Chapter 38: The Great Battle Has Begun

Everyone could see that the Luoxia Sect and the Chiling Sect were merely pawns; it was the Immortal Alliance that truly sought to destroy the Xuantian Sect. Now that they were blocked by the mountain-protecting array, they would undoubtedly find other ways to breach it.

Boom!

The sound of the array being attacked echoed once more. Flashes of spellwork ignited in the sky, only to be isolated and dissipate upon contact with the barrier’s surface.

"Are the people of the Xuantian Sect nothing but spineless cowards?" A middle-aged man in green robes stood high in the air, looking down toward the main hall with utter disdain. "You had the audacity to collude with the Demon Realm and practice demonic arts, so why don't you have the courage to come out and fight?"

Qi Hong led the elders out of the main hall, looked up at the sky, and spoke coldly, "Sect Leader Yin, whether my Xuantian Sect has colluded with the Demon Realm is something your Luoxia Sect knows well, as do the Chiling Sect and the Immortal Alliance. To continue using such excuses now is simply laughable."

Sect Leader Yin let out a cold snort and continued his accusations. "Hmph! The Xuantian Sect destroyed forbidden grounds first and defied the orders of the Immortal Alliance later—if that isn't collusion with the Demon Realm, what is? Today, our two sects are here to purge you degenerates."

"Degenerates?" Qi Hong’s gaze chilled as he swept his eyes over the two sect leaders in the sky. "Who exactly are the degenerates here? Everyone knows the Immortal Alliance’s goal of supremacy. Think carefully, both of you: if the Xuantian Sect truly falls today, who will be next? If they can use fabricated charges to deal with us, they may well use the same methods to deal with you tomorrow."

"Silence!" Before he could finish, a Nascent Soul cultivator beside Sect Leader Yin stepped forward and barked, "How dare you slander the Immortal Alliance? Do you really think you are safe just by hiding behind this formation?"

"Feel free to try!" Qi Hong replied in a low voice. It seemed the past seven days had exhausted their patience; these two Nascent Soul cultivators, who had suddenly appeared, were no longer even pretending and were openly admitting their affiliation with the Immortal Alliance.

"It is merely a slightly stronger formation," the Nascent Soul cultivator said, casting a contemptuous glance at the people below. "Do you truly think we cannot break it? The foundation of the Immortal Alliance is beyond the imagination of ignorant people like you."

"..." Qi Hong’s expression darkened. What were they planning?

The man simply looked up at the sky, then turned to the other Nascent Soul cultivator and said, "The time has come. Bring out the Immortal Artifact!"

After saying this, the man threw an object into the air, and both began to cast incantations. Suddenly, wind and clouds surged as spiritual energy began to gather in massive quantities. Starlight-like radiance converged upon the object, and within moments, it formed a colossal sword that spanned half the horizon.

The two changed their hand seals, and the giant sword slashed downward. Following a thunderous roar, it struck the formation directly.

The previously impenetrable array instantly cracked, revealing a deep sword scar. The powerful shockwave, carrying immense spiritual pressure, surged downward. The disciples standing in the plaza were unable to hold their ground and collapsed; those with lower cultivation even spat out blood.

Qi Hong and the elders hurriedly channeled their spiritual energy to provide protection.

"The mountain-protecting array is failing!" a disciple cried out in alarm.

Cracks spread from the broken point in the sky like a spiderweb, racing across the entire barrier. In an instant, the transparent array that had encased the entire Xuantian Sect was covered in fissures and began to dissipate in fragments.

The array was breaking.

Qi Hong gritted his teeth, grabbed a nearby disciple, and commanded, "Quick! Inform all Qi-Refining disciples to retreat to the back mountain; the teleportation array there can take you out of the sect."

"Sect Leader..." The disciple’s eyes grew red.

"Go!" Qi Hong pushed him away, drew his own spiritual sword, and channeled his energy to shout, "All disciples at Foundation Establishment and above, follow me to meet the enemy!"

He flew upward first, charging toward the Nascent Soul cultivators. A major battle was now unavoidable; at the very least, they, these "old bones," could buy enough time for the younger disciples to escape alive.

The other elders did not hesitate; they summoned their own swords and rose into the air alongside Qi Hong to attack the cultivators of the two sects.

But to their surprise, the two Nascent Soul cultivators from the Immortal Alliance had no intention of engaging them in direct combat. Instead, they continued to chant in unison, once again manifesting the Immortal Artifact.

Radiance flooded the sky, and the giant sword reappeared above the Xuantian Sect, swinging down with chaotic sword qi and overwhelming pressure.

"No, block that strike!" Qi Hong’s face changed drastically. With the barrier already broken, if this sword landed, the entire sect would be destroyed.

He made a split-second decision, weaving hand seals rapidly to try and block the devastating blow. The other elders also exhausted their spiritual energy, summoning all their defensive spiritual artifacts.

Almost in an instant, the elders manifested a transparent barrier in front of them.

Then, a thunderous crash rang out...

The giant sword slashed down.

Only upon direct contact did they realize how terrifying this Immortal Artifact truly was. They felt a monstrous force strike them, shattering their meridians inch by inch. The spiritual energy they had channeled proved utterly futile.

*Puff...*

The elders spat out blood and were sent flying backward together, unable to maintain their flight as they plummeted to the ground.

*This is bad!*

Even with all the elders joining forces, they had no way to stop it. Despair filled everyone’s eyes as the heaven-cleansing sword, meeting no further resistance, descended toward the heart of the sect.

Just as it was about to strike, a white light flashed across the plaza, and two figures suddenly appeared before them.

The previously fierce giant sword vanished like bursting fireworks, dissolving into glowing dust as if it had never existed at all.

One of the figures waved away the light and walked forward. "What is this? So blinding!"

"Senior Chu!" Qi Hong was the first to cry out, overcome with sudden joy. They had finally returned.

"Am I late?" Chu Qiuzi stared for a moment before recognizing that the pale man spitting blood was Sect Leader Qi.

"No, not at all, hahahaha... *cough, cough*..." Qi Hong felt the pressure vanish instantly. He laughed heartily, then spat out more blood in celebration. "You arrived just in time! Just in time!"

"Master." Jing, who suffered from social anxiety, ran over anxiously to support the swaying Sect Leader. "You're hurt!"

"It's nothing..." The Sect Leader waved his hand, about to say something.

Suddenly, a voice filled with frustration and rage echoed from the sky. "What did you do?!"

The two Nascent Soul cultivators who had just summoned the giant sword were staring at Chu Qiuzi and the other figure below in shock and fury. They began weaving hand seals again, seemingly trying to summon the sword once more, only to find that no matter how they contorted their fingers, the Immortal Artifact in their hands remained completely unresponsive, let alone capable of summoning the sword again.

"You... you dared to destroy an Immortal Artifact!"

*The hell?*

Chu Qiuzi was baffled, but she couldn't be bothered to argue with him. She looked up and asked, "So you're the ones who attacked the Xuantian Sect?" They had forced her to activate the teleportation array and rush back before she could even finish repairing her house.

The man’s expression darkened. He scanned Chu Qiuzi with suspicion, but seeing that she had no spiritual energy around her and looked like a mere mortal, he assumed she had some hidden artifact that had blocked the attack. He snorted coldly, "Hmph! Don't think that because you blocked the Immortal Artifact, you have any chance of winning!"

With that, he turned and waved at the Luoxia and Chiling Sects. "The battle has only just begun!"

Instantly, the mass of cultivators from the two sects, who had been encircling the sect for seven days, charged down toward the Xuantian Sect.

Then...

*ROAR~~~~*

A heaven-shaking roar erupted.

Just as the swarming cultivators dived downward, a massive black shadow descended from the sky. *Slap!* It instantly sent the majority of the cultivators flying. Countless massive, thick tentacles descended like flyswatters, striking them down.

"Sea beast! That's impossible! No..." Someone screamed, only for the sound to be cut short.

A giant beast that looked like an octopus had appeared from behind the Xuantian Sect. Its form was taller than the sect’s peaks, and it was writhing with countless tentacles, wrapping around the entire Xuantian Sect as if cradling it. Many of its tentacles were raised high, *thwack, thwack, thwack*, continuously slapping the attacking cultivators out of the sky.

It was the kind of scene where one strike swept away a whole crowd, then another strike swept away the next.

The battle had begun!

And the battle had already ended!

Chu Qiuzi: "..."

The two sects: "..."

The members of the Xuantian Sect: "..."