Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 1277: 1245: The Shadow of the Great Tribulation in the Upper Realm

Chapter 1277: Chapter 1245: The Shadow of the Great Tribulation in the Upper Realm

At the moment Jiang Ding spoke, the Tushan Central Court Divine Stage Government Heavy Equipment Ten Thousand Miles Signal Fire Platform transmitted a voice to all the cultivators of the Tushan Army.

“Tushan Central Court, the Tushan Heavenly Monarch has violated the law and discipline, and the punishment is as follows.”

“Salary forfeited for thirty years, redistributed among all cultivators in the army based on military rank and cultivation base.”

The surrounding hundreds of Nascent Soul Immortals, Golden Pill Immortals, and Foundation-Building cultivators froze.

Clearly, they had never encountered such a situation before and didn’t know how to react. Some quick-witted ones were already crafting their responses internally to curry favor with the Heavenly Monarch.

However, the subsequent announcement from the Ten Thousand Miles Signal Fire Platform swiftly ignited blazing excitement in their eyes.

“…Primordial Legal Heaven’s Ninety-Seventh Battalion Commander, Mu Ling Monarch, as per rank, you are awarded three Fourth-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, permission to use the cultivation chamber once, one Fourth-rank Magical Treasure, and three bottles of Fourth-rank Elixir…”

“…Great Sun Longsword Metropolis’s Fifty-Fourth Battalion Ordinary Soldier Li Tiangang, you are awarded five Second-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, permission to use the Second-rank cultivation chamber once…”

“…Tu Shan Maiden Corps’ Twenty-Seventh Battalion First Squad Leader Jin Liu Immortal, you are awarded four Third-rank Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures…”

The announcements echoed in the ears of every member of the Tushan Army.

Each and every person received an immense fortune, equating to at least half their life savings!

This was the terrifying magnitude of the Tushan Central Court Master’s thirty years of forfeited salary.

“Heavenly Monarch!”

At this instant, the hearts of all cultivators in the Tushan Army burned fervently, their eyes brimming with passion, and their loyalty surged upward.

So many Spirit Stones!

So many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures!

Everyone was instantly captivated.

Moreover, they had grown up immersed in the legends of the Tushan Heavenly Monarch since childhood. Each of them theoretically owed their loyalty directly to the Tushan Heavenly Monarch, forming a deep emotional connection.

It was just that this natural devotion had once belonged on a distant pedestal, unattainable, far removed from the human world. The military cultivators hesitated to trust fully, afraid to place their lives or fortunes on the line.

Yet now, under the tremendous allure of these Spirit Stones, hesitation vanished in an instant.

Giving me so many Spirit Stones—how could the Heavenly Monarch be a bad person?

No, absolutely impossible!

The Heavenly Monarch is trustworthy!

“Heavenly Monarch, Wan Sheng!”

“Wan Sheng!”

“Wan Sheng…”

In this moment, the Tushan Army erupted in joyous cheers, their unity restored once more.

This was the overwhelming prestige of the founding ruler!

“Hahaha, fellow Daoists, you’re too kind!”

Jiang Ding smiled warmly.

Entering a military restricted zone without permission?

This was obviously just an excuse he had made up.

The Tushan Army held great significance for him—they were not mere hordes of ants to be ignored.

After all, he hailed from the Xianmen Sect.

A sect that rose through military formations, suppressing domains far and wide!

Regarding military formations, regarding armies, he possessed an innate acuity. There was no way he could allow such a state of estrangement and mistrust between ranks to persist for long.

Within an army formation, his strength could increase by twenty percent.

This was just for the army formations of the Northern Plains. If it were the army formations of the Xianmen Sect, an eighty percent boost in power would be effortless.

Unfortunately, he had yet to encounter any foes that required him to integrate into an Immortal Sect Army Formation. They were either too weak or too strong, leaving no room for the army formation to come into play.

Uniting military cohesion was not solely achievable through extravagant rewards.

Next, he would strictly uphold military discipline, punish and execute the corrupt, restore the rightful integrity of the Tushan Central Court, open pathways for upward advancement, and develop alchemy, artifact refining, and other industries… There would be a full set of procedures in place—this was the instinct imparted to him by the Xianmen Sect’s mandatory education.

Every Immortal Sect Citizen was nurtured as a ruler in their own regard.

This was not propaganda but reality.

The Tushan Army cheered repeatedly before finally being restrained by their generals to return to their formations and resume their mission of subduing the East Sea Blood Demon Abyss.

“Thank you, Master!”

“Thank you, Heavenly Monarch…”

The likes of Ice Snow Heavenly Monarch, Lou Xi Heavenly Monarch, Qingyun Heavenly Monarch, and Great Love Heavenly Monarch—all Divinity Transformation stage cultivators—hurried forth, their faces radiating delight as though they had struck it rich.

They too were members of the Tushan Army and naturally were not excluded.

“Congratulations, Heavenly Monarch, for further advancing your cultivation base and returning victorious after slaying a mighty enemy!”

Great Love Heavenly Monarch and her peers bowed deeply.

“It’s merely a step ahead,” Jiang Ding chuckled, turning to face her with a warm and jade-like demeanor that immediately inspired affection: “Fellow Daoist, your future is brimming with potential. I hope you and I can exchange pointers often in the days to come.”

“In the presence of the Heavenly Monarch, I dare not boast,” Great Love Heavenly Monarch replied modestly.

Surrounding her, Ice Snow Heavenly Monarch and the others watched this scene with a mix of curiosity and uncertainty.

In their view, Great Love Heavenly Monarch was a seemingly ordinary Divinity Transformation cultivator who merely excelled in artifact refining and alchemy. Why did she receive such favor from the Tushan Heavenly Monarch?

Nobody raised the question aloud—they only etched this moment deeply in their minds.

“This Blood Demon Abyss…”

Jiang Ding placed his hand atop his sword hilt, releasing an oppressive aura that spread in all directions.

“Sword-light!”

Lieyang Heavenly Monarch and Ice Snow Heavenly Monarch hesitated to speak, ultimately staying silent.

This Blood Demon Abyss, crucial for the growth of Sword Cultivators and themselves, should not have been deprived of its battlefield.

However, the Tushan Heavenly Monarch clearly knew this, yet chose to disregard it. Evidently, he believed the detriments brought by the Blood Demon Abyss far outweighed its advantages.

If it were someone else, the two Heavenly Monarchs would never have accepted this decision.

But alas, it was…

Clang!

A brilliant streak of sword-light illuminated the heavens and earth.

Within this light, traces of the reincarnation and destruction of Six Paths Order faintly emerged, layered with powers incomprehensible even to Divinity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs.

This streak of sword-light vanished in a flash.

The boundless sea surrounding the Blood Demon Abyss froze, waves ceased their rolling, the world turned silent, with no wind, no rain, no movement in space—utterly terrifying.

The myriad Divinity Transformation Heavenly Monarchs held their breath.

In the next moment,

Boom!

Like a phantom, the Blood Demon Abyss collapsed into a cluster of spiritual light, disappearing without a trace. The ocean reverted to its original azure hue—the East Sea swept with rolling waves, vibrant with spiritual energy.

“Wan Sheng!”

Millions of soldiers rejoiced, their admiration for the Tushan Heavenly Monarch reaching its zenith in this instant.

The faces of sword-cultivator Heavenly Monarchs like Lieyang darkened.

Meanwhile, Law Practitioner Heavenly Monarchs like Bai Bing exhaled in relief.

This Blood Demon Abyss had tormented them endlessly, and now, to be liberated in one stroke was nothing short of euphoric.

But amidst their joy, they noticed the green-clothed youth’s face appeared grim.

“Undying…”

“This is an undying existence…”

Jiang Ding grasped his sword hilt tightly, his gaze fixed firmly on the void.

A few breaths later, a blood-red vortex, the size of a fist, reemerged in the East Sea, expanding outward in an excruciatingly slow yet unstoppable manner.

Within the vortex, a fleeting glimpse of a blood-red twelve-petaled lotus emanated an aura so terrifying that even a cultivator at the Refining Nothingness stage would tremble.

Jiang Ding’s body stiffened, overcome with icy dread, rooted in place.