Chapter 1437: The Immortal Gate Fleet Advances

Jiang Ding passed through the realm passage.

He returned once more to the Tian Yuan Realm, his body bearing grave wounds.

The instant he appeared in the Tian Yuan Realm, a cold will surfaced in his mind.

"Reconnecting…"

"Welcome, Commander-in-Chief of the Main Army Group, sir."

The Array Spirit of the Immortal Gate's Ninth Army Group immediately detected the supreme commander, and authority instantly transferred—from the acting commanders Mie Ri Zhen Zun and others—to Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun.

At this moment, Jiang Ding's will merged into the will of the Ninth Army Group's fleet.

He could clearly sense a vast Dao-Unification-grade military formation around him, along with the wills of over five hundred million cultivators within it. They varied in strength, but each was an independent will, none considering themselves any different in personhood from that blazing-sun will in the sky.

Equal, independent, autonomous.

Apart from differences in duty and strength, everyone was an equal individual.

At the same time, on another level, these mutually independent wills were linked by something common, forming a whole.

"Salute!"

"Commander-in-Chief, sir!"

Noticing the commander's gaze, Mie Ri Zhen Zun, Ping Yang Zhen Zun, and others, along with Tianci Canghai Tianjun, Huobao Three Canghai Tianjun, Huateng Canghai Tianjun, and the entire Ninth Army Group's officers and soldiers saluted in perfect unison.

Unlike the Dao Soldier troops of any sect, these cultivators—from the most basic Foundation Establishment cultivators at the bottom to the Refinement Void cultivators at the top—looked at the commander with respect, reverence, resolve, and the like, yet none of the fanaticism or loyalty that would mark personal allegiance. They did not pledge loyalty to the commander.

This was the Immortal Gate's army, the citizens' fleet—not some individual's private army.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists."

Jiang Ding returned the salute.

"Now, I am issuing the latest orders from the Immortal Gate Military Committee. I ask all of you to read them carefully, comprehend the Immortal Gate's strategic intent, and make ample preparations for the coming war."

He transmitted the transfer orders and the Ninth Army Group's strategic objectives to the entire army.

The Immortal Gate's army was not a machine for executing tasks; citizens needed to know what they fought for.

If, under extreme circumstances, they were defeated by the enemy and lost their formation, they could still spontaneously organize themselves, do their utmost to restore order, and then continue completing the Immortal Gate's military missions until death.

While the will of the Ninth Army Group's fleet was thinking and sorting itself out, Jiang Ding simultaneously sent notification requests to Zhenjun Shenji Zhen Zun's Second Army Group and Wan Ji Zhen Zun's Third Army Group.

"Have the two seniors already received the transfer orders?"

Jiang Ding inquired.

"That is correct."

Zhenjun Shenji Zhen Zun nodded slightly: "My force has already handed over the defense of the Nine Spirit Realm to the second-line citizen fleet and the conscripted troops, and is currently moving toward the Tian Yuan Realm. We expect to arrive at the Tian Yuan Realm on March 17."

(continuation of 【27】)

"My force will accompany the Central Army Group in attacking the Eighteen Realms of the Myriad Races Alliance, and will carry out the subsequent garrison and occupation of the core realms."

"The Third Army Group is the same."

Wan Ji Zhen Zun's voice was a mechanical, by-the-book tone, yet one could hear the burning heat in his words: "Da Ri, after we leave, the realm passages on both sides of the Tian Yuan Realm will be left to you."

"Do not let the Immortal Gate's logistical corridor be severed."

"Of course, if things truly become impossible, you should still retreat to the Tian Yuan Realm, blow up the realm passage to preserve yourselves—the Central Army Group on the distant expedition has its own ways."

"I will certainly not fail the trust the seniors have placed in me."

Jiang Ding said solemnly.

"You're going to clean up the Badaxian Sect's Dao Soldier troops next, aren't you?"

"Should we wait for Zhenjun Shenji to arrive?"

Wan Ji Zhen Zun asked.

"No need, Senior Wan Ji—the two of us will be enough."

……

The Tian Yuan Realm passage.

Here, the Immortal Gate and the Badaxian Sect's Dao Soldiers had gathered in force, using numerous formations to hold their ground, guarding against sudden attacks by the Ancient God Realm forces. The defenses were strict, never relaxing for a single moment.

Compared to the Immortal Gate's uniform fleet, the Badaxian Sect's Dao Soldier troops were far more conspicuous.

Qingmuxian Sect's Taiyi Taiyi Qingmu Dao Soldiers—the Taiyi Qingmu Forest—were composed of numerous thousand-year-old tree demons; standing there, they were a sea of trees growing in the starry sky.

The Wan Shouxianzong's Primordial Beast Blood Dao Soldiers were various powerful-bloodline exotic beasts, snarling and roaring without cease, making one's heart tremble.

Wuxingtian Sect's Five-Element Indestructible Dao Soldiers were composed of various fire spirits, wood spirits, earth spirits, metal spirits, and water spirits, gathering and dispersing at will, innately proficient in Five-Element arts. With a wave of their hands, seas of Five-Element spells rained from the sky, drowning everything.

There were also Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace's Incense Dao Soldiers…

All of these, each and every one, had extraordinary momentum, like heavenly soldiers and divine generals.

However,

At a certain moment.

Boom!

The Immortal Gate's Ninth Army Group and Wan Ji Zhen Zun's Third Army Group, stationed here, suddenly erupted. Star fortresses, sky carriers, warships and fighters, and starry-sky cities rose into the air. Military formation runes blotted out the four directions, controlling all the world's spiritual energy, and then countless ship cannons converged to fire thirty-six full broadsides.

Terrifying alarms and threats instantly enveloped the Badaxian Sect's Dao Soldier troops.

"Enemy attack!"

"The Dongji Demon Sect has betrayed the pact, quickly…"

The Badaxian Sect's Dao Soldier troops, commanded by their sect's Refinement Void Zhen Zun, reacted instantly.

In fact, being together with the Dongji Demon Sect, they had never relaxed for a single moment, always on guard, almost always in a combat-ready state, extremely vigilant.

Unfortunately, it was of no

use.

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

The warships of the Eastern Extreme Demon Sect's army group fired a full broadside from across the sky, instantly destroying numerous formation nodes and heavy army-array weapons of the Badaxian Sect's Dao-soldier troops, crippling their army formations and causing a momentary collapse in combat effectiveness.

No matter how the Void Refinement cultivators of the Badaxian Sect commanding the Dao-soldiers struggled, it was all in vain.

The Immortal Gate's Ninth and Second Army Groups launched a surprise attack on them; whether in military strength or in mastery of army formations, they far surpassed them—the gap was utterly despairing.

What had always obstructed the Immortal Gate's unification of the Nine Spirit Domain was never these Dao-soldiers.

"Sword Son!"

"I have heard that sword cultivators have always kept their word—why have you suddenly betrayed the covenant?"

The True Honored One of the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace, Lord Dingding, roared: "To act in such a manner—are you not afraid your sword heart will be flawed? Are you not afraid our sect's Old Ancestor, in his fury, will take actions that harm both sides?"

"This will be a heaven-sent catastrophe for our human race, for the Nine Spirit Domain!"

He pleaded, earnestly and painstakingly.

"Sword Son…"

Around them, Void Refinement cultivators from the Qingmuxian Sect and others were equally furious to the extreme.

But unexpectedly, they all remained rational, with no overly extreme behavior.

A clamor of voices, along with the divine senses of Void Refinement cultivators, momentarily disturbed this stretch of starry sky—utterly chaotic.

"Honored guests,"

In the fleet group of the Ninth Army Group, Jiang Ding's hand pressed down slightly.

In an instant, all directions fell silent.

"Honored guests, you may have already made your guesses, and that is well."

Jiang Ding said calmly: "That's right, Senior Brother Xuanwu and the others… once again were the first to violate the covenant."

"The Immortal Gate's actions are merely a legitimate counterattack, not a betrayal of faith—everything is in accordance with the proper moral order between domains."

"The Old Ancestors and the others…"

The hearts of True Honored One Lord Dingding and the others sank.

They seemed to harbor many doubts and fears within—the domain passage had been severed, cutting off all information, leaving them adrift in a dark ocean.

"Nevertheless, the Immortal Gate remains benevolent."

"The Immortal Gate is unwilling to do anything to you fellow Daoists for now."

Jiang Ding said calmly: "We respectfully invite fellow Daoists of the Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong and other sects who are Nascent Soul and above to come to the Immortal Gate Military Academy's temporary teaching base to discuss the Dao for a while, so that we may together contemplate the great Dao of army formations."

"Military academy discipline is strict; without permission, we ask that you fellow Daoists do not go out."

"Those who force their way out will be punished under the crime of disobeying orders on the battlefield."

"Honored guests, what say you?"

Jiang Ding looked toward the Void Refinement cultivators of the Badaxian Sect and asked earnestly.

Beneath such earnest words, a thread of icy killing intent bloomed, enveloping everyone, awaiting their re

sponse.

To choose to come to the Immortal Gate Military Academy's temporary teaching base and enroll.

Or to refuse?