Chapter 497: False Alarm 1 |
At first, Meng Zhang thought that after the significant rise in strength of the Flying Swan Sect, they might target Taiyi Sect. The information obtained from Jin LiDaoist Master indicated that the Flying Swan Sect considered the Northern Desert Qi Family as their primary target. Meng Zhang felt relieved and secretly mobilized the Taiyi Sect to be ready to support the Northern Desert Qi Family.
However, as time passed, several years had gone by, and the Flying Swan Sect still hadn't made any move against the Northern Desert Qi Family. This left Meng Zhang somewhat puzzled. Had he made the wrong judgment, or could Jin LiDaoist Master's information be incorrect too?
Regardless of his doubts, Meng Zhang refrained from making any hasty decisions. He took the advice of Extreme Sword Spirit General and decided to wait for the Flying Swan Sect to act before responding. Though Taiyi Sect had strengthened its combat capabilities and had some means to contend with Gold Core Daoist Masters, they were still at a significant disadvantage against the four Gold Core Daoist Masters of the Flying Swan Sect.
Apart from tapping the potential of the sect members, as the only Gold Core Daoist Master in the sect, Meng Zhang's best course of action was to focus on his cultivation and enhance his own combat strength. That night, Meng Zhang was diligently practicing his primary cultivation technique, the "Sun-Moon Wheel Turning Sutra." He absorbed the Yin Qi of the heavens and earth to refine the Lunar True Water while flying high in the sky. Similarly, during the scorching midday sun, he had already absorbed the intense Yang Qi to refine the Solar True Flame. The Solar True Flame and Lunar True Water he was refining now, in the Gold Core stage, were of a higher level compared to when he was in the Foundation Building stage. Moreover, they could be combined into a powerful Divine Ability called "Sun and Moon Divine Light."
After years of practice, Meng Zhang had gained some insight into the tremendous power of this Divine Ability. While he was cultivating, he suddenly felt something amiss and activated his "Deception Breaking Eye," looking into the distant night sky. A vast fleet of flying boats was approaching, clearly belonging to the Flying Swan Sect.
Meng Zhang was startled. Why was the Flying Swan Sect heading directly for Taiyi Sect? Weren't they supposed to deal with the Northern Desert Qi Family first?
With no time to think about the question further, he immediately descended to the Grand Lion Ridge's base and swiftly activated the Third Rank mountain-guarding great formation, called the "Metal Wind Violent Flame Formation." The disciples on night patrol received his communication and began waking up the sect members within the base.
Under Meng Zhang's orders, the trained Taiyi Sect disciples quickly took their positions at various nodes of the great formation to assist him in controlling it. The entire Grand Lion Ridge base was fully awakened, and everyone was in a state of preparedness for battle. A thick light curtain rose above the base, with golden winds howling and flames blazing, as the power of the great formation began to be unleashed gradually.
With the support of the Third Rank mountain-guarding great formation, Meng Zhang felt somewhat reassured. However, knowing that the Flying Swan Sect had come with such a massive military force, Taiyi Sect couldn't actively confront them and could only rely on the great formation to defend itself.
With the way the Hanhai Alliance's members behaved, Taiyi Sect would crumble instantly in such a scenario. Meng Zhang regretted not making earlier preparations to leave a way out for Taiyi Sect. In the Cultivation World, many forces with lesser strength than Taiyi Sect would secretly leave some hidden cards for their survival in case of a calamity, preserving some seeds of their inheritance for the opportunity to rise again.
Although Taiyi Sect had a long history, it had long since fallen into decline. It was only after Meng Zhang became the Sect Master that there was some progress. However, by the standards of Gold Core cultivators, Meng Zhang was still too young, and his journey had been relatively smooth, with few obstacles to overcome. As a result, he hadn't considered the long-term implications and failed to leave behind an inheritance for the sect.
Now, as the Flying Swan Sect's mighty military force approached, Meng Zhang realized his oversight. At this critical moment, he had to plan for the worst.
Meng Zhang called three disciples, Niu Dawei, and the siblings from the An Family, and gave them low-voiced instructions. If the situation turned dire and the mountain-guarding great formation were to break, they were to escape immediately. Meng Zhang would do his best to buy them time.
Once they left the Grand Lion Ridge, they were not to linger in the Demon Wind Gobi and definitely not return to the Endless Sea of Sand. They had to rush to Great Wind City and seek refuge with Luo YeDaoist Master.
The disciples wanted to say something, but Meng Zhang stopped them. There was no time for hesitation; they had to act decisively.
Meng Zhang's strict orders left the three disciples with no choice but to accept silently, even if reluctantly.
Meng Zhang knew that if the Flying Swan Sect broke through the great formation, he would undoubtedly become their primary target, attracting the full force of the Flying Swan Sect's Gold Core Daoist Masters in pursuit. In such a situation, he decided it was better to delay the enemy and give the Taiyi Sect disciples a chance to escape. His three disciples had outstanding talents and promising futures. If they could successfully flee, there would be hope for the revival of Taiyi Sect and the possibility of revenge for him.
Meng Zhang instructed his disciples and directed everyone to activate the mountain-guarding great formation with all their might. Amidst the crisis, a figure hurriedly flew over from the distance. It was Qin Hongying, accompanied by members of the Qin Family and her subordinates, ready to serve her commands.
The full activation of the Third Rank mountain-guarding great formation required a significant amount of Spirit Vein's Qi, which naturally affected Qin Hongying's usual cultivation. Moreover, the commotion at the Grand Lion Ridge base on this particular night had already alarmed Qin Hongying.
She sent one of her handmaidens to inquire about the situation. Normally, Meng Zhang might have been more courteous, but with the approaching enemy, he had no time for pleasantries, especially with a mere handmaiden.
"Tell your mistress that Grand Lion Ridge is about to be attacked by a formidable enemy. If she doesn't want to be caught in the battle, she should leave immediately."
As for Qin Hongying, Meng Zhang never had any expectations.
With her usual attitude, she wouldn't get involved in this mess and help Taiyi Sect against the enemy. The handmaiden faced the intimidating Gold Core Daoist Master and didn't dare to say anything, immediately turning around and flying away.
After a while, two flying boats took off from where Qin Hongying resided, flying into the sky.
"I apologize, Sect Master Meng. I want to make it clear that I won't interfere in Taiyi Sect's affairs and grievances."
The two flying boats hovered not too far away in the sky and didn't fly too far immediately. It seemed Qin Hongying also wanted to observe the situation and gather information about the battle.
Meng Zhang couldn't help but wonder if, in the event of Taiyi Sect's defeat and the loss of Grand Lion Ridge, Qin Hongying would seize the opportunity to exploit the situation and turn against Taiyi Sect. It wasn't that Meng Zhang was overly suspicious but rather an accurate assessment based on his understanding of Qin Hongying. She was a typical cultivator, motivated only by self-interest and disregarding right or wrong.
Qin Hongying's departure actually relieved Meng Zhang of a potential problem. The activation of the Third Rank mountain-guarding great formation, Metal Wind Violent Flame Formation, was completed in a short time. Taiyi Sect was ready and prepared to face the enemy.
Meng Zhang flew into the air, using his Deception Breaking Eye to observe the movements of the Flying Swan Sect's fleet. The Flying Swan Sect's flying boats approached rapidly, heading straight towards the location of Grand Lion Ridge.
Meng Zhang kept a close eye on their movements, ready to take action. The Flying Swan Sect's fleet, especially the two leading Third Rank warships, exuded a strong sense of hostility.
Just as the hostile fleet was about to reach Grand Lion Ridge, the two leading warships suddenly changed direction in midair and flew in another direction. The entire fleet followed the lead, forming a large circle, bypassing Grand Lion Ridge, and heading northwards.
Meng Zhang couldn't understand what game the Flying Swan Sect was playing. Why were they heading towards the Raven's Nest? Shouldn't they have dealt with Taiyi Sect first?
After bypassing Grand Lion Ridge, the Flying Swan Sect fleet accelerated and quickly disappeared into the night.
Meng Zhang remained vigilant, continuing to use his Deception Breaking Eye to carefully observe the enemy's flight path. The Third Rank mountain-guarding great formation below him was still active.
After a long time, the Flying Swan Sect's fleet flew farther and farther away until it vanished from Meng Zhang's sight. It seemed like they were heading in the direction of the Raven's Nest. But what was Flying Swan Sect's military doing there?
Meng Zhang was puzzled. He feared the Flying Swan Sect might be deceiving them, ready to launch a surprise attack at any moment. He ordered the Taiyi Sect disciples to be cautious and prepared to activate the mountain-guarding great formation at any time.
Hesitating for a moment, Meng Zhang was torn between fearing a trap and worrying about the Flying Swan Sect fleet's movements.
He looked down at the many Foundation Building disciples inside the great formation. Even if a Gold Core Daoist Master attacked, they wouldn't be able to break the mountain-guarding great formation in a short time. As for himself, he was confident that he wouldn't fall into the enemy's ambush.
Having made up his mind, Meng Zhang took immediate action. He followed the direction in which the Flying Swan Sect fleet had departed, flying after them. The speed of a Gold Core Daoist Master far surpassed that of the flying boats.
In no time, Meng Zhang caught up with the Flying Swan Sect's fleet from behind. He didn't dare to get too close but kept a safe distance, observing from afar.
The Flying Swan Sect fleet was indeed targeting the Raven's Nest. The army advanced without any pause, heading straight for the nest.
Nearby, there were patrols of demon beasts led by Dark Crows outside the Raven's Nest. Even though it was nighttime, the large-scale and conspicuous approach of the Flying Swan Sect quickly alerted the patrol demons.
As the patrolling demons sounded the alarm, the Raven's Nest quickly became active. Countless demon beasts were awakened from their slumber. Under the leadership of some prominent demon beasts, they entered a state of alert.
The Flying Swan Sect's fleet paid no attention to this. Three Gold Core Daoist Masters flew out of one of the flying boats and positioned themselves at the forefront of the entire army.
Meng Zhang had seen Fei ShiDaoist Master and Fei JiangDaoist Master before, but the unfamiliar Gold Core Daoist Master should be the recently formed core, Wu MingweiDaoist Master.
After the three Gold Core Daoist Masters flew out, they led two Third Rank warships to launch an attack on the outer perimeter of the Raven's Nest.
At the same time, the flying boats behind them slowed down and lowered their altitude. Flying Swan Sect cultivators leaped out and landed on the ground.
A large number of Flying Swan Sect cultivators formed formations on the ground, adopting an aggressive posture.
Meanwhile, in the front, the three Gold Core Daoist Masters and two Third Rank warships had begun attacking the outer defenses of the Raven's Nest.
Meng Zhang finally felt reassured by the Flying Swan Sect cultivators' actions. It turned out that their primary target was not Taiyi Sect but the Raven's Nest.
Meng Zhang and the entire Taiyi Sect had just been overreacting.
Meng Zhang couldn't understand why Dark Crow Demon General had provoked the Flying Swan Sect. It made them ignore Taiyi Sect, a significant threat, and disregard True Monarch Tian Zhu's order to attack the Northern Desert Qi Family.
Nevertheless, regardless of the reason, Flying Swan Sect attacking the Raven's Nest was excellent news for both Taiyi Sect and the Northern Desert Qi Family.
Meng Zhang recalled that he, Gu Yue Huaidie, and Luo YeDaoist Master had previously explored the various defenses of the Raven's Nest. Although they, as three Gold Core Daoist Masters, hadn't fully exerted their power or mobilized the Taiyi Sect disciples to assist, they had experienced the exceptional nature of the Raven's Nest.
The Third Rank middle-grade demon beast, Dark Crow Demon General, alone was formidable. Moreover, the various formations left behind by White Lion Demon King were not something ordinary Gold Core Daoist Masters could easily break.
If Flying Swan Sect dared to take action against the Raven's Nest, they would soon be entangled in a difficult battle. It would be impossible for them to achieve victory in a short time.
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