Fantasy: Unparalleled Prince, Conquering the Heavens!-Chapter 616 - 590: Troops Approaching the Eternal Temple_1
BOOM!
With a great rumble and tremor of the earth! Like a giant earth dragon shifting its body, a mountain range was split in two, burying everyone and everything. The four ancestral elders of the Dark Sword Sect were instantly vaporized, obliterated into ash. Millions of Dark Sword Sect disciples were buried within the mountain; not a single one survived.
High above, Lv Bu withdrew his gaze. His expression was indifferent, as if he had merely crushed an ant rather than taking millions of lives.
Hiss... Such a tyrannical man! In the hidden Void, the expressions of many observing Martial Artists changed drastically. An entire sect annihilated, merely for misspeaking. How utterly ruthless! That was millions of lives!
At this moment, a gust of wind blew, scattering the dust that filled the sky and revealing the shattered mountain range. An immense pit came into view, filled with yellowed bones—countless, easily numbering over a hundred million.
"They received their just deserts!" Lv Bu glanced up at the surrounding Void, a cold smile touching his lips. He then led his army towards the next targeted faction, leaving behind only his chilling words, which lingered for a long time: "Those who dare to cultivate ’demonic techniques’ shall be put to death!"
One Martial Artist flew down to the giant pit, picked up a bone, and after examining it briefly, cursed loudly in outrage.
"The power of the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court has grown even stronger!"
"If I recall correctly, the general who attacked was Lv Bu. The last time he made a move, he was at the Great Emperor Realm. Now, he has already broken through to the Origin Emperor Realm!"
"Given Lv Bu’s strength, he must have detected our presence. So, his slaughtering the Dark Sword Sect disciples right before our eyes... was that a warning meant for us to see?"
As divine senses fluctuated, figures in black robes swiftly departed, relaying the information to the powers they served. Unsurprisingly, the news they carried was bound to cause a tremendous uproar in the Middle Region.
「Ninth Saint’s Court」
"The Qin Dynasty’s forces have been mobilized! The Dark Sword Sect has been wiped out, leaving no survivors!" Emperor Dongfang of the Ninth Saint’s Court stared intently at the intelligence report. It was as if he could visualize Lv Bu’s devastating strike annihilating the Dark Sword Sect, and a chill shot up from the soles of his feet to his Heavenly Spirit Cave.
The very thing he dreaded most had come to pass! The Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court’s target wasn’t just the Eternal Temple, but also the other factions in the Middle Region!
What should I do? he wondered. If the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court attacks us, what then?
After a long moment, Emperor Dongfang set down the report and paced anxiously around the main hall. I don’t want to be the emperor of a fallen dynasty!
「Ancient Clan」
"The commanders of the Qin Dynasty’s expeditionary legions have all reached the Origin Emperor Realm!" Gu Tian, the current Clan Leader of the Ancient Clan, wore a stunned expression. His heart was in turmoil, a storm of shock raging within him that took a long time to subside.
As an ancient sacred land, their intelligence network was exceptionally sophisticated. While other factions had only gathered intelligence from one or two battlefields, he had already obtained information on all of the Qin Dynasty’s expeditionary legions. What shocked him most was that the commanders of these legions were all at or above the Origin Emperor Realm. Two of them were even at the Supreme Emperor Realm! Reading this, he couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle.
He, the master of this sacred land, had only just broken through to the Origin Emperor Realm. Yet, generals from the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court leading armies in the field had already reached the Supreme Emperor Realm.
Terrifying! Truly terrifying!
I’m afraid the strength of the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court has already surpassed that of the Eternal Temple! Gu Tian sighed, rubbing his temples, feeling utterly weary both in mind and body. Although the Ancient Clan was geographically distant from the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court, he felt no sense of security. Perhaps, it is time to consider the future of our clan!
「Underground Book Academy」
Beneath a crooked old tree, a Go board was set. Two elderly men were engrossed in a game, one robed in white, holding the white stones, the other in black, holding the black stones.
"The world, long united, must divide, and long divided, must unite; this is how the tide turns!" The white-robed elder stroked his white beard, his gaze shifting from the Go board towards the east. He spoke softly, "In comparison, I still believe the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court holds the advantage."
"Heh heh." The black-robed elder smiled faintly, picked up a black stone, and placed it on the board. "The game is not yet over," he stated calmly. "Victory and defeat remain uncertain; variables always exist."
The two continued their leisurely chat as they played. The game progressed, seemingly always balanced, never reaching a decisive conclusion. After an unknown passage of time, myriad stones now lay upon the board before them, forming a vast and intricate game. Within this game, paths crisscrossed like a complex web; factions glittered like stars in the night sky, and individuals scurried like ants.
Among them, the white stones represented the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court—like the ascendant sun, vibrant and with limitless potential. The black stones signified the Eternal Temple; though showing signs of decline, a starved camel is indeed larger than a horse. Their profound foundation meant they remained a colossal power.
Tragically, however, there was no place on this board for the Underground Book Academy. It was evident that the two old men had a clear grasp of this reality.
「Eternal Temple」
This Qin Wudao is certainly a cautious one! Inside the Eternal Temple, ’Calamity’ perused several reports, his eyes glinting with an exceedingly cold, icy light.
With his keen insight, he naturally perceived Qin Wudao’s intentions clearly. Qin Wudao undoubtedly aimed to advance steadily, ensuring he remained within his own territory where he could draw upon the power of the Heavenly Dao at any moment.
Tossing the reports to the ground, ’Calamity’ looked up and asked, "How are the arrangements?"
"Master," Soul Emperor, standing nearby, reported with a hint of confusion, "all forces from the thirty-five branch temples have been concentrated in the eight designated branch temples nearby. However, while activating the Formations of these eight branch temples, we discovered that each Formation is missing a core component. Should we re-establish the Formations?"
He knew that if a Formation lacked its core, not only would its power be drastically reduced, but it would also expose a critical vulnerability.
"Hahaha!" ’Calamity’ chuckled, a faint smile on his face. With a wave of his right hand, the Void before him tore open, revealing eight towering puppets. Each was covered in Daoist runes and exuded a terrifying pressure, so immense that the surrounding space seemed on the verge of shattering.
"These are... puppets at the Mixed Yuan Great Emperor Realm?!" Soul Emperor exclaimed, his face lighting up with joyous surprise.
’Calamity’ gazed at the puppets and said with a laugh, "These eight puppets are precisely the missing formation cores for the eight branch temples. Once they are integrated, the Formations will be capable of unleashing combat power equivalent to the Semi-Immortal Realm! Combined with our own strength, this will be sufficient to repel the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court’s invasion!"
He also felt a surge of relief. Fortunately, when setting up the Formations back then, he had prepared for the worst-case scenario and, at great expense, forged these eight puppets. Otherwise, facing the current invasion by the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court, he truly would have been powerless!
"Excellent!" Soul Emperor was both astounded and overjoyed, letting out a long sigh of relief. A spark of determination then ignited in his eyes. With these eight puppets, I am certain we can repel the Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court’s invasion! Come then, Qin Dynasty Saint’s Court! Come then, Qin Wudao!
「The Following Seven Days」
Over the next seven days, Qin Wudao mobilized his grand army, advancing relentlessly from the Great Wall directly towards the vicinity of the Eternal Temple’s headquarters. Of the factions encountered en route, those who surrendered—with the exception of utterly irredeemable groups like the Dark Sword Sect—were spared any harm. Naturally, some factions chose to resist, but without exception, all who raised arms against them were decisively crushed.
On the morning of the eighth day, Qin Wudao arrived at the front lines. He stood before a colossal mountain veiled in black mist.
「Eternal Temple!」
