Swoosh swoosh swoosh!!!

 The vast golden pillar of light penetrated straight into the heavens. Amidst the white, green, and red sky, it forcibly tore open a golden domain. Ready in strict battle formation, figures emerged in the pillar of light. It was the Xingtian Legion and their assisting army, a total of sixty-plus people!

“Kill them all!” At the Bluedawn Winding Corridor, a green shade of light dyed half the sky. A woman with her hair draped loosely over her shoulders was sitting on a throne at the crown of an enormous skull. In front of her, three great paths of unfolding spider silk linked the White Tiger Hall and Bluedawn Winding Corridor together. On them were 200 to 300 spider puppets, controlled through the manipulations of over a dozen cultivators. Nimble as a finger, they rushed the White Tiger Hall facing them!

All of a sudden, she looked towards a place over a dozen kilometers away. Over yonder, a pillar of light soared into the air and broke straight through the skies!

“That’s… golden light…” She watched for two seconds, and her gaze swiftly pulsed like fire. “The golden command plate! The golden command plate!!! The Xingtian Legion has arrived!!!” Yet in the next second, her face grew solemn. “Why… Why didn’t I sense their qi? How in the world did they get in?!”

On top of the tallest pavilion in the Kindling Mulberry Wall, an ancient mirror that was tens of meters in size had long since been erected. Both sides were tied up by two dreadful ribbons of red silk that were a thousand meters long and over a hundred meters thick. Countless cultivators held the ribbons in their hands, and a kaleidoscopic beam fired out as they instilled their spiritual force through the red silk attached to the mirror’s face! The attack bombarded the White Tiger Palace, but there was still no explosion more often than not. Soon afterwards, though, a dazzling eruption of multicolored fireworks immediately detonated against the stronghold’s protective cover.

Below the immense mirror, a thousand Qi Condensation cultivators now looked on in shock towards the direction of that golden pillar. They knew that a new power had entered the field. When they had entered, a corresponding pillar of light had ascended towards the sky, in kind.

Under the mirror, Zhao Zhiqiu narrowed his eyes and gazed towards the direction of the rising light pillar. “The Xingtian Legion, eh… They actually still had the guts to come… Should I say you’re courage shrouds the heavens, or that you act recklessly with no knowledge of either life or death…”

Several thousand meters high in the sky, an azure lotus blossomed in the night wind. Daomaster Ancientpine held his wine cup, and Daomaster Titanspirit couldn’t help but share a glance with him. A smidgen of concern was visible in the other’s eyes.

The Xingtian Legion had reached the battleground! Not even they, however, had sensed anything whatsoever!

In other words… 

“They…” Ancientpine’s fingers were trembling a little. “Actually came straight from underground!”

Xu Yangyi grasped the golden command plate and walked out from the light pillar symbolizing the Xingtian Legion’s territory. Any power that entered the stage would bring forth such a massive shock. This aspect was beyond his expectations, but there wasn’t too great of an effect. He gazed towards the sky. Not only him, everyone looked towards the sky.

A distant place that they had seen once before. But now that he himself entered this war, the surging roars of murder reverberated in his ears! Those interweaving rays of spiritual light seemed to brush past his soul. The ultimate teaching of cultivators burning their own lives to slay their enemies. In the night sky, they merely formed a streak of flowing light that twinkled away in the blink of an eye… and yet thousands of flowing lights flashed at the same time. Such scenery even made the night turn pale.

The resplendent brilliance of qi in the sky streaked across the faces of the Xingtian Legion who had just arrived below, illuminating momentary splendor on the cultivators who had their mouths slightly ajar as they looked high above. As the magnificence, cruelty, and desperation of war truly revealed itself in front of them, only then did they feel that the Screaming Wind Legion’s hundred-man ambush before was not worth so much as mentioning.

No one spoke. Even though the faraway sound of close-quarters combat was left unheard, these scenes were enough to send their blood boiling. Xu Yangyi only took a glance, yet a crease formed between his brows. At the original position of his qi sea… something was hopping.

It was the silkworm chrysalis.

At this moment, the silkworm chrysalis, which had stayed in his qi sea for several years, seemed to detect something that brought it unparalleled excitement! Even in chrysalis form, it actually began to softly tremble! As if it was impatient to rush out!

Xu Yangyi merely expanded his senses a little and immediately knew what the chrysalis was excited about.

The smell of blood!

To be precise… it was flesh! His eyes flickered minutely. That was right… On that day of Daomaster Jadewave’s death, this thing had also been this excited!

But now wasn’t the time to worry about this object… Xu Yangyi tucked his gaze away and looked at where he had been transferred out. At his back, there were three ancient-style buildings. In the night, they stood tall at a full twenty meters. Although their interiors were long since pitch-black, lanterns dark and fires put out, three large characters done in powerful strokes were gracefully shimmering on a board attached to a door.

The Featherwood Guard!

“I’ve heard something.” Lord Zhao took a step forward, his gaze somewhat burning-hot as he looked at the Featherwood Guard’s great hall. “The great hall of each branch is a palace. Unless the chief branch master authorizes it, no one whatsoever can enable it otherwise.” He turned and clasped his hands towards Xu Yangyi. “I am unsure, Branchmaster Xu, but can you let us see this amazing sight today?”

An azure Daoist robe was slightly visible behind a tree. Xu Yangyi noticed it but said nothing. He didn’t hold too great a desire to befriend Xuan Chengzi. Especially since he had no time to understand the Sword of Greenwall.

The crook of Xu Yangyi’s mouth stuck up a little. Living for a long time was an advantage. Lord Zhao surprisingly knew this secret. Even he had only discovered this matter after he’d been formally given the position of Longsu Province’s branch master. Nevertheless, it wasn’t just the Featherwood Guard… the Bountiful Treasures Pavilion and the CSIB, any branch among the Big Three were mobile war-machines!

Once Daomaster Ancientpine gave authorization… this war machine would immediately activate! Else not, why had his master gave him a grand mountain-protector array? To protect a mountain? Which mountain sect was to be protected? A plaza?

Without speaking, Xu Yangyi took a deep breath. His hand flickered, and a talisman silently flew out, melding into the three halls like a curtain of water. In the next second… a domain of golden brilliance loudly erupted inside!

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

 The golden light of talismans glimmered over each roof tile and brick. The ground started to rumble and quake! 

Huuummm…

 A low and deep droning noise echoed. The walls and roof all surprisingly lifted open, and special Spirit Accumulation Cannons and two to three-meter-long Demonslaying Crossbows slowly pushed out from open holes on the walls.

The clicking and grinding of machinery rained down on the ear for less than a minute. On the front of each pavilion, there was an engraving of a dragon head. At this moment, a streak of blue light jetted out from these dragons’ mouths and fired right at a center statue. As the three rays of qi light came together, the body of a male sculpture in an ancient gown that was originally in the plaza now turned completely azure! Qi saturated and flooded the area! It was as if the statue had come alive!

Boom!

 Following the statue’s activation, all the stone planks spread over the plaza fell down! An Eight Trigrams formed of qi awesomely appeared in the square. At this very instant, the Featherwood Guard branch was emitting golden light, shockingly already at full operation!

Xu Yangyi inhaled deeply. He gazed straight towards the sky, not masking the battle intent within his heart by a hair. 

My war challenge has been delivered. Can you take it? Do you risk answering the challenge of the weakest power on paper?!

In the largest skull of the Bluedawn Winding Corridor, the Crimson Rakshasa held a wine cup made of bone and took sips from it. The White Tiger Hall… Their defeat already seemed to be revealed. With the passage of another day and the Nalan and Lou Clan’s assault that disregarded price… a result was foreordained.

Yet now, she snapped her head up and looked at the other side of the sky with some disbelief. From the grounds of the Xingtian Legions, a spiritual pressure she was very familiar with slowly ascended. It was not powerful, but it was as heavy as a mountain!

She was startled for a fleeting moment. Closely following, an incredulous expression appeared on her face. She stared blankly for a second but then started to howl with laughter as she faced the sky!

“HAHAHA! You overestimate your capabilities! You overestimate your capabilities!”

This spiritual pressure… was the spiritual pressure of a palace’s activation! Each branch of the three major powers was a war stronghold; how could she not know? What did this represent, however?

This was a war challenge! The Xingtian Legion’s reliance on the Featherwood Guard’s war stronghold was a declaration of war in the face of all the clans! From here onwards, they had officially announced that they had entered this bloody war!

“An insignificant branch, an insignificant branch.” The Crimson Rakshasa rocked back and forth in laughter. This was too amusing. An insect was actually challenging an elephant? In front of the several-thousand-meter Bluedawn Winding Corridor, the five-hundred-plus-meter war stronghold was like a newborn babe! What could 500 meters contain? Perhaps only the simplest and lowest machinery space!

War strongholds were likewise divided into ranks. A Core Formation imperial palace was the highest, and theirs followed below. A Featherwood Guard branch had even dared to challenge them. Apart from provoking laughter, what else did it possess?

“Hehehe…” The sound of her raspy laughter echoed throughout the vast and empty skull. After ages, the wine cup made of bone was suddenly crushed in her hand. “Little child… you still do truly honor yourself… With your identity, status, and your palace, all of it is a kind of dishonor against the Bluedawn Winding Corridor, even if this is a challenge.”

“You simply don’t hold the qualifications to challenge the Nalan Clan…” She gnashed her teeth as she glanced below. “Yet I will allow you to continue living for the time being… Once the White Tiger Hall meets their demise, the time of your death shall follow. Not even ten thousand deaths will redeem you.”

In the Kindling Mulberry Wall, Zhao Zhiqiu didn’t laugh. Several major officers looked towards where the Xingtian Legion was located, their killing intent no longer maskable in the slightest.

“Clan Elder, let me lead a hundred of the Hunting Immortal Guard. We’ll capture that wild disciple that doesn’t know good from bad.” A middle-aged man grinded his teeth as he looked at the location of the glimmering golden light. “Just by himself? Since this is a challenge, then how about we see whether our Zhao Clan can take it!”

“Yes, what qualification does he have?” Besides the middle-aged man was a young man who was wearing glasses and a Tang suit. While his cultural style was different, there wasn’t a trace of conflict with his form. His appearance was gentle and refined, yet the words he spoke were icy-cold like a winter sun. “A beggar come to face a marquis, and says that he wants to challenge him… Such a challenge is an insult against we three clans. On this point alone, we should leave him without a whole corpse.”

[1]

“Who does he think he is? His complete identity is still no more than a corpse here!”

His face emotionless, Zhao Zhiqiu looked towards the distant golden light and eventually chuckled. “A man about to die. We’ll let him rampage a little for now.”

“There are only three days for this war. The first peak has been now reached. We have no time to deal with this maggot.”

A war challenge of searing heat that overtook the heart was not beholden in the eyes of the lofty great clans. Even if Xu Yangyi had a thousand identities in the outside world, his boldness to declare war was an offense of heavenly might, a single road to death!

In the hearts of the four great clans, there had never been a place for the Xingtian Legion. This stopgap of manpower was merely for show. If the Xingtian Legion was sensible, they should’ve obediently stayed in their original location and not even come in. As such, after disposing of the enemy, they would spend half an hour in content by destroying the Xingtian Legion in passing, take the command plate, and gain one more territory. Sparing Xu Yangyi’s life, thus selling Daomaster Ancientpine face and respect, was not necessarily undoable.

However, this insect had now actually dared challenge a colossal dragon! For Xu Yangyi to do this was to seek his own death!

Destroying a Featherwood Guard branch in passing could still be the same as casually washing a Featherwood Guard branch in blood.

1. “Marquis - 萬戶侯”. Specifically means lord of 10,000 households.

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