Chapter 2482: The Clash of Power

Before today, Li Yun had never imagined that human armies could possess such tactics, such efficiency, such coordination…… such an attack method that, when facing them, the Changfeng Valley people were everywhere restrained, momentarily at a loss.

Once they could no longer fly, they lost their greatest advantage.

In terms of individual combat strength, the Changfeng Valley people were in no way inferior; but in terms of discipline, they could not match the opponent's orderly advance and retreat, with thousands acting as a single entity.

No, it was like a machine—powerful, efficient, cold-blooded.

"Open the Cloud Valley!" Li Yun plucked three yellow leaves, pressed them to his ear, whispered a few words, then lightly tossed them outward—the leaves flew across the battlefield to deliver messages to each sect disciple: "Feng Sheng, Wang Bao Xian, Liu Qing An, you lead the teams, lure the enemy in!"

The so-called Cloud Valley was a small world that could open and close at will, with concealed entrances and exits. When opened, it was transparent and colorless, blending completely with the surroundings. The enemy army pursued the Changfeng Valley people, who only needed to lure the strong foes in batches; inside the small world were plenty of bewildering illusions, allowing Changfeng Valley to calmly handle the remaining enemies in reality.

The plan was excellent, and the several disciples executed it decisively and thoroughly; the disciples' panic while fleeing and luring the enemy was no act.

Yet strangely, though the enemy army pursued with great enthusiasm, they halted at the entrance of the small world, the leader glancing left and right, spitting, then leading the troops back, firmly refusing to step inside.

If it were just one unit, it might be forgivable, but three or four enemy units behaved this way, and the Changfeng Valley people finally understood:

The meticulous camouflage at the small world's entrance had been seen through at a glance.

How could the opponent see through it so easily? Even a common soldier could. That illusion was clearly superb—Changfeng Valley had used it before to deceive others, never failing.

Since this tactic failed, Changfeng Valley could only think of another method.

At the same time, Li Yun and other great powers were quickly identified, and the Red Armor Army immediately allocated a dedicated elite squad to entangle the Changfeng Valley great powers, to reduce their harm to the main army.

These elite squads usually numbered only twenty or thirty, their leaders typically being highly cultivated commanders…… or…… great demons!

Yes, there were also not a few demons in the enemy city, highly cultivated and well-coordinated with the army. Most hateful of all—

Their bodies also emitted the same red light.

This meant they had higher resistance to divine techniques and spells, and their attacks on the Changfeng Valley people were even more fierce!

Especially several leopard demons with sandstone skin, possessing both agility and ferocity, their hides as tough as sandpaper, impossible to chop through.

Changfeng Valley had no choice but to mobilize several dozen demon beasts, along with a batch of Five Elements puppets.

After Li Yun had just slain a leopard demon, he suddenly felt a chill, as if something was approaching. Without thinking, he lunged forward, even knocking over a Changfeng Valley disciple.

When he turned back, a huge-haired spider demon had emerged from where he had been standing, its eight claws on the ground over half a person tall, covered in sharp spikes.

Most crucially, he recognized this spider demon!

"You sneaked into Du Zhi Mountain before!"

Those who had mysteriously infiltrated Du Zhi Mountain and then vanished strangely—this spider demon before them was one of them, its features too obvious to miss.

Moreover, this spider demon moved among the enemy troops like a fish in water, as if it had been cooperating for years.

Li Yun looked around again and spotted two or three familiar cultivators, all of whom had previously intruded into Du Zhi Mountain. But their coordination with the army was not as seamless as the spider demon's.

He had not known their purpose before, but now he understood:

That strange city intended to invade Changfeng Valley, so it first sent these people to scout and sabotage Du Zhi Mountain.

Zhu Xiuer's response was to leap forward, aiming to give him an enthusiastic embrace.

The two became entangled in combat.

It and the Lingshan people followed Jiuxu's arrangement, coming to support the Panlong Secret Realm.

The Panlong Secret Realm was still in a crucial growth phase, yet it had to clash head-on with the Du Zhi Mountain Secret Realm.

And behind this was also the struggle between Shangguan Biao and Jiuxu—they naturally had to come lend a hand.

While everyone fought, Meng Ke Xianren communicated via the eyeball spider to Zhu Xiuer:

"Taking advantage of no one noticing, I'll go to Du Zhi Mountain to kill someone."

"Who?"

"Shangguan Biao, the menial worker." Meng Ke Xianren still remembered this matter—"Didn't Jiuxu say killing him might possibly end this secret realm's progression?"

"No need, I just tried." Zhu Xiuer sighed, "The Du Zhi Mountain barrier is very strong—we can't get in. To kill Shangguan Biao, we'd have to enter the secret realm from the Du Zhi Mountain entrance. We just tried—we can't get in."

Before entering the Panlong Secret Realm, they had first made a trip to Du Zhi Mountain. But those three passageways had already been sealed; going back and forth several times, they still couldn't get in.

Clearly, what Zhu Xiuer could think of, Shangguan Biao had already anticipated in advance.

"Besides, Jiuxu may not even want the Du Zhi Mountain Secret Realm to disappear." Zhu Xiuer continued, "It should be very useful to the Panlong Secret Realm."

"How could there be such an army in Jiuxu's secret realm?" Meng Ke Xianren looked back at the not-so-distant city, reflecting that this time they entered the secret realm not from within the city, but directly from the outskirts' post station, walking a few steps to reach the wheat field battlefield.

To say no one was secretly controlling all this—he simply wouldn't believe it.

The Jiuxu people, in Shangguan Biao's void-like realm, could still divide their attention to control the Panlong Secret Realm, which truly made him curious.

"I don't know." Zhu Xiuer, now lying, showed no blink at all.

During the battle, the Changfeng Valley direction continuously had new rainbow lights flying in, landing at the border.

These were reinforcements from within the sect, arriving endlessly.

Meanwhile, the southern gate of Panlong City opened several times, one wave after another of Panlong troops rushing to the battlefield.

Meng Ke Xianren, while fighting, paid special attention to the border between Panlong's rice fields and Du Zhi Mountain. He saw that at times the rice field boundary extended toward Du Zhi Mountain, at times the Du Zhi Mountain boundary extended toward the rice fields—just like the contest between Changfeng Valley and Panlong armies on the ground, you advance I retreat, you retreat I advance.

After the initial chaos, Changfeng Valley quickly changed tactics, withdrawing its disciples back into its own territory!

This move of "advancing by retreating" took effect immediately.

Returning to their own ground, the Changfeng Valley people could then fly on their weapons, conducting from above intensive divine technique suppression, regaining air superiority.

After taking flight, many formations could also be redeployed from a high position.

Most importantly, whoever's territory, whoever's word is law. Li Yun shook that wave drum, and stone men crawled up from underground, joining the battlefield—numberless!

Earlier, in Panlong territory, the earth mother's power could not take effect, leaving Changfeng Valley lacking a great aid.

But in Changfeng Valley territory, Li Yun's ice dragon technique could still freeze fifty li, though against the red light on the Panlong army's bodies, it was still ineffective.

However, those hundred-odd intruders from Du Zhi Mountain, having no red light on them, were unaffected by his suppressive effect.

The battle gradually intensified, both sides engaging in deadly combat along the border.