Chapter 73: March on Lingchuan

“Everyone, hear my command!”

Wei Kun's voice suddenly rang out from above, booming like a bell and spreading across the entire sea. He stood shoulder to shoulder with the other Mid-Nascent Soul elders of the three major powers, their robes flapping in the wind, their auras overwhelming.

“The three great cultivators have made their decision. The entire army will advance in three routes!”

As soon as these words fell, the cultivators on tens of thousands of boats fell into absolute silence.

“First route, the vanguard. Teleport first, seize the beachhead!”

“Second route, the reserve force. Support at any time!”

“Third route, remain at the Tianyuan Sea. Only after the first two routes have secured a foothold will you evacuate!”

When his words faded, a chill ran through the hearts of all the cultivators present.

With this order, everyone knew this war was no joke. On that continent, a hard battle surely awaited.

“Vanguard, follow me!”

Wei Kun shouted loudly, then shot toward that pillar of light.

Above Tianhai Island, a flash of spiritual light appeared.

The Demon Purification Platform emerged in full view.

Stone rings slowly rotated across its surface, while a milky-white orb at its core pulsed with tremendous power. The orb expanded in a semicircle toward the surrounding sea surface, forming a massive shield spanning three hundred li in diameter, covering the waters centered on Tianhai Island.

With this Connate Spirit Treasure guarding them, the raging Beast Tide and the Blood-Colored Sea Fog behind them could not encroach in the slightest for the time being.

Immediately afterward, from deep beneath the sea in front of Tianhai Island, a vast aura surged forth.

It was as if an ethereal hum resonated between heaven and earth.

Wave after wave of surging heavenly and earthly spiritual energy gathered toward the direction of that aura. In the sky, a multicolored tide of spiritual energy churned into shape, like an ancient beast inhaling and exhaling the cosmos.

The cultivators turned their heads, their eyes filled with wonder and excitement.

Everyone's gaze was locked onto that moment.

Jiuyou walked slowly out of the Grand Hall.

The tide of spiritual energy reflected on his youthful face, shimmering in prismatic hues. He raised his eyes slightly and looked toward that vortex of spiritual power.

“Quite the commotion. Even compared to the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Tree back at Heavenly Abyss Mountain back in the day, it's no less impressive.”

He mused silently.

“With such a spectacle, the formation base of this teleportation array must be enormous, I'd imagine?”

As the thought had just settled.

A towering white pillar of light, a hundred zhang in diameter, suddenly blazed to life, bathing the entire heaven and earth in blinding radiance.

The light was dazzling, and all colors of the world faded.

“This is the ancient teleportation array!”

A cultivator cried out, his voice trembling.

“Ahead lies the fabled continent. Charge forward! Let's see what wonders await on that land!”

Tens of thousands of cultivators erupted in fervor.

The auras emanating from their bodies converged into a surging tide, shaking the sea.

In an instant, massive spirit boats turned in unison, aiming straight for the pillar of light. Countless cultivators, either riding streaks of light or stepping on flying artifacts, swiftly shot toward it.

Wave after wave of powerful magical fluctuations swept across the sea, raising monstrous waves.

“The continent...”

Jiuyou muttered to himself, hands clasped behind his back, one fist clenched tight.

“Ancestor! An ancient teleportation array! It really is an ancient teleportation array!”

Canfeng bent over, eyes brimming with excitement, licking his lips.

“Just how prosperous is that legendary continent? How different are the humans there from ours in the Tianyuan Sea? What do their demonic beasts look like? And when I devour their souls... what flavor will they be?”

As he spoke, he glanced at his ancestor and, seeing Jiuyou's stern expression, quickly restrained his enthusiasm.

Gu Qing stood respectfully beside Canfeng, gazing at that pillar of light, a hint of yearning flashing in his eyes.

So many years had passed, yet he was still stuck at Early Golden Core. Still, he wasn't far from the Mid stage.

...

Lingchuan Continent, Thousand Glows Valley.

“Junior Disciple, let me tell you.”

A golden-robed Golden Core cultivator pointed down at the valley below and spoke to the young man beside him. His robe was embroidered with sword patterns, and a longsword hung at his waist.

“A few years ago, a tide of spiritual energy erupted here, mixed with traces of spatial power. Back then, I thought it was some heavenly treasure being born. I searched for ages, but never found a damn thing.”

“Come on, Senior Brother.”

The young man shook his head.

“You've been going on about that for seven or eight years now. Still haven't given up? Even if there really was some rare treasure, after all these years, it's probably been taken by someone else. Let's just hurry back to the sect.”

The middle-aged cultivator straightened up, glanced one last time at the valley below, and a flicker of regret passed through his eyes.

“Sigh, you're right. Let's go.”

The two of them rose on streaks of light.

Just as they were about to leave—

A powerful surge of spiritual energy suddenly erupted from deep within the valley.

The wave directly shattered their streaks of light, sending them into violent turbulence midair, nearly causing them to fall.

“What's going on?”

Forced to activate their protective spiritual light, they strained with all their might to stabilize themselves.

“What... what is this?”

As they looked up, a blinding white light blazed from the depths of the valley, dazzling their eyes. A flash of terror swept across their vision.

“Senior Brother, could this be the spiritual tide you saw back then?”

The young cultivator's voice quivered.

“But this... this doesn't look like a divine treasure being born at all! I've never seen such a spectacle!”

“I... I don't know either. This is way too over the top!”

There, in the depths of the valley, a white pillar of light, a hundred zhang in diameter, stood between heaven and earth, its top stretching beyond sight, as if it were about to pierce the sky.

Then, a humming sound came from within that pillar.

Wooooom—

It was as if something colossal was struggling to break free from the light.

The next moment, countless streams of spiritual light burst out from the pillar, flying across the heavens and earth.

Tens of thousands, densely packed, covering the sky.

The two Golden Core cultivators looked up, their eyes filled with sheer terror.

Within those streams of light were none other than cultivators. Some rode flying swords, others flew through the void... from the Qi Refining stage to Golden Core, all were present. At a glance, there were no fewer than tens of thousands.

Immediately after, the humming grew louder.

One by one, enormous spirit boat warships shot out from the pillar of light, their spiritual glow swirling, their oppressive pressure overwhelming.

Countless warships, densely packed, blotted out the sun, dyeing half the sky with multicolored spiritual radiance.

The two Golden Core cultivators stared dumbfounded at this scene, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

“Those... those are all cultivators?”

The young cultivator's lips trembled.

“Where did so many cultivators suddenly come from? Where are they from?”

The middle-aged cultivator reacted first, his face turning pale.

“Go! Hurry back and report to the sect!”

The two immediately turned into streaks of light, racing toward the distance.

But then, an unexpected change occurred.

A cold snort suddenly sounded from behind the two.

The voice wasn't loud, but it pierced into their souls like an ice pick, freezing their entire bodies stiff.

“Want to report back to your sect?”

The voice was icy, laced with mockery.

“Heh... too late.”

Before the words had even faded, an overwhelming pressure, laced with bone-chilling cold, instantly enveloped the two.

Their streaks of light collapsed, and they were seized as if by an invisible giant hand, unable to move an inch.

They turned their stiff necks.

What greeted their eyes was a young man.

His face was as flawless as jade, his eyes glimmered with a ghostly light, and a cold smile hung on his lips.

Those eyes, like two flickering ghost flames, sent a shiver down their scalps.

Jiuyou stood with his hands behind his back, hovering in front of the two, looking down at them from above.

He raised a hand slightly and reached out toward them.

“Come now, little friends. Tell this Ancestor. What land is this place?”

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