The Bait

Rumble... A deafening roar echoed across the mountains and valleys. The barrier of light flickered erratically between light and dark, fissures and cracks splintering across several sections. Cultivators nearby suffered heavy casualties; some coughed up blood and stumbled back, only for fresh squads to immediately step up and pour everything into repairing the barrier. The battle formation remained orderly throughout. The first wave of attacks from the two domains failed to tear through Sin Abyss's defenses. Unwilling to show weakness, Sin Abyss seized the brief opening to surge forward, launching a ferocious counterattack at the same time. After several rapid exchanges, the distance between both sides narrowed steadily, and the protective light barriers on both sides began to teeter. Within the cold mist. A group of cultivators raised matching shield-like magic tools in unison. Wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, once activated, they blazed with brilliant light, projecting phantom images countless times larger than their physical forms. These phantoms flew into the air, overlapping and interlocking to form an angular shield of light that guarded above their squads. Having endured a lack of resources for years while confronting threats from two fronts, the Celestial Alliance had developed this standardized magic tool through generations of research. As it turned out, it was exceptionally effective on the battlefield. Following the alliance between the two domains, it had quickly seen widespread adoption. Besides the shields, another part of each squad unleashed matching dark iron greatswords and heavy sabers. The moment the light shield formed, sword qi and saber light surged forth from the battle formation in peerless order—row upon row, rank upon rank, gleaming with cold radiance as they swept toward the enemy like an overwhelming tidal wave. In comparison, the Sin Abyss side appeared far more bizarre. Several squads formed circles. The cultivators shook black bells in their hands while chanting under their breath, seemingly casting some strange spell. Soon, clusters of black mist condensed in the air above the center of each squad. Before everyone's eyes, this black mist twisted and deformed like viscous sludge, morphing into various grotesque and sickening shapes. Upon coming into contact with the black rays emitted by the Nether Crystal Pagodas, they seemed to come alive, sprouting tentacles that gradually shaped into torsos and limbs. The forms taken by the black mist varied wildly—not only beasts and birds, but even human silhouettes. However, their forms were unstable, with foul sludge still flowing across their surfaces. They unleashed shrill, grating shrieks. At this moment, Qin Sang and Jinglin had quietly slipped out of the Cold Bell Grand Array, creeping toward the Nether Crystal Pagodas. Qin Sang clearly saw that Old Demon Pei, who was controlling the Nether Crystal Pagodas, was not stationed among the three pagodas. Instead, he hid beside one of them. Old Demon Pei believed he was completely safe under the pagodas' protection, but in truth, everything lay bare before Qin Sang's eyes. "Where do those things come from?" Qin Sang's attention was drawn to the monsters unleashed by the Sin Abyss cultivators, his brow furrowed deeply at the grotesque spectacle. Jinglin said, "From what I know, it should be a form of mimicry incantation cast in conjunction with those odd bells in their hands. However, the core still lies in the Nether Crystal Pagodas. These monsters are rather difficult to kill, but they are not truly immortal..." Qin Sang stared at the nearest monster, unable to discern its exact nature. At that moment, Old Demon Tan saw the incoming storm of sword and saber light. He gave a cold snort and barked an order. Amid a chorus of roars, the monsters glided swiftly to the vanguard of the formation. Facing the razor-sharp attacks without a shred of fear, they threw themselves forward in relentless waves. Riiip! The sound of tearing cloth rang out continuously. The foremost monsters were ripped apart, severed limbs flying everywhere. Yet they did not die; their broken bodies continued to lash out, tearing and tangling with the blade light and sword qi. Row upon row of monsters were sliced to pieces, but the sword and saber light was also rapidly depleted. Both sides were clearly familiar with each other's tactics. Without waiting for a victor to emerge between the monsters and the flying blades, they unleashed a second round of attacks. Led by Old Demon Tan, the Sin Abyss cultivators surged relentlessly forward, finally reaching the edge of the cold mist. Without a second thought, he led his forces charging straight into the grand array! Suddenly, a fierce gale howled into being. Heavy snow like goose feathers began to fall within the cold mist. Boundless snowflakes drifted down from the sky, swept up by the howling tempest and blown toward Sin Abyss's forces. At this moment, the film of light bestowed upon the Sin Abyss cultivators by the Nether Crystal Pagodas proved its worth; the snowflakes melted silently the moment they touched them. Seemingly realizing this attack was ineffective, the chime of bells rang out from the Cold Bell Grand Array. The controller shifted the formation: the heavy snow lessened to moderate snowfall, while the fierce wind whipped up walls of wind and snow on the spot to stall Sin Abyss's advance. The Lesser Cold Domain cultivators seized the opening to strike with all their might. Seeing this, Old Demon Pei, controlling the Nether Crystal Pagodas from behind, snorted coldly. His hand seals shifted, and the crystal sphere atop the pagoda unleashed countless beams of black light that slammed straight into the wind walls, forcefully tearing open a passage. Throughout this process, the cultivators on both sides engaged in fierce combat. The light barriers shielding both formations were battered, cracked, and tottering on the brink of collapse. Finally. Crack! The protective barrier of the Sin Abyss side shattered first. In an instant, casualties skyrocketed, and fresh blood stained the ground. Old Demon Tan's face darkened with fury. He immediately ordered all the monsters released. Charging into wave after wave of attacks, these fearless creatures finally shredded the light barrier above the Two-Domain cultivators' heads. Si Di's expression remained cold and stern as he locked his gaze onto Old Demon Tan. Seeing this, his face showed not the slightest ripple of emotion. Within the grand array, they held the geographical advantage; their defenses should not have been breached so quickly. It was something Si Di had done deliberately. If both sides continued exchanging bombardment between formations, the Nascent Soul experts would never engage directly. He worried that if dragged out too long, the Core Formation cultivator controlling the Cold Bell Grand Array would be unable to hold out and expose a flaw. Then their plan to ambush Old Demon Pei would go down the drain. Whoosh! A beam of golden light circled around Si Di—none other than his famous magic treasure, the Yuejin Mirror. This treasure was only the size of a palm, with a mirror polished from an unknown material embedded in its center. Except for the mirror face, the entire surface of the Yuejin Mirror was uneven and covered in golden nodules of varying sizes. The Yuejin Mirror flew faster and faster, leaving only streaks of golden light visible to the naked eye. At the same time, Old Demon Tan grinned savagely, meeting Si Di's gaze without an ounce of hesitation. The fiery cord coiled around his arm quivered softly, radiating scorching flames that warped the surrounding air. The two Nascent Soul experts had long set their sights on each other! Sin Abyss pressed forward at high speed. Tension lined every cultivator's face within the formations on both sides as they held their breath, steeling themselves for the brutal slaughter to come. One hundred zhang! Fifty zhang! Ten zhang! ... "Kill!" In an instant, earth-shaking battle cries erupted from both sides simultaneously. The two battle formations collided violently, throwing the battlefield into instant chaos as roaring shouts shook the heavens. The chaos did not last long. Hardened by countless battles, both sides operated in squads, gradually stabilizing their footing and locking into tangled combat with the enemy. Looking down from above. The two sides deployed their lines like converging torrents of water—merging, dividing, and clashing in a blood-soaked melee. Harboring their own hidden schemes, Si Di and Old Demon Tan paid no attention to anyone else. They vaulted over the crowd, flying through the air toward one another, their magic treasures clashing before they even met!