Chapter 123: The Locking the Country Grand Formation

Wang Lin's expression showed pleasant surprise. He accepted the jade slip and quickly bowed in thanks. After throwing out the jade slip, the Middle-aged Scholar ignored Wang Lin, flying into the Phoenix Carriage to speak softly with Feng Luan.

Wang Lin was not the type of person to lack tact. The moment the Middle-aged Scholar entered the Phoenix Carriage, Wang Lin excused himself, flying out of the carriage to join the swiftly advancing army of Cultivators.

The border of Huofen Country was right next to Xuanwu Country. Besides Cultivators migrating there, the common people of the Mortal Realm also packed up their families and moved toward Xuanwu Country. The mutated Fire Beasts rarely attacked Mortals anymore; they now had only one target: Wang Lin, who was among the army of Cultivators.

As time passed, the Fire Beasts behind the army of Cultivators slowly caught up, their numbers growing ever larger. A heavy sensation weighed on the hearts of most Cultivators, lingering heavily and refusing to dissipate.

At the border of Huofen Country, there was a massive basin. After the army of Cultivators flew here, the Four Great Schools and several large cultivation Families—a total of nineteen Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators—held a highly significant secret meeting.

After the secret meeting, the nineteen individuals flew out of the Cultivator army and drifted above the basin amidst gusts of wind and thunder. One Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Luo River School solemnly said, “After years of investigation by my Luo River School, we can confirm that this place is the ancestral land of the Volcanic Cluster, the birthplace of the Fire Spirit Beast. If we Seal it here, we can surely restrain all the volcanoes. Then, relying on the Locking the Country Grand Formation set up by Huofen Country's Seniors thousands of years ago, we will definitely be able to confine all these Fire Beasts within Huofen Country.”

A Red-haired Man from the Demonic Dao School glanced at the basin below and sneered, “Since the Old Ancestors had precautions in place so early, why didn’t they completely eliminate the hidden danger back then? Why let things deteriorate to this point?”

The three Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators of the Corpse Yin Sect did not have coffins behind them, clearly having reached the level of retrieving the corpse and returning to the body, just one step away from true Possession.

These three had the most indifferent demeanor, as if nothing interested them. If it weren't for the violent Spiritual Qi in Huofen Country, which was unsuitable for their recovery, they probably wouldn't have participated in the migration efforts.

The Founding Ancestor Song from the War God Hall rolled his eyes and said lightly, “It's impossible for the Old Ancestors of our Huofen Country to have calculated the volcanic eruption and the resulting Fire Beast disaster. Even if they had calculated it, they probably would have been helpless. To be able to gather the strength of a thousand years and set up a Locking the Country Grand Formation here, leaving us a final chance at survival, that is already enough. Fellow Daoists, let us begin.”

After the Old Man surnamed Song finished speaking, the six Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators from the War God Hall, including the Middle-aged Scholar and Feng Luan, stood together. Their positions were slightly different, but each performed a strange Hand Seal.

The six shouted in unison, and six lotus flowers emerged from their Hand Seals, quickly falling onto the exact eastern corner of the basin. The entire basin shook with a rumble, and a mass of red mist rose up.

Next were the three Schools: Luo River School, Demonic Dao School, and Corpse Yin Sect. Lotus flowers descended from the sky, landing in the exact southern, western, and northern positions, respectively.

The roaring grew more intense, and more red mist rose from the basin. The mist condensed in mid-air, forming various shapes, but eventually transformed into a hollow mist ring.

At this moment, the few Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators from the cultivation Families who had not yet acted showed expressions of helplessness. One by one, they fiercely slapped their foreheads with a single hand, causing their respective Nascent Souls to swiftly leave their bodies and fly into the empty space in the middle of the mist ring, hesitating to proceed.

“Fellow Loose Cultivator Daoists, if you don't act now, when will you wait?” a Cultivator from the Luo River School suddenly shouted.

A Nascent Soul within the mist ring said in a sharp voice, “Fine, Fellow Daoists! Since the Four Great Schools are giving us Supplementing Origin Pills, it's just the loss of a hundred years of Spiritual Power, so let's risk it.” After speaking, the Nascent Soul spun around, formed a Hand Seal with both hands, let out a low roar, and swiftly charged into the mist ring. The instant it entered, the body suddenly vanished, completely merging into the ring, becoming indistinguishable from it.

The remaining Nascent Souls also gritted their teeth and rushed in. In the blink of an eye, although the size of the mist ring did not change, it gained a hint of spiritual sentience.

This Locking the Country Grand Formation, set up by the Senior Cultivators of Huofen Country to prevent a future volcanic eruption, not only required the Four Great Schools to contribute their strength but also needed Nascent Soul Cultivators to voluntarily temporarily store their Nascent Souls within it. Only in this way could the Formation's operation be guaranteed to have no gaps, achieving a complete lockdown of the country.

The blood-red color on the mist ring grew thicker as it slowly ascended, drifting to an extremely high altitude. Then, with a whoosh, the ring suddenly spread out, rapidly extending toward the four extreme boundaries—southeast, northwest—of Huofen Country.

Wherever the spreading ring passed, red mist billowed out from large and small craters alike. This mist joined the mist ring, continuously strengthening the speed of the ring's expansion.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the mist ring had spread throughout the entire territory of Huofen Country. A red mist barrier, like an inverted bowl, descended from the sky. The Locking the Country Grand Formation had successfully activated.

Once this Locking the Country Grand Formation was activated, aside from Mortals who could pass through normally, neither Cultivators nor Spirit Beasts—anyone below the Soul Transformation Stage possessing a Divine Ability—could enter or exit.

The nineteen Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Four Great Schools immediately backed away the moment the Grand Formation opened. Several of them grabbed the Physical Bodies of the Loose Cultivator Nascent Souls and sent them back to their respective Families. Those without Families were uniformly stored at the Luo River School.

Several Cultivators from the Luo River School stood outside the Grand Formation, bowed, and shouted, “Fellow Daoists, please guard the Formation with peace of mind. Our Luo River School guarantees the safety of your Physical Bodies. This Locking the Country Grand Formation can only be maintained for three months. After three months, we will certainly have established a firm foothold in Xuanwu Country. By then, the Superior Cultivation Country will surely send people to eliminate the beasts. On the day of success, I shall personally come and welcome your return.”

As the words fell, the Nascent Soul Cultivators from the other three Schools bowed and cupped their fists, their demeanor sincere, showing no sign of perfunctoriness.

After the Locking the Country Grand Formation opened, all the Fire Beasts roared and charged, slamming against the red mist barrier. Each impact caused the barrier to shake, but no matter how the Fire Beasts struck, none could break through.

After temporarily halting the pursuit of the Fire Beasts, the Cultivator army moved at maximum speed. Streaks of sword light, like showers of stars, broke through the border of Xuanwu Country.

Outside the border of Xuanwu Country, there were some Mortal troops stationed. These Mortals stared blankly at the dense sword lights in the sky. Someone screamed, threw down their weapon, and knelt to kowtow. Following suit, a large group of Mortal soldiers immediately knelt down, worshiping incessantly.

Among the troops was a middle-aged man wearing a Daoist Robe. He stared blankly at the sky, his expression pale, murmuring to himself, “Th-these are Cultivators from Huofen Country…”

He gasped, his expression changing drastically as he quickly retreated. But just then, several sneering laughs came from the sky. A Core Formation Stage Cultivator from the Demonic Dao School flew over, stepping on sword light. In a few flashes, three Flying Swords pierced through the Middle-aged Daoist from different angles.

The Daoist cried out miserably, his body cut into several pieces, blood splattering everywhere.

The Mortal troops immediately scattered in panic. Even the general among the troops fled in disarray, terrified of being implicated.

Tens of thousands of streaks of sword light instantly rushed into Xuanwu Country's territory and stopped outside a mist-shrouded mountain peak near the border. A sinister-looking old man flickered into existence directly in front of the group, flipping his right hand fiercely, causing a gigantic palm to slam down onto the mountain peak.

Streaks of golden light rose from the mountain peak, forming a hemispherical light screen that barely managed to block the descending palm.

Inside the light screen, hundreds of Cultivators looked up at the sky with panicked expressions. A White-haired Old Woman flew out and shouted sternly, “Fellow Daoists of Huofen Country, what is the meaning of this?”

Yang Sen of the War God Hall swayed slightly and appeared above the light screen. His expression was indifferent. He grabbed with his right hand, and the light screen immediately emitted a creaking sound as if unable to bear the weight, instantly shattering into pieces and vanishing completely.

The old woman's pupils contracted. Without a word, she turned to flee, flashing ten li away in an instant. However, the clouds in the sky suddenly gathered in front of her, transforming into the appearance of Yang Sen. He coldly glanced at the old woman, waved his large hand without saying a word, and the old woman shrieked, slapped her forehead, and her Nascent Soul left her body.

The moment the Nascent Soul appeared, her Physical Body was immediately smashed into dust by a destructive force.

The old woman was terrified. She was only in the Early Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage, but the opponent's strength was clearly at the peak of the Middle Stage of the Nascent Soul Stage. Such cultivation was possessed by no more than three people even within Xuanwu Country. She didn't even have the thought of resisting; she only wanted to escape this calamity.

“You can't escape!” Yang Sen snorted lightly and stepped out in pursuit.

Leaving Yang Sen aside for the moment, once the mountain peak's light screen shattered, the Foundation Establishment and Core Formation Cultivators from Huofen Country immediately swarmed forward, killing anyone they saw. In just a moment, blood flowed like a river throughout the entire mountain peak, leaving no survivors.

The vast mountain peak was now completely occupied by the Four Great Schools. Tens of thousands of Disciples stood densely packed on the peak, and above them floated eighteen Nascent Soul Cultivators, including Yang Sen.

The Cultivator surnamed Song from the War God Hall had eyes like lightning and spoke with a chilling tone, saying solemnly, “This is a war without right or wrong. If we cannot establish a foothold in Xuanwu Country within three months, what awaits us is the Fire Beasts breaking out of the Formation. The Fire Beasts are not terrifying; what is truly terrifying is the lack of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi available for cultivation.

War God Hall, Demonic Dao School, Luo River School, and Corpse Yin Sect—from this moment on, we are united and collectively known as the Huofen Alliance. Every Disciple within the Alliance who is in the Foundation Establishment Stage will receive a Core Treasure, and those in the Core Formation Stage will receive a Nascent Soul-level Magic Treasure.

During the war, all items seized from killing others belong to the individual; the Alliance will not confiscate a single item. Disciples, this is a war, but I personally hope you view it as an invasion—an invasion for survival."

A Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Luo River School coughed a few times and said, “In addition to the Magic Treasures, each of you will receive a jade slip. This jade slip can record the number of enemies you kill. Anyone who kills one hundred people above the fifth level of Qi Condensation, or ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators, will receive ten Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Anyone who kills two hundred people above the fifth level of Qi Condensation, or twenty Foundation Establishment Cultivators, or one Core Formation Cultivator, will receive ten bottles of Spirit Medicine.”