Not only Taiyi Sect, but the entire Hanhai Alliance has long been actively preparing for war. Under the strict supervision of Meng Zhang, the disciples of Taiyi Sect have already begun rigorous combat training. The sect has started full-scale production of various war magic tools, including some rare large-scale magic tools and combination magic tools.
To save time, some less important components have been outsourced to refining sects within the Hanhai Alliance and some peripheral refining sects. Many carefully selected elite disciples of Taiyi Sect have begun practicing large-scale war formations. These formations are not only applicable to large frontal battlefields but can also be used to restrain higher-level cultivators when their forces are combined.
The formation currently being prepared by Taiyi Sect is led by a Gold Core Daoist Master and supported by Foundation Building stage cultivators. When the formation is operating at full capacity, it can even pose a threat to cultivators in the Primordial Spirit stage.
If the Dali Dynasty and the Jiuqu League go to war, the outcome will not solely depend on the top-level cultivators of both sides. If low-level cultivators are of no use, they might as well send out Primordial Spirit True Monarchs to fight directly. So, the role of low-level cultivators becomes essential, relying on formations and magic tools to counter higher-level cultivators.
Currently, Taiyi Sect possesses several ancient scriptures inherited from its prime, and with the personal guidance of a few Guardian Spirit Generals, they have gained some confidence after years of practice in this area. Meng Zhang himself has tested the disciples' training results. Once the formation is deployed, they can hold their own against Primordial Spirit cultivators.
Meng Zhang made several probing attacks, which they easily repelled, and they could even counter-attack from time to time. Meng Zhang couldn't completely ignore their counter-attacks. With such achievements, he couldn't ask for much more.
Time passed quickly, and six months flew by. The day Xu Mengying expected to ambush the True Monarch Mountain Peak quietly arrived.
Early in the morning, Xu Mengying led Meng Zhang, flying high into the sky, directly entering the Nine Heavens region.
The Nine Heavens is a special area with different levels. Ordinary Gold Core late-stage cultivators only dare to venture into the outer regions. Meng Zhang has achieved Primordial Spirit not long ago, and he hasn't been to the Nine Heavens many times. Every time he comes, he quickly collects Nine Heavens Refined Essence and leaves.
Xu Mengying achieved Primordial Spirit even more recently than Meng Zhang. With the accumulation of previous generations of Primordial Spirit True Monarchs from the Yellow Lotus Sect, she doesn't need to personally enter the Nine Heavens to collect Refined Essence.
When she entered the Nine Heavens region, she felt a bit unfamiliar with her surroundings at first. Soon, she took out a palm-sized compass, made a few gestures, and then flew in a certain direction.
Meng Zhang's Spiritual Awareness didn't give any warning, and he didn't detect any danger. He followed Xu Mengying, flying in the same direction.
At the Primordial Spirit True Monarch level, as long as they don't intentionally seek death or venture into extremely dangerous areas, they can avoid most dangers within the Nine Heavens and ensure their own safety. Xu Mengying followed the guidance of the compass, stopping and changing directions along the way. Sometimes, they encountered powerful cloud beasts and had to engage in battles.
Fortunately, the two of them were powerful enough to handle any situation as long as they didn't encounter an overly powerful group of cloud beasts. After beheading two cloud beasts with Primordial Spirit strength and dispersing several other groups of cloud beasts, they finally reached their destination.
Inside the Nine Heavens, the space was chaotic, without any clear distinction of up, down, left, or right. If cultivators haven't practiced special abilities like divine eyes or divine hearing, they often rely on their Divine Sense to determine directions and guide their way forward.
Xu Mengying led Meng Zhang to a rather peculiar space—a region covered by pitch-black, ink-like clouds, rolling endlessly ahead, resembling a boiling lake. Even before getting too close, Meng Zhang felt a sense of danger and became increasingly cautious.
"Up ahead is the Black Fiend Lake, formed from a special fiend qi," Xu Mengying explained in a low voice to Meng Zhang. "This fiend qi has a strong corrupting effect on the Primordial Spirit. Even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs can't linger in the lake for too long."
"Approximately every five years, the fiend qi in the Black Fiend Lake becomes weaker. At this time, with adequate preparation, cultivators at the Primordial Spirit stage can venture into the lake."
Xu Mengying continued to explain, "About a century ago, Yue Feng used to come here whenever it was time for the fiend qi to weaken. In the depths of the lake, there's a treasure left behind by a senior cultivator. The treasure is guarded by powerful fiendish beasts."
"This guy, Yue Feng, never trusted others and was unwilling to treasure. He always went alone and ended up being defeated by the fiendish beasts each time, returning empty-handed."
"He is determined to get the treasure, no matter how many times he fails. When he's occupied with the fiendish beasts, we will make our move and have a good chance of leaving him completely behind."
With just a few sentences, Xu Mengying had her plan laid out. She didn't mention the origin of the treasure, how True Monarch Mountain Peak knew about it, or how she came to know this secret. Meng Zhang hesitated for a moment but decided not to pry further.
In the Cultivation World, almost everyone had their own secrets, some of which they were unwilling to share with others. While Meng Zhang was curious, he wouldn't let a bit of curiosity lead him to pry into Xu Mengying's affairs.
He respected her and her secrets. As long as the ambush went smoothly, her secrets wouldn't harm him, and he had no intention of pressing her for answers.
Meng Zhang and Xu Mengying were allies now and would need to take care of each other in the future. He didn't want any unrelated matters to affect their relationship.
Seeing Meng Zhang didn't press for more information and seemed content to follow her arrangements, Xu Mengying finally relaxed. There were things she couldn't reveal to him right now, and some secrets she might never disclose.
According to Xu Mengying, the change in Black Fiend Lake would occur in five days. True Monarch Mountain Peak would probably arrive around that time too. They needed to hide and wait for these five days in secret.
Meng Zhang had the patience for this; waiting for five days wasn't difficult. Xu Mengying found a concealed spot nearby and led Meng Zhang there.
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