Chapter 323 Deploying Troops to 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 formation flags were activated by a cultivator at the Qi Refinement, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), their unleashed power could even rival that of a Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) expert.

Although this formation had significant limitations, it proved quite effective when used alongside the demon clan's Mountain Protection Array for defense, or when launching 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 and Eldrin, the latter of whom, armed with the Celestial Departure Twin Swords and a host of divine abilities, possessed strength sufficient to contend with Golden Core, Late Stage opponents.

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 victory in this battle.

He then tucked the scroll away and said with a light laugh, "Since all preparations are complete, it's time we set off."

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

"Understood."

All the Zifu cultivators nodded in unison before withdrawing 1 by 1.

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 campaigns against Celestial Python Lake (Location). The first was a precision strike deploying elite forces to behead the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast), while the second capitalized on the chaos of the beast tide.

Due to the Mountain Protection Array laid around the Earth Lion Ridge, they had to mobilize a full army this time to breach it—a move that had long been noticed by the demon kings in the surrounding regions.

At this moment, should they attack the Earth Lion Ridge, the neighboring demon kings would undoubtedly send troops to reinforce it, for they shared a relationship as close as lips and teeth.

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 forces 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 is 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 Qingyang Mountain, heading toward the Lion Ridge along the path of Yangzhou.

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, crossing such a vast distance still required no small amount of time.

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

"Is this the Earthlion Ridge?"

Eldrin gazed upon the majestic 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 this mountain range.

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

Deep within the E'Shi Ridge mountain range lay a fourth-rank, high-grade Gold-Type Earth Vein, accompanied by a fourth-rank, mid-grade Spirit Vein. In terms of abundant resources, this region surpassed even the Celestial Python Lake by no small measure.

For thousands of years, Mount Eshi had changed hands several times. The surrounding Golden Core demon clans had nearly all battled for control over this territory, creating no small amount of internal conflict among themselves.

The reason this Earth Lion Demon King was able to occupy Mount Eshi in the first place dated back 3 100 years. Before the military campaign against the Abyssal Demons was launched, the Chu Kingdom—then at the peak of its power—had eradicated the previous demon ruler of Mount Eshi to eliminate any potential threats.

The former demon king of Mount E’lion possessed cultivation at the Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm). Yet 3 centuries ago, the Chu Kingdom (Location) had accumulated a millennium of foundation, boasting over a dozen Golden Core cultivators. In that decisive war, the demon tribes of Mount E’lion were utterly annihilated.

Yet no 1 had 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 transformation not long after their return.

It can 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.

"Set up 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, atop several of the treasure ships, a multitude of cultivators began channeling energy into the vessels' formations, activating the killing arrays to launch an assault on the Earthlion Ridge.

The guardian formation of Earth Lion Ridge, known as the Heavenly Demon Tribulation-Crossing Formation, was established at great cost by the Earth Lion Demon King, who enlisted a fourth-rank formation master from Emerald Mist Lake to deploy it. This formation possessed 2 formation artifacts.

1 was the Sky Demon Blade. This weapon converged the power of the gold-element 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 Mystic Pearl.' This treasure was the life-bound artifact of the former Grand Elder of the Azure Sky Sword Sect, possessing a formidable defensive supernatural ability called the 'Transcendence Mystic Aura.'

At this moment, the defensive formation deployed by Earth Lion Ridge was none other than the Transcendental Aura, a defensive supernatural power of this Calamity-Transcending Pearl.

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

The human army had been assaulting for half a month, only to discover that this Calamity-Warding Mystic Aegis possessed truly formidable defenses. Even with tens of thousands of cultivators channeling the grand formation alongside continuous bombardment from Third-Rank Treasure Ships (Magic Treasure), the barrier remained unbroken.

That day, everyone took a temporary rest while several Elders (Person Name) gathered for a private 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 Earth Lion Ridge shows not the slightest sign of weakening. It appears it can hold firm for another 3 months or more."

"What do you all think we should do? Should we spare no expense to forcefully break the formation by driving the treasure ship, or continue to deplete its spiritual energy?"

The expressions of the several individuals nearby turned grave. If such a war were to drag on indefinitely, the consumption of spirit stones and supplies would become truly immense.

Chapter 1 The biting cold wind howled through the mountain pass, carrying with it the scent of blood and decay. A young man in tattered blue robes knelt amidst the snow, his breathing ragged. Crimson stained the pure white ground around him, a stark contrast to the pale complexion of his face. "Lin Ming (Person Name), hand over the Heavenly Crystal (Cultivation Resource), and I might grant you a swift death," a voice, cold and sharp as a dagger, echoed from the shadows of the towering pine trees. Lin Ming raised his head, a trace of defiance flashing in his eyes despite the overwhelming pressure crushing down on him. "Dream on, Zhao Feng (Person Name). Even if I perish here today, you shall never lay your hands on it." Zhao Feng stepped into the clearing, his dark robes embroidered with silver threads that seemed to drink the faint moonlight. In his hand, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) glowed with a malevolent crimson light, its heat causing the surrounding snow to sizzle and steam. "Foolish bravado," Zhao Feng sneered. "A mere disciple at the 3rd level of Qi Refinement dares to stand against me, 1 at the peak of the 8th level? You are but an ant." Lin Ming's mind raced. He had stumbled upon the Heavenly Crystal by chance deep within the Desolate Blood Gorge (Location), a treasure rumored to contain the essence of a fallen star. It could elevate a cultivator's foundation immensely, a chance of a lifetime. But news had leaked, and Zhao Feng, a core disciple of the rival Profound Sky Sect (Sect Name), had hunted him down for days. He had consumed his last Spirit Replenishment Pill (Elixir) hours ago. His spiritual power was nearly depleted. Dozens of Low-Grade Spirit Stones (Cultivation Resource) were scattered around his makeshift defensive array, their light dimming rapidly—only 1,243 remained, their energy almost exhausted. *Is this where my path ends?* Lin Ming thought, a wave of bitterness washing over him. He had cultivated diligently for over a decade, yet it seemed it would all come to naught. "Since you seek death, I shall oblige," Zhao Feng declared, raising the Li Fire Sword. The air itself seemed to warp and burn around the blade. "This Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss has claimed countless lives. You will be but another." Suddenly, a memory, ancient and vast, surfaced in Lin Ming's consciousness—a legacy he had inherited from a mysterious ruin nearly a 1000 years old. A forgotten mantra, 1 he had never dared to utter, now burned on his lips. As Zhao Feng's sword descended, a pillar of fire roaring towards him, Lin Ming closed his eyes. He poured every last shred of his spiritual power, his very life force, into the incantation. "By the heavens and the returning abyss, I command the primal chaos to heed my call!" A brilliant, silvery light erupted from Lin Ming's body, forming a shimmering shield just as the inferno struck. The collision of forces shook the mountain pass, sending tremors through the earth and shattering the ancient pines nearby. Zhao Feng's eyes widened in shock and fury. "Impossible! What kind of forbidden art is this?!" The silvery light did not fade. Instead, it coalesced, swirling around Lin Ming like a protective nebula. The pain in his body receded, replaced by a strange, profound warmth. He felt a connection to something immense, something ancient that slumbered deep within the world's veins. He opened his eyes. They now glowed with an otherworldly silver hue. "The Heavenly Crystal was never the true treasure, Zhao Feng," Lin Ming's voice echoed, now carrying an authority that seemed to command the very elements. "It was merely the key." He raised a hand. The remaining 1,243 Spirit Stones shattered simultaneously, their energy devoured in an instant by the swirling silver light around him. The ground beneath Zhao Feng's feet cracked, and tendrils of pure stellar energy shot forth, binding him. "You... what have you done?!" Zhao Feng struggled, his 8th-level Qi Refinement cultivation useless against these ethereal bonds. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss clattered to the ground, its crimson light extinguished. Lin Ming took a step forward, his tattered robes fluttering though there was no wind. "I have awakened a power that has slept for hundreds of millions of years. Your greed has merely hastened its return." He looked down at his former pursuer, no trace of emotion in his silvered eyes. "Tell your Profound Sky Sect. The Stellar Sovereign has returned."