Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 371 - 8 Lan Yongning_2

Chapter 371: Chapter 8 Lan Yongning_2

The Tianxuan Conference allowed casualties to occur; Taiyi City merely discouraged killing.

Originally, a Token of Escape had been prepared for everyone; if one still got killed with it, it could only be said that their skills were inferior.

The number of people within the secret realm was continuously dwindling.

Xie Yunnan naturally became the focus, her Swordsmanship was so divine and entrancing that she left cultivators from all sects lying in her wake. Perhaps even Xiao Yunyi of the past might have been inferior to her, as possessing the Innate Sword Bone meant an unrivaled start in the Sword Dao for most people.

High above in the sky, a rainbow light streaked across, announcing that only three hundred remained, as well as the rising ranks of geniuses who had defeated their opponents.

Gu Wen strolled leisurely, his bamboo sword aiming only at a person’s hair, not harming them in the slightest.

He wasn’t in a rush to compete for fame or gains, the final ranking would still need to be determined by later competitions, as long as he wasn’t kicked out, he could maintain his position within the top hundred, and subsequently the top five hundred.

Suddenly, a purple light struck down the light barrier, followed by the Tokens at everyone’s waists shattering in response.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

While casualties were inevitable, the vast majority relied on their Tokens to protect their lives. With the transfer Arrays spread throughout the secret realm, it was very difficult for ordinary people to kill here, and the murdered young man Gu Wen had seen was a very rare exception.

Without the protection of the Array, wouldn’t that mean they were now truly fighting life and death?

At that moment, the purple light above the sky turned into a gigantic hand, enveloping the cosmos of the secret realm.

Just from the aura alone, one could tell it was at the Mahayana Realm, something the younger generation within the secret realm, all under a thousand years old, could not contend with.

In an instant, geniuses from all sects showcased their most top-level skills, those at the top were able to fly away and escape immediately, while slightly less powerful ones were protected on the spot by a golden bell. Loose Cultivators popped pills, protected by arrays and talismans, and even temporarily joined shoulder to shoulder with their opponents to set up Arrays.

An Array was constructed, its light seeming like a stabilizing pin in the chaotic sea, offering a pillar of certainty for even the most panicked to join.

Even Gu Wen got pulled into an Array by an unfamiliar Daoist, those who had fiercely fought mere moments ago, now displayed a united front, collective in their struggle.

A Golden Core Cultivator, due to having the highest cultivation, naturally assumed the role of the leader. He bellowed,

"Those who have been on the battlefield, step forward, experts in Battle Formations take your places at the vital points. A Mahayana Realm attack is broad and massive, but not irresistible. We shall focus our Array to spread the point into an area, we will certainly overcome this difficulty!"

"I am at the front of the formation, if we do not hold it is I who shall perish first, let none of you panic!"

"Hold the Array, those who disrupt it, kill without mercy!"

Gu Wen intended to step in, but realized he might have underestimated the Cultivators of the Human Race. It wasn’t just the strength of individual profound experts that allowed them to contend with the great powers of the Jianmu and the Devil Clan, and stand tall in the desolate lands for tens of thousands of years.

In all directions, countless Arrays lit up with spirit light, commands were given, and Divine Thoughts exchanged rapidly.

As the attack had not yet fallen, some adjacent Cultivator groups began to draw together, arranging and restructuring into a new Array in a matter of breaths.

Aside from a few who were still panic-stricken, the majority of Cultivators acted as if they had gone through myriad drills, executing their commands in an orderly fashion.

They had turned into a disciplined military force, all strongly twisted into a single rope.

The great war between the Human Race and the Devil Clan had lasted for hundreds of years, the nature of group warfare had changed the ecology of Cultivators, and almost everyone had begun to learn Battle Formations, with discipline becoming a compulsory lesson.

The purple aura that covered the sky fell, crushingly pressing down trees and sinking the ground by three inches where the gaze passed.

In the end, everything returned to calm, leaving the secret realm in ruins, with only the people still standing.

’The Human Race clearly does not need me to save them.’

Gu Wen had a rebuttal for the Taiyi City Lord’s words from the day before; he regarded himself as the number one under the heavens from eight hundred years ago, akin to a savior, but in reality, the Human Race was still powerful.

His gaze pierced through the secret realm, within Taiyi City, a mountain troll that stretched like a range slowly stood up, its shadow shrouding the city. Its spiky fists pounded on the towers at the four corners of the city, the ground emanated light, and numerous chains extended to press down the mountain troll.

The Array of Taiyi City had defensive measures even internally.

A streak of ink-like divine light came from the east, a scholar in white clothing holding bamboo slips and scrolls. With a stroke of the pen, he sealed the mountain troll.

In the end, another streak of purple light was added to the sky above the secret realm.

As Gu Wen looked, a man in purple clothes overlooked the secret realm from above, feeling the gaze meeting his own for a moment.

Eyes met, the latter frowned, focused, looked again, and observed.

Then he ran.

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

Above Taiyi City, within the grand Array.

The Mountain Demon Sage was firmly suppressed by the grand Array of Taiyi City; the sword characters transformed from ink and the spiritual book Daoist Soldier in his hand kept falling one after another. Despite the Devil Clan’s powerful physique, the offensive powers of the Human Race’s Daoist Skills clearly exceeded its defensive capabilities, and before long, his flesh and blood were blurred.

At the same time, inside the city, the initial chaos among the hundreds of thousands of Cultivators quickly turned into organization, as they rushed towards the white jade pillars extending from the Array throughout Taiyi City.

Surrounding the one hundred and eight jade pillars, on the streets, on the eaves, in the air, countless Cultivators were sitting in meditation, channeling their mana into the Array.

The magnificent city, spanning thousands of square kilometers, turned into a colossal killing trap in an instant, with circles of Array patterns shining and extending towards the firmament, nine thousand rings of light dominating a thousand miles of airspace.

This was to be expected, as the place where humans gather and a major city that dominates a region. Many problems had been considered since its construction, with the enemy’s sweeping assault being of utmost importance, including enemy attacks from within.

Initially, the Mountain Demon Sage only bore the pain in silence, well aware that he alone could not achieve his goal.

If a Demon Sage could easily destroy a Human Race city, then the great war between humans and devils would not have lasted so long.

But when Purple Extreme Demon Venerable was nowhere to be seen, and his injuries grew heavier, the Mountain Demon Sage began to panic and sent his Divine Thought toward Purple Extreme Demon Venerable.

"Purple Extreme Demon Venerable! If you do not make your move now, when will you?"

As soon as these words fell, a purple light flew out from the City Lord Mansion. Lan Yongning slowed down the assault, and the Mountain Demon Sage was overjoyed, saying, "Quickly kill this person, he has injuries left by our Devil Ancestor on him. Qingcang only briefly suppressed it for him, he cannot withstand prolonged combat!"

The Devil Clan would consciously prune the Human Race’s geniuses. As there were more Devil Ancestors than Immortals on the Human Race’s side, not every Immortal standing with the Human Race was wholeheartedly devoted.

Three hundred years of war had left countless Human Race great powers injured or crippled.

"He’s out! He’s out! I must go, I must escape into the Void."

A voice filled with terror came through, followed by the purple light leaving Taiyi City, breaking a hole in the already weakened barricade that was restraining the Mountain Demon Sage.

Lan Yongning did not relax her vigilance, and the Mountain Demon Sage, filled with shock and rage, watched as a bamboo sword flew out before their eyes, traveling a hundred miles to pierce through Purple Extreme Demon Venerable’s chest.

Coughing up blood, he looked down at the barbs on the bamboo sword and laughed bitterly, "If you had come out earlier, I wouldn’t have had to side with the Devil Clan."

The light faded quickly from his eyes, and his figure fell.

Silence!

The Mountain Demon Sage’s eyes widened in shock, then quickly came to his senses and spat out a green leaf, trying to make his escape.

Without a means of escape, who would dare to delve deep into Human Race territory?

A gust of breeze blew by, leaving only the stem of the leaf.

"Who!? Who exactly is the honorable one!?"

His Divine Thought probed all around but found no trace of who the God was who had interfered, nor did anyone respond to him, only the attacks from Lan Yongning kept falling relentlessly.

Like a dull knife slicing flesh, the Mountain Demon Sage was slowly worn down by attrition.

After bombarding for three two-hour periods, at last, the Mountain Demon Sage’s final breath of life was extinguished.

At this moment, the sun had already set and the chaos within the city had calmed down; talents from within the secret realm came forth, and the Tianxuan Conference was temporarily suspended.

Lan Yongning stood before the enormous corpse of the Mountain Demon Sage. Kuang Zhili and a group of True Monarchs came to greet her, bending forward with cupped hands, "Congratulations, Wen Zun."

"No need for formalities."

Lan Yongning looked towards Purple Extreme Demon Venerable, who had already been brought back with a bamboo sword lodged in his chest, and quickly walked over to examine the wound.

Among the True Monarchs, someone complimented, "Wen Zun is part of creation’s grand design; with a single sword, you can eradicate devils and evils, surely you will become an Immortal in the future."

"Me? I do not possess such ability; surely this was the work of Qingcang Immortal."

Lan Yongning pulled out the bamboo sword, noticing the character "Gu" on the blade; in an instant, his face was overtaken by a look of astonishment.

He’s still alive? He’s come out!