Chapter 1248: Flow Crystal Sparks Dispute

The handwriting was extremely messy, with large sections smeared and deleted. However, Sun Erlang could still make out the general content.

The Immortal Dynasty ruled by Emperor Taixuan was growing stronger day by day, with exceptional individuals emerging constantly. It repeatedly triumphed in conflicts against the other two nations. The Master of Heaven and Earth and the Human Sage had no choice but to unite against the might of Taixuan…

This plot was clearly not what the scholar truly intended to write. Not only was the writing style much weaker than before, but his attitude towards writing also became perfunctory. Perhaps he simply couldn't bear it anymore; the scholar stopped writing before reaching the end, spending his days drinking and living in a stupor.

Sun Erlang was not surprised by this outcome. In the Great Qi Holy Dynasty, the symbols associated with Emperor Taixuan and the Faceless Holy Emperor were too similar. If Emperor Taixuan suffered even a slight setback in the plot, the scholar would face severe public criticism. Under such realistic pressure, Emperor Taixuan's journey in the narrative naturally had to be perpetually smooth sailing. Over time, his power significantly surpassed that of the other two Sages.

However, Sun Erlang was somewhat curious about the original plot the scholar had envisioned. With a thought, Sun Erlang split off a wisp of divine sense and entered the scholar's sea of consciousness. Before long, amidst the many chaotic thoughts, he found content related to "The Romance of the Xuanhuang Tripartite Division."

It must be said that as a native citizen of the Holy Dynasty, having been bathed in the Holy Emperor's grace for years, the scholar's deep subconscious reverence for the Holy Emperor led him to envision an ending where Emperor Taixuan ultimately overcame all difficulties, successively subdued the other two victors, and unified the Xuanhuang Realm. However, this original plot included failures, setbacks, and even moments where Taixuan was pushed to the brink of despair and near death.

Sun Erlang had to admit that, compared to the revised version he saw in reality, the scholar's original plot outline in his mind was far more dramatic and captivating. "As the saying goes, writing is like viewing mountains, one dislikes flatness. In comparison, the external version is as dull as chewing wax."

Although Sun Erlang thought this, the content of the book involved his master, so he dared not make decisions on his own. He flashed back to the Holy Emperor's throne and reported the matter to Li Ping. It was just a minor matter, yet for some reason, it caused the Holy Emperor to remain silent for a long time.

"Emperor Taixuan is me, the Human Sage is me, and the Master of Heaven and Earth is also me," the Holy Emperor finally said slowly, his voice echoing in the cold Holy Emperor's throne.

Sun Erlang was first stunned, then enlightened. He left with a joyful expression. However, Li Ping's usually unshakeable mind, which was rarely affected by external matters, was stirred by this incident, creating ripples that he could not calm. He perhaps began to understand why Chuanfa, after establishing the Myriad Immortals Alliance, had remained aloof from worldly affairs and stayed out of public view.

***

In the Hongze Realm, Zhang Ming, a Golden Core cultivator charged by the Great Qi Holy Dynasty with guarding this realm, suddenly received a report from his subordinate. Some uninvited guests from the Myriad Immortals Alliance seemed to have intruded into this minor realm.

"Three Nascent Soul cultivators, seven Golden Core cultivators." Zhang Ming's brows furrowed tightly. Although he immediately sent a distress signal to the Holy Dynasty, the unease in Zhang Ming's heart could not subside when he thought of the newly discovered large-scale Empty-Glow Crystal vein here.

"This Hongze Realm is not large, and the Empty-Glow Crystal carries a very unique aura. Even if I use formation talismans for a slight concealment, I'm afraid it will be difficult to escape their detection." He sighed. "It seems this battle is unavoidable."

Zhang Ming quickly assessed the forces he could currently deploy. Including himself, they only had a total of five Golden Core cultivators. It could be said that the disparity in strength was immense, and defeat was inevitable. If he chose to retreat, the Holy Dynasty wouldn't impose a severe punishment. However, the pride of being a Great Qi soldier meant that Zhang Ming could not possibly retreat directly without even the courage to fight.

Zhang Ming was decisive and immediately activated the only Sky-Covering Talisman. As the name suggests, the Sky-Covering Talisman can conceal heavenly secrets. As is well known, when a cultivator in the Xuanhuang Realm falls, a phenomenon appears in the sky. The life story of the fallen cultivator, and even their specific cause of death, would appear in meticulous detail on the celestial screen. Normally, this was fine, but in a life-and-death battle like today, any casualties would instantly spread, significantly increasing the difficulty of combat.

However, with the Sky-Covering Talisman, the situation could be reversed and even turned into advantageous combat conditions. The Sky-Covering Talisman not only concealed the phenomena of fallen cultivators but also accurately distinguished between friend and foe, treating them differently. If their side killed an enemy cultivator, no phenomenon would appear. But if their own cultivators were killed, a phenomenon would still descend as a warning. Although the exact mechanism of the talisman's effect was unknown, there was no doubt that this single Sky-Covering Talisman could turn the tide of victory by a crucial margin.

"This single talisman isn't enough," Zhang Ming thought. He then looked at a small white jade arrow in his arms. "Unfortunately, with our team's qualifications, we can only apply for one Army-Slaying Arrow per outing." He sighed. "If we could get more, let alone these Nascent Soul cultivators, I wouldn't even fear Soul Transformation cultivators."

The Army-Slaying Arrow was a weakened version of the Holy Dynasty's Sky-Patrolling Arrow. Although weakened, it could inflict devastating damage on cultivators at or below the Nascent Soul realm. Furthermore, it came with tracking and aura-locking capabilities; once targeted, there was absolutely no escape. "We only have this one, so we need to maximize its use." Soon, Zhang Ming had a plan.

"Fu Ge!"

"Present, sir!" a Mid-Golden Core cultivator in earth-yellow attire, one of Zhang Ming's subordinates, immediately responded.

"Use the Torrent Talisman to transport these Empty-Glow Crystals to this location underground." Zhang Ming marked the specific spot on a map.

Fu Ge took the storage ring Zhang Ming handed him without hesitation. A yellow light flashed on his body, and he disappeared above ground. The storage ring contained everything Zhang Ming and his team had excavated, though it was only a small fraction of the massive mineral vein here. However, if detonated and specially guided, the diffused aura would be sufficient to attract the attention of the Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators on the surface.

"Bing San!"

"Set up formations along the way to impede them. Remember, don't make it too easy for them, but don't activate those lethal formations either." A middle-aged man with a sallow complexion responded and left.

Zhang Ming systematically completed the deployment of his forces in a short amount of time. However, even though each of them possessed unique skills, they were still somewhat constrained in the face of such an absolute power disparity.

***

The plan encountered an unforeseen problem in its very first step. Those Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators were not ordinary individuals. The person responsible for luring them to the ambush point was named Qiu Ti. Among this small team, he was particularly skilled in escape techniques. Unexpectedly, just after meeting them, before he could even use his escape technique, he was trapped by a white-robed man from the Myriad Immortals Alliance who deployed a Cave Heaven Domain.

This Cave Heaven Domain was quite peculiar; it didn't manifest any specific form but merely cast a white halo that suppressed Qiu Ti. He tried various methods, but seeing no hope of escape, Qiu Ti resolutely chose to self-destruct, ending his own life. Feeling the disappearance of his subordinate's life aura, Zhang Ming's heart tightened, and he clenched his fist. The Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators clearly hadn't expected their opponent to be so unyielding, committing suicide at the drop of a hat. The atmosphere instantly became strange.

"Wait, Brother Lin Bai, something's not right!" After a moment, one of them reacted. "Why is there no phenomenon of a fallen cultivator?"

"Is it a feigned death?"

"Doesn't seem like it; his spirit and soul were indeed extinguished."

Lin Bai's expression turned serious, and he looked up at the sky. Soon, his face grew grim: "Be careful, someone has concealed heavenly secrets." Despite his warning, the others not only showed no fear but became extremely excited.

"Concealing heavenly secrets? Such an ordinary small world actually used such a method. It seems there's a secret here!"

"We've wasted our time visiting several places; finally, we're about to gain something."

"Even if it's not Empty-Glow Crystal, uncovering the secret of this place might still make this trip worthwhile."

As they were discussing, they suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly. At the same time, a familiar aura emanated from underground.

"This is..." Everyone paused, stunned. Then their faces filled with disbelief: "It really is Empty-Glow Crystal?" In their perception, besides the diffused crystal aura, there also seemed to be several figures rapidly flying away from the source of the underground vibrations.

"Seeing they couldn't hide it, they're trying to escape?" Everyone instinctively thought this. Although they truly wanted to go down and investigate immediately, they were, after all, still somewhat cautious. They didn't act rashly but instead all looked at Lin Bai. After a moment of contemplation, Lin Bai quickly made a decision.

"Divide into two groups. Brother Qian, you take three people to pursue the escaping cultivators, and the rest follow me." Without further ado, four members of the Myriad Immortals Alliance quickly split off and chased towards the horizon. Lin Bai, leading his group, headed towards the source of the Empty-Glow Crystal aura from underground.

Along the way, there were some formations blocking their path, but they were easily broken. "These formations must have been set up by at least a Nascent Soul formation master."

"And many of the formations, I've never seen before. Interesting..." The excitement in everyone's hearts grew.

They soon arrived at their destination: a gigantic cavity left by an explosion, where numerous fragments of Empty-Glow Crystal could still be faintly seen.

"Damn! So ruthless, they just destroyed it!"

"How wasteful! Fist-sized crystals now cost fifty thousand contribution points, and they're priceless!"

"There are still many fragments, quick, pick them up, don't waste them!"

Originally, the Myriad Immortals Alliance group was somewhat organized. However, upon seeing the ground covered with Empty-Glow Crystal fragments, their greed was ignited, and they could no longer restrain themselves. Scrambling, they flew one after another into the cavity.

Although Lin Bai was also somewhat tempted, he habitually first observed his surroundings. After seemingly finding no danger, he then flew in as well. "Strange, this doesn't look like the original underground crystal vein. Could it be their collection and storage warehouse..." Lin Bai picked up a small piece of crystal, and this thought surfaced in his mind.

Just then, his expression suddenly changed. A small white jade arrow, at some unknown moment, silently shot out from the dark underground, swiftly heading towards the several people in the cavity. "Look out!" Lin Bai instinctively shouted. He fully deployed his Cave Heaven Domain and set up hundreds of command flags around his body for defense. However, the white jade arrow was even faster than anticipated. A blindingly bright ball of light materialized underground, instantly engulfing all the cultivators within the cavity, along with their Cave Heavens, which completely dissipated.

Not far away, Zhang Ming watched the deaths of the Myriad Immortals Alliance members without the slightest ripple in his heart. "Brother Qiu Ti, may you rest in peace." Without delay, Zhang Ming quickly rushed towards his other subordinates who were acting as bait. Compared to his side, their situation could be described as utterly miserable. Without a powerful weapon like the Army-Slaying Arrow, they could only rely on minor tricks to impede. They were quickly caught by the Myriad Immortals Alliance members and were engaged in a desperate struggle.

By the time Zhang Ming arrived with his group, only two were left, desperately holding on. The Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivator named Qian was still trying to persuade them: "Why trouble yourselves, fellow Daoists? These are merely external possessions; how can they compare to your own lives? We absolutely have no intention of taking your lives..." Despite his words, the intensity of his attacks did not diminish in the slightest.

The armor on Zhang Ming's body erupted with a fiery red glow. Transforming into a red streak, he shot straight towards the cultivator named Qian. "Brother Qian, look out!" After all, the strength gap was too vast; even with the protective battle armor, it wasn't enough to bridge the difference between Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. He was still dodged by the opponent. The sneak attack failed, and instead, he was heavily wounded by the opponent. The battle armor's light suddenly dimmed.

"Oh? What kind of protective magic treasure is this? It took my full-force strike without even a crack?" The cultivator named Qian's tone held a hint of surprise, mixed with a touch of greed.

"It seems we are destined to die here," Zhang Ming thought. However, he had no regrets. He had stalled for so long; surely the Holy Dynasty's reinforcements would arrive soon. The Holy Dynasty would be able to reclaim this place before the massive Empty-Glow Crystal vein was discovered by the Myriad Immortals Alliance. "After I die, my family should be proud of me." He smiled faintly. "Perhaps I might even receive a personal commendation from the Holy Emperor."

Zhang Ming's heart was peaceful. Looking at the opposing Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators, he said in an icy tone, "Soul Incineration!" The few remaining subordinates, hearing this, did not hesitate. As their souls burned, their previously weakened auras suddenly erupted again.

"Are you insane?!" the Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators shrieked, completely unable to comprehend. Against these doomed individuals, they saw no need to confront them head-on. Even with overwhelming power, the Myriad Immortals Alliance cultivators prioritized ensuring they remained unharmed and focused on evasion.

The cultivation boost from Soul Incineration slowly faded. Zhang Ming and his remaining men finally reached the end of their lives. Just before his consciousness completely faded, Zhang Ming seemed to see a familiar figure. "General Sun?" Zhang Ming felt relieved. Boundless golden light enveloped him. Zhang Ming seemed to see the great Faceless Holy Emperor above a swirling galaxy.

Sun Erlang gathered the lingering thoughts of Zhang Ming and the others, then looked towards the Myriad Immortals Alliance members. Boundless killing intent instantly enveloped them. A moment later, the Myriad Immortals Alliance members served as burial sacrifices for the Holy Dynasty's warriors.

Sun Erlang's gaze turned to the silent sky, and a thought stirred within him. He pointed a finger towards the sky. The phenomenon of fallen cultivators slowly emerged. However, it presented information that contradicted the truth, entirely fabricated data about their demise.