Longevity by Grinding Skills

Chapter 566: Chapter 566: The War Begins

His handsome, heroic face was marked by a single, deep red Cinnabar dot at the center of his forehead. His eyes, like twin flames, burned with an utterly pure and murderous rage.

He was clad in Red Gold Lotus Leaf Armor, his hair bound by a red silk ribbon. The brilliant red Chaos Heaven Silk wrapped around his arms like a burning, blood-red cloud, fluttering and crackling in the still air.

Slung over his shoulder was a simple, ancient golden circle from which a subtle treasured light flowed.

But what drew the most attention were the two Flaming Golden Wheels beneath his feet, blazing with crimson fire.

As the firelight flared, the very space around them seemed to warp from the intense heat.

In his hand, he gripped a dark gold, Eight-foot Fire-tipped Spear. A cold light condensed at its point, so sharp it seemed capable of piercing the very heavens.

The tip of the spear was pointed directly at Xu Yunfan.

The killing intent was bone-chilling!

His will to fight surged to the heavens!

This striking image, this unmatched, domineering aura, instantly pierced the veil of Xu Yunfan’s distant memories.

His pupils contracted sharply.

’Wind-Fire Wheels, the Fire-tipped Spear, Chaos Heaven Silk, the Qiankun Circle...’

’This is...’

Although the youth’s spiritual aura and disposition were a perfect match for the Celestial Dao of this realm, his iconic Magical Treasures and attire instantly brought a name from ancient mythology to the tip of Xu Yunfan’s tongue.

’Nezha?’

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. After carefully sensing the boy’s power, he finally relaxed.

’Good thing. In terms of power, he’s only at the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment.’

The youth suddenly thrust his Fire-tipped Spear forward, his voice like a thunderclap rolling through the heavens.

"Halt, Outer Realm Evil Demon! How dare you invade my Celestial Realm! I am here now—prepare to die!"

As the commander of the vanguard, Xu Yunfan was wreathed in faint flickers of lightning. Even facing this young Divine General who looked so much like Nezha, he felt not a shred of fear.

’Retreat?’

’That’s absolutely out of the question. If I really retreat now, I’ll be benched when I get back.’

’The honor of True Monarch Qing Yuan’s entire lineage rests on my shoulders. In a place like the Primordial Sect, if I lose face for my patron and lose my influence, it’s more than just a minor setback. The days to come would be impossibly difficult.’

’Besides, as a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master of the Demon Dao, where could I possibly go if I fled the Sect?’

’This aggressive little Divine General is only at the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment. Even with a thousand Magical Treasures and an intimidating aura, how could he possibly be a match for me?’

"Hmph!"

A nearly inaudible snort escaped Xu Yunfan’s nose, like muffled thunder rolling through his chest.

He didn’t even glance at the Qi Cultivation disciples who were still surging out like a chaotic tide behind him, struggling to find their footing. He thrust his arm into the air, and an intensely condensed bolt of lightning erupted from his fingertip, lighting up the sky and drawing every eye.

"Kill."

He spat out a single word, imbued with the full force of his Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Spiritual Pressure. It instantly overpowered the somber, murderous air hanging over the sea of clouds.

His voice was cold, carrying a command that permitted no doubt.

The Qi Cultivation disciples behind him weren’t just ordinary cannon fodder; they were the elite.

The hundred thousand Celestial Soldiers and Generals in the sky might be intimidating, but they weren’t enough to frighten these disciples of the Demon Dao.

OMMMM!

On the platform, after a moment of shock and trepidation, the nearly ten thousand Qi Cultivation disciples of the Primordial Sect were set ablaze by naked greed and their fanatical desire for Sect Contribution Points.

Regardless of whether they felt excitement or fear, confusion or ferocity, the moment the command to "kill" reached their ears, the brutal instinct for plunder and the law of the jungle—an instinct deeply ingrained within the Primordial Sect—crushed all other emotions.

Like Fierce Beasts who had just broken their last chains, they let out incomprehensible shrieks and roars, transforming into a seething, black tide.

A chaotic storm of Magical Artifacts, Spiritual Light, poisonous fumes, and eerie winds erupted, all of it laced with a viciousness unique to the Demon Sect. They charged with reckless abandon toward the disciplined Heavenly Soldier Battle Formation arrayed upon the sea of clouds.

"Kill them all! Plunder their Cultivation Techniques, seize their Immortal Treasures! Take their heads for merit! The Sect will reward us!"

Someone in the chaos screamed themselves hoarse, and that cry ignited the last, flickering ember of hope in the hearts of these glorified thugs.

The mountain of debt on their backs squeezed out their last ounce of bloody courage. This was their big gamble. What if they could turn a bicycle into a motorcycle?

Who was to say they couldn’t become a Foundation Establishment Daoist Master after this?

At that very same moment, the seven Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters behind Xu Yunfan acted without hesitation.

Though each had their own agenda and harbored different opinions about their new commander—perhaps even planning to bail at a critical moment or swoop in to steal the glory—they knew what they had to do now.

But right now, with the Heavenly Soldier Battle Formation before them, a Divine General of the Celestial Realm eyeing them like a tiger, and the Sect’s grand plan to invade the Celestial Realm on the line, there was no room for scheming.

If they held back to preserve their own strength, causing the vanguard to fail and infuriating the Golden Core True Monarchs directing things from the rear, the consequences would be...

The thought of the gruesome fate of Soul Extraction and Refinement, of having their bodies and souls utterly annihilated, sent a chill down the spines of all seven Daoist Masters.

One of the Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters, a cultivator of a pure Demon Dao Cultivation Technique, let out a cold sneer.

"Mere Celestial Soldiers dare to block the path of our Saint Sect?"

"We’ll take their leaders’ heads and make a name for ourselves!"

"Fellow brothers, now is not the time to hold back! Form up and engage the enemy!"

Amidst the shouts, seven immense Spiritual Pressures erupted from the Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters. While not as boundlessly vast as the auras of Perfection-stage Great Daoist Masters like Lu Chuan or Tian Yan, they were still like seven pillars of smoke rocketing into the sky. Their chilling pressure unhesitatingly locked onto several figures in the rear of the Heavenly Soldier Battle Formation—Celestial Generals who were emitting similar Foundation Establishment auras and holding Command Flags or Jade Tokens.

They knew full well that those Celestial Generals were the key to the army’s effective resistance.

Like shooting stars, the seven figures streaked across the sky, trailing billowing Demon Qi, foul winds, and Pure Qi in their wake. They instantly bypassed the chaotic battlefield of the Qi Cultivation disciples and shot directly toward those other powerful Foundation Establishment Level auras, intent on pinning them down.

The Foundation Establishment Level battle quickly moved to a distant part of the sky. Their clash was a thunderous explosion of light and sound—a bizarre, flashing spectacle. A raging torrent of Spiritual Qi overflowed from their exchange, churning the sea of clouds below into tatters.

But on the Qi Cultivation battlefield, the slaughter had already begun!

It was chaos, blood, and disorder pitted against the solemn discipline and unified will of the Celestial Soldiers and Generals.

On one side were the desperate Qi Cultivation disciples of the Primordial Sect. They charged like gamblers with a blood vendetta, unleashing Demon Skills and Evil Techniques. Blood-Soaked Talismans flew through the air, Yin Soul Fierce Ghosts shrieked, and clouds of Poisonous Miasma Green Smoke billowed outward. Some, utterly unafraid of death, even detonated their own Magical Artifacts just to rip an opening in the dense ranks of the Celestial Soldiers.

The sounds of screams, curses, clashing Magical Artifacts, and exploding Spiritual Power merged into a demonic cacophony.

On the other side, the formation of Celestial Soldiers was shaken by the sudden, frenzied assault, with pockets of chaos breaking out, but their overall resolve remained firm.

Command Flags fluttered within their ranks. Layer upon layer of silver Armor glinted with Immortal Light, forming a dense forest of spears and a rain of halberds.

Tens of thousands of Celestial Soldiers roared as one. Their combined voices became a torrent of clanging metal, and the roiling aura of war condensed into a tangible mountain, crashing down upon the charging disciples of the Demon Dao.

SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK! SHUNK...!

The sound of metal sinking into flesh was endless. The very first clash sent flesh and blood flying everywhere.

The Primordial Sect disciples were ferocious, throwing themselves forward in endless waves. But the Celestial Soldiers’ formation was unbreakable. Their forest of spears and halberds, along with shimmering shields of Immortal Light, continuously shredded the demonic figures that drew near.

Every second, countless Qi Cultivation disciples were pierced, torn asunder, or incinerated into nothingness.

At the same time, vast numbers of Celestial Soldiers were struck down by vicious Magical Artifacts or caught in the blast of self-detonations. Their silver Armor shattered, their Immortal Light dimmed, and they plunged screaming into the sea of clouds below.

These Demon Sect disciples had to have their own unique tricks to have survived all the way to the Middle or Late Stage of Qi Cultivation.

While many of them might have cultivated outwardly orthodox techniques, in this Sect, everyone knew a few dirty tricks.

Corrupted blood and Spiritual Light mingled, staining the vast sea of clouds and turning it into a defiled, Chaotic Scene.

And at the very heart of this brutal battlefield, in the open air between the mountains below and the clouds above, two figures had already clashed with a deafening roar.

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