Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 283 - 189: Cultivating Immortality Without Cultivating the Self, Even Immortals Can Fall into Madness and Demonism

Chapter 283: Chapter 189: Cultivating Immortality Without Cultivating the Self, Even Immortals Can Fall into Madness and Demonism

Divine Thought swept through the military camp, and Jun Yan probed the entire army formation. In his eyes, the whole army was a giant.

Every soldier was entwined with fine threads, forming a vast array, the essence of tens of thousands of strong mortals converged, capable of condensing a dharma form of at least the seventh level of Dao Foundation.

This kind of military strength, under Wenren Wu’s control, would see a great enhancement of power.

"So-called military strength is a kind of specialized array. Wenren Wu, with his eight levels of Dao Foundation and Fourth Level... no, he has advanced to the Fifth Level fulfilled, but even combined, that’s only two levels higher than you."

Jun Yan turned his head and asked, "How do you plan to fight? Do you want me to break his military strength first? These tens of thousands of mortals, if turned into Blood Demon Pearls, could grant me a power comparable to that of your Immortal Sword for a brief moment, exclusively in terms of destructive force, of course."

The Immortal Sword’s unique properties could slice through anything, thus able to restrain the inner demons within one’s body.

And the vital essence of those tens of thousands of people in Wenren Wu’s ranks was plentiful, ideally suited for a blood sacrifice.

Chi Yu Zi passed the message through Divine Thought, his tone cold, "Evil and crooked ways, do not lead the Red Dust astray."

"There is no good or evil in the arts, I, who follow the Demon Path, live at the fringes of the Human Race. If we do not utilize everything at our disposal, how can we fight against the Devil Clan?" Jun Yan retorted, "On the other hand, you so-called righteous folks live comfortably inland, acting like you are above the fray, which is enough to make one sick."

Hearing this, Gu Wen turned to Ao Tang with an inquiring look, who replied, "There is no clear distinction between the internal and the external when the Buddhist, Daoist, and Demon sects fight the Devil Clan. Most of the time, local conflicts are either resisted or instigated by the Demon Path. You do have merits, but they have also reaped their benefits."

"Since the times of Qingcang, there actually haven’t been any significant large-scale conflicts between humans and devils. At most, it only affects a region of ten thousand li, rarely one hundred thousand li."

Ten thousand li isn’t considered large, but one hundred thousand li is?

Gu Wen found it hard to grasp the scale of wars in the Cultivation World.

Next to him, the argument between Chi Yu Zi and Jun Yan ended. Not wanting to waste his own energy, Jun Yan said, "Red Dust, you tell me, do you want to keep it simple or complicate matters for yourself? With a little manipulation, I could blow the entire camp sky-high, these mortals would become a weapon to kill Wenren Wu."

"Wenren Wu may not be strong, but like a master of arrays setting up his formation, a wise man would not barge in recklessly."

Rather than persuading Chi Yu Zi, it was better to let Gu Wen decide. He was of the same kind as himself.

Gu Wen asked, "How much will Wenren Wu’s strength increase by relying on the army formation?"

"One level of heaven, but that’s just a rough estimate. You can’t guarantee if he will be an ordinary True Monarch, or someone comparable to the pride of the Devil Clan." Jun Yan answered, "Arrays have always been about leveraging minimal force to move great weights."

An ant higher than me by three levels?

If Wenren Wu was truly a prodigy comparable to a Three Pure Daoist, then how could he only have an eight-five Dao Foundation? When they first met, it was even just at the Fourth Level fulfilled.

Dao Foundation at nine levels, only fulfilled is esteemed. With the same Dao Foundation, one can never exceed the fulfilled.

With a resolute look in his eyes, Gu Wen said, "Even if he is three levels above me, that doesn’t necessarily mean he can defeat me."

In the past, he fought against Wenren Wu only to survive; he wondered what the situation would be like after several months.

Jun Yan frowned slightly. He felt that Gu Wen had changed a lot, becoming more sharp and pronounced than before.

The old him was in tune with himself, meticulous in his actions, striving for perfection, never one to act on impulse.

But since Gu Wen had already spoken thusly, Jun Yan could only remain silent and watch. Ideally, Gu Wen would indeed manage to exceed by three levels and challenge a ’master of arrays’; if he failed, there was still the Heavenly Girl to back him up, or perhaps Chi Yu Zi could save the day.

Buzz!

A ringing in the ears, blood flowed from the ears, Jun Yan wiped away the blood, his expression grave, "My Divine Thought has been cut off. Anyone who could sense my Divine Thought and take countermeasures must be at least a Demi Immortal."

Gu Wen conjectured, "Is the Lord Emperor inside?"

The Lord Emperor was equivalent to the head Venerable of the Sanqing Taoist Sect, and nearly all of them possessed the power of a Demi Immortal. The Lord Emperor relied on the Dragon Vein in the Immortal Land for an even deeper foundation, which was why the Daoist Sect initially needed to cooperate with him.

"This actually saves us a lot of trouble."

Yu Hua’s eyes glinted coldly, a newfound interest piqued as her mighty Divine Thought, like a wild dragon, pierced into the camp, stirring up a whirlwind that shook the tents.

The Lord Emperor built countless Daoist palaces that formed arrays in Bianjing, the aspect of the Dragon Vein covering hundreds of li around. Removing him wouldn’t be easy. If Yu Hua acted forcefully, she couldn’t guarantee whether, after killing everyone, she’d still have the energy to deal with others.

Hence, as long as the Lord Emperor didn’t take initiative to leave Bianjing, Yu Hua wouldn’t bother him. Better to wait for her master’s revival when everything would settle.

Conversely, once out of Bianjing, he was at most a Demi Immortal.

Gu Wen stepped into the void, landing softly, his sword in hand, walking towards the military camp with the dust swirling around his feet.

-----------------

In the heart of the military camp, the commander’s tent.

Wenren Wu was meditating with closed eyes when suddenly a breeze stirred, and upon opening his eyes, he saw an old Daoist whom he didn’t know when had appeared inside the tent, caressing the treasured scale armor on the armor rack.

He quickly stood up, clasped his hands and bowed, "Your servant, greets Your Majesty."

"You’ve fallen into a trap, the original intent of that imperial decree was for you to not enter Nanshui but to directly lead your troops back to the capital."

The Lord Emperor’s straightforward words shook Wenren Wu, his eyes vibrated with myriad thoughts flashing by, and without hesitation, he said, "Your servant will leave now."

The Lord Emperor shook his head, "You can’t leave, the Heavenly Girl and her group have already arrived at your formation; you’re about to die."

Those few words landed like thousands of mountains bearing down.

Wenren Wu’s rough temples became wet with sweat, his breathing heavy, then gradually calmed down again.

His eyes serene, composed in spirit, he candidly said, "I had my suspicions since receiving the imperial edict, just didn’t want to miss the opportunity. Now that I’ve missed it, it’s just death, nothing more. Your Majesty’s projection here couldn’t possibly be just to see me for the last time, could it?"