A battle was about to break out.
Zhao Shijie and several Qi Refining Stage cultivators were at the forefront, entangled in combat with five individuals.
"Warriors go first, mages stay back, assassins lurk and seek opportunities!"
"Li Yongxiao, Wang Xiaojun, unleash your firepower!"
Boom, boom—
Several cannons instantly ignited, firing shells with scorching heat towards the five enemies.
Facing the cannon fire, the old man merely waved his hand, and all the cannonballs exploded in mid-air, rendering them completely ineffective.
Thick smoke billowed.
Zhao Shijie brandished his silver spear, his figure like a phantom, thrusting over a hundred times continuously at the old man.
Accompanying him was Lin Ye.
A long sword followed like a shadow, its sword qi crisscrossing as it slashed at one of the middle-aged men.
Luo Xi formed hand seals, and a lotus flower made of spiritual energy slowly appeared beneath the feet of another old man.
"Earth Annihilation Tides!"
Qin Zhenhua's eyes were like torches, his blade qi like a rainbow, as he slashed at one of the individuals.
"Momentary Sword Qi!"
Ye Wuyai followed closely, a cold glint appearing, actually piercing through the old man's defense in front.
All attacks were launched almost simultaneously.
Bang, bang—
The powerful destructive force instantly obliterated everything around them.
Even though Zhao Shijie and the others possessed extraordinary combat power, facing five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, they still felt powerless.
These seemingly powerful attacks, in front of Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, could only slightly slow down their opponents' speed and posed no threat whatsoever.
"These disciples, something is wrong!"
The old man and the others now realized something was amiss, and they decisively retreated.
"A Body of Yuan Spirit, a Body of Yuan Spirit, a Pure Yang Body, a rare Sword Spirit Root, a Water Spirit Root, and several high-grade spirit root disciples!"
"What kind of sect is this?!"
"Could it be an ancient sect?"
"No, there's something wrong with this sect, let's go!"
The five individuals' expressions changed drastically, wanting to escape immediately.
High-grade spirit roots were considered prodigies in other sects, and ancient immortal cultivation physiques, possessing even one, would undoubtedly make a sect a top-tier sect in the future.
These disciples before them were each more monstrous than the last; even a high-grade sect couldn't possibly possess such a deep foundation.
Then, for Hua Xia Sect to possess so many monstrous disciples, how could it be an ordinary small sect?
The five individuals were all rogue cultivators, with an extremely strong sense of self-preservation, and as soon as they noticed something was wrong, they wanted to flee the area.
But as soon as the five turned around, bolts of lightning descended from the sky, rumbling and exploding around them, blocking their retreat.
"Come as you please, leave as you please? Do you really think my Hua Xia Sect is a public restroom?"
Chu Huaian's voice exploded amidst the lightning tribulation, and everyone subconsciously looked up.
They saw Chu Huaian surrounded by red lightning, standing like a heavenly god in the lightning tribulation.
He slowly raised his hand, allowing the red lightning to strike his body.
"Fellow Daoist, we know we were wrong, we implore you to show us mercy; we will leave immediately."
"You don't know you're wrong, you know you're going to die." Lin Ye sneered, looking at the five with disdain.
Chu Huaian didn't waste any more words, pressing both hands down sharply.
Flying swords, materialized from lightning, hung densely in the air.
"Lightning Sword. Firmament!"
"Go!"
Countless lightning swords descended, covering a small area, a truly magnificent sight.
"He just advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage, let's join forces!"
The old man shouted, and spiritual energy transformed into a natural barrier, blocking the front.
Facing the mighty lightning swords, the other four dared not hold back, unleashing all their spiritual energy to resist.
Boom, boom—
The lightning swords, like a tide, crashed against the barrier wave after wave.
Everyone was pushed back by the powerful aftershocks, not daring to approach even half a step.
The heavenly tribulation continued, even more intense than before, a purple lightning bolt flashing through the clouds.
"Purple Firmament Divine Lightning!" The old man cried out in fear.
"This child, at the Foundation Establishment Stage, actually attracted the legendary Purple Firmament Divine Lightning! Although it's only the weakest form of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, it's not something a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator can withstand!"
"He's definitely going to die!" Someone concluded definitively.
Chu Huaian, in the midst of the lightning tribulation, felt an inexplicable tremor in his heart; this was a divine lightning said to be capable of striking down immortals.
At this moment, he dared not be distracted further, taking out his flying sword from his storage ring, then quickly setting up a formation, facing the heavenly tribulation with his whole heart.
The originally dense flying swords instantly vanished into thin air, dissipating between heaven and earth.
The five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators dared not linger, transforming into five afterimages and rushing in all directions.
Just then, the clouds were torn open, and a vast pressure enveloped the entire Hua Xia Sect.
In an instant, the wind and clouds changed color, and a purple lightning tribulation tore through the sky, striking directly down.
Bang—
The muffled thunder echoed through the clouds.
Everyone subconsciously closed their eyes, and when they opened them, they saw Chu Huaian with blood at the corner of his mouth, his clothes tattered, floating in mid-air.
In his hand, he still held a spiritual sword emitting purple lightning.
Whoosh—
The spiritual sword flew out of his hand, transforming into a purple lightning bolt, heading straight for the five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators.
Bang, bang—
Blood mist exploded in the air.
The five Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators didn't even have time to scream, all dying beneath the spiritual sword.
The heavenly tribulation dispersed, revealing the clear sky once more.
Chu Huaian stood in mid-air, his eyes profound.
Now that he had once again stepped into the Foundation Establishment Stage, the power he had regained made him wish he could take up his sword and seek revenge on those sects.
Suppressing the killing intent in his heart, he slowly descended, appearing before everyone.
"All Hua Xia Sect disciples, listen to my command! Except for Jiang Xiaoxiao and Luo Xi, the rest of you will follow me on an expedition to destroy the Qingcheng Gang!"
Upon hearing this, all the disciples cheered loudly.
They had waited so long, and finally, this moment had arrived.
War, they had yearned for it for a long time! This was ingrained in the genes of every Hua Xia person!
"The new map has opened, now we have something to play with!"
"Qin Hao, Fang Yuan, bring the sect flag!"
"This is Hua Xia Sect's first war, brothers, give it your all!"
"I've already used up all my contribution points, this time I must kill to my heart's content!" Chen Shaocong shouted excitedly towards the sky.
In a short while, everyone was ready, gathered behind Chu Huaian.
Two large red flags fluttered in the wind.
Chu Huaian scanned everyone; those players who had previously gone offline, hearing about the new map opening, had all logged back on.
A total of 63 people, not one less.
"Depart!"
Chu Huaian waved his hand, and everyone's faces were filled with excitement, rubbing their fists together, as they surged mightily towards the Qingcheng Gang's direction.
...
At the same time, on a mountain peak a hundred kilometers away, over three hundred members of the Qingcheng Gang were gathered in front of the main hall.
At the head was a mighty middle-aged man.
This person was none other than the Qingcheng Gang's leader, Hu Guang, at Foundation Establishment Stage Layer Three.
To his left and right stood two Foundation Establishment Stage elders, both at Foundation Establishment Stage Layer One.
In addition, there were over twenty Qi Refining Stage disciples.
"Just received news, Hua Xia Sect's Sect Master is leading 63 disciples and is currently heading towards our Qingcheng Gang," the old man on the right said gravely.
"How strong are they?" Hu Guang suppressed the killing intent in his heart, his gaze sweeping towards the direction of Hua Xia Sect.
"One Foundation Establishment Stage, over twenty Qi Refining Stage, and the rest are Body Tempering Stage disciples."
"This Hua Xia Sect was able to rise so quickly, they must have found a spiritual pulse through the Soul Devouring Rat, damn them!" Another elder gritted his teeth and said hatefully.
"Killing my disciples, stealing my opportunities, and now wanting to destroy my sect, do they really think my Qingcheng Gang is easy to bully?" Hu Guang snorted coldly, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"Pass down the order, activate the sect's formation, and all disciples prepare for battle!"
"Elder Wu, go invite the Star Sect people out."
"Sect Master, do we really need to ask the Star Sect for help? The price might be too high."
"This time, Hua Xia Sect is coming with great momentum, they must be confident in defeating us. Since that's the case, let the Star Sect step in. The price is nothing more than forty percent of our annual income as tribute."
"As long as we obtain the spiritual pulse, this small sacrifice is nothing."
Although Hu Guang appeared crude, his mind was actually meticulous.
Since Hua Xia Sect dared to lead a Crusade, it was enough to show that they were confident in destroying their Qingcheng Gang.
And Star Sect, as an established mid-grade sect in the southern region, was more than enough to deal with a small Hua Xia Sect.
Then, all they needed to do was instigate a conflict between Star Sect and Hua Xia Sect, and by then, he could reap the benefits, secretly seizing Hua Xia Sect's spiritual pulse without anyone knowing.