Chapter 1282: Great Awakening of Ling Xuanyuang

As the Grand Disciple of the Sacred Dynasty, Sun Erlang oversaw all matters of the Sacred Dynasty in the absence of the Sacred Emperor. His pre-battle summary and mobilization naturally met with no opposition.

After several more days spent lurking in the white mist, a ray of light pierced through the sky and flew into the Samantabhadra True Vessel. It was a message, whose origin was unknown.

Sun Erlang narrowed his eyes as he read it, then his spirit lifted: "We've received definitive intelligence: the Myriad Immortals Alliance will launch their campaign to reclaim Jiushan Province tomorrow. Simultaneously, to deter the Council of Five Elders, they will initiate small-scale harassment campaigns in several border-adjacent provinces..."

Upon hearing this, the Sacred Dynasty members present all brightened: "The Alliance's movements are even grander than we anticipated!"

"Let them fight! The fiercer, the better!"

With a thought, Sun Erlang conjured a massive ball of light, representing the Myriad Immortals Alliance's territory map, which instantly appeared before everyone.

"The moment the Myriad Immortals Alliance's campaign to reclaim Jiushan Province erupts will be the very instant the Sacred Dynasty's grand army strikes. Before then, none of you are to make any rash moves."

As Sun Erlang spoke, he had already coordinated with Ouyang Tian to activate the internal containment array of the Samantabhadra True Vessel. "Before the decisive battle, I have a top-secret matter to disclose. It concerns the outcome of the war and must not be leaked. Therefore, during this period, the warship must be sealed, allowing entry but no exit, and all communications will be cut off. I ask for your understanding," Sun Erlang stated calmly.

A hint of surprise flickered in everyone's eyes; they couldn't fathom what kind of secret required such extreme caution. Sun Erlang closed his eyes and waited. In the austere atmosphere, absolute silence descended within the Samantabhadra True Vessel.

After an unknown period, Sun Erlang suddenly opened his eyes. "The Myriad Immortals Alliance has made its move. Now, it's our turn."

Sun Erlang suddenly stood up and bowed towards the void before him: "Greetings, Master!" The people on the flying vessel were instantly startled, looking towards where Sun Erlang bowed. Under the shroud of starlight, the figure of the Sacred Emperor descended.

"Welcome, Sacred Emperor!" everyone bowed in unison. Even though it was merely a phantom, not the Emperor's true form, no one dared show the slightest disrespect.

The Sacred Emperor did not utter grand, empty words, but merely stated in a deep voice: "In this battle, the Sacred Dynasty shall surely triumph." Then, with a wave of his large hand, the Sacred Emperor's phantom transformed into specks of starlight, which collectively flew into the bodies of the cultivators present.

Each person seemed to transform into a planet, arriving within a vast sea of stars. They revolved ceaselessly around a colossal star at the center, resembling a great sun in the heavens. Even more remarkably, a vast stellar energy resonated within the sea of stars, like a woven stellar net, connecting everyone together. Communication could flow freely between their minds, even without words or divine sense.

They also discovered that the stars in the stellar sea did not solely comprise those currently within the Samantabhadra True Vessel. There were also many more Sacred Dynasty lower-ranking generals who had already infiltrated various provinces of the Alliance.

"I will now proceed with the following deployments." Sun Erlang's voice echoed throughout the stellar sea.

"Wang Xuanba and Elder Qiaogong, lead the First and Third Legions, and are responsible for besieging the one hundred and thirty eastern provinces of the Alliance. Ouyang Tian and Daoist Ou, lead the Second and Ninth Legions, and are responsible for the one hundred and twenty-six southern provinces of the Alliance. Su Yuqing and Elder Baihua, lead the Fifth Legion and the Myriad Realms Allied Army, to attack the one hundred and fifty-four western provinces of the Alliance."

As Sun Erlang completed each deployment order, Wang Xuanba and the others perceived their positions rapidly shifting within the stellar sea. After settling into their new stellar regions, they simultaneously established connections with the other stars in those areas. With a slight shift of thought, detailed information about the main generals under their command appeared clearly in their minds.

"The objective of our operations is primarily to capture the Heavenly Cities of each province. Other cultivation families and forces within the provinces, if they resist, are to be swept clean. If they choose to merely observe, they can be temporarily ignored. When the battle commences, the Heavenly Profound Mirror channels and teleportation arrays in all Alliance provinces will be crippled..."

"This is the grand defensive array diagram for the Alliance's Heavenly Cities. By breaking the arrays according to the noted information, those defenses will be as good as nonexistent for us. Should emergency arrays be activated, I will immediately transmit the method to exploit their weaknesses."

Information was relayed in an orderly fashion, and the people present grew increasingly excited as they examined the data in their hands. Not only did it include a detailed roster of the main cultivators deployed in each province, but it also clearly marked their individual cultivation realms, strengths, and even their cultivation techniques. The opponent's fundamental details had been almost entirely laid bare. Yet, the Myriad Immortals Alliance knew almost nothing about them. How could they possibly lose this battle?

No wonder Sun Erlang had been so solemn earlier; the intelligence in his possession could only have been leaked by high-ranking Alliance officials. However, Sun Erlang's revelations were not yet complete.

"The stellar net you currently see is a manifestation of the Sacred Emperor's divine power. Beyond its basic communication function, you can also use the Sacred Emperor's power to instantly teleport to each other's presence. You can leverage this advantage to outnumber and overwhelm the enemy, destroying them in segments."

The bright star at the center of the stellar sea suddenly erupted with a dazzling light, shining upon the myriad stars within it. Instantly, various applications of the Sacred Emperor's divine power appeared in detail within everyone's minds. Everyone was once again left marveling at the Sacred Emperor's greatness.

While the general pre-war council was still in session, in the Spirit Void Realm.

"There shouldn't be any issues, right?" Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong gazed at the wheel-like pattern carved into the clearing before them.

"Elders, rest assured, with me, Cui Shaojiang, taking action, nothing will go wrong!" a young man wearing a blue round hat guaranteed with a smile.

Cui Shaojiang forced out a drop of his vital essence blood and flung it towards the clearing. After the vital essence blood merged into the wheel on the ground, threads of crimson light burst forth. They then rapidly flew towards the horizon and vanished.

"Alas, in the Beast Control Sect today, I am the only one who still possesses this unique skill," Cui Shaojiang explained, shaking his head.

Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, however, looked at the wheel pattern on the ground with some suspicion. They didn't sense any restrictive or constraining power emanating from it.

Cui Shaojiang seemed to perceive their distrust and patiently explained, "The Beast Control Sect of today is different from the past. After the great calamity back then, we relocated here. For a thousand years since, we gradually abandoned traditional beast control methods and turned to the art of beast-spirit fusion."

As Cui Shaojiang spoke, the blue round hat on his head suddenly seemed to come alive, sprouting two round, black eyes that scrutinized Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong. Even though they had previously known something about the Beast Control Sect's situation, seeing it firsthand at this moment, Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong still found it somewhat unbelievable. In their perception, there weren't two separate auras, one of beast and one of human; rather, from beginning to end, there was only one person before them.

"Not control through spells, but fusion through spirit. This was a breakthrough achieved by our Beast Control Sect ancestors after studying the Beast Control Wheel. Speaking of which, Elder Xu Ke also played a part in this." After rubbing his head, the blue round hat returned to its normal appearance.

"Getting back to the Beast Control Wheel. The replica sent by Elder Xu Ke is indeed excellent. Coupled with the Beast Control Sect's thousand years of technological accumulation, it is enough to unleash the power of the original Beast Control Wheel and summon Emperor Sanmo here..." A glint of excitement flashed in Cui Shaojiang's eyes: "We are quite eager to meet this legendary beast of wisdom. If only we could achieve spirit fusion with him..."

Cui Shaojiang's gaze inadvertently drifted beyond the clearing, where the Beast Control Sect had already set up an inescapable trap. The Beast Control Sect's memory of this exotic beast, which had abandoned the sect without a word, had not faded with time. Instead, it had become even more deeply etched. Therefore, when Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong came to persuade them with the replica Beast Control Wheel, it was a natural fit.

On the ground, crimson light pulsed like a living entity, constantly waving its tendrils. The wheel pattern itself trembled slightly, as if ready to leap from the ground at any moment. Cui Shaojiang narrowed his eyes. He sensed that Emperor Sanmo had taken the bait.

Myriad Immortals Alliance Headquarters.

Xu Ke and Venerable Yin, who were waiting while pretending to tour the museum, suddenly noticed that the Museum of Divine Artifacts seemed to become slightly brighter in an instant. The slight heaviness in their hearts also vanished abruptly.

"Grandpa San has left," Xu Ke immediately concluded.

"Shall we act now?" Venerable Yin was eager.

"Wait a little longer. We need to wait for the Sacred Emperor..."

"The breakthroughs made by the Beast Control Sect over these years have even surprised me. It truly proved useful that they chose to retreat immediately and preserve a large number of talents when the great calamity struck back then," Xu Ke remarked.

"Alright, waiting is fine, a moment or two won't matter. By the way, come take a look at this..." Venerable Yin pulled Xu Ke in front of an exhibit.

Xu Ke focused his gaze and saw a rather peculiar golden tree. Its leaves were all triangular, and its trunk was carved with numerous small figures interacting in various postures.

"This isn't an ancient artifact from the Xuanhuang Realm, is it?" Xu Ke said, his expression a little strange after observing it for a while.

"Of course not. This is from my homeland. Or rather, the homeland of the most complete remnant consciousness. I originally thought that place would be utterly annihilated, yet I never expected the most important Golden Tree to be preserved here in this Divine Repository," Venerable Yin said wistfully.

"Is there something mysterious about this tree?" Knowing that Venerable Yin wouldn't simply reminisce about old times for no reason, Xu Ke's heart stirred, and he immediately asked.

Venerable Yin chuckled: "In our world, there was no sun or moon in the sky. All the light in the world depended solely on this Golden Tree. Even the conception of all life originated beneath this tree. As you've seen, the patterns on the tree are the imprints of human interaction that accumulated under it over the years. Although the world was destroyed, as long as this tree exists, nearly one-third of the world's primordial power is essentially preserved."

Xu Ke understood somewhat, then remarked with slight surprise, "You have a way to detonate the energy within this tree?" Venerable Yin scratched his scalp, smiling but saying nothing.

"You'd be willing to? That's your homeland. If this tree were perfectly preserved, after the Sacred Emperor conquers the Myriad Immortals Alliance headquarters, asking him to intervene might not make it impossible to recreate that world," Xu Ke said.

Venerable Yin snorted coldly: "Everyone is dead. What good is recreating the world then? Am I supposed to transform into their likeness and put on a play by myself? Let it explode then." Xu Ke responded with a smile.

As the two spoke, they suddenly felt the ground beneath their feet gently shake. They exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked up beyond the Museum of Divine Artifacts. Although their sight could not penetrate, they could faintly sense that a drastic change had already descended upon the Xuanhuang Realm.

Their premonition was not wrong. At this moment, a wondrous spectacle was unfolding in the sky of the Xuanhuang Realm. The vast sky, once bathed in brilliant light, suddenly dimmed as if night had fallen. The great sun in the sky vanished. Specks of starlight ignited from various points across the heavens. Amidst the glittering stars, a bright moon ascended. But soon, the cultivators of Xuanhuang discovered that this "bright moon" was even more luminous than the original sun.

As the enormous jade disk slowly approached, the Xuanhuang Realm, once shrouded in dimness, was illuminated anew. Cultivators looked up at the sky, discovering countless towering structures prominently standing within this bright moon. It was unmistakably another world!

After a brief moment of mental blankness, countless thoughts instantly surfaced in the minds of the Xuanhuang cultivators. "Is this the rumored Profound Immortal Vessel?" "Has the Profound Immortal Vessel attacked?" "I heard the Alliance and the Council of Five Elders are at war. Could this be a surprise attack from the Council of Five Elders?" "Be on high alert!"

Any abnormality indicates something sinister. As they were currently in a state of war preparedness, the Myriad Immortals Alliance's reaction was undeniably swift. The grand defensive arrays of all provincial Heavenly Cities were immediately activated, and alarms echoed across the sky. Furthermore, some cultivators transformed into streaks of white light, flying directly towards the moon-world in the sky, intending to investigate. Yet, though it appeared within arm's reach, the probing cultivators could not fly into it. It was as if an insurmountable chasm separated them.

The Myriad Immortals Alliance stood ready, yet only a few streaks of light shone down from the bright moon. The moonlight, like blades, precisely pierced the borders of the Alliance's four central provinces: Tianyu, Tianchen, Tianshu, and Tianquan. The sky above the Alliance's four central provinces instantly became coated in a silvery glow, appearing illusory and ethereal. But apart from that, there seemed to be no other anomalies.

After a very cautious and prolonged wait, the cultivators of the Alliance's four central provinces reached this conclusion. However, they soon realized they were wrong.

"The teleportation arrays are unusable! We're sealed off!""Communication talismans are also useless!""We've lost contact with other provinces. But we can still reach the Alliance Headquarters.""What did headquarters say? Act according to circumstances? They're already at our doorstep! Damn it!"

The four provinces instantly fell into disarray. Some hot-headed cultivators flew directly to the provincial borders enveloped in silver light. They attempted to penetrate the blockade. The white mist barrier, illuminated by the silver light, acquired an even more sacred and solemn aura.

A cultivator, emboldened, directly charged into the white mist. They had prepared themselves to lose several years of their lifespan, but the scene they witnessed after entering the white mist left them dumbfounded. The moment they stepped out of the boundary, the white mist that had filled their vision instantly vanished. In its place was an boundless starry sky. It was as if they were truly in the void outside the Xuanhuang Realm, surrounded by darkness and cold. In the distance, countless brilliant stars could vaguely be seen, twinkling intermittently.

The cultivator stood stunned, wanting to return, but found that the path they came from had disappeared. Believing it to be an illusion, they consecutively cast sword arts and spells, yet failed to create even the slightest ripple in the starry sky. Attempts at teleportation and instantaneous travel also proved futile. Instead, as the cultivator's spiritual energy was depleted, the surrounding cold, starry environment slowly began to erode their mind. Helpless, the cultivator could only choose a direction and continue to fly. They attempted to escape the confines of this starry space. But what they didn't know was that the stellar sea was boundless; with the wrong method, they would never be able to leave, even if they spent their entire lives trying.

Outside the grand array, cultivators continuously stepped into the moonlight boundary. Yet, the array, like an endless abyss, devoured them all. Nascent Soul, Soul Transformation, even Dao Integration. Regardless of cultivation level, once they entered, none returned.

After a series of probes, the cultivators of the Alliance's four provinces were finally deterred. And the Alliance Headquarters finally issued an urgent order, prohibiting the cultivators of the four provinces from their suicidal attempts.

Several streaks of rainbow light traversed the provincial territories, arriving at the moonlight boundary of Tianquan Province. Among them was Lu Xichan, the Chief Array Master of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

"This array..." Lu Xichan murmured, examining the moonlight shining on the white mist barrier, her eyes filled with shock.

A young man in white beside her asked with a frown, "When can it be broken? We've lost all contact with the provinces outside this grand array. Not only have the teleportation arrays failed. Even the Heavenly Profound Mirror channels are blocked," the young man in white said with some concern in his voice. This young man in white was none other than Ren, one of the true core Law Bearers in power within the Alliance.

Lu Xichan dared not delay and replied, "This array seems to draw upon the mighty power of the stellar sea, then uses infinite spatial-temporal transformations to create what resembles a true starry void..."

Law Bearer Ren coldly interrupted Lu Xichan: "When can the array be broken?"

Lu Xichan's words abruptly stopped. After a long pause, she said, "The complexity of this array is unlike anything I've ever seen. It should take at least fifteen days..."

Law Bearer Ren said coldly, "I give you ten days." With a cold snort, Law Bearer Ren flashed away. Only Lu Xichan and several array masters from the Alliance's Array Planning Hall remained.

Lu Xichan looked up at the grand starlight array covering them, and cold sweat slowly beaded on her forehead. And the array masters present, the higher their array cultivation, the more despair was evident in their eyes. It certainly cannot be said that the Myriad Immortals Alliance's array masters were all useless. The truth was, the array deployed by the Sacred Emperor this time far surpassed anything of the current era.

Li Fan, having reincarnated a hundred times and constantly deduced and accumulated array knowledge surpassing several generations of Xuanhuang with the aid of the Terminal Dissolution Disk, had further integrated his insights—or rather, the Dissolution Disk's insights—gained after acquiring several immortal-grade arrays. After being imbued with these array essentials, the Sacred Emperor, through his enlightenment in the stellar sea, further deepened the array's derivations.

At this moment, the bright moon, which almost covered half the sky above the Alliance's four provinces, was none other than the Great Qi of the Sacred Dynasty. Countless citizens of Great Qi gathered in the Sacred Heart Palace. They knelt before the Sacred Emperor's statue, offering devout prayers.

And in Shengjing City, beneath the Sacred Emperor's Throne, tens of thousands of newly created second-generation Specter race members chanted praises of the Sacred Emperor's magnificent merits. The Sacred Dynasty's violet-gold qi and the golden essence of primordial power fused into one. This formed a faint violet-gold starlight, which left the Sacred Dynasty's territory to sustain the operation of the grand array trapping the Alliance's four provinces.

This ultimate containment array, named the "Bright Moon Starlight Grand Array" by the Sacred Emperor, was almost infinitely close to a true immortal-grade array. Li Ping believed that even if a Law Bearer arrived in person, it would take some time to break through it. As for those currently within the Alliance's four provinces attempting to break the array... they would first have to ask if he, the Destined Sacred Emperor, approved.

Li Ping sat enthroned on the Sacred Emperor's seat, his gaze crossing the boundaries of two worlds and falling upon the territory of the Myriad Immortals Alliance in the Xuanhuang Realm. The Sacred Emperor's Throne, or perhaps the entire Shengjing City, had become exceptionally quiet as the great war commenced.

Maobao was still the same, idly sleeping on Li Ping's shoulder. It seemed nothing in the world could stir its interest apart from primordial energy essence. Besides Maobao, a figure appearing to be only eight or nine years old also stood beside the Sacred Emperor. It was intently staring at the Xuanhuang Realm below. It was Tianyang.

At this moment, his puppet body, after receiving a massive infusion of primordial energy essence and the battle memories of the Immortal Puppet Ancestor, had undergone a drastic transformation compared to before. His appearance and body had reverted to their form in his previous life. He had even truly birthed the aura of life. His power was unfathomable, and he gazed intently at the Myriad Immortals Alliance, awaiting the arrival of his opponents.

Meanwhile, beneath the Sacred Emperor's Throne, Daoist Yijue of the Du'e Sect had brought forth all the paper figures from his entire sect. On site, the paper figures reconstructed the mountain gate of the Du'e Sect from years past. In the center of the structure, a passage seemed to open, leading to an unknown destination. Although Daoist Yijue himself did not enter it, his eyes bulged and extended infinitely outwards, probing into the depths of the passage.

"Sacred Emperor, please rest assured, if there's any stir in the Xuanhuang Realm, this old Daoist will surely see it," Daoist Yijue said with a chuckle.

Li Ping did not acknowledge Yijue. In reality, most of his gaze and attention were focused on the starry sky beyond the Xuanhuang Realm. There, he had made extensive preparations. He awaited the arrival of Tianyi and the Law Bearer.

Outside the Bright Moon Starlight Grand Array, in the Alliance's four provinces.

The moment the sky of the Xuanhuang Realm grew incredibly dim, and the Sacred Dynasty's Great Qi descended, leading its subordinate minor worlds like stars, capturing the full attention of the Alliance cultivators, simultaneously, monumental changes also occurred within the Heavenly Cities of every Alliance province.

Upon seeing the bright moon appear in the sky, Sun Luyuan seemed to have a switch flipped in his mind. Without any thought, he directly issued orders to the loyalists who had been prepared for many years. These loyalists would pay with their lives to detonate the array restrictions embedded within their bodies, targeting the teleportation stations and Heavenly Profound Mirrors in each province.

Sun Luyuan, who had achieved Dao Integration many years ago and presided over a major cultivation family, experienced a moment of blankness in his mind after issuing this command. His throat felt dry, and his hands and feet were cold. However, before his fear could fully surface, he was astonished to discover that in some provinces, even before his loyalists could act, the Heavenly Profound Mirrors and teleportation arrays had already been destroyed by someone else.

Sun Luyuan understood inwardly: "As expected, something this important wouldn't be entrusted solely to me."

Amidst the chaos, Sun Luyuan saw enormous golden-glowing flying vessels appearing abruptly, like divine soldiers descending from the sky. Before the Alliance cultivators could even react, the Heavenly Cities were already surrounded. Peculiarly shaped puppets flew out from the flying vessels, emitting streams of black light. The Alliance's Heavenly City defensive arrays, supposedly impenetrable, instantly became precarious. They seemed on the verge of being breached at any moment.

"It seems the level of traitors within the Alliance is perhaps even higher than mine. Could it be that Chief Lu has also betrayed us?" Sun Luyuan narrowed his eyes as he watched, feeling much more at ease.

"The promising descendants in my family have already been arranged to leave the Alliance's four provinces in advance. As for the rest, I've already alerted them, and they should be safe hiding in their immortal caves. It's just a pity about Lu'er; I couldn't get him out in time. Tianci seems to be in secluded cultivation. His strength is greater than mine, so I shouldn't have to worry about him."

As Sun Luyuan pondered, he saw the Alliance begin to organize cultivators into resistance groups. He couldn't help but let out a cold snort: "Now, it's my time to achieve great deeds." With extreme caution, he changed his appearance and aura. Sun Luyuan then unexpectedly attacked the Alliance's defensive arrays from within. Collaborating with the Sacred Dynasty soldiers outside the Heavenly City, they quickly secured victory in the battle.

As a talisman personally written by the Sacred Emperor was affixed to the forehead of the Law-Imparting Heavenly Venerate statue in the Heavenly City, this signified the complete fall of the Alliance's Heavenly City. The Sacred Dynasty's first captured Alliance Heavenly City appeared: Nandou Province.

Although the province was only guarded by a Soul Transformation cultivator and its defensive strength was very weak, its capture was still of great significance. Soon, under the propagation of the Sacred Emperor's divine power and the stellar net, all Sacred Dynasty soldiers became aware of this event. Consequently, the Sacred Dynasty soldiers were greatly encouraged and intensified their offensive once more.

The battle situation was far more optimistic than imagined. The Myriad Immortals Alliance had enjoyed peace for a long time, and most of its fighting strength had been redeployed to the borders. Furthermore, their most reliable defensive arrays for counterattacks had all failed, so the Alliance was almost unilaterally battered against the Sacred Dynasty soldiers' fierce assault.

Sun Erlang looked at the Alliance territory map before him, whose colors rapidly changed as victorious reports poured in, yet there was no trace of joy in his eyes. He knew that the current achievements were merely due to the Myriad Immortals Alliance being caught off guard. The true bitter struggle would only begin once they reacted.

"In Liuguang Province, a Dao Integration cultivator has appeared! Immortal Venerable Lan Bing!""In Yueyang Province, a Dao Integration enemy has also appeared! There's no information on him! I repeat, the opponent's identity is unknown!"

Observing the continuous influx of battlefield reports and sensing the black-gold puppet in his mind, Sun Erlang pondered for a moment, making no rash moves. If it were just an ordinary Dao Integration cultivator, the currently allocated military strength would be sufficient. He needed to wait until the true opponent revealed themselves before acting. Besides...

Sun Erlang's gaze shifted to the location directly beneath the bright moon in the sky, where the Alliance's four provinces lay. The battles on the periphery were merely appetizers. The place where victory and defeat would truly be decided was still there. The Dao Transformation Stone in his mind pulsed with blue light, and Sun Erlang performed another deduction, striving to conclude the peripheral battles with minimal casualties.

"Master, I will not disappoint you," Sun Erlang murmured to himself.

The Sacred Dynasty's Great Qi achieved successive victories, but their winning streak was soon halted by an unexpected turn of events. In Luoyan Province, after Luoyan Heavenly City was breached, most of the Sacred Dynasty soldiers were transferred to other battlefields. Only a small portion was left behind to guard it. But from outside the wilderness of Luoyan Province, a large group of cultivators suddenly emerged. They did not attempt to reclaim Luoyan Heavenly City, but merely launched a sneak attack before quickly retreating.