Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 341: The Real and the False, the Debate

Opposite the desert, in Gucao City.

Almost all the masters from the seven domains of the Black Spirit Realm gathered together, prostrating themselves before the hazy, mountain-like multi-eyed beast shadow above the altar. The Seven Star Altar was crowded with struggling, twisted and painful souls, including humans, demons, and the Black Spirit race, but no sound was heard.

The multi-eyed beast slowly disappeared into the pitch-black night, and tens of thousands of souls in the altar disappeared as well.

King Divination Shadow and King Wu Weng, dressed in purple and black robes, crawled up from the ground.

They spent huge price and time to combine the Unleaving Domain, the Unremoving Domain, the Unresolving Domain, the Body Domain, the Lone Grass Domain, the Fog Source Domain and the Ice Wasteland Domain to complete a grand sacrifice that could determine the direction of the battlefield.

The sincerity of their offerings reached the ears of the gods, and finally moved the seventh-level incarnation of "Venerable Multi-Eyed" to condescend to come down to earth once.

The two masters, who were renowned throughout the entire Black Spirit World for their resourcefulness, bowed respectfully and saw off the multi-eyed beast shadow, and did not stand up for a long time.

The other black spirits who were kneeling and crawling on the ground did not dare to get up without permission.

"Venerable Duomu said that if we want to fully unleash the power of our avatar, we need more blood and souls. With what we can provide now, we may not be able to sustain a war. He pointed out that a sorcerer of the human race on the other side has discovered a glimpse of the secrets. The strategy we agreed on earlier must be changed."

King Wuweng took advantage of the brief gap to communicate with King Shiying, who was at his side in a polite manner.

Some things cannot be brought to the table for discussion. The seven major domains have their own interests and demands. They all want to reap the benefits in the final battle without suffering too much loss of their own power.

There were several intentions for joint operations and we had already reached agreement on them, but some guys dragged their feet at the critical moment.

The missed opportunity led to the human race becoming stronger and stronger, and the Dingzhou forces rising, resulting in a protracted stalemate.

"Yes, the human race has many geniuses and masters. They use the power of one continent to contain our three regions. In the past two years, they have been preparing for a 'sweep' campaign. If we really let them succeed, they will join forces to defeat each region one by one. Not only will we die without a burial place, but we will also be at the mercy of others."

The Shadow King sighed with emotion. He used the Soul Control Technique to learn the news from the Five-Story Tower monk captured from Juzhou. He also took this opportunity to make the other domains aware of their power and reached a reconciliation with the Witch King. He transmitted his voice and said, "For the sake of the overall situation, living beings must be sacrificed for this. I suggest choosing the Ice Wasteland Domain."

King Wu Weng added calmly, "The Fog Source Region and the Ice Wasteland Region have always been unruly and resistant to education. They can be weakened."

King Diying immediately understood the other party's true intention and said in a voice transmission: "You mean to send troops on a long expedition to select the demon tribe as the first attack, and go all out to help the Mist Source Region and the Ice Wasteland Region deal with Wangxian Continent and Tianhuang Continent?"

"Yes, if we don't give a little, how can the Mist Source Region and the Ice Wasteland Region believe in our sincerity? They are always on guard against us. Besides, the gap in the soul sacrifice is too large. We can kill two birds with one stone."

"Great idea. A sorcerer from Dingzhou has discovered the secrets of heaven. They will not act rashly. They think it is a diversionary tactic and dare not attack us when our forces are weak. In human terms, it is called 'make the real one fake and the fake one real'."

"The human race and the demon race are at odds. Even if they receive a call for help, they will just stand by and watch, not getting involved."

"Excellent, excellent."

They quickly reached a consensus and told the masters that they could get up.

After sitting down, King Shiying, under the pretext of Venerable Duomu, put forward the strategy that had just been agreed upon and discussed the details.

Weakening hostile forces exists everywhere and happens all the time.

Or about to happen.

……

The old swordsman who was stationed in Bianyuan City spent twenty days refining the ancient sword that was inexplicably sent to him. He felt the "virtual sword" merging with his own body, which made his sword intent surge and his sword energy like a tide.

He really wanted to put everything aside and calm down and meditate.

There were so many flashes of inspiration that he believed that if he was given twenty or thirty years, his swordsmanship and realm would be able to reach a higher level.

Unfortunately, he couldn't do that at the critical moment.

As the backbone of Dingzhou, he has been accustomed to being admired by thousands of people over the past few hundred years. He takes the people of Dingzhou as his own responsibility, faces life and death, and will not allow himself to miss the final battle, otherwise his sword realm will be flawed.

Stroking the ancient sword that was as crystal clear as jade, the old sword master vaguely felt the perception of the sword's body.

He stood quietly in the courtyard of his residence, savoring the rare moment with his heart.

In the empty yard, the sword energy was like a wave, surging and sweeping, roaring back and forth, but miraculously it did not damage the rock walls and the ground, not even leaving a scratch.

Time passed little by little, and gradually a huge phantom formed by sword energy slowly formed behind the old sword master who straightened his back.

Outside the huge courtyard, the disciples of Wangjian Mountain who were on duty at the gate felt the fear that made them tremble. Even though their faces turned pale, they stood still. The training of swordsmen was everywhere, and they regarded it as a test.

Wei Jingshu, who was also stationed in Bianyuan City to assist in handling affairs, looked up towards the north of the city.

The next moment, Wei Jingshu appeared outside the "Sword Polishing Garden" and waved to the four disciples of Wangjian Mountain who were guarding the door, signaling them not to hold on and asking them to retreat to a distance of a hundred feet where they could adapt.

"Congratulations! The old swordsman is about to condense into the 'Sword Body Dharma Form'."

Wei Jingshu did not enter the door. He felt the waves of sword intent in the courtyard, which was thrilling.

There is a formation restriction in the Sword-grinding Garden that can conceal and limit the overflow of sword energy. At this time, the restriction is in danger of being supported by the tremendous force. He quickly took out the formation equipment and communicated with the city defense formation to strengthen the periphery of the yard.

We cannot allow a huge accident of harm to occur just because of the old swordsman’s chance enlightenment.

Twenty days ago, he was ordered to go to Juzhou and Hezhou with Wen Yining to discuss important matters. He had flown less than two thousand miles when he suddenly received a message from the old sword master, asking him whether he would send a young man dressed as a Taoist priest to deliver the sword.

How could he have any rare sword to give to the old sword master?
If you wanted to send it, you would have sent it a long time ago. Is there any need to use someone else's hand?

Besides, he is the chief priest of the school. How could he employ Taoist priests as his subordinates? Wouldn't that make him a laughing stock?
I immediately thought that it was the mysterious young man Ye Changmeng who appeared, and I even turned around and delayed my trip for a day because of him.

The Cangsheng Sword was not the Cliff Sword lost in Qingli Mountain. Wu Yao was asked to identify it, but unfortunately the mysterious young man was missing. The entire Dingzhou area mobilized people to search for it, but nothing has been found so far.

Wei Jingshu guarded in front of the Mojian Garden for five days. The terrifying sword intent in the yard slowly subsided until it completely subsided, and he felt relieved.

The old swordsman relied on an ancient sword to find an opportunity to condense the Dharma image, which increased his strength by more than a factor of two, becoming the real number one in the Qianfang Realm, which was a great thing for the future war. Waving his hand to call the four people in charge of guarding the gate to come forward, Wei Jingshu carefully instructed them not to slack off.

He had many things to do and could not stay here for long. Just as he flew into the air, two beams of talismanic light flew from the southeast.

Wei Jingshu received countless messages in the past five days. He reached out and caught one of the talisman lights. Another communication talisman stopped above the sealed courtyard, where more than ten talisman lights were already stranded.

"Uh... the Black Spirit Army is attacking Wangxianzhou with all their might and has already captured three cities in a row."

Wei Jingshu was shocked. This was a big deal.

Dingzhou dispatched three sixth-floor masters to take turns monitoring and investigating the movements of the black spirits on the opposite side day and night. They did not expect that the war would start from the territory of Wangxianzhou 200,000 miles away, and the momentum was extremely fierce.

The black spirit forces faced by the three demon continents were almost evenly matched. The two sides had been fighting on and off for more than seventy years. Except for the first few years, there had never been a city-destroying war with more than 5,000 people. Therefore, the demon forces in Wangxian Continent were caught off guard.

In the evening, in addition to Zeng Wanglou and Xu Yuanchang who were stationed in Moyu City, many masters including the old sword saint who came out of retreat gathered together. They also invited Wu Bai from Wuyanshan, the assistant of Bugaishan Bingjiawei, and the commander-in-chief Yu Fengwu to participate in the meeting.

Wei Jingshu briefly recounted the situation. Since Wei Zhizuo and Yu Fengwu did not know the cause, he deliberately revealed some of the secrets obtained by the sorcerer, but did not disclose the sorcerer's name.

Wei Zhizuo and Yu Fengwu were secretly surprised.

Over the past twenty days, they have participated in the frequent transfers of team members and the strengthening of the formation within Dingzhou's territory, but they did not know that such a big event would happen.

"Wei has received six consecutive messages from Xu Jingcen of Juzhou, Ling Shiyue of Hezhou and others, all asking about the Black Spirit's massive attack on Wangxianzhou."

Wei Jingshu placed a stack of communication talismans on the table. He was the one presiding over the meeting today. He said, "I have called everyone together today to discuss the next steps. First, I would like to ask Senior Brother Mu, Fellow Daoist Wen, and Brother Meng, have you found anything while monitoring the movements of the black spirits on the other side?"

Mu Qingshan exchanged glances with Wen Yining and Meng Shanhe, and said, "We have been monitoring for fifteen days. The Black Spirit Fortress on the opposite side is heavily guarded, and there are very few Black Spirits entering and leaving. Brother Meng and Fairy Wen also captured two fourth-level Black Spirits. From the interrogation, no suspicious points were found. However, since nearly 80,000 Black Spirits appeared 200,000 miles away, it is obvious that the Black Spirits on the opposite side had secretly withdrawn their troops before our monitoring, and the Black Spirits that went out were deliberately bait for us to capture."

"So the fortress across the wilderness is relatively empty. Do they think we dare not take advantage of the situation?"

Fu Xianzhi took over the conversation and asked a question.

Grandmaster Xi Yuelou chuckled and said, "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just that they fight their demon tribe and we dig up their nests. But it's not very interesting. No one knows when the seventh-level black spirit will appear."

"Yes, we are the ones who are really in a passive position. If the number of monks we send out is small, it will be ineffective. If all the elite are sent out, we may suffer a devastating blow. What we are worried about now is that the Black Spirit will get a taste of success and attack from the demon clan's territory all the way to Laizhou, Hezhou, and Juzhou. Will we send troops when that happens? Will the promise of mutual assistance still count?"

Fu Xianzhi analyzed and raised several problems.

The old swordsman rubbed his forehead with his fingers, glanced at the silent Wu Bai and Wei Zhizuo, and asked: "Old Wu, can you summon elite warlocks in Wuyan Mountain to continue to deduce and predict the war?"

Wu Bai gritted his teeth and stood up, bowed and accepted the order. He used his strength as a fifth-level sorcerer to forcibly deduce the battle situation. When seventh-level black spirits were involved in the battle, he might not even be able to speak out what he had calculated, and would suffer backlash and die.

Being lucky enough like Mei Yuanjian to be rescued and only blind in both eyes was considered a blessing from heaven.

After watching Wu Baifei leave, Wei Zhizuo took the initiative to speak, saying, "From the quick 'glance' of the battlefield that Elder Mei 'saw' as relayed by the High Priest, it can be analyzed that the number of participants on both sides must be at least 50,000, to achieve the situation of 'black fog covering the sky, monks like ants, and the city is crowded within a 50-mile radius'. It can also be inferred that the battlefield that Black Spirit will choose is open and clear at a glance. Among the ten major border cities of Dingzhou plus Qihuo City, only three of them meet the requirements."

The old sword master and others listened attentively.

The military strategists of Mount Budai should have shined brightly in this protracted war, but their performance was mediocre in the early and middle stages. There was even an incident when Zhang Lin, the current master of Mount Budai, was guarding Bian Ning City as the commander. Faced with a sneak attack by the Black Spirit Army, he made mistakes in his response, resulting in the annihilation of his entire army and the destruction of the city.

If it weren't for Zhu Zongshan's solid battle record, the Budaishan military would have lost all face.

Wei Zhizuo had not participated in important meetings for many years. He stood up and pointed to the huge geomancy map hanging in the air, saying, "Bian Ning City in the east, Bian Huan City in the southwest, and Zhen Bei City in the far north."

After a short pause, he continued his analysis, "It is almost impossible for Bianhuan City and Zhenbei City to become the battlefield. The journey is long and they have to cross the wilderness to reach them. It is possible for a team of less than 5,000 to pass through, but a large team of more than 30,000 or 50,000 will make too much noise. Wouldn't everyone know about it?"

"So, their decisive battlefield can only be Bian Ning City, which is closest to the black spirit forces in several directions."

Wei Zhizuo made the final decision and drew a firm conclusion.

Mu Qingshan looked solemn and asked, "If the Black Spirit Army attacks from the demon clan's territory all the way to Laizhou, Hezhou, and Juzhou, we can ignore the demon clan's request for help, but how should we respond to the rescue messages from the Hezhou and Juzhou forces? They don't know that we will face the threat of the seventh-level Black Spirit."

He is the only remaining sixth-story master in Laizhou, and is worried about the three cities on Laizhou's territory that were built less than ten years ago.

It is not convenient to say it out loud, so he can only remind his allies in a roundabout way.

Wei Zhizuo said expressionlessly, "There are always casualties in war. Is the price Dingzhou paid for this small? Four sixth-floor masters have already fallen, and there are countless fifth-floor monks."

What he meant was to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, so as to consume the power and morale of the Black Spirit army.

Let Black Spirit spread out the stall as much as possible to create a chance for Qianfang Realm's final victory.

A kind person does not command an army, so he did not suggest rescuing the forces of Laizhou, Hezhou and Juzhou.

Xi Yuelou received the message and interrupted, "Old Wei, stop talking nonsense. We are of the same blood with Laizhou, Hezhou, and Juzhou. We stand together through thick and thin, and we live and die together. How can we not help you?"

Secretly, he communicated with the Old Sword Master and others through telepathic communication, and they all agreed with Wei Zhizuo's analysis and suggestions.

However, we still have to make a gesture on the surface so as not to disappoint our allies.

Otherwise, if Hezhou was defeated, Juzhou would simply retreat to Qianfang Realm in order to preserve its power. The Black Spirit would not chase and kill it into Qianfang Realm, so the next target could only be Dingzhou.

How will Dingzhou fight against the Black Spirit Army in the future?
Those 4,000 elite four-story teams from Laizhou, Hezhou and Juzhou, if they learn the truth and start an internal conflict or withdraw from the battle at the critical moment, wouldn't that be a half-baked meal?

Hei Ling will certainly not miss any opportunity to sow discord, and Dingzhou’s power is in danger.

The old sword master and his companions must properly resolve this problem.

Meng Shanhe thought for a moment and said, "I have a suggestion. Since the decisive battle will take place in Bianning City, after the Black Spirits and the demons have decided the winner, why don't we take the initiative to lure the Black Spirit army to Bianning City? If we persuade Hezhou and Juzhou to send some troops to enter Bianning City in advance, the problem will be solved."

……

(End of this chapter)