Chapter 323 : March to the Earth Lion Ridge

To unleash their full combat potential, the Sky Ruins Alliance had prepared over 10,000 formation banners. With 9 Purple Mansion cultivators presiding over the formation, they could deploy the Myriad Refinements Demon-Subduing Grand Formation.

Once these array flags were activated by a cultivator at the 10,000 Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), the unleashed power could even rival that of a Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

Although this formation had significant limitations, it proved quite effective when used alongside the demon clan's Mountain Protection Array for defense or during assaults against such protective barriers.

In addition to the grand army, the main forces in this battle were the 4 Golden Core Elders: Lyra (Person Name), Eldrin (Person Name), Elara (Person Name), and Xavier (Person Name).

Particularly Lyra (Person Name) and Eldrin (Person Name), the latter, armed with the Celestial Departure Twin Swords and a host of divine abilities, possessed strength sufficient to contend with Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

After Lyra (Person Name) broke through to Golden Core, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm), her spiritual power and divine abilities surged dramatically. It was likely that even 2 or 3 ordinary Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivators combined would struggle to match her, let alone the fact that their side also possessed 2 fourth-grade war treasure ships.

After weighing the odds, Eldrin concluded he had an 80 to 90 percent chance of emerging victorious from this battle.

He then put away the scroll and said with a smile, "Since everything is ready, it's time to set off."

"Dispatch more personnel to conduct another sweep, then tomorrow we march on Earthlion Ridge."

"Understood."

All the Zifu cultivators nodded in unison before withdrawing 1 after another.

After the crowd had dispersed, only Eldrin and Lyra remained.

The 2 sat facing each other in the grand hall. Eldrin prepared a cup of tea for Lyra before asking, "Has there been any notification from the Violet Abyss Sect and the Qi Kingdom?"

"Everything has been arranged."

Lyra set down her teacup, a faint smile gracing her lips as she spoke.

This assault on the Earth Lion Ridge differed greatly from the previous attack on Celestial Python Lake (Location). Back then, they had launched 2 separate assaults on Celestial Python Lake (Location). The first was a precision strike using elite forces to eliminate the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast), while the second capitalized on the chaos of the beast uprising.

Since a mountain protection array had been deployed around the Earth Lion Ridge, they needed to mobilize troops and horses this time to breach it—a move that had long been noticed by the demon kings in the surrounding areas.

At this moment, should they attack the Earth Lion Ridge, the neighboring demon kings would undoubtedly send troops for reinforcement, bound by the principle that "when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

Although the Red Scorpion Ridge was currently leaderless, the Demon Ape Mountain and the Azure Sparrow Demon King north of the Earth Lion Ridge would not stand idly by. In such circumstances, the nearby human factions needed to maintain mutual restraint.

Therefore, Lyra had long since informed both the Qi Kingdom and the Violet Abyss Sect. The Violet Abyss Sect would keep a close watch on the Demon Ape Mountain, while the Qi Kingdom would also exert pressure on the demon tribes.

"Since everything has been arranged, I can rest assured."

Eldrin let out a sigh of relief. They had made thorough preparations for this battle and laid multiple contingency plans. As long as the surrounding demon clans didn’t all come to reinforce, they had ample means to handle the situation.

Early the next morning, 1 treasure ship after another soared from Mount Qingyang, heading toward Earthlion Ridge along the Yangzhou route.

The Earthlion Ridge lay over 800,000 li from the Qingyang Mountains—a journey that would test even a Foundation Establishment cultivator's endurance.

For a Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator, even traveling day and night while disregarding spiritual energy consumption would require 3 to 4 years to arrive. Factoring in rest stops and energy recovery along the journey, it would likely take at least 5 to 6 years.

Even though the treasure ship was incredibly fast, traversing such a vast distance still required a considerable amount of time.

Fortunately, none of the demon tribes dared to obstruct such a massive fleet along the journey. After nearly 3 months, the group finally fought their way to the Earth Lion Ridge.

"Is this the Earthlion Ridge?"

Eldrin gazed upon the towering mountain range before him, a faint glimmer flashing in his eyes.

This was his first time setting foot in the Earth Lion Ridge, yet he couldn't help but marvel at the mountain range.

The Earthlion Range, also known as the E’lion Range, spans a territory of over 700,000 li, making it 1 of the most expansive mountain ranges in this region.

Deep within the E'Shi Ridge mountain range lay a 4-Star, High-Grade Gengjin Earth Vein and a 4-Star, Mid-Grade Spirit Vein. In terms of resource abundance, this place surpassed even the Celestial Python Lake.

For thousands of years, Mount E'Shi had changed hands several times. The surrounding Golden Core realm demon tribes had nearly all fought over this territory, creating no small amount of internal conflict among themselves.

This Earth Lion Demon King was able to occupy Mount Eshi in the first place because 3 100 years ago, before dispatching troops to the Demon Abyss, the Chu Kingdom (Location) was at its peak and eradicated the previous demon king of Mount Eshi to eliminate future troubles.

The former demon king of Mount E’lion possessed a cultivation base as high as Golden Core, Late Stage. However, over 3 100 years ago, the Chu Kingdom had accumulated a 1000 years of heritage, boasting a dozen or so Golden Core cultivators. In that single great battle, the demon tribes of Mount E’lion were naturally slaughtered to the last.

Yet no 1 could have foreseen that the battle would prove so devastating. In the end, only 6 or 7 Golden Core cultivators from the Chu Kingdom cultivation realm returned alive. Moreover, many of those who survived would undergo sitting meditation and pass away not long after their return.

It could be said that the resources of E’shi Ridge played a pivotal role in the rapid rise of the present-day Earth Lion Demon King, enabling him to cultivate all the way to Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) in just 2 100 years.

Deploy the formation.

As they arrived at Mount E’shi, the 9 Foundation Establishment cultivators led by Xu Daoyuan disembarked from the treasure ship with over 10,000 Qi Refining cultivators in tow.

They immediately deployed their formation banners, beginning to drain the protective mountain array of Earth Lion Ridge.

Meanwhile, aboard several treasure ships, a great number of cultivators began channeling energy into the vessels' formations. They activated the slaughter arrays and commenced their assault on the Earth Lion Ridge.

The Earth Lion Ridge's mountain-protecting formation was known as the Heavenly Demon Tribulation Crossing Formation. It had been established at great cost by the Earth Lion Demon King, who invited a fourth-tier formation master from the Emerald Mist Lake to deploy it. This formation was powered by 2 formation artifacts.

1 was the Sky Demon Blade. This weapon converged the power of the gold elemental earth veins from the Ridge of Earth Lions. At its peak, it could unleash 6 blade rays, each strike possessing force comparable to Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm).

The other was a mid-grade fourth-tier treasure known as the 'Transcendence Pearl'. This artifact had once been the life-bound treasure of the former Grand Elder of the Azure Sky Sword Sect, possessing a formidable defensive supernatural ability called the 'Transcendence Primal Aura'.

At this moment, the defensive formation deployed by the Earth Lion Ridge was none other than the Transcendent Mystic Aura—the defensive supernatural power of this Transcendent Mystic Pearl.

Empowered by the fourth-order earth vein, as long as the spiritual energy within the leyline did not suffer massive depletion, this divine ability could be continuously activated, holding firm against the relentless assaults of the crowd.

The human army had been assaulting for half a month, only to discover that this Calamity-Warding Mystic Aura possessed truly formidable defenses. Even with tens of thousands of cultivators fueling the grand formation and Third-Rank Treasure Ships (Magic Treasure) launching relentless attacks, they could not breach it.

That day, everyone took a temporary rest while several Ancestors gathered for a small meeting.

Eldrin cast a glance at the assembly and remarked with unshaken composure, "After half a month of relentless assault, the Mountain Guardian Formation of the Earthlion Ridge shows no signs of weakening. It appears it can hold firm for another 3 months or more."

"What do you all think we should do? Should we push the treasure ship to its limits to break the formation at all costs, or continue depleting its spiritual energy until it's exhausted?"

The expressions of the several people nearby turned grave. If this war were to drag on indefinitely, the consumption of spirit stones and supplies would be far too immense.

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of blood and decay. Li Ming, a young man barely 20 years old, lay slumped against a jagged rock, his robes torn and stained crimson. His breathing was shallow, each gasp a struggle against the icy air that threatened to steal the last vestiges of warmth from his body. "Am I... going to die here?" he thought, his vision blurring. The memories of the past few hours flashed before his eyes—the ambush by the rival sect, the desperate fight, and the final, shattering blow from Elder Wang's palm that had shattered his dantian. Just as darkness began to swallow him whole, a faint, ethereal glow emanated from the jade pendant hanging around his neck—a family heirloom he had always dismissed as a mere trinket. The glow intensified, warm and soothing, and a voice, ancient and resonant, echoed directly within his mind. "Foolish child," the voice murmured, a mixture of exasperation and pity. "To think a descendant of mine would be brought so low. Your meridians are in chaos, your dantian shattered. A hopeless case, by any measure." Li Ming tried to speak, but only a weak gurgle escaped his lips. "Silence," the voice commanded. "I am the remnant soul sealed within this Profound Spirit Jade. I have slumbered for 10 1000 years, waiting for a vessel with even a spark of potential. You... are barely adequate. But fate has willed it so." A surge of energy, pure and potent, flooded Li Ming's broken body. It was unlike any spiritual power he had ever felt—it was primal, ordered, and immensely powerful. It began to forcibly reorganize his shattered meridians, mending the tears and clearing the blockages with brutal efficiency. The pain was excruciating, yet beneath it was a foundation of profound healing. "The 'Chaos Genesis Sutra'," the voice intoned, imparting knowledge directly into his consciousness. "A legacy lost to the ages. Forget the crude techniques of your so-called sect. This is the path to true power, the art by which the heavens and earth were first shaped. You will start from the beginning. You will rebuild." Over a 100 spirit stones materialized from the pendant's light, arranging themselves in a complex formation around him. Their energy was drawn out in visible streams, swirling into the vortex of power centered on his body. "Your first task," the voice continued, its tone leaving no room for argument, "is to reach the first level of the Qi Refining Stage within 3 days using this sutra. Fail, and your body will be unable to contain my power. You will dissipate into nothingness. Succeed, and you will take your first step on a road that defies the very heavens." The energy within him coalesced, forming a new, stable core where his dantian had once been. It was smaller, but infinitely more dense and refined. Li Ming clenched his fist, feeling strength return to his limbs—a strength far surpassing his previous peak. The biting cold no longer seemed so threatening. He looked towards the distant, towering peaks of the Azure Cloud Sect, his eyes now clear and sharp, burning with a cold fire. "Azure Cloud Sect... Elder Wang..." he whispered, his voice steady and laced with a newfound resolve. "You thought you had ended me. But you have merely eradicated the weakling I was. I will return. And I will reclaim everything, with interest." A dozen or so crows circling overhead suddenly scattered, startled by the faint, but undeniable, pressure now radiating from the youth they had mistaken for carrion.