Chapter 98: The Town’s Lanterns

Chapter 98: The Town’s Lanterns

He left around ten in the morning, and when he returned, it was already deep into the night.

Yes, Li Si came back under the cover of darkness, with a hint of luck on his side.

After telling a story that was too embarrassing to speak of, he carefully examined his 30-centimeter-tall Divine Idol. On the very back of it, he found two tiny characters, no bigger than flies.

Considering the identity of the World Guardian True Immortal, and the fact that everyone had passed the age of youthful impulses—and that they were all respectable people—it was likely that his identity had not been exposed.

The reasoning was simple: after all, everyone was very busy. Who would be so bored? Except for that unscrupulous old lady addicted to the web!

“Sigh!”

Li Si sighed, then worriedly pushed open the door of his Quiet Room. Outside, it was quiet, but three Seven Star Lanterns floated in the town’s sky, illuminating the void, the night, and also people’s hearts.

Even the howls of the Mist Demons could no longer be heard.

Instead, the area near the riverbank to the west of the town was bustling with noise and excitement. At least a thousand men were working—they leveled the ground and laid down square stones. On the river, nine warships stood in a row, and various supplies were continuously unloaded.

Outside the west gate of the town, over a hundred large pots steamed vigorously. Strong women were brewing the Great Soul-Returning Broth, while children timidly followed behind, unable to resist glancing up at the sky.

“Don’t look up!”

A woman scolded her child, but she herself carefully stole a glance upward. The lord from the Floating Cloud Sect who came today had said these were Seven Star Lanterns, capable of shielding heavenly secrets. So it was allowed to look up, but only for these few days. Also, a battle was coming, but there was no need to worry; from now on, everyone would live a good life.

A good life?

It was hard to imagine; just being able to survive was enough.

Well, best of all, if they could have a few days like this every year, it would truly feel like a festival.

The construction sites in Kao Mountain Town were not limited to just this one. Under the illumination of the Seven Star Lanterns, those tall, stout, and usually fierce-looking Black-Armored Warriors each had Spirit Gathering Talismans and Strength Talismans stuck to their bodies. Working in pairs, they carried large square stones, each weighing at least ten thousand pounds, like ants moving house, toward the Northern Mountain of the town.

These stones were magical, covered in unrecognizable runes that emitted a faint blue light. Staring at them for too long could make one dizzy.

“Brothers, put in more effort! If anyone’s Talisman Paper suddenly disappears with a poof, come and tell me immediately. I am Ji Chang, the second-ranked true disciple of the Floating Cloud Sect, styled Donglai. From now on, we are all one family.”

The ruddy-faced Ji Chang rode on a huge red gourd, his plump cheeks bunched up as he continuously cheered on the Black-Armored Warriors carrying the stones. His words were as sweet as honey and as thoughtful as a little bee.

Because these 9,999 Great Yan Divine Stones were truly the Floating Cloud Sect’s last batch of treasures. Although dropping them would at most crush a toe into paste, it was best not to let them touch the ground if possible.

The Divine Stones had their own spirituality and must not be defiled.

He still remembered, over fifty years ago during the Floating Cloud Sect’s last migration, they had 19,999 Great Yan Divine Stones. The Old Madam carried them in her Celestial Secret Vault, fleeing all the way to this place. It was a miserable time—just to cover their retreat and divert the enemy’s pursuit, the Floating Cloud Sect lost dozens of elite disciples.

Many precious treasures were left behind in the rush.

Who would have thought they would migrate again today? But this time, to be honest, it was really comfortable. Having a backer felt wonderful. The Kaoshan Patriarch was truly righteous, considerate, and bright. Early in the morning, nine warships and over a thousand people had come over in a grand procession, almost scaring him and his brother Xu Shen out of their wits.

Upon asking, they found out these people were here to help.

Oh my! As the saying goes, a kind word warms one in winter, while a malicious remark chills one in June. At that moment, Ji Chang felt tears welling up in his eyes.

It hadn’t been easy. Their Floating Cloud Sect had persisted for over a thousand years, with generations of disciples dying, but today, they finally felt it was worth it!

That pig-headed Xu Shen still wondered if there was some trick involved?

Ji Chang still remembered the Old Madam’s look at Xu Shen—as if he were an idiot. Hahaha!

To be fair, that old crone had sharp eyes. Just look at this Kao Mountain Town—nearly five thousand people, and they weren’t just enthusiastic.

It was a pity they couldn’t meet the Kaoshan Patriarch in person; otherwise, Ji Chang would dare to kneel down and call him Grandpa!

In short, although the Floating Cloud Sect had many assets, there were also many people helping them move. In just one day, they had even dismantled the Four Symbols Great Array and brought it over.

To ensure the success of the moving operation, three magical Seven Star Lanterns had been raised into the sky.

It was also a bit regretful—the Floating Cloud Sect once had many large storage treasures, but now they were hard to activate or had been defiled. However, the current situation looked promising. In the future, there might be a way to repair these storage treasures. And then, counterattack?

No, no, no. If they could just hold this place and recuperate, Ji Chang would be content to die smiling.

“Senior Brother Ji, are all the Great Yan Divine Stones here?”

A streak of light flashed over the mountaintop ahead. Xu Shen, wearing a long gown with nine patches, swiftly approached on his sword. Many Black-Armored Warriors looked on with envy and even more respect. How could they not show respect? The Divine Decree had said the Floating Cloud Sect and the Mountback Sect were as close as family.

No one was a fool. Connecting the dots, they could guess that our Kaoshan Patriarch might very well be a disciple sent by the Floating Cloud Sect. Or, to be bolder, this very Xu Shen—the chief true disciple of the Floating Cloud Sect—might be our Kaoshan Patriarch.

So, who wouldn’t show respect?

They had to work even harder.

“Not a single one missing, not even a chip on the edges. These brothers from the temple are truly commendable; each one is a fine man.” Ji Chang clapped his hands in admiration.

“Thank you for your hard work, everyone!” Xu Shen wasn’t as exuberant as Ji Chang; he merely bowed slightly from the sky. His stress was immense, and he wasn’t as optimistic as Ji Chang. To him, everything today felt like a dream. He woke up to find the Old Madam had gone crazy, and the Kaoshan Patriarch had gone mad too.

He hadn’t forgotten the Old Madam’s instructions from over a month ago—about how this Kaoshan Patriarch was secretive, sneaky, and clearly not a good person at first glance…

However, he wasn’t the one in charge of the Floating Cloud Sect.

Now, he could only hurry and deploy more offensive and defensive arrays. Fortunately, Kao Mountain Town not only had many people and ample supplies but also plenty of valuable resources.

He had especially discovered two precious talents: one was Zhang San, the sect leader of the Lanshan Sect, and the other was Cheng Tianhao, the leader of the Temple’s Foot Knight Regiment.

The former was a Spirit Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Realm. A Spirit Cultivator, for goodness’ sake! Such a familiar term, such a heartening sound. These days, finding a Spirit Cultivator was so difficult.

With such a Spirit Cultivator, they could reduce several defensive weak points in the future.

Spirit Cultivators and True Cultivators should have collaborated a thousand years ago.

But now, only their twelve World Guardian Sects remained among True Cultivators. The major sects of Spirit Cultivators had long departed beyond the heavens and earth, and the rest had been silenced…

As for the latter, Cheng Tianhao, he had once been a Soul Division Realm Cultivator, the leader of a mid-sized sect. But later, he surrendered and became a lackey of the Evil God Cult.

Over the years, he had committed every evil deed imaginable, and his strength had dropped to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Then, two nights ago, he was captured by the Kaoshan Patriarch.

But, putting that aside, this man was also a master at setting up formations, capable of assisting Xu Shen in quickly completing the formation hub around Kaoshan City.

Yes, this was the Old Madam’s order: to base the formation on shielding an entire city.

To be honest, if it weren’t for this, Xu Shen would never have allowed Cheng Tianhao to help, even if beaten to death.

He wondered what that Kaoshan Patriarch was thinking, accepting such scum?

But the Old Madam had tacitly allowed it too, so don’t say he didn’t warn anyone.

In short, throughout the day, Xu Shen was busy deploying the great array while also supervising Cheng Tianhao. It was exhausting; he had no extra energy to exchange pleasantries with these Black-Armored Warriors. Oh, and these guys weren’t good people either—each one was steeped in sin.

“Whoosh!”

In the night sky, a nimble paper crane flew over. As soon as it reached Xu Shen, it automatically turned into a ray of spiritual light, and Jiang Ying’s voice sounded from within.

“Senior Brother Xu, Master says you must speed up the array deployment. The core great array around Kaoshan City must be completed by tomorrow evening.”

Xu Shen’s face twisted. Fine. Because he had to constantly supervise Cheng Tianhao, the speed of setting up the array was at least cut in half. After all, Cheng Tianhao’s array-setting skills were no weaker than his.

He glared viciously at the small, old man in the distance who didn’t even lift his head, eat, or wipe his sweat. This guy had been setting up the array foundations nonstop, his technique both fast and excellent.

But deep down, Xu Shen didn’t want this guy to have any contact with the Floating Cloud Sect’s Heaven-Simulating Array—a secret inheritance of the sect.

“Enough, enough!”

In the end, Xu Shen still didn’t dare defy the Old Madam. The Heaven-Simulating Array was the core of the Kaoshan City’s encompassing formation hub. The placement of the 9,999 Great Yan Divine Stones was the most crucial step. Without completing this, the overall progress couldn’t be finished.

“Whoosh!”

Xu Shen descended on his sword glow to stand before Cheng Tianhao. It was hard to imagine that this silent, unsmiling, white-haired, and withered old man was a traitor to the Cultivation world.

But there was no one else to use.

Xu Shen somewhat understood the Kaoshan Patriarch’s thinking. Nowadays, Cultivators were remnants. The seven great kingdoms and the Evil God Cult were the orthodox powers—all the talent was on their side.

“This is the core deployment diagram for my Floating Cloud Sect’s Heaven-Simulating Array. Take a look. Time is tight; we must complete the placement of the 9,999 Great Yan Divine Stones before midnight tonight. Do you understand what I mean?”

Cheng Tianhao didn’t look up but merely bowed slightly, took the small formation booklet Xu Shen handed him, flipped through it once, and returned it. “Sect Leader Xu, please give me one hour. The Heaven-Simulating Array is indeed marvelously intricate, simulating the changes of heaven and earth. But many years ago, I had already deciphered it and made some slight improvements.”

“You served as a dog for the Evil God Cult, and you’re quite proud of it, aren’t you?” Xu Shen’s killing intent surged. If this man weren’t under the Kaoshan Patriarch’s command, he would have already ground this old dog to dust.

Cheng Tianhao remained silent for a long time before lowering his head. “Please, Sect Leader Xu, give me a chance to atone. The Evil God Cult already knows the Floating Cloud Sect’s location. They are speeding up their troop deployments. Completing the city-encompassing great array hub one day earlier increases our chances of victory. The Human Race has declined to this state; this old man’s crimes are unforgivable. Now, I have no desire to cling to life, only hoping to redeem myself. If one day the Human Race can restore its past glory, I am willing to take my own life to apologize to the world.”

Xu Shen stared at Cheng Tianhao for a long time before finally agreeing.