Chapter 602: The Reputation of the True Monarch of Master Tushan Is Known to All

"Brother Shang Sanwu!"

"Such a great debt of gratitude, the General Heishi will never forget it as long as they live!"

Hei Hei Chengxiu, who had only just taken over the position of clan head, even while struggling to control the grand formation, still spared a portion of his attention to bow deeply, expressing his boundless respect toward the Shang clan.

His heart was deeply moved.

The descendants of the ancestors, though they often quarreled among themselves in ordinary days and had in history repeatedly taken up arms over territory, sparing no effort short of preserving the last piece of land reserved for ancestral rites.

But when the critical moment of life and death truly arrived, it was still the glorious bloodline flowing in their veins that proved most dependable.

"For the blood of our ancestors."

Shang Shang Sanwu did not claim credit, and said solemnly.

As for this decision within the clan, he had strongly endorsed and helped bring it about.

Merchants put profit first.

Business with the demonic path could be done, business with the orthodox path could be done, business with lowly loose cultivators and those beyond the Northern Plains could likewise be done — all for the sake of spirit stones.

But this was not the Shang clan!

The Shang clan also had its roots.

This was the common bond of the orthodox and demonic clans of the Northern Plains, connected by the bloodline of their ancestors.

Without this common bond, even if the Shang clan were ever so skilled at doing business, they could not have survived and continued in the Northern Plains, where the strong were revered.

"For the blood of our ancestors!"

Hei Hei Chengxiu replied in equally solemn tones.

At present, after a few brief words of pleasantries, they were immediately assigned tense duties. The Shang clan's dozen or so Jin Dan cultivators and several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators were separated to garrison the various nodes of the formation.

With the addition of these cultivators, who had received the Shang clan's Xiandao education from childhood and possessed a certain level уровень of formation expertise, the stability of the formation rose once more.

Although it still swayed violently under the attacks of the Taiqing flying swords, it no longer looked as though it might break open at any moment as before.

"Everyone, rest assured!"

"It can hold for at least a month!"

Hei Hei Chengxiu, who was commanding the main formation, exaggerated slightly and immediately announced this good news to the entire clan, also informing them that reinforcements from the various clans would arrive within days.

Morale instantly soared, and surprise and joy were beyond measure.

The wavering hearts of many cultivators vanished at once, and they obediently exerted themselves to operate the formation.

……

"Formation data collection complete."

Jiang Ding, who had cleaved down with sword after sword, came to a stop and gently closed his eyes.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the data on the ley lines of the General Heishi's Black Feather Heavenly God Slaying Myriad Spirits Grand Formation, the distribution of spiritual energy nodes, the varying levels of formation expertise among the personnel commanding each section, the solidity of the formation instruments and formation bases… all of this data was fed into a classic immortal-gate formation-breaking structure at the center of his Sea of Consciousness, which spun into motion and calculated at tremendous speed.

One hour, two hours,

one day, two days.

He remained utterly motionless, allowing the direct-line Jin Dan cultivators of the Master Tushan Xiancheng to recover their magic power and Sea of Consciousness. He himself even stepped out beyond the formation, concealing his very figure until he vanished, as though he had completely abandoned this place.

At the same time,

within the Master Tushan Xiancheng, a hidden undercurrent slowly stirred.

……

Strict control had already been implemented throughout the Master Tushan Xiancheng. Every single cultivator, willing or not, had been assigned to various nodes of the formation.

They could hardly be said to be in command of anything — they simply obeyed the orders of the General Heishi direct line, channeling in magic power and divine sense, nothing more.

Many of the vassal-clan Jin Dan cultivators clearly sensed that the prohibitions within their Sea of Consciousness pulsed faintly from time to time, in an extremely sensitive state, ready to be activated at any moment and reduce a cultivator's soul, flesh, blood, corpse, and bones to nothing.

Clearly, this was an extremely delicate moment.

Every direct-line Jin Dan cultivator had suddenly become exceedingly courteous. Even when issuing orders, their tone was incomparably gentle, all kind words and pleasant speech, utterly devoid of the harsh arrogance of days past, allowing the many vassal-clan Jin Dan cultivators to feel, for the first time, the respect of peers.

Yet the distrust within was almost palpable to the bone.

Some were restless in heart,

some harbored hidden viciousness,

some were trembling with awe, harboring no disloyalty whatsoever, long accustomed as they were.

Each was different.

At one corner of the formation, Wei Wei Qingqing, a Jin Dan cultivator of the Wei clan — a vassal family for a thousand years long famed for its loyal service — opened her eyes. Her magic power had recovered to perfection, and she glanced in all directions.

In the distance, at the outer perimeter of the clan-protecting formation, two Jin Dan cultivators of the Yu clan, father and son, obediently channeled in magic power, not daring to make any unusual move.

Clearly, though both were vassal clans, in the estimation of the General Heishi direct line, the Yu clan was far inferior to the Wei clan, not granted even a shred of basic trust.

Because two thousand years ago, the ancestor of the Yu clan, who had rendered Li Xia Da Gong to the General Heishi, had possibly been the sworn brother of the previous-generation General Heishi Old Ancestor, only to be slain by that very Old Ancestor's own hand, and the promised Nascent Soul opportunity had vanished without a trace.

After killing the man, the previous-generation General Heishi Old Ancestor magnanimously enfeoffed his descendants as a vassal clan.

The entire Yu clan was overcome with tearful gratitude, always utterly loyal, never once acting out of line, and the name of their clan head was none other than Yu Zhong.

"Brother Yu,"

Wei Wei Qingqing transmitted her voice and said bluntly: "The Old Ancestor has ordered me to have you turn coat immediately. If you agree, I will pass you a section of mnemonic incantation that can temporarily affect the soul prohibition — effective for the span of a quarter-hour."

For someone with access to immortal-gate channels, this was exceedingly easy.

Even if one knew nothing of soul prohibitions oneself, one could simply place an order with the Immortal Gate Academy of Sciences, and for no more than a thousand-plus ten-thousand low-grade spirit stones obtain one — cheap in price and fast to boot.

The reason was none other than that it was far too simple.

"Old Ancestor? What Old Ancestor?"

Yu Zhong's heart jolted. He flatly denied it and said fiercely: "The loyalty of us General Heishi can be witnessed by Heaven and Earth, attested by the sun and moon. You wretched slave-girl dare to sow discord between my Yu clan and our lords — I shall report this to the master at once!"

He did not merely say it; he was about to do so immediately.

Toward this enemy clan, Yu Zhong harbored not a shred of trust.

"The Old Ancestor is Tushan Master Dinghai Zhenjun."

"Tushan Old Ancestor."

Wei Wei Qingqing's reaction was flat: "If you dare report this, you will die. No matter who wins or loses, because your collusion with Blood Flow Cloud runs too deep. Even if General General Heishi wins, they will execute you immediately — there is no other possibility."

She transmitted over some intelligence that had been forwarded from above.

It was precisely some images — the collusion between the Yu Family and the Blood Cloud Eighteen Riders.

"How could this be…"

Yu Zhong was inwardly horrified. After reading through this intelligence, he hesitated for a moment, then said respectfully: "The Yu Family is willing to serve Tushan Master Dinghai Zhenjun loyally. If we violate this, may heaven strike us dead and the earth obliterate us!"

He knew this was fact — no one would need a servant who had colluded with the enemy.

"Very well."

Wei Wei Qingqing did not say more, and transmitted over through divine sense a secret art for temporarily disrupting soul-binding restraints.

"Continue developing fellow cultivators around you. They don't need to be absolutely reliable — anyone with a partial leaning will do."

She spoke in a commanding tone: "If exposed, immediately and indiscriminately spread this secret art, killing the cultivators around you who are still maintaining the formation, and destroy the surrounding formations to the greatest extent."

"After the battle, Tushan Master Dinghai Zhenjun is willing to offer half of the spoils to be distributed among those who render meritorious service in this battle."

"Furthermore, he promises to lift the soul-binding restraints on all Jin Dan cultivators and set you free. The history of several thousand years — of families being servants, of the Nascent Soul Dao path being permanently severed — will be brought to an end."

"You ought to know how precious a Master Dinghai Zhenjun's promise and reputation, a Master Dinghai Zhenjun's magnanimity and tolerance, truly are."

Wei Wei Qingqing said, her tone somewhat fervent.

"The Master Dinghai Zhenjun has said: the top three contributors of merit may each choose freely one General General Heishi Gong Fa — including the castrated, demon-path-blood-soaked Nascent Soul Gong Fa!"

(End of this chapter)