After years of warfare and trials, the cultivators of both realms were thoroughly tempered. Streaks of escape light crisscrossed throughout the grand encampment, yet not the slightest trace of disorder could be seen; everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Before long, the battle formations were neatly drawn up, fully prepared and waiting in stern readiness.
The encampment fell dead silent, blanketed in a grim, somber chill.
Every man and woman there had been thoroughly weathered by the rigors of battle.
Looking down from the tall tower, Qin Sang was reminded of the battle at the Yuncang Great Marsh years ago.
Back then, like the figures below, he had been nothing more than a pawn.
Viewed through the eyes of a Nascent Soul Patriarch, that major battle seemed almost like child's play; the number of Core Formation cultivators deployed by either side had been quite limited.
The cause had been even more absurd. So many lives clashing in mortal combat had simply stemmed from a wager between the two realms' Nascent Soul cultivators over who would provide the spirit materials to lay down an array—with perhaps a slight intention to temper their disciples mixed in.
This time was different. Nascent Soul cultivators were taking the field in person, sweeping across the three realms and the Heavenly Demon Mound. This was a true battle for survival!
While the cultivators assembled, shifts began to occur within the grand array as well.
The cold mist on the outer perimeter rolled silently toward the center. The power of the Cold Bell Grand Array contracted, its expanse shrinking by more than half compared to before.
Si Di stood at the very front of the battle formation, staring outside with cold, stern eyes.
A moment later, he waved his hand forcefully—the battle formation marched out!
Si Di served as the core of the entire battle formation, while the other Core Formation cultivators each commanded a squad, which mostly consisted of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Squad after squad of cultivators flew toward the edge of the Cold Bell Grand Array in orderly fashion.
The composition of each squad was not determined solely by cultivation levels or sect affiliations. Squads were arranged and positioned based on their cultivation methods and the Five Elements Daoist arts they excelled in, allowing them to coordinate closely and unleash maximum combat power.
Some of these cultivators wore armor, while others summoned various peculiar implements. It was clear that these were standardized issue, possessing special utility in large-scale warfare.
Qin Sang had rarely experienced this kind of warfare. Furthermore, having outwardly assumed the identity of a foreign race, it was inconvenient for him to pry, so he merely watched in silence.
Before long, everyone vanished into the cold mist.
This was the battlefield chosen by Si Di. The cold mist was a manifestation of the Cold Bell Grand Array; their own side all wore a magic tool that shielded them from the mist's effects, whereas the enemy would be subjected to various restrictions.
Furthermore, by remaining inside the array, the person controlling it could alter its formations in real time and provide support.
"Fellow Daoist Mingyue, it is time for us to move as well," Jinglin said in a low voice.
Qin Sang nodded. Channeling a secret art to conceal his aura and figure, he flew out of the tall tower alongside Jinglin, quietly making their way from the perimeter toward the center of the battlefield.
At the moment, all was quiet outside the Cold Bell Grand Array.
The terrain of Sandie Pass was low in the center and towering on both flanks. The spot where they were located sat right at the pass's upper outlet; if anything abnormal occurred below, it could easily be detected.
The winter winds were like knives, blowing with particular sharpness across the Tianxing Plateau. As far as the eye could see, a silver mantle of snow blanketed the land, though it might soon be dyed crimson with blood.
Qin Sang and Jinglin concealed themselves on high ground.
According to what they had just discussed, because time was short, they could not stray too far from the battlefield. For safety's sake, they had meticulously laid down a concealment spirit array to hide from the enemy's senses as much as possible.
Qin Sang noticed Si Di dispatching cultivators to scout ahead.
Outside, there was still no sign of the Sin Abyss army.
Still, being immortal cultivators, this bit of chill meant nothing to them, and everyone simply rested in place.
Time slipped slowly by.
"Still no word from Mount Shiqu?" Qin Sang stared outside for a while before turning his head to ask Jinglin.
Upon discovering unusual movement from Sin Abyss, they had decisively pulled back their forces and reported the situation up the chain.
Jinglin nodded. "If Sin Abyss is launching an offensive, they wouldn't target only our Sandie Pass. Mount Shiqu still needs to aggregate intelligence from everywhere and determine what's real and what's a feint. It can't happen so quickly..."
Even as he spoke, an urgent streak of escape light suddenly shot into the array. Immediately after, streaks of escape light and message-bearing talismans or spells came flying in like snowflakes from various directions.
Seeing this scene, one knew without looking that something had happened.
Qin Sang and Jinglin exchanged a look, pushed the concealment spirit array to full power, and held their breath.
Secretly waking the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, he had her activate her Heavenly Eye divine ability to watch for incoming enemies at all times. If Sin Abyss was concealing any treasures or people, running into the Heavenly Eye Butterfly would mean meeting their bane.
*Rumble...*
At Si Di's command, war drums suddenly began to thunder in succession.
The drumming was deafening.
They had even resorted to such mortal battlefield methods, but one had to admit the effect was remarkable; hearing the magnificent, roaring beat of the drums, everyone's spirits soared, their blood boiling with fervor.
Right then, several dark figures suddenly appeared at the edge of their vision.
The scouts dispatched by both sides were the first to clash. After a brief skirmish, several streaks of escape light flew back to the array. The Sin Abyss scouts halted some distance from the array, gazed at it for a moment, and turned back.
Following that brief clash, more and more dark figures appeared in everyone's sight.
A dense, black sea of troops bore down on them.
The silhouettes at the front could now be faintly discerned.
Relative to the Beichen Realm, the Xiaohan Realm, the Celestial Alliance, and Sin Abyss roughly occupied the northern and eastern portions, with almost no desert dividing them, forming a long and narrow expanse.
The three factions' territories were inherently contiguous, their peoples all human, and perhaps many years ago they had even belonged to a single faction, without such stark division.
The methods used by both sides were largely similar.
The Sin Abyss cultivators possessed similar armor and implements. The greatest difference was that at the center of the Sin Abyss ranks loomed three black crystal pagodas.
The crystal pagodas seemed to be made of a kind of black crystal. Each had only three tiers and lacked any doors or windows, though marks carved in the shape of doors and windows were present.
At the peak of each pagoda rested a spherical crystal orb crafted from the same material.
Each pagoda stood nearly thirty feet tall, appearing identical on the outside.
Perhaps due to the material, no runes of any kind could be seen upon the crystal pagodas from the outside.
Marching through snow, with the crystal pagodas so towering, they stood out conspicuously amidst the crowd. Beside each pagoda were several cultivators specifically carrying it aloft as they advanced with the army.
Sin Abyss clearly placed immense importance on the crystal pagodas; the three structures were positioned well toward the interior and guarded heavily.
Seeing the pagodas appear, Jinglin's expression darkened. "Three Nether Crystal Pagodas! Once there are three of these pagodas, they must be controlled personally by a Nascent Soul cultivator. Old Demon Tan and Old Demon Pei have indeed come out in full force!"
The two he mentioned were none other than Sin Abyss's two Nascent Soul cultivators. Previously, it was these two who had led the army in standoff against them, frequently harassing their side, yet neither side had been able to get the upper hand.
Jinglin naturally had no kind tone when speaking of the enemy.
"These are Sin Abyss's Nether Crystal Pagodas?"
Qin Sang gazed intently at the three crystal pagodas.
Though he had read about them in the intelligence gathered earlier, this was the first time he had seen them with his own eyes.
Seeing was believing.
Facing the Nether Crystal Pagodas directly, Qin Sang suddenly felt an unsettling sensation, though he could not identify the cause.
The records noted that unlike ordinary magic treasures, these were special battle artifacts tailored specifically for combat formations.
"Indeed, these are the Nether Crystal Pagodas! Fortunately, they come with quite a few limitations, so Sin Abyss cannot use them with complete impunity. Otherwise, we would be run ragged, with no idea how to fight back..."
Jinglin said with a long, relieved sigh.
Chapter 1180