Free Web NovelChapter 468: Chapter 264: Xia Qingying: You Will Be With Me...
Of course, the recruited Loose Cultivators were also among them. Their Cultivation levels varied, with no shortage of those at the Foundation Establishment, Pseudo Core, True Core, and Golden Core realms.
At this point, some Cultivators on the city walls couldn’t hold back and began to counterattack. Vast swathes of sword light swept out, followed by a swarm of Thunderous Fire Rain and Giant Wood Ice Cones.
In the ensuing melee, under the concentrated fire of a group of Cultivators from the city wall, several opposing Pseudo Core Cultivators quickly buckled. Their defenses shattered, they were decapitated, and they fell one by one with bloodcurdling screams.
The real battle had yet to begin, but a brutal, bloody, and murderous atmosphere was already starting to spread.
’It seems that as long as this City Defense Array holds, the attackers will have a hard time gaining any advantage.’
Ling Changqing mused to himself.
Within the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty’s territory, Jinchun County was considered a first-rate strategic city. The higher-ups would not abandon it easily. It would be impossible for the Taiqing Divine Dynasty to take this place without paying a hefty price.
Seeing the great swarm of enemy Cultivators surge forward, Ling Changqing’s thoughts stirred. The Blood Shadow Sword materialized, tearing through the air and leaving a highly condensed, thousand-zhang-long Sword Aura in its wake. It seemed to move slowly, but in reality, it was incredibly fast as it slashed toward the most aggressive attacker on the other side.
The Cultivator, who had a Middle stage True Core Cultivation, lasted less than three breaths before his multiple layers of Protective Spiritual Light shattered. His entire body was bisected at the waist by the sword light, and a torrent of blood mixed with visceral fragments erupted forth.
Ling Changqing didn’t spare him another glance. He commanded the Blood Shadow Sword to wheel around in a horizontal sweep, unleashing a vast swathe of sword light that effortlessly cut down one Cultivator after another.
Any target he set his sights on had virtually no chance of escape; within a few moves, their life would be forfeit.
Ling Changqing’s true Cultivation was already at the Golden Core Peak. This, combined with the high grade of his Primary Cultivation Technique—enough to crush nearly every Cultivator present—and the additional boost from the Era Star Palace, was why he was so invincible and utterly unstoppable.
Before long, dozens of Cui Family Cultivators had perished under Ling Changqing’s sword light. Their mangled corpses lay shattered in pieces outside the Grand Array’s light screen, blood flowing freely.
At that moment, Xia Qingying, who had been sticking to him like a shadow, was nowhere to be seen, which surprised Ling Changqing a little.
"...Master, can all the Life Souls and Spirits of these dead Cultivators on the battlefield be mine?"
Gong Ling’s soft, beautiful voice sounded in his sea of consciousness.
Ling Changqing hesitated for a moment before asking, "There are too many people and prying eyes right now. Is there no risk of your true form being exposed?"
This wasn’t like the minor skirmishes he had encountered before. On a battlefield like this, a veritable meat grinder, any kind of accident could happen.
"It’s fine. I have recovered some of my strength now. Ensuring my own safety won’t be a problem."
Gong Ling replied.
In truth, the greatest threat to her was the mysterious, powerful treasure within Xia Qingying’s body, but even that person couldn’t possibly see through her origins.
’Forget it. Maybe it’s better to wait and see?’
After some thought, Ling Changqing decided to play it safe. The secret of the Era Star Palace must not be exposed, and that Xia Qingying was not to be underestimated.
"Alright."
Gong Ling did not insist; it was impossible for her to defy her master’s will.
In fact, if she could devour and refine enough Life Souls and Spirits, especially those of powerful Cultivators, the Era Star Palace’s recovery speed would undoubtedly increase significantly.
As the number of casualties climbed, the attacking Cultivators’ bloodlust was gradually stoked, and they began to intensify their assault.
Moreover, new fleets of Tianzhou Skyboats continued to arrive in the distance, transporting batch after batch of Cultivators to join the siege.
The defending Cultivators were not idle either. They began to unleash their Magical Treasures and attack with all their might, the lights of numerous high-powered Divine Techniques flashing one after another.
Once the number of attacking Cultivators reached a critical mass, the pressure on the City Defense Array would skyrocket. Therefore, they had to seize the current opportunity to inflict maximum casualties on the enemy’s effective forces.
Ling Changqing’s eyes were calm as he unhurriedly directed his Flying Sword in a continuous barrage of attacks. Wherever it passed, the Pseudo Core and True Core Cultivators were simply no match for him.
Even Golden Core Masters couldn’t withstand more than a few rounds against his assault before their defenses were breached and they were beheaded by a single strike of his sword.
Before long, a thick layer of Cultivator corpses carpeted the ground beneath the massive city. Blood soaked the earth, forming pools of various sizes in the low-lying areas.
On the city wall, Ling Changqing intentionally slowed his attack frequency, using only about forty percent of his strength to avoid attracting unwanted attention.
The other Cultivators were doing much the same. The main reason was to conserve Magical Power, since recovery Elixirs were not cheap, and there was no sign of the battle ending anytime soon.
The purity, abundance, and recovery rate of Ling Changqing’s Magical Power far surpassed that of Cultivators at the same level; even most early stage Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn’t compare to him. Thus, he appeared quite relaxed at the moment.
He glanced at his Jade Token. The number recorded inside was 175, meaning that 175 enemy Cultivators had already become spirits slain by his sword.
Upon closer inspection, one could also see the Cultivation Levels of these fallen Cultivators, which was an important basis for calculating battle merits later.
The resource exchange list provided by the City Lord’s Mansion contained quite a few good things and was very appealing to Ling Changqing.
Ling Changqing glanced around. The Cultivators on the wall were busy but orderly. Thanks to the City Defense Array, the defending side had yet to suffer any real casualties.
Even when the enemy’s Nascent Soul True Monarchs attacked, they failed to cause any substantial damage to the City Defense Array, only causing the Grand Array’s light screen to distort slightly for a moment.
However, this period of ease did not last long, because the main forces of the Cui Family’s army had arrived ahead of schedule.
Outside the Grand Array’s light screen, the high Celestial Vault silently darkened. Rolling black clouds filled the sky, and the ambient temperature dropped sharply.
Deep within the thick cloud layers, countless massive electric dragons coiled and writhed. A heart-pounding, rumbling thunder shook the heavens and the earth.
Amidst the roaring thunder and lightning, innumerable Cultivators appeared and disappeared within the clouds. Meteoric fire clouds, hailstorms of astral wind, and a rain of blades and sword shadows poured down. A tangible killing intent saturated the space between heaven and earth.
Under this terrifying assault, which was like the toppling of an ancient divine mountain, the Grand Array’s light screen finally buckled under the strain, dimming noticeably. On its surface, violent ripples never ceased to spread.
Hundreds of High Grade Forbidden-Breaking Talismans smashed down, causing the Grand Array’s light screen to warp and fluctuate even more violently. Certain areas were even annihilated, losing a thick layer, only to be quickly restored to their original state amidst a swirl of glowing clouds.
"Don’t worry, the City Defense Array is still far from collapsing! They won’t succeed so easily."
Without any warning, Xia Qingying’s tall, slender figure appeared beside Ling Changqing. She spoke with a charming smile.
Ling Changqing looked at her. "Where did you just go?"
"To the enemy’s side, of course. I took the liberty of slaughtering a few old geezers from the Taiqing Divine Dynasty. The haul was pretty good!"
Xia Qingying smiled faintly and tossed him more than ten exquisitely crafted Storage Pouches and Storage Bracelets.
"Take them! I don’t really have any use for this stuff anymore. They’re perfect for you."
These Storage Magical Artifacts were all of a high grade; they must have belonged to Nascent Soul True Monarchs at the very least. Moreover, the Restrictions on them had already been wiped away, allowing Ling Changqing to freely take anything from inside.
"Then I thank you, Big Sister!"
Ling Changqing said as he put away the Storage Magical Artifacts.
Xia Qingying gave him a slightly surprised look and chuckled, covering her mouth.
"You’re quite bold, daring to speak to this princess like that. But strangely, this princess doesn’t find it offensive at all. It seems we truly are fated.
Never mind. After we return, you can stay by this princess’s side. You won’t be lacking for any sort of compensation."
"It’s a deal!"
Ling Changqing nodded. For now, all that mattered was placating her. As for anything else, he couldn’t care less.
’Go back with her to the Da Xia Divine Dynasty? That’s impossible. What Long Nu Luo Qingxuan did back then will not be allowed to happen a second time.’
Outside the Grand Array’s light screen, the Cui Family Cultivators’ assault grew ever more ferocious. The boundless black clouds in the Celestial Vault slowly pressed down, as if the very canopy of heaven were about to collapse.
Ling Changqing had already noticed that the auras of many individuals within the attacking Cultivator Army were somewhat strange; they were likely Cultivators from the Taiqing Divine Dynasty.
"How does the national strength of the Taiqing Divine Dynasty compare to the Da Xia Divine Dynasty?"
Ling Changqing asked out of the blue.
Xia Qingying’s expression was indifferent. "Two hundred years ago, it might have taken the combined strength of four Taiqing Divine Dynasties to match our Da Xia Divine Dynasty.
As for now... it would take five of them to even compare to us!"
