Chapter 976: The Great Transformation Battle

The moment Chen Mobai's new decree was issued, all the major immortal cities across the Eastern Barrens were thrown into an uproar.

The rogue cultivators and small family cultivators who had fled from Dongwu looked a mix of green and white. Some were furious, some panicked, while others pondered countermeasures.

One cultivator exclaimed that the Five Elements Sect was truly ruthless, stating that they had fled there for refuge, and now the sect wanted to expel them. This Foundation Establishment rogue cultivator spoke indignantly, as in Dongwu, he had been considered a local magnate, treated as an honored guest even by the Eight Great Families. However, the housing prices in Beiyuan City, where he intended to settle, were prohibitively high, so he had been renting. Now, under the new policy, these foreign residents who rented homes would also be targeted. Another female cultivator anxiously remarked that the Five Elements Sect's action was clearly aimed at forcing them back to resist the demonic cultivators and demon race, but as rogue cultivators, they were no match.

The intention behind this newly issued decree was already very clear. However, despite the widespread indignation, facing the policies of the Five Elements Sect, the overlord of the Eastern Barrens, all of them combined lacked the ability to resist.

That night, many leaders of rogue cultivator factions from Dongwu and patriarchs of small families in Beiyuan City held a secret meeting. One person revealed that they had received news that Immortal Venerable Chen had summoned the Eight Great Families of Dongwu that day, concluding that the sect must want to force them back to serve as cannon fodder. Another speculated that the Five Elements Sect certainly did not want them all to flee to the Eastern Barrens because if Dongwu fell, the sect would also be unable to remain unscathed. They needed them to go back, even if it was just to buy a little time. "Damn it," someone else exclaimed, "is there no place for us to find refuge in this vast world!"

Amidst the clamor, some also stood up, expressing willingness to lead everyone back to Dongwu. They reasoned that compared to being alone and powerless, they could at least unite and negotiate with the great families. This group primarily consisted of members from small and medium-sized families who had properties in Dongwu. Under pressure from the Five Elements Sect, they were willing to leave a few core disciples in Beiyuan City and take the rest of the family cultivators back to try their luck. Leading them was Shen Feng, a middle-aged cultivator in a green robe and the patriarch of the Shen family in Dongwu, with a cultivation base at the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Everyone," Shen Feng said in a deep voice, "although the Five Elements Sect's move is harsh, it is not without reason. We've all fled here, but if Dongwu falls, we will also be conscripted to continue fighting on the battlefield. We can't keep fleeing further east, can we? The teleportation arrays there are controlled by the Five Elements Sect, and traveling through the desolate ruins is a dead end. Why don't we form a team, go back to defend our homeland? The Five Elements Sect will surely lend a hand, and perhaps we can truly keep the enemy at bay."

His words resonated with some rogue cultivators and small family cultivators. Indeed, they had fled there primarily because the Eastern Barrens was the safest region in the entire Eastern Continent's frontier. But if Dongwu fell, this place would also become a battlefield. As outsiders, they had no foundation here, and if the Five Elements Sect had to confront the demons, they would surely be forcibly conscripted to the front lines.

"Patriarch Shen is right," one young cultivator declared, "we cannot give up like this. Even if we die in battle, we should die in our own homeland!" A young cultivator, a plant arranged by Shen Feng, stood up and spoke with passionate conviction, swaying many young cultivators. Soon, this sentiment of returning to resist began to spread among many cultivators. However, some people remained cold and dismissive.

After the meeting concluded, the discussions reached O Yun, who then specifically summoned Shen Feng and commended his actions. Encouraged by this, Shen Feng began organizing many Dongwu cultivators upon his return. They then traveled back to Dongwu via flying ships arranged by the Five Elements Sect and joined the Dongwu Alliance. However, this group comprised less than thirty percent of the total.

About ten percent of them tried to find ways to buy homes and settle in the most remote immortal cities of the Eastern Barrens, where housing prices were more affordable, determined to live in obscurity. However, besides them, cultivators from other parts of Dongyi also thought of this. Consequently, housing prices in every immortal city in the Eastern Barrens unexpectedly soared as the war approached. Only a minority of cultivators could afford to buy a house, even with a down payment. Therefore, the remaining fifty to sixty percent of cultivators simply drifted along, awaiting the deadline and their expulsion by the Five Elements Sect. A portion of them simply disappeared from the major immortal cities of the Eastern Barrens. They concealed their cultivation, changed their appearance, and hid in the deep mountains or the mortal world of the Eastern Barrens.

Chen Mobai had no real solution for this. After all, the Five Elements Sect did not have many personnel, and the Heaven and Earth Vein Grand Array only covered a small portion of the Eastern Barrens. While traces of cultivators drawing spiritual energy could be detected in places with spiritual veins, there was no way to track those who went to desolate areas without spiritual energy, or even just ordinary first-tier spiritual veins. Nevertheless, Chen Mobai still dispatched the patrol forces of the Five Elements Sect's Hall of Punishment to patrol throughout the Eastern Barrens. As the policy had just been enacted, their presence needed to be shown to instill more confidence in the great families of Dongwu.

In addition, Chen Mobai was also piecing together the spiritual vein maps provided by the various great families of Dongwu. He planned to set up some powerful arrays in Dongwu, adapted to the local conditions, which would then be connected to the Heaven and Earth Vein Grand Array on the Eastern Barrens side. After a century of diligent development, the Five Elements Sect only had 120,000 disciples. When facing demons, they definitely needed to proceed steadily, ideally with arrays deployed alongside every step forward. This way, they could advance offensively and retreat defensively, ensuring the safety of their personnel.

However, the territorial awareness in Dongwu was very strong, and many of these spiritual vein maps were incomplete, causing Chen Mobai to frown. He summoned the head of the Five Elements Sect's Spiritual Vein Department. Pointing to the blank areas on the maps, he instructed them to send people for on-site surveys and, at the same time, examine the attributes of the spiritual veins, the topography of mountains and rivers, and so on. After giving these instructions, Chen Mobai issued an order for the elite disciples of the Five Veins of the Five Elements Sect to assemble. He also personally went to Fengyu Immortal City.

Mo Douguang led the Five Elements Sect disciples in daily drills of the Five Elements Dao Soldiers. The colossal Gengjin Dao Soldier stood above the waters of Yunmeng Lake, unleashing thousands of sword qi and filling the sky with sword light, making the cultivators in the immortal city both excited and apprehensive. The excited ones were naturally the cultivators of the Eastern Barrens, who were proud to have the Five Elements Sect's protection. The apprehensive ones were the Dongwu cultivators. In fifteen days, the deadline would arrive, and the vast majority of them would be expelled. Although they could hide in the vast Yunmeng Lake, where even the Five Elements Sect wouldn't be able to find them, if they did so, they would have to be wary of everyone. Every cultivator knew that in times of war, the most dangerous foes were often their own companions. Rogue cultivators would form groups to plunder isolated cultivators and even ambush treasure ships of small immortal cultivation families. Moreover, this was already happening!

Chen Mobai addressed Mo Douguang, asking him to lead the five battalions of cultivators to Jinfeng Slope. In Fengyu Immortal City, Chen Mobai began deploying troops and arrays based on the existing Dongwu spiritual vein maps, dividing the Five Elements Sect cultivators into battalions. Each battalion consisted of 6,000 people: 5,000 cultivators to form the Five Elements Dao Soldiers, and an additional 1,000 as mobile reserves for replenishment, maximizing their combat effectiveness. Jinfeng Slope in Dongwu was a fourth-tier spiritual land belonging to the Jin family, one of Dongwu's great families. Situated between the coastal border and Dongwu's core city, Huangwu Immortal City, its location was strategically crucial. Mo Douguang's five battalions were led by five Core Formation cultivators: Ning Leshan, Mu Yuan, Luo Xue'er, Sheng Zhaoxi, and Zhuo Ming, all of whom cultivated Five Elements techniques.

"Once you reach Jinfeng Slope, use it as a central point, select these spiritual veins, and set up a grand array," Chen Mobai continued. "I've already informed Ming'er how to deploy the array; she will lead her battalion of disciples to complete it. This will serve as our sect's base for confronting the demons. There's also another fourth-tier spiritual land, Xiaoqing Ridge, which is also very important. I will personally lead the sect's five battalions to guard it..."

Chen Mobai had previously sent Song Huangda to lead the Five Elements Sect's water-vein disciples to the coast of Dongwu to gather intelligence. Fortunately, the aura of the demonic forces was very distinct, and they could detect it from a great distance over the sea. Song Huangda also brought many disciples from the Puppet Zombie Division, placing some of Chen Mobai's improved puppet zombies at various points in the waters near Dongwu. Whenever an aura above the third-tier appeared, it would send a message to the nearest Heavenly Enlightenment Instrument, allowing the Five Elements Sect to determine if Nascent Soul demons had arrived.

After receiving his orders, Mo Douguang led the Five Elements Sect's army into action! This mobilization also brought hope to many Dongwu rogue cultivators who had been despondent in Fengyu Immortal City. If they were expelled from the Five Elements Sect's territory, they would surely become targets for rogue plunderers. Rather than that, it would be better to follow the Five Elements Sect's army back to their hometowns. After all, even if the war was lost, the demons' primary targets would surely be the Five Elements Sect and the great families of Dongwu; they themselves might be able to escape. Furthermore, if even the Five Elements Sect couldn't withstand the demons, then facing the demons would certainly be more dangerous than facing rogue plunderers.

After realizing this, many Dongwu rogue cultivators who had remained in Fengyu Immortal City immediately began to contact each other. Forming groups based on their hometowns, they organized one contingent of irregulars after another, following the Five Elements Sect's army back to Dongwu. Upon learning of this, Chen Mobai allowed the Five Elements Sect to provide great convenience, with hundreds of treasure ships transporting them back to Dongwu at nearly cost price.

A year quickly passed. The battle between the righteous and demonic factions in the Eastern Lands, after initial probes, quickly escalated into its most brutal phase. Likely because Ye Qing's ambush fueled his fury, Yuan Qingque personally engaged the True Body of Ming Zun in several battles. With two Transformation Gods making their moves, it was undoubtedly a soul-stirring, earth-shattering spectacle.

Yuan Qingque was indeed worthy of being the top Transformation God in the Eastern Continent. Wielding a long sword, his sword light fell like a waterfall, each strike forcing Ming Zun's figure to flicker like an illusion, elusive and daring not to confront it directly. However, as one of the top fifteen cultivators in the Tianhe Realm and the Lord of the Eastern Demonic Path, Ming Zun was naturally no pushover. With the Wheel of Reincarnation suspended high in the sky, the black demonic staff in his hand unleashed endless demonic light, colliding with Yuan Qingque's sword energy and erupting in deafening roars.

The two fought using their Heavenly Attainment methods, causing the heavens and earth to change color and winds and clouds to surge. The border between the Eastern Lands and Dongli was a desolate wasteland, a result of tens of thousands of years of continuous battles between the top cultivators of the righteous and demonic paths. Under the augmentation of the Wheel of Reincarnation, Ming Zun seemed to bring the Ghost Realm of the Netherworld into the mortal world. His cultivation surged dramatically, reaching the peak of his previous life. In this situation, the ghost gods from the Netherworld were in their element; not only were they not suppressed by the mortal realm's rules, but they even made Daoist Monarch Wuchen of the Dao De Sect extremely uncomfortable.

However, the two Transformation Gods of the righteous path had higher cultivation realms. Therefore, even in this situation, they were still able to cope, and even suppress the demonic side. Every clash between the four Transformation Gods tore through space, turning anything caught in the vicinity into dust. Yuan Qingque's swordplay was incredibly sharp; each strike contained the purest and most refined Nine Heavens Demonic Cleansing True Qi, capable of severing mountains and rivers. Meanwhile, Ming Zun's demonic staff, a supreme treasure of the demonic path, reached through to the Nine Springs of the Netherworld. Its demonic light contained extreme coldness and profound darkness, each strike seemingly capable of devouring all living beings.

The battle lasted a full month, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. However, Yuan Qingque and Daoist Monarch Wuchen gradually felt the pressure. The Wheel of Reincarnation's connection to the Netherworld suppressed the mortal realm's rules, giving Ming Zun and the ghost gods an advantage on their 'home ground.' Meanwhile, every attack from the righteous cultivators consumed a vast amount of their vital energy. Although Transformation Gods merged with heaven and earth, possessing endless true qi, the spiritual energy around them was now mixed with Netherworld qi. This required them to expend considerable mental effort when refining it, causing the aura of the two righteous Transformation Gods to wane first in a prolonged battle.

Yuan Qingque looked up at the Wheel of Reincarnation suspended high above. The phantom image of a mountain peak pagoda appeared in his eyes, and then an astonishing immortal light erupted from his pupils, tearing through the sky. Seeing this, Ming Zun's expression subtly changed. He waved his demonic staff in the air, and countless demonic energies condensed into black clouds and mist, attempting to block the immortal light. However, this strike already possessed the power of the sixth tier. His demonic energy dissipated completely amidst a world-shaking roar, the Wheel of Reincarnation was struck, halting its rotation, and a breach immediately appeared in the Ghost Realm of the Netherworld.

Amidst a thunderous roar, the mortal realm's rules broke through, and Ming Zun's face paled slightly. At this moment, Yuan Qingque's flying sword pierced towards his head, but Ming Zun's figure instantly split into several illusions, dodging the fatal blow. Immortal light flickered in Yuan Qingque's eyes; he was not deceived by Ming Zun's illusions. His flying sword danced in the air, its sword energy like a dragon, transforming into streaks of mysterious yellow light that enveloped Ming Zun's true body. A trace of solemnity appeared in Ming Zun's eyes. He knew that if Yuan Qingque's sword struck him, no defense would be effective. Daring not to be careless, he could only raise the Netherworld Staff in his hand and meet it with all his might. The two forces collided in the air, unleashing a deafening roar as if the world was ending. In this epoch-making battle, both Yuan Qingque and Ming Zun displayed their respective ultimate techniques. Overall, Yuan Qingque still had the upper hand. After all, Ming Zun had already used the sixth-tier Wheel of Reincarnation, while Yuan Qingque had only remotely borrowed a single strike from the Heavenly Attainment Dao Refining Pagoda.

"Thank you for your efforts, Brother Chen," Ye Qing said, "I feel that the spirituality of the Floating Cloud Sword is much stronger than before." Ye Qing, who had arrived from the Eastern Lands, retrieved his natal flying sword from the Sword Cleansing Pool. Feeling it in his palm as if an extension of his own arm and sensing its nearing fifth-tier spirituality, his expression showed slight surprise and delight. "It's mainly because your Golden Light Grass was potent enough," Chen Mobai replied with a smile. After Ye Qing returned, he had sent a peak fifth-tier Golden Light Grass. Under the effect of the Sword Cleansing Pool, its medicinal properties were perfectly unleashed, greatly enhancing the spirituality of the Floating Cloud Sword.

"There's one more thing," Ye Qing added, "Junior Sister Yuan successfully formed her Nascent Soul. She's consolidating her realm, so she couldn't come personally, but she asked me to convey her thanks." Ye Qing's words made Chen Mobai very happy. After all, he and Yuan Zhen were friends. "Junior Sister said that she owes you a great favor for this matter," Ye Qing conveyed. "If there's anything you need in the future, just command it." Ye Qing conveyed Yuan Zhen's message, but Chen Mobai shook his head. The Nascent Soul Nurturing Pill given to Yuan Zhen was not only to thank Ye Qing for drawing his sword in Huoyun Palace but also because Chen Mobai owed Yuan Zhen a favor regarding the matter of Immortal Bingyun. After all, if she, the Saintess of the Nine Heavens Demonic Cleansing Sect, had not personally come then, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Five Elements Sect to make Immortal Bingyun retreat.

"In that case," Ye Qing said, "here are thirty top-grade spirit stones as a token of appreciation!" Seeing that Chen Mobai wouldn't accept a favor, Ye Qing probably understood the reason and immediately took out a storage bag. "Hahaha, in that case, it would be disrespectful to refuse!" Chen Mobai laughed. Chen Mobai accepted this. Clear transactions were the cleanest approach; he received Ye Qing's spirit stones for sword cultivation and Yuan Zhen's for the Nascent Soul Nurturing Pill, thus concluding both transactions.

"Brother Chen," Ye Qing said, "after I return, I'll also be joining the battle between the righteous and demonic factions!" As he spoke, Ye Qing grasped the Floating Cloud Sword, and his aura gradually ascended, soon breaking through its current boundary. Chen Mobai saw a faint mystic light illuminate the Floating Cloud Sword. It was ethereal like drifting clouds, yet carried a sharpness capable of severing all. At this moment, the Floating Cloud Sword, aided by Ye Qing's breakthrough to the late Nascent Soul stage, formally advanced to the fifth tier. This scene made Chen Mobai sigh with deep emotion. This Ye Qing was simply like the protagonist of an immortal sect!

"Brother Ye," Chen Mobai said sincerely, "in a few millennia, the name of Floating Cloud will be no less renowned than Taihe!" Ye Qing, however, smiled slightly, cupped his fists in farewell, and then transformed into a streak of sword light, vanishing from the spot.

After Ye Qing departed, Qing Nü flew over. "As expected of a Holy Land Daozi!" Qing Nü exclaimed, her face surprised. "With such talent, breaking through to Transformation God is effortless!" Ye Qing's talent ranked among the top five even in the history of immortal sects. "In a few hundred or thousand years, we will all be Transformation Gods too!" Chen Mobai said this with full confidence, and Qing Nü nodded firmly after hearing him.

As the battle between the righteous and demonic factions raged in the Eastern Lands, groups of demon armies also began to emerge from the Xuan Sea and Arid Sea, heading towards the coastlines of Dongyi and Dongwu for landing. On the Dongyi side, the Star Heaven Dao Sect, led by Immortal Xingyun of the late Nascent Soul stage, along with Xinghuo and Xingxuan, established themselves in Jinwu Immortal City. In addition, there were three Nascent Soul cultivators from the Five Burning Heaven Veins! Compared to Dongwu, Jinwu Immortal City had seven Nascent Soul cultivators guarding it. Its prestige in the Eastern Continent's frontier immediately surpassed that of the Five Elements Sect. The minor Golden Core powers from Dongyi who had bought houses in the Five Elements Sect very early on responded to the call of the Sunken Sun Sea and came to Jinwu Immortal City for support. Zhou