I offered sacrifices to the gods

The southern border of the Yu Kingdom consists of three prefectures. The Five Poisons Sect has occupied Nanlin Prefecture and Baoquan Prefecture, while the remaining Xiaoning Prefecture is also in grave danger.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Five Poisons Sect did not make any significant moves afterward, simply holding onto the two states and showing no further intention to advance.

However, the Yu Kingdom was ultimately controlled by the Jinyang Temple, and naturally it could not tolerate a second immortal force interfering.

With just a decree, the imperial court dispatched a large army to the southern border to recover the two lost prefectures and counties.

Meanwhile, many cultivation families within the Yu Kingdom relied on the Jin Yang Temple for survival on a daily basis. Out of desperation, they had no choice but to send some of their cultivators to cooperate in the battle.

The vast army assembled in the shortest possible time. With the help of immortal techniques, mobilizing troops was naturally no difficult task.

In just seven days, the 60,000 troops assembled by the Yu Kingdom began to set up camp in Xiaoning Prefecture.

Judging from this posture, it seems they are prepared for a protracted battle.

However, above Xiaoningzhou, a golden spirit boat hovered in the air, coldly observing everything.

This spirit boat naturally belonged to Lin Mo and his group, who had departed from Jinyang Temple. They had arrived several days ago and had never set foot on the territory of the Five Poisons Sect.

"The six of you may now show yourselves. Tomorrow, you will lead your troops to attack the Five Poisons Sect."

The abbot, standing with his hands behind his back at the front of the spirit boat, casually issued commands.

The six people he mentioned were naturally the six personal disciples who had come with him.

"Disciples obey!" Yang Xiaoran and the others responded in unison, and then each rode their magical artifacts and flew off the spirit boat.

As for Lin Mo, he was unsurprisingly left on the spirit boat. He focused his spiritual power in his eyes and gazed at the distant pass.

"Chongning Pass has been fortified with magic arrays and is guarded by cultivators. If we launch a direct attack, the casualties will be extremely heavy."

Seeing this, Lin Mo couldn't help but frown.

The abbot was still too cautious. Even though the elder of punishments, who was also at the visualization realm, had come along, he still refused to do anything risky.

The plan was to use the imperial army to pave the way, then have cultivators from various cultivation families open a breach, and finally have the six direct disciples of the temple hold the line.

Such a display should be enough to force out the leader of the Five Poisons Sect.

Once the other party shows up, he will be met with attacks from two cultivators at the Visualization Realm.

They killed their opponent with lightning speed, leaving no room for retreat.

Thinking of this, Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This is undoubtedly the safest way, and he would do the same if he were in his shoes. However, in doing so, countless people would die at Chongning Pass, which is built against the mountain and is treacherous.

"Senior brother, is this your newly accepted disciple?"

"With vigorous blood and energy, abundant spiritual power, and such a solid foundation, he is truly a promising talent."

The atmosphere on the spirit boat was somewhat strange. The gentle and refined elder of punishments broke the silence by speaking.

The abbot gazed into the distance and casually replied, "Junior sister, you flatter me. Your Punishment Hall has many disciples with excellent aptitude. My unworthy disciple is only at the Spirit Guidance Realm. Apart from being diligent in his daily cultivation, he is no match for your disciples."

During this time, Lin Mo subtly observed the gentle and beautiful woman.

This is the Elder of Punishments. He never expected that the Elder of Punishments, who was in charge of the Punishment Hall in the temple and had a rather fierce reputation, would be such a gentle and mature-looking Taoist nun.

This incident surprised Lin Mo throughout the journey, but what impressed him most was the other party's acting skills.

He had clearly been making a deal with me all along, secretly plotting how to deal with the abbot.

However, he did not reveal anything on the surface, and instead continued to chat and laugh with the abbot, showing no signs of anything amiss.

"Hehe, it's rare for my senior brother to have taken on another beloved disciple, so as his senior sister, I naturally can't not do something to show my appreciation."

As he spoke, the elder of punishments took out a dark yellow talisman and handed it to Lin Mo with a smile.

"This is a Wind-Lighting Talisman. Activating it with spiritual power will grant you a gust of wind, which can double your speed for a short period of time."

Looking at the talisman handed to him, Lin Mo was slightly taken aback. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant, and then he said in a flustered manner, "I cannot accept such a gift without having done anything right. This disciple is very sorry."

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to glance at the abbot standing in front of him.

A satisfied smile appeared on the abbot's lips as he casually said, "Just accept what I've given you. Your aunt is quite accomplished in both formations and talismans. What's a mere first-grade high-level talisman to her?"

Hearing this, Lin Mo accepted the gift with a clear conscience, and then said gratefully, "Thank you so much for your generous gift, Auntie. I am deeply grateful!"

I took the Wind-Light Talisman; it was exquisitely crafted with pale blue runes that shimmered on it.

It was indeed a rather good talisman. He carefully put it away, but secretly wondered what the Elder of Punishments' purpose was in doing this.

Nothing was said that night. Lin Mo sat cross-legged on the spirit boat, meditating and breathing exercises to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

As dawn broke, a slightly chilly morning breeze swept by.

From the ground below, shouts of battle suddenly rose, startling Lin Mo, who was cultivating.

The battle for the pass had begun, with tens of thousands of troops from the Yu Kingdom's court surging one after another towards the treacherous Chongning Pass.

hum!

There were naturally cultivators mixed in with the army. These people were mostly military officers who had cultivation, but not high levels.

Under the leadership of these military officers, Chongning Pass suffered the most intense attack.

However, this pass was guarded by cultivators, and a magic array had been set up, making it absolutely impossible for mortal flesh and blood to break through.

If the offensive continues for a period of time without success, the morale of the troops will inevitably collapse.

"kill!"

The mortal army rushed forward wave after wave, but the magic array protecting Chongning Pass only emitted a faint ray of light before countless people died.

Just as the casualties were mounting, the cultivators from the major families who had been conscripted finally made their move.

A dozen or so figures rose into the air on magical artifacts. The leaders were cultivators at the Candle Illumination Realm, while the dozen or so behind them were cultivators at the Spirit Guidance Realm.

There are about five or six cultivation families in the Yu Kingdom, each with a different size and strength. Among them, three families are the most famous.

They are the Liu family of Yunhe Ridge, the Chen family of Huangyunjian, and the Jiang family of Jingshan.

The ancestors of these three families had all followed Emperor Taizu of the Yu Kingdom in conquering the world and held extraordinary positions.

Over the years, most of the royal family members have chosen their spouses from this family.

However, since the usurper of the kingdom by Jin Yang Dao Ren, these families have all followed the lead of Jin Yang Dao Ren.

These cultivators, who came from several cultivation families, were not much better at fighting than independent cultivators. Their spells, when unleashed, could at most only serve to restrain them.

"Among the various arts of cultivation, the art of formations is the most difficult, yet also the most powerful."

"Once the formation is constructed, it can borrow the power of heaven and earth, making it difficult for even several cultivators of the same level to break through."

Looking at the bloody and cruel scene in front of the distant pass, Lin Mo couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

During his time at the temple, he gained a considerable understanding of various spiritual practices and arts.

But after actually witnessing the power unleashed by the formation, one can't help but be amazed.

A cultivator residing within an array possesses combat power far exceeding that of other cultivators of the same level.

The offensive inevitably stalled, and many soldiers were filled with deep fear, no longer displaying the fearlessness they had shown before the battle.

The pass ahead, reeking of blood, was like a never-ending meat grinder; no matter how many people rushed forward, it could never fill that bottomless pit.

Not to mention them, even the cultivators from the immortal cultivation families showed fear.

The series of attacks not only failed to achieve any results, but also resulted in the deaths and injuries of many cultivators on their side.

Just as everyone was beginning to consider retreating, a golden sword light slashed down from the sky, pointing directly at Chongning Pass ahead.

The disciples from Jinyang Temple made their move. Cui Donghao was the first to appear, wielding a golden magic sword with immense power.

Boom!

With just one strike, the entire Chongning Pass shook violently, and the spiritual light of the array also rippled.

"The cultivators inside who are in charge of the formation are showing signs of exhaustion. Let's all attack together and break the formation as soon as possible," Cui Donghao said coldly. He pointed with two fingers, and the golden magic sword in front of him seemed to come alive, suddenly growing several times longer, and slashed towards the pass ahead once again.

Soon, the other disciples of Jinyang Temple also made their move.

The biggest difference between them and the family cultivators is that they all possess their own handy magic weapons, even the lowest grade ones are mid-grade magic weapons.

Among them, Cui Donghao's golden sword was the most dazzling and eye-catching. Under the sky, golden sword light kept slashing out, and Chongning Pass was already teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Senior Brother Cui, I'm here to help you!"

A dashing woman ascended into the sky, her hair tied in a high ponytail, her slender fingers forming a hand seal.

Rumble!

Several bolts of lightning struck down, exploding with electric light, and the magic array shattered instantly.

The once impregnable Chongning Pass suddenly fell.

The cultivators who were in charge of the formation inside were already exhausted. When they saw this scene, their eyes showed fear, and they began to run away without looking back.

"Chase!"

The first to rush out was Deng Kun. He seemed to have anticipated this situation. Holding a long-handled broadsword, he charged out like an arrow released from a bow.

In the blink of an eye, he ruthlessly killed a cultivator from the Five Poisons Sect.

"Attack! Recapture Baoquanzhou!"

After crossing Chongning Pass, the terrain became flat and open, and the remaining Yu army was once again filled with fighting spirit, charging in.

At that very moment, from the front lines of the battlefield, layers of thick, colorful clouds swept across the sky and engulfed everything.

Immediately afterwards, a powerful spiritual pressure swept out, and several disciples of the Golden Sun Temple abruptly stopped their pursuit.

The aura of visualization!

Beneath the sky, a middle-aged man dressed in a five-colored brocade robe rode a colorful cloud and drifted in.

The massive advance of tens of thousands of troops was abruptly halted.

Everyone showed awe; cultivators at the Contemplation Realm were already considered the pinnacle of cultivation in the Yu Kingdom.

"Master, now that you're here, why not show yourself?"

"Could it be that the person in charge of Jinyang Temple is just a cowardly rat who only dares to hide behind mortals and disciples and spy on them?"

...