The Jade Cauldron civil war had dragged on for twenty years.
Rising and falling across countless battles and convoluted turns, it had ultimately converged on the battlefield of Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks.
Luo Chen knew a great deal about this war.
He had even dispatched the Luotian Association's intelligence division to gather all manner of reports. Whether confirmed facts or mere hearsay, he had never ceased his study of the conflict. Time and again, he had surveyed the overall situation and traced the trajectory of events, trying to deduce when the war would end.
Barring the Golden Core echelons of the various sects and the two elusive Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivators, Luo Chen considered his grasp of the conflict far superior to that of ordinary sect disciples, vassals, and rogue cultivators.
Yet the more he learned, the more puzzled he became.
Because wars were simply not fought this way!
In his understanding, when one side was strong and the other weak, it called for a blitzkrieg—a war of annihilation. A thunderous strike, securing total victory in one blow, just as the Luotian Association had done against the Fu and Duan families. It should never have dragged on sluggishly for twenty years.
If two evenly matched powers clashed, there were only two possibilities: either they sat down and negotiated, or they entered a protracted war of attrition.
The former was impossible. When it involved a Tier 4 spirit ground required for a Nascent Soul cultivator's cultivation, coming to terms was out of the question.
That left only the latter possibility—a war of attrition!
From the current state of affairs, it seemed to fit common expectations.
Yet something was wrong!
A true war of attrition required vital strategic targets as primary points of assault. Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, boasting a Tier 4 ore vein, appeared to fit the bill. But contention over such a resource-rich land could easily be handled through more "civilized" means: small-scale sword duels between true disciples, or bolder contests between Golden Core Masters. If all else failed, a simple spar between the two Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivators could settle it.
There was no need for such a massive campaign!
To a Nascent Soul cultivator, Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks was virtually negligible.
If the Luoyun Sect truly desired a Tier 4 spirit ground, they should have focused the brunt of the war on the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect's heartland. Even if they intended to use allied forces to deplete the Sword Sect's living strength, they should have struck at the sect's core territories, rather than an exclave ten thousand li away.
Fighting like this was entirely pointless!
Aside from grinding down Azure Pill Valley, Mount Ailao, Ice Fort, the Yan Alliance, and the numerous first-rate vassals under the Sword Sect, it achieved nothing.
Oh, and the ones consumed in greatest numbers were the countless rogue cultivators—the elite among them, no less.
The crux of the matter lay precisely in that word: "aside from."
Looking at it now, perhaps the true purpose of this protracted war of attrition was indeed to grind down every power in the Jade Cauldron Domain except the two exalted sects!
Azure Pill Valley possessed the greatest territory and the largest number of cultivators, yet their individual combat prowess was ordinary. On the battlefield, facing opponents of equal cultivation, none of their disciples could hold their own in one-on-one combat, save for prodigies like Tao Wan.
Ice Fort had too few vassals. With their cannon fodder mostly exhausted, their disciples had already begun taking the field themselves.
Mount Ailao's main force was pinned down in the Black Water Marsh, suffering grievous casualties. Even a Golden Core Master among them had fallen.
That was the Four Sect Alliance's side.
On the Sword Sect's side, as far as Luo Chen knew, three of the Sword Sect's first-rate vassals had already been battered into ruin. Among them was the Tiandao Sect, which had risen to prominence in recent years; save for their sect master, more than half of their Foundation Establishment cultivators had perished.
The Yan Alliance fared no better. The Black Water Marsh had consumed too much of their time and cost them a Golden Core Master. They had dispatched heavy forces to Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, and their vassals had suffered catastrophic losses, gradually forcing them to fight on the front lines in person.
And what of the two Nascent Soul exalted sects?
The Luoyun Sect's cultivators mostly fought using puppets. Even if bested, they could simply abandon the puppets to preserve their lives.
As for the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect, they deployed precious few true disciples. Luo Chen and Chu Kui had hunted for two whole days and had only managed to slay a single late Foundation Establishment Sword Sect true disciple by sheer luck.
Evidently, both exalted sects were deliberately conserving their own living strength.
"The current situation looks eerily like another war I lived through—a war without smoke," Luo Chen murmured.
He recalled when he had led the Luotian Association in migrating entirely to Tianlan Immortal City. To break into the pill market, the Luotian Association and the Zheng family of Gunlong Ridge had engaged in fierce commercial competition. Sparks flew between both sides, and the outcome had been a win-win, earning both parties immense wealth.
Who had lost, then?
The Danyuan Sect had lost, the Li family of the Qinhua River had lost, the Hu family of Tanshan had lost...
When the first and second clashed, the third died.
Wasn't the present situation identical? The two exalted sects fought a civil war, while the rest of the Jade Cauldron Domain suffered the brunt of the losses!
Luo Chen faintly remembered his arrival at Azure Pill Valley to participate in the Dao Seed contention, where Tao Yisheng had enthusiastically boasted of the valley's immense power and staggering numbers: tens of thousands of Qi Condensation cultivators, over a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators, and fifteen Golden Core Masters!
And that was only Azure Pill Valley. What about Ice Fort? What about Mount Ailao and the Yan Alliance?
Except for Hundred Blossoms Palace, which had few disciples and only three Golden Cores, the cultivator populations of the other four sects were vast. Furthermore, because the Jade Cauldron Domain bordered the Million Mountains and brimmed with resources, Foundation Establishment True Cultivators constantly emerged among rogue cultivators. Across the ten great immortal cities, countless second- and third-rate factions gathered, and over the years, quite a few first-rate factions boasting Golden Core Masters had sprung up.
Could the resources of a single domain sustain so many cultivators?
Yes!
Yet after sustaining them all, it could not support two Nascent Soul exalted sects!
In fact, even when the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect had reigned as the sole hegemon, it had felt the constraints of limited resources whenever it sought to expand.
If this war weakened, suppressed, and destroyed most of those powers, wouldn't ample room for growth open up?
As this realization dawned on him, a chill crept across Luo Chen's scalp.
"The vast Jade Cauldron Domain cannot hold seven great sects. But it can certainly accommodate two Nascent Soul exalted sects!"
"As long as the other five sects decline sharply and the rogue cultivator world exists in name only, the resources of this domain will suffice to nourish both exalted sects!"
"After all, neither the Sword Sect nor the Luoyun Sect is an ancient lineage spanning millennia; each possesses only a single Nascent Soul cultivator. For now, their needs are not nearly as vast as those of exalted sects in other great domains."
Through this reasoning, Luo Chen gradually sorted out the puzzle from his own vantage point.
Still, numerous questions lingered.
First and foremost, he refused to believe that the other four sects were entirely devoid of intelligent minds. Among the high-level cultivators he had met since crossing over, fools were virtually nonexistent. The supposed foresight of a transmigrator was insignificant when measured against the ten-thousand-year history of the Mountain and Sea Realm. The four sects had to possess people far sharper than him, and the intelligence they commanded was undoubtedly far more comprehensive than what the Luotian Association could gather.
Could they truly fail to see through this?
Or had they seen through it, yet remained compelled to walk this path due to certain circumstances?
Profit? Blood feuds?
Or perhaps, just as the Luotian Association had initially been coerced by Fairy Jueqing, they were forced into this war beneath the overwhelming might of the Nascent Soul cultivators?
That was one question.
Another mystery puzzled Luo Chen.
Even if both exalted sects succeeded in weakening or destroying the others, the Jade Cauldron Domain still possessed only a single Tier 4 spirit ground: Mount Yuhuang!
He could not fathom Perfected Jade Cauldron willingly sharing that Tier 4 spirit ground with Ancestor Han Zhan. When the two Perfected Cultivators met, what conditions could they have possibly agreed upon to...
"Wait!"
Luo Chen's heart jolted. In his mind arose the image of a sect's sacred grounds, blanketed in rolling green hills and saturated with astonishingly dense spiritual energy.
"The Jade Cauldron Domain has more than one Tier 4 spirit ground—it has a potential Tier 4 spirit ground!"
"Azure Pill Valley!"
In his mind's eye, he saw the geographical layout of the Five Peaks Guarding the Valley, where veins converged naturally. In his ears echoed Tao Yisheng's proud, hopeful words:
"Four hundred years ago, during the pioneer war, the forebears of our Azure Pill Valley conquered this land."
"Using secret arts, they linked the earth veins and natural topography, moving mountains and filling valleys to create the formation of the Five Peaks Guarding the Valley."
"Now, several centuries later, our Pill Valley has reached the peak of the second tier. In time—after a thousand years—this valley will certainly evolve into a Tier 4 spirit ground!"
"When that day comes, should our Azure Pill Valley produce a Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivator, there will be no need to seek out another Tier 4 spirit ground to cultivate."
Relying on the combined strength of Azure Pill Valley's Golden Core cultivators, it would take a millennium.
Yet what if it were accelerated through the methods of a Nascent Soul Perfected Cultivator?
Would it still take a thousand years?
Luo Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, forcing himself to snap out of these boundless thoughts.
Such matters were too distant and lofty, far beyond his current reach. All he could do was seize this opportunity to reap as many merit points as possible, laying a solid foundation for his advancement to the Golden Core stage.
"Regardless of how the two exalted sects scheme, once I reach Golden Core, my alchemy alone will guarantee me a place as an honored guest in either sect!"
Murmuring to himself, Luo Chen produced a mid-grade spirit stone once more. Closing his eyes, he absorbed its pure spiritual energy.
***
This period of rest lasted a full day and night.
When Luo Chen stepped out of the crude cave abode and looked up, what met his eyes were streaks of light shooting across the sky toward the front lines.
Among them, several glanced down at their position, their expressions carrying envy, disdain, or mockery.
"How has the battle progressed?"
Xu Huanzhen and Duan Feng had already gathered near him.
The former answered immediately, "The Sword Sect alliance refuses to yield an inch. They've massed a vast number of cultivators to garrison the Eighth Peak, seemingly determined to fight to the death."
The latter was brimming with confidence. "The Luoyun Sect's new puppets are terrifyingly potent. A few concentrated volleys can wipe out an entire defensive position. Under the Luoyun Sect's lead, the three sects are steadily reinforcing the assault on the Eighth Peak. I expect it will fall within three days!"
"Three days? I wouldn't be so sure," Chu Kui said, strolling over from behind while tilting a gourd to pour wine down his throat.
Even from several paces away, the rich spiritual energy was palpable. This was preparation he had made for the war—a spiritual wine from Taibai Market designed to rapidly replenish spiritual energy.
Stepping beside them, he said spiritedly, "If the Golden Core Masters intervene personally, shattering the array will be effortless! After that, it will be time for us Foundation Establishment cultivators to show what we can do."
At these words, Xu and Duan nodded in silent agreement.
Both had witnessed Golden Core Masters in action. In the peculiar terrain of Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, an ordinary Tier 3 defensive array could not withstand the full-powered barrage of several Golden Core Masters, even running at full power.
As the three engaged in animated conversation, they gradually noticed that Luo Chen had remained silent.
Chu Kui turned to him in bewilderment. "What are you thinking about?"
Luo Chen's expression was placid.
"Nothing. Just thinking that it's time we set off. How is your recovery?"
Chu Kui patted his chest. "No problem at all. And you?"
"Then let's go!"
As the two moved out, Xu Huanzhen and Duan Feng hesitated, wanting to speak, but in the end, they could only watch the two depart in silence.
On their way to the Eighth Peak, Chu Kui remarked with regret, "If only Min Longyu were here."
Luo Chen gave an acknowledging hum.
With just the two of them, advance planning allowed them to steer clear of top-tier powerhouses and hunt down ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators at leisure. But if they encountered eighth- or ninth-layer Foundation Establishment experts, or slightly larger groups, they had to step aside. It was not that they could not fight them, but rather that they did not want to waste time.
Yet if an array master like Min Longyu were present, the three together could take on virtually anyone.
"How many merit points do we have now?" Chu Kui asked.
"Six thousand one hundred," Luo Chen answered.
Hearing that number, Chu Kui's spirits lifted again.
Not far from ten thousand!
If they got lucky over the next few days and caught a few isolated late Foundation Establishment cultivators, they might reach the sum before long.
Compared to his optimism, Luo Chen was far less sanguine.
Though they relied on each other and their coordination had grown seamless, the steady decline in their physical and spiritual states was an undeniable fact.
On the first day, they had dared to raid a camp, wipe out a party, and intercept nine Foundation Establishment cultivators.
On the second day, they could only roam the perimeter of the vast yellow sands, hunting relatively weaker, ordinary Foundation Establishment True Cultivators.
By today, neither was operating at even eighty percent of peak condition.
They would have to be far more cautious when selecting targets.
When they arrived at the front lines, the battle had erupted in full fury.
Just like before, Golden Core Masters had personally stepped forward to shatter the array.
The difference this time was that instead of seven Golden Cores striking, ten had joined the assault!
Atop the Eighth Peak, six or seven Golden Core Masters resisted fiercely. Among them were sword cultivators of boundless sword qi, capable of holding off three foes at once! Those were Golden Core sword cultivators, undoubtedly belonging to the Jade Cauldron Sword Sect!
However, sword cultivators were far stronger on offense than defense. Under repeated assaults, the Eighth Peak's grand defensive array was ultimately shattered.
Someone on the Luoyun Sect's side even deliberately channeled down a thunderstorm, utterly obliterating the array's foundation and crushing any hope the Sword Sect had of repairing it.
With the array shattered, the subsequent sequence unfolded as before.
The Luoyun Sect's puppet army mobilized en masse, preparing to carpet the ground with artillery!
One could well imagine that after several volleys of bombardment, the defensive formation on the Eighth Peak would collapse, devolving once more into chaotic skirmishes.
However!
Just as the Luoyun Sect's puppet army advanced, "stars" suddenly rose across the Eighth Peak.
Strictly speaking, those were not stars!
They were sword pills!
Over a hundred sword pills converged in midair, sketching a nebulous array diagram across the sky.
The moment he saw that array diagram, Elder Linghu's expression on the Luoyun Sect's side changed dramatically.
"The Myriad Swords Diagram!"
In his horror, he unleashed a thunderous palm strike, intending to interrupt the sword array's formation.
Yet before the palm print landed, a streak of sword light shot into the sky.
*Chii!*
The colossal palm print instantly disintegrated.
A handsome, clear-eyed young Daoist flew out from the Eighth Peak.
"Fellow Daoist Linghu, let the juniors settle their own disputes. Intervening yourself would be unseemly."
Seeing this man, Linghu Jie's expression darkened.
"Kaiyang!"
Master Kaiyang smiled faintly. "Shall we trade a few blows, or observe the proceedings?"
Linghu Jie fell silent.
As the two spoke, the attacks from both sides had already taken shape.
The Luoyun Sect's puppet army unleashed a furious barrage of artillery, indiscriminately bombarding the concentrated masses on the Eighth Peak.
Simultaneously, the Myriad Swords Diagram erected by the Sword Sect flared with blinding radiance, sending thousands of sword qi raining down like a deluge.
The Four Sect Alliance army, which had been poised to sweep forward, suffered catastrophic casualties in an instant.
At this point, both sides were riding a tiger, unable to dismount.
Yet high in the nine heavens, thunderclouds converged, accompanied by wailing winds and boundless flashing silver serpents.
Seeing this, Linghu Jie breathed a sigh of relief.
With heavenly lightning gathering, the Myriad Swords Diagram could not endure. Sure enough, moments later, the sword pills flew back. Cultivated with a cultivator's heart and mind, sword pills could not withstand the ravages of heavenly lightning.
With that, both sides returned to equal footing.
"Kill!"
"Everyone, charge!"
At the commands of the two Golden Core Masters, two tidal waves of cultivators collided violently.
In a secluded corner, Luo Chen and Chu Kui looked up, gazing with awe at the slowly dispersing sword array.
A hundred men forming an array, peerless in slaughter. Even a Golden Core Master would have to retreat before it.
Fortunately, both the time and the terrain favored their side.
Watching the battle erupt in an instant, Chu Kui felt a tremor in his heart.
"Good thing I joined the Luotian Association and can move freely with you. Otherwise, in a battle of this scale, the name Tiankuizi would be nothing more than a joke."
Luo Chen forced a stiff smile.
The foundation of an exalted sect was beyond their imagination. He had thought the puppet army invincible, only to discover the Sword Sect possessed such means as sword cultivators combining into an array.
Still, in the unique terrain of Mount Thunder Accumulation's Nine Peaks, the Myriad Swords Diagram could not be maintained for long. Now, the battle had returned to familiar ground.
After the initial collision, the two armies began fragmenting into smaller engagements. Before long, over ten thousand scattered skirmishes covered the field.
This was the chaotic fray in which the Twin Heroes of Tianlan thrived.
"The fluctuations of spiritual energy are too violent right now; I can't cast the Water Mirror Art," Luo Chen said.
Chu Kui understood the situation well. "Then we stick to the original plan?"
"Yes. Head to the perimeter and wait for our chance!"
Having agreed, the two concealed their auras and slipped toward the outer edge of the Eighth Peak.
Experience told them that as skirmishes multiplied and the battlefield expanded, waiting on the perimeter would inevitably yield prey wandering right into their trap.
***
Three hours later.
"Which one is this?" Luo Chen whispered.
Chu Kui's expression was grave as he held up three fingers.
"The third. An early Foundation Establishment cultivator, looks like an inner disciple of the Yan Alliance."
Luo Chen frowned. "They're grouping up more and more. Our opportunities seem to be shrinking."
This grouping was not limited to the Sword Sect; the Four Sect Alliance was doing the same.
Chu Kui sighed helplessly. "It can't be helped. To earn merit points, plenty of people are taking risks and doing the exact same thing we are, on both sides. From what I know, the Nether Twins and the Four Elders of Lian Cang are all running this racket."
The Nether Twins and the Four Elders of Lian Cang were eminent rogue cultivators like Chu Kui, famous in the regions surrounding their respective immortal cities.
During Azure Pill Valley's Dao Seed contention, Luo Chen had seen the man and woman known as the Nether Twins. Shangguan Yan had recruited them, and even fighting individually, they had secured an impressive third place for her in the first round. One had to remember that He Yuanqing, who took second, had deployed Chu Kui and top experts from his clan just to barely claim that spot.
As for the Four Elders of Lian Cang, they were figures of renown from a century ago. The four brothers fighting as one had been formidable even then, and now that all four had reached late Foundation Establishment, rumors claimed they could match a Golden Core Master together.
With figures like them hunting across the field, their efficiency was undoubtedly high.
"What now, then?" Chu Kui asked hesitatingly.
Without Luo Chen's Water Mirror Art to guide them, their field of vision was severely limited.
"Let's change locations!"
"Alright."
The familiar routine played out again: pulling slightly back from the engagement zone, they skirted the edges in search of a new ambush site.
As they passed a canyon, Luo Chen suddenly stopped.
Chu Kui looked down at the fighting below. "You want to chew on this tough bone?"
It was indeed a tough bone; more than ten Foundation Establishment True Cultivators were embroiled down there. According to their plan, they should avoid engagements of this size.
Yet this time, Luo Chen drew his artifact without hesitation.
"Let's strike. That kid is down there; I can't just leave him to die."
"Hm?" Chu Kui was taken aback. Looking down at a battered young man, realization dawned on him. "Fair enough. The kid's mother is a Luotian Association executive, and I count as one of your people now. I'll lend a hand."
With a low murmur, the Heaven-Equalizing Staff dropped into his hand.
***
Inside the canyon, a fierce melee was underway.
Judging by their attire and emblems, they were clearly Yan Alliance vassals against Luoyun Sect inner disciples.
"Slay these Luoyun Sect disciples and claim great merit!"
"Show no mercy!"
"Kill!"
Among the crowd, an old man with grizzled hair barked savage orders. His hands formed a flurry of incantations, directing a flying sword that darted through the fray, drawing shrill cries of pain wherever it passed.
He was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator! Though he had only recently broken through, he was still an expert among the vassals. Bolstered by his close ties to the Yan Alliance, the others readily followed his lead.
Opposite them, the young Luoyun Sect inner disciples were wide-eyed with terror.
The senior brother leading them had been ambushed and killed. In the cramped canyon, the puppetry they excelled at could not be deployed effectively. Constrained on all sides, they were being battered by a pack of vassal cultivators who were far from elite.
Under the crushing pressure, one disciple snapped.
"Let's die together, then!"
A third-layer Foundation Establishment disciple recklessly activated his puppet.
A brilliant beam of light erupted.
The enemies scrambled to evade, but in the chaos of battle, not all were swift enough. A mid-Foundation Establishment enemy caught the edge of the beam, and more than half his body was instantly vaporized.
The disciple felt a surge of joy—only for an agonizing wail to rise behind him.
"Senior Brother Li, why did you kill Junior Brother Wu?!"
Senior Brother Li froze, watching an unguided puppet crash to the earth. Its master had stood directly in the center of the beam's path.
*I killed a fellow disciple by mistake?*
In his moment of stunned horror, a flying sword flashed through his chest like lightning.
"Unable to distinguish friend from foe, pathetic combat experience, and daring to lose focus in the middle of battle. How does someone of your disposition even deserve to establish a foundation?"
The grizzled Zheng Tianfang sneered.
Paying no further heed to the dying man, his eyes settled on the remaining three Luoyun Sect disciples.
Beneath that cruel gaze, Qin Yuanjiang trembled violently.
All the senior brothers were dead! Among the three left, he, having broken through to Foundation Establishment only recently, was now the senior brother in charge.
"Senior Brother Qin, what do we do?"
"Our puppets are all destroyed. We're going to die!"
Listening to the panicked cries of his two junior brothers, Qin Yuanjiang forced himself to stay calm.
"What are you afraid of? Draw your artifacts and fight!"
"We of the Luoyun Sect have no tradition of waiting for death!"
"The sword arts the elders made you practice can kill enemies just the same!"
As he spoke, he drew a golden longsword, its edge cold and seemingly unhoned.
Seeing this, Zheng Tianfang scoffed, "Pointless defiance. Just resign yourselves to death!"
The other Foundation Establishment True Cultivators, seeing victory assured, laughed heartily.
Just as they prepared to end the battle in one stroke, Zheng Tianfang's expression abruptly twisted.
He snapped his head upward.
A red-robed Daoist stood high in the sky, his hands gripping empty air as though pulling at invisible reins.
The next instant, a low roar shattered the air:
"Landslide!"
*Boom! Boom!*
Two deafening crashes tore through the canyon as the cliff walls on both sides fractured and collapsed. The massive rock faces blew apart in an explosion of surging spiritual energy and hurtling boulders.
Chapter 387