Chapter 1773: White Ziqi's Judgment

The battle at Banqiu Lighthouse was fierce and extremely intense. Frontline scouts reported that the Phantasm Sect had deployed five great Immortals there.

When Bai Ziqi first heard this intelligence, he thought that the True Master Yuan Yu, Xiao Wencheng, had also personally joined the fray. However, the scouts clarified that it was not him, but a gigantic spider-scorpion dispatched by the Phantasm Sect, which was also at the level of a Demonic Immortal and incredibly powerful.

The Goddess Fenghuo was tightly entangled by it, then subjected to concentrated attacks from other Phantasm Sect Immortals, eventually suffering a bitter defeat.

In the high-level engagement at the Banqiu battlefield, it was five against three, with the Phantasm Sect holding the advantage.

Bai Ziqi also knew that the Phantasm Sect's Immortals generally possessed superior combat abilities, and if the battle continued this way, Banqiu would be in grave danger.

However, just as the Heavenly Palace was preparing its response, the spider-scorpion suddenly retreated, and soon after, Elder Liu also withdrew, leaving only three Phantasm Sect Immortals behind.

With a three-to-two ratio, the disparity in strength wasn't immense, so Bai Ziqi held his troops. He suspected someone was secretly orchestrating events at both the Banqiu battlefield and the mine.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Palace was performing quite well on the Lakeside battlefield, having resolved the Yaksha menace, eliminated the opposing Elder Jin, and severely demoralized the Phantasm Sect's forces.

This was because Bai Ziqi was personally stationed there.

Both sides held advantages in different battlefields, and on the surface, it appeared to be an even contest. However, the Heavenly Palace had just successfully captured the enemy's core resources, seizing half of the Phantasm Sect's accumulated wealth, which would be a severe blow to them.

The newly acquired sixty thousand jin of Profound Crystals were packed into several large, heavy, and very pleasing boxes.

Each box resembled a common clothing trunk but actually had a capacity of nearly ten thousand jin. Bai Ziqi hadn't expected them to be completely full. Yet, Myo Zhan Tian was still somewhat dissatisfied, exclaiming, "Too little, too little!"

The Phantasm Sect had used the Inverted Heavenly Dipper Grand Array to absorb spiritual energy for one hundred and fifty years; could this truly be all they had accumulated? It had expected at least four or five times more.

As the Profound Crystals poured out from the Immortal Light Cave, Myo Zhan Tian had already sent two Heavenly Demons, each carrying a box, to Banqiu.

With these Profound Crystals, Banqiu Lighthouse's resource issues would be resolved, allowing it to expand rapidly.

Once Banqiu Lighthouse was stable, the Heavenly Palace could advance closer to its objective: constructing a new lighthouse on Stone Dragon Mountain!

Bai Ziqi humbly inquired, "Where did all the spiritual energy absorbed into the Inverted Sea go?" Myo Zhan Tian pondered for a moment before replying, "Three parts: either it transforms into Profound Crystals that settle in the mine, or it's consumed by the creatures of the Inverted Sea, or—it was devoured by Qianhuan."

Bai Ziqi gasped slightly, "Are True Immortals truly this gluttonous?"

Myo Zhan Tian scoffed, "In ancient times, spiritual energy was vast and abundant. Yet, these High Immortals and Immortal Sects still fought tooth and nail over spiritual energy and resources. How vast do you think their appetites are?"

No wonder that after the Middle Ages, the world could no longer sustain these High Immortals.

With these Profound Crystals, Bai Ziqi temporarily set aside thoughts of the mine. However, the loss of two powerful individuals there still weighed heavily on his mind.

Zhaoyou Shen's last communication with him via the Water Mirror Technique mentioned the discovery of an enormous Profound Crystal at the bottom of the mine, guarded by a spider-scorpion—which sounded exactly like a trap.

Bai Ziqi let out a long sigh.

At that moment, he wished he had personally been stationed at Banqiu. Remote command and control, after all, always had its inconveniences.

Currently, the Heavenly Palace had constructed three lighthouses on Silver Pearl Island. The barrier ranges of the first two overlapped, allowing troops to move freely under their cover, unmonitored by the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. However, the second lighthouse was quite distant from Banqiu Lighthouse, separated by mountains. Any troops attempting to reach it would surely face obstruction from the Phantasm Sect.

This was why they were accelerating the development of Banqiu Lighthouse.

The Lakeside Lighthouse was merely a temporary, transitional camp for the Heavenly Palace army after their landing, destined to be abandoned sooner or later. The battle line stretching from the Inverted Lakeside to Banqiu was too prolonged, making it difficult to manage with their current military strength. Moreover, the Lakeside Lighthouse itself could not expand further, as doing so would encompass the Inverted Lake's surface and cause the Yakshas to reappear.

Ground forces were the indispensable cornerstone for the Heavenly Demon Heavenly Palace to secure the Inverted Sea. In Bai Ziqi's plan, Banqiu Lighthouse needed to rapidly grow taller, allowing all troops to be transferred there. This would, on one hand, provide strong support to Banqiu, resolving the disadvantageous situation of being weaker than the enemy—by integrating the forces from the other two lighthouses into Banqiu, the Heavenly Palace's seven great powerhouses could then defend Banqiu like an iron fortress. On the other hand, this also aligned with the plan for a northward advance, bringing them several steps closer to Yaozi Lake and Stone Dragon Peak.

Of course, this was just one of his plans.

On the battlefield, plans rarely kept pace with the rapid changes. Before long, a bird demon from the sky suddenly descended and reported to Bai Ziqi:

"I've circled four or five times, but I can't find any Phantasm Sect Immortals."

After Elder Jin's demise, two other elders from the Phantasm Sect were still overseeing the Lakeside battlefield. They had always been key targets for Heavenly Palace surveillance, but at some point, they had mysteriously vanished from the battlefield.

If they weren't on the Lakeside battlefield, where else could they have gone? Bai Ziqi's brow furrowed upon hearing this.

Bai Shiqi suggested, "One Immortal is dead; perhaps they've returned to discuss countermeasures." "Indeed," Bai Ziqi mused. "The question is, what kind of countermeasures will they devise? Their sudden withdrawal from both battlefields likely means they have another plan in motion, like the great ebb tide before a tsunami."

Bai Ziqi became fully alert. "Scout again," he commanded.

Last time, his extensive construction of lighthouses also caused the enemy considerable disarray. However, after a brief adjustment, the Phantasm Sect suddenly devised highly targeted counter-measures.

What trick would they pull this time?

After another fifteen minutes or so, the bright light emanating from Banqiu Lighthouse was almost visible from the lakeside—it had grown impressively tall.

As Bai Ziqi watched, the top of the lighthouse suddenly erupted with three-colored fireworks, almost filling half the night sky.

Immediately after, Bai Shiqi exclaimed, clutching the water mirror, "Banqiu is under attack! The Phantasm Sect has sent another four—no, five Immortals! Their assault is exceptionally fierce. Xu and Su have gone as well!"

Bai Ziqi's gaze sharpened. No wonder Elder Xu and Elder Su had vanished from the Lakeside battlefield; they had been transferred to Banqiu?

Was the enemy abandoning the Lakeside battlefield?

Excluding Xiao Wencheng, the Sect Master, the Phantasm Sect still had seven Immortals. To directly deploy five of them now was a significant move.

"The lighthouse is too bright; it attracted them," he mused, "like moths to a flame."

Bai Ziqi decisively told the gray parrot, "According to our pre-arranged plan, please ask the Divine Venerable to intervene, otherwise Banqiu Lighthouse cannot be saved."

With the infusion of a large amount of Profound Crystals, Banqiu Lighthouse's defenses were indeed formidable. However, with five great Phantasm Sect Immortals acting in concert, this was no laughing matter.

This direct, all-out assault was hardly subtle, but the sheer power of the Phantasm Sect Immortals was undeniable, a force that Bai Ziqi's current troops could not contend with.

Bai Ziqi well understood that human power had its limits and that divine assistance was essential when needed. He had already discussed and strategized with Myo Zhan Tian about scenarios involving Immortals gathering and launching sudden attacks before entering the Inverted Sea, and they had formulated corresponding countermeasures. After all, if he hadn't been confident, why would he have needlessly ventured into the Immortal Cave?

It was just that Xiao Wencheng's fighting style had always been quite conservative, meaning this particular tactic had not been deployed until now.

The gray parrot, uncharacteristically, fell silent for a few breaths before responding, "If I intervene, the lighthouse will still not be preserved, and the entire Inverted Sea will experience violent tremors. If Qianhuan is still in seclusion, this action might awaken him."

The battle's progression to this point had exceeded Myo Zhan Tian's estimations. Bai Ziqi could sense its apprehension.

Myo Zhan Tian Zun, while usually arrogant and immensely proud, was uncharacteristically cautious when facing a sworn enemy.

"But we have an opportunity to eliminate five Phantasm Sect Immortals at once!" Bai Ziqi said rapidly. "Such a fruitful outcome is certainly worth your attempt! If Qianhuan has already emerged from seclusion, he will undoubtedly intervene to rescue them, thus revealing his whereabouts. If he doesn't intervene, it proves Qianhuan is truly in deep seclusion, so what else do you have to worry about? Third, even if your actions awaken him, he would have already lost five Immortals, and the remaining two or three wouldn't be able to cause much trouble or turn the tide. Our goal of severing Qianhuan's wings would have been largely achieved, meeting our expectations!"

He presented three rapid hypotheses, essentially covering all potential subsequent developments of the situation.

With time pressing, Myo Zhan Tian quickly made a decision:

"Alright."

Three breaths later, the Lakeside Lighthouse and Banqiu Lighthouse suddenly seemed to 'lock eyes', blinking in the same direction and at the same angle, as if perfectly synchronized. As they blinked, the Lakeside Lighthouse emitted a ray of rainbow light that instantly entered Banqiu Lighthouse.

It was a dedicated channel, sending from one side and receiving on the other, so incredibly fast that even the Phantasm Sect Immortals couldn't intercept it.

Even Xiao Wencheng and others observing through the mirror couldn't discern the true nature of this rainbow light.

Just then, Bai Ziqi's scout reported again: a gigantic spider-scorpion had appeared on the Lakeside battlefield.

This monster's combat style was entirely different from that of the Phantasm Sect Immortals, and the Heavenly Palace forces were ill-prepared for it. Upon its arrival, it immediately slew a giant Ghost Beast and crippled another smaller one, tearing open a gap directly in the northwest corner of the battlefield.

If the Phantasm Sect's lakeside army hadn't been lacking strong offensive intent at that moment, the Heavenly Palace forces would have suffered even greater losses.

"Is this the monster that defeated True Master Jieshui in the mine?" Bai Ziqi asked. Listening to the bird demon's description, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was peculiar.

The surrendered Phantasm Sect soldiers had never mentioned the spider-scorpion, nor was it among the Phantasm Sect elders they had confessed about.

Either this creature usually guarded the mine and rarely came to the surface, or... it was an outsider.

Furthermore, the Phantasm Sect had transferred Elder Xu and Elder Su, who were originally fighting at the Lakeside Lighthouse, to Banqiu Lighthouse, and then dispatched this spider-scorpion to the Lakeside battlefield.

What was the significance of such a swap?

At first glance, it seemed as if the spider-scorpion had arranged its own transfer, unwilling to bear unnecessary risks at Banqiu Lighthouse.

It couldn't possibly have known Bai Ziqi and Myo Zhan Tian's plan; its ability to sense danger was simply too extraordinary.

Moreover, although it was active on the Lakeside battlefield, it absolutely refused to charge the front lines, instead only luring opponents out to kill them.

It appeared ready to turn and flee at any moment.

Furthermore, with its sticky spider silk and elusive movements, even two Heavenly Demons chasing behind it found it difficult to apprehend.

Hmm, a spider-scorpion of unknown origin, a monster no one had ever heard of.

Bai Ziqi immediately appealed to the lighthouse, "Please, Divine Venerable, open your sacred eyes and observe that spider-scorpion."