Cultivation of immortality begins with an eighty-year-old eunuch.

Chapter 421 The Qingyun Sect is coming! The grand formation is displayed!

The spiritual veins of Qingyun Mountain, stretching for thousands of miles, have been more than half depleted.

The protective array's protective barrier flickered like a candle in the wind, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. The Azure Lotus Daoist stood in mid-air, his Daoist robes billowing, his eyes gleaming with icy coldness.

"break!"

With a low shout, he drew his Azure Lotus Sword.

The sword light, like a long blue rainbow, slashed straight at the core of the great formation. Zhou Shan followed closely behind, unleashing his full power as a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. His giant blue palm reappeared, slamming down on the light barrier like a mountain.

Click!

The crisp cracking sound echoed throughout the entire clan.

The mountain-protecting formation, a barrier that had guarded the Qingyun Sect for three thousand years, finally collapsed completely under the combined attack of the two Nascent Soul cultivators.

The pale blue light shield transformed into countless specks of light, falling like a shower of stars. Upon touching the ground, the vegetation withered instantly, and the spiritual spring dried up completely. The spiritual energy of the thirty-six peaks of the Qingyun Sect dissipated; this once blessed land of immortals was now as desolate as a graveyard.

"Disciples of Qingyun Sect, heed my command!"

The Azure Lotus Daoist's voice, like thunder, echoed throughout the dilapidated mountain gate: "Follow me out of the mountain and flatten the Great Abyss!"

"Flatten the abyss! Flatten the abyss!"

Thousands of disciples shouted in unison, their voices booming to the heavens. Their eyes held both fear of the depletion of spiritual energy and fervent devotion to their ancestor's promise!

Flatten the abyss, plunder its resources, and revitalize the sect!

A dense, dark mass of people poured out of Qingyun Mountain like locusts.

At the forefront were Daoist Qinglian and Zhou Shanfei, followed by dozens of Foundation Establishment elders and thousands of Qi Refining disciples. The group rode swords, cloud-riding, and beast-taming, a vast and imposing procession that blotted out the sky.

The mortal kingdoms along the way were all astonished.

A general from a small border town climbed the city wall and looked into the distance. Seeing dark clouds looming overhead, he was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground: "That...that's the army of immortal masters?!"

"Quickly! Close the city gates!"

Ordinary cities are like paper in front of cultivators.

The Azure Lotus Daoist didn't even bother to lift a finger; with a mere wave of his sleeve, a gust of wind swept through, the city walls collapsed, and the array shattered. The city's inhabitants cried out and fled, while the cultivators knelt and begged for mercy, but no one paid them any heed.

"They're nothing but ants." Daoist Qinglian didn't even glance at them and headed straight east.

……

Da Yuan, the imperial city.

It was afternoon, and the autumn sun was high in the sky.

Peace and tranquility prevailed both inside and outside the imperial city.

Street vendors hawked their wares, children played, and in the teahouse, a storyteller was recounting the tale of "Eunuch Chen slaying demons with his sword," drawing cheers and applause from the audience.

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.

Emperor Jianwen, Xiao Quanzheng, was reviewing memorials when suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

He put down his vermilion pen, walked to the window, and looked towards the western horizon. For some reason, he felt uneasy all day, as if some great calamity was about to befall him.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" the personal eunuch asked softly.

Xiao Quan shook his head: "I don't know, it's just..."

Before he finished speaking, the sky suddenly darkened.

It wasn't dark clouds, but a dense mass of human figures.

Thousands of cultivators descended from the sky, their Nascent Soul auras pressing down like mountains, enveloping the entire imperial city. The common people, soldiers, and low-level cultivators within the city felt their breath catch in their throats; those with weaker cultivation levels immediately knelt on the ground, blood gushing from their mouths and noses.

"What...what is that?!"

"There are immortals in the heavens! So many immortals!"

"Wait...they're so menacing!"

The streets erupted into chaos. Children cried, women screamed, and men trembled as they looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with terror.

Inside the palace, Xiao Quan's face was deathly pale.

He saw the two leaders, the Qinglian Daoist, and an unfamiliar old man in green robes.

The two men exuded unfathomable auras, especially the Green Lotus Daoist, whose eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were fixed on the palace, his killing intent undisguised.

"Qingyun Sect...they've broken the seal!" Xiao Quan suddenly realized, and shouted sharply, "Quick! Activate the Zhou Tian Grand Array!"

"promise!"

Deep within the palace, eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators simultaneously formed hand seals.

This was a contingency plan left behind by Chen Fan before he left. With the imperial palace as the core of the formation, thirty-six array flags were distributed throughout the imperial city, forming a grand protective array of the celestial stars.

hum!

A pale golden light rose from all around the imperial city, like an inverted giant bowl, enveloping the entire city.

The surface of the light shield shimmered with the illusory reflections of stars, casting dappled starlight. Seeing this, the people inside and outside the city felt somewhat at ease and knelt down to pray.

"The formation left by Master..." Xiao Quan stood on the palace wall, looking at the light barrier, and felt a little more at ease. "It should be able to hold for a while."

But the next moment, his heart sank again.

The Azure Lotus Daoist stood in mid-air, overlooking the imperial city, a cold smile playing on his lips: "The city's protective formation? The old eunuch has left you a rather nice toy."

He raised his hand, and the Azure Lotus Sword reappeared.

"Unfortunately, a toy is still just a toy."

The sword was not drawn, but its intent was already there.

The azure sword energy poured out like a celestial river, slashing fiercely at the light barrier!

boom!

The loud noise reverberated throughout the city.

The protective barrier trembled violently, and the illusory images of stars flickered, yet it did not shatter. The city's inhabitants suffered eardrum bleeding from the shockwave, and many house tiles fell from their roofs.

"It's blocked!" a monk exclaimed in surprise.

But Xiao Quan's expression turned even uglier.

Although the protective barrier wasn't broken by that sword strike, it did show subtle cracks. And it's clear that Daoist Qinglian didn't use his full strength.

"Interesting." Daoist Qinglian sheathed his sword and examined the light barrier with great interest. "This formation is no less impressive than a typical second-rate mountain-protecting formation. The old eunuch is certainly willing to invest in his disciple."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried throughout the entire city.

Upon hearing this, the people all looked towards the palace, their eyes blazing with hope. The formation left behind by the Ninth Prince would surely protect the imperial city!

But this hope was quickly extinguished.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, let's join forces." Daoist Qinglian looked to his side. "The sooner we break the formation, the sooner we can slaughter the city. I'm still waiting to deal with that old eunuch."

Zhou Shan nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The two attacked at the same time!

The Azure Lotus Sword Domain reopened, and billions of sword energies transformed into azure sword dragons, roaring as they crashed into the light barrier. Zhou Shan then summoned a large bronze seal, its surface engraved with mountain patterns. As it faced the wind, it expanded, transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall giant seal, which slammed down fiercely!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After three consecutive strikes, the light shield shook violently, and cracks spread like a spider web.

Inside the city, the people screamed in terror, and the cultivators were ashen-faced. In the imperial palace, eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators collapsed, coughing up blood, and the array flags dimmed.

"Your Majesty...can't hold on any longer!" the old eunuch said in a trembling voice.

Xiao Quan gritted his teeth, stepped out of the palace wall, and stood in mid-air, facing the two Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Qinglian Daoist!" His voice rang out, trembling slightly, yet each word was clear. "Your Qingyun Sect is a cultivation sect, yet you attack a mortal dynasty, violating the ironclad rules of the Eight Sects. Aren't you afraid of being scorned by all cultivators under heaven?!"

"Eight Iron Laws?" Daoist Qinglian laughed heartily, his laughter filled with sarcasm. "Young Emperor, iron laws? My words are the iron laws!"

Xiao Quan's face turned pale.

"As for mortal dynasties..." Daoist Qinglian's smile suddenly turned cold, "They're nothing but ants. Today I'll show you that before absolute power, all those ironclad rules and regulations are utter bullshit!"

He raised his hand and slashed down with his sword again.

The crack in the photomask has widened, and fragments have already peeled off.

"Young Emperor, I'll give you a chance." The Azure Lotus Daoist suddenly sheathed his sword, his voice mocking. "Now remove the formation, open the city gates, and kneel to welcome you. I might spare the lives of everyone in the city. If you refuse..."

He paused, then said slowly and deliberately, "The day the battle is broken will be the day the city is massacred."