Chapter 482 - 117: Attack Shangjing City
After the formalities, a lotus constructed of golden light materialized beneath Xiao Shan Lord. He sat enthroned upon it and called out a name, "Yu Zuo!"
Instantly, an Artifact Cultivator clad in tight-fitting, gray-black leather armor appeared before Xiao Shan Lord. Under the golden light, his armor glinted with an eerie, blood-red halo. A green, illusory image of a stag rested on his shoulder, flickering in time with the crimson glow.
"His Celestial Dao Cause and Effect is entirely malicious!"
Yu Lian poked her small head out of Wang Ping’s sleeve, concealing her aura as she observed the Artifact Cultivator named Yu Zuo and communicated with Wang Ping in his Spirit Sea.
Wang Ping was also observing Yu Zuo. The Artifact Cultivator struck him as domineering and arrogant, his eyes looking as if they were about to devour someone.
Yu Zuo came to a stop before Xiao Shan Lord and silently cupped his fist in salute, saying nothing.
"Go do what you must!"
Xiao Shan Lord commanded.
Yu Zuo remained silent. After a deep bow, he transformed into a streak of light and flew several hundred yards toward Shangjing City. Then, he summoned a branch suffused with a dense Wood Spirit Aura above his head. The branch’s surface was engraved with incredibly complex Talisman lines. The moment it appeared, it began to grow wildly, instantly becoming a towering tree.
It was a banyan tree, the most common type found in the south. Its dense branches and leaves gave off a Wood Spirit Aura. In the Inspiration Realm, the Mysterious Array constructed by the Talismans on its trunk and branches formed fine threads that linked heaven and earth.
Wang Ping felt that this aura was very familiar.
As he was pondering this, Zi Luan, who was standing nearby, explained, "It’s a small-scale Communication Array, similar to the devices in the Daoist Palace, just a simplified version."
As soon as Zi Luan finished speaking, all the Third Realm Cultivators from the high ground where Wang Ping was resting gathered around Yu Zuo.
At that moment, Xiao Shan Lord, still seated on the golden lotus, formed a simple Spell with his right hand.
The next moment, Wang Ping felt a comfortable warmth wash over his head, as if it were cleansing his Primordial Spirit. It also forced his Primordial Spirit Consciousness to retract into his body.
He had no choice but to look up and observe with his naked eye.
The vast and illusory grand hall in the sky was descending. In the blink of an eye, it was upon them. It passed through Wang Ping’s body and merged with the earth. The sky finally returned to normal, while the golden pillars of light shooting up from the ground below grew even more distinct.
Then, countless fine golden threads appeared before Xiao Shan Lord, weaving together to form a giant map. It was a map of Zhongzhou, but it was missing the northern regions.
Xiao Shan Lord lightly traced a line around Shangjing City on the map. Instantly, golden barriers appeared on the map, enclosing the west and south sides of Shangjing City. In the real world, a corresponding golden barrier materialized out of thin air, surrounding the city’s western and southern sections.
’Is this a Divine Country?’
Wang Ping wondered.
Ahead, the Third Realm Cultivators silently communicated and split into several groups of three. A trio composed entirely of Wood Cultivators was the first to act. They activated a complex, composite Array, and as a dense Wood Spirit Qi emerged, a lush forest sprouted from the barren fields below, spreading toward Shangjing City with incredible speed.
Next, a group of Water Cultivators formed Spells, and a watery mist began to permeate the spreading woods. The forest’s advance suddenly accelerated, and in what seemed like an instant, the South and West Suburbs of Shangjing City were completely covered by the dense thicket.
But it didn’t end there. The forest surged over the city walls, engulfing the towering ramparts and destroying the buildings within. Countless altars and divine statues were toppled by the encroaching woods. The golden light covering the South City District slowly retreated toward the North City District, consumed by the advancing forest.
Strangely, not a single living person was found in the destroyed houses and streets, and there were no soldiers guarding the city walls.
"Insolence! This is the Capital City! How dare you use Magic so recklessly!"
A furious roar thundered from the Imperial Palace on the mountaintop, echoing across the land. Dozens of golden figures shot out from the palace, using Heaven and Earth Fortune to coalesce a golden barrier that halted the forest’s advance.
The moment the golden barrier rose, the watery mist gathered in the forest began to crystallize as a series of Arrays formed within it. In the blink of an eye, the barrier’s surface was coated in a layer of ice. The temperature of the ice plummeted at a visible rate, and within a few breaths, it had neutralized the barrier’s spiritual essence.
"CRACK!"
As the golden barrier shattered, a group of Gold Cultivators and a group of Artifact Cultivators beside Yu Zuo launched a strike toward Shangjing City, with a team of Earth Cultivators providing support from the rear. They were not reckless, however, stopping well within the cover of the forest and mist. Yu Zuo then landed behind them with the Water and Wood Cultivators, flanked on his left and right by two Cultivators from the Yuqing Sect.
"PFFT!"
A piercing sound of something tearing through the air echoed across the land.
It was the group of Artifact Cultivators who had struck first. Each one controlled their Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, coordinating with the spreading forest to attack toward the northern part of the city. In the blink of an eye, the Magical Artifacts crossed the river, tore open the golden light screen over North City, and revealed the scene within.
The streets and alleys of North City were packed with people, all of them facing the Imperial Palace on the mountaintop. A massive altar stood there, surrounded by a Divine Technique Formation that pulsed with a golden halo.
The eyes of the Capital City’s citizens within the Divine Technique Formation were completely vacant. Their spiritual essence was being extracted by the formation, and yet, they seemed to be enjoying the process.
"Are they planning to sacrifice the citizens of an entire city?"
Wan Zhi Daoist’s voice sounded.
Just as she finished speaking, Wang Ping managed to observe the situation inside Shangjing City with his Primordial Spirit. He responded instinctively, "There’s no way Shangjing City has so few people."
"It’s just a little trick. They’ve moved the people of Shangjing City to the north. I suppose they still have a shred of humanity left."
A strange voice, old but steady, came from Wang Ping’s right.
It was Min You.
As he finished speaking, the Sacrificial Captains who had earlier constructed the golden barrier each summoned a golden Longsword. They combined these swords to form a Defense Array, attempting to halt the advance of the Third Realm Cultivators.
"BOOM!"
With a muffled bang, the earth seemed to tremble.
A continuous series of muffled rumbles followed. Even the illusory projection of the Imperial Palace in the sky above Shangjing City trembled, and some of the dilapidated buildings in North City collapsed outright.
It was the group of Third Realm Gold Cultivators who had struck first. They coordinated their charge into the Array, ramming it directly with their formidable physical bodies. Each impact created a spray of blood mist, sending a Sacrificial Captain flying before they crashed to the ground.
In little more than ten breaths, all the Sacrificial Captains had been rammed to death.
Though these Third Realm Cultivators were old, they were veterans who had survived the most chaotic of eras, and their combat experience was immense. First, they used the Wood and Water Cultivators to effortlessly probe the enemy’s outer defenses, then deployed the Artifact Cultivators’ long-range attacks for reconnaissance.
Once they had a clear picture, they immediately eliminated any potential threats. It was just like the triad strike tactics from Wang Ping’s memories of his past life, all formulated with modern technology.
"ZZZZT"
A harsh, strange sound rang out.
From deep within the Imperial Palace on the mountain, countless silvery-white awls appeared. They swirled around a large black umbrella, beside which stood a middle-aged man in a python-embroidered robe.
Faced with this attack from the Imperial Family, the three Gold Cultivators, who had been so ferocious just moments before, cleverly retreated into the cover of the forest. There, a mysterious Magic formed from Wood Spirit Qi immediately began to restore the energy they had expended in the fight.