse upon us!”

The Great Expert of the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal Palace roared in fury.

With unerring speed, he began sealing his own Divine Soul, isolating himself from the Heavenly Dao Pact. His efforts succeeded; when the Eastern Devil School’s curse erupted, its power overwhelmingly focused on the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Great Expert, without dispersing elsewhere.

The surrounding Great Experts shuddered, immediately following suit to seal themselves.

“Fellow Daoists, the Eastern Devil School’s treachery is now evident!”

“We can no longer use seventh-order spiritual veins to temper our foundations. Let us face the Heavenly Tribulation together! Regardless of who survives or perishes, we will unite after ascending to Harmonization and annihilate the Eastern Devil School entirely!”

The Great Expert of the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace snarled ferociously.

As the Nine Nether Curse was on the verge of invading his Divine Soul Core, his essence about to be entirely corrupted, he unhesitatingly summoned the Harmonization Heavenly Tribulation!

At that very moment, the starry sky stretched tens of thousands of kilometers across dimmed. Billions of threads forming the Heavenly Dao Rules Net gleamed simultaneously. Then came rolling clouds of boundless darkness, a terrifying surge of rule-bound thunder illuminating the heavens as though all creation was on the brink of collapse and falling into infinite darkness.