Meanwhile, thunderous noises pealed from other battlefields as the White Immortal sect's elites met the invaders with full force. Isolated from their four leaders, the ordinary sect disciples rallied under the leadership of their elders, but as none could figure out how the Dark Moon cult had managed to sneak this many experts past the White Immortal sect's screening process—uncertainty lingered.
Xinzi's Eight Trigrams Array still operated, making it impossible for nearby Sacrificial Knives to abandon their targets and unite against him—not that they would, to begin with. Deft and muffled, the Sacrificial Knives worked purposefully, and like brainwashed zealots, rejected opportunities to gang up on weaker foes to focus on their prey.
"Abbot!" A'Zhi, A'Zhu and Yan Le, Xinzi's three initiates, broke through an encirclement of disordered crowds to rush back to their master's side. A plethora of emotions flickered on their faces. Yan Le, especially, blinked at Xinzi like a starry-eyed idiot. If before, respect, good dick and opportunistic interests guided her actions, reverential awe now replaced it all. Even the Zhi-Zhu twins, who'd been by Xinzi's side the longest and loved him the most, couldn't predict this absurd growth.
Always eager to delight in a beauty's fawning looks, Xinzi would have prolonged the reunion, if not for the pervading chaos flipping the sect upside down. To the crowd's outrage, connected by an array of floating talismans, a dark-blue energy shield stretched across the sect, enabling people to come in, but locking all exits.
"Hey girls, long time no see. We will have to save the chatter for later," Xinzi said, scanning the ongoing battles to make sense of the situation. Xia Hu landed beside him, snatching the attention of the three initiates, who recognized the clothes, but failed to match them to the sizzling feminine looks now facing them. Unsettled by the inquisitive looks, Xia Hu clenched the hems of his robe and lowered his head—fidgeting to no end. Subconsciously, the fem swordsman took a step back—hiding behind Xinzi.
"This is odd. On the surface, it looks like a formidable lineup, but in truth, it doesn't match the target. Also, how did they get in so easily?" With hundreds of Pulse Condensation level enemy experts running wild within sect walls, one would be hard pressed to minimize the scale of this invasion. But for a task force dispatched by the number one cult of Yanzhou to destroy the only threat to its influence, it all seemed…lacking in depth.
How many Golden Cores, how many Nascent Souls? What about profound and earth-grade Formation Masters? The answers were key to figuring out the seriousness of Anyue's attack.
"Due to the scale of this year's event, the screening process wasn't as thorough as it usually is. Anyone with superior status could have helped the enemy pass the entrance gate. I assume treacherous insiders sneaked them in," Yan Le, who knew much about the White Immortal sect's logistics thanks to her husband's status, said.
"Nonsense. It is precisely because of the scale that they should have strengthened sect defenses. The sect might not have anything to fear within Dongli, but there is no shortage of powers beyond our borders eager to see it ruined. Also…"
With his Spiritual Sense spread out, Xinzi made an inventory of the enemy's numbers and cultivation levels. His forehead creased, and a frown took hold.
"This is a decoy. They're just trying to kill one person. Lord Hanxing…or Lady Ziyun—the weakest of the two." Our monk realized. Together, Hanxing and Ziyun controlled the sect's defensive formation. So long as one of the two fell, the White Immortal sect could only meet the enemy in open warfare. But while this explained some of the discrepancies, Xinzi could still not see through all of the variables. His frown deepened, but ignoring the White Immortal sect's greater troubles, our monk shifted his attention to the yin platform whose formation broke down at a melting ice cube's pace.
'Tusha, what's the situation over there?'
'Abbot, you don't have to worry. Chun Xu and Dong Ling teamed up to suppress the assassins with their miniature domains. I'm helping them in the shadows and can guarantee that, by the time the formation collapses, we will have taken care of the assassins.'
'Good. Do not forget that neither Chun Xu nor Dong Ling can suspect your existence. I will also need you to use your true body in the Blood Spirit valley to survey the events. Considering the Dark Moon temple's methods, we might yet have an opportunity to profit from the chaos.'
As far as Xinzi was concerned, this battle's danger-level would solely depend on Qingxin's position. If the Clear Heart Abbot believed that the White Immortal sect brought misfortune on itself and deserved to be damned, anything could happen. But should he take a firm sense against the invaders, they had no hope. That said, as he screened the scrambling crowds, Xinzi could notice nothing but his master's absence. In fact, he couldn't see any of the Clear Heart monastery's monks.
Our monk didn't doubt that somewhere, somehow, his master observed it all—perhaps shifting focus between the White Immortal sect leaders and Xinzi. But as opportunity reached out for him, Xinzi couldn't care less about his master's self-destructive moral standards. Better, he'd use them against him.
Commanding his thralls, Xinzi had them dig through their storage rings and summon all the spirit stones at their disposal. Tens of thousands of blue shards crammed the sky, circling the eight manifestations of Xinzi's Eight Trigrams Array. Daunting waves of Spiritual Qi flowed out the shards, fueling the formation with a formidable reserve of energy.
Amidst the chaos, Xinzi's Eight Trigrams Array became a beacon of hope, and all eyes fell on him.
"Fellow disciples, the White Immortal sect faces an unprecedented crisis. Allowing the enemy to spread out our forces and pick its battles will usher in our destruction. Only by uniting under our Formation Masters' leadership can we tip the scales in our favor. Alas, our 18 profound-grade elders all cultivate in seclusion and are either not aware of the current situation or dealing with their own problems. I volunteer to lead the inner and outer disciples. Elite disciples and lower-ranked elders should seek and unite with the secluded elders to spearhead our counter-attack." With the three initiates helping to project his voice, Xinzi's words boomed across the battlefield but were greeted by a heavy dose of skepticism.
That Xinzi's Soul Force enabled him to shoulder a formation of over 200 disciples was shocking enough. But from inexperienced disciples to seasoned elders, all found his proposal ridiculous. The White Immortal sect had thousands of inner disciples and even more outer disciples. Most profound-grade Formation Master couldn't unite that many in an array, and those who could would require ample time and preparation. How could a black-grade master pull this off?
"You've all seen what I'm capable of. Have no doubt that since I can hijack the great elder's fourth-layer formation, controlling inner and outer disciples will not challenge my skills. Just like you, my life is on the line. Follow me for a chance to survive this mayhem; hesitate and shoulder the consequences. Time is of the essence; the choice is yours." Xinzi didn't mince his words.
Just as the White Immortal sect disciples feared, Xinzi couldn't realistically shoulder a formation of over 10,000 disciples. His Spiritual Sense would buckle under the load—forcing him to tap into and reveal his Divine Soul. What he could do, however, was to drain the disciples' Spiritual Senses—thereby forcing them to support themselves. Even for our monk, this ingenious technique would require some time to set up, and likely leave minor damages on the disciples' souls. But given the opportunity, Xinzi could use that method to deposit his Klesha Haze straight in the disciples' souls—taking over the White Immortal sect's future at one fell swoop.
While hesitation swept through the White Immortal sect's ranks, the battle raged on. Most of the targets possessed deep cultivation bases and reliable subordinates, enabling them to hold their own against the Sacrificial Knives. A scant few suffered misfortune—falling under the Sacrificial Knives' encirclement. At first, the ordinary disciples, who mainly followed the directives of nearby elders, found solace in the lack of attention they received from the Knives. A pity that as soon as they dealt with their prey, the Knives spread to nearby targets—making the ordinary fear that as soon as all primary targets fell, the Sacrificial Knives would be dropping on their necks.
"I agree." As disciples floundered under the Sacrificial Knives' rising pressure, four figures dropped from the sky: the White Immortal sect's four vassal leaders—headed by the Dongli King, Shui Jiankang.
"Xinzi is the direct disciple of Abbot Qingxin and inarguably the number one formation talent in the history of our state. For this specific task, I am more inclined to bet on him than the majority of White Immortal sect elders. Time waits for no man, we have no idea of what other tricks the Dark Moon cult has in store and must unite before its too late. We vassal leaders volunteer to delay the Sacrificial Knives and buy Xinzi the time he needs to set up his formation," Shui Jiankang said, and without waiting for the audience's reaction, led the vassal leaders against the Sacrificial Knives.
With Golden Core level experts to support his gambit, and the Sacrificial Knives still spreading chaos, Xinzi's offer quickly became the only sensible option. Male or female, disciples of various ages rallied under his leadership—aligning like the tumen of a northern horde. At that time, a malignant moon rose into the sky, blotting out the sun and plunging the day into darkness.
