Chapter 179: The Five Elements Primal Chaos Array

Clouds gathered and spread all over the sky while divine talismans flew through the air.

Whether it was the demons near Crow Mountain or the disciples of the Five Great Sects themselves, none had expected the assault to come so swiftly after the command was given. Crow Mountain’s reaction had been fast—dozens of miles away from their mountain, they had already stationed many vanguard Demon Generals, setting boundaries.

This showed they were either heavily guarded and well-organized or had known in advance of the attack from Qingjiang Prefecture’s sects and placed demon sentries accordingly.

That said, these vanguard Demon Generals might have also had duties like negotiation, intimidation, or warning.

But no one could have anticipated that the elders of the always-harmonious Five Great Sects would strike with such ferocity the moment the order was given. In an instant, they revealed their power, slaughtering the small Demon Kings and then immediately employing their divine abilities, like a thunderbolt speeding towards the still-unprepared Crow Mountain.

Like five colossal waves from the heavens, their momentum intertwined fearfully over Crow Mountain.

“Break into the mountain! Spare no demon, above or below!”

Reaching the mountain, the Five Sect elders bellowed sternly, issuing the death decree.

“The Qi Refiners of Qingjiang Prefecture are most rude…”

But just as all the disciples of the Five Great Sects converged above Crow Mountain, fierce roars erupted from within the deep, bloody woods. Countless tendrils of Demonic Qi shot skyward like gray pillars twisting menacingly amidst the clouds, revealing terrifying demonic visages.

Simultaneously, numerous lights flickered across Crow Mountain, blending together like ripples on water, rapidly rising into the air. They formed a semi-transparent shield that swiftly enclosed the entire mountain.

“Not good!”

The charging elders and disciples of the Five Great Sects faltered, their expressions shocked and grim.

Before the assault, they had heard how the “Demon Hound” of Crow Mountain was fiercely savage, recruiting many minor demons in the area, declaring itself Demon King within Crow Mountain’s bounds. But now, they realized their intelligence was insufficient: in that brief moment, at least seven or eight demondic auras, comparable to Demon Kings, surged from Crow Mountain.

These Demon Kings possessed strength comparable to Golden Core cultivators—even those in the mid or late Golden Core Realm.

To some degree, this likely matched the strength of a major sect.

Could it have subjugated demons beyond Xiaotaichuan, even from Wuhe County?

Most surprisingly, how was there a formation array atop Crow Mountain?

Since when did demons know how to create formation arrays?

……

“Look… just look at their setup! They put on a better show of being a proper sect than us Shoushan Sect!”

Meanwhile, far behind the Five Great Sects, Shoushan Sect obediently occupied their assigned position—an insignificant narrow valley at least ten miles from Crow Mountain. Their Dharma Ship hovered mid-air, offering a distant view of the Five Great Sects’ assault. Witnessing it, each member paled in shock.

“It’s not just ‘better’… it’s far surpassing us as a sect…” Elder Green Pine sighed wryly at Elder Cold Stone’s lament, saying: “Our Shoushan Sect doesn’t have so many Demon King-level big shots guarding us, nor so many minor demons at our command. Even their Mountain Protection Array… seems superior to ours!”

Elder Cold Stone murmured in disbelief: “How can we fight this…”

“Quite ferocious, this Crow Mountain Demon Hound…” Young Sect Master Xu aboard the Dharma Ship also stiffened, seemingly recalling something, his expression turning grave. He murmured to Fang Cun beside him, “Recruiting nearby Demon Kings to serve it? That’s one thing… But where did it get all these Mountain Protection Arrays?”

“Mountain spirits rarely understand formations!” Fang Cun quietly replied, also gazing at the glowing array enveloping Crow Mountain. “And even if they did, they wouldn’t have the materials! Where else could they come from?”

Young Sect Master Xu’s expression hardened as understanding dawned: “Damned!”

It wasn’t unusual for demons to arise across the Great Xia Dynasty where mountains and waters were plentiful. Mountain beasts, born dull and instinctive, sometimes imbibed the essences of sun and moon to metamorphose into demons, gaining innate powers. However, formations belonged to the domain of the Classic of Calculations. How could they comprehend it? Aside from established factions in the demon lands of the south, possessing systematic knowledge, where might the feral mountain spirits learn the Seven Classics? Crow Mountain hadn’t just acquired formations—they had interconnected them across the slopes, forming something akin to a full Mountain Protection Array. How?

Though Fang Cun hadn’t spelled it out, Young Sect Master Xu guessed the truth: some human Qi Refiners or merchants had sold these to them! Supplying cultivation-derived formations and artefacts to man-eating fiends—how detestable! No wonder even the gentle Young Sect Master Xu radiated murderous intent.

……

“Hah! Demon Kings gathered, with a Mountain Protection Array?”

Meanwhile, the Five Great Sect members pressing Crow Mountain glared coldly towards the peaks. Eight terrifying concentrations of Demonic Qi surged upwards, confirming the presence of at least eight Golden Core Realm demons. Combined with the deceptively placid yet lethal formation arrays, it presented an extremely thorny dilemma…

“Elder Ge, what should we do?”

Amidst the Nine Immortals Sect disciples, a path opened in the mist as Elder Lu spoke coldly.

“What should we do?”

Elder Ge chuckled softly, his gaze sweeping over the other four distant sects. It lingered longest on the Shoushan Sect positioned far back, nearly ten miles away. Thoughts churned rapidly within him: “We’ve already pondered Shoushan’s gambit… They dared challenge us with this wager, so they must possess a potent method to assassinate the Demon Hound… Either an inherited Magic Treasure, or something formidable Fang Chi’s brother brought from Willow Lake… Or perhaps they secured hidden assistance – even that mad Elder from their Rear Mountain? Unlikely, yet still… possible! Whatever their reservation, one fact is irrefutable: Shoushan Sect now awaits only its definitive moment. They want us, the Five Great Sects, to exhaust both the Demon Hound’s support… and ourselves! Once their chance crystalizes… they maneuver… strike the killing blow…”

“Therefore… the only foolproof counter: offer NO opening!”

“They desire mutual attrition? We obliterate the Demon Hound outright!”

“They yearn for their moment? We make it impossible!”

Having raced through countless schemes in the blink of an eye, Elder Ge swiftly focused his intent, projecting it telepathically to the chief elders of the other Four Sects nearby: “Esteemed friends… honor the prior accord! Shift formation! Engage the Five Elements Primal Chaos Array!”

The four elders seemed to tighten subtly within the sky’s void, faint smiles of cold agreement forming.

“Deploying that formation… we give these spirits far too much face…”

“Haha! Witnessing Shoushan Sect’s elaborate plottings crumble into dust… that would be satisfying indeed…””

……

“You dare invade Crow Mountain? Slay my mountain sentinels? Even immortally-backed County Sects pay a price!!”

Amidst the swirling thoughts and strategies, the Demon Kings of Crow Mountain roared furiously.

Behind them, atop jagged peaks and rock faces, countless minor demons swarmed into view, shrieking curses and baying threats.

“Pay… a price?”

Standing squarely before Crow Mountain’s main entrance, Elder Ge of the Nine Immortals Sect burst into laughter. He scanned the arrayed Demon Kings and shouted clearly, “Rough, unlearned mountain spirits! How dare you utter wild threats?”

His laughter abruptly vanished. Face hardening, he bellowed, “Nine Immortals disciples! Full-frontal assault! Show them… IMMORTAL methods!”

The command scarcely escaped his lips when a dark shadow flashed beside him. Elder Lu, the unassuming-looking elder renowned for martial arts, leapt forth! A black lance coalesced instantly in his grasp. With a sweep towards the sky, boundless storm-force swirled towards the lance. Power built… built… Then—HE STOMPED! The black lance became a dragon-shadow… SMASHING directly into the mountain gate!

CRACK! BOOM!

A section of Crow Mountain’s gatehouse imploded. Boulders rained down, leaving a gaping breach!

Gripping the lance reverse-style, Elder Lu charged into the gap! Carnage followed! Immediately behind, Nine Immortals disciples poured through the breach, unleashing their skills against surging demons. The ostensibly impressive Mountain Protection Array? Before the pinnacle gaze of a genuine Immortal Sect elder, it contained… GLARING flaws! A single discerning glance exposed the core weakness. Before most demons could react… the PATH stood OPEN!

Exactly as Elder Ge predicted: against true cultivation techniques… demon methods fell deplorably short!