"It's open!"
"Get inside, quickly!"
An urgent cry rang out as Granny Hongye gave the prompt.
Yet none of the others dared to move right away.
Who knew what lay waiting for them on the other side?
Heavenly Master Li let out a soft chuckle. "This old man shall take the lead, then!"
Transforming into a streak of flowing light, he darted through the crack forced into the bronze gate.
Without further hesitation, the rest filed inside one after another.
Last of all was Luo Chen!
By the time the two ancestors of the Golden Lion Empire rushed to the scene, all they caught was the fleeting glimpse of a dark silhouette vanishing into the gap.
Then came the thunderous boom of the bronze gate slamming shut.
"The other three are still inside—they're in danger!"
The Third Ancestor's expression shifted slightly. He immediately brought out a token, intent on reopening the bronze portal.
Yet no matter how vigorously he channeled power into the token, the gate remained utterly motionless, as though braced from within by an immovable force.
The Fifth Ancestor, possessing some skill in formations, tested it briefly and turned pale with shock.
"A top-tier formation master inside set up an additional spirit-blocking array! It altered the structure of the replica Gate of Life and Death. In the short term, there is no way to open it through normal means."
What manner of formation master could alter the structure of a magic treasure forged by cultivators of the Gate of Life and Death so quickly?
A name instantly leapt to mind.
"Hongye!"
The Third Ancestor spat the name through gritted teeth.
Only that old hag from the Red Leaf Cult possessed such profound attainments in formations.
According to the Golden Lion Emperor, among the eight intruders there was indeed an elderly woman.
If the description was accurate, she must have personally intervened, discerning the flaws in the gate's restrictions to slip inside so effortlessly.
No!
In such a brief span of time, Hongye alone could never have accomplished it.
Someone intimately familiar with the bronze gate had to have prepared in advance, paired with the intervention of a formidable body refinement expert possessing colossal physical might, to force the gate in one stroke.
He had no idea who the latter was, but the former was undoubtedly that treacherous wretch, Heavenly Master Li.
"Fifth Sister, act quickly! Break Hongye's formation and regroup with Eldest Brother and the others!" the Third Ancestor ordered.
The maiden Fifth Ancestor nodded. "I will do my best!"
Yet before she could begin, the Golden Lion Emperor came rushing in, frantic and disheveled.
"Ancestors, ancestors, save us!"
"What has thrown you into such a panic? Where are your manners?" the Third Ancestor scolded sharply.
The Golden Lion Emperor's face was paper-white. "They've attacked! The Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance has launched an invasion!"
Hearing the name of the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance, the Third Ancestor could not help but frown.
Even though they had cloistered themselves in the Yin-Yang Realm to cultivate, they still caught wind of the treacherous undercurrents in the Southern Border.
There had indeed been such a faction stirring restlessly in the shadows.
Yet he had never imagined they would have the audacity to strike at the grand Golden Lion Empire.
The Golden Lion Emperor caught his breath and continued, "Not only that, but according to transmissions from the beacon towers, cultivators of the Tianyuan Dao Sect are among the enemy forces!"
At these words, the Third Ancestor's complexion drained of color. Even the maiden Fifth Ancestor, who had been setting up her array to test the door, froze in place.
If the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance had acted on its own, it could still be regarded as internal factional strife within the Southern Border.
With the Tianyuan Dao Sect of the Central Plains involved, however, the implications changed entirely.
By now, who under the heavens was blind to the Tianyuan Dao Sect's ravenous ambitions?
They had campaigned against the Northern Sea and established their dominance over the Eastern Desolation.
Now, they dared reach their hands into the Southern Border as well!
Their ambition to swallow the entire world was plain for all to see!
"Beyond the Golden Lion Empire lies One-Horn Mountain, and beyond that... is our sect," the maiden Fifth Ancestor murmured, her eyes brimming with dread.
The Third Ancestor drew a deep breath and made an immediate decision. "Put this matter aside for now. We go outside and deploy troops to halt the armies of the Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance and the Tianyuan Dao Sect. Fifth Sister, notify the powerhouses of our sect at once so they can prepare!"
The Fifth Ancestor nodded. "That is indeed what must be done. But what about the Yin-Yang Realm? A full seven Nascent Soul True Persons have broken inside, including two late Nascent Soul Great Cultivators—Heavenly Master Li and Granny Hongye!"
"We can't worry about that now! Compared to the sect's survival, neither the Golden Lion Empire nor Eldest Brother and the others matter. Besides..." The Third Ancestor paused, grasping for a sliver of comfort. "The Yin-Yang Realm is packed with layered arrays. As long as Eldest Brother and the others proceed with caution and rely on those formations, they still stand a chance."
The girl opened her mouth, but in the end could only let out a dispirited sigh.
"Let us hope so!"
"Let's go. Outside, they are waiting for us to take command." The Third Ancestor turned and strode toward the exit.
After several paces, however, there was no sound behind him.
He glanced back in confusion and found the maiden's face clouded with profound hesitation.
Displeased, he snapped, "What else is there? Why hesitate at a time like this?"
In a voice laced with an uncanny dread, the girl stammered, "Third Brother... the Gate of Death is located inside the Yin-Yang Realm. Could Heavenly Master Li and the others... be after the Gate of Death?"
The Third Ancestor froze dead in his tracks.
***
A colossal flying vessel, resembling a floating war fortress, hovered in the skies above the border of the Golden Lion Empire.
It seemed to span the horizon, hanging motionless.
Yet upon closer inspection, this massive vessel was advancing toward the empire's heartland with an indisputable, unstoppable momentum.
Streaks of escape light shot out from the vessel, plunging into the battlefields below.
Aboard the deck, Zhan Bingtao looked upon the scene with undisguised disdain.
"Such a vast empire, yet its responses are so stiff and sluggish. They were entirely oblivious even as our grand army bore down upon their borders."
Alliance Leader Songyang wore an expression that suggested he had anticipated this all along.
"One cannot entirely blame the Golden Lion Empire. From what I understand, they are a branch of the Gate of Life and Death. For thousands of years, none dared provoke them, so naturally they grew complacent.
"Add to that the recent cataclysms in the Southern Border, which drove the five ancestors of the empire into the secret realm to cultivate. Relying solely on the remaining low-tier cultivators, how could they possibly grasp the shifting tides of the cultivation world?
"A thousand years of tranquility have led directly to today's calamity!"
Listening to Alliance Leader Songyang's explanation and lament, Zhan Bingtao gave a soft grunt and asked, "In Fellow Daoist's estimate, how long will it take to conquer the Golden Lion Empire?"
"Half a month!" Alliance Leader Songyang stated with absolute certainty.
"Just half a month—at most half a month. We must conquer this territory at maximum speed, then advance to One-Horn Mountain and bring our forces before the Gate of Life and Death!"
"Half a month?"
Zhan Bingtao frowned. That window seemed rather narrow.
The Golden Lion Empire's territory was vast!
This was evident from the fact that at its peak, it had simultaneously supported nine Nascent Soul True Persons.
After all, only an expanse of sufficient size with abundant resources could sustain nine Nascent Souls.
In Central Plains terms, the Golden Lion Empire's landmass was comparable to that of a prominent clan, or perhaps three to four aristocratic houses combined.
In Eastern Desolation terms, it was nearly equivalent to three or four small Jade Cauldron Domains.
Across such vast territory, even though the combined allied forces of Fierce Peak and Tianyuan utterly overwhelmed the defenders in terms of peak experts, fully subjugating it in half a month still seemed overly tight.
He could not fathom why Alliance Leader Songyang was in such a rush.
Yet the other man had already begun laying out his arrangements.
"The Golden Lion Empire boasts high walls and deep moats, with an abundance of low-tier cultivators and city-guarding formations everywhere. If the various sects of my Fierce Peak Zombie Alliance continue fighting independently, sweeping through quickly will prove difficult.
"I hope your esteemed sect will contribute more force to this battle.
"Rest assured, Brother Zhan. In the subsequent battle at One-Horn Mountain, this Alliance Leader will personally take the field!"
After hearing this, Zhan Bingtao pondered for a long moment before slowly nodding.
By comparison, One-Horn Mountain had a formidable reputation and was a tough nut to crack.
The Golden Lion Empire had a large territory, but its forces were dispersed.
Those cities scattered across the empire's interior were, to his Tianyuan Dao Sect, little more than stationary targets.
"Agreed!"
Following his consent, starting the very next day, the allied forces' method of warfare changed entirely.
Dark, menacing muzzles were brought to bear against the city-guarding arrays that the citizens of Golden Lion held in such high regard.
With shout after shout of "Fire!", even the sturdiest arrays began to ripple with violent tremors, eventually shattering into nothingness.
Tianyuan Spiritual Energy Cannons!
When deployed on a massive battlefield, such magic treasures were an unanswerable weapon for besieging cities and tearing down strongholds!
Their sole drawback was the staggering cost.
Every shot fired from a spiritual energy cannon consumed an astronomical sum of high-grade spirit stones.
In the entire Mountain Sea Realm, perhaps only the Tianyuan Dao Sect, having rested and recuperated for three thousand years, could afford to squander resources on such an extravagant scale.
Alliance Leader Songyang watched it all from the sidelines, both pleased by their rapid advance and secretly unsettled by the Tianyuan Dao Sect's boundless wealth.
Without a natural barrier like the Gate of Life and Death or the Nether Abyss to shield it, what fortress in the world could withstand such concentrated cannonades?
*No matter. Powerful though the Dao Sect may be, I would gladly yield the entire Southern Border to them—so long as I obtain a Tier 5 spiritual ground to achieve the Soul Formation realm!*
Alliance Leader Songyang murmured to himself, his anxiety over the operation of Heavenly Master Li and the others mounting by the moment.
Whether they could conquer the sacred ground was one matter; whether they could breach its entrance was another entirely.
If they could not even get inside, conquering the mountain gate of the sacred ground was out of the question.
***
Inside the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm.
A voice of concern came from Heavenly Master Li.
"Qi Tian, are you all right?"
The crowd shifted their gaze away from Granny Hongye and turned toward Luo Chen, the last to enter.
At that moment, Luo Chen's arms hung loosely before his knees. His face was slightly pale, with faint beads of cold sweat trickling down.
Luo Chen slowly straightened his posture and rolled his wrists.
"I'm fine. I merely overexerted myself and feel a bit depleted, that's all."
Just pushing open a door had driven him to such a state?
Yet none of them doubted him!
That bronze gate harbored immense power; it was certainly not something a Nascent Soul cultivator could force open through ordinary means.
Even when Granny Hongye, guided by Heavenly Master Li, had identified its flaw and proposed focusing all their attacks on a single point, that had only been a desperate last resort.
Not only would it have taken considerable time, but it would also have provoked a violent backlash from the bronze gate.
By contrast, with Qi Tian using his raw, brute physical force to wrench it open, the rebound force had been far less severe.
Yet the mere act of pushing that gate had exhausted Qi Tian, who had previously radiated such an imposing aura, which spoke volumes about the sheer weight of the portal.
In doing so, he had spared them a great deal of effort.
A streak of escape light was already flying toward them from the distance.
From far away, a roar echoed through the air: "Who gave you permission to enter?"
No one answered.
Before the gate, excluding Granny Hongye, the other six exchanged glances, and two of them stepped forward from the group.
Marquis Ziyi frowned and turned to Fan Wujiu, Tower Master of the Hidden Sword Tower. "Tower Master, will it be you, or shall I?"
Fan Wujiu slapped his sword casket, sending sharp hums reverberating from within.
"Let's go together. A swift battle to wrap it up quickly and avoid unnecessary trouble."
Marquis Ziyi did not refuse. He soared straight into the sky, purple radiance billowing around him.
Fan Wujiu made less of a commotion, but dark silhouettes unfurled from his sword casket as strands of sword qi flooded the surrounding wilderness.
Seeing this spectacle, the cultivator—unclear as to which ancestor of the Golden Lion Empire he was—paled dramatically and retreated in panic.
Heavenly Master Li ceased paying attention to that clash and reeled his focus back.
"Qi Tian, focus on recovering your vitality for now; you need not fight.
"If more enemies appear, Fellow Daoist Meng and Bai Xuanjun, lend a hand. On no account allow them to disturb Hongye while she sets up the formation."
Meng Shentong nodded, accepting the task, but promptly asked in return, "And what about you?"
Heavenly Master Li offered a faint smile and waved his sleeve with casual grace.
Streaks of flowing light flew out from his cuff, scattering in all directions.
Some vanished into the void, while others burrowed into the ground.
Upon closer inspection, they were unmistakably unique Gu insects.
"Soul-Chasing Flying Ants?" Meng Shentong blurted out, before immediately frowning. "No, Soul-Chasing Flying Ants carry a rather sinister aura, nowhere near this vibrant with vitality."
Heavenly Master Li waved a dismissive hand. "Don't concern yourself with that. I must pay close attention to the intelligence these Gu send back to pinpoint where our objective lies."
Meng Shentong gave a dry chuckle and pressed no further.
The area fell quiet for a time, save for Granny Hongye bustling before the gate, laying down an array to prevent outside cultivators from barging in.
Luo Chen watched for a moment, then looked away.
Granny Hongye's attainments in formations were indeed formidable, roughly on par with his own.
However, because she incorporated Gu insects into her array, there was little he could glean or borrow from her techniques, so he did not bother scrutinizing further.
Instead, he turned his attention to the Yin-Yang Fragmented Realm itself.
Looking across the expanse, a resplendent gold met his eyes!
The entire world seemed draped in a veil of gilded sheen.
Towering statues of lions stood across the boundless earth, as lifelike as living creatures.
*These lions...*
Luo Chen searched his memory and found the corresponding record.
An ancient text introducing the primordial Great Desolation contained a description of them.
Golden Dragon Lions!
Strictly speaking, they were not among the most formidable desolate beasts.
Yet their lineage was exceptionally noble, born of a union between a Nether Earth Dragon and a Ferocious Lion.
They possessed incredible physical defense, as well as a unique offensive talent capable of turning their foes into gold.
The latter was particularly insidious: once struck, a victim would fall into a petrified state, transmuted entirely into solid gold.
If one failed to break free from this petrified state in time, shattering the gold would result in immediate death.
Even a cultivator's Golden Core or Nascent Soul could not escape annihilation.
*Why are there so many statues of Golden Dragon Lions in this Yin-Yang Realm?*
Luo Chen frowned, faintly sensing an undercurrent of danger.
It was as though those lifelike golden lion statues were truly alive, coldly watching their group.
Shifting his gaze a hundred li away, he looked toward the battlefield.
Fan Wujiu, Tower Master of the Hidden Sword Tower, possessed astonishing flight speed. Launching later, he had arrived first, overtaking the Golden Lion Empire ancestor who had just shown his face.
He trapped the man within a cage of sword light formed by myriad sword Gu.
Looking closely, those sword Gu actually resembled leaves.
This caught Luo Chen somewhat by surprise.
The sword cultivators of the Southern Border were indeed distinct from those elsewhere!
The sword Gu once employed by Perfected Tianshan had been Sword Fish Gu.
Who would have guessed that Fan Wujiu used Sword Leaf Gu instead?
In individual power, they could not match Sword Fish Gu, but the sheer quantity...
Amidst the overwhelming barrage of sword light, the Nascent Soul cultivator of the Golden Lion Empire erupted in fury.
"I am the Golden Lion Fourth Ancestor, a disciple under Divine Lord Youli of the Gate of Life and Death! How dare you attempt to slay me?"
"Why wouldn't we dare!"
With a ferocious bark, a flash of purple darted through the tens of thousands of sword beams.
Marquis Ziyi streaked forward like flowing light, a purple beam looping around the Golden Lion Fourth Ancestor before snapping backward.
*Slash!*
The head simply tumbled from the neck.
A dazed Nascent Soul emerged, but before it could react, the overwhelming deluge of sword light swallowed it whole.
*Swish! Swish!*
The tens of thousands of sword lights flew back into the sword casket. The Hidden Sword Tower Master turned his gaze toward Marquis Ziyi, whose hand held a soft sword trembling restlessly like a serpent flicking its tongue.
"What a fine Purple Blood Soft Sword!"
Marquis Ziyi gave a low chuckle. "It pales in comparison to Fellow Daoist's Thousand Leaves Sword Casket."
Watching the battle from afar, Luo Chen nodded inwardly.
Whether it was the Thousand Leaves Sword Casket concealing the sword leaves or that Purple Blood Soft Sword, both were rare treasures.
With the two of them joining forces, it was only natural that the Golden Lion Fourth Ancestor, who stood merely at early Nascent Soul, was slaughtered in a single exchange.
Suddenly!
Luo Chen's eyes narrowed.
Beside him, Heavenly Master Li gave a sharp, warning shout: "Watch out!"
A terrifying golden beam shot forth from a distant palace, hurtling straight toward the two of them.
Simultaneously, an enraged roar thundered through the air.
"You dare trespass into my Yin-Yang Realm and butcher my fourth brother? You deserve to die!"
Chapter 957