Chapter 172: Divine Wood
Baili Changfeng seemed very familiar with the military formation, each time leading his two disciples to avoid the soldiers’ attacks as they changed formations.
Hua Changxi noticed this and decisively moved closer, stealthily following behind the three.
Just as Hua Changxi entered the military formation, within the fire lotus, Master Lu was engulfed in flames, at his wit’s end. At this moment, he looked at the distant high platform with unconcealed unwillingness in his eyes.
He was so close to obtaining the Divine Hammer, and becoming the master of the Artifact Saint Palace.
“Ah~”
Accompanied by a piercing scream, Master Lu was completely consumed by the flames, rapidly turning to ash.
Upon hearing the scream, Baili Changfeng glanced back, his expression somewhat complex.
Lu Yan’s artifact refining talent was exceptionally high. If he hadn’t gone down the wrong path, he would have undoubtedly become a master artifact refiner once the Artifact Saint Palace appeared.
What a pity…
Baili Changfeng lamented Lu Yan’s artifact refining talent, while Liu Chengxiong and others, witnessing Lu Yan’s death, felt a deep apprehension towards the stealthy Nascent Soul Cultivator.
“This is the strength of a Nascent Soul Cultivator!”
Heir Gu’s expression was also quite solemn. The Duke of Xin State’s Mansion had dealings with the Eastern Depot, and he recognized Eunuch Lin and Master Lu. He knew that Master Lu, like himself, was in the Late Core Formation realm, yet he couldn’t even withstand a single move against a Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Moreover, the fire lotus didn’t just kill one Core Formation Cultivator; he observed that among the people Master Lu brought, there were a total of five Core Formation Cultivators. Excluding Eunuch Lin, who was far enough away not to be covered by the fire lotus, none of the other four Core Formation Cultivators could escape the fire lotus’s embrace, utterly defenseless.
Jin Fan was right; the gap between each realm was like a chasm. In front of Nascent Soul Cultivators, Core Formation Cultivators were merely slightly larger ants.
“General, they’ve entered the military formation. What do we do now?”
Liu Chengxiong knew that anyone who had cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm at this stage was no ordinary person, but he hadn’t expected the one they encountered to be so troublesome. The fire lotus they used was a powerful Divine Ability, capable of not only burning the physical body but also severely damaging the Primordial Spirit.
Realizing the fire lotus could harm the Primordial Spirit, Liu Chengxiong, fearing injury, decided not to act personally.
But, where was this place?
This was the territory guarded by Qianmen Fort. Without his permission, not a single bird could leave this place.
He had previously dismissed the idea of soul possession of a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s body, but once the thought arose, it took root in Liu Chengxiong’s heart. He didn’t want to miss out on that Nascent Soul Cultivator’s body.
With so many Demon Suppressing Guards, he refused to believe they could still let someone escape.
Liu Chengxiong’s gaze fell upon the seven effeminate men and Eunuch Lin and a few others who had narrowly escaped.
Those who had rushed forward fastest with Master Lu were mostly cultivators who followed him to learn artifact refining. Those standing beside Eunuch Lin now were mostly from the Eastern Depot.
“Force out the stealthy cultivator, and I’ll spare your lives.”
Upon hearing this, the effeminate man, without a word, led his six subordinates directly into the military formation.
He didn’t believe Liu Chengxiong’s words; rather, he knew that if they didn’t comply, they would be executed by the Demon Suppressing Guards immediately. Furthermore, their original objective was to infiltrate and disrupt the formation eyes, so they would have entered the military formation even without dealing with the stealthy cultivator.
Seeing this, Eunuch Lin hesitated before also preparing to lead the Eastern Depot personnel into the military formation.
“Eunuch, entering the military formation is too dangerous.”
“Do you think we have a chance of survival if we stay outside? Go find Baili Changfeng. Perhaps, out of camaraderie, we might still have a sliver of hope.”
Seeing that all the intruders had entered the military formation, Liu Chengxiong said to the Demon Suppressing Guards behind him, “Seal off the area around the military formation. Apprehend anyone who tries to escape immediately.”
With the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, the seal of the Demon Prison was also loosening. All four formation eyes were becoming unstable. In the past two years, more and more Demonic Energy had leaked out, spreading to the military formation. For those who entered the military formation, resisting the erosion of Demonic Energy alone would be enough to keep them busy.
Although that Nascent Soul Cultivator was powerful, to resist the military formation, prevent the erosion of Demonic Energy, and face the pursuit of the cultivators behind him, without replenishment of Spiritual Energy, once his internal Spiritual Power was depleted, he could then be captured.
Meanwhile, inside the military formation, Baili Changfeng’s two disciples narrowly avoided being stabbed by the spears held by the soldiers. Hua Changxi, following behind them, saw this and unleashed her Spiritual Power to help them.
“Thank you, fellow Daoist.”
Because Hua Changxi was stealthy, Baili Changfeng wasn’t sure if she had kept up, but now, he was certain.
Although he had seen the layout of the military formation in the inheritance, it was his first time facing it directly, and he felt somewhat uncertain. Having a Nascent Soul realm cultivator following him, to lend a hand in critical moments, would allow him to breathe easier.
“Xia Yang, Xia Xue, quickly thank our senior for saving your lives.”
The two young cultivators immediately complied: “Thank you, senior, for saving our lives.”
There was no response.
Seeing this, Baili Changfeng said nothing and continued to lead his people through the military formation.
“Master, the Demon Suppressing Guards are guarding the outside of the military formation and won’t leave. Aren’t we going to be trapped in here forever?”
“The Five Great Sacred Lands connect the Human World and the Nine Netherworlds through the Divine Wood. If we find the Divine Wood, we can return to the Human World through it.”
“What Divine Wood?”
“The reason Sacred Lands are Sacred Lands is because they are the growth places of Divine Wood. Later, Sacred Lands became formation eyes of the Demon Prison also because Divine Wood connects the Human World and the Nine Netherworlds. The Divine Wood of the Artifact Saint Palace is the Fusang Tree.”
Hua Changxi listened to the conversation between Baili Changfeng and his disciples, her heart greatly shaken. This was all information she didn’t know.
At the same time, she recalled the palace and the towering giant tree she vaguely saw when she first activated the Old Plaza Courtyard of the Medical Affairs Department.
That giant tree should be the Divine Wood of the Dan Sheng Hall.
‘Divine Wood connects the Human World and the Nine Netherworlds…’
‘Human World, Nine Netherworlds…’
The Nine Netherworlds being mentioned in the same breath as the Human World suggested it was indeed an independent Realm.
“Master, the Demon Race is catching up.”
Xia Xue’s voice interrupted Hua Changxi’s thoughts. Hua Changxi looked back and indeed saw the effeminate man leading the other six moving rapidly through the military formation, their speed slightly faster than theirs, but they showed no intention of engaging them.
Baili Changfeng’s expression darkened: “They want to destroy the formation eye.” He then spoke into the air, “Fellow Daoist, could you please intercept them? If the Demon Race destroys the formation eye, Demonic Energy will spread throughout the Human World, causing great chaos.”
Upon hearing this, Hua Changxi didn’t hesitate and unleashed her Spiritual Power towards the seven effeminate men.
The Spiritual Energy attack immediately caused the seven to be surrounded by the soldiers.
Seeing that the seven were in a sorry state, being besieged by the soldiers, but still had the strength to resist, Xia Yang couldn’t help but say, “Senior, use the fire lotus to cover them. That way, they won’t be able to escape.”
Hua Changxi did not move.
Baili Changfeng glared at Xia Yang: “Do you need a junior like you to tell people what to do? Fellow Daoist, please forgive my disciple’s presumption.”
Hua Changxi still didn’t respond. She didn’t use the fire lotus because the fire lotus possessed the power to burn mountains and boil seas. She feared that if she unleashed the fire lotus, all these soldiers would be incinerated.
“Wooo~”
The seven effeminate men suddenly howled towards the night sky simultaneously. Then, a phantom white tail appeared from one of them. The tail grew longer and larger, flying directly towards the giant platform.
The next moment, the other six simultaneously leaped onto the tail, using it as a stepping stone to quickly rush towards the entrance of the giant platform.
