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Chapter 274: Chapter 271: The Way Out
All one hundred and eight Sword Heavy Cannons simultaneously fired.
Projectile after projectile howled through the air, passing over the combined defenses of Lingxiao City, Purgatory Sect, Netherworld Sect, and Cold Moon Sect, landing at the mouth of Gourd Valley dozens of miles away.
The deafening roar mixed with the wails of the devils echoed through the battlefield.
Seeing is believing.
Despite having heard countless tales of the staggering divine power of the Sword Heavy Cannons and how they had slain numerous devils, cementing victory after victory in the battles of Baihe City and Yuntian City.
Yet, no matter how vivid the reports were, they couldn’t compare to the shock of witnessing it firsthand.
Each shell that landed among the devils brought about an apocalyptic tremor, with fierce flames mingling with dust shooting into the sky, leaving the cultivators from Cold Moon Sect, Purgatory Sect, and Netherworld Sect who were blocking the valley mouth trembling in their divine sense.
"Such power..."
The Primordial Spirit True Monarchs were somewhat better off, only showing contemplative looks on their solemn faces.
They seemed to be pondering how to counter this kind of attack.
In the end...
There seemed to be some ways to deal with it.
But for those in Divinity Transformation and Refining God, witnessing the Great Demons, so powerful that they could easily tear them apart upon approach, being shredded by the whistling cannon shells, the intense visual impact and disparity left them feeling as lost as Cheng Wanli had initially.
Especially for the weaker ranks such as Hugging Pill, Gang Condensation, Qi Refining Guardians, and Disciples.
In the realms they guarded, and even within the Cold Moon Sect, they were considered prodigies.
Every single one who became a disciple of the Cold Moon Sect had stood out from countless competitors.
Particularly in some counties.
The birth of each True Disciple...
Even a Qi Refining Realm True Disciple, would cause a sensation throughout the county.
Not only would their family feel honored, but their villages, neighborhoods would also hold grand celebrations, and their peers would cast envious glances wherever they went.
Even the top families of their counties, and even the County Masters would send generous gifts.
It could be said that from the moment they became True Disciples of a top power, their lives were completely changed.
Everyone in their circle, from the master who taught them martial arts to their friends and relatives, would send them off to the top Sects for further cultivation with envy and great expectations for their future achievements.
But now...
Those devils who were a bit stronger than them, forcing them to retreat step by step, were being casually reaped by the cannon shells fired by Sword Heavy Cannons like mowing grass.
Each volley took the lives of dozens, hundreds, and even hundreds of devils.
Those Middle Level Demons that rivaled Gang Condensation and those Hugging Pill could combat, as well as the Upper Demons stronger than the average Hugging Pill, were dispatched so easily, let alone these Qi Refinement and Gang Condensation Realm disciples?
And to achieve this, all they needed was one War Spiritual Artifact.
A weapon reportedly requiring only a small squad trained for three to five months to operate.
On one hand is three to five months, on the other is thirty to forty years...
This naturally led these Qi Refiners and Condensation cultivators to wonder what the point was in cultivating anymore.
"Whoosh!"
Fang Linghai’s sword broke the sky, shooting down a Middle Level Great Demon several miles away.
As he watched the flames raging ahead and the continual roars, he too appeared somewhat silent.
After a while, the Sect Master of the Cold Moon Sect transmitted a message to the nearby Leng Ningshuang, "If Lingxiao City had thousands of similar War Spiritual Artifacts, unleashing a volley that would darken the sky, what power could possibly withstand them?"
Leng Ningshuang did not reply but said, "On the way of retreat, I have been simulating the confrontation between myself and that flying War Spiritual Artifact, and I found, unless my Sword Control Technique breaks through again, in the end... the only one who could be defeated is me."
Fang Linghai was shocked, "Venerable Daoist Leng, you are a top Monarch, yet you are helpless against such a War Spiritual Artifact!?"
"In all martial arts, only speed cannot be broken! Such War Spiritual Artifacts are too fast, and they carry powerful weapon systems. Although these systems are not as powerful as the flying swords shot by Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, when both sides reach their speed limit, the force exerted on each other makes it impossible for our flying swords to get close to these War Spiritual Artifacts," explained Leng Ningshuang, her eyes fixed on the void.
The Mystic Bird Fighting Machine’s bombardment had lasted for hours already.
Though it had returned to replenish ammunition during that time, such astonishing endurance...
Surpassed any Primordial Spirit True Monarch.
You must understand that a Primordial Spirit True Monarch, while controlling a sword and flying, consumes a great deal, to the extent that expanding the battlefield to a hundred miles nears the limit.
Under such circumstances...
Continuing the fight, a Primordial Spirit True Monarch would be exhausted to death by the Mystic Bird Fighting Machine’s incredible endurance.
"How many of such War Spiritual Artifacts does Lingxiao City possess?"
Leng Ningshuang inquired.
"During the Yuntian City battle, they deployed three similar War Spiritual Artifacts; this time, they’ve brought two."
Fang Linghai said.
"Three, huh..."
Leng Ningshuang let out a slight breath, "That’s not so powerful as to be unbeatable."
"They did deploy three during the Yuntian City battle."
Fang Linghai’s tone paused slightly, "However... Our high-level spy embedded in Lingxiao City once sent a message, citing that they saw similar War Spiritual Artifacts being transported to Qiushan Mountain a few months ago—the number seemed to be eight..."
"Eight!?"
Leng Ningshuang’s pupils shrank.
"Yes, but it’s not excluded that this might be Lingxiao City bluffing."
Fang Linghai quickly added.
"Don’t place hope on the enemy’s reputation not living up to reality."
As Leng Ningshuang spoke, she wanted to say more, but after opening her mouth, nothing came out.
"Eight..."
After a while, she took a deep sigh, "Eight War Spiritual Artifacts with combat power comparable to top-notch True Monarchs... Lingxiao City may become unrivaled in the Tiannan region..."
Fang Linghai watched the howling demons continually charging to their deaths, blasted into powder by the Sword Heavy Cannons, and remained silent.
"The times have changed."
Leng Ningshuang inhaled deeply, "With eight War Spiritual Artifacts that can rival top-notch True Monarchs, and a terrifying trump card that can annihilate the Champsosaurus King in a single strike, we must face a fact, whether we’re willing to admit it or not... In the future, the Tiannan region will likely become the domain of Lingxiao City alone, and we must consider a way out for the future of our Cold Moon Sect."
"Purgatory Sect, Yellow Sky Sect, and Netherworld Sect maintain a friendly relationship with Lingxiao City for now, but if it really makes a move against one of us, under the principle of a shared fate, the others will inevitably join forces."
Fang Linghai said in a heavy voice, "Lingxiao City might be powerful now, but it’s not so powerful that it can confront all four of our major forces at once, right? After all, just like our Cold Moon Sect hides Venerable Daoist Fang, the other forces must also have one or two Primordial Spirit True Monarchs in seclusion that they hide, a power that cannot be opposed by eight War Spiritual Artifacts alone."
"You’re oversimplifying. Lingxiao City’s greatest advantage lies not in the power it currently possesses, but in the current situation facing the Tiannan region."
Leng Ningshuang swung her hand, and her flying sword pierced through a Great Demon as if it were a bolt of lightning. n𝚘𝚟𝚙u𝚋.co𝚖
Under the eruption of True Yuan, the Great Demon exploded into a massive blood cavity, its body splitting in half as if hit by a shell.
"You mean... the demons?"
"Exactly, because of the demons’ existence, we have to keep asking Lingxiao City for help, and in the process, they gradually weaken our strength, just like they weakened the Yellow Sky Sect in Yellow State."
Leng Ningshuang said, "The trouble is, we don’t feel the crisis from Lingxiao City directly attacking us, which makes it impossible for us to fully unite even if we know we stand no chance against the rapidly rising Lingxiao City... human nature prevents us from exerting our all until the last moment."
Fang Linghai quickly grasped this point, feeling somewhat helpless, "Lingxiao City is using the demons’ power to weaken our strength... then what should our Cold Moon Sect do to break the situation?"
"Unless we abandon our foundation in Blue State, letting Lingxiao City directly face the Mu State Demons, there is no solution to this puzzle."
Leng Ningshuang sighed, "And if it really comes to the point of abandoning our foundation in Blue State, what difference does it make from our Cold Moon Sect being swallowed up by Lingxiao City?"
Fang Linghai felt heavy at heart.
"So we..."
"After this battle, we must discuss the future of the Cold Moon Sect."
...
Blue State was staging a feigned fight.
Despite the demons’ fierce attacks, either out of fear of Gu Jinlai’s strike that even annihilated the Champsosaurus King or due to lack of a method to counter the Nine Great Primordial Spirit True Monarchs, the Demon Demon King never showed itself.
Without the Demon King leading, the remaining Great Demons and common demons fought bravely, but under the sniper fire of the elite from all sides and the bombardment of 108 heavy cannons, they could never breach the Gourd Valley to completely annihilate the many Heavenly Masters, including Gu Jinlai the Heavenly Monarch, within the valley. Instead, they suffered heavy losses and countless casualties.
At the same time.
Thanks to the Champsosaurus King gathering the Tianhe Demons not long ago, and then being defeated, the demons hadn’t dispersed.
Plus the demons added to Tianhe recently, in just one day, this Demon Bird had already assembled a vast horde of almost fifty thousand demons.
Under the leadership of a Demon King Level Demon Bird, they didn’t hesitate for a second. They broke out of Tianhe, surged directly from Champsosaurus Swamp, and headed straight for the heartland of the Yellow Sky Sect.
Since the defensive perimeter outside Champsosaurus Swamp had been utterly shattered by the Champsosaurus King, without any obstructions, the demons’ advance was incredibly fast.
At this rate, they would reach the gates within just a few days, arriving at the headquarters of the Yellow Sky Sect in Yellow Sky City.
However, the Yellow Sky Dao Disciples had already learned of the demons’ gathering.
Upon learning through other channels that an actual Demon King Level Demon Bird had emerged in Tianhe, the patrolling disciples dared not delay for a moment and immediately sent word back to the Yellow Heaven Dao Sect.
Suddenly...
The members of the Yellow Sky Dao Sect, who thought they could finally catch a break while watching Lingxiao City and the Mu State Demons wage a major battle against the Cold Moon Sect, were stunned.
When they further received news that the demons, led by that Demon Bird, had broken out of Tianhe and were rolling southward from the Champsosaurus Swamp, the entire sect was in an uproar.
