Boom!
“Go!” Pei He roared, leading the jiaolong array formed by the fifty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators and charging out of the battleship.
Whoosh! Whoosh! In quick succession, Bing Roushui, Yu Zhuo, and Lie Shier each led thirty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators, forming various battle arrays. Some transformed into silver dragons, others into rocs, and some into four-legged beasts, each array manifesting as a formidable creature.
Zhang Shan and Shi Ji, both body refiners, each led eleven Shambhala cultivators. Their bodies glowed faintly with silver light as they merged into one, forming a massive four-armed humanoid warrior.
Two other powerful ninth-stage Shambhala powerhouses similarly led their teams of Shambhala cultivators, forming equally imposing battle arrays.
Boom~ Boom!
Four Shambhala battle arrays charged out from the battleship, pushing back the arrays’ attacks with the sheer force of their Shambhala Domains.
In an instant, Wu Yuan’s team unleashed their power. Inside the flying boat, only two Shambhala cultivators and eighty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators remained, along with Wu Yuan himself.
The soldiers of the Huo Cang Army looked towards Wu Yuan.
“Don’t worry,” Wu Yuan reassured them calmly.
If ordinary Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators participated in a battle at this level without forming a battle array, it was tantamount to suicide.
Indeed, they are all well-trained. Even though it’s their first battle, they know what to do. Wu Yuan thought as he extended his Soul Force.
His consciousness resided in the Surface Void Layer of the higher void dimension, allowing him to perceive everything within a radius of thirty thousand li with ease.
Along with his Soul Will, Wu Yuan had detected the enemy ambush through his Soul Force even before the attack was launched. Yet, he had remained silent, letting his battleship enter the enemy array’s range.
Array? Wu Yuan observed quietly. The space war zone is under a subtle suppression effect. The spiritual qi in space thin, weakening the array’s power.
There were numerous categories of arrays. Those like this fixed one had their power limited within the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, thus the power they unleashed was dampened.
The victor would not be determined through arrays alone.
There are over a hundred Amethyst Cradle cultivators. Three of them emit highly threatening auras. Wu Yuan’s powerful Soul Force expanded through the Destiny Voidscape, locking onto the auras of his targets thousands of li away one by one.
Even with their arrays as cover, his opponents were completely exposed within the range of Wu Yuan’s Soul Will. This was what made a powerful qi refiner so terrifying.
Body refiners excelled at resisting various dangers with their strong physical bodies, while qi refiners leveraged the higher void dimensions to sense, foresee, and even kill enemies directly through karma. Both had their strengths.
But there seems to be an even more powerful presence lurking around. Wu Yuan squinted, vaguely sensing something.
Either the opponent’s soul is stronger than Wu Yuan’s, or it was a higher-order existence.
Elysian Field phase? Or Void Refiner phase? Wu Yuan frowned slightly. This An Shu is quite reckless, rushing over without checking the strength of his opponent.
However, it’s precisely the strong opponents that I want to kill.
If I kill a Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivator, the amount of blood mist released would surely be abundant. Wu Yuan’s eyes flashed with a trace of cold light. And it should be enough to promote me directly to a sixth-rank fighter.
According to the rules of the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield:
The reward for killing a first to sixth-stage Amethyst Cradle or Shambhala cultivator was one thousand ethercrystal laurels.
The reward for killing a seventh to ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle or Shambhala cultivator was three thousand ethercrystal laurels.
The reward for killing a Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivator was one million ethercrystal laurels.
To earn the title of a third-rank fighter, one must obtain one hundred thousand ethercrystal laurels, equivalent to slaying a hundred ordinary Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
To earn the title of sixth-rank fighter, one must accumulate one million ethercrystal laurels.
To earn the title of ninth-rank fighter, one must accumulate one hundred million ethercrystal laurels.
And the legendary-rank title? That required a staggering one billion ethercrystal laurels!
As for the king-rank title, the ethercrystal laurel requirements were the same as the legendary-rank, with one additional criterion: leading an army to conquer a war base in a major battle and being the greatest contributor to victory. A true king on the battlefield!
In Wu Yuan’s plan, his qi refiner self was here to temper himself, aiming to become a ninth-rank fighter at least.
But if he merely slew Amethyst Cradle cultivators, how long would that take? The accumulation of blood mist followed the same logic. Searching for targets was an incredibly tedious task.
Therefore, Wu Yuan decided to target those who had broken through to become Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivators during their time on the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.
The constant pressure of death, coupled with the vast numbers of Amethyst Cradle cultivators, leads to an astonishingly high emergence rate of powerhouses on the battlefield. A chilling light flickered in Wu Yuan’s eyes.
As he was pondering, a terrifying battle erupted outside the battleship!
…
Boom! A layer of hazy green light spread out over several thousand li as An Shu stood in outer space, his aura mighty.
The moment he encountered the enemy, he charged out of the battleship and unleashed his domain, blocking the array’s radiance.
It was a domain at the ninth-level True Intent stage, a rudimentary Dao Field.
Arrays? How vigilant. I deliberately took a detour, yet in less than ten days, so many arrays have been laid out. Seems like they are well-prepared. An Shu’s gaze was icy cold.
But this time, I’m not alone. I’ve brought a whole group of helpers. Let’s see who will win.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! A swarm of flying swords emerged, encircling him. Their sword qi was all-encompassing, their aura immensely powerful.
“An Shu, this is no easy opponent,” Gong Shujie called out in a hoarse voice.
Hum~ Hum~ Hum~ Around him, towering battle puppets appeared one after another.
These puppets resembled warriors from ancient myths and legends. Several puppet serpents emitted electric sparks as they encircled Gong Shujie. Overall, he looked like a force to be reckoned with.
Puppet cultivation was a major sub-class of equipment forging cultivation. It was related to arrays, extremely difficult to learn, and even harder to master. But once successful, one could unleash terrifying power.
“Prepare for battle.”
“Battle array.”
“The enemy is in that direction.” Pei He, Lie Shier, Bing Roushui, and the others formed eight battle arrays, appearing just as powerful as Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators.
Battle arrays, essentially mobile arrays, enabled a large number of immortal cultivators to fight as one against stronger enemies with the help of array talismans. [1]
However, the more array controllers and the higher their cultivation, the more difficult it was to form a mobile array, and the greater the weaknesses.
The strongest member of this Huo Cang Army team, Pei He, could lead fifty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators to form a silver dragon array, while the other captains could only lead thirty-six Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
While qi refiners had versatile essentia, body refiners did not, making it far harder for them to form battle arrays. It was already a remarkable feat for twelve Shambhala cultivators to form a battle array.
“The commander hasn’t left the ship yet? And where are the two other teams?” The moment Pei He, Lie Shier, Bing Roushui, and the others formed their battle arrays and rushed out of the battleship, they noticed that Wu Yuan had not led the other Amethyst Cradle cultivators out of the battleship.
“Engage the enemy first,” Wu Yuan’s calm voice echoed in their minds. “But don’t rush, there are stronger foes among the enemy.”
Their hearts skipped a beat. Stronger?
By now, Pei He and the others had noticed the wave of enemies surging over amidst the arrays. But how did Wu Yuan know that there were stronger enemies?
“Since he’s bold enough to return, he must certainly be confident. He’s even brought an elite army, and a puppet master?” The single-horned man in purple robes stood in the air.
Hazy fiery-red qi streams merged with the seven huge cauldrons surrounding him. Flying swords revolved around him, emitting an intimidating radiance.
Fights between peerless geniuses usually didn’t involve arrays. There were great advantages to arrays, but also drawbacks.
Beside the purple-robed man stood two gigantic, six-armed warriors in black armor. These were battle arrays led by the two women in purple robes, consisting of sixty-four Amethyst Cradle cultivators each.
The two sides faced each other from a distance.
“Kill!” The purple-robed man moved.
Stepping on a cauldron, he propelled himself at a speed of over a thousand li per second. At the same time, he unleashed his domain.
“Kill!”
The two six-armed warriors roared as they charged forward, brandishing their weapons. They closed the distance with terrifying speed, radiating powerful auras.
An Shu growled, his eyes narrowing. “Last time, I fought alone and lost. This time, you won’t win.” Pouring his essentia into his flying swords, they immediately gained a power boost. The swords swirled around him, forming giant winged serpents.
On closer inspection, it became clear that these serpents were actually composed of countless flying swords, assembled with meticulous precision. This was a Thousand Swords Array!
The nine serpents moved as one, their sinuous forms intertwining within An Shu’s Domain. Yet, each serpent was a Hundred Swords Array.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The colossal winged serpents collided with the massive cauldrons, the impact resonating like thunder. The force of the clash sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
Among the Amethyst Cradle/Shambhala cultivators, only a few rare geniuses had advanced to the ninth-level True Intent stage of a Lesser Law. The two powerful domains, each bearing the semblance of a Dao Field’s might, were now locked in a brutal struggle for dominance.
“Kill!” Gong Shujie commanded. Hundreds of puppet warriors marched forth, each armed with shields and sabers, their eyes burning with a mechanical fury as they charged toward the single-horned, purple-robed young man.
These puppet warriors possessed power and speed on par with a seventh-stage Shambhala cultivator with a sixth-degree immortal root.
Under Gong Shujie’s control, they could even channel the profundities of certain Laws in their attacks. Their sheer numbers made them a significant threat.
“Get lost!” the purple-robed man spat coldly. Two cauldrons whirled around him with immense power, crashing through the wave of puppet warriors like meteors. Yet, despite his efforts, the puppets surged forward relentlessly, undeterred by the attacks.
An Shu and Gong Shujie coordinated their attacks on the purple-robed young man, forcing his cauldrons back.
…
The battlefield was a cacophony of explosions and clashing weapons as Pei He and Lie Shier led their troops into battle against the two giant six-armed warrior arrays.
“Die!” one warrior roared, while the other shouted, “Kill!” The six-armed warrior arrays wielded four sabers and two shields each, their saber techniques precise and powerful.
One of the battle arrays was surrounded by a shimmering green light, while the other was enveloped in fiery red flames, signaling that their controllers had reached the seventh-level True Intent stage of Dao comprehension.
The massive silver dragon array led by Pei He roared, its deadly claws swiping at one of the warrior arrays. The clash was intense. Though the power of Pei He’s array was slightly weaker, he had also reached the seventh-level True Intent stage, allowing him to hold his ground.
“Kill!” Among the Shambhala battle arrays, one was led by Zhang Shan. They charged into battle with a roar, one swinging a saber, the other a war hammer, ready to assist Pei He.
Whoosh! Rip! The six-armed warrior array’s saber technique was swift and unpredictable, evading Zhang Shan’s saber and landing a vicious strike on his Shambhala battle array.
A massive wound was torn open, but it healed rapidly. This was a strength of Shambhala battle arrays. Though typically weaker than their Amethyst Cradle counterparts, their defense and vitality were unparalleled.
“Hold them off!” Bing Roushui, Shi Ji, Yu Zhuo, and the others charged forward to confront the other six-armed warrior array. In terms of Dao comprehension, Bing Roushui and the others were only at the sixth-level True Intent stage.
The leap from the sixth-level True Intent stage to the seventh-level True Intent stage was vast, representing a critical threshold for many Amethyst Cradle cultivators. Once this milestone was reached, it meant they had fulfilled a criteria to become Void Refiner Eminences.
It was fair to say that the battle arrays formed by Shi Ji and the others were far inferior to the six-armed, black-armored warrior arrays.
However, they had the advantage of numbers.
1. changed portable arrays to mobile arrays ☜