Chapter 634 - 581: Chenzhou Is Here!
Yunping Mountain.
Dark clouds obscure the moon, and the mountain winds howl.
Guan Nan Fort is treacherously positioned, deep within the mountains, with a hundred-zhang high wall built between two towering green peaks, stretching over a dozen miles, guarding all the sects within Yunping Mountain.
Guan Nan Fort is the station of the Qianji Tower, established by a group of cultivators skilled in the Armored Mechanism Path, merely three hundred years old, spanning just three generations.
However, the importance of Guan Nan Fort to the Yuquan Sect is self-evident; as long as Guan Nan holds, Yunping will not fall.
If Guan Nan Fort were to be breached, it would be as if Yunping Mountain was laid bare, allowing either upstream monsters or ill-intentioned individuals to easily invade the interior of Yunping Mountain and seize mineral resources.
Since receiving the ’Rakshasa Order,’ Qianji Tower evacuated the elderly, women, children, and cultivators unable to fight from Guan Nan Fort, sending them to Yuquan Sect.
Because Chenzhou Wanderer is ruthless and spares no one, not even leaving souls behind, forcing them into eternal torment by becoming Ghost Slaves, many weaker forces in Yunping Mountain dare not confront her head-on.
In their sect, producing a Nascent Soul Cultivator is a pillar nurtured with the entire sect’s power, and should they fall, the sect would quickly be swallowed by other forces and collapse completely.
Therefore, they only sent a batch of supplies to Qianji Tower to resist the attacks from Chenzhou Wanderer.
Only Yuquan Sect sent two Nascent Soul True Monarchs to assist at Guan Nan Fort.
In the Seven Stars River Basin, no sect has cultivators at the Refining Void Stage; even the Heavenly Star Sect only has one Peak of Divinity Transformation cultivator in seclusion, attempting to break through.
Yuquan Sect is no different, with only one Supreme Elder at Divinity Transformation Stage overseeing the sect without stepping out.
Since ancient times, there has been an unwritten rule within the Nine Rivers Realm: cultivators above the Divinity Transformation are to mind their affairs and not easily intervene in other regions’ matters.
This time, the Xiong Family from the Eight Immortals River Basin came to the Seven Stars River under the banner of ’demon suppression and defending the Dao,’ sending only Nascent Soul Cultivators to lead, without openly stating their intent to aid the Heavenly Star Sect.
If someone reports this to the Upper Three River Basin, the disciples of the Immortal Palace under the Realm Lord of Nine Rivers would intervene, and then no one would have a good time.
Simply put, the Realm Lord doesn’t care about minor skirmishes; however, once it escalates to the Divinity Transformation level, causing significant damage to the Nine Rivers Realm, the Realm Lord will intervene.
However, as a Mahayana cultivator, he doesn’t care which ’monkey’ claims dominance over which territory within the realm; what he wants is the overall stability of the realm, allowing the Dao Fruit he comprehends to naturally evolve within it.
At this moment, it was the seventh day of the Qianji Tower receiving the Rakshasa Order, at the time when the moon was at its zenith.
The moonlight was dim, and the torchlight on the walls swayed in the night wind; heavy artillery mechanisms aimed at the plains outside the pass and the distant dense forest, their black barrels gleaming with cold light, oozing with killing intent.
A dozen teams took turns patrolling the city walls, wary of enemy attacks.
The two Nascent Soul Cultivators sent by Yuquan Sect and the two from Qianji Tower each guarded a side of Guan Nan Fort, ensuring the City Defense Great Array’s stability so it wouldn’t be breached.
On the city wall, Lou Guanqing, a mid-aged cultivator at Early-Stage Nascent Soul, sat cross-legged on the top of the Talismanic Tower, resting with his eyes closed.
A young man in blue attire ran quickly up to the city wall, where a No-Fly Great Array was in place. He stepped aside as the patrols passed and stood below the Talismanic Tower, reporting up.
"Father, we just received news that the Chenzhou Wanderer, who destroyed sects throughout the Seven Stars River, was an impostor; the real Chenzhou Wanderer has issued statements to several sects and families, intent on killing the impostor."
Lou Guanqing snapped open his eyes, came down from the Talismanic Tower, and took the intelligence from Lou Cunming’s hands for careful examination.
"Father, are we safe now? With the real one targeting the impostor, the latter won’t have time to attack us, right?"
Lou Guanqing snorted, "Naive! It’s clear to any discerning eye; Chenzhou Wanderer is merely a front for the Heavenly Star Sect. They must be planning to attack Guan Nan Fort; only by pulling out Guan Nan Fort can they successfully invade Yunping Mountain and unify the Seven Stars River."
Lou Cunming scratched his head, frustrated, "How long will this constant fighting go on? I think the Supreme Elder of Yuquan Sect lost interest in conflict long ago; if not for his promise to the former Sect Master to look after the Sect Disciples, with his practice of the Supreme Forget Emotion Path, he would have long gone on a journey away from Yuquan Sect."
The destruction of other sects in the Seven Stars River Basin might be due to the Heavenly Star Sect’s aggressive expansion, but Yuquan Sect’s current situation is entirely because of their Supreme Elder, practicing the Supreme Forget Emotion Path, seeing everything lightly, adhering to the Heavenly Dao, and nature.
As a result, he has not stood up for Yuquan Sect in many matters he should have overseen.
For as long as the Heavenly Star Sect hasn’t attacked the Yuquan Sect’s mountain gate, that Supreme Elder will not act.
Lou Guanqing worriedly furrowed his brows, "Regardless, the Heavenly Star Sect has been committing all sorts of misdeeds, expanding territory with Evil Dao methods; they are definitely not good allies. Unfortunately, the Zhuge Family cannot overly involve themselves in the Seven Stars River affairs, otherwise things would be much easier."
"Can’t we go to join the Zhuge Family, move to the Eight Immortals River?" Lou Cunming asked.
Lou Guanqing seemed tempted but also hesitant.
"Our ancestors built the Qianji Tower with difficulty; I cannot let this family heritage fall in my hands. We must watch and see. Moreover, the Zhuge Family supports us in secret because we can serve as their eyes in the Seven Stars River. If we leave the Seven Stars River, we would lose our value to the Zhuge Family."
Lou Cunming drooped his head and sighed, truly tired of the life of fighting and killing. His biggest dream was to go to a place like the Zhuge Family and wholeheartedly study the Armored Path.
It’s said that recently, a knowledgeable and amusing guest elder arrived at the Zhuge Family to teach, and he really wanted to experience it.
Unfortunately, Qianji Tower’s development requires their siblings, so they can only stay within these rectangular city walls.
Just like...the insects beneath their feet.
Insects?!
"Father, look!"
Lou Cunming pointed horrifiedly at the small black insects crawling out from the gaps between the bricks of the city wall.
Upon seeing this, Lou Guanqing’s expression turned stern, and he pushed Lou Cunming aside, shouting.
"Enemy attack!!"
Before his words fell, the sound of bricks cracking spread across the wall, countless black flying insects surged out from the crevices, gathering into a vast black cloud, blotting out the sky, buzzing incessantly.
Two Foundation Establishment Stage guards were caught off guard and swallowed by the insect cloud, immediately letting out shrill screams, blood spewing everywhere.
In the blink of an eye, those two guards were reduced to blood-soaked skeletons with fragments of flesh within the insect cloud.
Lou Cunming’s face turned pale with fear, while Lou Guanqing swung a beam of green light to repel the oncoming insect cloud.
The insect cloud clung to the City Defense Barrier, its sharp mandibles gnawing frantically, and in no time, they bit out a large hole in the City Defense Barrier.
Lou Guanqing saw then, shadows teeming beneath the city wall, filled with grotesque Evil Ghosts, swiftly climbing the walls.
And at the edge of the forest beyond the plains, a group of Evil Cultivators in black stood spread out in a line, centered around a female cultivator in blue with white hair and a black mask, glaring menacingly at Guan Nan Fort.
"Ch-Ch-Chenzhou Wanderer!" Lou Cunming cried out in terror.
"Chenzhou is here!"
A sharp female voice suddenly came from above the two, and Lou Guanqing, shivering, protected Lou Cunming and retreated, only to see someone had appeared on top of the talismanic tower where he had been, unnoticed.
He had been completely unaware, breaking out in a cold sweat in an instant.
He saw her standing against the chilly night wind, her long hair flying, her green robe billowing. She raised a hand to remove the black and gold patterned mask from her face, her mature and sharp features revealed, a mocking curve at her red lips.
"I’ve been waiting for them for so long!"
At this, Lou Cunming screamed again in terror.
"Ch-Chenzhou Wanderer! Truly the real Chenzhou Wanderer!"