<h4>Chapter 525: It''s The Strong Ones I Want To Kill (1)</h4>
<i>Boom!</i>
"Go!" Pei He roared, leading the jiaolong array formed by the fifty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators and charging out of the battleship.
<i>Whoosh! Whoosh! </i>In quick session, Bing Roushui, Yu Zhuo, and Lie Shier each led thirty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators, forming various battle arrays. Some transformed into silver dragons, others into rocs, and some into four-legged beasts, each array manifesting as a formidable creature.
Zhang Shan and Shi Ji, both body refiners, each led eleven Shambh cultivators. Their bodies glowed faintly with silver light as they merged into one, forming a massive four-armed humanoid warrior.
Two other powerful ninth-stage Shambh powerhouses simrly led their teams of Shambh cultivators, forming equally imposing battle arrays.
<i>Boom~ Boom!</i>
Four Shambh battle arrays charged out from the battleship, pushing back the arrays’ attacks with the sheer force of their Shambh Domains.
In an instant, Wu Yuan''s team unleashed their power. Inside the flying boat, only two Shambh cultivators and eighty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators remained, along with Wu Yuan himself.
The soldiers of the Huo Cang Army looked towards Wu Yuan.
"Don''t worry," Wu Yuan reassured them calmly.
If ordinary Amethyst Cradle/Shambh cultivators participated in a battle at this level without forming a battle array, it was tantamount to suicide.
<i>Indeed, they are all well-trained. Even though it''s their first battle, they know what to do.</i> Wu Yuan thought as he extended his Soul Force.
His consciousness resided in the Surface Void Layer of the higher void dimension, allowing him to perceive everything within a radius of thirty thousand li with ease.
Along with his Soul Will, Wu Yuan had detected the enemy ambush through his Soul Force even before the attack wasunched. Yet, he had remained silent, letting his battleship enter the enemy array''s range.
<i>Array? </i>Wu Yuan observed quietly. <i>The space war zone is under a subtle suppression effect. The spiritual qi in space thin, weakening the array’s power.</i>
There were numerous categories of arrays. Those like this fixed one had their power limited within the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield, thus the power they unleashed was dampened.
The victor would not be determined through arrays alone.
<i>There are over a hundred Amethyst Cradle cultivators. Three of them emit highly threatening auras. </i>Wu Yuan''s powerful Soul Force expanded through the Destiny Voidscape, locking onto the auras of his targets thousands of li away one by one.
Even with their arrays as cover, his opponents werepletely exposed within the range of Wu Yuan''s Soul Will. This was what made a powerful qi refiner so terrifying.
Body refiners excelled at resisting various dangers with their strong physical bodies, while qi refiners leveraged the higher void dimensions to sense, foresee, and even kill enemies directly through karma. Both had their strengths.
<i>But there seems to be an even more powerful presence lurking around. </i>Wu Yuan squinted, vaguely sensing something.
Either the opponent''s soul is stronger than Wu Yuan''s, or it was a higher-order existence.
<i>Elysian Field phase? Or Void Refiner phase?</i> Wu Yuan frowned slightly. <i>This An Shu is quite reckless, rushing over without checking the strength of his opponent.</i>
<i>However, it’s precisely the strong opponents that I want to kill.</i>
<i>If I kill a Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivator, the amount of blood mist released would surely be abundant.</i> Wu Yuan''s eyes shed with a trace of cold light. <i>And it should be enough to promote me directly to a sixth-rank fighter.</i>
ording to the rules of the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield:
The reward for killing a first to sixth-stage Amethyst Cradle or Shambh cultivator was one thousand ethercrystalurels.
The reward for killing a seventh to ninth-stage Amethyst Cradle or Shambh cultivator was three thousand ethercrystalurels.
The reward for killing a Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivator was one million ethercrystalurels.
To earn the title of a third-rank fighter, one must obtain one hundred thousand ethercrystalurels, equivalent to ying a hundred ordinary Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
To earn the title of sixth-rank fighter, one must umte one million ethercrystalurels.
To earn the title of ninth-rank fighter, one must umte one hundred million ethercrystalurels.
And the legendary-rank title? That required a staggering one billion ethercrystalurels!
As for the king-rank title, the ethercrystalurel requirements were the same as the legendary-rank, with one additional criterion: leading an army to conquer a war base in a major battle and being the greatest contributor to victory. A true king on the battlefield!
In Wu Yuan''s n, his qi refiner self was here to temper himself, aiming to be a ninth-rank fighter at least.
But if he merely slew Amethyst Cradle cultivators, how long would that take? The umtion of blood mist followed the same logic. Searching for targets was an incredibly tedious task.
Therefore, Wu Yuan decided to target those who had broken through to be Void Refiner or Elysian Field cultivators during their time on the Eldritch-Immortal Battlefield.
<i>The constant pressure of death, coupled with the vast numbers of Amethyst Cradle cultivators, leads to an astonishingly high emergence rate of powerhouses on the battlefield.</i> A chilling light flickered in Wu Yuan''s eyes.
As he was pondering, a terrifying battle erupted outside the battleship!
...
<i>Boom!</i> Ayer of hazy green light spread out over several thousand li as An Shu stood in outer space, his aura mighty.
The moment he encountered the enemy, he charged out of the battleship and unleashed his domain, blocking the array''s radiance.
It was a domain at the ninth-level True Intent stage, a rudimentary Dao Field.
<i>Arrays? How vignt. I deliberately took a detour, yet in less than ten days, so many arrays have beenid out. Seems like they are well-prepared. </i>An Shu’s gaze was icy cold.
<i>But this time, I’m not alone. I''ve brought a whole group of helpers. Let''s see who will win.</i>
<i>Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!</i> A swarm of flying swords emerged, encircling him. Their sword qi was all-epassing, their aura immensely powerful.
"An Shu, this is no easy opponent," Gong Shujie called out in a hoarse voice.
<i>Hum~ Hum~ Hum~ </i>Around him, towering battle puppets appeared one after another.
These puppets resembled warriors from ancient myths and legends. Several puppet serpents emitted electric sparks as they encircled Gong Shujie. Overall, he looked like a force to be reckoned with.
Puppet cultivation was a major sub-ss of equipment forging cultivation. It was rted to arrays, extremely difficult to learn, and even harder to master. But once sessful, one could unleash terrifying power.
"Prepare for battle."
"Battle array."
"The enemy is in that direction." Pei He, Lie Shier, Bing Roushui, and the others formed eight battle arrays, appearing just as powerful as Void Refiner/Elysian Field cultivators.
Battle arrays, essentially mobile arrays, enabled arge number of immortal cultivators to fight as one against stronger enemies with the help of array talismans. [1]
However, the more array controllers and the higher their cultivation, the more difficult it was to form a mobile array, and the greater the weaknesses.
The strongest member of this Huo Cang Army team, Pei He, could lead fifty-five Amethyst Cradle cultivators to form a silver dragon array, while the other captains could only lead thirty-six Amethyst Cradle cultivators.
While qi refiners had versatile essentia, body refiners did not, making it far harder for them to form battle arrays. It was already a remarkable feat for twelve Shambh cultivators to form a battle array.
"Themander hasn''t left the ship yet? And where are the two other teams?" The moment Pei He, Lie Shier, Bing Roushui, and the others formed their battle arrays and rushed out of the battleship, they noticed that Wu Yuan had not led the other Amethyst Cradle cultivators out of the battleship.
"Engage the enemy first," Wu Yuan''s calm voice echoed in their minds. "But don''t rush, there are stronger foes among the enemy."
Their hearts skipped a beat. Stronger?
By now, Pei He and the others had noticed the wave of enemies surging over amidst the arrays. But how did Wu Yuan know that there were stronger enemies?
"Since he’s bold enough to return, he must certainly be confident. He’s even brought an elite army, and a puppet master?" The single-horned man in purple robes stood in the air.
Hazy fiery-red qi streams merged with the seven huge cauldrons surrounding him. Flying swords revolved around him, emitting an intimidating radiance.
Fights between peerless geniuses usually didn’t involve arrays. There were great advantages to arrays, but also drawbacks.
Beside the purple-robed man stood two gigantic, six-armed warriors in ck armor. These were battle arrays led by the two women in purple robes, consisting of sixty-four Amethyst Cradle cultivators each.
The two sides faced each other from a distance.
"Kill!" The purple-robed man moved.
Stepping on a cauldron, he propelled himself at a speed of over a thousand li per second. At the same time, he unleashed his domain.
"Kill!"
The two six-armed warriors roared as they charged forward, brandishing their weapons. They closed the distance with terrifying speed, radiating powerful auras.
An Shu growled, his eyes narrowing. "Last time, I fought alone and lost. This time, you won''t win." Pouring his essentia into his flying swords, they immediately gained a power boost. The swords swirled around him, forming giant winged serpents.
On closer inspection, it became clear that these serpents were actuallyposed of countless flying swords, assembled with meticulous precision. This was a Thousand Swords Array!
The nine serpents moved as one, their sinuous forms intertwining within An Shu''s Domain. Yet, each serpent was a Hundred Swords Array.
<i>Boom! Boom! Boom!</i> The colossal winged serpents collided with the massive cauldrons, the impact resonating like thunder. The force of the sh sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
Among the Amethyst Cradle/Shambh cultivators, only a few rare geniuses had advanced to the ninth-level True Intent stage of a Lesser Law. The two powerful domains, each bearing the semnce of a Dao Field''s might, were now locked in a brutal struggle for dominance.
"Kill!" Gong Shujiemanded. Hundreds of puppet warriors marched forth, each armed with shields and sabers, their eyes burning with a mechanical fury as they charged toward the single-horned, purple-robed young man.
These puppet warriors possessed power and speed on par with a seventh-stage Shambh cultivator with a sixth-degree immortal root.
Under Gong Shujie''s control, they could even channel the profundities of certain Laws in their attacks. Their sheer numbers made them a significant threat.
"Get lost!" the purple-robed man spat coldly. Two cauldrons whirled around him with immense power, crashing through the wave of puppet warriors like meteors. Yet, despite his efforts, the puppets surged forward relentlessly, undeterred by the attacks.
An Shu and Gong Shujie coordinated their attacks on the purple-robed young man, forcing his cauldrons back.
...
The battlefield was a cacophony of explosions and shing weapons as Pei He and Lie Shier led their troops into battle against the two giant six-armed warrior arrays.
"Die!" one warrior roared, while the other shouted, "Kill!" The six-armed warrior arrays wielded four sabers and two shields each, their saber techniques precise and powerful.
One of the battle arrays was surrounded by a shimmering green light, while the other was enveloped in fiery red mes, signaling that their controllers had reached the seventh-level True Intent stage of Daoprehension.
The massive silver dragon array led by Pei He roared, its deadly ws swiping at one of the warrior arrays. The sh was intense. Though the power of Pei He''s array was slightly weaker, he had also reached the seventh-level True Intent stage, allowing him to hold his ground.
"Kill!" Among the Shambh battle arrays, one was led by Zhang Shan. They charged into battle with a roar, one swinging a saber, the other a war hammer, ready to assist Pei He.
<i>Whoosh! Rip!</i> The six-armed warrior array’s saber technique was swift and unpredictable, evading Zhang Shan''s saber andnding a vicious strike on his Shambh battle array.
A massive wound was torn open, but it healed rapidly. This was a strength of Shambh battle arrays. Though typically weaker than their Amethyst Cradle counterparts, their defense and vitality were unparalleled.
"Hold them off!" Bing Roushui, Shi Ji, Yu Zhuo, and the others charged forward to confront the other six-armed warrior array. In terms of Daoprehension, Bing Roushui and the others were only at the sixth-level True Intent stage.
The leap from the sixth-level True Intent stage to the seventh-level True Intent stage was vast, representing a critical threshold for many Amethyst Cradle cultivators. Once this milestone was reached, it meant they had fulfilled a criteria to be Void Refiner Eminences.
It was fair to say that the battle arrays formed by Shi Ji and the others were far inferior to the six-armed, ck-armored warrior arrays.
However, they had the advantage of numbers.
1. changed portable arrays to mobile arrays ?