High Martial Arts: Starting with a Martial Saint Peak Cultivation

A week is neither a long nor a short time.

But for the cultivators of the four major forces in the Cloud Ripple Immortal Realm, these seven days were even more unbearable than seven years.

Disciples from the four sects of Ziyun Sect, Bishui Palace, Taiqing Hall, and Jiuyou Valley who were selected for the expeditionary force were excited almost every night.

Some were busy refining their newly acquired magical treasures, while others were repeatedly checking the pills and talismans in their storage bags.

Some even gathered together to drink and chat, their topics ranging from how to divide up the Purple Profound Star Region to what martial arts manuals they could exchange for their military merits upon returning.

"It is said that the Purple Profound Star Region does not even have a Celestial King; the strongest is only a Celestial Immortal."

"Celestial Immortals? Aren't they just easy targets? Our four-family allied forces have four Profound Immortal Ancestors, hundreds of Celestial Immortals, thousands of Earth Immortals, and an elite army of nearly nine million!"

"With this kind of force, let alone the Purple Profound Star Region, even if two more came, you could wipe them out in no time."

"That's right. I heard that Nine Nether Valley didn't even bring any menial disciples, because they thought they would be a burden."

"Of course, what's the point of bringing servants? When it comes to seizing resources, speed is key. If you bring a bunch of burdens, all the good stuff will be taken long ago."

"........."

Similar dialogues were constantly unfolding across the four major factions.

Every chosen disciple wore an undisguised look of pride on their face.

Those who were not selected were dejected, regretting that their cultivation was not good enough.

Meanwhile, inside the Nine Nether Valley.

As dawn broke, the entire sect was already in an uproar.

Three hundred feet down from the council hall, there is a huge valley flat area, which is where the Nine Nether Valley usually conducts martial arts drills and assembles.

now.

This flat area, spanning ten miles in circumference, has been completely occupied by enormous ships.

That was an expeditionary spaceship.

Each ship is a thousand feet long, and its entire body is cast from a mixture of deep blue Netherworld Stone and Star Iron. The hull is covered with dense array patterns, and from a distance, it looks like a lurking steel behemoth.

Each side of the flying boat was fitted with twelve psionic cannons, their muzzles dark and emitting waves of spiritual energy that sent chills down one's spine.

The bow of the ship is engraved with the emblem of the Nine Nether Valley.

A nine-headed serpent coiled above the abyss, its eyes inlaid with the finest spirit jade, gleaming with a chilling green light in the morning glow.

Nine enormous halos floated at the bottom of the flying boat.

Each halo is an independent floating array. The nine arrays are stacked together, allowing these behemoths not only to travel in the starry sky, but also to make short-distance space jumps.

At this moment, the boarding gates of these flying boats were all wide open, and the gangways descended from a height of thousands of feet. Each step was engraved with anti-slip spiritual patterns, making it steady and reassuring to step on.

One by one, fully armed disciples of the Nine Nether Valley were filing up the gangway.

"Look, look! That's a true disciple!"

Someone pointed to the group of people walking at the very front.

They wore uniform white robes with gold patterns, and had standard spirit swords hanging at their waists. The spiritual energy emanating from each of them was above the peak of the Earth Immortal realm.

The dozen or so people at the very front have already entered the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm.

"A true master's teaching is a true master's teaching; just look at that aura."

"Nonsense, they have great talent and abundant resources. The spirit stones a true disciple receives each year are enough for us outer disciples to live on for ten years."

"Stop being so sour. As long as we survive this expedition, the resources we earn from military merits will last us a long time."

"That's true. Let's go, let's get on the ship quickly and not block the way."

The crowd surged toward their respective airships like a tidal wave.

A young man who looked like an outer disciple, carrying a bulging storage bag, was whispering to his fellow disciple while waiting in line.

"How much do you think we'll get this time?"

"It's hard to say, but there are definitely a lot. I've heard that the star field has many spiritual veins, although their grade is definitely not as high as our Yunlan Immortal Realm, but it's still barely enough."

"Wouldn't that mean we'd make a fortune?"

"Nonsense, otherwise why would the sect send one of the two patriarchs? Even the sect leader went personally. This is the largest operation that our Nine Nether Valley has undertaken in nearly a thousand years."

"Hehe, I've already made up my mind. I'll exchange my military merits for a Breakthrough Pill first. I've been stuck at the mid-stage of Earth Immortal for too long."

"Take it easy, don't try to take credit before you even get there."

"What's there to be afraid of? Can the people from the Purple Profound Star Region really turn the world upside down?"

Similar discussions arose one after another, and long queues formed in front of each airship.

The disciples showed no sign of tension.

It was all excitement and anticipation.

On the highest peak of the Nine Nether Valley, Immortal Lord Youxuan stood with his hands behind his back.

The mountain wind howled, causing his robes to flutter.

He looked down at the densely packed flying boats and surging crowds in the valley below, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Nine million elite troops..."

Youxuan Immortal Lord muttered to himself, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Adding the forces of the other three factions, the total strength is roughly this much. With such power, sweeping through the Purple Profound Star Region is indeed more than enough."

He looked up at the sky, where the boundary of the Cloud Ripples Immortal Realm lay. Beyond that sea of ​​stars lay his destination.

"The intelligence that Xuan Ying brought back is very detailed. The strongest forces in the Purple Profound Star Region are at most at the peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm."

Immortal Lord Youxuan shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of disapproval.

"Peak Celestial Immortal? In some holy lands of the Cloud Ripple Immortal Realm, that would at most qualify someone as an elder. How could someone be considered a tyrant in that place?"

"Hehe, it's true what they say, when the cat's away, the mice will play."

He withdrew his gaze and flew towards another mountain peak.

That was the secluded cultivation place of the Old Ancestor Youquan, an independent cave dwelling hidden deep in the sea of ​​clouds.

In front of the cave entrance, Old Ancestor Youquan was leaning back in a bamboo chair, slowly sipping a pot of spiritual tea.

Seeing Immortal Lord Youxuan land, Ancestor Youquan raised his eyelids slightly.

"Is everything ready?"

"Reporting to the Second Ancestor, everything is ready, and we are just waiting to depart."

Immortal Lord Youxuan bowed respectfully, his tone humble.

Ancestor Youquan nodded, put down the teapot, and stood up.

He looked Youxuan Immortal Lord up and down, then grinned.

"Boy, don't embarrass our Nine Nether Valley this time."

"Don't worry, Second Ancestor."

Immortal Lord Youxuan raised his head, his gaze resolute.

"This disciple will certainly strive to secure the greatest share of the benefits for the sect."

"Okay, go ahead."

Old Ancestor Youquan waved his hand, lay back down on the bamboo chair, and closed his eyes.

Immortal Lord Youxuan bowed deeply and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, Ancestor Youquan opened one eye again and added a sentence.

"By the way, be careful when you're out and about. Although those three families are ready to sign the Heavenly Dao Contract, you can't judge a book by its cover. Don't let them trick you."

"Disciple understands."

Immortal Lord Youxuan did not turn around, but the smile on his lips deepened.

A moment later, he arrived at the central control room of the sect, in front of the control panel of the sect's protective array.

The elders who remained were already waiting here.

Leading the group was the white-bearded old man who had volunteered to guard the house earlier. He was a late-stage Celestial Immortal and held a very high seniority among the elders.

"Sect Master, everything is ready."

The white-bearded old man cupped his hands in greeting.

"The sect-protecting formation can be put into a state of highest alert at any time."

Immortal Lord Youxuan nodded and patted the old man on the shoulder.

"I entrust the sect to you all."

He paused, his tone serious.

"If anything unusual happens, send me a message immediately. We are under the protection of Heaven as we set out on the front lines. Those enemies will not dare to make any rash moves on the surface, but we must guard against their underhanded tactics."

"Sect Master, rest assured, as long as I live, Nine Nether Valley will exist."

The white-bearded old man spoke calmly, but every word he uttered was resounding.

Immortal Lord Youxuan said no more, turned to face the core of the sect's protective formation, and raised his hand to cast a spell.

hum...

A deep cyan light curtain spread out from the center of the array.

It covered the entire mountain peak at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then spread outwards, enveloping all the palaces, caves, medicine gardens, and mineral veins.

Above the light screen, nine enormous snake shadows appeared and disappeared, each radiating the pressure of a Celestial King.

This is the strongest defensive measure that Nine Nether Valley has ever used since its founding: the Nine Nether Heavenly Serpent Formation.

When this formation is in full operation, it can withstand a full-force attack from a peak Immortal King. Even if two Immortal Kings attack at the same time, it can hold out for a while.

After the light screen completely closed, Immortal Lord Youxuan withdrew his magic spell and turned to fly down the mountain.

At this point, the boarding process in the valley was nearing its end.

At the foot of the last airship's gangway, an outer gatekeeper was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Hurry up! There's only half an incense stick left, or you'll miss your chance!"

"Have you checked all the storage bags? Have you collected all the talismans and pills?"

"After boarding, proceed to your assigned cabin according to your cabin number. Do not wander around!"

The disciples quickened their pace, jogging up the gangway one by one.

As the last person stepped through the hatch, the gangway slowly retracted, and the hatch slammed shut.

Immediately afterwards, the formations on all the flying boats lit up simultaneously.

Nine halos rose from the bottom of the boat, encircling the hull and emitting a low hum.

The array patterns on the surface of the airship lit up one after another, spreading from the bow to the stern, making the entire airship seem to come alive.

The figure of Immortal Lord Youxuan appeared at the bow of the main ship.

That was the largest flying ship, three thousand feet long, forged entirely from a mixture of ten-thousand-year-old cold iron and nine-ninth stone. The array patterns engraved on its hull were several times more complex than those on other flying ships.

The nine-headed hydra statue at the bow of the ship, each head taller than a person, with eighteen eyes emitting a ghostly green light, illuminated the void in front of it.

Immortal Lord Youxuan stood at the bow of the ship and waved his hand.

"Set off!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of every disciple on every flying boat.

boom--!

The main ship took off first, its massive hull slowly leaving the ground, stirring up clouds of dust.