After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

"Fellow Daoist Xiong, I've said it before: the Hehuan Sect is nothing more than someone with a broken mountain-protecting formation. Why should our nine sects mobilize so much? It's simply...using a sledgehammer to crack a nut!"

Clad in heavy armor and possessing a burly physique, Xiong Tian sat atop a ferocious demonic beast, his expression calm and his voice booming:

"Fellow Daoist Yao, I am acting on His Majesty's orders. Although the Hehuan Sect may seem insignificant, imperial commands cannot be disobeyed. We must strike decisively to kill them, as a warning to others."

"Hehehe..."

Beside him, a muscular elder from the Vajra Temple, clad in a golden robe, let out a strange, eerie laugh. He held a large string of prayer beads in his hand, his thick, bony fingers slowly stroking the beads.

"General Xiong is certainly fulfilling his duties; he seems to cherish the title of Grand General Who Protects the Nation very much."

The sarcasm in his words was undisguised.

Xiong Tian frowned slightly, but did not engage in any further verbal sparring with these arrogant sect cultivators.

Having been through many battles, his intuition told him that the journey had been too smooth, abnormally so.

But when he glanced at the unusually quiet Hehuan Sect mountain gate ahead and then at the vast army of five thousand beside him, he ultimately suppressed his doubts.

He told himself: Even if there's an ambush, what can a large army do? Just crush them head-on!

He abruptly raised his hand, his sharp gaze sweeping across the area ahead:

"Issue my order! All sects, act according to plan! Surround the Hehuan Sect completely, leaving no way out!"

He paused, his voice carrying a malicious mockery that echoed across the field:

"Later, not a single fly is allowed to escape from my sight! Any fairy you manage to catch can be taken back as your Daoist partner or your cultivation vessel!"

"I obey the general's orders!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the thousands of cultivators behind him lit up with greedy glints, and they echoed in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Banners fluttered, demonic beasts roared, and countless sword lights and magical artifacts pierced the sky, pressing down on the majestic main peak of the Hehuan Sect!

-

Meanwhile, inside the main hall at the highest point of the Hehuan Sect.

A deep, unyielding worry lingered between Chu Qingyi's brows.

She had just received more intelligence—the Nine Sects Alliance had reached the city gates, and their vanguard had even entered the outer forbidden area of ​​the Hehuan Sect.

Although Lin Fengmian had made preparations in advance, the oppressive feeling of those five thousand elite cultivators was still incredibly real.

"Elder, you need not worry."

A steady voice came from behind.

Chu Qingyi turned around and saw that Lin Fengmian had already stood beside her at some point. He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze looking through the windows of the main hall at the dark, imposing line of troops on the distant horizon.

"I have ordered the outer defenses to be lifted, letting them in."

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly:

"Once they step into the valley, there will be no escape."

Looking at the slightly roguish smile on his lips, Chu Qingyi's worries gradually dissipated.

She said softly, "Okay, I believe you."

Lin Fengmian turned his head to look at her, his gaze carrying a hint of teasing: "What, has the Supreme Elder finally acknowledged the abilities of my 'former Daoist partner'?"

Chu Qingyi blushed slightly at his words, wanting to scold him but not knowing how to start. She could only turn her face away and pretend to look at the scenery outside the window.

But a smile, which she herself was unaware of, quietly appeared in her beautiful, watery eyes.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Nine Sects Allied Forces would not arrive for another half month, Lin Fengmian immediately began preparations for war.

Without any delay, he found a quiet room, sat down cross-legged, and immersed his mind in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, atop the Soul-Nourishing Wood, Li Cheng's aged, remnant soul was listlessly dozing. Sensing Lin Fengmian's approaching divine sense, the old monster immediately opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them:

"Boy, here to ask me for something again?"

Lin Fengmian chuckled and got straight to the point:

"Old man, with a formidable enemy at hand, you don't want to watch my body get hacked to pieces, do you?"

Give me more good things so I can survive and you'll have a chance to rebuild my physical body.

Li Cheng rolled his eyes, but had to admit that the kid had a point.

He pondered for a moment, and a mysterious flow of information surged from his remnant soul, directly pouring into Lin Fengmian's sea of ​​consciousness.

"This is... a battle formation technique?"

Lin Fengmian examined it carefully, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

This technique is called the "Six Harmonies Mystic Weapon Formation," which Li Cheng obtained by chance in a small sect in the spirit world.

Although it may not be considered top-tier in the spirit world, it is absolutely unique in the human world!

The cultivation technique states that five or six cultivators form a group, arranged in a specific formation. Through the resonance of their spiritual energy, they can amplify each other's combat power. This allows them to overcome the strong with the weak, and the many with the few—one plus one is far greater than two!

This kind of battle formation is almost a required course in the major sects of the spirit world, but it is extremely rare in the human world.

After all, spiritual energy is scarce in the human realm, and cultivators generally have low cultivation levels. Few sects can gather enough manpower to study the way of battle formations.

"Very good!"

Lin Fengmian was overjoyed. With this, the overall combat strength of the Hehuan Sect could increase by at least 30%!

He dared not delay and immediately entered the space of the jade pendant.

Within the Frozen Ice Cave, white mist swirled, and spiritual energy surged like a tide. Lin Fengmian went straight to the mystical willow tree and sat down cross-legged.

The pure and ethereal aura emanating from the willow tree enveloped him, instantly bringing his mind into an unprecedented state of clarity.

Lin Fengmian closed his eyes and concentrated, beginning to comprehend the "Six Harmonies Mystic Weapon Formation".

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he had already grasped all the secrets of that battle formation.

If this were outside, ordinary cultivators would not be able to master such profound battle formation techniques without three to five months of arduous training.

But with the willow tree's blessing, all of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Lin Fengmian opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, and a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"Excellent! With this technique, I can certainly apply it to my sword weapon."

He flashed out of the jade pendant space.

Over the next three days, Lin Fengmian personally selected one hundred core disciples from the Hehuan Sect and gathered them at the training ground on Luoyun Peak.

These disciples were all elites of the sect, with the weakest among them being at least in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

More than ten people have already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and are only one step away from Core Formation.

Lin Fengmian stood before the crowd, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the young yet determined faces below, and said in a deep voice:

"Gentlemen, the Great Yan Dynasty is leading a coalition of nine sects towards our Hehuan Sect. I'm sure you all already know this."

He paused, then his tone suddenly rose:

"But I can tell you—do not be afraid! With me here, and with you all here, this gate will not fall!"