The power of the array communicates with heaven and earth, ultimately invincible by human strength.

Blood Eye Old Demon surged with ghostly energy, slashing towards Lingxuan City.

Yet after a moment, the power of the Netherworld Demon Blade gradually dissipated...

Finally, the Demon Blade completely vanished.

"Such a formidable city defense array!"

In the sky, Blood Eye Old Demon looked somewhat displeased.

He had used seventy percent of his power in that strike, yet the array showed no sign of shattering.

Clearly, sheer force alone would not easily destroy this city defense array.

...

On the city walls, Lin Chen felt somewhat relieved.

The Changchun Sect, truly skilled in arrays, had crafted a defense array with remarkable power.

It took nearly ten years, led by the Array Peak Master, with contributions from Lin Chen as well in the formation of the array.

According to Lin Chen, the array formation of Lingxuan City is not a single large array.

It comprises altogether more than ten arrays, including the Profound Void Seven Illusion Array, Eight Trigrams Nine Palace Array, Wood Imprisonment Heaven-Burning Array, Vertical Earth Golden Light Array, and others.

Multiple arrays stacked layer upon layer, complementing each other, vastly increasing their power.

The Profound Void Seven Illusion Array induces mist from the earth’s veins, being an exceptional illusion array.

Eight Trigrams Nine Palace, capable of both offense and defense...

The Vertical Earth Golden Light Array further strengthens the city defense array...

From the Changchun Sect and the Righteous Alliance, dozens of array masters spent ten years.

The chain array they set up is not something even a Nascent Soul cultivator can easily break!

Outside the array, Blood Eye Old Demon summoned several Core Formation demon cultivators and ordered:

"Is there any cultivator specialized in arrays, let them come to break the array!"

Upon hearing this, several Core Formation demon cultivators showed a troubled expression and said:

"Ancestor, the array of the Changchun Sect is extremely profound. We can only discern a few paths within it..."

"But to break the array, much more is needed."

"If we had more time, we might succeed in finding the weak point of the array..."

Blood Eye Old Demon heard this, frowned slightly, and asked:

"How long?"

"As I see it, as short as three years... as long as ten years..." a slightly older Core Formation demon cultivator said cautiously, fearing to anger Blood Eye Old Demon.

Three years? Ten years?

Blood Eye Old Demon’s face became extremely grim.

He could not wait that long!

He wished he could conquer Lingxuan City today...

This time, he leads a mighty force of cultivators to attack, yet can’t even break the array...

This leaves him, a Nascent Soul cultivator, quite embarrassed.

Blood Eye Old Demon’s eyes darkened, and after a moment of silence, he ordered:

"Turn the spiritual boat’s direction, head to Qinghe City!"

The Righteous Alliance’s frontline consists of Qinghe and Lingxuan cities; he does not believe both cities are impregnable.

Soon, the dark boat flew towards the direction of Qinghe City.

...

Inside the city, Wang Changchun, watching the spiritual boat changing direction, asked softly:

"Is Qinghe City over there alright?"

"Don’t worry, Sect Leader, Sect Leader Chen is defending within Qinghe City... Its array is no weaker than Lingxuan City," a cultivator beside him reminded in a low voice.

Wang Changchun nodded after hearing this, feeling a bit more at ease.

"Ah, but ultimately arrays can’t defend forever. This Blood Eye Old Demon will certainly find a strategy to break through..."

"Without a Nascent Soul cultivator acting, this battle cannot be won." Wang Changchun sighed internally, knowing very well.

The only hope for the Righteous Alliance now is for another Nascent Soul cultivator to emerge, able to contend with Blood Eye Old Demon, causing him to hold back.

But True Man Changchun has vanished, and True Man Tiandan of the Celestial Pill Sect hasn’t been seen for a long time...

Unless, there is a newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator?

"Yet, how difficult is the Nascent Soul Path? I’ve been stuck at Golden Core Peak for decades and have not found the opportunity to break through to Nascent Soul..."

"I wonder if Fellow Daoist Chen Danxin has touched that boundary?"

Wang Changchun thought silently.

Currently, in the Righteous Alliance, only he and Chen Danxin have hope to advance to Nascent Soul, possibly contending with Blood Eye Old Demon.

But even if one steps into the Nascent Soul Stage, it cannot be compared to a Nascent Soul old monster like Blood Eye Old Demon who has lived for thousands of years.

It can only make Blood Eye Old Demon slightly wary.

"Ah, hopefully, they can hold out for a few more days... At least long enough for the ancestor to return..." Wang Changchun thought silently.

...

At the same time, outside Qinghe City.

Hundreds of cultivators along with Blood Eye Old Demon continuously bombarded Qinghe City’s defense array with techniques.

Yet after repeatedly attacking for a long time, the array remained unmoved.

Blood Eye Old Demon’s face became even uglier, and after a while, he reluctantly ordered:

"Withdraw first, build a city a hundred miles north of Qinghe City!"

Blood Eye Old Demon’s words almost seemed to come from between his teeth.

Because building a city signifies a protracted battle, destined to be unable to break the two cities in a short time.

The Demon Sect army came in great force, only to return despondently within half a day.

After reaching a hundred miles away from the two cities, Blood Eye Old Demon sent a communication to the mysterious black-robed leader from before.

"Blood Eye, what’s going on?" The black-robed mysterious person asked in a deep voice from the communication jade scroll.

Blood Eye Old Demon seemed troubled but spoke softly:

"I cannot break the arrays of those two cities... You know the origins of the Changchun Sect’s array inheritance..."

"Alright, I understand. I will quickly consult the True Monarch to send array masters over." The mysterious person responded.

Blood Eye Old Demon was delighted upon hearing this, and hurriedly asked: "How long will it take?"

"Wait." The mysterious person replied dismissively and then ended the communication.

Blood Eye Old Demon was stunned for a moment, looking at the silent jade scroll in his hand, his expression gradually becoming grim.

```

"Damn it, just a dog under the True Monarch’s command! Barely a Golden Core, what makes you dare talk to this old man like this!"

Blood Pupil Old Demon spat out those words through clenched teeth but then deflated.

Was he not also a dog under the True Monarch’s command?

And the kind of dog that can’t be seen...

Blood Pupil Old Demon took a deep breath and finally gave the order:

"Someone come! Construct the city here! Within one month, I want to see Demon City rise from the ground!"

"Also, pass this order... All mortals around Fog Country, kill without mercy, set up the altar... blood sacrifice!"

...

Half a year later, in Lingxuan City.

During this half year, the cultivators within the city had grown accustomed to the Demon Cultivators’ occasional harassment and siege.

But thanks to the array, the Demon Cultivators had not broken Lingxuan City.

However, the poor mortal populace within Fog Country was not so lucky.

Even though the Righteous Alliance had notified Fog Country to quickly migrate the country’s mortals, urging them to flee to the southern part of Fog Country. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

But most of the mortals were still too late to escape, dying under the blood sacrifice of the Demon Cultivators.

In just half a year, millions of mortals died...

And the dead cities, enshrouded with resentful spirits, became fertile ground for nourishing the Demon Cultivators.

In just half a year, the strength of the Demon Sect nearly doubled.

Several hundred more Foundation Establishment Stage Demon Cultivators and several Core Formation Demon Cultivators emerged, posing a significant threat to the Righteous Alliance once more...

But fortunately, the array was still there, continuing to protect the two cities.

Otherwise, the situation of the mortals in Fog Country would be even more tragic...

...

On this day, Lin Chen finished his cultivation.

After carefully savoring his cultivation, he nodded in satisfaction:

"Not bad, closer to the Eighth Turn Golden Core..."

"But when will this standoff between the Orthodox and Demonic Party end?"

"With the current situation, how can I dare venture out to seek a breakthrough opportunity for the Nascent Soul Stage?"

Thinking of this, Lin Chen sighed again.

Currently, with the tense situation between the Orthodox and Demonic Party, Lin Chen dared not leave easily.

Because within the Changchun Sect, he had too many friends and mentors, his master, senior brothers, senior sisters, and also people like Li Zhenqian...

Now even Miko and Jing Xiao’Er had been sent to the front line.

If the Demon Sect broke through the two cities, and Lin Chen was far away from the Righteous Alliance, he couldn’t even come to their aid in time.

"Alas, the current situation... it’s even worse than if the two cities were breached!" Lin Chen complained.

However...

Shortly after Lin Chen finished complaining, he received a transmission from his master Han Jihai.

"Disciple, come quickly! Something major happened!"

"Qinghe City has been breached... among the ten Golden Core cultivators in the city, most fell in battle, only the Sect Leader of the Celestial Pill Sect and one Golden Core Elder escaped."

"Hurry to the Guardian Mansion to discuss major matters!"

Hearing this, Lin Chen was stunned.

"No way, that accurate..."

...

Lingxuan City, Guardian Mansion.

After receiving the transmission, Lin Chen promptly rushed over.

At this time, Sect Leader Wang Changchun, as well as all the Core Formation Cultivators in the city, had arrived.

"Sect Leader, how was Qinghe City breached? So suddenly..."

A Core Formation Elder was full of disbelief.

Just a few days ago, Qinghe City was as steady as Mount Tai.

How did the dozen or so arrays inside and outside Qinghe City get broken in just a few days?

The other Core Formation Cultivators also displayed shocked and fearful expressions, finding it hard to believe this fact.

Qinghe City’s array was much the same as Lingxuan City’s.

Being able to breach Qinghe City proved Lingxuan City wouldn’t hold for long either.

Wang Changchun’s face was somewhat grim as he said:

"That Blood Pupil Old Demon somehow recruited a batch of Array Masters, with extremely high array attainments..."

"In just a few days, they broke Qinghe City’s array, Qinghe City couldn’t react... most of the cultivators in the city died miserably, less than one-tenth escaped alive..."

Hearing this, the surrounding Golden Core Cultivators became even more terrified.

"Sect Leader, what should we do now?"

Just then, Wang Changchun, still relatively composed, though with gritted teeth, said:

"Abandon the city!"

"Since Qinghe City was breached, Lingxuan City cannot be defended either..."

"Immediately order all cultivators to prepare to board the Spiritual Boat, fleeing toward Wudu!"

After speaking, Wang Changchun took out the array plate and activated the Profound Mist Seven Illusion Array.

Thick mist rose above Qinghe City, encircling the entire city.

With this Illusion Array, the signs of retreat within the city could be slightly concealed.

Upon hearing news of abandoning the city, the cultivators hurriedly boarded the Spiritual Boats.

In just two hours, thousands of cultivators boarded three Spiritual Boats, fleeing Lingxuan City under the cover of night.

Fortunately, the city’s populace had largely migrated over the past few years, the remaining elderly and frail ones couldn’t be moved by the Righteous Alliance even if they wanted to.

They had to stay in the city...

Lin Chen stood on the deck of the Spiritual Boat, watching Lingxuan City below as it grew farther away, his heart calm.

"Lingxuan and Qinghe Cities lost... the Demon Sect’s momentum is unstoppable."

"It’s equivalent to the entire northern Fog Country falling into the hands of the Demon Sect..."

"But relatively, the Demon Sect swallowing these territories also requires time. In the short term, the Demon Sect probably won’t continue to advance..."

"For me, perhaps it’s rare time..."

"It’s also time to go see the core area of Qing State..."

Lin Chen silently thought.