Chapter 596 Attacking the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location)

"Since everyone is here, let's prepare to make our move."

Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) spoke with detached calm before inquiring of the assembly, "How fares the refinement of your formation flags?"

"I have over 7,000 poles on my side, prepared in abundant supply."

Eldrin spoke, "The formation flags mentioned by Magnus the Virtuous Lord are intended to set up a 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation."

This 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation) originated from the Eastern Sea cultivation realm, and is said to be 1 of humanity's signature arrays for combating demons and malevolent spirits.

This formation could gather the power of countless cultivators, channeling their mana into a single point before unleashing an astonishingly formidable force.

Deploying the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation) requires 10,000 second-grade formation banners. Each second-grade formation banner demands the combined efforts of 1 Foundation Establishment cultivator and 1 100 Qi Refining cultivators to activate.

If launched jointly by over 10 1000 Foundation Establishment cultivators and a million Qi Refining cultivators, it could significantly suppress the protective miasma of the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) Ridge, allowing the high-level cultivators to focus their efforts on breaching its defenses.

Word had it that Eldrin had brought over 7,000 formation banners, to which the others nodded in acknowledgment. Several prominent immortal clans from the 6 nations of Ji Zhou promptly smiled and said, "We have also brought sufficient formation banners."

After taking stock, the group discovered they had brought over 14,000 formation flags—more than enough to set up the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation).

Seeing that the array flags were sufficient, Magnus the Virtuous Lord spoke again, "For the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation, we still require a fifth-rank formation master to preside over the array. Is there a suitable candidate among you?"

The True Monarchs exchanged glances, until Chen Changxuan stepped forward and said, "Leave this formation to me. You focus on dealing with the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location)."

"Very well."

Eldrin nodded slightly. Though his and Lyra's mastery of formation arts far surpassed the others, deploying both of them to oversee the formation array would be like using a celestial blade to slice bread.

Since they had decided to act, the group wasted no time. After merely 3 days of rest, they began their assault on the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location).

Millions of cultivators gathered in 1 place, channeling their collective power to activate the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation). In that moment, countless dazzling 5-colored lights converged into a single entity, colliding violently with the peripheral astral winds surrounding the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location).

For a moment, the light within the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location) dimmed considerably, appearing as though it might crumble at any moment.

In that very instant, a pitch-black demonic banner unfurled through the void, anchoring boundless Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) and forcibly withstanding the divine might of the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation).

"It is the Black Fiend Devil Banner."

Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name) furrowed his brow and murmured with a grave expression, "Set the treasure ship in motion."

That Black Miasma Demon Banner was a supreme-grade demonic treasure. The power unleashed when using it as an array artifact was truly astonishing—even a Great Perfection Nascent Soul True Monarch would find it nearly impossible to breach.

Fortunately, in this battle, everyone had given their all. The 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation) unleashed power only slightly inferior to a fifth-grade upper-tier formation, leaving them completely unfazed by the demonic spring guarded by the Black Fiend Demon Banner.

However, the cultivators' spiritual power was limited. Though they had stockpiled vast quantities of spirit stones and resources, it still couldn't compare to the ceaseless flow of baleful energy from the demonic spring.

Only by applying greater force and swiftly breaching the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location)'s mountain-protecting miasma could they minimize the casualties among their ranks.

Thus, nearly 2 100 Class 4 war treasure vessels approached, activating the spiritual energy within to rapidly converge as arrays of formation patterns lit up in succession.

Although the war treasure ship was cumbersome and posed little threat to a Golden Core cultivator, the power of its formation arrays was exceptionally formidable.

Currently, even the weakest of these 2 100 war treasure ships could unleash an attack comparable to the full-force strike of a Golden Core, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) cultivator. As for the most powerful top-grade fourth-tier war treasure ships, they could even unleash 70 percent of the power of a Nascent Soul True Lord.

The 2 100 war treasure ships unleashed their full power, with streams of divine abilities striking forth in a relentless assault. The sheer force they unleashed was enough to give even a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator pause.

After 3 consecutive synchronized activations of the treasure ships' assault formations, the spiritual energy stored within these war vessels had been depleted by more than half. Finally, the protective mountain miasma surrounding the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location) began to tremble on the verge of collapse.

However, the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) Ridge truly lived up to its reputation as a forbidden land for demonic cultivators. Despite launching attacks countless times, they still couldn't breach its defenses.

Eldrin (Person Name) slightly furrowed his brow before speaking, "It's still not enough. Use spirit stones to activate the formation once more."

"This..."

Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly. A single full-power activation of a fourth-grade war treasure ship, after its spiritual energy was depleted, required 100,000 spirit stones. With nearly 200 such vessels before them, launching them all just once would consume an astronomical sum of 20 to 30 million spirit stones.

However, seeing that Eldrin was determined, the others naturally dared not defy him and could only continue to propel the treasure ship and press the attack.

After 6 consecutive activations of the treasure ship, nearly 200,000,000 spirit stones had been consumed. The group's faces turned pale—such rapid deployment of the vessel had already depleted over half of their war-reserved spirit stones in this brief span.

Yet under such a frenzied assault, the miasma grew increasingly sparse, teetering on the brink of collapse under the pressure of the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation).

It was evident that the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) within the demonic spring had been severely depleted, leaving it struggling to recover in a short period.

Seeing this, Magnus the Virtuous Lord declared in a resounding voice, "The Demonic Fiend Qi within the demonic spring cannot recover its strength in a short time. Let us strike swiftly!"

As his voice faded, he activated an ancient scroll spanning 3 1000 miles, unleashing boundless righteous energy to suppress his foes.

This treasure is named the Vast Righteousness Ancient Scroll, 1 of the 3 innate spiritual treasures of Magnus the Virtuous Lord (Person Name), and its grade has reached the upper tier of the fifth rank.

Moreover, this treasure was particularly effective at suppressing Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root), momentarily causing the Black Fiend Demon Banner to tremble violently.

"You little brats, if you don't give it your all now, do you plan to wait until they breach the formation and slaughter every last 1 of you?"

Just then, Patriarch Black Fiend could no longer remain idle. Harnessing the power of his demonic formation to resist Magnus the Virtuous Lord, he simultaneously summoned his legion of demonic cultivators.

Seeing the situation turning against them, the demonic cultivators had no choice but to continuously drain their magic power in place of the demonic spring to fuel the formation, desperately trying to hold back the 10 1000 Immortals Demon-Suppressing Grand Formation (Formation).

Seeing that the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) was gradually stabilizing its position under the resistance of these demonic cultivators, Eldrin (Person Name) and the others naturally could not stand idly by.

Thus, the 12 True Monarchs unleashed a relentless barrage of spiritual treasures and divine abilities, pounding down until the Demonic Fiend Qi (Spiritual Root) trembled violently once more.

"Still not enough."

As the 2 sides reached a stalemate, Eldrin’s expression grew grave. If this dragged on until the Demonic Spring recovered, the battle would inevitably turn into a grueling struggle.

With this thought, he shouted aloud, "Do not hold back, everyone! Unleash whatever means you have at once!"

As his voice fell, the several True Monarchs of the Chen family took the lead by example. 1 after another, fifth-order spirit talismans were unleashed relentlessly upon the Ridge of the Black Fiend (Location), heedless of consumption.

This was a full 17 Fifth-Order Spirit Talismans, among which several even reached the mid Fifth-Order grade.

7 fifth-grade mid-tier talismans were crafted from the hide of the Cyan Jade Demon Emperor, each engraved with Eldrin's (Person Name) innate divine ability—the Divine Waterfire Thunder. Their power had already brushed against the threshold of the late Nascent Soul stage.

It could be said that whether this battle ended in victory or defeat, it would nearly deplete the Chen family's treasured reserves of spirit talismans.

Chapter 1 The biting northern wind swept across the mountain range, howling like countless vengeful spirits. Snowflakes danced wildly in the air, blanketing the towering peaks in silvery white. At this moment, a slender figure stood atop the highest cliff, robes fluttering in the wind. Lin Xuan (Person Name) gazed into the distance, his eyes as deep as ancient wells. 1 100 years had passed—1 100 years of bitter cultivation in these secluded mountains. He could still vividly recall that stormy night when his family was annihilated, the raging flames illuminating half the sky. "Foundation Establishment... I've finally reached it," he murmured softly, a faint purple glow shimmering around his fingertips. This was the manifestation of spiritual energy unique to Foundation Establishment cultivators. Suddenly, a sharp sword radiance pierced through the snowstorm, cutting straight toward his face. Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged. With a slight sway of his body, he transformed into 3 afterimages, effortlessly evading the deadly strike. "Hah, I never expected the last survivor of the Lin Family to actually achieve Foundation Establishment here!" A man in black emerged from the blizzard, his face covered by a mask, holding a long sword shimmering with cold light. Lin Xuan calmly examined the newcomer. "The Murong Family's Shadowkill Sword Art (Cultivation Technique)... So it was the Murong Clan behind it all." The black-clad man laughed grimly. "Since you recognize this technique, you should understand you have no chance of survival. A newly advanced Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to act so arrogantly?" As he spoke, the black-clad man's aura erupted violently. Mid Foundation Establishment! This level of cultivation was far beyond what an early Foundation Establishment cultivator could match. But a faint smile tugged at Lin Xuan's lips. "Do you really think I've been idle all these years?" He raised his right hand, and a fiery red longsword materialized out of thin air—the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure). The sword blazed with crimson flames, melting all snow within a 30-foot radius in an instant. "Impossible! This is... a magic treasure?!" The black-clad man's eyes widened in shock. "How could a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly control a magic treasure?!" Lin Xuan made no reply, the longsword in his hand already slicing through the air. The sword radiance transformed into a fiery dragon, roaring as it surged toward the black-clad man. The surrounding snow and ice evaporated instantly under the terrifying heat, creating billowing white mist. The black-clad man hurriedly raised his sword to block, but the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss (Magic Treasure) was far beyond what his spiritual tool could withstand. With a crisp crack, the longsword in his hand shattered into countless fragments. "No—!" The black-clad man's final scream was cut short as the fiery dragon engulfed him completely, leaving only a handful of ashes drifting in the wind. Lin Xuan stood where he was, the fiery red longsword in his hand gradually fading away. His gaze grew even more determined. This was merely the beginning—the Murong Family, the Ning Family... all those involved would pay the due price. He looked up at the still-falling snow, then turned and walked toward the deeper parts of the mountain range. The next destination: the Boundless Forest, where he would find the legendary 7-Colored Divine Grass (Heavenly Material Earthly Treasure) to truly consolidate his Foundation Establishment realm. The snow grew heavier, quickly burying all traces of battle. Only the whistling north wind continued to tell this tale of vengeance that would never fade.