Chapter 412 - 388: The Black Bell Reappears

Chapter 412: Chapter 388: The Black Bell Reappears

"Damn it! The Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators have colluded with Demon Beasts? Have those guys lost their minds?"

"Everyone, on my command! Join forces and form an array, now!"

The Bixue Green Oasis cultivators were enraged when they recognized their enemies, but they were also helpless. They grew pale with fright as the assault bore down on them.

At the critical moment, Qin Yushan roared a decisive command. The cultivators immediately obeyed, each quickly taking out a Golden Triangle Array Banner and pouring their Magical Power into it to form a Grand Array.

This array was called the Unmoving Like a Mountain Array. As its name suggested, it was a purely defensive array.

This array used cultivators as its Array Base, making it ideal for use in battle. The more cultivators who formed it, the greater its Mighty Power.

The array formed in an instant, and a massive, transparent golden screen of light immediately appeared, enveloping all the cultivators on Qin Yushan’s side.

The next moment, a tide of attacks washed over them but was completely blocked by the golden screen of light.

"Phew!"

Qin Yushan and the other cultivators couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"A little interesting. A shame your Cultivation is too low. It’s wishful thinking to believe you can save your lives with just this array."

Unfortunately, the enemy cultivators and Demon Beasts just continued to sneer, immediately launching their next wave of attacks.

The Demon Beasts even spat out their Demon Pills, which pulsed with astonishing Spiritual Light, and sent them crashing forward as if they were Magical Treasures.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately, thunderous roars echoed continuously as the golden screen of light was struck with such violent force that it seemed on the verge of shattering.

Some of the cultivators on Qin Yushan’s side with relatively lower Cultivation levels were instantly sent reeling by the backlash, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

Although the other cultivators were unharmed, they could feel their Magical Power draining significantly faster as the enemy’s assault intensified.

Their Magical Power was depleting too quickly. Even with Elixirs and Spirit Wine to replenish their Spiritual Power, they wouldn’t be able to hold on.

"This is bad!"

The expressions on Qin Yushan and the others grew increasingly grim.

"Hahaha, die!"

The Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators and Demon Beasts, however, grew even more smug and continued to bombard the Unmoving Like a Mountain Array.

As a result, the situation for Qin Yushan and his fellow cultivators became increasingly precarious.

Of course, they didn’t forget to counter-attack while under the array’s protection, activating their Magical Treasures and other techniques.

Unfortunately, their counter-attacks were suppressed by the enemy’s array and had almost no effect.

In particular, the giant skulls spewed out clouds of black gas. Even Celestial Grade Magical Treasures would instantly dim and have their Mighty Power greatly reduced upon being covered by it.

As a result, they could only retract their Magical Treasures and resort to using Magic and Spirit Talismans, which were clearly even less effective.

Because of this, most of the cultivators simply stopped counter-attacking and instead focused all their energy on sustaining the array, hoping to hold out until the situation turned around.

"Everyone, hold on! I’ve already used a Zouwu Spirit Talisman! A large number of our sect brothers will be here to support us soon. When they arrive, these Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators and Demon Beasts are as good as dead!" Qin Yushan shouted. ℯⅇ𝙡.

He could have communicated with the other cultivators via voice transmission, but he deliberately spoke aloud so the enemy would hear him as well.

This way, the enemy might become fearful and could potentially be scared off.

He did this because he was worried that his side might not be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

"Don’t worry, Senior Brother, we’ll be fine!"

Hearing this, the morale of the cultivators was indeed instantly boosted.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The cultivators with lower Cultivation levels even gritted their teeth and performed Nascent Soul Emergence to continue holding on.

"Heh heh, you think you can scare us like this? That you can escape your fate? Keep dreaming!"

"Exactly. Our array is called the Ghost Head God-Trapping Array. Not only can it trap you, but it can also block transmissions via Secret Techniques. So even if you have a Zouwu Spirit Talisman, it might not work. And even if it does, there will be a significant delay."

"That’s right. And you probably don’t know this, do you? The Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance have joined forces for this operation, dispatching a large number of top-tier experts. It’s not just you who have been ambushed; it’s happening elsewhere too! Right now, your fellow sect members can barely fend for themselves, let alone come to your aid!"

At this, the Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators sneered disdainfully, and even the Demon Beasts let out triumphant, strange cries.

"Impossible! Even if you’ve joined forces, there’s no way we can be defeated!"

Qin Yushan and the other cultivators were shocked to hear this. For a moment, they felt a pang of despair, but they utterly refused to accept this reality.

"Fellow Daoists of the Heaven-defying Alliance, we are all human cultivators. Any conflict between us can be resolved privately. Why must you collude with these beasts? If our Desert Divine Palace suffers a loss, what good does that do you?"

"If our Desert Divine Palace is gone, these beasts will surely target you next. So why not help us? Let’s join forces and kill these Demon Beasts. If you do, our Desert Divine Palace will definitely not treat you unfairly!"

"That’s right! We can guarantee that the Desert Divine Palace will let bygones be bygones. We’ll even give you a chance to receive rewards and join us!"

Xie Yulin and a few other cultivators immediately changed tactics and began trying to persuade the cultivators from the Heaven-defying Alliance.

Even if it didn’t succeed, it could sow suspicion between the Demon Beasts and the Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators, creating an opening for them.

"Stop dreaming about driving a wedge between us. The Heaven-defying Alliance and the Beast Alliance made a pact long ago; we will never betray each other. Even if your Desert Divine Palace is destroyed, we will just carve up the Endless Desert Sea."

"Besides, although your Desert Divine Palace isn’t all that much, it’s impossible that you’ll be wiped out so easily. So, until that happens, there will be no conflict between us and the Beast Alliance!"

"As for you, you should be thinking hard about why we were able to discover your whereabouts and successfully ambush you in advance. It’s obviously because there’s a mole among you, haha!"

The leader of the Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators immediately sneered with disdain.

The other cultivators and Demon Beasts laughed strangely once again.

They hadn’t fallen for the trick at all. In fact, they turned it around and used psychological warfare of their own.

The Beast Alliance they mentioned was an alliance formed by the various major Demon Beast clans in the northern part of the Endless Desert Sea.

"You..."

The cultivators on Qin Yushan’s side were deeply disappointed and furious, but utterly helpless.

However, they hadn’t fallen for the trick either, and there wasn’t even a hint of mutual suspicion among them.

The reason was simple: they had fought side-by-side countless times before and had complete trust in one another.

Besides, the enemy could have used Celestial Secret Calculation or other methods to predict their movements and set up a successful ambush. They didn’t need a mole’s help at all.

"Hm?"

Zhang Chi, however, was a little surprised by this.

’He had thought their attempt to sow discord would have some effect. More importantly, he also perceived them with his powerful Divine Soul and discovered that their mental fluctuations remained relatively calm in the face of this psychological attack. It was clear there really was no mole.’

The battle continued to rage, and the situation for the Desert Divine Palace’s side grew increasingly dire. At this moment, Qin Yushan suddenly gritted his teeth and sent a voice transmission to his many fellow sect members.

"Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, Senior Brother Cheng Ran, Senior Sister Xie Yulin, and I are about to risk our lives to break a hole in the enemy’s array. Seize the opportunity, escape through it, and then scatter."

"Third Brother, you go with everyone else. I’m leaving my little sister in your care!" 𝔣𝖗ⅇℯ

"That’s right. We’ve already discussed this privately. At this point, this is the only way. As many of you as can escape, do so. Those who survive, if you have the power in the future, remember to avenge us. And please, I entrust the families and friends of our fallen sect members to those who live," Cheng Ran continued via voice transmission.

Xie Yulin didn’t speak. Her face was pale, and her body was even trembling slightly, but she nodded firmly, clearly in agreement with the decision.

"No! If we die, we die together!"

"Exactly! Our three seniors are all at Nascent Soul Peak and have the potential to become Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs. If anyone should be sacrificed, it should be us."

"Our Cultivation is the lowest, only at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage. Let us be the ones to self-detonate our Nascent Souls!"

"Nonsense! Even if you threw your lives away, it would be useless! Since you know your Cultivation is low, just follow the plan!"

"But... but our Cultivation is low! Even if we managed to escape the array, we definitely wouldn’t get away! But you three..."

The other cultivators immediately voiced their objections via transmission, and a debate broke out among them.

Zhang Chi was a bit stunned by the scene, even thinking that these fellow sect members were a bit naive, a bit fake.

But when he perceived them with his powerful Divine Soul, he discovered that they were all being completely serious.

’This is getting a little unbearable. Forget it. I might as well step in and solve this mess myself.’

Finally, unable to listen any longer, he shook his head slightly and secretly made his decision.

His original plan had been to slip away in the chaos and find an opportunity to strike at the enemy later—a much more foolproof approach. But now, he decided to change his mind. After all, the enemy had no Divinity Transformation Celestial Monarchs, so he wouldn’t be in any real danger no matter what.

DONG!

The next moment, Zhang Chi himself didn’t move, but outside the encirclement, a tall Black-robed Cultivator suddenly appeared.

The cultivator raised a hand and summoned a Top Grade Magical Treasure: a Black Small Bell.

Spiritual Light flowed across the Small Bell’s surface as it soared high into the air and rapidly expanded, transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall behemoth in the blink of an eye.

"Who’s there?"

"Die!"

At the same time, the Heaven-defying Alliance cultivators and Demon Beasts were startled by the sudden appearance of the Black-robed Cultivator and the Small Bell.

Immediately after, a portion of them unleashed their techniques and charged toward the Black-robed Cultivator.

"What’s going on?"

In that instant, Qin Yushan and the others also noticed the Black-robed Cultivator and the giant bell, but they were all completely bewildered.

DONG!

But just then, the giant bell suddenly let out a deafening toll, and powerful Sound Waves instantly swept across the entire battlefield.

Immediately, all the Demon Beasts and cultivators, including Qin Yushan and his group, felt their vision go black.

Only Zhang Chi was completely unaffected.

This was because the Black-robed Cultivator wasn’t a cultivator at all, but Corpse Puppet No.1, which had been secretly following Zhang Chi during this mission.

The Black Bell was the very same Magical Artifact from the Spirit Control Sect elder back then, capable of stunning nearby cultivators with Sound Waves. However, Zhang Chi had long since upgraded it step-by-step into a Top Grade Magical Treasure.

To do so, Zhang Chi had spent a great deal of time and precious materials.

And its effect did not disappoint him.

Caught completely off guard, every cultivator was hit. Not even the arrays could completely block the Sound Waves.

But Zhang Chi, protected by his Jade Pendant and being the master of the Magical Treasure, was completely unaffected.

The stunning effect would normally only last for an instant and wouldn’t have been fatal to the powerful cultivators and Demon Beasts on the scene.

After all, they were all powerful, possessed various Protective Measures, and were even protected by their arrays.

But for Zhang Chi, that was more than enough!