Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 292: Chapter 288: Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Array, The Evil Spirit Sect Army Mobilizes

The creator of this array, the Three Flowers Dao, was none other than Ning Jiang.

As a Legendary Venerable, Ning Jiang had studied all kinds of arrays in his past life. He knew the art of array creation like the back of his hand.

Creating a new array was not a difficult task for him.

The principle behind the Three Flowers Dao was to borrow the power of multiple Spirit Veins, combine them, and ultimately claim that power as one’s own.

’First, I have to alter the terrain to draw out and combine the Spirit Vein Qi from several veins.’

The terrain was the most crucial element of an array. All High Level arrays utilized the power of the land, and even more advanced ones drew upon the Power of Stars, the sun, and the moon, possessing the might to scorch the heavens and boil the seas.

However, an array of that caliber was far beyond what could be set up using just a few Spirit Veins.

Altering the terrain was not difficult for Ning Jiang, given his current level of Cultivation.

With a casual swing of his sword, he could turn a mountain into dust.

And so, Ning Jiang began this massive undertaking all by himself.

The others couldn’t help at this point. Altering the terrain was a delicate task that allowed for no deviation, so Ning Jiang had to do it himself.

"Have you all felt it?" Yue Wenfu asked. "I’ve noticed that the Spiritual Qi from all over the Star Sword Sect is gradually converging toward the center."

"Yes, I feel it too," Fang Xue nodded. "Before, the Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Vein was spread throughout the entire Star Sword Sect, denser in some areas and sparser in others. But now, it’s as if a massive whirlpool has formed at the center, absorbing all the Spiritual Qi and condensing it into a single point."

"The Sect Leader is truly a divine figure to have such profound knowledge of the art of arrays," Lin Zhan exclaimed in awe.

The art of arrays was infinitely profound. They all knew a little about them, but their knowledge was only superficial.

In their eyes, Ning Jiang’s methods were brilliant beyond compare. They suspected that across the entire Six Eastern Provinces, you couldn’t find more than a handful of people who could match his mastery of arrays.

Yue Wenfu said, "Everyone has their secrets. There are some things we don’t need to know in detail. As long as we know the Sect Leader is on our side, that’s enough."

"I understand."

Lin Zhan nodded. ’Sometimes, knowing too much isn’t a good thing.’

The project of altering the terrain continued for a full day and night.

RUMBLE!

That night, under a brilliant canopy of stars, everyone felt a vast and majestic surge of Spiritual Qi erupt from the center of the Star Sword Sect. But just as with the Myriad Swords Returning to the Sect Formation, the sensation vanished in an instant, receding into a deep dormancy.

"The entire Star Sword Sect... there’s not a trace of Spiritual Qi left."

Once the array was set, the crowd felt the Spiritual Qi vanish without a trace.

Yet Ning Jiang, who had just set up two Grand Arrays in a row, was still not satisfied.

’Next is the Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Array. But I can’t set this one up by myself. This array requires an offering.’

As he considered this, Ning Jiang’s Primordial Spirit Power spread out, blanketing the area. The next moment, his voice echoed in the minds of all the disciples, transmitted via his Divine Sense.

"Come to me."

Naturally, the many disciples would not defy his command.

An hour later, a vast, dark sea of people had gathered before Ning Jiang.

The current Myriad Swords Sect, having absorbed the strength of three former sects, now numbered over ten thousand strong.

However, among the three sects combined, there were only about a hundred Spirit Realm Powerhouses, and a mere dozen experts at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm.

As Ning Jiang observed the crowd, the many young faces below looked up at him with fervent zeal.

Ning Jiang was not only immensely powerful but also strikingly handsome, causing countless young disciples to idolize him. Though he was a young Sect Leader, the ruins of the Star Sword Sect beneath their feet were proof enough that he was worthy of their respect.

"Sect Leader, is there a reason you summoned us?" Yue Wenfu asked.

"I need to set up an array, and this array requires me to draw upon the power of every single one of you."

"We await your command, Sect Leader."

Everyone knew the Evil Spirit Sect’s retaliation was imminent. In this moment of life and death, no one would refuse Ning Jiang’s request.

Ning Jiang nodded. Then, his hands formed a series of seals. Black light erupted from his body, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a Heaven-Devouring Sparrow.

A cold voice boomed, "All of you, activate your Cultivation and release the Spiritual Qi within your bodies without holding anything back!"

At once, everyone present activated their Cultivation, unleashing the Spiritual Qi from their Dantians.

"Devour."

Controlling the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow, Ning Jiang began to devour this formidable wave of Energy.

Soon, some of the Martial Artists with weaker Cultivation were left gasping for breath, collapsing to the ground with pale faces.

An hour later, even the Dantians of Yue Wenfu and the other leaders were completely empty, without a single shred of Spiritual Qi remaining.

"Sect Leader," Yue Wenfu asked, "even by combining all of our power, can we really stand against an Earth Martial Realm expert?"

"Of course not."

Ning Jiang stated bluntly, "An Earth Martial Realm expert merely needs to activate their Domain Power, and they could wipe out all ten thousand of you in the blink of an eye. To deal with someone at the Earth Martial Realm, you would need at least one hundred thousand people to even have a chance."

"However, this is only the first step of the Grand Array I’m setting up. The power you’ve provided is merely an offering!"

"An offering?" the others asked, stunned.

"You will understand once you see."

Ning Jiang shot into the sky. With a wave of his hand, the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow spat out a ball of light that landed in his palm.

This ball of light contained the combined Energy of over ten thousand people. If it were to explode, it would be powerful enough to blast an Immortal Realm expert to smithereens.

But against an expert of the Earth Martial Realm, it was nowhere near enough.

He took a deep breath, his expression solemn. His lips parted slowly as he began to chant a Magic Formula, "Wind is born of the earth, rising from the tip of a blade of grass..."

With every word he uttered, Ning Jiang’s face grew a shade paler. By the end, his face was ashen.

"With the power of ten thousand, I make an offering to the vast heavens and earth!"

When he finished the Magic Formula, Ning Jiang let out a great shout. Inside the ball of Energy in his palm, a single, visible wisp of wind appeared.

Then, the ball of light shattered, and the wind within it slowly drifted out, disappearing from everyone’s sight.

"Sect Leader, is that it? What good is that little wisp of wind?"

After Ning Jiang descended from the sky, the others were completely baffled.

"Where do you think wind comes from?" Ning Jiang’s counter-question left everyone stunned.

How is wind born? No one had ever considered the question.

They only knew that wind was a natural part of the world, sometimes strong, sometimes gentle.

Seeing that they had no answer, Ning Jiang slowly explained, "A destructive gale often begins as a seemingly insignificant breath of air. But if that breeze is allowed to pass over streams and through mountain passes, it will accumulate more and more Power along the way. Eventually, it will become a storm that sweeps across the land, a force that no one can control or stop, and all one can do is allow it to destroy everything in its path."

"That wisp of wind I released is a seed. It will gather for me the Power of Heaven and Earth across this vast land. This... is the Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Array!"

Everyone was utterly astounded.

To control the Power of Heaven and Earth across such a vast expanse—how was that not completely unbelievable?

"Sect Leader, your methods are truly beyond mortal comprehension. We are in complete admiration."

Yue Wenfu and the others couldn’t help but cup their fists and bow, utterly and completely convinced.

"All the necessary preparations have been made. The storm is about to break. Get ready to face it."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

...

「Meanwhile, in Lei Province.」

"Has the Evil Spirit Sect not responded yet?"

"I heard that the Earth Martial Realm expert from Qing Province’s Star Sword Sect paid a visit to the Evil Spirit Sect not long ago. I imagine we’ll see the results of that meeting soon."

Outside the Evil Spirit Sect’s headquarters, numerous experts were gathered, closely monitoring the sect for any sign of movement.

The uproar Ning Jiang had caused was simply too great; it had sent shockwaves through all of Lei Province.

And as the overlord of Lei Province, the Evil Spirit Sect’s actions were naturally the focus of everyone’s attention.

WHOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, the clear, sonorous call of a Horn echoed from within the Evil Spirit Sect.

"The Evil Spirit Sect is finally marching to war!"

At that moment, the countless onlookers watching the Evil Spirit Sect were shaken. It was the call of the war Horn. A hundred years ago, the Evil Spirit Sect had sounded that same Horn, and an Upper Grade Sect had been annihilated.

Now, the Horn’s call rang out once more.

"Look, they’re coming out."

Beneath countless shocked gazes, a torrent of experts flew out from the Evil Spirit Sect, their numbers in the thousands.

They were all clad in uniform blood-red robes, resembling a crimson cloud that struck fear into the hearts of all who saw them.

At the very front stood four figures. Three of them wore blood-red robes trimmed with gold thread, and each wore a scarlet skull medallion on their chest, a clear sign of their distinguished status.

"My heavens, all three of the Evil Spirit Sect’s Earth Martial Realm experts have been mobilized."

"And that other person, the one not wearing their robes... that must be Wang Qingcang from the Star Sword Sect, right?"

"That’s an army of over ten thousand, isn’t it? Mobilizing so many people at once... it looks like the Evil Spirit Sect intends to slaughter every last man, woman, and child!"

"This is what happens when you provoke the Evil Spirit Sect."

Amidst the crowd’s shocked murmurs, the leading Earth Martial Realm expert gave the order, "We move out."

At his word, the great army of the Evil Spirit Sect officially departed.

The four Earth Martial Realm experts directly activated their Domain Power, enveloping everyone, and rushed to Qing Province at the fastest possible speed.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We have to get to Qing Province. We can’t miss this battle!"

"This will be the largest and most impactful battle in the last century. We can’t miss it, no matter what."

"Let’s go. We of the Withered Blade Sect should go take a look as well."

On this day, the great army of the Evil Spirit Sect set forth.

The major sects of Lei Province, including the three great Upper Grade Sects, could not sit still and quickly followed suit.

"My heavens, I think I saw the Earth Martial Realm expert from the Withered Blade Sect."

"Not just the Withered Blade Sect! The Earth Martial Realm experts from all three Upper Grade Sects have shown up."

The onlookers were shaken.

The weight carried by the name Ning Jiang grew even heavier in their minds.

As the man at the center of this storm, could Ning Jiang possibly withstand the ravenous army of the Evil Spirit Sect?

Or would he be reduced to ash and smoke beneath the Evil Spirit Sect’s might?

With this question hanging in the air, the great army left Lei Province a day later and officially entered the territory of Qing Province.

All the while, the number of Martial Artists trailing behind the Evil Spirit Sect’s army continued to grow.

They sounded their Horns as they traveled, their immense and imposing procession drawing in countless more Martial Artists as spectators.

In this battle, who would win?