Daoist Competition

Several days later, at the Coastal Northern Cliff.

The great waves crash against the shore, the tide surging tumultuously.

True Master Tao and Zhang Yan stand amidst the clouds, watching the nearly three hundred thousand demon soldiers march grandly along the ravine towards Divine House Mountain.

True Master Tao remarked, "It seems fellow Daoist had preparations in advance. Were these demon soldiers acquired from Bijiao Prefecture in the past?"

Zhang Yan smiled and responded, "Indeed. Ordinary means may not kill a Heavenly Demon. Even with the help of True Treasures, one must not be careless. I believe it is best to trap them first, and then slowly wear them down with an array; that is the safer approach."

True Master Tao agreed, "Heavenly Demons are hard to suppress; fellow Daoist’s caution is indeed warranted. What kind of array does Daoist Zhang plan to set up?"

The volume of "Array Essence" and "Comprehensive Balance Book" Zhang Yan obtained on that day were both gifts from True Master Tao, and now he needed the other’s assistance, so he concealed nothing, saying, "I intend to establish the ’Six Reversal Earth Coffin Formation’. First, it is a formation they have all practiced as a tribe, most proficiently. Second, the more demon soldiers there are, the greater the power of this formation."

True Master Tao nodded in approval, "In Divine House Mountain, there are many towering peaks and few rivers and lakes. Using this formation is also appropriate."

Zhang Yan clasped his hands in salute and said, "At that time, I’ll have to trouble True Master Tao to oversee the great array."

True Master Tao returned the salute and replied, "Naturally, I will exert effort."

He paused, seemingly pondering something, and after a moment, he continued, "I have an array here that, if these two hundred thousand demon soldiers manifest Xuanji, its power would rival that of the Six Return Formation. Would fellow Daoist like to try?"

Zhang Yan was surprised, "The Master’s array must indeed be powerful, but without exercise, how can it effectively face the enemy?"

He understood in his heart that the array claimed not to lose to the Six Return Formation was only polite language, and its power must be above it, which prompted True Master Tao to speak of it.

But an array cannot be casually formed; to wield Ruyi, it requires careful practice, which cannot be accomplished hastily.

Moreover, in the past days, the sky-covering Evil Qi from Guo Monarch had already vanished, clearly indicating its body has been refined, and the latest it would arrive at Divine House Mountain would be in twenty to thirty days, making time insufficient for that.

True Master Tao smiled and said, "That is no concern; I have an array diagram here that only needs to be buried at a spot where Spirit Veins are intertwined, and with a Qi Practitioner stationed in the formation’s position, it can be activated."

Speaking here, he added with a touch of sentiment, "This diagram was obtained from within the Immortal Mansion, and it took decades to refine before it recognized its master. However, there are few people in the Far Sea, and the sea spirit monsters mostly pledge allegiance to the Carp Tribe, so since its refinement, it has only been practiced once or twice."

Upon hearing the diagram’s remarkable origin, Zhang Yan decisively said, "With such an array diagram to assist, everything shall be left to the master’s arrangement. The Qingyu Sect lacks demon soldiers; once dealing with this demon, True Master can take these two hundred thousand demon soldiers back."

True Master Tao lightly waved his hand, "With the diagram at hand, regardless of strength or weakness, they are all the same. I do not need demon soldiers; give me one hundred thousand of the tribe."

Zhang Yan nodded, "As the Master commands."

The two discussed for a while longer and did not delay, then turned back to arrange the array diagram.

In truth, this is not an easy task; surveying the mountain shape and terrain to find the suitable spot for the array eye is necessary to exert the diagram’s power to the fullest.

Luckily, Zhang Yan had previously set bans throughout Divine House Mountain and had found all the Spirit Veins in the mountain, saving much effort. It only took half a day to find a location to bury the diagram.

After the task was completed, True Master Tao still needed to launch mana to arrange the Spirit Veins, and Zhang Yan was inconvenienced to stay by, so he returned to the Cave Mansion first. Upon reaching the peak, Jing You came forward to report, "Master, a messenger from Zhongtai says Master Zheng, in order to suppress the Sky Demon, needs to shut doors to refine, so he cannot come to Divine House now. Once the great method is complete, he will rush to assist."

Zhang Yan chuckled wryly. Though he sent a message for aid, he did not genuinely expect them to come; it was fine as he was prepared. With or without one more person, it wouldn’t make a difference, so he said, "Understood. Are the citizens settled?"

Previously, upon receiving a Flying Book notice, Guo Monarch’s passing left Miasma Poison spread, obliterating all life within a thousand miles. Over the decades, with favorable weather conditions, the mountain’s population neared twenty million, and they could not be left to suffer calamity, thus commanding all sects to relocate the people. Fortunately, during the Vortex Tribulation such a move had been executed, preventing chaos.

Jing You replied, "Yesterday, the last million were relocated to Beishen House, as per Master’s instructions, with elders Chu and Zhao personally overseeing there."

Zhang Yan nodded and instructed, "Issue orders for all Han Yuan disciples to enter the sect for temporary refuge. As for other sects, they may stay or leave as pleased, no need to force."