Chapter 129: The Great War Begins

Nangong Hongbo quickly helped Bai Ling'er to her feet, conjuring several medicinal pills from thin air and channeling spiritual energy to dissolve them in her mouth.

As she slowly regained consciousness, Bai Ling'er remained exceptionally weak, two trails of clear tears sliding from the corners of her eyes.

"I... I cannot calculate it."

"Silly child, under the concealment of Heaven's Might, if it cannot be calculated, then let it be. The old man will stay here and wait with you, until this rascal returns."

Nangong Hongbo comforted her thus. Beside them, Puyang De opened his mouth as if to offer a statement, but in the end, he said nothing.

The skull-shaped form of the ink-black thunderclouds had dissipated, as if it believed the uninvited guest had already been annihilated. Many of the lightning forces previously diverted elsewhere now turned their gaze back, joining the main body to continue striking incessantly at the Endless Boundary Sea.

The raging waves surged to the heavens, accompanied by flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, just as they always had. It was as if Gu Xiaopang had never appeared, never truly disturbing the interplay of these two heaven-and-earth forces that were locked in a cycle of mutual destruction.

The three of them, sitting cross-legged in the distance, had been waiting for over ten days.

For more than ten days, they had been unable to perceive even a trace of Gu Xiaopang’s presence, just as if he had truly perished under the barrage of ten thousand thunderbolts. Although this place was a remote corner where the Eastern and Southern Regions met, its proximity to the Boundary Sea meant that few people ever came here, so no one arrived to disturb the trio.

...

Meanwhile, the Puppet Sect of the Central Region and the Asura Mansion of the Southern Region had once again begun to bristle with hostility.

For this war of vengeance, the Puppet Sect had even obtained an imperial edict from Palace Master Ba of the Supreme Palace. The meaning of Palace Master Ba was simple: high-level combatants at the Soul Transformation stage and above were strictly forbidden from engaging in battle, while there were no restrictions on low and mid-tier members, leaving the two factions to weigh the conflict themselves.

Even though the Asura Mansion was the head of the Southern Region, when faced with the Supreme Palace—the strongest human faction on the continent—they had no choice but to bow and obey. After all, while their own ancestor was merely at the early stage of the Great Completion, Palace Master Ba had long since reached the late stage of Great Completion and was nearing the Return to Truth realm.

The gap between the top combatants was as vast as heaven and earth, and even the ancestor of the Asura Mansion, who had displayed his might in the Southern Region only a short while ago, had no choice but to concede.

Fortunately, both sides had a small window of time to prepare. The Puppet Sect was busy pulling mid-to-low-tier elites from other regions, while the Asura Mansion, backed by a massive influx of resources, began to arm and forcibly boost the strength of their mid-to-low-tier elders and disciples.

Both factions were preparing for war in full swing. Throughout the Southern Region, many factions, trembling with fear, once again activated their protective formations and refused to venture out. While disciples from various regions were engaged in their own martial arts tournaments, countless people across the lands kept their eyes fixed on these two antagonistic forces.

In the eastern part of the Central Region, at the Puppet Sect:

"Sect Master, our forces are ready, totaling over thirty thousand people."

"Forty at the Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage, two hundred at the late stage, five hundred at the mid-stage, and one thousand three hundred at the early stage."

"Three thousand at the Golden Core Great Perfection stage, five thousand five hundred at the late stage, eight thousand eight hundred at the mid-stage, and ten thousand seven hundred at the early stage."

"Good. This time, we must make the Asura Mansion learn a thorough lesson."

"Furthermore, pass down the order: everyone must remember our sect's rules of engagement. Defeat is acceptable, death is acceptable, but you must retrieve the bodies of those fallen or wounded as much as possible."

"Understood."

Immediately, the vast army of over thirty thousand, led by Sect Master Taishi Zheng and several Tribulation and Soul Transformation experts, emerged from the miasma and advanced toward the Southern Region.

Deep within the council hall of the Asura Mansion in the center of the Southern Region:

"Mansion Master, the scouts have sent word that the Puppet Sect has set out toward us."

"They have mobilized over thirty thousand men in total, including forty at the Nascent Soul Great Perfection stage..."

"Preposterous!"

"If we cannot completely crush the arrogance of the Puppet Sect this time, how will I, Xiu Binggan, have the face to face the world again?"

"If the Asura Mansion, the hegemon of the Southern Region, cannot suppress even a second-rate force from the Central Region, how will we have the face to face the heroes of the world in the future?"

"Xiu Xuantian, take this order: give the participants in the mansion at most one more day. No matter what, you must forcibly raise their cultivation by one level!"

"We absolutely cannot lose this time! And we must win with overwhelming force!"

"Mansion Master, would that not be too risky?"

"It matters not. As long as our Great Completion ancestor is here, our Asura Mansion will have plenty of time to recover our vitality afterward."

The few among the high-level officials who had held slight reservations, hearing these words from the Mansion Master, thought to themselves that he was right; in the cultivation world, what ultimately matters is one’s true foundation of power.

After Vice Mansion Master Xiu Xuantian received the order, he went to make the arrangements. Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul and Golden Core elders, deacons, and disciples of the Asura Mansion who were to participate in the battle were all practicing frantically.

On one hand, as members of a superior faction, they could not allow the Asura Mansion to suffer defeat, especially after already losing face during the Hundred Sects Tournament. On the other hand, the high-level officials were pressuring them directly, demanding a breakthrough in cultivation; it was rare for the leadership to be willing to distribute such massive amounts of resources to them. Most importantly, they all knew that the higher their cultivation, the greater their chances of surviving the coming war. None of them were people who did not cherish their own lives.

These people of the Asura Mansion were different from the participants of the Puppet Sect. The Asura Mansion was still considered a righteous sect, so if they died in battle, they were truly dead. But the Puppet Sect, which leaned toward the evil and demonic, was different; those who were wounded could have their missing parts replaced through corpse-refinement techniques, and those who died could be re-refined to serve as combat power for the sect again.

Likewise, everyone in the Asura Mansion knew that if they died in battle and their bodies were obtained by the Puppet Sect, their corpses would inevitably change allegiance and serve the Puppet Sect thereafter. Everyone in the world knew this, and it was precisely because of this that the Puppet Sect had gradually risen to prominence on the Fengshen Continent to become the massive force it was today.

For the Puppet Sect, war was an opportunity to strengthen itself. Therefore, the Puppet Sect feared neither war nor a life-and-death struggle with factions of comparable strength. Thus, this war between the two sects could be called a war of revenge and growth for the Puppet Sect, and a war of status and face for the Asura Mansion. Unless someone as powerful as Palace Master Ba forcibly called a halt, this war was unavoidable.

...

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, the sky began to brighten.

At the border between the Southern and Central Regions: north of the boundary line were the thirty thousand members of the Puppet Sect; south of the boundary line were the thirty thousand members of the Asura Mansion. Further away on both sides were countless onlookers—bold, ambitious, and daring.

"Mansion Master Xiu, we meet again, haha. Since we parted last time, I have truly missed you, brother."

"Hmph!"

"Sect Master Shi, have you come to fight, or to practice your glib tongue? If you aren't going to fight, roll back to your nest of poison."

The participants of the Asura Mansion and the spectators in the distance, upon hearing this, either burst into loud laughter or struggled to keep from laughing out loud. Meanwhile, Sect Master Taishi Zheng of the Puppet Sect, hearing the Asura Mansion’s Master Xiu Binggan call him "Sect Master Shi" in front of everyone and insult him with such a backhanded remark, was immediately enraged.

The Puppet Sect's participants, seeing their leader insulted, were also filled with burning anger.

"Draw the lines then. Rest assured, as a superior faction, the Asura Mansion will not bully your tiny Puppet Sect!"

"As for how to fight, I will let you decide!"

"Hmph, 'tiny'? 'Let'? Wait until later, and you will have plenty of reasons to cry."

"Using this boundary as an axis, the far left will be the Nascent Soul Great Perfection battlefield, the adjacent area the Nascent Soul late-stage battlefield, and so on, until the far right, which will be the Golden Core early-stage battlefield."

"Good. Men of the Asura Mansion, listen: since Sect Master Shi has drawn the lines, take your positions and teach them a lesson they will never forget!"

"Understood!"

The well-trained participants of the Asura Mansion dispersed into eight camps according to their cultivation levels. The opposing Puppet Sect leader also gave a cold snort, and the Puppet Sect participants quickly spread out as well.

The two forces were less than two miles apart, glaring at each other like dragons and tigers. The curtain rose on a battle rarely seen in a thousand years, and the countless spectators were filled with fervent anticipation, while numerous scouts from various factions hurriedly pulled out their communication jade slips to prepare.

"Since Mansion Master Xiu has spoken first and allowed us to choose, then my lads, fight! All spoils of war taken from the enemy belong to you personally!"

"Sect Master is mighty!"

Hearing that the spoils were theirs to keep, the thirty thousand members of the Puppet Sect cheered for their leader’s might and, howling fiercely, charged toward their corresponding camps of the Asura Mansion.

"Kill!"

"Fight!"

There were no excessive courtesies; after all, they had come for a decisive battle. After only a few dozen breaths of initial contact, the war officially began. The combined force of over sixty thousand cultivators, all at least at the Golden Core stage, clashed across eight battlefields.

In terms of sheer numbers, this war was not as exaggerated as the battles between the royal courts, as the wars between the Zijin Royal Court and the Sacred Mountain Royal Court had involved nearly a million troops. However, in terms of grade, combat power, and intensity, this battle was absolutely incomparable to the border armies of the royal courts.

"Kill! ... Ah, my arm!"

"Old Zhang! No! ... You traitor, pay for my brother's life!"

"Outrageous! My junior brother's body is not something that you insidious, heartless people can touch! Leave it behind!"

"Damn, a top-tier magic artifact? You are clearly cheating!"

"Cheating? Unfair? Get lost, you brat!"

"Boom!"

"Brother Xiulun, I will surely avenge you!"

"Take this blade! Today I will hack you bastards to pieces!"

...

The battle raged like a raging fire. Though it had only just begun, smoke filled the air, blood flowed like rivers, and severed limbs and corpses lay scattered everywhere. Countless hills were leveled, and countless deep craters were blasted into the plains... it was tragic and horrific to behold.

There were those fighting in duels, and those who, seeing someone in different attire, slashed with bloodshot eyes. Fresh blood splattered everywhere—on hands, faces, and bodies—until it was impossible to tell if it belonged to one's own side, the enemy, or oneself.

Some fought with their lives on the line from the start, while others remained cautious, guarding their own lives. Once the battle began, there was no shortage of backstabbing, cheap shots, and lethal trips. The Puppet Sect's sleeper agents within the Asura Mansion moved in unison, leaving the Asura Mansion's high-level officials trembling with rage.

Countless spectators in the distance sighed, realizing this was the truth of the cultivation world: for the sake of resources, status, or even just for the sake of so-called "face," countless lives could be snuffed out in an instant.

The scouts from various factions were all busily recording the first-hand reports into their communication jade slips.

...