Chapter 1802: Three-Way War

He Lingchuan deliberately sighed, "If the four elders had emerged a day sooner, the battle in the Illusory Realm wouldn't have been so difficult." So many people wouldn't have died either.

These words perfectly echoed the sentiments of all disciples of the Illusory Sect. They dared not speak, but he, an outsider, spoke for them.

Elder Xue, however, said with emotion, "Our tribulations are a result of our insufficient experience; the Immortal Venerable intentionally put us through more trials." The other elders nodded in agreement.

"Tsk," Granny Zhu transmitted, spitting in annoyance, "Sycophants!" She and her sister simply disliked humans' constant verbal tactics, which was why they were unwilling to stay in Beijia in the first place. Although it was called the "Demon Nation," many demons there had also adopted such ways.

"With the timely return of the four junior brothers, our strength has significantly increased, and the array deployed by Miao Zhantian is no longer a concern." Xiao Wencheng turned around, pointing at the sand table. "According to the Immortal Venerable's instructions, several junior brothers must delve deep into the earth's core, unearth the meteorites, and dismantle Miao Zhantian's Divine Fire Array."

He Lingchuan nodded discreetly.

Even with two great powers contending, Qianhuan's advantages remained evident. First, its true form was always hidden, unlike Miao Zhantian, which was exposed in broad daylight and even depicted on the Illusory Sect's sand table. Second, Miao Zhantian needed the Divine Fire Array to contend with Qianhuan for control of this realm. Since there was an array, the Illusory Sect had a crucial point to exploit. Conversely, Qianhuan's side, with the entire Illusory Realm being naturally formed, had no need for defense and could simply focus on a full-scale attack. One side could attack without defending, launching a full assault; the other had to guard against the enemy's incursions and undermining tactics, preventing it from fighting at full capacity. Qianhuan capitalized on its advantages to plan the offensive, while its true self remained calm and unhurried, with no immediate intention of appearing.

Elder Xue and the others declared, "Leave it to us!"

"There are still some Sky Demons or Demon Immortals among the Heavenly Palace forces who will try to stop you."

Elder Pi sneered, "I only fear they won't come; then I can avenge old Du and old Xu!"

Xiao Wencheng pointed into the hall, "The ritual artifacts before the Immortal Venerable's statue have all been consecrated. If you carry them, they will not only help you resist some damage from the Divine Radiance but also assist in retrieving the meteorites."

Upon hearing this, the elders all entered the hall to collect them. Indeed, the vases, jade plates, incense burners, oil lamps, divination blocks, and other items on the offering table were now emitting a deep blue glow. This was a small portion of Qianhuan's power, imbued into the ritual artifacts to assist its disciples. Otherwise, the True Monarch Cangxi employed genuine immortal techniques, and these disciples would undoubtedly suffer some harm excavating the array's foundations.

The sand table before them, like the Illusory Realm itself, also possessed instant teleportation capabilities.

After a brief discussion among the Illusory Sect elders, Elder Xue was about to instruct his junior brothers to join him in excavating the same array foundation—the meteorite at the corner of the Divine Fire Array's eye. When this object struck, it had already penetrated deep into the earth's core; they would have to burrow fifteen zhang underground to find the meteorite formed from the Iron Lotus Seed.

But no sooner had Elder Xue spoken than Xiao Wencheng and Elder Liu said in unison: "No!"

Previously in the Illusory Realm, Xiao Wencheng's ambition for achievement led him to rashly send all five great immortals to attack the Companion Mound Lighthouse, resulting in Miao Zhantian instantly defeating four of them. The balance of power immediately tilted toward the Heavenly Palace. Both elders remembered this bloody lesson and absolutely did not want to repeat the same mistake now.

Elder Xue was startled, somewhat unconvinced. With Miao Zhantian fully focused on dueling the Immortal Venerable, could there still be such a contingency? However, he had no intention of openly contradicting the Sect Leader at this moment and decided to follow the arrangements.

Sect Leader Xiao then arranged for his junior brothers to form pairs, each group tasked with prying open one of the three array foundations. Three immortals from the Illusory Sect had arrived across the lake, and with the return of Elder Xue and others, the sect now boasted seven great immortals in total. As Xiao Wencheng needed to oversee the overall situation, only six Illusory Sect immortals could be deployed. There were only four on the opposing side. At the immortal level, the Illusory Sect had a significant advantage. Xiao Wencheng's arrangement meant that no matter how the enemy intercepted, Miao Zhantian would likely lose at least one array foundation. If four or five of the Divine Fire Array's foundations were excavated, the entire array would become unsustainable, thereby declaring Qianhuan's victory in this round.

After Xiao Wencheng finished speaking, the elders had no objections. They turned and leaped into the sand table, teleporting to their chosen attack locations. They did not ask He Lingchuan for his opinion, and He Lingchuan remained silent.

Granny Zhu, more perceptive than ever, saw a flicker in his eyes and transmitted, "You don't approve of Xiao Wencheng's arrangement?" He Lingchuan blinked rapidly, indicating it was not convenient to explain now.

"Furthermore, Miao Zhantian is now engaged in a magical duel with the Immortal Venerable, undoubtedly without distraction. This is a golden opportunity for the disciples of our Illusory Sect!" After assigning tasks to the immortals, Xiao Wencheng began to give instructions to the remaining disciples. "You are to proceed to Undefeated Ridge, eliminate the Heavenly Palace forces, and destroy Miao Zhantian's physical body!"

Miao Zhantian's body was not easily destroyed. However, the current battle was divided into three levels: The first level involved Miao Zhantian and Qianhuan engaging in a magical duel from a distance, without meeting face to face. The second level involved the Illusory Sect's immortals excavating the Divine Fire Array's foundations, which would inevitably lead to combat with the Demon Immortals and Sky Demons under Miao Zhantian. The third level was the Illusory Sect forces versus the Heavenly Palace army. In He Lingchuan's view, the first two levels of combat might not be decided quickly, but once the Illusory Sect gained the upper hand in the third level, it would be difficult for Miao Zhantian to continue dealing with Qianhuan without distraction.

Xiao Wencheng further reassured his disciples: "The Sky Demons and Demon Immortals brought by Miao Zhantian will all be held back by us. Your chances of victory at Undefeated Ridge are very high!" Everyone loudly agreed.

Xiao Wencheng turned his head and quietly told He Lingchuan, "Island Master He, the Immortal Venerable hopes that you will command this battle on the ground; it would be best if the Spider Queen also joined." If all the powerful enemy figures were drawn away, the Cave Spider Queen could play a significant role at Undefeated Ridge. He Lingchuan's previous performance commanding several lighthouse battles in the Illusory Realm had evidently been observed by Qianhuan. It also believed that both sides were now in the same predicament, and He Xiao should not refuse.

He Lingchuan agreed without much deliberation, adding a "but": "I can command; however, Granny Zhu should ideally remain here as a mobile reserve to handle emergencies." Judging from the comparison of forces, the Illusory Sect now had more than enough high-level combat power. Moreover, since the Cave Spider Queen was an unofficial combatant, Xiao Wencheng naturally found it difficult to insist. "Alright, let's do that."

Immediately, the Illusory Sect forces also lined up and leaped into the sand table, then were directly teleported to Undefeated Ridge, the location of the Heavenly Palace army. He Lingchuan remained in front of the sand table and did not go with them. Staying here allowed him to command the overall situation more effectively than being on the battlefield himself; his directives could also be transmitted through the sand table to every Illusory Sect disciple.

The entire Silver Pearl Island was fragmented, with countless obstacles on the ground. Fortunately, the Illusory Sect disciples landed directly about two li south of Undefeated Ridge.