Chapter 438: Jia Wood Taoist Soldiers

After seeing Chen Mobai and Luo Yixuan off, Zhuo Ming had originally intended to check on the growth of the seedlings in the spirit fields. However, a surge of energy within her caused the spiritual power in her dantian to begin flowing intensely.

An intuitive insight struck her, leading her to the mountainside of Little Nanshan. After planting and lighting an incense stick in front of her, she closed her eyes and began to meditate, holding a spirit stone.

The spiritual mountain where Chen Mobai cultivated had a medium-grade third-tier spiritual vein. The wooden house at the summit, amplified by a spirit-gathering array, could even briefly elevate the spiritual energy to high-grade third-tier.

Although the spiritual energy at the mountainside was only high-grade second-tier, it was more than sufficient for Zhuo Ming, a Qi Cultivation realm cultivator.

Pure spiritual energy flowed into Zhuo Ming's nose and mouth and was absorbed and refined by her Earth Mother Technique.

The low-grade spirit stone in her palm slowly dimmed, but Zhuo Ming's consciousness, in a hazy state, seemed to merge with the mountain land beneath her feet. She seemed to perceive the land's experiences through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, through wind, rain, cold, and dew, and the tiny, subtle yet resilient lives clinging to the earth...

A day and a night later.

On the lawn beside where Zhuo Ming sat, a vibrant small red flower suddenly bloomed, a dazzling spot of brightness amidst the greenery, exceptionally eye-catching.

Soon after, a delicate yellow flower also bloomed.

As if on cue, in an instant, small white flowers, small orchids, and more burst forth from the lawn, blooming around Zhuo Ming.

Colorful and vibrant, it was as if all things were growing under the bright sunlight of spring.

Amidst the profusion of flowers, Zhuo Ming slowly opened her eyes, simple yet brimming with vitality.

She gently exhaled, and instantly, the colorful little flower buds suddenly burst into full bloom, vying for attention in front of her.

Zhuo Ming, seeing herself surrounded by a riot of blossoms, wore a dumbfounded expression.

Where did these flowers come from?

Could it be a side effect of the Earth Mother Technique breaking through to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation?

The cultivation method didn't mention anything like this.

Zhuo Ming stood up, a puzzled look on her face, gazing at the spectacle of countless flowers vying for beauty on the lawn where she had sat. She took out her small notebook and jotted it down, planning to ask her master about it at the end of the year.

However, a hint of excitement soon appeared on Zhuo Ming's face.

She had actually reached the ninth level of Qi Cultivation!

Back in Nanxi Market, she would never have imagined achieving such a feat.

If she performed well in battle, she might even have a chance to obtain the Foundation Establishment Elixir from the sect three years from now.

All of this was thanks to her master's backing. "I will definitely not bring shame to my master," she thought.

With this thought, Zhuo Ming performed a deep bow towards the summit of Little Nanshan. Afterward, she tidied up the ashes of the burnt incense stick and descended the mountain to inspect the sixty acres of spirit fields.

Chen Mobai was still unaware that his second disciple had naturally broken through to the ninth level of Qi Cultivation.

He was already leading the second wave of cultivators from the Divine Wood Sect, soaring through the sky on nine airships, heading to reinforce the border of Thunder Nation.

These sect airships were also second-tier magical artifacts, requiring Foundation Establishment cultivators to pilot them to unleash their full power.

When the nine airships were combined, they could form a simple "Three-Three Battle Array."

This array involved three airships forming a triangle, and then these triangles forming larger triangles. Spiritual energy, flowing through the array disks, could create a protective barrier called "Flying Rainbow Aura."

However, to form the Three-Three Battle Array, the cultivators on board the airships needed to infuse spiritual power, as its strength depended on their unified effort.

With the Heavenly Communication Device refined, Chen Mobai began his experiments.

The nine Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect each piloted an airship. They then reorganized the five hundred Qi Cultivation realm disciples from their main sect, having them act as the core, leading the rogue cultivators and aristocratic family disciples recruited from outside, to practice the Three-Three Battle Array.

Initially, it was naturally chaotic and disorganized.

After all, rogue cultivators were notorious for their solitary nature, distrusting everyone.

Chen Mobai showed no leniency at this point. He and the other eight Foundation Establishment cultivators stood on the uppermost deck of the airships, their spiritual senses extended, their faces cold as they scanned every uncooperative rogue cultivator.

"From now on, you will do whatever I say. If anyone opposes my Divine Wood Sect, my sword is not without its sharpness."

As he finished speaking, combined with the powerful spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, the previously noisy rogue cultivators instantly fell silent.

The Eastern Wilderness was different from the Immortal Sects. If one truly angered a cultivator from a major sect, others would only say "good riddance" if you were slain.

With the suppression from the nine Foundation Establishment cultivators, the previously uncoordinated Three-Three Battle Array suddenly began to function smoothly.

Streaks of faint red, cloud-like radiance lit up the exterior of each airship, resembling a red cloud carrying the flying vessels forward in mid-air. As more Qi Cultivation realm cultivators injected their spiritual power into the airships, where it was absorbed, the Flying Rainbow Aura spread wider and wider.

Gradually, the nine airships merged into a single entity, transforming into a vast expanse of fiery clouds. They surged menacingly across the sky with a rainbow glow, like a burning azure sky, collapsing towards the nearby land with intense heat, arriving like a tide.

Along the way, Chen Mobai continuously adjusted and refined the cultivator army under his command.

Generally, the major sects in the Eastern Wilderness employed relatively primitive command structures in warfare.

For example, with a thousand cultivators, typically, Chen Mobai, as the commander, would lead two hundred, and the remaining eight Foundation Establishment elders would each lead a hundred.

The commander's preference might influence this; for instance, if they wanted to use rogue cultivators as cannon fodder, they would keep the Divine Wood Sect's direct disciples by their side, and assign colleagues they disliked to lead the rogue cultivators and aristocratic family disciples.

Within these assignments, the hundred cultivators from large aristocratic families, the hundred cultivators from smaller aristocratic families and minor sects, and the more than two hundred rogue cultivators, etc., would be ordered for sacrifice as cannon fodder based on the closeness of their relationships.

Chen Mobai, however, acted unconventionally. He dispersed the entire thousand-person army and then reorganized them into ten hundred-person squads, each with similar proportions, appointing ten True Disciples of the Divine Wood Sect as squadron leaders.

Below these ten squadron leaders, there was an adjutant, chosen by the small teams themselves, which gave some say to the aristocratic families and rogue cultivators.

As a result, the rogue cultivators who had initially harbored ulterior motives, intending to collect their daily spirit stone allowance and then find a way to scatter and flee once on the battlefield, began to feel uneasy.

However, the Qi Cultivation realm cultivators from aristocratic families and minor sects felt relieved.

After this reorganization, each rogue cultivator had at least one Divine Wood Sect disciple by their side, as well as aristocratic family disciples clearly loyal to the Divine Wood Sect. The rogue cultivators were closely monitored.

If there was any sign of fleeing on the battlefield, they would probably be hacked to death by their own teammates.

Many rogue cultivators instantly showed expressions of regret.

However, once on the airship, if they said they didn't want to participate anymore, the Divine Wood Sect didn't have a particularly good reputation in the Eastern Wilderness, so they likely wouldn't hesitate to use them as a sacrifice to begin the campaign.

They could only take one step at a time, and find a way to escape once they reached the battlefield!

Many rogue cultivators thought this, but many genuinely ambitious rogue cultivators, who even wished to earn merits and join the Divine Wood Sect through this opportunity, showed expressions of joy.

Because such a reorganization of teams meant they were bound together with the Divine Wood Sect disciples, sharing life and death, rather than being the expendable cannon fodder they had imagined.

"It's been ten years, and he's already become so strong, standing so high."

Inside the airship piloted by Yu Lian, a brother and sister from a minor sect gazed at Chen Mobai, who stood at the forefront of the leading airship, filled with emotion.

They had been on the same team as Chen Mobai on Cyan Light Island back then. Although he was already extraordinary at that time, they couldn't believe that a cultivator who was only at the seventh level of Qi Cultivation back then would now not only successfully achieve Foundation Establishment, but also hold such a high and influential position within the Divine Wood Sect, a major Eastern Wilderness power, becoming the commander of a thousand-strong cultivator army.

"I wonder who our captain is. It would be great if we could meet someone we know."

Luo Lin, with her clear features and beautiful face, thought hopefully, while Shi Pengyi stood silently beside her.

After a brief training session, Chen Mobai let everyone rest, and then began to arrange personnel.

The Divine Wood Sect was serious about this war, so they were not stingy with sect contributions and spirit stones.

True Disciples would receive 10 contribution points daily if they went to the battlefield, while others would receive points according to their Qi Cultivation realm.

For example, a seventh-level Qi Cultivation cultivator would get 7 points daily.

Chen Mobai roughly calculated that this batch of five hundred sect disciples would require approximately 2000 sect contribution points daily. Including expenses for talismans, elixirs, and other items, the total would be about 3000 low-grade spirit stones per day.

If they fought for a year at the Thunder Nation border, his cultivator army alone would cost the Divine Wood Sect over a million spirit stones.

Including the recruited rogue cultivators and aristocratic family disciples, the total would be nearly two million.

This reminded Chen Mobai of an ancient saying from the Immortal Sect: "When the cannons roar, a fortune disappears."

The first batch of three thousand cultivators, led by Zhou Wangshen and Xie Yuntian, had already been fighting at the border and Mount Hanshan for two months. According to Luo Xueer, the sect had already spent eight hundred thousand spirit stones.

Of course, while the Divine Wood Sect spent a lot, Mount Hanshan's expenses would be no less.

In conflicts between major sects, if their strengths were balanced, it would then come down to a test of their foundations and resources.

It depended on who would be exhausted and collapse first.

Since Chen Mobai had already decided on the reorganization of teams, he also requested ten True Disciples from Chu Zuoshu for this mission.

Besides his junior disciple Luo Yixuan, the other nine were Li Yixian, Xi Jinghuo, Qi Rui, Qi Hou, Niu Longyuan, Guan Xiaolong, Lian Maozhi, Gu Yan, and Jiang Zongheng.

Among them, Xi Jinghuo, Qi Rui, and Qi Hou were all Chen Mobai's friends, and they had maintained their True Disciple positions over the years. As soon as they heard Chen Mobai was the commander, they all voluntarily applied to go to battle.

Because they all had their sights set on the batch of Foundation Establishment Elixirs three years from now, especially Qi Hou, who still hadn't paid back the ten thousand contribution points from his last failed Foundation Establishment attempt.

If the commander was a friend, their safety on the battlefield would at least be more assured.

The other True Disciples generally shared the same mindset, striving for the contribution points needed for the Foundation Establishment Elixir.

"Each of you will lead a hundred-person squadron. Xuan'er and Li Yixian will receive orders directly from me, while the other eight squadrons will report to the eight elders respectively."

"I will transmit any orders via mobile phone, with one for each Foundation Establishment elder and squadron leader."

"Then, each hundred-person squadron will be divided into ten ten-person squads. It is imperative to refine this structure layer by layer to ensure my orders reach everyone accurately."

After Chen Mobai explained how to use the mobile phones to the ten True Disciples, their expressions were utterly bewildered and shocked, completely unaware that the sect possessed such divine artifacts.

"Junior Brother Chen," Chen Zhenwu of the Hall of Rewards couldn't help but ask while the ten True Disciples were taking their orders and going to the airships to gather their team members for recognition and squad assignment, "it's not that I have any opinion on your military command, but is this approach truly feasible?"

Generally, rogue cultivators were cannon fodder, aristocratic family disciples were considered lackeys, and their Divine Wood Sect disciples were the most precious, only engaging in battle during the decisive moments.

But with Chen Mobai's arrangement, it was akin to treating everyone equally.

"If we cannot unite internally," Chen Mobai replied, "the power exerted by our thousand-strong army might even be less than if we only had five hundred sect disciples."

Although Chen Mobai hadn't really attended military courses in the Immortal Sect, he still knew the basic principles.

With guaranteed communication, one first needed to understand the troops, then train them, and finally strengthen them.

An army of scattered sand could not be trained into a strong force.

Sufficient spirit stones, combined with fairness and justice, were the two best fundamental guarantees for motivating rogue cultivators and aristocratic family disciples.

Regarding Chen Mobai's approach, several of the eight Foundation Establishment elders held reservations, but since he was the commander, they did not voice strong objections.

During the subsequent journey to Thunder Nation, Chen Mobai began training this cultivator army step by step.

Although the space on the airships was not large, it was enough for everyone to have a place to stand. Chen Mobai had Luo Yixuan and the other True Disciples begin practicing the "Jia Wood Dao Soldier Battle Array."

This was a secret war array passed down in the Divine Wood Sect, capable of gathering the strength of many, consolidating everyone's spiritual power, and forming a large spiritual Dao Soldier.

The more people, the stronger this Jia Wood Dao Soldier would be.

This reminded Chen Mobai of the Jia Wood Art he had obtained from the Divine Tree Secret Realm, which allowed one hundred low-grade Red Yang Spiritual Woods to merge and transform into high-grade Azure Yang Spiritual Woods.

He wondered if this Jia Wood Dao Soldier Battle Array had evolved from that.

Because this Jia Wood Dao Soldier could only be formed by the convergence of spiritual power from over a hundred people, Chen Mobai had divided his army into ten units.

It was said that a Jia Wood Dao Soldier formed by ten thousand Qi Cultivation realm cultivators possessed the combat power of a peak Golden Core cultivator in its normal state, and if pushed to its limits, could even unleash a strike almost equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Chen Mobai was quite looking forward to this.