The handwriting was extremely sloppy, and there were even large sections of smudged and deleted traces.
Yet Sun Erlang could still make out the general idea.
Under the rule of Emperor Tai Xuan, the Immortal Dynasty grew increasingly powerful, with an unending emergence of talented and extraordinary individuals. In the struggles against the other two nations, they repeatedly triumphed.
The Master of Heaven and Earth and the Supreme Saint of Humans had no choice but to join forces to resist the might of Tai Xuan…
Clearly, this plotline was not what the literati truly wanted to write.
Not only was the writing weaker than before, but even the attitude of the writer was perfunctory. Perhaps unable to bear it any longer, the literati had not even reached the conclusion before they unwillingly stopped writing. They indulged in alcohol daily, living a listless life.
Sun Erlang was not surprised by this result.
In the Sacred Dynasty Daqi, Emperor Tai Xuan and the Faceless Saint Emperor bore too many similarities. As long as there was even a slight disadvantage in the plot, the writer would be pointed at by thousands. Under such real-life pressure, Emperor Tai Xuan in the plot could only ever have smooth sailing. In the long run, his strength even surpassed the other two living beings by a great margin.
However, Sun Erlang was somewhat curious as to what plotline the writer had originally intended.
With a thought, Sun Erlang sent a strand of his Divine Sense into the writer's Spirit Consciousness.
Before long, amidst the many chaotic thoughts, he found content related to [Tale of Xuanhuang Divided into Three].
It must be said, the writer was, after all, a native of the Holy Dynasty, bathed for years in the Emperor's grace. Deep in his subconscious, his reverence for the Emperor led him to envision an ending where, ultimately, Emperor Tai Xuan overcame all difficulties to subjugate the other two victors, unifying the Xuanhuang World.
Among this were failures, setbacks, and even a period where he was in dire straits, his life hanging by a thread.
Sun Erlang had to admit that, compared to the revised version he had seen in reality, the writer's initial plot arrangement in the Spirit Consciousness was far more dramatic and gripping.
Picturesque Places Around the World: Tips for VisitingOpen
"So-called writing should be like viewing mountains; one does not enjoy the plains. Compared to it, the version outside is indeed like chewing wax."
Although Sun Erlang thought this, the content of the book involved his Master, so he did not dare to make decisions on his own.
He returned to the Saint Emperor Seat and reported the matter to Li Ping.
It was just a small matter, yet for some reason, it left the Emperor silent for a long time.
"Emperor Tai Xuan is me, the Supreme Saint is me, and the Master of Heaven and Earth is also me."
Finally, the Emperor slowly uttered these words, resounding through the cold Saint Emperor Seat.
Sun Erlang was first startled, and then he came to a sudden realization.
He left with an expression of joy.
However, Li Ping's usually unshakable composure was for some reason disturbed by this incident, causing ripples that were hard to calm.
Perhaps he understood why the Master, after establishing the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals, always stayed out of worldly affairs and avoided public eye.
...
In the Hongze Realm.
Zhang Ming, a Golden Core Cultivator tasked by the Sacred Dynasty Daqi to guard this realm, suddenly received a report from his subordinates.
It appeared that some unwelcome visitors from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals had intruded into Small World.
"Three Nascent Souls and seven Golden Cores."
Zhang Ming's brows furrowed tightly.
Although he sent a call for reinforcements to the Holy Dynasty immediately, the thought of the large Kongming Flow Crystal vein they had just discovered here made the anxiety in Zhang Ming's heart impossible to calm.
"This Hongze Realm is not big, and the unique aura of Kongming Flow Crystal is very distinctive. Even with Array Talismans to cover it up slightly, I'm afraid it would be hard to escape these people's investigation."
"It seems that this battle is inevitable."
Zhang Ming quickly calculated the forces he could muster.
Including himself, they barely made up five Golden Cores.
The disparity in strength was clear; defeat was certain.
If he chose to retreat, the Holy Dynasty would not impose any severe punishment.
However, the pride of being a soldier of Daqi meant that Zhang Ming was destined not to flee without even having the courage to fight.
Zhang Ming was very resolute and directly released the only Sky-obscuring Talisman.
As the name implied, the Sky-obscuring Talisman could conceal the secrets of Heaven.
It was well-known that when a Cultivator from Xuanhuang World perished, anomalies would appear in the sky. The entire life and the specific manner of death of the fallen Cultivator would emerge clearly upon the Vault of Heaven.
Under normal circumstances, this was manageable, but in a life or death struggle like today, any casualties would be instantly known far and wide. This greatly increased the difficulty of battle.
However, with the Sky-obscuring Talisman, the situation could be reversed, or even turned into a beneficial condition for combat.
The Talisman not only masked anomalies of a Cultivator's fall but could also precisely distinguish between friends and foes.
If an enemy Cultivator was killed by our side, there would be no anomalies. But if a friendly Cultivator was killed, anomalies would still descend to alert us.
Although the exact working principle of this Talisman was unknown, undoubtedly, just this one Sky-obscuring Talisman could tip a bit of the scales in one's favor.
"Just relying on this one Talisman is not enough."
Zhang Ming glanced at a small White Jade Arrow in his arms.
"It's a pity, with our squad's credentials, we can only request one Army-killing Arrow for each mission."
"If we could acquire more, I wouldn't even fear a God Transformation, let alone these Nascent Soul Monks."
The Army-killing Arrow was a weakened version of the Sky Patrol Arrow of the Holy Dynasty.
Although considered weaker, it could deliver a devastating blow to Nascent Souls and those below the Nascent Soul Realm.
With its tracking and aura-locking capabilities, once targeted, there was no chance of escape.
"Only this one, I need to make the most of it."
Soon, Zhang Ming had a plan in mind.
"Fu Ge!"
"Present!" A Middle Stage Golden Core Cultivator, one of Zhang Ming's subordinates dressed in dull yellow, promptly responded.
"You use the 'Rushing Charm' to transport these Kongming Flow Crystals and move them to the underground location marked here," Zhang Ming indicated on the map with precision.
Fu Ge did not hesitate and took the storage ring Zhang Ming handed over.
A yellow light flashed across his body, and he disappeared from the surface of the ground.
The storage ring contained all the crystals they had mined, which was only a small part of the giant vein.
However, if they detonated it and guided it specially, the spreading aura would be enough to attract the attention of Cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals on the surface.
"Sick Three!"
"Set up array techniques along the route to block them. Remember not to let them pass too easily, but don't offer the several killing arrays."
A middle-aged man with earthy yellow skin responded and set off.
...
Zhang Ming, in an orderly fashion, quickly finished deploying their own forces.
However, even though they each had unique skills, they still found themselves at a disadvantage in the face of absolute power difference.
The plan went awry from the first step.
The Cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals were also not to be underestimated. The person tasked with luring them to the ambush site was called Qiu Di.
Among this squad, he was particularly outstanding in escape skills.
Your Sleeping Posture Will Tell Everything about You! UnthinkableOpen
Unexpectedly, just as they met and before he could use his escape technique, he was trapped by a white-clothed man among the Immortal Alliance group using the Cave Heaven Domain.
This Cave Heaven Domain was quite unique; it did not manifest into a specific form. It just emitted a white light ring, suppressing Qiu Di.
After trying various methods and seeing no hope of escape.
Qiu Di resolutely self-destructed, ending his life.
As Zhang Ming felt the disappearance of his subordinate's life force, his heart twisted, his fists clenched tightly.
And these Cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals evidently did not expect their opponent to be so fierce, committing suicide without a word of disagreement.
The atmosphere suddenly became strange.
"Wait, Brother Lin Bai, something's not right!"
After a while, one of them reacted.
"Why is there no sign of a fallen anomaly?"
"Is it a feigned death?"
"It doesn't seem like it; the Divine Soul is truly annihilated."
Lin Bai's expression became solemn as he looked up at the sky.
Soon after, his face turned ugly, "Be careful, someone has obscured the heavens' will."
Although he warned thus, the others not only didn't feel fear but became very excited instead.
"Obscuring the heavens' will? For such an ordinary Small World to use such a method, it seems there must be a secret!"
"We've run around several places in vain, finally about to reap some rewards."
"Even if it's not Kongming Flow Crystals, if we can uncover the secret here, it might be worth the trip."
...
As everyone was discussing, they suddenly felt the ground tremble slightly.
At the same time, a familiar aura emanated from underground.
"This is..."
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Then disbelief crossed their faces, "Is it really Kongming Flow Crystals?"
In their perception, aside from the dispersing aura of the crystals, there seemed to be a few figures rapidly fleeing from the source of the underground tremors.
"Looks like they can't hide it anymore and want to escape?"
This thought instinctively crossed everyone's mind.
Although they were eager to go down and investigate immediately, they were still somewhat cautious and did not act rashly, instead unanimously looking towards Lin Bai.
Lin Bai pondered briefly before making a quick decision.
"Split into two groups. Brother Qian, take three people and chase those fleeing Cultivators; the rest will follow me."
Without much fuss, four from the Immortal Alliance quickly split off and pursued towards the horizon.
Meanwhile, Lin Bai led his team towards the location from where the Kongming Flow Crystal's aura originated.
Along the way, they encountered a few array techniques to block their path.
But they were easily broken by them.
"These array techniques must have been set up by at least a Nascent Soul Array Master."
"Furthermore, many of these array patterns are ones I've never seen before. Interesting..."
The excitement in everyone's hearts grew.
They quickly arrived at their destination.
A giant cave left from the explosion was still visible, with numerous shards of Kongming Flow Crystals scattered around.
"Damn it! To actually destroy it like this!"
"What a waste! The price of a fist-sized Crystal has already risen to 50,000 contribution points, and they're not even available on the market!"
"There are still quite a few fragments; quickly pick them up, we can't waste them!"
...
The cultivators of the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals were somewhat organized.
However, upon seeing the scattered fragments of Kongming Flow Crystals on the ground, their greed was aroused, and they could no longer contain themselves.
They scuffled as they each flew toward the interior of the cave.
Lin Bai was also a bit envious, but he habitually first began to observe his surroundings.
It seemed there was no danger to be found, so he too flew in.
"Strange, this place doesn't seem to be the original underground vein of Flow Crystals. Could it be their collection, a storage…?"
Lin Bai picked up a small piece of Flow Crystal, as this thought surfaced in his Spirit Consciousness.
Just then, his expression abruptly changed.
A White Jade Small Arrow, its origin unknown, had silently shot out from a dark place underground toward several people inside the cave.
"Be careful!" Lin Bai shouted instinctively.
He harnessed the full might of his Cave Heaven Domain, deploying hundreds of Command Flags to assist around him.
However, the White Jade Small Arrow was even faster than anticipated.
A dazzling, immensely bright orb materialized underground.
In an instant, it engulfed all of the cultivators within the cavity.
Along with their Cave Heavens, they were completely dissipated.
Not far away, Zhang Ming's heart was devoid of any fluctuation as he watched the death of several cultivators from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.
"Farewell, Brother Qiu Di."
Without any delay, Zhang Ming hurriedly headed toward another group of his subordinates, who were being used as bait.
Compared to his own situation, theirs was far more tragic.
Lacking a major weapon like the Army-killing Arrow, they could only rely on small tactics to hold off the enemy. They were quickly overtaken by the people of the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.
And fell into a bitter struggle.
By the time Zhang Ming and his followers arrived, only two were still desperately holding on.
The cultivator Qian from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals was still attempting to persuade them, "Why put yourselves through this, fellow daoists? They're mere external possessions, after all; how can they compare to one's own life? We certainly have no intention of taking your lives…"
Despite saying this, the intensity of their attacks did not decrease at all.
Armor clad, Zhang Ming's body erupted in a crimson glow.
He transformed into a red streak, shooting straight toward the cultivator Qian.
"Brother Qian, be careful!"
The gap in strength was simply too great, and even with the added protection of the Protective Battle Armor, it wasn't enough to bridge the gap between Gold Core and Nascent Soul stages.
He was still evaded by his opponent.
The attempted ambush failed, and instead, he was severely injured by the other side.
The light from his armor suddenly dimmed.
"Eh? What kind of Protective Magic Treasure is this? To take my full-powered blow and not even show a scratch?"
The voice of cultivator Qian contained surprise mixed with a hint of greed.
"It seems we are destined to die here."
That was what Zhang Ming thought.
But he did not regret it.
Having delayed for so long, the reinforcements from the Holy Dynasty should arrive soon.
Before the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals discovered the massive Kongming Flow Crystal vein, the Holy Dynasty would be able to reclaim the area.
"After my death, my family should take pride in me."
"Perhaps, even The Emperor himself will commend me."
A sense of peace filled Zhang Ming's heart as he coldly addressed the opposite Immortal Alliance Cultivators, "Soul Burning!"
The few remaining subordinates, upon hearing this, did not hesitate.
Their Divine Souls ignited, and their once-fading presence suddenly burst forth anew.
"Have you gone mad?!" the Immortal Alliance Cultivators screamed, completely at a loss.
Against these doomed individuals, there was no need for them to clash head-on.
Even with their overwhelming strength, the Immortal Alliance Cultivators mainly focused on ensuring their own safety and avoidance.
The increase in Cultivation Base granted by Soul Burning slowly faded.
Zhang Ming and his people finally reached the end of their lives.
Just as his consciousness was about to dissipate, Zhang Ming seemed to see a familiar figure.