Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chapter 327: Chapter 301: The Reason and the War

The roar from the heavens persisted. The sky-blotting Longevity Flying Boat continued to recklessly pour its firepower down upon the massive city of Jingmen.

As the mountains shook and the earth trembled, the Array Prohibition teetered on the brink of collapse. Yet, every so often, as if replenished by some unseen power, it would stabilize and continue to withstand the Longevity Sect’s onslaught.

This level of power was clearly beyond the reach of the vast majority of Cultivators in the city.

In other words, it had nothing to do with Cultivators at the Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment realms.

From its very outset, this decisive battle was a clash between the most powerful.

No one knew what the outcome would be, but the strict order maintained within the city seemed to prove a point: while this decisive battle was sudden for most Cultivators, for those at the very top, it must have been anticipated.

The Artifact Hall stood in stark, unfitting contrast to the clamor outside.

Few Cultivators could be seen in the vast Artifact Hall. Its storerooms, once bustling, were now utterly silent.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, you’re here at last."

Xie Cangfeng looked exhausted. Seeing Chu Mu approach, he managed to force a slight smile.

Chu Mu got straight to the point. "This battle... what’s the real reason for it?"

Xie Cangfeng glanced at Xie Ning, who was standing to the side. The woman paused for a moment, then tactfully excused herself.

Once the two were seated in the hall, Xie Cangfeng finally spoke, his voice low. "I won’t hide it from you, Fellow Daoist. This upheaval may be no less severe than the Vast Sea’s betrayal."

Chu Mu’s expression flickered as turmoil surged through him.

The Vast Sea’s betrayal had nearly caused the Righteous Alliance to completely disintegrate!

In the early days of that war, the Righteous Alliance had held the upper hand, suppressing the Longevity Sect on nearly every front.

When the Vast Sea defected, the Righteous Alliance suffered a total rout. It was said that even a Nascent Soul Cultivator fell in the aftermath.

’An upheaval... no less severe than the Vast Sea’s betrayal?’

He remained silent, listening as Xie Cangfeng continued.

"Jingmen’s Guardian Array is a Tier Four Array. Its core relies on the principle of Water and Fire Complement Each Other."

"The water is sourced from the East Lake Water Vein, and the fire from the Lifebound Treasure of one of our alliance’s Nascent Soul Supremes."

"And this time, a Golden Core True Master from our alliance has defected..."

As Xie Cangfeng spoke, the sequence of events began to form in Chu Mu’s mind.

The incident’s roots lay in the tangled and unbreakable web of connections between the Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance.

After all, the so-called Righteous Alliance was really just a collection of the Clans once subordinate to the Longevity Sect.

And the Longevity Sect itself was composed of these very same Clan factions.

The Longevity Sect’s disciples were mostly scions of these various Clans, along with some Loose Cultivators.

Even though the two sides were now estranged and hostile, it was impossible to completely sever these ties.

This time, according to Xie Cangfeng, the crisis stemmed from the defection of a Golden Core True Master from the Righteous Alliance.

This particular Golden Core True Master was one of the several stationed in Jingmen by the Righteous Alliance.

Given the sheer scale of the Righteous Alliance, the defection of a single Golden Core True Master wouldn’t normally have a major impact.

However, before defecting, this Golden Core True Master had managed to sabotage Jingmen’s Guardian Array.

The pillar of fire that had shot into the sky at the very beginning—that was the root cause.

According to Xie Cangfeng, Jingmen’s Guardian Array was based on the principle of Water and Fire Complement Each Other; the water came from the East Lake Water Vein, and the fire from the Lifebound Treasure of a Nascent Soul expert from the Righteous Alliance.

With the Array sabotaged, its very foundation was undoubtedly affected.

Damage to the Water Vein was a secondary concern. The fact that the Nascent Soul True Master’s Lifebound Treasure was damaged as a result—that was clearly the most critical problem.

A Lifebound Treasure is an item intrinsically linked to a Cultivator’s life.

Its Mighty Power is immense, and it grows stronger alongside the Cultivator’s own Cultivation.

By the same token, if the treasure is damaged, the Cultivator is directly affected as well.

And this time, with the Nascent Soul expert’s Lifebound Treasure damaged, there was no doubt that they were injured as a result!

The chain of events was now perfectly clear.

In the Cultivation Immortal Realm, the scales of war are tipped by many factors, but the fulcrum always rests with the supreme, high-ranking Cultivators.

A balance of power at the highest level is the only true balance.

An imbalance of power at the highest level is an irreversible one...

And now, with a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Righteous Alliance injured—whatever the situation elsewhere—the balance of power on the Jingmen battlefield had clearly been disrupted.

The Longevity Sect clearly wasn’t about to let this god-sent opportunity slip away.

The decisive battle had come suddenly, but it was also perfectly logical.

’But this situation...’

A heavy shadow of gloom settled over Chu Mu’s heart.

"Though the Grand Array has been sabotaged, it won’t be easy for the Longevity Sect to break through it."

"Besides, word has already been sent to the rear. Our reinforcements will arrive soon..."

Xie Cangfeng seemed to be trying to bolster Chu Mu’s spirits, yet it also felt as if he were trying to reassure himself. His words, however, lacked their usual conviction, replaced by an unspoken uncertainty.

"A situation like this is beyond our control."

"We must focus on our duties. By the time day turns to night, the outcome will be decided."

"The northern sector of the city still needs someone to manage the Artifacts. Fellow Daoist, your Artifact Refining Skill is superb. I’ll have to trouble you to head over."

"Understood."

Chu Mu didn’t refuse. After accepting the task, he walked out of the Artifact Hall.

The situation was dire, on the verge of collapse.

But as long as he was in Jingmen City, no matter how close to toppling the great tree of the Righteous Alliance was, it was still his best and only shelter.

’As for trying to leave Jingmen City...’

He looked up at the sky. It was still a blaze of brilliant light.

’The enemy is at the gates. Trying to leave the city now would be suicide, even if I could get out.’

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