Chapter 309: Great Battle Part One

Chen Mobai activated his Cave Void Spirit Eye and looked up.

He saw twenty flying boats dispatched from Hanzhantong. On the leading eight boats, all the cultivators wore uniform golden robes and long gowns – they were Hanzhantong's own immortal cultivators. On the remaining twelve flying boats, some practitioners followed orders strictly, while others were highly disorganized. These were likely immortal cultivation families from within Yan Country and rogue cultivators who had been recruited.

During a major war between immortal cultivators, especially involving top-tier sects like the Divine Wood Sect and Hanzhantong in the Eastern Wilderness, it was natural to mobilize all available personnel. For instance, Chu Zuoxu had mobilized the four great immortal cultivation families of Lei Country, assembling a force of four to five hundred individuals within a short period. Yan Country, on the other hand, was Hanzhantong's headquarters. Having been established and managed for centuries, it had long become a unified and formidable entity. Even without Ji Zhenshi's presence, they swiftly gathered immortal cultivation families and major sects from near the border. Including the hired rogue cultivators, they surprisingly amassed over a thousand immortal cultivators, who were now majestically advancing towards Rolling Thunder Mountain.

This time, Ji Dingjin wasted no words. Each of the twenty flying boats bore a formation flag, forming a massive battle array. It resembled an unbroken expanse of dark clouds, pressing down heavily, advancing with an overwhelming and righteous momentum.

"Everyone, my Divine Wood Sect army is already at the border of Yun Country and Lei Country. Hold on for just three more days, and reinforcements will arrive here."

"If we win this battle, I can promise your four great families a quota to purchase one Foundation Establishment Pill. We will supply it whenever you need it, as long as the Divine Wood Sect possesses it."

"Should any of you four fall in this battle, I guarantee, in the name of the Divine Wood Sect, that one Foundation Establishment Pill will be compensated to a member of your family, and they will be protected as they consume it."

"Furthermore, inform the cultivators below that decapitating hostile cultivators will earn them corresponding rewards in spirit stones and elixirs. The Divine Wood Sect will bear all these expenses."

With the battle imminent, Chu Zuoxu made these promises to the four great families of Lei Country beside him. Lian Chenghai and the other three, who had initially been somewhat unwilling, immediately brightened at these words and vowed to do their utmost to uphold the Divine Wood Sect's glory.

It's important to know that while the Divine Wood Sect refines batches of Foundation Establishment Pills every ten years, the supply is barely enough for its own disciples and rarely flows outside the sect. For these immortal cultivation families, obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills typically required either trading in rare treasures like thousand-year-old medicinal herbs or fiercely competing with vast amounts of spirit stones at various auctions. Alternatively, they could send their disciples with exceptional spiritual root talent into the Divine Wood Sect to become true inheritors according to the sect's rules, thus earning a Foundation Establishment Pill. For example, Lian Maozhi, who rose to prominence in last year's sect grand competition, was Lian Chenghai's grandnephew.

Naturally, those from immortal cultivation families with outstanding spiritual roots cultivated faster than ordinary disciples once they entered the sect. This was because they not only had abundant resources but also had to distinguish themselves through internal family competition before being sent to the sect. However, this practice meant sending the most exceptional talents of the immortal cultivation families into the sect. In the long run, this only served to strengthen the sect further. After all, immortal cultivators prioritized their own cultivation. Even if a family-born cultivator successfully established their foundation, under the mighty umbrella of the Divine Wood Sect, they would rarely return to their family, choosing not to be confined to a single corner. This was because immortal cultivation families in the Eastern Wilderness could, at most, only produce Foundation Establishment cultivators. Within the Divine Wood Sect, however, there was a possibility of reaching Core Formation.

Nevertheless, even with this understanding, the major immortal cultivation families were still willing to send their outstanding disciples to the various great sects. This was not only because they lacked a stable method for acquiring Foundation Establishment Pills but also because if someone successfully established their foundation within a sect, it was an immense boon for the family. Perhaps they could even follow Ji Zhenshi's example and, with the power of a single family, absorb an entire sect. Furthermore, this approach would not hinder the future prospects of talented individuals within the family.

For the major immortal cultivation families, the Foundation Establishment Pill was a rare and highly sought-after treasure. Many family disciples at the peak of Qi Condensation, before reaching their sixtieth year, had no choice but to forcefully establish their foundation without the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill. For thousands of years, successful cases were exceedingly rare; most instead transformed into a pool of flesh and shattered bones within their cultivation caves. These were the countless tragic sacrifices of the immortal cultivation families.

Chu Zuoxu's promise not only made Lian Chenghai and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators' breathing quicken but also lifted the spirits of the family cultivators who had initially been reluctant to come to Rolling Thunder Mountain for the battle. Although there was no guarantee that a Foundation Establishment Pill would fall to them personally, what if it did?

Seeing the cultivators' morale begin to soar, Chen Mobai gave Yue Zutao a thumbs-up. For the past few days, the two of them had led the four to five hundred cultivators on Rolling Thunder Mountain in practicing battle formations. However, they noticed that most individuals lacked enthusiasm. A careful investigation naturally revealed the underlying reason. Chen Mobai pondered for a moment and concluded that these individuals needed some form of reward or incentive. However, he had no experience in such matters and could only consult Yue Zutao.

Yue Zutao, however, was highly familiar with the immortal cultivation families and even rogue cultivators in the Eastern Wilderness. He knew that family cultivators valued Foundation Establishment Pills, while rogue cultivators sought spirit stones and elixirs. The two informed Chu Zuoxu of this, and he, naturally receptive to advice, readily agreed. He tasked them with determining the specific rewards in spirit stones and elixirs for slaying cultivators of different cultivation levels. As for the Foundation Establishment Pills, he personally conveyed the promise to the four great families of Lei Country, as Chu Zuoxu, being the Hall Master of the Hall of Appreciation, represented the Divine Wood Sect in this capacity.

As expected, once the hired rogue cultivators learned of this, their previously somewhat lax attitude immediately transformed. With morale now high, Rolling Thunder Mountain's Tier 3 grand formation unleashed unprecedented power.

A gigantic golden blade, over ten meters tall, materialized in the air, radiating a terrifying spiritual pressure capable of cleaving the heavens and shattering the earth. It then heavily swung towards the yellow cloud battle formation formed by Hanzhantong's twenty flying boats. As dazzling spiritual light erupted, patches of yellow clouds began to dissipate, only to be continuously regenerated, like an unending sea of clouds. The Earth-Attribute Golden Blade successively cleaved through eight yellow clouds before its spiritual power finally depleted and it dissipated in mid-air.

However, in an instant, Fu Huakun, who was controlling the formation plate, directed twenty Qi Refinement cultivators, each holding a formation flag, to desperately extract spiritual energy from the earth's ley lines. Immediately, two more gigantic golden blades materialized in the air.

But just then, the twenty flying boats lit up with streaks of earthy-yellow light, transforming into massive boulders that plummeted towards Rolling Thunder Mountain.

Amidst deafening crashes.

The two newly formed Earth-Attribute Golden Blades barely managed to shatter six of the massive boulders before their spiritual power was depleted, and they vanished into thin air. Fu Huakun's expression remained calm, but the hand seals controlling the formation plate changed accordingly. A fist-sized raw spirit stone beside him was instantly drained by the formation plate. The formation then evolved, and a layer of gray light shield emerged, enveloping the entire Rolling Thunder Mountain.

This was the defensive variation of the Earth-Attribute Golden Blade Formation: the Earth-Attribute Shield!

Boom!

Massive boulders, each ten meters in diameter, rained down, slamming onto the Earth-Attribute Shield and creating immense, muffled impacts. The entire Rolling Thunder Mountain even began to tremble, and some timid cultivators turned pale, believing the grand formation was about to be breached.

After this initial volley of twenty boulders, Hanzhantong's twenty flying boats launched two more rounds. In the final round, the Earth-Attribute Shield finally gave way, a massive boulder smashing open a gap. Chu Zuoxu, at the mountaintop, immediately led two Foundation Establishment cultivators to simultaneously block the incoming boulder. However, two more boulders then crashed through the shield. Chen Mobai and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately unleashed a flurry of talismans and magical artifacts without hesitation, protecting the Qi Refinement cultivators from being wiped out by such a large-scale destructive spell.

Fortunately, after three rounds, the assault finally ceased. After being bombarded by dozens of massive boulders, the Earth-Attribute Shield, though warped and fissured with several cracks, still managed to barely maintain its integrity.

"Quickly, replace the formation masters and bring over the reserve spirit stones!"

After this probing exchange, Fu Huakun's face was pale. Two of the four cultivators holding formation flags near him were even bleeding from all seven orifices, having fallen unconscious. The other formation masters scattered across Rolling Thunder Mountain were, needless to say, likely also depleted of spiritual energy and divine sense.

However, Lian Chenghai, who had anticipated this, immediately directed another pre-selected group of immortal cultivators skilled in formations to take over the Earth-Attribute Golden Blade Formation's flags. Concurrently, the radiance of Hanzhantong's flying boats in the sky also began to dim. After three rounds, this method of attack had largely reached the limit of what the flying boat artifacts could sustain. Nevertheless, at least three breaches had been blasted open in the Earth-Attribute Shield, allowing cultivators from Hanzhantong to enter Rolling Thunder Mountain.

"Kill!"

In the sky, Ji Dingjin, now fully armored, met Chu Zuoxu's gaze through a breach in the Earth-Attribute Shield. He raised his right hand and coldly uttered a single word. In an instant, the twenty flying boats landed on Rolling Thunder Mountain, and all twelve hundred Qi Refinement cultivators began descending towards the breaches in the Earth-Attribute Shield.

"Kill!"

Concurrently, Chu Zuoxu at the mountaintop echoed the command. He then adjusted the jade crown on his head, and a clear spiritual light enveloped a bluish-gray tree seed as it flew out, instantly transforming into a lush, leafy Azure Sun Spiritual Tree. He hovered in mid-air, standing beneath the spiritual tree, single-handedly blocking one of the Earth-Attribute Shield's breaches. A dozen or so unlucky Qi Refinement cultivators who descended towards his position were instantly impaled by light-thorns formed from the Celestial Wood Spiritual Light, strung together like gourds. Blood splattered across a good portion of the mountaintop.

A general, naturally, required another general to contend with. Ji Dingjin, without hesitation, charged directly at Chu Zuoxu. He swung his right fist, and a terrifying punch force tore through the air, further widening the already fractured breach in the Earth-Attribute Shield. Chu Zuoxu's spiritual power surged in response, and the Azure Sun Spiritual Tree beside him grew even more lush, firmly shielding the breach. As Ji Dingjin's Mountain-Shaking Fist landed, a spiritual leaf extended from the Azure Sun Spiritual Tree to block it shattered. Immediately, however, two, then three, then an entire branch of spiritual leaves flew out, forming a six-layered defense. Yet, under Ji Dingjin's full-force punch, the entire branch was broken off and flung away. Chu Zuoxu's jade crown on his head trembled slightly, and his hair became somewhat disheveled.

"The old man truly lives up to his reputation as a body cultivator. Even nearing two hundred years old, his punches are still incredibly powerful."

After assessing the impact, Chu Zuoxu shook his head slightly, then adjusted the jade crown on his head once more. Another clear spiritual light surged forth, this time enveloping a glistening golden tree seed. The Celestial Wood Talisman activated, and a Golden Sun Spiritual Tree, with only its trunk and sparse leaves, rose from the ground. It stood to Chu Zuoxu's right, balancing the Azure Sun Spiritual Tree on his left.

Upon seeing the Golden Sun Spiritual Tree, Ji Dingjin's expression grew slightly solemn. Once the Divine Wood Sect's domain was activated, its principle of using softness to overcome hardness proved highly effective against his body cultivation. Were it not for the Celestial Wood Divine Light Formation's generally moderate offensive power, Ji Dingjin feared he would have to fight with half his life to defeat Chu Zuoxu, who had manifested two spiritual trees. Yet, on the battlefield, no matter how challenging the situation, Ji Dingjin, as Hanzhantong's leading general, still had to set an example for all the Yan Country cultivators behind him.

He took a deep breath, and his entire body suddenly seemed to swell. The surging, vast vital energy caused the leaves of the Azure Sun Spiritual Tree on Chu Zuoxu's left to noticeably yellow.

Witnessing both generals immediately entering their peak, full-strength states, Chen Mobai and Yue Zutao also swiftly engaged the Yan Country Foundation Establishment cultivators who were charging through the Earth-Attribute Shield's breaches. This time, Hanzhantong had mobilized all the families and sects on Yan Country's border, along with their own sect's forces, bringing a total of twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Chen Mobai's apparent cultivation was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. As soon as he ascended, a sword light immediately slashed towards him, seemingly aiming to target an easy opponent. Meanwhile, two Foundation Establishment cultivators encircled Yue Zutao. Surprisingly, they were acquaintances: Gong Wanshan and Zheng Wulu, who had defected from Lei Country. Among them, Gong Wanshan was at the peak of mid-Foundation Establishment, renowned as Lei Country's foremost Foundation Establishment cultivator, and his cultivation was even superior to Yue Zutao's. However, in a one-on-one confrontation, Yue Zutao was not particularly fearful. Due to his cultivation being locked, he had ample time to perfect the various spells from the Longevity Immortal Scripture. Moreover, with his Tier 2 Azure Sun Tree Seed activated, someone at the same cultivation stage might be able to defeat him, but certainly not kill him.

However, the addition of Zheng Wulu changed the dynamic. This individual was surprisingly a sword cultivator, possessing a top-grade Tier 2 flying sword. Once the Azure Sun Spiritual Tree was deployed, it ironically became an easy target. After only a few exchanges, Yue Zutao was forced to produce a blue flag artifact. It manifested a stream that encircled him, and only with the power of this artifact could he barely withstand Zheng Wulu's flying sword slashes.

But at that moment, Gong Wanshan produced a dark greenish-black talisman from his storage bag. He even bit the tip of his tongue, using his own vital blood to activate it. Terrifying dark profound light emanated from the talisman, and a sense of dread that made Yue Zutao's spirit tremble surged into his sea of consciousness. His expression shifted slightly, and he also drew out a Tier 3 offensive talisman, a trump card. But just as he was about to activate it, Zheng Wulu desperately manipulated his flying sword to thwart his movements.

"This is bad. I hope Ancestor Zhou's Spiritual Leaf Talisman can block this attack."

Yue Zutao flicked out the Tier 3 Spiritual Leaf Talisman he had redeemed at the Spiritual Treasure Pavilion from his sleeve. Defensive talismans were typically set to automatically activate upon encountering an attack. He could only hope that when Ancestor Zhou refined this particular Spiritual Leaf Talisman, he had put his heart into it, ensuring its defensive power was substantial.

Just then, a brilliant, dazzling purple sword light illuminated the area nearby. Like a meteor, the sword light streaked across the sky, and as it did, the head of a golden-robed Hanzhantong Foundation Establishment cultivator flew into the air.