Chapter 189: 189. Chapter 189: Benevolence and Might (Seeking Monthly Votes)

189. Chapter 189: Benevolence and Might (Seeking Monthly Votes)

The mountain gate of the Five Elements Sect is located at Mount Wuzhi.

Mount Wuzhi is just as its name suggests, resembling a palm spread open towards the sky, with each finger being a different mountain peak.

Because of its unique terrain, it not only nurtures a Rank 3 spiritual vein but also possesses a "Five Elements Evil Cave" in the center of the palm, which is why the first-generation Five Elements Dan Laozu chose it as the site for the Five Elements Sect's mountain gate.

Back then, in order to seize this spiritual vein, they ruthlessly razed mountains and destroyed temples, exterminating several Daoist traditions that had originally entrenched themselves on Mount Wuzhi.

Today, the atmosphere at Mount Wuzhi is incomparably solemn; above the five peaks, a pillar of light in a different color shoots straight into the sky from each.

White, red, black, yellow, cyan...

The five colors converge, resembling a canopy, firmly guarding the entire Mount Wuzhi within.

High in the sky several miles away, five spirit warships stand majestically.

At the very front of the deck, three figures stand faintly.

"Tsk tsk... This Mount Wuzhi truly lives up to its reputation... Because of its landscape, it is especially suitable for setting up Five Elements arrays."

Seeing that colorful array, Fang Xing couldn't help but sigh.

"Reporting to the Yu Jianzi, this is the fundamental grand array of the Five Elements Sect—the 'Five Elements Returning Origin Array', ranked at Rank 3 High Grade. The power of the five elements is endless; as long as the array is not broken beyond its limit in one go, it can be slowly repaired afterwards, making it extremely difficult to deal with."

The old Daoist Wu Xuan said in a fawning manner.

"So powerful... It's a pity we didn't bring a Rank 3 array master this time. It seems we can only break the array by brute force?"

Fang Xing was quite emotional.

Old Daoist Wu Xuan and Master Lv Yi exchanged a glance, both unable to guess what medicine Fang Xing was selling in his gourd.

They had come straight to the Five Elements Sect all the way here, and there were still several Rank 2 market towns and Foundation Establishment families on the road that they hadn't had time to wipe out along the way.

Once delayed here for too long and having their retreat cut off, it would be extremely dangerous!

"Not having an array master doesn't matter much... As long as we have multiple Rank 3 Forbidden-Breaking Talismans, or a Rank 3 Earth Vein Bead, we can temporarily weaken the array's power by several layers, causing the array to show flaws... At that time, if we join forces, we might be able to break the array."

Master Lv Yi probed.

"No need! Master Lv Yi, you lead five hundred cultivators to form the Five Elements Sword Array and properly test the array."

Fang Xing flicked his fingers: "Wu Xuan, you lead the remaining cultivators to set up camp... and wait for orders!"

"Yes!"

The two great cultivators obeyed with awe, and Master Lv Yi immediately flew out with five hundred cultivators.

"Five Elements Sword Array, rise!"

Only to see five hundred cultivators working together, strands of Five Elements magic power passing through the array, gathered by array flags, and falling endlessly into the hands of Master Lv Yi, who acted as the array master, turning into a colorful long sword.

A sword in hand!

Master Lv Yi's magic power instantly soared from the False Jin Dan level to a level barely reaching Jin Dan.

"Go!"

She knew that this battle was mainly a test, so she formed a seal with one hand, and a small emerald magic treasure fell onto her head, blooming with a layer of jade-like light curtain, firmly guarding herself.

Then, she slashed out with one sword!

The colorful long sword instantly became incomparably huge, dozens of zhang long, piercing into the Five Elements Returning Origin Array.

The grand array stirred up waves, the power of the five elements circulated continuously, endlessly dissolving this Rank 3 attack.

Inside the grand array, a young man dressed in white and wearing a colorful lotus crown appeared.

His cultivation had reached the early Jin Dan realm; it was none other than "Master Huo Yu". He shouted: "Our Five Elements Sect has always been neutral... Do not fall for a treacherous scheme!"

"If it's a misunderstanding, why not open the array... and let us in?"

Master Lv Yi smiled lightly and urged her magic power again.

Strands of Five Elements sword energy fell into the grand array, like colorful flood dragons, stirring up waves within the array.

"It seems it won't work..."

Fang Xing looked at that early Jin Dan cultivator, discovering that the other party had no intention of coming out to fight, and couldn't help but shake his head with some regret.

Old Daoist Wu Xuan, who was directing the construction of the temporary camp nearby, felt speechless in his heart.

This Fang True Disciple's battle record had long spread across the Five Sects and Ten Nations; it was said that he had Rank 3 combat power, and ordinary False Jin Dan masters were no match for his sword, and even early Jin Dan cultivators had died at his hands.

That Five Elements Sect Dan Laozu was also an early Jin Dan; how could he dare to leave the mountain gate to fight?

"In the Five Elements Sect, there should only be two Jin Dan cultivators. One is the mid-Jin Dan Five Elements Dan Laozu, and the other is this person, an early Jin Dan realm. As long as he dares to leave the mountain gate, I dare to chop him to death with one sword... Pity, pity..."

Fang Xing shook his head repeatedly and said to Wu Xuan: "Since that's the case, you take the five flying warships and go help Lv Yi."

"Yes!"

Old Daoist Wu Xuan hurriedly went down to pass the order. Not long after, the five flying warships rose into the air one by one, bombarding the Five Elements Peak array wildly.

This kind of stalemate would continuously consume the array's foundation and the spiritual vein's energy.

When it could no longer recover, it would be the time to truly break the array!

But this time was often very long.

While ordering his disciples to cooperate in the attack, Old Daoist Wu Xuan quietly transmitted his voice to Master Lv Yi: "What does this Yu Jianzi mean? He wouldn't treat us as abandoned pawns, would he?"

After all, of these more than a thousand cultivators, fewer than twenty truly belonged to the Profound Heaven Sect; the rest were mostly cultivators from the Zheng Kingdom!

"It shouldn't be..."

Master Lv Yi bit her silver teeth secretly.

This time, her Profound Heaven Sect had sent the most people; if they capsized here, the losses would be absolutely devastating.

Thinking of this, she and Old Daoist Wu Xuan exchanged a glance, both only ordering their disciples to go and consume, without going deep into the array.

In this kind of war of attrition where they only used spells to bombard the array, the Five Elements Sect could hold out for at least several years!

Seeing this scene, Fang Xing did not supervise the battle or order an all-out attack.

His plan was very simple: "besiege a point to strike reinforcements"!

Theoretically speaking, now that they were deep in enemy territory, it would be best to fight with all their might, quickly take down the Five Elements Sect, and then establish an array based on the Five Elements Sect's mountain gate.

Among the supplies issued by the Profound Heaven Sect this time, there was a set of Rank 3 array flags and an array disk. With the help of the Rank 3 spiritual vein, they could set up a super-large array, which could barely hold out even if besieged by Jin Dan cultivators.

Instead of standing still like this.

However, Fang Xing could safely carry out "besiege a point to strike reinforcements" because it was built on his own powerful strength.

If it were someone with slightly less strength, they would definitely be jointly strangled and become a famous fool in the cultivation world!

Half an hour later...

Fang Xing yawned, looking at the five flying warships and the battle formation still bombarding wildly: "That's enough, come back..."

In this kind of attack where both sides hid in the array, even after fighting for more than half an hour, neither side had even lost a single Qi Condensation disciple!

After Fang Xing gave the order, these cultivators immediately returned, falling into the camp one after another, taking out spirit stones to meditate and practice, absorbing the spiritual energy within to restore their magic power.

—There were no spiritual veins in the outside world, making it difficult to quickly restore magic power, so they could only absorb the spiritual energy within spirit stones. Although it was a bit wasteful, there was no other way.

Otherwise, once their magic power was mostly consumed in a dangerous place and they encountered danger again, it would be too late to regret.

Inside Mount Wuzhi, on the "middle finger" in the very center.

That early Jin Dan cultivator wearing a colorful lotus crown saw this scene and also sighed: "You all go back and perform your duties... Double the number of patrolling disciples every day, and be sure to be careful and cautious."

After giving his instructions, Master Huo Yu returned to his own cave dwelling, suddenly pinched a seal, and muttered something in his mouth.

Bang!

In front of him, on the previously empty meditation cushion, a colorful rune light curtain suddenly appeared.

The light curtain instantly broke open a large hole and then disappeared.

An old man with a rough appearance, hair and beard bristling, resembling a white-haired lion, was sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion.

"Senior Brother!" Master Huo Yu bowed, a smile on his face.

This old man sitting cross-legged was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Five Elements Sect—the Five Elements Dan Laozu!

It was just unknown how he, who had already gone to support the Wood Evil Sect according to intelligence, had secretly returned to the sect.

"Hehe... Did that detachment arrive today?"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu's voice sounded like thunder: "The 'Anthropomorphic Puppet Mask' provided by the Myriad Phenomena Sect is truly easy to use; it can actually completely simulate my soul and magic power aura... This time, we must make the Profound Heaven Sect suffer a great loss. Who is the leader of the enemy?"

Mentioning this, Master Huo Yu's tone became a bit strange: "The two people leading the troops today, one is a False Jin Dan from the Profound Heaven Sect, and the other is the supervisor of the Black Heaven Temple..."

This configuration looked like a ragtag cannon fodder army no matter how one looked at it.

"Only the main general is the Profound Heaven Sect True Disciple who has recently risen to fame in the Zheng Kingdom—Fang Xing! If Senior Brother and I join forces, we should be able to easily kill this person."

Master Huo Yu still valued Fang Xing quite a bit.

It was just that Fang Xing's battle record was too terrifying; by the end, it was practically like a fake.

He believed that Foundation Establishment cultivators could rely on certain methods to be comparable to, or even kill, a False Jin Dan.

But to say he killed the early-stage Jin Dan Master Lian Laogui?

He suspected it might have been some secret method of Fu Hongyi.

However, even if Fang Xing were truly as formidable as the rumors claimed, with him and his martial brother attacking together, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator would have absolutely no chance of survival!

The Five Elements Dan Laozu glared at this martial brother: "The Lian Laogui of the past had the same thought, and later he died! Not only did he die and his soul vanish, but even his sect's orthodoxy was wiped out; he lost so thoroughly that he became a laughingstock for the whole world!"

Master Huoyu, wearing a five-colored lotus crown, was instantly awestruck: "Martial brother... I was wrong."

"No, you don't know you're wrong; you are just afraid of me..."

The Five Elements Dan Laozu shook his head. This martial brother of his was a genius within the sect, and his path of growth had been far too smooth.

This kind of temperament is called 'forging ahead' when put nicely, but the moment they encounter a slight setback, they easily fall into despair.

"How could the foundation of a Nascent Soul sect be something that Jin Dan forces like us can imagine? Even if we could kill that Si Tian Jian Sect true disciple, and then attract the attention of the Si Tian Jian Sect's army, leading to a fight to the death... wouldn't that just make us shields for the Blood River Hall and the Musha Sect?"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu shook his head.

"Then what does martial brother intend to do?"

"Naturally... invite one more person. The Wan Xiang Sect happens to have a Jin Dan fellow Daoist nearby... He was originally a true disciple, with a status identical to the Yu Jianzi, yet he truly ascended to Jin Dan..."

The Five Elements Dan Laozu said: "When the time comes, invite this person, and the three of us Jin Dan cultivators will attack together. We must use the momentum of a mountain crushing an egg to completely crush this army..."

"I wonder... which true disciple of the Wan Xiang Sect is it?" Master Huoyu was somewhat curious.

"Thunder Department—Lei Jingmeng!"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu took a mirror from his bosom and struck it with a burst of magic power.

The mirror blurred for a moment, revealing the figure of a young man wearing a thunder robe.

"Five Elements Dan Laozu? Why... is there a problem with the 'Qi-Returning Pill' I sent over?"

Lei Jingmeng's face was like jade, and there was a purple mark between his brows, resembling a forked lightning bolt, possessing a kind of illustrious majesty.

Upon hearing this, Master Huoyu was instantly shocked: 'So that's why martial brother changed our sect's previous policy of neutrality and chose to rely on the Wan Xiang Sect... It turns out he was promised such a benefit. The Qi-Returning Pill is a miraculous medicine that assists in breaking through the mid-stage Jin Dan bottleneck and advancing to the late-stage Jin Dan...'

"Hehe, fellow Daoist Lei is joking... That 'Qi-Returning Pill' is not easy to refine; it requires several years of closed-door cultivation, and I don't have that kind of leisure right now..."

The Five Elements Dan Laozu said: "I wonder if fellow Daoist has any interest in a Foundation Establishment true disciple of the Si Tian Jian Sect? Our sect is currently under siege by the Si Tian Jian Sect's army, and the leader is named Fang Xing..."

"Oh? It's this person?"

Hearing the name Fang Xing, Lei Jingmeng immediately showed an interested expression: "This child is indeed stunningly talented. When I was at Foundation Establishment, I'm afraid I wasn't as good as him... But I have already reached Jin Dan. Such a genius must be strangled as early as possible, otherwise, after reaching Jin Dan, he will be another Fu Hongyi!"

"Is fellow Daoist willing to take action?"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu was overjoyed.

"If it were anyone else, I might pass, but this child is also involved in the disappearance of an envoy from the Wind Pulse... The sect already has a bounty out, so I can take care of it all at once."

Lei Jingmeng smiled: "However, for me to take action, the Five Elements Sect must provide some benefits. I heard that in the Five Elements Sect's treasury, there is half a piece of 'Dream-Meteor Thunder Crystal'..."

"Once the matter is accomplished, the Dream-Meteor Thunder Crystal will be presented with both hands!"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu did not hesitate, knowing that this was the character of the Demonic Path.

Even during the war between the righteous and demonic, even if the Si Tian Jian Sect was on the other side.

Without sufficient benefits, they still wouldn't take action!

"Deal!"

A hint of a smile appeared on Lei Jingmeng's face.

Two days later.

Night.

Fang Xing stood silently atop a small hill, gazing at the moonlight.

"Commander..."

Lv Yi and Old Wu Xuan stood behind him, their faces filled with unease: "These past few days, we have been attacking the formation with all our might. Although there have been no casualties, the consumption of spirit stones and other supplies has been quite high... The cultivators below have some complaints."

"Is this all it takes? No one has died yet, and you dare to have complaints?"

Fang Xing turned around, a cold sneer on his face: "This is wartime; we follow military law... Those who dare to defy military orders will not only die themselves, but their sects, disciples, and relatives will all die! Pass this word down. Whoever is dissatisfied can come and face me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Master Lv Yi and Old Wu Xuan couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.

In reality, the greatest dissatisfaction certainly came from their two major forces.

At this moment, they had intended to test Fang Xing, only to be forcefully rebuffed just like that.

Just as the two were feeling anxious, a hint of joy appeared on Fang Xing's face: "Finally here!"

"What is here?"

Just as a hint of suspicion appeared on Old Wu Xuan's face, he saw two Jin Dan escape lights flying out from the Five Elements Sect.

One of them was clearly at the peak of the mid-stage Jin Dan, bringing terrifying pressure!

"Five Elements Dan Laozu?" He was immediately scared out of his wits.

"Haha... Today we only kill people from the Si Tian Jian Sect. Unrelated cultivators, kneel and beg for mercy immediately, and this old man will spare your lives!"

The Five Elements Dan Laozu's boisterous laughter echoed throughout the temporary camp. Countless Qi Condensation cultivators who were meditating felt terror, their magic power going astray, causing them to spit out blood.

And behind the camp, a bolt of lightning appeared; it was actually another early-stage Jin Dan cultivator!

His momentum was not at all inferior to the Five Elements Dan Laozu as he surrounded the small hill: "Where is Fang Xing? I am Lei Jingmeng of the Wan Xiang Sect's Thunder Department... Come out and die!"

Lei Jingmeng's voice was like thunder, rolling and crushing over.

Seeing this, Lv Yi immediately pinched a seal with both hands, and a treasure appeared to protect her whole body.

Old Wu Xuan stuck a Rank 3 defensive talisman on himself and fled for his life: "Three seniors, spare me, this junior is willing to abandon the dark..."

Swish!

A sword light flashed, the sword threads directly cutting through the defense of the Rank 3 talisman and severing the head of the old Daoist Old Wu Xuan.

"... and join the light!"

The sword light was too fast; the old Daoist Old Wu Xuan's head still managed to say the last two words before landing and rolling a few times on the ground.

"Who said that old people are wise? This is the first time I've seen such an idiotic choice."

Fang Xing held his scrap iron sword, his figure turning into sword light as he shot straight into the clouds: "One mid-stage Jin Dan, two early-stage Jin Dan... leave them all to me. Lv Yi, go command the Dao soldiers and prepare to meet the enemy!"

These three Jin Dan cultivators were just high-end combat power; there must be the Five Elements Sect's army, and even False Jin Dan masters, behind them!