Divine Transcendence

Chapter 194: Raid

Upon hearing the words of the Great Cave Master, the disciples of the Biluo Cave, who had lost their heads and were fleeing in all directions like headless flies, finally found their backbone. They stopped their disorderly escape and gathered in groups of three to five, heading towards the direction of the three main peaks, following some Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.

Yuan Ming looked towards the direction of the mountain gate and found that Wu Lu’s figure had completely disappeared.

Originally, he had wanted to return to the Fire Refining Hall and take the opportunity to slip away, but when he saw the sinister gaze of the Great Cave Master scanning the entire scene, he simply followed the retreating disciples and hurried over there.

By the time he arrived, more than two hundred people had already gathered on the open square. Many of them had a sense of relief on their faces, as if they had just escaped a disaster, but they also looked uneasy. Many of them had not fully recovered from the shock.

Not long ago, the Biluo Cave was still one of the five major sects in the southern region of the ten thousand mountains, with a peak Elder at the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment realm and three Cave Masters at the Foundation Establishment stage residing there. The strength of the sect was not inferior to the other four sects. Even a named disciple of the sect, when encountering mortals, was regarded as a "celestial being." In front of other wandering cultivators, they were considered superior, and no one dared to offend them when they found out that they were disciples of the Biluo Cave.

But now, the sect was suddenly attacked, caught off guard. The Foundation Establishment stage Elders they had looked up to were either dead or injured, and even the protective array of the sect had been broken.

Many people felt somewhat disheartened. If it weren’t for the Great Cave Master stabilizing the situation and the image of the mysterious peak Elder in their minds, they would have scattered and fled without a second thought.

The Second Cave Master was calmly directing the Foundation Establishment stage cultivators who had arrived one after another, gathering them in different areas. This scene somewhat stabilized the emotions of these Qi Refining stage disciples.

Yuan Ming saw that the entire square and the area in front of the back mountain had been deliberately divided into nine different assembly points.

The Second Cave Master was in the center of the square with nearly a hundred people, while the other eight Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, with varying numbers of Elders and disciples, were sitting in circles in various places, forming a circle nearly a thousand feet in diameter.

Underneath everyone’s feet, there were circles of complex and obscure runes that had appeared at some point. Some of them were connected to each other, and there were also some middle-grade spirit stones of different colors inserted in certain places. It was a large-scale formation that had been completed.

Although Yuan Ming had wanted to return to the Fire Refining Hall, he naturally couldn’t leave in this situation, so he was also assigned to join a group of about ten people.

Most of these people were named disciples, and the tall Foundation Establishment stage cultivator in the middle had a scar under his right eye. He was the personal disciple of the Second Cave Master, Yuan Luo.

After arranging for Yuan Ming and the others to stand around, he turned his gaze to the Second Cave Master in the center of the square, seemingly waiting for the next command.

However, not long after, there was a commotion in the distance, and members of the Dawn Organization had already chased to within a hundred feet.

"We can’t wait any longer, let’s start!" The Great Cave Master, who was suspended in mid-air, gave the order and summoned a giant roc bird to fly towards several battle groups in the distance, apparently intending to reinforce the living forces over there.

The Second Cave Master took out a square stone about the size of a palm and threw it to the ground. The stone turned into a stone stele nearly ten feet high, and he pressed his hands against the stele, infusing it with his spiritual power.

The runes on the square stone stele immediately lit up, and a towering column of light shot up into the sky. The other eight Foundation Establishment stage Elders in various places also took out smaller stone tablets, turned them into stone steles, infused them with their spiritual power, and then eight columns of light shot up into the sky.

Nine towering columns of light stood, connecting with each other and forming a blue formation that covered the entire square, blocking the back mountain.

The rest of the people inside the formation were mainly responsible for protecting the person manipulating the formation. They finally felt a slight relief from the intense fluctuations of the formation, but many of the disciples were still uneasy and confused.

Even some of the Foundation Establishment stage Elders looked anxious and did not understand what they would be facing next, or when the mysterious peak Elder would appear.

The members of the Dawn Organization who had arrived first did not hesitate and immediately launched an attack.

The methods they had previously used to bombard the protective array of the sect were now being used here.

However, no matter how they attacked, the entire formation only showed ripples of spiritual power, appearing very stable.

Yuan Ming noticed that with each burst of light and fluctuation from the attacks, a layer of red light appeared on the surface of the stone tablets in the hands of the Elders, accumulating bit by bit and growing deeper in color.

At this time, seven Foundation Establishment stage cultivators from the Dawn Organization formed a circle, with a person in the center holding a palm-sized inkstone above their head, while the others continuously cast spells into the inkstone.

As the inkstone slowly rotated, circles of runes jumped and swirled on its surface, emitting waves of black light.Before long, the person in the center chanted a few times and then lifted a spell, causing the inkstone to rise into the air and grow to the size of a house, with a powerful force like Mount Tai pressing down, smashing towards the large array below.

The disciples of the Biluo Cave watched as the black shadow, like a dark cloud covering the sky, caused them to panic and show fear.

With a loud bang!

The huge black inkstone smashed onto the green light curtain, but it stopped steadily.

There was no sign of collapse on the green light curtain. Instead, after a moment, it burst into a dazzling light, and a strong force of resistance rose from all parts of the array, rushing upwards.

In the next moment, the black inkstone was shaken back by a huge force and flew out, smashing towards the members of the Biluo Cave.

Seeing this, the cultivator surrounded by six people quickly activated a spell, trying to retrieve the inkstone.

However, at this moment, the black inkstone was completely out of his control and swayed towards the ground, causing everyone to dodge.

A loud rumble!

Where the Biluo Cave members were standing, a large pit several dozen feet deep was smashed, with dust and debris flying everywhere.

"Stop it all." At this time, a crisp female voice suddenly sounded, stopping the Biluo Cave members’ attacks.

It was the female array master who could wave her hand to form an array.

This female array master’s identity in the Biluo Cave organization was obviously special. As soon as she spoke, everyone immediately followed suit and temporarily stopped their attacks like a tide.

At this time, the clown walked up to the female array master and asked in a low voice, "Sister, what’s so special about this array?"

"This array is not just a simple defensive array. It can absorb the power of external attacks and release it in an instant as a means of counterattack. This should be from the Luo family of Wuguo," the female array master replied.

"I see." The clown said.

"It’s not difficult to break this, but it will take some effort. This mission is so troublesome. If I had known, I wouldn’t have come," the female array master said.

"Ah, sister, you were the one who wanted to come in the first place, and now you want to back out. But I’m happy to kill," the clown laughed.

"Xiao Yao! I’m telling you, don’t rush forward like this. Every time you forget. We’re just going through the motions," the array master advised in a low voice.

"I know, I know. I’ll just go through the motions later," the clown said nonchalantly.

"Let me think of a way to break the array," the female array master said.

At this time, the head of the Southern Branch of the Biluo Cave organization, Ougi, also walked out from the crowd, his face slightly solemn as he surveyed the temporary defense line set up by the Biluo Cave.

"All the people of the Biluo Cave listen to the task we have received this time, which is to destroy the Biluo Cave, but not to slaughter all of you. We only want to kill the ringleaders. As long as you are willing to give up resistance, we can all turn a blind eye and leave you a way out. But if you resist, you will be killed without mercy," he announced coldly.

"Their target this time is not just the Grand Elder, is it?" Yuan Ming heard this and felt something was amiss, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Many ordinary elders and disciples were shocked to hear this, and many of them began to show fear. Already in a desperate situation, the Biluo Cave suddenly showed signs of disintegration.

At this time, the Grand Cave Master, who had returned from receiving the door-to-door disciples, controlled the giant roc to fly here at high speed and shouted loudly:

"Don’t believe the sweet words of others. Once you give up resistance and surrender at this moment, even if you don’t die now, what awaits you in the future will be a lifetime of being a mining slave, unable to turn your life around."

With these words, the square fell silent.

Yuan Ming had also heard of mining slaves, referring to the slaves who were controlled by the major sects or families of the Southern Region and worked in the mine pits day and night, never seeing the light of day.

Compared to them, becoming a beast slave of the Biluo Cave was already a great blessing.

The disciples of the Biluo Cave were more accustomed to believing in their own sect, especially when it came from the mouth of the Grand Cave Master.

But in the face of such a situation, and feeling that victory was hopeless, they wanted to surrender.

However, no matter what they thought, the chaotic military situation could not be restored.

The Grand Cave Master, with a group of people, easily landed in the center of the array and joined the Second Cave Master and others.

"Everyone, the Grand Elder just sent a message. The Grand Elder is currently in a critical moment of seclusion. Once he successfully comes out of seclusion, he will lead us in wiping out these rabble," the Grand Cave Master reassured everyone.

Thinking of the stalwart Grand Elder who was about to arrive, the Biluo Cave cultivators, who had already lost their fighting spirit, gained some confidence, and with the protection of the array, the chaotic situation calmed down a bit.

"The Grand Elder, he..."The second cave master saw the arrival of the great cave master by his side, and couldn’t help but lower his voice to ask, but he seemed hesitant to speak.

"The elder is breaking through to the later stage, and it still needs some time. Once successful, our Bi Luo Cave will be unmatched in the northern region, and these small fries are no match for us," said the great cave master.

"Do we have to hold on until the elder comes out?" The second cave master transmitted his worries.

"The elder has transmitted to me, asking to stabilize the situation in the front and temporarily hold off Ougi and the Blood Battle. As long as there are no Nascent Soul stage cultivators causing trouble over there, it’s not urgent. When he comes out of seclusion, it will be the death knell for these people," the great cave master said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd outside at dawn.

After that, he asked again, "How long can the Qingliu Huanzhuan Array hold up?"

"Even if Ougi and Blood Battle join forces to attack fiercely, the array won’t collapse for a while. The attacks of other people can’t break through the defense limit of the array, and can only help replenish the power of the array, so there’s no need to worry," the second cave master said.

Upon hearing this, the great cave master’s eyes flickered for a moment, but his brow furrowed even tighter.

The second cave master was currently responsible for controlling the Qingliu Huanzhuan Array, so he couldn’t leave the array to assist in the battle. If he wanted to stop Ougi and Blood Battle, he could only rely on himself.

"It’s annoying that Ling Songhua is not in the sect at this time..." The second cave master complained half-heartedly and half-resentfully.

"The situation has come to this, and it’s useless to say these things now. Let’s give it our all," the great cave master said after sighing.

He raised his head and saw Ougi and Blood Battle flying up, intending to cross the square array and head towards the back mountain, so he immediately flew out of the array.

"Both of you, we haven’t determined the winner between us. Do you dare to fight for another three hundred rounds?" The great cave master stood in mid-air with his clothes fluttering, a purple long sword floating by his side, his expression solemn as he spoke slowly.

"Why do you insist on sacrificing yourself for Chen Cangqiong? Look at the situation," Ougi said, looking at the middle-aged man in front of him.

"The elder has been kind to me. It can be said that without him, I, Maoli Hong, wouldn’t be where I am today. Now that I am the great cave master of Bi Luo Cave, I must protect the sect. I also advise you to leave early. When the elder comes out of seclusion, you won’t be able to leave even if you want to," the great cave master said slowly.

"In that case, don’t blame me for being ruthless," Ougi said.

"No need to waste any more words with him. Ougi, you don’t need to hold back!" Blood Battle licked his lips, and a glint of blood flashed in his eyes.

"Alright, let’s make it quick."

Ougi transmitted in a low voice.

After speaking, the two of them flew out at the same time, heading straight for the great cave master.

............

On a large tree one hundred zhang away from the back mountain of Bi Luo Cave, Silver Cat Xiying lay motionless on a tree branch, blending in with the leaves. If you didn’t look carefully, you wouldn’t be able to see its figure at all.

Its unusual double pupils stared unblinkingly in the direction of Bi Luo Cave, chanting to itself, "Cangqiong, your disciples and grandchildren are almost dead. Aren’t you coming out yet? If you don’t come out soon, you’ll be left all alone. All your hard work in this life will be in vain."

"Come out, come out, come out quickly."

After chanting for a while, feeling tired, it stopped paying attention to the movement at the cave entrance and instead focused on a group of ants fighting on the ground.

At the same time, it released two sparrows, which chased each other, playing happily.

............

In a valley in the Ten Thousand Mountains, a canyon surrounded by mountains on three sides, there was a jade-like blue lake.

A silver-haired old man wearing a bamboo hat stood on the edge of the cliff, hands behind his back, looking down at the lake below with an unusually calm expression.

The valley was crescent-shaped, and when viewed from high above, it looked like a blue moon embedded in the valley.

The gentle breeze, the sparkling waves, and the mist floating above the lake made it a paradise on earth.

At this moment, with a loud and clear chirp, a fiery red figure swooped down from mid-air and landed in the open space behind the old man, turning out to be a fiery red bird ten zhang long.

On the bird’s back, a slender fiery red figure leaped down and stood not far from the old man, motionless.

The old man turned around slowly and looked at the graceful and beautiful woman in front of him, his face showing a hint of reminiscence and relief.

The two of them silently faced each other, and in this mist, the original mountain wind seemed to have stopped.

After an unknown amount of time, the two of them suddenly smiled at the same time.

............

Above the square of Bi Luo Cave.

The great cave master clapped his waist spirit beast bag, and a group of crimson flames immediately burst out by his side, transforming into a huge firebird over ten zhang long, flapping its wings and emanating a strong spiritual power fluctuation all over its body.

Under the flapping of its wings, there was a rolling heat wave that made people feel parched and dry.

"What a powerful aura!" Yuan Ming looked up and couldn’t help but think to himself.Beside, someone couldn’t help but whisper, "Is this the spirit beast Fire Spirit Collection of the Great Cave Master? The aura is really huge and terrifying, and that long sword should be the Great Cave Master’s treasure, the Bitter Wheel Sword!"

"I heard that the collection was hatched from a beast egg that the Great Cave Master found in the Tower of the Volcano, and it was nurtured little by little by eating precious materials from heaven and earth."

"I heard from my master that this Fire Spirit Collection has reached the peak of a second-level demon beast. It’s just one step away from advancing to the third level of spiritual wisdom. It’s a powerful spirit beast that can rival the Nascent Soul stage cultivators!"

Unlike cultivators, ordinary spirit beasts, once in battle mode, would release a powerful spiritual power fluctuation to intimidate the enemy, so the onlookers felt a strong impact.

The Great Cave Master leaped onto the back of the spirit beast, leading Ougi and the others to the west, skillfully avoiding the densely populated area of the square.

Yuan Ming’s gaze did not stay on the Great Cave Master and the others all the time, but from time to time, he would assess the situation of the members of the Dawn Organization.

At the same time, the two soul crows he released were also providing him with a view, investigating the situation in various places of the sect, helping him make arrangements for the retreat.

At this moment, he suddenly noticed that the female formation master of the Dawn Organization seemed to be very special. She had not looked at the three Nascent Soul stage cultivators since just now, as if she was pondering something.

But just as Yuan Ming’s gaze fell on her for less than a moment, she clapped her hands and a smug smile appeared on her face.

Then, she quickly took out various formation flags and began to arrange them on the ground.

This scene made Yuan Ming’s heart skip a beat: could she have already found a way to break the formation?

When everything was in place, the female formation master took out a black iron jar and began to pour some black powder from it, using it to draw lines to connect all the formation flags and bone pieces, forming a complex formation.

"Is she going to break the formation with a formation?" Yuan Ming thought to himself.

With the formation in place, the female formation master stepped back behind the formation and immediately activated it.

At this moment, a member of the Dawn Organization walked out from the crowd, patted the storage bag at his waist, and summoned a giant bull over two meters tall, covered in scales, which walked into the formation.

"What is he doing?" Yuan Ming couldn’t help but frown.

In his understanding, this kind of formation was most likely a powerful attack method used to break through the defenses of the Bi Luo Cave. But looking at the current situation, it seemed a bit different?

As Yuan Ming was pondering, a loud rumbling sound came from the sky, followed by a dark red figure falling rapidly from the sky.

It was Blood Battle, who was hit in the back by the Bitter Wheel Sword activated by the Great Cave Master and fell to the ground injured.

"The Great Cave Master is mighty!"

This scene lifted the spirits of all the Bi Luo Cave cultivators below.

However, Yuan Ming’s gaze only swept over the top for a moment before immediately returning to the female formation master. He saw the woman forming hand seals, her eyes shining as she looked in their direction, and a light shining in her palm as she struck the formation on the ground.

In the next moment, the formation on the ground lit up with a yellow light, and a beam of light flashed, swallowing the figure of the scaled giant bull, which then disappeared.

Yuan Ming subconsciously felt that something was wrong and quickly turned to look back.

At this moment, in a gathering place not far from him, a yellow light halo appeared out of thin air in the void, and then expanded, revealing a huge figure in the middle, which turned out to be the giant bull.

"A teleportation formation?" Yuan Ming was suddenly surprised, and then a little curious, wanting to go to the formation to see what was going on.

As soon as the figure of the scaled giant bull appeared, it lowered its head and charged directly towards the center of the crowd, where an elder with his hands on a formation stone plaque was standing, his sharp horns emitting a golden light.

The disciples around him were unable to react for a moment and hurriedly activated their magical tools and spells to attack the giant bull.

However, the giant bull’s momentum was astonishing, its scales were extremely hard, and after a series of bombardments, it was covered in blood but did not fall, charging straight to the elder.

Its sharp horns shone brightly and it suddenly stabbed at the stone plaque in the elder’s hand, intending to destroy it.

Even the elder, who was originally focused on activating the formation, was caught off guard and failed to respond in time.

Just as the horns were about to pierce the stone plaque, a flying knife surrounded by a red light struck the horns.

The tremendous force directly shattered the horns and knocked the giant bull to the ground.

Before it could make any other move, another flying knife pierced through its head.

This spirit beast had not yet achieved victory and died within the Qingliu Huanzhuan Formation, dying at the hands of the Second Cave Master who acted in time.

Yuan Ming looked over and saw that after the two flying knives completed their task, they flew back and hovered at the side of the Second Cave Master, lined up with five other identical flying knives, guarding their master.However, as soon as one scaled behemoth fell, another colossal spirit beast abruptly materialized at another array node, aiming to destroy the formation’s focal point there.

But with the prior incident, the people of Bi Luo Cave had become more vigilant. When other spirit beasts intruded, the rest no longer panicked as before, now able to handle such invasions with composure.

After four or five fourth-tier spirit beasts that had entered through the teleportation array were slain within the Qing Liu Huan Zhuan Great Array, the female array master seemed to have lost her momentum, temporarily ceasing her spellcasting.

Seeing this, the morale of the Bi Luo Cave’s members was slightly lifted.

Yet, unbeknownst to everyone, a dark crimson shadow had appeared beside the teleportation array at some point, then leapt into the array. As a yellow halo flashed by,

the dark crimson figure vanished in a blink.