Chapter 1733: Blessing and Counter-Blessing

The wind blades also had an armor-piercing effect on the Heavenly Palace soldiers, causing bone-deep wounds with a single strike. Two unlucky individuals were cleanly decapitated when their throats were slit.

Other unconventional weapons primarily relied on casting spells, creating dazzling streams of light and rainbows that looked spectacular in the darkness.

"All show and no substance!" the Soul Mirror, having been with He Lingchuan for a long time, was now qualified to comment. "It consumes too much energy; in prolonged battles, it's far less effective than swords and spears."

He Lingchuan knew that these weapons were best suited for the Upside-Down Sea. For the past 150 years, the Upside-Down Sea had been abundant with spiritual energy, allowing Illusion Sect disciples to choose from a vast array of magical artifacts that were both aesthetically pleasing and practical. In contrast, the Heavenly Palace army predominantly used sharp, formidable weapons, a long-standing practice adapted to human circumstances, which was both efficient and labor-saving.

Madam Zhu, observing the battle through the mirror, bluntly pointed out, "The spiritual energy in the Upside-Down Sea has drastically decreased. These esoteric weapons consume too much energy and are not conducive to prolonged combat. It would be better to switch back to swords and blades."

Which sect's basic martial arts didn't involve swords or blades? These individuals clearly knew how to use them, yet they chose to fight the Heavenly Palace with fans and jade rulers, essentially making things unnecessarily difficult for themselves.

As soon as it finished speaking, an immortal elder nearby let out a heavy snort, his expression displeased.

An insignificant little demon, daring to spout nonsense in the Illusion Sect's territory! They might not bother to argue, but they certainly wouldn't give it a friendly look.

He Lingchuan recalled that the elder's surname seemed to be Liu.

Xiao Wencheng's face was grim, equally infuriated. The disciples on the field were mostly young; apart from a dozen or so leaders he had brought back from overseas, the rest were natives of Silver Pearl Island and had never experienced real warfare.

They didn't know how to fight a war or understand the brutality of battle.

He secretly blamed Elder Jin, who led the team, for his negligence in not having them switch to appropriate weapons beforehand. It was too late to issue such an order now.

A military commander like He Lingchuan understood best that victory or defeat in battle, besides strategy, timing, and relative strength, also depended on various unforeseen events and details. The Illusion Sect's lack of combat experience meant their fighting style was crude and far less organized than the Heavenly Palace forces.

It was no joke; Bai Ziqi himself was commanding the opposing side.

Nevertheless, along the shores of the Upside-Down Lake, the battle remained fierce and back-and-forth. He Lingchuan observed that the Illusion Sect's magical abilities were unusually powerful.

The Heavenly Palace forces were augmented with primal energy. Taking the wind blade spell mentioned earlier, it would have been impressive just to pierce their armor. How could it possibly be tearing gaping holes in their bodies?

Elder Jin's magical powers were even more incredible. He Lingchuan personally saw him press a palm to the ground, and a large fan-shaped area directly in front of him began to undulate as if someone were vigorously shaking a blanket. Within this area, both allies and enemies lost their footing and fell to the ground.

Immediately afterward, sharp earth spikes shot up from below. Each was a stalagmite, pointed at the top and thicker at the base, some reaching up to four feet in length!

These spikes avoided allies and specifically targeted Heavenly Palace soldiers. While leg and arm wounds were minor, seven or eight soldiers were impaled through the throat. Most tragically, two men fell directly onto their buttocks and were similarly pierced.

At the lake's edge, Illusion Sect disciples wielded various magical abilities with ease. Elder Xu used illusions twice to alter the terrain, causing enemies to trip and fall face-first into the mud, after which the Yakshas swarmed them and speared them into a bloody mess.

Adept use of magic was indeed a significant advantage for these seasoned immortals. He Lingchuan also believed that their power far exceeded what they had shown, but they weren't unleashing their ultimate spells or causing earth-shattering effects yet, clearly planning for a long-term fight.

Many truths could only be repeatedly verified on the battlefield.

"Sect Master Xiao, are your sect's spells exceptionally powerful within the Upside-Down Sea?"

"Oh, this young man has figured it out," Xiao Wencheng nodded. "Indeed, this realm is controlled by the Immortal Venerable. When heaven and man work together, our power is naturally greater."

He stated clearly that the Upside-Down Sea provided a blessing to Illusion Sect disciples!

This meant Illusion Sect disciples' spells were more potent and their defenses more resilient.

Dong Rui pointed to his own nose: "What about us? Can we also be enhanced?"

It was just a casual question, but Xiao Wencheng's answer delighted him: "Anyone recognized by the Immortal Venerable can be."

"Great!" Dong Rui had just begun to smile when Xiao Wencheng continued, "However, the enhancement is limited. It's impossible for your strength to double or triple directly."

Dong Rui rubbed his fists and chuckled, "Any enhancement is good; I don't hope for more."

Teaming up with the local powerhouses still offered benefits.

Madam Zhu pressed for details: "Why can't there be more enhancement?"

"Our physiques are incompatible. Furthermore, Master's power is not something ordinary cultivators can withstand," Xiao Wencheng said gravely. "Too much is as bad as too little."

Dong Rui: "So what do we need to do?"

"Later, you will also pass through the mirror, and the Haoyuan Golden Mirror will evaluate you."

This meant that whether they received the Immortal Venerable's blessing would be decided by the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

Facing the combined assault of the Yaksha tide and the Illusion Sect, Bai Ziqi deployed two more golden armored divine generals to the field, barely stabilizing the situation.

These were the pinnacle of human craftsmanship from the Middle Ages, specifically designed to counter the divine powers of immortal sects. For this expedition, Bai Ziqi had acquired these few units by harnessing the power of Miaozhan Heaven and mobilizing all resources. They were indeed proving to be invaluable.

He still held cards, but the current ones had to be played one by one, slowly and deliberately. There was no room for haste or impatience.

A quarter of an hour later, Bai Shiqi came over to report, "Lord Commissioner, the Immortal Capital Grand Formation has been repaired!"

Earlier, Illusion Sect disciples, disguised, had immediately launched a barrage of spells to damage the core of the Immortal Capital Grand Formation, halting the spirit-gathering formation. This formation was extremely important, crucial to Bai Ziqi's next move. Thus, the Heavenly Palace forces, enduring the enemy's assault and paying a considerable price, had pressed on to repair this grand formation.

As the formation resumed operation, green spiritual mist converged from all directions, and the spiritual energy of the small realm was once again drawn in.

Naturally, the Illusion Sect couldn't stand idly by. At Elder Xu's command, the intensity of their attack increased further.

At this moment, the ethereal image of the Eye of Truth also vanished from the sky. Without its "truth-discerning" ability, the Illusion Sect disciples' disguises returned. Their appearances reverted to green faces with fangs, and they blended into the Yaksha horde like drops of water in the ocean, once again indistinguishable.

Grandmaster Qianhuan's illusions were truly stubborn, but Miaozhan Heaven couldn't continuously expend divine power to illuminate the Heavenly Palace army.

At this point, Bai Ziqi unhesitatingly sought aid from the Heavenly Gods.

Miaozhan Heaven was fighting for its own sake, and when it was time to act, it certainly couldn't be stingy.

Thus, someone quickly handed him several red candles: "These are 'lighthouses' specially refined by the Miaozhan Heavenly God for this expedition. The Immortal Capital Grand Formation has already absorbed a good deal of spiritual energy, which can now be used to activate these lighthouses."

The instructions for their use were then given.

Bai Ziqi respectfully took them with both hands.

He knew that the "person" before him was the Goddess Fenghuo!

The Goddess Fenghuo had already exerted herself during the Yaoguo coup, descending at that time as the so-called "Messenger of Beijia," and her clone had perished in battle against the Yin Serpent. This must have been a significant loss for the Goddess Fenghuo, yet in this expedition led by Miaozhan Heaven, as a subordinate deity, she still had to participate despite her injuries.

This demonstrated Miaozhan Heaven's immense importance placed on the expedition to the Upside-Down Sea, approaching it with almost full commitment.

At first glance, these red candles seemed no different from ordinary incense candles used by common folk, except that two golden talismans, inscribed in Demonic Heavenly script, were carved into their bodies.

Bai Ziqi ordered someone to dig a pit in the ground. He then plucked a sepal from the core of the Immortal Capital Formation, which immediately transformed into a small lotus platform in his palm.

He then took out a red candle, placed it on the lotus platform, and gently set it into the pit.

"Go."

At Bai Ziqi's command, his lamp spirit split off a bean-sized flame, which swiftly ignited the red candle with a whoosh.

"Everyone, step back, move further away."

No sooner had he spoken than the red candle rapidly expanded!

It grew both horizontally and vertically.

The onlookers' necks craned higher and higher, their viewing angle quickly shifting from looking down to looking up, and the angle increasing with each moment.

In just a quarter of an hour, it transformed from a small, index-finger-thick candle into a colossal pillar nearly ten *zhang* (thirty-three meters) tall!

Its diameter was so wide that people could walk circles around it.

Furthermore, after reaching ten *zhang* in height, the colossal pillar did not completely stop growing; its growth merely slowed down.

Only then could one discern that the pillar was hexagonal and very smooth. Its top resembled a monument's apex, featuring a circular, hollow walkway. The small flame placed earlier had now become a blazing inferno.

When it burned to a fiery golden-red, golden flames reignited at the pillar's apex, once again coalescing into a gigantic single eye!

After its appearance, it continued to swivel, but its gaze no longer swept around. Instead, it formed a pale golden aura barrier within a five-li radius around the lighthouse. Anyone or anything entering this area had their surfaces coated with a beautiful, faint golden sheen.

The first "lighthouse" was successfully ignited!

The moment its light illuminated the lakeshore, all of the Illusion Sect disciples' disguises once again receded, revealing their true forms.

Not only that, but the Yakshas were even rendered semi-transparent by the light.

Now, the Heavenly Palace forces could instantly see the dead souls hidden within their bodies, flickering with a dim blue soul-fire.

Targeting these dead souls for attack, if a weapon struck the correct spot, it was a direct hit to the vitals, going straight for the soul.

A clear target was all they needed! The Heavenly Palace army's combat efficiency immediately increased significantly, and everyone's morale soared.

Elder Xu, hidden among the Yaksha horde, however, sensed something was wrong.

He casually cast another Earth Trap spell. With the same force and incantation, the effect produced was merely a slight depression in the ground, unlike before, when it created a huge pit with a single cast.

What was happening?

It wasn't just him; the magical powers and spells of the entire Illusion Sect saw a drastic reduction in effectiveness. Their once vibrant, multi-colored displays had dimmed.

On the other side, Elder Jin also cast a few spells, then roared angrily, "It's that lighthouse barrier playing tricks, blocking the Immortal Venerable's blessings!"

Every spell cast felt incredibly strenuous!

Elder Jin and Elder Xu's words could originally be transmitted in real-time to Stone Dragon Peak via the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, allowing for immediate communication between them and those above. However, Xiao Wencheng and He Lingchuan could only see his mouth opening and closing, but they couldn't hear what he was saying.

Communication was cut off by the barrier!