The southern foothills of the Tianxing Plateau, Mount Shuangjing.
Speed was paramount in war. Following the council in the Ice Crystal Palace, Qin Sang and Qingjun led the grand army day and night, heading straight for the Sin Abyss encampment at Jade Finger Peak.
Sin Abyss had been attacking from south to north, fighting on an upward slope all along.
The Two Domains Alliance held the advantage of terrain and used it to resist the invading foes. If they launched a counterattack, it would be like tigers bounding down a mountain, leaving Sin Abyss with little hope of claiming the high ground.
Mount Shuangjing, however, was an exception.
Mount Shuangjing was one of the most renowned peaks on the first terrace of the Tianxing Plateau. Soaring into the sky, it rose even higher than the second terrace, offering commanding views and serving as a natural fortress that was easy to defend and arduous to assault.
The northern and southern flanks of this mountain were seldom rugged; instead, they resembled two icy mirrors planted obliquely into the earth—hence the name "Mount Shuangjing," an apt testament to its treacherous terrain.
Sin Abyss had occupied this mountain for many years, driving a massive camp firmly into it like a thorn deep in the flesh, causing immense distress to the Two Domains Alliance.
At any given time, at least one mid-Nascent Soul powerhouse was stationed here. Now that Daoist Canghong realized something was amiss and had adopted a defensive posture, Mount Shuangjing was even more crowded with experts.
Their objective was to yank this vicious fang of Sin Abyss!
As long as they could force Sin Abyss to retreat from Mount Shuangjing, they could pursue them on their heels and seize the opportunity to tear an opening in the Sin Abyss formation.
For this operation, besides Qin Sang and Qingjun, Daoist Zhenyi had specially arranged for Nascent Soul cultivators familiar with them, including the Castellan of Yinshan Pass, Jinglin, and Si Di, to march out with heavy forces.
***
Several hundred li from Mount Shuangjing.
Here stood a mountain peak that served as a Sin Abyss outpost.
Wind and snow howled furiously.
The mountain was shrouded in white snow, the biting gale screaming across the slopes, everything appearing normal on the surface.
Little did anyone know that concealed within the mountain was a tiny, exceptionally well-hidden spirit formation. Within the ward, an assortment of igloos and watchtowers stood fully prepared, complete with vigilant guards.
Strangely enough, atop the watchtower, there were not only cultivators, but also a human-head-sized eyeball.
The eyeball hovered in midair, spinning rapidly, presenting a bizarre sight.
Around the eyeball, the guards looked solemn, not daring to slacken their vigilance in the slightest.
Suddenly, a faint ripple appeared in the void.
Before the guards could notice anything amiss, the eyeball reacted with astonishing alertness. Its pupil abruptly snapped toward the origin of the ripple, letting out a piercing screech.
"Not good! An enemy attack!"
The guards were startled.
Reacting with extreme swiftness, the moment the eyeball stirred, they slapped a talisman to their bodies and dashed down from the watchtower without looking back.
The eyeball's pupil contracted sharply, flaring with blinding radiance.
Just as a white pillar of light was about to erupt, cracks suddenly webbed across empty space. With a deafening boom, the void shattered completely.
Spatial fragments mingled with swirling snow and bitter wind, surging like a chaotic torrent that slammed violently into the watchtower. Faintly discernible within the torrent were a few strange streaks of light flashing by.
Boom!
"Aargh!"
The structures within the entire ward, along with the eyeball atop the watchtower, failed to hold out for even a breath. They detonated with a blast, leveled completely to the ground amid several muffled shrieks of agony.
The wind and snow continued to howl.
In the next instant, three figures emerged from the void, looking down at the ruined mess below.
"I didn't expect Brother Qin to possess such profound mastery over formations and restrictions, discerning the weakness of this protective ward so effortlessly!"
A handsome cultivator with a square-jawed face stroked his beard, offering continuous praise to the person beside him.
This man was none other than the Castellan of Yinshan Pass.
The other two were Qin Sang and Jinglin.
"You flatter me, Daoist Brother," Qin Sang said nonchalantly. "The ward here is hardly any top-tier grand array. Its sole purpose was to buy a little time under attack, allowing the watchtower to catch sight of incoming enemies. It was not difficult to deal with."
Senior Sister Qingjun had granted him open access to the Yuanshen Sect's treasury of texts.
Qin Sang's understanding of arrays was no longer what it used to be. Aided by the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, his ability to dismantle formations surpassed what other cultivators of his realm could ever hope to match.
Working together, the three had broken the ward in an instant and obliterated everything here, leaving the eyeball to see nothing more than utter chaos before its destruction.
Jinglin swooped down to the ground. Sweeping aside the rubble with a wave of his hand, he actually uncovered a ruined miniature teleportation array. The guards had not even had time to activate it before meeting their demise.
Qin Sang was somewhat surprised. "Sin Abyss is truly willing to spend lavishly, even placing a teleportation array at a mere outpost."
"Sin Abyss attaches immense importance to Mount Shuangjing, no less than to their two grand camps in front of Mount Shiqu and Wangdong City. They have long fortified this place like an iron barrel."
Jinglin scanned the surroundings. Finding no useful intelligence, he erased their traces, drew out a sword talisman, and transmitted the report back to the central army.
Next, the three pressed on to dismantle the other outposts.
***
With the destruction of the first outpost, the Sin Abyss army on Mount Shuangjing immediately detected the anomaly.
In the grand hall of their encampment, there was a miniature model of Mount Shuangjing, similar to the one in Canghong's tent.
A gathering of Nascent Soul cultivators watched helplessly as one watchtower after another went dark in rapid succession, at a speed that left them chilled to the bone.
Solemn expressions settled over everyone's faces. The loss of the watchtowers was one thing, but up to this moment, not a single one had managed to transmit any information back. They had not even glimpsed the shadow of their attackers.
Moreover, there were no survivors.
"Order everyone, including the forward camps, to withdraw completely to Mount Shuangjing. There is no need for meaningless sacrifices."
Surrounded by the crowd like the moon among stars, a woman in purple robes issued the command, brooking no dissent. She was strikingly a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
Someone acknowledged the order and departed.
A person beside her remarked in a deep voice, "Those capable of achieving this can be counted on one hand in the Two Domains Alliance. It is very likely Zhenyi or Tongyou in person. Just as Senior Canghong anticipated, the Two Domains Alliance has begun their counteroffensive."
"Do not forget those two who severely wounded Senior Tianzheng and Old Demon Ye at the Blood Lake," another chimed in. "Old Demon Ye witnessed it himself—that fellow disguised as a Demon King is also skilled in breaking wards."
Yet another spoke, gazing outside the hall with furrowed brows, "The enemy comes with such fierce momentum; could they truly be determined to take Mount Shuangjing? There is no word from the other main camps yet. Who knows which one—or how many of them—has arrived?"
The purple-robed woman showed unwavering resolve. "No need to overthink it. Daoist Brother Cangheng has already made arrangements, ordering us to hold Mount Shuangjing firmly. No matter who comes, they can forget about breaching Mount Shuangjing anytime soon! Hear my command: activate the grand formation immediately, and deploy the Nether Crystal Pagodas on the northern mountain!"
"Understood!"
"As you command!"
...
Meanwhile, Qin Sang and his two companions breached another outpost, only to find it already deserted.
The subsequent outposts were all the same.
Knowing that Sin Abyss had pulled back into its shell on Mount Shuangjing, the three still methodically eradicated every remaining outpost.
"That is Mount Shuangjing."
Jinglin pointed toward the magnificent white silhouette of a mountain in the distance, a complicated look in his eyes.
There had once been a market on Mount Shuangjing. Before his Nascent Soul breakthrough, he had cultivated here for several decades, accumulating memories of joy and sorrow. Now things remained while people had changed, and the mountain had fallen into enemy hands.
"Truly a treacherous stronghold, second only to the two great terraces!"
After conferring, Qin Sang and the other two decided not to charge ahead rashly. There was a Sin Abyss camp ahead that would not be so cleanly and easily eradicated, so they chose to wait in place for the central army.
Before long, Qingjun arrived at the head of the central army. A great battle was imminent!
Chapter 1279