Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 728 - 712: Fight with Our Backs to the River!

The perilous shift in the situation forced Zhouyang and other Nascent Soul Stage cultivators to regroup once again.

This time, virtually all the remaining Nascent Soul Stage cultivators from the cultivation realm of Beiting Continent were summoned.

The place where they gathered was called Celestial Pool Mountain, which was the mountain gate of a major sect, Xuechan Palace, in the Beiting Continent cultivation realm.

Speaking of Xuechan Palace, there was a story between it and Zhouyang.

Back in the Kunxu Realm, a Golden Core female cultivator from Xuechan Palace had used him and Jiang Fengxian to fight an exotic ice toad that guarded the rare spiritual object, Ice Crystal Snow Lotus. However, afterwards, she tried to backstab them and claim the spiritual object for herself, but he managed to outsmart and kill her.

At that time, he also acquired a secret treasure of Xuechan Palace from her, a Jade Toad that could extract Moon Toad True Blood from an exotic ice toad's corpse.

Unfortunately, later on, because Jiang Fengxian was imprisoned and detained by Divine Lady Palace, the Moon Toad True Blood and Cold Jade Essence used for concocting the life-extending treasure Taiyin Spirit Liquid were used up by Lou Feifeng, the Palace Master of Divine Lady Palace.

This experience was known only to Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian, and no third person knew about it, and it had been several centuries since then.

When he arrived at Xuechan Palace and remembered this incident, he merely sighed at the fickleness of fate and did not ponder it further.

Since the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators came from varying distances to Xuechan Palace, their arrival times also differed, arriving at different intervals.

Zhouyang and Guo Huaiyang were among the earlier batch to arrive.

Two days after their arrival, Xu Tianlin and Master Cyan Yang arrived at the site.

Thus, including Shen Menglong, who first escaped from Ice City and arrived here, all the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators from the Beiting Continent cultivation realm and the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm currently in the Beiting Continent were gathered.

The five of them came together and naturally could not avoid discussing the fall of Ice City.

"Alas! The eighteen Zhenren who went to Beiting, in less than a year, only five of us remain. Every time I think about this, I am filled with endless regret!"

"If... if I had been a bit tougher that day and got more Fellow Daoists out of the city to fight against the demons, perhaps... perhaps we wouldn't have lost everyone except Fellow Daoist Shen."

Xu Tianlin, full of remorse, slapped his thigh, deeply blaming himself for the fall of Ice City.

Looking at Xu Tianlin's face, Zhouyang noticed he seemed to have aged a hundred years overnight, his Essence, Qi, and Spirit at their lowest point. Clearly, he had been suffering immensely during the days after receiving the news.

Zhouyang understood Xu Tianlin's feelings. Xu Tianlin had been elected dominantly by the various powers of the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm as the leader of this aid to the Beiting Continent cultivation realm, which was highly advantageous for him.

If they successfully swept away the demonic calamity in the Beiting Continent cultivation realm, Xu Tianlin would gain immense prestige in both cultivation realms as the leader of the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm's reinforcements, and taking over the great power of the Liuyun Commerce Alliance would be without hesitation.

But now, he had to face not only a significant drop in prestige but also explain to the factions of the fallen Nascent Soul cultivators upon returning to the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm.

Nascent Soul Stage cultivators serve as the pillars of any faction, and the loss of any one of them would weaken the faction's strength.

The number of Nascent Soul cultivators lost in the Beiting Continent cultivation realm this time counted as one-tenth of all the Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in the Liuyun Continent cultivation realm.

Under such heavy battle losses, no matter the reason Xu Tianlin possesses, as the leader, he would not escape being held accountable.

Zhouyang even believed that if Xu Tianlin didn't have a few hundred years of lifespan left to live or if his cultivation and status weren't top-ranked in the Liuyun Commerce Alliance, he would likely have already entertained the thought of dying on the battlefield.

If Xu Tianlin, as the leader, died on the battlefield of the Beiting Continent cultivation realm, other forces wouldn't be able to blame him for anything. Instead, they might even have to honor him as a hero for their propaganda.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, you need not blame yourself too much; life and death are determined by fate. We all know that at that time, Fellow Daoist Ning and the others chose to stay in Ice City, and the blame falls on those demon cultivators being too cunning and on the enemies for concealing their true strength!"

Guo Huaiyang opened his mouth, speaking very softly and weakly to console Xu Tianlin.

But with him taking the lead, Zhouyang followed suit.

At that moment, Shen Menglong nodded repeatedly and said, "Fellow Daoist Guo is right. The main reason for the fall of Ice City was that we all severely underestimated the true strength of the Celestial Corpse Ascendant. If it weren't for that battle where his power far exceeded the intelligence we had, even without the City Defense Array's protection, we wouldn't have had a situation where most Fellow Daoists couldn't even flee and died at his hands!"

"Speaking of this, Fellow Daoist Shen, why not tell us in detail about the situation that day? I also want to know what formidable means the Celestial Corpse Ascendant was hiding, that it could cause us such enormous losses!"

Master Cyan Yang said gravely as he looked at Shen Menglong.

Hearing him ask about this, Shen Menglong couldn't help but show a hint of fear in his eyes. After a long pause, he said with a troubled expression, "It's the external incarnation and the True Demon Secret Technique. That [Celestial Corpse Ascendant] still has a zombie avatar with a cultivation reaching the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, and with Tier Six Demon Armor, it is virtually invincible, with any magic artifact divine techniques unable to kill it."

"Moreover, this demon cultivates a Demon Eye Secret Technique. As long as one is exposed to the demon light released by that demon eye, the Nascent Soul coming out of the body will be forcibly interrupted even if it tries to use the Teleportation Technique and will temporarily lose the ability to teleport."

"At the same time, this demon also possesses a transformation divine technique, capable of transforming into a three-headed, six-armed monster. After transformation, not only does its magical power increase significantly, but it also gains extremely strong physical defense and recovery abilities and can thus perform several unheard-of strange demonic divine techniques!"

Transforming into a three-headed, six-armed monster?

Hearing Shen Menglong's words, Zhouyang couldn't help but have a change of expression, recalling the demon corpse he himself had trapped with the [Fire Dragon Shield] and refined in Demon City.

At that time, the demon corpse, before dying, also transformed into a three-headed, six-armed monster, thereby gaining power far exceeding its original strength.

Now, it seems that the transformation divine technique of the demon corpse and the transformation technique mastered by the "Celestial Corpse Ascendant" should be the same.

Not only did he think of this, Master Cyan Yang, who had accompanied him that day, also quickly remembered, immediately looking at him to verify, "I remember during the battle in Demon City, the demon corpse Fellow Daoist Zhou refined seemed to also utilize the three-headed, six-armed transformation divine technique."

"Yes, the demon corpse that day did indeed use the three-headed, six-armed transformation divine technique."

Zhouyang nodded slightly, confirming this matter.

Upon seeing this, Master Cyan Yang immediately said, "Then Fellow Daoist Shen and Fellow Daoist Zhou might as well describe the divine power techniques of the three-headed, six-armed monster they have seen, so that if we encounter such monsters later, we can be prepared."

Such a request, Zhouyang and Shen Menglong naturally would not refuse, and the two immediately recounted the divine power techniques of the three-headed, six-armed monster they had witnessed.

In this way, without realizing it, the topic moved away from Xu Tianlin, and no one mentioned the issue of accountability.

So, another seven days passed, and more than eighty percent of the Nascent Soul cultivators in the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm gathered at the mountain gate of Xuechan Palace.

The number of these Nascent Soul cultivators totaled fifty-one!

Unfortunately, among these fifty-one Nascent Soul cultivators, only six had reached the Late-Stage Nascent Soul, including Xu Tianlin and Guo Huaiyang, two Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivators from the Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm.

Among the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators, Early-Stage Nascent Soul cultivators accounted for seventy percent, with less than thirty percent, about fifteen people, reaching the Mid-Stage Nascent Soul.

Before the demonic calamity occurred, just the number of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators native to the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm exceeded sixty, with five being Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

Thus, it can be seen how severe the destruction caused by this demonic calamity to the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm was.

"Fellow Daoists, this time I, Nie, have gathered you all here; I believe you all understand what we intend to do."

"In the battle of Ice City, eight peers and nearly a hundred Golden Core cultivators, thousands of Purple Mansion and Foundation Establishment cultivators, were massacred by the demon cultivators, resulting in our most painful defeat since the beginning of the war, overturning the situation we had painstakingly stabilized."

"Now, the Holy Demon Avatar in the Ice Sea Demon Abyss has obtained a large number of high-tier cultivator corpses as blood sacrifices, and is sure to attempt to refine a True Demon Body. If successful, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Therefore, fellow Daoists, in this life and death moment, the safety of the entire Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm, and even the entire Spirit Realm's safety, already depend on us!"

"If we choose to retreat, to flee, then the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm will inevitably fall to the Demon Realm, and the Spirit Realm will once again be invaded by the True Demon Realm. By then, where can we retreat to? Where can we flee to?"

"I, Nie, am incapable, often defeated by the demon cultivators, and many fellow Daoists have lost their lives to the demon cultivators because of my inadequacy; I have no face to speak of leading you again."

"But this time, I, Nie, still shamelessly ask you to trust me once more, to fight alongside me for the safety of the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm, for the safety of the Spirit Realm, to battle against the Demon Realm, to battle against the multitude of demons!"

...

Within the Sect Leader's Hall in Xuechan Palace, used for discussing major matters, fifty-one Nascent Soul cultivators gathered together. Nie Yushuang stood at the top with a solemn face, speaking to the gathered cultivators about the issue of going to war.

This time, he gathered almost all Nascent Soul cultivators in the Beiting Continent's Cultivation Realm for one purpose only, and that was to strike directly at the heart of the Demon Realm, to fight the multitude of demons to the death.

In fact, this is indeed an opportunity, as the Holy Demon Avatar must now be busy refining a True Demon Body, unable to move lightly, and certainly unable to leave the Ice Sea Demon Abyss.

To ensure its success, the Nascent Soul demon cultivators like "Celestial Corpse Ascendant" are sure to all be gathered in the Demon Realm to protect and guard it.

Missing this opportunity, it would be impossible to capture all these demon cultivators in one fell swoop.

But with the previous disastrous outcome of the expedition to the Demon Realm, not many cultivators responded when Nie Yushuang raised the matter again this time.

A person from the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, a Seventh-Layer Nascent Soul Cultivator, directly spoke: "Fellow Daoist Nie, what you just said, we all understand. If we didn't have the determination to fight against the demons, none of us would have responded to the call to come here today."

"However, allow me to speak frankly. Though many Nascent Soul cultivators have gathered here today, relying solely on us gathered here to defeat the demons and eradicate the Demon Realm is a bleak hope!"

"And if we are defeated again, the situation will truly become irreparable!"

Zhouyang glanced at the cultivator who spoke, quickly recognizing him from the materials he had reviewed recently as the Grand Elder of "Piaoxue Palace," a top major sect in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, known as "Master Feixue."

The Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent was already at the lowest tier among the various cultivation realms; "Master Feixue" was among the top few in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, aside from Nie Yushuang.

The fact that he spoke such words at this time was quite deliberate!

Nie Yushuang remained composed, his expression unchanged as he calmly responded to "Master Feixue": "Fellow Daoist Feixue's concerns, how could I not be aware? But time waits for no one. Now that the Holy Demon Avatar has yet to condense into a True Demon Body, with our absolute advantage in numbers, we still have some opportunity to stop it."

"But if we continue to wait, once it successfully condenses into a True Demon Body, even if our numbers double or triple, we will still have no chance!"

After speaking, he glanced meaningfully at "Master Feixue" and said solemnly, "Taking a risk, we still have a chance of winning. But if we sit and wait for that Holy Demon Avatar to condense the True Demon Body, we can only escape the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent with our families!"

With these words, the faces of all Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent changed dramatically.

Aside from Zhouyang and other cultivators from the Cultivation Realm of Liuyun Continent, all Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent present today had their own sects and clans behind them.

If they fled the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, with their Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, they might safely escape to other cultivation realms.

But their younger relatives, disciples, and followers would face uncertain futures.

Furthermore, in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, they were leaders of a power with thousands of cultivators supporting them.

But once they fled the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, they would become loose cultivators like rootless floating objects, making it difficult to obtain even a Tier Six Cave Mansion for cultivation.

And as Nie Yushuang previously mentioned, once the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent is completely taken over by the Demon Realm, and if the True Demon Realm invades the Spirit Realm again, what good would it do even if they fled the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent now?

Destruction under an overturned nest leaves no eggs intact; who doesn't understand this reasoning?

"Master Feixue" fell silent, lowering his head in deep thought.

He did not speak, but someone else stepped forward to speak.

A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator from the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent stood up, bowed to Nie Yushuang, and asked gravely, "Fellow Daoist Nie, over two months ago, you said you had contacted Elder Chongyang. So much time has passed, with Elder Chongyang's cultivation level, he should have reached the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent by now. Do you have any news of him?"

Nie Yushuang responded with a bitter smile, shaking his head: "Elder Chongyang's immortal traces are elusive. Even if he has arrived at the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, if he doesn't show himself, no one can discover his whereabouts."

If he could contact Master Chongyang, Du Chongyang, he wouldn't need to reason with the crowd here but could directly issue a decree in his name, commanding everyone to launch a counterattack against the Demon Realm.

Everyone knew this rationale; the person asking the question merely harbored a faint hope, unwilling to easily give up on this hope.

So despite Nie Yushuang's disappointing answer, the cultivator who had spoken still said, "Since Elder Chongyang promised to come to the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent to deal with the Holy Demon Avatar, he certainly won't break his word. I suggest we wait a bit longer; the Holy Demon Avatar, even if it has begun to condense the True Demon Body, won't achieve it in a short time."

"Of course, I understand the importance of Elder Chongyang, but the issue now is, we don't know when Elder Chongyang will appear nor how long it will take for the Holy Demon Avatar to condense the True Demon Body."

Nie Yushuang spoke these words bitterly, shook his head, and glaring sharply at the cultivator who spoke, he said, "Fellow Daoist Tang says to wait; how long do you expect to wait? Ten days? A month? Three months? Or even half a year!"

"What Fellow Daoist Nie said is sensible. If we should wait, we must not wait here but should wait outside the Demon Realm. You know, from here to that Demon Realm, there is a journey of two to three months!"

"In two to three months, Elder Chongyang should have arrived in the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent, and then we could welcome him outside the Demon Realm!"

Xu Tianlin suddenly stood up, loudly echoing Nie Yushuang's words.

He scanned the cultivators in the hall and said with a heavy voice, "Fellow Daoists, since the Cultivation Realm of Beiting Continent was troubled by demon cultivators, our Cultivation Realm of Liuyun Continent received the call for help and organized eighteen Nascent Soul cultivators and dozens of Golden Core cultivators to come for rescue. Now, after successive fierce battles, only five of us remain!"

"Even in such circumstances, we have not spoken of retreat; fellow Daoists, born and raised in Beiting, with your clans and sects in Beiting, is your determination to defend your land weaker than ours, outsiders?"

"My words may be harsh, but fellow Daoists, think carefully. If you really flee without fighting, how will fellow cultivators in other cultivation realms view you upon learning of this? Who would dare to associate with you again?"

Silence!

Xu Tianlin's words were utterly ruthless, causing the many individuals from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm within the hall to lower their eyes, not daring to meet his gaze.

After Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm sought aid from the major cultivation realms, Liuyun Continent Cultivation Realm responded the fastest, sent reinforcements the quickest, and was the only one to successfully deliver its aid.

Yet, everyone present had witnessed the fate of this sole arriving force.

Therefore, despite Xu Tianlin's words being rather ugly, not sparing any face for those present, no one from the Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm had the courage to stand and refute.

Moreover, although harsh, Xu Tianlin's words were indeed true.

Though the cross-cultivation realm teleportation arrays connecting Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm and other realms have been destroyed, sending out some messages is not too difficult.

If they dare to flee without fighting, the news certainly cannot be concealed and will inevitably be known by others in the cultivation realms.

As Xu Tianlin said, when faced with these "deserters" who cared not to protect their own homeland, other cultivation realms' major powers would certainly not dare to shelter them within their own sect clans, even if not outright rejecting their entry.

Currently, the major cultivation realms' Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands and cultivation resources are predominantly controlled by those local major powers.

If they flee to other realms and cannot join those major powers, it's essentially the end of their cultivation path, an enormous price for some Nascent Soul cultivators still hoping for advancement!

"With Fellow Daoist Xu having spoken to such an extent, I have no shame to say more. Having cultivated for over seventeen hundred years, I've lived long enough. Rather than bearing a lifetime of infamy and merely surviving another thousand years, I'd rather fight to the death against those demons!"

A Second-Layer Nascent Soul cultivator from Beiting Continent suddenly stood up from the ground, resolute as he loudly declared his decision.

With him taking the lead, others who shared the same thoughts felt less burdened.

A Third-Layer Nascent Soul cultivator with a head full of silver hair immediately stood and shouted, "I, Chi, have cultivated for two thousand years, never have I left Beiting in my life. Must I now leave as a cowardly deserter? Absolutely impossible!"

"My friend of eight hundred years and three disciples were all lost to demon cultivators. If I don't avenge this, what face do I have left to stand between Heaven and Earth!"

A middle-aged man with frost-like white hair stood up solemnly, his voice cold as he expressed his resolve.

As his words fell, yet another coldly beautiful female cultivator emanating an icy presence stood to respond, "Though I am a woman, even I understand the principle that leaving one's homeland is degrading. If we escape without fighting now, won't it make us even more despised? I've arduously cultivated for a thousand years, forever accompanied by ice and snow, I refuse to spend the rest of my days amidst the pointed scorn of thousands!"

In this manner, one Nascent Soul cultivator after another stood, each expressing their reasons and battle resolve, quickly inspiring more to join.

At last, within the hall, out of forty-six Nascent Soul cultivators from Beiting Continent Cultivation Realm, thirty-two stood to declare their battle commitment.

With each additional voice, Nie Yushuang's face revealed more gratification and joy.

When no one else spoke up, Nie Yushuang's face was already filled with a joyful smile.

He first smiled and cupped his hands to those who spoke, thanking them for their support.

Then his smile faded, and he solemnly looked at those remaining cultivators who hadn't spoken and asked, "Fellow Daoist Feixue, Fellow Daoist Cold Crow, and all the others, you've heard the words just now, and now only you fourteen have yet to express your stance. Do you truly intend to flee without fighting?"

"Master Feixue" and others naturally had unsightly expressions now; their silence had actually already indicated their opinion.

Merely, they hadn't expected, at such a time, there would still be so many Nascent Soul cultivators willing to fight to the death with Nie Yushuang.

Now these fourteen faced the pressured stares of fellow cultivators twice their number and felt immense pressure.

"What does Fellow Daoist Nie mean by this? Are you suggesting that if we refuse to join you, you'll act against us?"

"Master Feixue" changed his expression repeatedly, finally gritting his teeth, coldly glaring at Nie Yushuang as he spoke his mind.

Indeed, they intended to flee!

Nie Yushuang's expression instantly turned icy, glaring at "Master Feixue" with eyes flashing coldly, about to scold.

Yet before he could utter a word, an immense, thunderous, and authoritative voice suddenly echoed into the hall from outside.

"Who seeks to flee without fighting? Du intends to see which fool dares such boldness!"