Chapter 1279: The Eve of the Great Battle

At the southern foot of Tianxing Plateau lies Twin Mirror Mountain.

Adhering to the principle that speed is of the essence in warfare, Qin Sang and Qing Jun immediately led the main army after the meeting at Ice Crystal Palace, traveling day and night to head straight for Sin Abyss's large camp at Jade Finger Peak.

Sin Abyss, attacking from south to north, had always been in an uphill battle. The Two-Domain Alliance held the geographical advantage, using it to resist invaders. If they launched a counterattack, it would be like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, making it difficult for Sin Abyss to gain any favorable terrain.

Twin Mirror Mountain, however, was an exception. Twin Mirror Mountain is one of the most renowned peaks on the first tier of Tianxing Plateau. Its towering peaks even surpass the height of the second tier, offering expansive views and making it easy to defend yet difficult to assault. The mountain's north and south sides are remarkably smooth, resembling two ice mirrors slanted into the ground. This unique topography, which highlights the perilous nature of the terrain, is precisely where its name, "Twin Mirror," originates.

For years, Sin Abyss had entrenched itself on this mountain, firmly establishing a major camp there. It was like a sharp thorn, deeply embedded in the flesh, causing immense discomfort for the Two-Domain Alliance. At all times, at least one mid-Nascent Soul master was stationed there. Now that True Monarch Cang Hong had realized the precarious situation and adopted a defensive posture, Twin Mirror Mountain was swarming with even more high-level cultivators.

Their objective was to extract this fang of Sin Abyss! If they could force Sin Abyss to retreat from Twin Mirror Mountain, they could pursue them relentlessly, seizing the opportunity to tear open a gap in Sin Abyss's formation.

For this expedition, in addition to Qin Sang and Qing Jun, True Daoist Zhen Yi had specifically arranged for the Yinshan Pass City Lord, Jing Lin, Si Di, and other Nascent Soul cultivators familiar to them, to arrive with substantial forces.

Hundreds of miles outside Twin Mirror Mountain, there lay a mountain peak, serving as a Sin Abyss outpost. The wind and snow were raging. The mountain was covered in pristine white snow, and the cold wind howled, giving the appearance that everything was normal.

Unbeknownst to most, a very small and highly concealed spirit array was hidden within the mountain. Complete with ice huts and watchtowers, it was fully equipped and guarded by vigilant sentinels. Strangely, the watchtower hosted not only cultivators but also an eyeball the size of a human head. The eyeball floated in mid-air, spinning erratically, a truly peculiar sight. Around the eyeball, the guards maintained solemn expressions, not daring to relax for a moment.

Suddenly, a subtle fluctuation appeared in the void. Before the guards could detect anything unusual, the eyeball, incredibly alert, abruptly shifted its pupil, staring intently in the direction of the fluctuation while emitting a sharp shriek.

"This is bad! The enemy is attacking!"

The guards were greatly alarmed. They reacted with extreme swiftness. The moment the eyeball stirred, they simultaneously activated a spirit talisman by slapping it with their hands, then swept down from the watchtower without a backward glance. The eyeball's pupil suddenly constricted, emitting a dazzling light.

Just as a white beam of light was about to shoot forth, cracks suddenly appeared in the void out of thin air. With a deafening 'boom,' the void completely shattered. The shattered void, mixed with snowflakes and biting wind, formed a chaotic torrent that violently slammed into the watchtower. Amidst the chaos, a few strange lights seemed to flash and vanish in an instant.

*Boom!* "Ah!" The entire structures within the spirit array, including the eyeball on the watchtower, couldn't withstand the impact for even a moment. They exploded, razed to the ground, with a few faint screams barely audible.

The wind and snow persisted. The next moment, three figures materialized in the void, looking down at the devastated scene below.

"I hadn't realized Fellow Daoist Qin possessed such profound expertise in array formations and restrictions," remarked a dignified, square-faced cultivator, stroking his beard and lavishing praise on the person beside him, "easily discerning the weak points of this defensive spirit array!"

This was none other than the Yinshan Pass City Lord. The other two were Qin Sang and Jing Lin.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist," Qin Sang replied calmly. "This spirit array isn't a top-tier grand formation. Its only purpose is to buy some time during an attack, allowing the watchtower to identify the approaching enemy. In truth, it's not difficult to counter."

Senior Sister Qing Jun had granted him access to the treasured collection of Yuan Shen Gate, allowing him to study it at will. Qin Sang's comprehension of array formations had greatly advanced; thanks to the Celestial Eye Butterfly, his ability to breach arrays was now far beyond the reach of other cultivators at his level.

The three of them joined forces, instantly breaching the spirit array and destroying everything. The eyeball, it seemed, could only have perceived utter chaos.

Jing Lin quickly descended to the ground, clearing away the ruins with a wave of his hand. To his surprise, he discovered a damaged miniature teleportation array. The guards had perished before they could even activate it.

Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. "Sin Abyss is truly willing to spend so much, even setting up a teleportation array on a mere outpost," he remarked.

"Sin Abyss holds Twin Mirror Mountain in extremely high regard," Jing Lin explained, "no less than their two major camps in front of Shiqu Mountain and Wangdong City. They have long fortified this place to be as impenetrable as an iron bucket."

Jing Lin surveyed the area, found no useful information, erased all traces, and then retrieved a sword talisman to send a message back to the main army. Following this, the three continued their mission, dismantling other outposts.

As soon as the first outpost was destroyed, the Sin Abyss army on Twin Mirror Mountain detected the anomaly. In the main hall of the camp, there was a miniature Twin Mirror Mountain, similar to the one in Cang Hong's tent. Nascent Soul cultivators gathered, watching in alarm as one watchtower after another flickered out, the speed of their disappearance truly startling.

Everyone's expression was grave. The destruction of the watchtowers was one concern, but what was truly disturbing was that not a single message had been successfully relayed back, and they hadn't even caught a glimpse of the invading enemy. Furthermore, there were no survivors.

"Order everyone, including those in the front-line camps, to withdraw entirely to Twin Mirror Mountain," came the command. "There's no need for needless sacrifices."

Surrounded as if she were the moon among stars, a female cultivator in purple robes issued the command without question. She was, astonishingly, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Someone acknowledged the order and departed.

A person nearby spoke with a grave voice: "Only a handful within the Two-Domain Alliance could achieve such a feat. It's highly probable that True Daoist Zhen Yi or Tong You themselves are present. Just as Senior Cang Hong predicted, the Two-Domain Alliance has begun its counterattack."

"Fellow Daoist, don't forget the two who severely injured Senior Tian Zheng and Elder Ye at Blood Lake," another person interjected. "Elder Ye personally witnessed that the one disguised as a demon king is also skilled in breaking arrays."

Another person spoke, gazing out of the main hall with a furrowed brow. "The opponent's offensive is fierce. Do they truly intend to capture Twin Mirror Mountain? There's no news from our other major camps yet, so we don't know who or how many have arrived."

The purple-robed female cultivator's expression was resolute. "There's no need to overthink this," she stated. "Fellow Daoist Cang Heng has already made arrangements, commanding us to firmly hold Twin Mirror Mountain. No matter who comes, they won't be able to breach Twin Mirror Mountain quickly! Everyone, heed my command: immediately activate the grand array and deploy the Nether Crystal Towers on the North Mountain!"

"Yes, sir!""Understood!"

Meanwhile, Qin Sang and the other two attacked another outpost, only to find it already deserted. The subsequent outposts were likewise empty. Although the three knew that Sin Abyss had retreated to Twin Mirror Mountain, they meticulously continued to dismantle all remaining outposts.

"This is Twin Mirror Mountain," Jing Lin stated, pointing to a magnificent white mountain silhouette in the distance, his eyes holding a complex expression. Twin Mirror Mountain once hosted a market city where he had cultivated for decades before reaching the Nascent Soul stage. He held memories of both joy and sorrow from that place, but now, circumstances had changed, and it had fallen into enemy hands.

"It is indeed treacherous, second only to the two great tiers!" Qin Sang commented.

After discussing, Qin Sang and the other two decided against rushing forward recklessly. There was a Sin Abyss camp ahead that would be difficult to dislodge swiftly, so they decided to hold their position and await the main army.

Not long after, Qing Jun arrived leading the main army. A great battle was about to commence!