Chapter 568 - 490: The Snipe and the Clam Grapple, the Core of the Grotto Heaven

Chapter 568: Chapter 490: The Snipe and the Clam Grapple, the Core of the Grotto Heaven

"We’re here..."

"This... is the core of the Grotto Heaven!"

Shishanzi leaned against the railing and gazed out.

All the Nascent Soul cultivators focused their attention on the view.

In the distance, a towering, black-and-red fortress stood amidst thick gray clouds. Built atop a volcano, it resembled an ancient ruin.

At the same time,

a tangible, sacred golden light enveloped the fortress.

Only the four city gates remained as gaps, untouched by the divine golden light.

"This is..."

"It looks a bit like the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array?"

The insight of a Nascent Soul True Monarch was extraordinary.

After a careful examination, they discerned the origins of this golden light.

The Eight Gates Golden Lock Array was a relatively common array in the Cultivation Realm... Of course, common didn’t mean it was easy to deal with.

On the contrary, it had been widely adopted precisely because it was effective, simple, practical, and had no obvious weaknesses. Everyone who used it praised it!

"If it’s similar to the Eight Gates Golden Lock Array, the best way to attack is to split our forces into four groups. We attack simultaneously to dilute the array’s power, break its formation eyes, and punch through it."

"However..."

Li Jinhua frowned slightly and said pensively.

She could naturally see that the Grotto Heaven’s defenders intended to use this array to force them to divide their troops, creating an opportunity to defeat them one by one.

"No rush."

"Let’s test the might of this array first."

"Junior Brother Yuan Lan, you go."

Xinghu’s eyes narrowed as he spoke lightly.

’You don’t necessarily need a key to open a lock. A hammer works too.’

If the array’s might wasn’t particularly formidable, the seven of them—all Nascent Soul True Monarchs—could absolutely shatter it with brute force!

"Alright."

Yuan Lan gave a slight nod, then rode the wind and soared into the sky.

He made a grasping motion with his hand.

SHING!

A clear sword cry rang out.

A silver Spirit Sword suddenly appeared!

Immediately, his Nascent Soul Stage Sword Intent and Magical Power drew upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, forming a sword shadow thousands of feet long. It gleamed with pure silver light and was wreathed in black, smoky clouds!

Upon the sword shadow, a world-destroying sharpness that could tear through anything and a bleak, desolate, and merciless intent of death were perfectly and harmoniously combined.

The Law of Death!

Nascent Soul Sword Intent!

BZZZT.

The void distorted, and invisible ripples spread out!

A terrifying aura radiated outward, causing even the spectating Golden Core cultivators to feel a chill run down their spines!

Yuan Lan was getting serious with this move!

"Returning Ruins: All Things Will Perish."

Yuan Lan chanted in a low voice.

The Shadow of the Returning Ruins Sword suddenly chopped down like a collapsing mountain, striking toward the volcanic fortress.

The sword shadow collided with the golden light. The two forces clashed, instantly setting off a violent reaction. A deafening roar exploded like thunder!

VWOOM!

An incredibly blinding spiritual light flared like a blazing sun!

Aboard the Dust Crossing Flying Boat, the Golden Core cultivators instinctively shut their eyes, unable to look directly at it.

But the Nascent Soul True Monarchs had no such concerns. Their eyes glowed with divine light as they watched the volcanic fortress.

And the result left them somewhat stunned.

Above the fortress, the golden light shimmered brilliantly, remaining unshaken.

Yuan Lan’s all-out attack had no effect on the array whatsoever?

"It’s so sturdy..."

Seeing this, the Nascent Soul cultivators frowned slightly.

They cast aside the idea of a frontal assault and breaking the array by force.

The total amount of Magical Power required to break the array by force would likely be staggering. If their Magical Power was greatly depleted and the volcanic Grotto Heaven took the opportunity to counterattack, it would be very troublesome.

Xinghu accepted reality, his face impassive, and automatically chose the optimal solution. "Let’s split up and break the array."

"The four city gates each correspond to a formation eye. If we conquer them all, the array will break on its own."

"Two Nascent Soul cultivators, leading a certain number of Golden Core cultivators, will attack one formation eye each."

"As for the teams..."

Xinghu paused.

With four city gates and four formation eyes, it was inevitable that the Nascent Soul cultivators from the Star Casting Hall and the Sword Sect would have to be mixed.

Nanshan said with a grin, "Fellow Daoist Shishanzi, how about you and I form a team? I may not be the most talented, but my healing skills are at least passable."

"Brother Nanshan, you jest. In all of the Yaoguang Islands, who doesn’t know that you, Nanshan, can bring the dead back to life and grow flesh on bare bones!"

"With a fellow Daoist like you around, we’ll have no worries when we’re breaking the array!"

Shishanzi laughed heartily.

With this start, the rest of the team assignments were relatively simple.

"Li Jinhua and Qixia."

"Yuan Lan and Fuyunzi."

Li Jinhua and Yuan Lan had fought once before and held a grudge.

Therefore, they were split up to avoid conflict.

As for Xinghu himself?

"It’s fine."

"I don’t need another Nascent Soul cultivator with me. I alone am enough."

He was extremely confident in his own strength.

Xinghu was only a step away from the Late-stage Nascent Soul realm. Such strength, not counting Divinity Transformation masters, was considered top-tier throughout the entire Yaoguang Islands!

The only ones stronger than him were the ancestors of the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea and a few old monsters lurking in the ocean regions.

Speed was of the essence in war.

The Golden Core cultivators quickly formed their teams.

Then,

under the leadership of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs, they stepped through the city gates and began to break the array.

...

The Barren Land.

The Dreamkeeper Stone Pillars.

"They’ve entered the array."

"I’ve stationed fifth-tier creatures to guard the four Spiritual Power nodes... They should be able to hold out for a while."

The Dreamkeepers communicated with each other, their voices filled with worry.

Shishanzi’s deduction was not wrong. This fortress was indeed the core of the volcanic Grotto Heaven!

This meant that as soon as the array was broken, the most vulnerable core of the volcanic Grotto Heaven would be exposed and defenseless before the invaders!

As for the Dreamkeepers’ Barren Land, it was an illusory dreamscape that needed to be attached to reality to exist.

If the Grotto Heaven’s core fell, it would be child’s play for Nascent Soul True Monarchs to kill the three of them—’wandering souls’ who had lost their anchor!

"Damn it..."

"Those disciples of the Blood Moon Demon Palace truly can’t be trusted!"

"If it weren’t for her, we would never be in such a passive position!"

The Dreamkeepers were filled with deep resentment.

Their current predicament was entirely due to being schemed against by Qinghua!

Originally, after Su Ye had refined two Dao Sources, the volcanic Grotto Heaven’s dire situation had greatly eased.

But right at that moment, Qinghua, while being pursued, brought Chiyou with her and fled into the volcanic Grotto Heaven for refuge.

Naturally, she sought to ally with the Dreamkeepers to fight their powerful enemy together.

The Dreamkeepers also found it reasonable and had no suspicions... The enmity between the remnants of the Blood Moon Demon Palace and the Nine Sects of the Inner Sea was simply irreconcilable.

But,

it had to be said, perhaps backstabbing allies was simply the instinct of a demonic cultivator?

After gaining the Dreamkeepers’ trust, Qinghua secretly activated the countermeasures that the Blood Moon Demon Monarch had hidden within the volcanic Grotto Heaven years ago!

As a result,

the defenses of the volcanic Grotto Heaven collapsed and disintegrated in an instant!

The Dreamkeepers were caught off guard. With almost no preparation, the cultivators charged straight in, pouring into the Grotto Heaven!

In response to this,

to buy some time and activate the Fortress Formation’s defenses,

the Dreamkeepers had no choice but to command all the fire elementals within the Grotto Heaven to launch suicide attacks to buy time!

These fire elementals were part of the Grotto Heaven’s internal ecosystem, accumulated bit by bit over a long period, and now, they were nearly all gone!

The Dreamkeepers’ hearts were bleeding!

"Damn it!"

If Qinghua hadn’t run so fast, they would have caught her and subjected her to at least ten rounds of blood sacrifices!

"Should we contact the Sea-scion? Maybe he’ll help us?"

"They have seven Nascent Soul cultivators. Even if he gives it his all, he can barely handle one, right?"

"In a situation like this, would he even come?"

"Let’s try."

"Right now... we have to try anything and everything."

The Dreamkeepers sighed.

Thanks to Qinghua’s backstabbing, the Dreamkeepers had been forced into a disadvantageous position!

But to protect the Grotto Heaven, they still had to fight to the death against the invading cultivators!

’We’re down to our last crystal. We can’t just give up, can we?’

’—Perhaps this was Qinghua’s goal?’

’—To have the snipe and the clam grapple?’

...