: Painting of Light Mountains and Heavy Fog

2024-12-16 Author: Gu Zhenren

Seeing one of their Golden Core cultivators instantly killed, Chen Lingfeng, Wu Hen, and others immediately scattered, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the Three Generals Camp.

At this moment, the battle formation displayed its full power.

The formation cleverly integrated the strength of everyone—Generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang, Ning Zhuo, and nearly three hundred cultivators—as much as possible.

Thus, Zhang Hei's seemingly ordinary attack was actually incredibly powerful.

A Golden Core cultivator fighting alone would be no match for it.

"General Zhang is mighty!" the soldiers shouted, their morale suddenly soaring.

With morale tightly united, the battle formation operated more smoothly, and combat strength surged. Everything began a positive cycle.

The triangular arrowhead formation moved like an ancient beast, advancing with unstoppable force.

An awkward situation arose: the vast forest created earlier by Ning Zhuo's spell now hindered their march.

Rumble...

Wherever the Three Generals Camp went, trees fell and rocks shattered, their momentum awe-inspiring.

Having passed the vulnerable phase of formation change, the Three Generals Camp displayed ferocious might.

Chen Lingfeng, Wu Hen, and the other Golden Core cultivators, no longer as arrogant as before, retreated repeatedly, resorting only to long-range attacks, not daring to get close.

Red Flower Camp.

Neigh!

A pure white flying horse, as large as a small hill, descended from the sky, stomping down hard with its hooves.

The Red Flower Camp had already formed up, their circular formation resembling a large red flower in full bloom on the ground.

Among all the armies, the Red Flower Camp recruited the fewest outsiders. On one hand, their limited pay and poor treatment made it hard to attract others. On the other hand, Mu Lan was very selective and deliberate about it.

Most soldiers in the Red Flower Camp were veterans, part of Old General Mu's legacy in the army.

Mu Lan inherited all of them.

Now, centered around Commander Mu Lan, with elite soldiers in the middle ring and veterans in the outer ring, new recruits interspersed among the veterans, the formation was orderly and coordinated.

The battle formation's manifestation coalesced into a giant red flower, enveloping the entire camp.

This was the Red Flower Camp's most adept battle formation, and the army was even named after it.

The heavenly horse roared, its hooves stomping repeatedly.

But the immense force was perfectly withstood by the red flower manifestation.

Apart from some losses from the initial attack, the rest of the Red Flower Camp remained unharmed and full of fighting spirit.

Standing beside Mu Lan, Zhang Zhongyi frowned, his expression heavy.

After all, he was just a physician; this was his first time on the battlefield, and his experience was shallow.

"An Infant Soul level demon cultivator, in true form, going all out!"

"And Mu Lan is only at the Golden Core stage."

Just then, a subordinate rushed over to report the latest military situation to Mu Lan.

The Savage Demon Camp had been crushed, the White Jade Camp held their ground, the Golden Halberd Army was surrounded and had disappeared entirely, and the Three Generals Camp was under fierce attack by several Golden Core cultivators, their situation critical.

Hearing this, Zhang Zhongyi's heart sank.

When he heard the details of the Three Generals Camp's situation, he couldn't help but exclaim softly.

"Ah..."

"The horse's hoof tramples the falling flower."

"The wind rises, shadows sink into the sand!"

"It's come true! Ning Zhuo's prophetic poem has come true!"

Mu Lan turned her head sharply, cutting him off sternly, "Shut up!"

Zhang Zhongyi jolted in fear and immediately fell silent.

In that moment, he seemed to see Old General Mu.

Zhang Zhongyi wasn't angered by Mu Lan's attitude, nor did he feel offended; instead, he blamed himself and felt relieved.

Mu Lan looked up at the giant flying horse stomping with all its might in the sky and said gravely, "That heavenly horse is called Ma Feitui. He has an old grudge against my father."

"Years ago, he led his tribe to wreak havoc on our border. My father was ordered to suppress them, crushing his entire tribe and nearly wiping them out."

"He escaped by luck and has been wandering ever since, constantly opposing our Mu General's Manor."

"This time, he must have heard I'm serving in the army in my father's place and joined Thousand Peaks Forest to oppose us!"

"I know all his tricks. With my General's Seal and the Flower Cluster battle formation, I can handle him easily."

After a pause, Mu Lan continued her analysis, "We've been under attack for so long, yet only a few have fallen. Ma Feitui is the leader, the only Infant Soul level. The other Golden Core cultivators are all quite famous in Thousand Peaks Forest."

"This indicates that only the strong cultivators have formed a squad to ambush us."

"So, the real key lies with the Golden Halberd Army."

"To cover and make the Golden Halberd Army disappear—that's not something an ordinary Infant Soul cultivator could do, and certainly not just one."

"If the Golden Halberd Army remains deadlocked with the enemy, then the key to this ambush battle will be the White Jade Camp."

"The White Jade Camp has the best equipment and the strongest combat power. More importantly, they have too many scions of noble families."

"If they are crushed and pursued, even the Golden Halberd Army would have to rescue them at all costs!"

Mu Lan's analysis of the situation was extremely thorough.

Seeing her command with such confidence, Zhang Zhongyi couldn't help but feel reassured.

Golden Halberd Army.

Sun Gan stood at the center of the battle formation, looking around.

All he could see was: mist shrouding the mountains, light and ethereal, draping the peaks in a wash of ink, their outlines blurred, half-real, half-illusory, floating and sinking, ethereal as a dream.

Amid the mist, mountains encircled them, lush green verging on black. The peaks rose and fell in an orderly manner, near and far, high and low, all blending into a harmonious wash of light and dark.

Up close, the mountains revealed ancient, sturdy trees and rugged rocks.

In the distance, the mountain range stretched for miles, merging with the clouds and mist.

The rocks, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden in the fog, along with the undulating layers, gave a sense of lightness, like feathers.

Yet the ethereal mountain mist piled up thickly, exuding a profound and mysterious意境 that felt heavier than the mountains themselves.

"Painting of Light Mountains and Heavy Fog!" Sun Gan recognized it.

This formation diagram was close to the Divine Transformation level, a treasure of the Six Caves Sect! It was meticulously crafted over hundreds of years by Lu Hongtu, the master of Ink Abyss Cave, using various Divine Transformation level ink materials and consuming as many as six Infant Soul level brushes.

This was Lu Hongtu's ultimate trump card!

War is perilous.

Once on the battlefield, Lu Hongtu had no intention of holding back, directly deploying his strongest formation setup.

Using the Painting of Light Mountains and Heavy Fog as the formation diagram, the four cave masters of the Six Caves Sect occupied the four directions as formation anchors. As for the formation's heart, it remained mysteriously hidden deep within the painting, unknown to outsiders.

After the ambush began, Lu Hongtu and the others attacked with full force, aided by the formation diagram.

Infant Soul level spells rained down on the Golden Halberd Army, but to little effect.

The Golden Halberd Army formed up extremely quickly; their equipment, among the rear guard, was the most luxurious, leaving no gaps.

The Six Caves Sect cultivators felt helpless.

Among them, the Blood Shadow Cave Master, having failed to break through after prolonged attacks and suffering backlash from the national power, his combat power waning, said discouragedly, "With such a tight formation, long-range spells alone can't break it."

"In my opinion, we need strong experts to charge the formation."

"The Golden Halberd Army is known for counterattacks and sharpness. Looking across our Thousand Peaks Forest, probably only the current Elephant King could successfully charge their formation."

The Elephant King referred to by the Blood Shadow Cave Master was the new king of the Pale Savage Elephant herd. Majestic and powerful, with immense strength and thick skin, he was the ideal candidate for charging formations.

The Poison Scorpion Cave Master hesitated, "Great Cave Master, the Golden Halberd Army has been accumulating formation power all along. Are we just going to let them be?"

"Once they finish accumulating and unleash it, the power will be earth-shattering and terrifying."

"By then, our sect's formation diagram might not be able to conceal it."

Lu Hongtu smiled slightly, exuding calm confidence, and transmitted via divine sense, "Wait."

Soon, the four Infant Soul cultivators of the Six Caves Sect received the latest intelligence.

The Savage Demon Camp had been successfully crushed—good news. Xu Dali's survival was irrelevant now.

The problem lay with the White Jade Camp—Tu Ming had actually been defeated and fled! The high priest of the Hundred Poison Tribe, so incompetent?

But after the jade slips recording the battle situation were passed around, the four cave masters fell silent.

Tu Ming's defeat was justified!

The White Jade Camp was just too rich!!

The key was, who knew how many more trump cards these scions of noble families had up their sleeves.

For a moment, the three cave masters felt respect for the Ink Abyss Cave Master.

The Demonic Heart Cave Master even flattered directly, "At first, Great Cave Master, when you chose to target the Golden Halberd Army, picking the toughest nut to crack, I had doubts in my heart."

"Now, those doubts are gone."

"Great Cave Master, your foresight is far clearer and deeper than ours."

The Poison Scorpion Cave Master said, "Great Cave Master, the White Jade Camp isn't retreating. The Three Generals Camp and Red Flower Camp are insignificant. Are we supposed to watch as we forcefully attack the Golden Halberd Army?"

The Ink Abyss Cave Master shook his head slowly, "We've already gone all out, bombarding the Golden Halberd Army fiercely for a long time."

"In this ambush battle, we still have a powerful figure who hasn't entered the fray yet."

The three cultivators realized, "You mean... Lord Long?"

Lu Hongtu smiled, revealing a confident glow, "Lord Long is the supervisor and also the leader of this ambush."

"The ambush is on the verge of success, stuck only at the White Jade Camp."

"I don't believe he won't make a move!"

"If he doesn't, how will he explain himself to the Dragon King Canxu upon returning?"

Just as the Ink Abyss Cave Master predicted, high in the clouds, Lord Long sighed deeply, stripped off his upper garment, revealing his aged, frail upper body.

Then, he took a deep breath, the clouds beneath his feet dissipating as he plummeted vertically toward the ground.

As he fell, his aura grew increasingly powerful, his body swelling from a thin, slightly stooped, slack-skinned elderly state back to youth, transforming into a muscular, vigorous middle-aged man.

Even his white hair and beard regained their dark, glossy sheen.

Divine Technique—Ginseng Origin Rejuvenation!

Lord Long fixed his gaze on the White Jade Camp below, watching it grow larger and larger.

He slowly extended his left hand, palm aimed at the White Jade Camp.

The next moment, a dragon's roar erupted.

Martial Art—Dragon Roar Palm!

Roar!

The dragon's cry shook the heavens, stirring the airflow around Lord Long into a faint dragon silhouette that enveloped him as he shot down from the depths of the white clouds.

"Not good!" Shuang Jing sensed the danger and quickly launched attacks skyward to intercept him early.

But whether arrows, cannon fire, or attempts to entangle with golden light sparrows, nothing could stop Lord Long's descent.

Boom!!

With a loud crash, Lord Long's palm struck the battle formation manifestation.

The jade wall, as large as a hill, crumbled instantly.

Lord Long continued to fall, crashing into the very center of the White Jade Camp.

The White Jade Camp was thrown into chaos, men and horses in disarray.

In a huge crater on the ground, Lord Long, with his hand pressed to the earth, exhaled a breath of turbid air and withdrew his palm.

Amid the dust and the whinnying of horses, Lord Long, half-kneeling, slowly straightened up, looking down on all around him with contempt, "You brats are too lively. Now, welcome your death."

(End of )