Chapter 466 - 343: Situ Jingyu Arrives
Situ Jingyu didn’t know what to feel. The moment she first laid eyes on Fang Qingyuan, she felt an inexplicable emotion welling up in her heart.
Through her spiritual sense, Fang Qingyuan’s vast Magical Power fluctuations and the suffocating sense of danger all indicated one thing: Fang Qingyuan had already entered the Golden Core Realm.
The matter of Fang Qingyuan’s Core Formation was not to be publicized before Bear Wind officially became Lechuan’s Companion Beast. Therefore, Situ Jingyu had no idea that Fang Qingyuan had already stepped into the Golden Core Realm.
Now, Fang Qingyuan was leading a group to welcome her, which couldn’t help but make Situ Jingyu’s mind wander.
’Isn’t he the Qingyuan Sect Master? Why is he representing the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect to receive me? Shouldn’t it be Vice Sect Leader Ling Ziqing?’
Before Situ Jingyu could sort out her thoughts, Fang Qingyuan strode forward to greet her.
"Senior Sister, you’ve kept me waiting! I’ve been here since early this morning, but this Spiritual Boat flies so slowly."
Situ Jingyu looked at Fang Qingyuan’s familiar face, temporarily pushing the inexplicable joy she had just felt to the bottom of her heart. The air of a sect leader began to surface.
"Thank you for coming to receive me, Junior Brother Fang. My disciples and their beasts are weary from the journey. I’ll have to ask you to help arrange for them."
"Don’t worry, Senior Sister. It’s my duty as your junior brother. Please, follow me."
The two walked side by side while others tended to the remaining disciples. Fang Qingyuan led Situ Jingyu into the main encampment, gave orders to his subordinates to see to her arrangements, and then excused himself.
He had to rush off to receive the next supporting branch sect. Lechuan was currently busy deploying troops, so the task of welcoming guests had fallen to Fang Qingyuan. It should have been Ling Ziqing’s job, but who could argue now that Fang Qingyuan was a Golden Core Cultivator?
A Golden Core Cultivator showing up was naturally more effective than the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Ling Ziqing. Even if Ling Ziqing was so angry his eyes rolled back in his head, there was nothing he could do about it.
Only after Fang Qingyuan had left did Situ Jingyu let out a laugh. She had never been one to hide her emotions, and Fang Qingyuan’s advancement to the Golden Core Realm was the happiest news she’d had in years.
Situ Jingyu walked out of her Quiet Chamber and went to the edge of the encampment. Seeing the bustling crowds, she nodded in satisfaction.
She had responded to Lechuan’s invitation for two reasons. First, to repay a favor from years ago. Second, she hoped to use this battle to break through the bottleneck from the Early-stage Golden Core to the middle stage.
Situ Jingyu was a Body Cultivator and placed great importance on battlefield enlightenment. By walking the line between life and death, she could grasp that fleeting, fated opportunity to shatter her obstacles and break through in a single step.
She had heard there would be seven Golden Core Demon Beasts to fight to the death in this battle in the Barbaric Wilderness, so Situ Jingyu had come without a moment’s hesitation.
The encampment was divided into territories interconnected by Arrays. Situ Jingyu glanced behind her and noticed her area was fire-aspected. She had never studied Arrays, but she could still feel an astonishing amount of baleful energy gathered above the entire encampment.
’The sheer power makes even my heart tremble. And this is before the great Array is even officially activated. How terrifying would it be when it’s truly unleashed?’
Situ Jingyu quietly took in the atmosphere. Finally, she slowly spread her arms, as if to embrace the battlefield where war was about to erupt.
’Battle. Blood. Death. I have arrived.’
...
「Half a month later.」
The four branch sects that had come to lend their aid had all arrived. Each sect sent three hundred disciples, for a total of one thousand two hundred Cultivators.
Adding their Companion Beasts and War Beasts, the total combat strength reached three thousand at Qi Cultivation and nearly two hundred at Foundation Establishment.
As the organizers, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had naturally mobilized its entire force, along with Cultivators sent from the Zongshan Sect. All told, this army of five thousand Cultivators and over ten thousand War Beasts was enough to flatten any sect in the White Mountain Territory, save for the nine Nascent Soul Powers.
Outside the encampment, the various sects of the White Mountain Territory had also sent many Cultivators. The largest group among them was the White Mountain Loose Cultivators. Numbering nearly two thousand strong, they planned to enter the Barbaric Wilderness alongside the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect.
These powers and Cultivators weren’t seeking to carve up territory after a victory. Instead, they were looking to do business, providing all sorts of services that Lechuan might need.
In a sense, these people were war hyenas looking to make a quick profit. The moment they smelled blood and flesh, they came running, hoping to pick up some scraps left behind by the great beast that was the Beast Taming Sect.
Lechuan was happy to see it. In his eyes, these people were all high-quality bait.
The Qingyuan Sect also sent a number of people this time, led by Jiang Tianfang. The sect dispatched fifty Qi Cultivation disciples, with Jiang Wanqin accompanying them to watch over them.
With Fang Qingyuan present, this team naturally wouldn’t be assigned any overly dangerous missions. This time, their main purpose was to gain experience and broaden their horizons.
In the core of the encampment, Lechuan was in a meeting with the others. Besides Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu, three other Golden Core Cultivators were present.
In mid-air, a scroll slowly unfurled, clearly depicting the mountains, rivers, and the flow of Spirit Vein Land Qi within the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory.
"I plan to attack from the southwest. First, we will eliminate the ’Black Poison Frog,’ then slay the ’Wind Master Sheep.’ Finally, we’ll establish a foothold on this plain, raise the ’Five Elements Spirit Killing Array,’ and brace for the assault of the remaining five Golden Core Demon Beasts. What do you all think?"
The moment Lechuan finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan stated:
"I have no objections."
Situ Jingyu immediately followed:
"I have no objections either."
Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu speaking in perfect concert left the other three Golden Core Cultivators with nothing to say.
Seeing that everyone had stated their positions, Lechuan slammed his fist down and roared:
"To war!"
At his command, the entire encampment suddenly lifted from the ground as if it had grown legs. Pushing aside trees, soil, and stone, it began to march toward the Barbaric Wilderness.
...
Under a dreary gray sky, a massive, toad-like demon beast suddenly burst from the ground. It puffed out its belly but made no sound, its eyes swiveling about as if uneasy.
Instinct drove it to guard against an unknown danger, so it unleashed its most potent technique. A ring of black mist swelled from its body, spreading silently until it covered a distance of half a kilometer in the blink of an eye.
All living creatures in the vicinity collapsed without a sound. Then, their souls and Spiritual Qi were silently absorbed into the poison mist, adding to its power.
This poison mist was the frog’s Innate Divine Technique. It specialized in destroying the consciousness of living beings; even incorporeal entities like Yin Souls and ghosts could not escape it. Its range was enormous, making it perfect for both offense and defense.
It was through this technique that the toad had become the hegemon of the surrounding area.
This time, however, its usual technique had no effect at all.
A beam of light, as thin as a silk thread, shot down from the gloomy sky. It passed through the poison mist at a near-perpendicular angle without deviating in the slightest and pierced straight through the center of its head.
With a loud CROAK, the toad’s ugly, grayish-yellow body swelled violently. The black poison gas spewed outward with a HISS, but it was all in vain. With a BANG, its head was blown to smithereens.
"Did we get it?"
A surprised and doubtful voice called out from the distance, followed by Lechuan’s steady reply:
"It won’t be that easy."
The words had barely left his lips when the massive toad, whose head had just been shattered, transformed its body into a dark, gloomy light. It merged with the poison mist and silently lunged toward them.
’Fire Phoenix Prison.’
A giant Fire Phoenix appeared. Its intense heat instantly ignited the dark, heavy black mist.
A pained croak echoed as the poison mist began to retreat, but another technique was already waiting for the frog.
’Vermilion Bird Star Aspect.’
A Vermilion Bird Dharma Aspect materialized out of thin air, unleashing Star Fire to block the frog’s escape route.
The Star Fire was far more difficult to deal with than Situ Jingyu’s Fire Phoenix Flame. A single spark, empowered by stellar energy, instantly burned right through the frog’s poison.
’Void Python’s Kiss.’
A spectral serpent appeared. It opened its cavernous maw and took a powerful breath, sucking in the black mist. At once, the area fell silent.
Only then did Fang Qingyuan, Situ Jingyu, Lechuan, and a middle-aged Cultivator reveal themselves.