Chapter 544: War of the Four Sects, an Irresistible Force

Chapter 544 -513: War of the Four Sects, an Irresistible Force

The two Major Sects had joined forces to dismember the Primordial Sect, so they surely had more tricks up their sleeves. This Signal Arrow was the signal to begin.

The moment the Signal Arrow soared into the sky, the previously silent Primordial City began to tremble violently.

RUMBLE—

Starting from the streets, countless residences, shops, restaurants, and mansions erupted in a cacophony of explosions. Blinding flames, like rampaging Fire Dragons, spread rapidly outward. In a matter of breaths, the inferno had engulfed more than half of Primordial City.

Billowing black smoke coiled over the city like a great dark dragon, completely blotting out the sky.

Then, as if in response to the Signal Arrow from outside, thirty-six more Signal Arrows of various colors shot up in unison from every corner of the city at the very same moment the explosions began.

‘A coordinated attack from within and without?’

At that moment, the same thought surfaced in everyone’s mind, including Chen Che’s.

The Cultivators inside the city were shocked to discover something horrifying:

Those ragged Cultivators hiding in alleys and under bridges, even those who seemed dead drunk in taverns or were carousing in the Jiaosi Fang, suddenly revealed vicious expressions and lunged.

Before they lost consciousness, the last thing they saw was these assailants tying a red silk ribbon around their right arms.

“KILL—”

The moment the Signal Arrows screamed, the once-calm city instantly transformed into an Asura Land.

“Che’er!”

Meng Qianxun shot to his feet in alarm, but before he could speak, the battle outside the walls erupted once more.

The enemy Cultivators outside were already attacking in waves, each more powerful than the last. The Golden Cores’ earlier assault had struck the shield like a ten-thousand-ton boulder, causing it to roil violently. Immediately after, a deluge of attacks from cannon fodder, Qi Refining, and Foundation Establishment Cultivators rained down, giving the shield no time to recover.

Just as the Grand Array’s shield continued to shudder, the Golden Cores outside launched their second volley.

BOOM—

The overwhelming assault buckled the Grand Array, shattering countless Magic Patterns. The shield above them warped downward as if pressed by an invisible finger, the indentation nearly touching the tops of their heads.

“What do we do?”

“The Mountain Protection Array is about to break…”

The Cultivators in West City were caught completely off guard.

Attacked from within and without, they were caught in a pincer.

Just as everyone’s attention was fixed on the Golden Cores outside, a new threat erupted from within. On a street nearest the city wall, dozens of figures shot into the air, making a beeline for Chen Che.

These assassins struck without warning, having been hidden amongst the ordinary Cultivators. They didn’t move until they were ready, and when they did, it was with lethal intent. There were even several True Master Fake Pills among them, making their assault terrifyingly potent.

“Hmph!”

But in full view of everyone, Chen Che remained seated motionlessly above West City. He didn’t even glance back, merely letting out a soft snort.

RUMBLE—

His Divine Sense transformed into a thunderous roar that assaulted their minds. Amplified by his Fierce Eyes, Chen Che unleashed the full, overwhelming extent of his Divine Sense. The instant the soundwave hit, the Cultivators charging from all directions popped like balloons in mid-air, dissolving into a ring of blood mist.

However, the ring of mist lasted only an instant before several figures tore right through it.

There were Golden Cores hidden within the city as well.

Of course, this wasn’t limited to West City; the other two districts were in the same predicament. An assault on the Primordial Sect, even by two Major Sects, was bound to result in massive casualties. It was only logical they would plant sleeper agents.

These agents weren’t just there to sow chaos; they were also tasked with assassinating key Cultivators to create an opening for the forces outside.

Clearly, Chen Che was one such target.

Crucially, these weren’t just any assassins; they were Cultivators from the Celestial Spirit Palace.

Although the Celestial Spirit Palace had kept a lower profile on the battlefield compared to the Star-Picking Sect and Mist Rain Tower, their daring to pull a tooth from the mouth of a dying tiger like the Primordial Sect proved their strength was anything but ordinary.

There were even rumors that the Celestial Spirit Palace intended to usurp the Primordial Sect’s position.

The attackers were all from the Celestial Spirit Palace, led by none other than their Vice Palace Master, Ruan Yan.

The Celestial Spirit Palace was a second-tier Golden Core power, weaker than the first-tier Primordial Sect. But they were not to be underestimated. Ruan Yan, their Vice Palace Master, had fought several of the Primordial Sect’s Protectors and remained undefeated.

Within the Primordial Sect’s territory, he was an infamous ‘Overseas Dragon’—a powerful outsider known to all. His wanted poster had hung conspicuously within the sect for decades. Even some of the Primordial Sect’s own Vice Chiefs admitted they were no match for him.

His appearance caused an uproar in West City:

“Ruan Yan? The rumors are true, the Celestial Spirit Palace has also joined the war?”

“They’re attacking Valley Master Chen directly… Is this the coordinated attack?”

Before the crowd’s exclamations could fade, the fight was on.

SWOOSH—

Ruan Yan shot forward. The moment he appeared, he and the other Celestial Spirit Palace Cultivators became like Fury Arrows, blasting toward the city wall.

Chen Che sat presiding over West City, facing the vast army outside with his back to the turmoil within.

“Hah!”

As they flew, the Cultivators surrounding Ruan Yan suddenly accelerated. With a unified gesture, they unleashed massive chains that flew like Flood Dragons.

CLANK—

Strong Qi swirled through the air, and Magic Patterns fluttered like chaotic butterflies.

As war raged within the city, the air between Chen Che and Ruan Yan was pierced by the chains. Each chain, like a vicious dragon, was hundreds of feet long and as thick as a man’s torso. They swept down from every direction, instantly sealing off the surrounding space.

Their attack was brutally sudden, yet clearly premeditated.

The fact that so many attacked at once showed how seriously they took Chen Che. Otherwise, one person would have sufficed.

But Chen Che remained seated, showing no reaction, as if completely unaware of what was happening behind him. The chains, however, stopped abruptly about a hundred feet away, as if they had slammed into an invisible wall.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The chains writhed like vicious dragons, striking again and again, but they could not penetrate the space within a hundred feet of Chen Che.

“Alright!”

Seeing the Shield formed by Chen Che’s immense True Essence, many Cultivators rejoiced, cheering silently.

But their relief was short-lived, as the next scene struck them with horror.

Seeing the chains blocked, Ruan Yan’s eyes grew cold. He flipped his hand, and a Large Bronze Bowl materialized in his palm. The Bronze Bowl was of ancient design, caked with old, dried bloodstains. Barely visible along the rim were countless terrifying, sacrificial-looking patterns.

‘Sacrificial Destruction Bowl!’

Rumor had it that Ruan Yan had looted this item from the tomb of a Nascent Soul Evil Monarch—a ritual bowl used for drinking blood!

WHOOSH!

He flipped the bowl over. A bloody light poured out, its aura far surpassing the sea of blood they had once seen at the foot of Ghost Mother Peak. It was as if the sky itself were turning upside down.

The Celestial Spirit Palace’s true target was Chen Che’s unparalleled Alchemy Skill…

Capturing him alive was the ideal outcome.

But dead was also acceptable. Their Palace Master had fortuitously acquired a Soul-Searching Technique capable of extracting memories from a Golden Core’s Divine Soul. While some memories would inevitably be damaged or lost, the tide of battle was ever-changing, leaving them little choice.

CRACK—

With Vice Palace Master Ruan Yan’s attack, the True Essence Shield shattered instantly. Now, nothing stood in the way of the chains or the Bronze Bowl as they hurtled toward Chen Che.

It was at this exact moment that Chen Che, still seated on the wall, flipped his right hand. The Sword Pill appeared. It hovered in his palm and began to break apart, countless Flying Swords unfurling like the petals of a blooming lotus.

WHOOSH!

The next instant, a silver flash appeared on the city wall.

SHIIING—

Chen Che waved his hand as if flicking a sleeve. The gesture seemed casual, but he held nothing back. The cloud of Flying Swords formed a slowly rising crescent moon, transforming this corner of Primordial City into a world of blades.

“CRACKLE!”

The Cultivators in the city could scarcely imagine the power behind that single attack.

As the Flying Swords streaked out, the chains that had been rushing to bind him exploded, link by shattering link. The Golden Core Cultivators controlling them were caught in the sweeping sword light, their bodies instantly freezing in the air.

The silver sword light continued onward, its momentum unbroken, shooting toward Ruan Yan.

“What?”

Horror-struck, Ruan Yan didn’t hesitate to pull back his bowl to defend. The sword light dissipated upon impact with the Sacrificial Destruction Bowl. But before he could even sigh in relief, Chen Che clenched his hand, and the countless Flying Swords instantly converged.

RUMBLE—

With a deafening roar, a river formed of innumerable Flying Swords shot hundreds of yards through the air, like a torrent descending from the heavens.

The Sacrificial Destruction Bowl Ruan Yan held before him was shattered by the river of swords in less than an instant.

BANG!

The alarm in his eyes had not even had time to curdle into true fear before his body was shredded by the Sword Qi. Entrails and limbs, carried by the torrent of energy, rained down as a shower of blood and gore.

CLATTER—

As the attack subsided, the Flying Swords clattered to the ground.

West City, which had been in a state of utter chaos, fell deathly silent in that instant.

This was only West City, however. The other three districts of the city were now erupting in chaos.

Chen Che had thwarted his assassins, but that didn’t mean the other Golden Cores were so lucky. In this wave of targeted assassinations, many Golden Cores who had only recently pledged allegiance to the Primordial Sect suddenly turned traitor and attacked their new comrades.

In a single moment, the number of Golden Cores on the walls dropped by seven… and among the fallen was the Primordial Sect’s Second Protector!

This made an already dire situation catastrophic.

Looking out from the battle-torn walls of Primordial City, one could see the city within had descended into utter chaos. Throngs of people poured from streets and alleys, converging like a river onto the central avenue and rushing uniformly toward the North Gate.

This crowd was made up of Cultivators from the Star-Picking Sect, Mist Rain Tower, and Celestial Spirit Palace who had been lying in wait, as well as panicked residents of Primordial City itself.

The two frenzied assaults and the chaos inside the city had pushed these people to the brink of terror. Now, they were trying to flee through the one opening left in the attackers’ encirclement.

“Stop!”

“Stop!”

Tang Linli, who had been fighting the enemy outside the walls, was hastily redeployed to stop the mob trying to break out from within.

But no one listened…

A victorious smirk began to spread across the faces of many an enemy Cultivator. Primordial City was in total chaos. Attacked from without, a tangled mess within—and before the main battle had even properly begun, the defenders were already down seven Golden Cores!

BOOM—

The now-empty North Gate and the East Gate, weakened by the loss of several Golden Cores, fell out of control in an instant.

The outcome was already decided!

“Che’er…”

Meng Qianxun gazed into the city, the flickering firelight illuminating the panic on his face.

He had originally estimated that Primordial City could hold out for ten to fifteen days. With luck, perhaps even half a year. But now, he feared it wouldn’t even last the day.

“First, we hold off this wave,” Chen Che said, exhaling slowly as he rose to his feet. “Even if we have to flee, we will slaughter them until they no longer dare to give chase.”

At his side, the Cultivators of Jinyun Valley rose one after another, their True Essence ready to burst forth.

Chen Xi also stood, her hands forming a Seal Technique as a Divine Statue manifested behind her. The Blood Sea Relic on its brow flashed, and its thousand-plus arms fanned out like a peacock’s tail, vast enough to blot out the sky.

Xiao Chan let out a slow breath and gripped the Dragon-Catching Spear. Zhao Shifeng’s eyes narrowed as he unslung a wooden box, pressing one hand against its lid…

In that instant, all eight Golden Core Cultivators of Jinyun Valley rose as one.

「Almost simultaneously.」

The third wave of attacks from the Golden Cores outside slammed into the Mountain Protection Array with the force of a rainbow piercing the sun. The earlier assassinations, the chaos within the city, and the relentless waves of attacks from without… under this pincer attack from both inside and out, the Mountain Protection Array finally gave way.

Before everyone’s eyes, it fractured like shattering glass, instantly covered in a web of cracks. Then, to the astonishment of all, with a final ‘CRACK,’ it dissolved into motes of light and vanished into thin air…

In the next moment, the enemy Cultivators who had been held at bay surged forward like a colossal tidal wave, crashing straight into West City.