A Will Eternal

The Luochen Mountains marked the boundary between the Spirit Stream Sect and the Blood Stream Sect, and they stretched so far that it was impossible to see either end of the mountain range. When the spell formation built into the mountains was first activated, it wasn’t possible to see the actual shield with the naked eye. But now, it was completely eye-catching, rising all the way up to connect with the heavens, an imposing sight that would shake anyone who looked at it.

Occasional ripples of power would spread out across the shield, as well as loud cracking sounds. Clearly, the destructive power of the shield had everything in the area completely locked down.

This was the Luochen Grand Spell Formation that the Spirit Stream Sect had set in place thousands of years in the past!

Numerous figures could be seen hovering in the air above the mountains, radiating cultivation base power that exceeded Foundation Establishment. All of them had their divine sense spread out to stand watch over the direction leading to the Blood Stream Sect.

The three initial waves of disciples had set up camp on the ground, a camp which spread out far and wide. The Outer Sect disciples were the most numerous of the bunch, and had been assigned to run drills with various spell formation arrangements. Occasionally, the rumbling caused by their activities would send powerful ripples out in all directions.

At a glance, it was possible to see dozens of spell formations run by Outer Sect disciples. The first three waves had brought quite a number of people to the mountains, but that only made it easier to imagine how many more formations would spring up after the fourth wave arrived.

The Inner Sect disciples were arranged according to the mountain peaks from whence they originated. They were also powering spell formations, formations which were vastly more powerful than those of the Outer Sect disciples. Such Inner Sect spell formations emanated powerful ripples which distorted everything in the area.

In addition to all of that, there were ranks upon ranks of war chariots. The chariots were crafted from the hardest metals, and each one featured a huge spike jutting out the front, thirty meters long and a meter wide at the base!

The chariots were also inlaid with countless spirit stones; not the low-grade type, but rather, high-grade spirit stones! The chariots were so large and powerful that they required several cultivators just to operate.

The sight of hundreds of such war chariots was fear-inspiring, to say the least.

In another location, numerous enormous boulders were being magically formed together to create gigantic puppets fully 300 meters tall!

There were already over a hundred such puppets fully formed, and every step they took caused the Luochen Mountains to tremble. Also present were countless enormous battle beasts from the north bank, many of whom soared about in the air, emitting occasional roars.

The secret forces which had long since been sent out into Blood Stream Sect territory were active, looking for new information to send back to the Spirit Stream Sect. Even the spies in the Blood Stream Sect itself had been mobilized. Although such spies couldn’t accomplish very much, they were successful in some of their efforts.

There were also enormous stone tower shields rising up from various boulders throughout the mountains. Although the layout of the tower shields seemed random, it was possible to imagine how, once they were all connected, they could defend against an incredibly powerful attack.

Everyone was very busy with all of their preparations. There was another area within the Luochen Mountains, a district large enough to fit tens of thousands of individuals. There, a huge spell formation had been carved into the ground, which was being guarded by over a thousand cultivators. Moments ago, it had begun to glow with bright light.

The ground began to quake, causing all of the various Spirit Stream Sect disciples in the mountains to look up. Then, three massive pillars of light shot up from within the spell formation, reaching high up into the heavens.

The Luochen Mountains were shaking as the pillars of light distorted the air around them. Moments later, the light faded away, and tens of thousands of people became visible on the spell formation!

Bai Xiaochun was among them!

This was the fourth wave of cultivators to be teleported into the mountains!

Teleportation was often an uncomfortable thing, and as soon as the group of people appeared, various reactions could be seen on their faces. Bai Xiaochun’s face went a bit pale, but other than that, he didn’t seem affected. Instead of gaping around at the mountains around him, he located Hou Xiaomei in the crowd and hurried over to her.

Because of his status, it was easy to make his way through the throngs of people. No one got in his way. Soon, he was in front of Hou Xiaomei, whose face was ashen as she swayed back and forth unsteadily. Zhou Xinqi was there, holding her arm. As soon as Bai Xiaochun reached her, he poured some spiritual power into her to help her acclimate.

“You’ll be fine,” he said. “Teleportations are usually like this.” When he saw her pale face, he felt hurt inside. For some reason, his time in the Blood Stream Sect had made him a lot more sensitive on an emotional level….

Zhou Xinqi looked at Bai Xiaochun, and then stepped back to let him take over. Shangguan Tianyou was also nearby. Eying Bai Xiaochun coldly, he snorted.

Hou Xiaomei breathed in and out a few times, and soon recovered. Looking over at Bai Xiaochun, she suddenly felt a bit disquieted. She had been working very hard at her cultivation, worried that she might not be able to keep up with Bai Xiaochun. However, he only seemed to get further and further away. She feared that if she let up even the slightest bit, that he might get so far away she would be forever separated from him.

She reached out, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it tightly.

Now that Hou Xiaomei had recovered, Bai Xiaochun looked around at the Luochen Mountains. Clearly, they had changed. On his way back to the sect, he had sensed that things were different, but hadn’t been able to pierce through to see the true details of the matter. However, now it was very clear.

Everything looked different!

He saw the powerful figures hovering high up in the air. He saw the glittering shield. He saw all of the spell formations powered by disciples of the sect. He saw the war chariots, the stone puppets, the tower shields. He saw familiar faces everywhere, even Big Fatty Zhang and his other friends.

Other disciples began to guide the fourth wave cultivators to their places in the various spell formations. Everyone had an assignment.

Of course, the fourth wave consisted of tens of thousands of disciples, so the arrangements took time. Most of the new arrivals had to wait patiently until they were told what to do. It was the same with Bai Xiaochun, who simply stood there looking at everything, shaken.

Clearly, the preparations for the battle were not yet complete, and he could only imagine how awe-inspiring it would be when they were!

The sight of everything caused his heart to tremble, especially considering that there were many things that the Spirit Stream Sect normally kept secret, which were now out in the open for everyone to see.

For example, when Bai Xiaochun looked at the Outer Sect disciples drilling in their spell formations, he could easily see the similarities between their formations and the Violet Qi Cauldron Control Art and Heavenspan Elephant Control Art. Clearly, anyone who cultivated either of those two techniques would have no problem participating in the spell formation.

The only thing they would need to work on would be cooperating with the others who were part of the formation. Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun could tell that the Outer Sect spell formations weren’t simple, and that they contained the potential for numerous transformations and variations.

As for the Inner Sect disciples, it was similar with them. Although the Spirit Stream Sect might seem soft on the outside, they were really a sect born for battle!

Only a battle sect would have the fortitude to defy the Blood Stream Sect, despite being weaker than them. They would rather go out in a bloody battle than yield!

As for the Luochen Mountains, they were even more marvelous than he’d realized. In addition to increasing the battle prowess of the Spirit Stream Sect, there also seemed to be something else lurking within them, something shocking. Bai Xiaochun opened his Heavenspan Dharma Eye, and was instantly taken aback.

Inside of the mountains themselves existed a spell formation that caused Bai Xiaochun’s scalp to tingle. It was a self-destruct spell formation!

It was a trap, designed to send a message to the Blood Stream Sect in the event that they won: You may be able to defeat us, but you will feel the pain down into your bones, an agony that you will never be able to forget!

Bai Xiaochun took a deep, alarmed breath. Meanwhile, Hou Xiaomei stood next to him, trembling, clearly shaken by what she was seeing. She looked over in the direction of the Blood Stream Sect, but from her vantagepoint, could see nothing but the crimson lands stretching out as far as the eye could see.

“Big bro Xiaochun,” she said softly, “I heard that everyone in the Blood Stream Sect is like that Blood Master Nightcrypt from Middle Peak. They’re brutal, and kill people like scything wheat! They usually spend their time in their sect fighting and killing each other. If you’re not careful, you’ll get cut down in an instant. You have to be careful when you fight them.” According to her understanding, the Blood Stream Sect was a place rife with an aura of death. That was especially true considering the shocking tales of Nightcrypt which had been circulating recently. It was only natural for her to point to him as an example of what the sect as a whole was like.

Bai Xiaochun’s astonishment from before was giving way to more negative feelings now. Slapping his chest, he stuck up his chin and said, “Don’t worry, Xiaomei. When Bai Xiaochun is around, Nightcrypt wouldn’t dare to show his face!”

As far as he was concerned, that was no exaggeration. In fact, it couldn’t be closer to the truth.

Hou Xiaomei smiled in response, and although she didn’t quite believe him, she pretended that she did. As always, her eyes were filled with an adoration that left Bai Xiaochun feeling quite comfortable.

Even as he reveled in the lovely feeling, he looked over at Zhou Xinqi and said, “Sect Niece Xinqi, fear not. I’ll protect you.”

Zhou Xinqi almost couldn’t reconcile this version of Bai Xiaochun with the one she’d seen on the bank of the Heavenspan River. Sighing, she said, “You still have it in you to brag, even here? What’s the point?”

Shangguan Tianyou gave a cold harrumph. Eyeing Bai Xiaochun, he slowly said, “Bai Xiaochun, Nightcrypt belongs to me! I’m going to cut his head clean off of his shoulders!”

That soured Bai Xiaochun’s mood immediately. Glaring at Shangguan Tianyou, he was just about to respond when suddenly, his heart trembled as an icy sensation filled him from head to toe. Turning, he saw a young woman looking at him through the crowd.

She was cloaked by her long, black hair, and was actually quite pretty. She was none other than Gongsun Wan’er.

As soon as she realized Bai Xiaochun was looking at her, she turned to look back at him. Their eyes met, and she reached up to cover her mouth as she laughed. Although they were some distance apart, for some reason, the sound of her laughter filled Bai Xiaochun with an incredible sense of danger. Something inside was screaming at him that this young woman was deadly!