Chapter 1804: Reprimand Once Again

After seventeen "Heavenly Fire Meteors" fell, Silver Pearl Island was shrouded in desolation. Thick smoke blotted out the sky, obscuring everything from view.

However, inside the Iron Lotus barrier erected by True Monarch Cangxi, the terrain and landscape remained unchanged by the shockwaves from the divine fire impacts. The choking smoke and dust were also kept outside the barrier.

Someone summoned a strong wind, which briefly dispersed the haze. The Heavenly Palace team gasped when they saw the scene outside the barrier.

Mountains and rivers were reshaped, and scorched ruins were everywhere. Was this the end of the world?

The hundreds of thousands of ghost soldiers who had surrounded them were annihilated under the seventeen powerful divine attacks, no longer posing a threat.

Bai Ziqi walked over to the sand table and saw that using the seventeen meteorite craters as anchor points, Miaozhantian had constructed a colossal array spanning the entire Silver Pearl Island!

Each glowing meteorite crater was a challenge to Qianhuan's laws.

"The Divine Venerable's power reaches through heaven and earth!" The closer Bai Ziqi was to the gods, the more he understood the insignificance of human power. "Change formation! The Illusion Sect will attack soon."

True Monarch Cangxi was in meditation behind him, the Iron Lotus Lantern glowing and radiating heat. The barrier it erected could only resist some of the laws of this realm, preventing Qianhuan from altering the terrain, but it would not stop enemy attacks. This would require even greater effort, and Miaozhantian currently had no strength to spare.

Based on this alone, Bai Ziqi knew that the struggle between Miaozhantian and Qianhuan had entered a fever pitch from the very beginning.

What he needed to do was to protect True Monarch Cangxi's golden body.

The ghost soldiers had already been wiped out by Miaozhantian in a single wave, just like in the battle at the Lake of Reversal in the Illusion Realm. Once the Yakshas retreated, the Illusion Sect had to step up.

The tactics used against ghost soldiers versus cultivators were, of course, different.

No sooner had Bai Ziqi given the order than Bai Shi pointed to the sand table and said, "Lord Commander, look! There's movement at the anchors of the Divine Fire Array!"

All seventeen anchor points of the Divine Fire Array were glowing gold on the sand table, like seventeen small suns, collectively forming the shape of the Eye of Truth.

However, amidst the dazzling golden light, three of the meteorite craters now showed faint blue light spots.

What was that?

Bai Ziqi frowned, knowing that the enemy would not allow Miaozhantian to seize control unchecked. If he were Qianhuan, he would also send people to dismantle the array's anchors now.

The gray parrot flapped its wings and landed on the edge of the sand table. "Illusion Sect elders have been dispatched, intending to dig out the divine fire meteorites. For each of these three anchors, they've sent two people. Ha, do they think this makes it foolproof?"

Bai Ziqi pondered, "Xiao Wencheng was probably intimidated by the methods you used at Companion Hill, and no longer dares to send groups of immortals in clusters."

Attacking enemy strongholds—this situation had reappeared in this realm, as if it were another cycle of battle.

Last time, Xiao Wencheng was not unaware of the risks, but he chose to launch a risky attack.

Now, even though he knew Qianhuan had emerged from seclusion and Miaozhantian was preoccupied, after suffering a significant loss last time, he instinctively disliked risk. He remained wary of concentrated attack tactics, subconsciously avoiding them and daring not to use them again.

"He thinks he's learned a lesson, but in reality, this is just a common mistake on the battlefield."

"What do you suggest?" Miaozhantian was more receptive to Bai Ziqi's advice.

Previously, Bai Ziqi had not agreed to the entire army entering Kidney Lake, but Miaozhantian insisted, so they entered anyway, plunging headfirst into a trap meticulously prepared by Qianhuan and the Illusion Sect. This forced Miaozhantian to expend more divine power to regain the initiative.

One learns from mistakes; Miaozhantian did not have the bad habits of immortals.

"Concentrating forces has its advantages, and dispersing them has its drawbacks," Bai Ziqi said solemnly. "Xiao Wencheng's tactics are overly conservative, severely out of sync with Qianhuan's bold offensive strategy. It's a strategy destined to fail. Before they realize this, we should focus on a decisive breakthrough."

Xiao Wencheng thought conservative tactics were foolproof? Bai Ziqi intended to teach him another lesson!

The gray parrot asked him, "Aren't you afraid they'll just teleport reinforcements if they can't win?"

"It's quite possible, but our approach is fierce and swift, so there's still good hope for success," Bai Ziqi said gravely. "Furthermore, when the Illusion Sect withdrew from the Illusion Realm, they mostly traveled on foot, and they also moved on the ground here, not using the Haoyuan Golden Mirror for teleportation. Prisoners we captured by Kidney Lake confessed that their teleportation from Stone Dragon Peak to Kidney Lake wasn't via the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, but a direct jump into the sand table."

"Do you think there's a problem with their teleportation?" The gray parrot mused. "That shouldn't be. Qianhuan has already awakened."

"Yes." Bai Ziqi did not press the point. He himself felt the deduction was unreliable. "Perhaps they are just using a more economical method."

The prisoners had also said that ordinary disciples never had the opportunity to cross via the Haoyuan Golden Mirror previously.

He composed himself, bringing his attention back to the current battle. "Please, Divine Venerable, deploy the High Gods."

Bai Ziqi was merely a Cloud Emissary, not authorized to command the accompanying Celestial Gods. That authority lay with Miaozhantian.

"Tell me."

The Heavenly Palace army still had three High Gods and one demonic immortal. Numerically, they were inferior to the opposing host of immortals.

Therefore, the Illusion Sect could disperse their forces, but the Heavenly Palace had to attack collectively, or "group up."

Bai Ziqi did not believe He Xiao could not see these facts; he was too shrewd a person. However, ever since He Xiao entered the Sea of Reversal, he often suffered from "intermittent blindness," turning a blind eye to Bai Ziqi's strategies.

Bai Ziqi was unsure of He Xiao's calculations, and could only assume that fellow harbored no good intentions toward the immortals either. So, he would proceed as he saw fit.

The position near the tail of the Eye of Truth Array, coincidentally named Tail Hill, was not far from the sea. Qianhuan altered the terrain, drawing seawater to flood the meteorite craters, hoping to reclaim their territory.

Miaozhantian had said that as long as the golden light between several meteorite craters successfully connected, that area would gradually break free from Qianhuan's control, indirectly achieving the same effect as the Lighthouse Barrier in the Illusion Realm.

If such areas increased, the balance of power between Them and Qianhuan would shift.

Conversely, if the meteorite craters were removed or completely corroded by seawater, the Eye of Truth Array would fail, and Miaozhantian's efforts would be in vain.

Neither side could afford to lose.

Therefore, from the moment Qianhuan dispatched elders to the meteorite craters, the struggle between the two sides transitioned into a battle to defend the array anchors.

Bai Ziqi's plan was for these four masters to simultaneously strike Tail Hill.

With both sides having shown their hand, his choice was surprisingly similar to Xiao Wencheng's attack on Companion Hill: to go all out, holding nothing back.

On one hand, Undefeated Hill was very close to Tail Hill, and the Heavenly Devil and demonic immortal were swift in action, allowing them to initiate combat before the Illusion Sect could react.

On the other hand, the meteorites that had penetrated the earth's core were fully imbued with True Monarch Cangxi's power, especially the Divine Morning Light Fire, which had a strong suppressive effect on the Illusion Sect's immortals. It would not be easy for the enemy to dislodge them, and this would buy precious time for the Heavenly Palace to defeat them one by one.

Bai Ziqi knew that the Illusion Sect immortals were individually powerful. For his side to achieve the effect of a decisive strike, they needed to send a large number of strong fighters.