Zhao Kai declared loudly, "Fellow Daoists, our target is to capture Goden Thunder Mountain and Flying Thunder Valley. These two locations are key points of the protective grand array. Securing these two points will allow the grand array to operate at full capacity. With this, even if the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect deploys two or even three Deity Transformation cultivators, they will not be able to breach our Mystic Azure!"


    He pointed towards the sky, "There is already a Deity Transformation Elder from our upper sect positioned outside the star!"


    Upon hearing this, Jingkong, Duan Xiu, and others felt a surge of reassurance. Having a Deity Transformation cultivator present calmed their nerves significantly.


    "Venerable Jingkong, I will accompany you to Goden Thunder Mountain."


    "Master Duan, my junior brother Cheng Qi will go with you to Flying Thunder Valley."


    "Kill! Every demon cultivator in Northern Cold we encounter must be eliminated!"


    Zhao Kai commanded robustly.


    "Yes!" The group of Nascent Soul cultivators responded in unison.


    The seven split into two groups, heading straight for Goden Thunder Mountain and Flying Thunder Valley.


    ...


    Flying Thunder Valley.


    Once a scenic valley, it was now littered with corpses.


    Malicious and corpse energies rose from every inch of the ground.


    Liu Ruoshui, holding her nose, reluctantly spoke, "Fellow Daoist Zheng, must it be this way?"


    Zheng Ji responded calmly, "This Black Yin Demon Corpse Array of mine works best with more corpses—the more, the better. Otherwise, how could we possibly withstand the Nascent Soul cultivators from Feather Transformation Heaven Palace?"


    Liu Ruoshui had no choice but to acquiesce.


    She and Zheng Ji were in charge of defending this area, along with five Golden Core cultivators managing the array.


    Ever since the outbreak of the war between the Reincarnation Divine Sect and the Heaven Shaking Divine Sect, Zheng Ji had left the Corpse Yin Sect to come to Flying Thunder Valley.


    They were well aware. Should Feather Transformation Heaven Palace attack, their primary targets would undoubtedly be the two grand array footings.


    "They''re coming! Four people in total, led by Feather Transformation Heaven Palace''s Deputy Palace Master Cheng Qi."


    While Zhao Kai and his group were still a thousand miles from Flying Thunder Valley, Zheng Ji suddenly opened his eyes and alerted in a deep voice.


    He had crafted numerous corpse puppets and scattered them around the valley for miles. Should anyone approach, he would know immediately.


    Liu Ruoshui and Wei Ji, having defected from Feather Transformation Heaven Palace, had already informed them of Zhao Kai and his companions'' appearances and tactics.


    This allowed Zheng Ji to recognize Cheng Qi, Zhao Kai''s junior brother, right away.


    He slammed his hand on the array disc, and a thick malevolent energy rose from beneath Flying Thunder Valley, enveloping the entire area.


    This was the mid-grade Nascent Soul level array he had prepared in advance—the Black Yin Demon Corpse Array.


    Within this array, all corpses were transformed into corpse demons under his command. These corpse demons would self-destruct at the moment of their death.


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    A simultaneous explosion from thousands of corpse demons could severely injure Nascent Soul cultivators.


    However, the corpse demons could not leave the range of the array.


    To establish this array, Zheng Ji had slaughtered two mortal cities, throwing a total of three hundred thousand corpses into Flying Thunder Valley!


    He also introduced several of his own corpse generals into the mix, serving as leaders of the corpse demons.


    Liu Ruoshui declared, "I will immediately notify the others."


    Meanwhile, at Golden Thunder Mountain.


    Wei Ji and Wan Hun also received immediate news of Duan Xiu and others'' approaches. They activated a pre-arranged array as well.


    Instantly, Golden Thunder Mountain was shrouded in gloom, with specters weaving through the air, turning the mountain into a vision akin to the underworld.


    The fact that Northern Cold had fewer Nascent Soul cultivators was undeniable, necessitating reliance on powerful arrays to fend off invaders.


    Chu Xuan, along with Wan Wu Ying and other Golden Core cultivators from the Wan Hun Sect, were stationed at Golden Thunder Mountain, each positioned at an array foot, controlling the array.


    Fu Peng appeared somewhat anxious, "Brother Cao, we are outnumbered... it''s truly a case of the few against the many..."


    Cao Mo sighed deeply, "What can be done? If someone comes to kill you, do you not resist and just wait for death? Or do you want to run?"


    Fu Peng could only offer a wry smile.


    Bai Jinkun and Wan Wu Ying glanced at Chu Xuan and, noticing his calm demeanor, felt slightly reassured.


    Zhao Kai, Jingkong, Jinghui, and Jingxuan hovered midair, looking towards the ominously gloomy Golden Thunder Mountain.


    Jingkong clasped his hands together, chanting a Buddhist mantra, "This place reeks of demonic energy, truly a den of filth and chaos, it must be cleansed."


    With that, he unleashed a holy Buddhist palm strike.


    However, the palm strike only momentarily dispelled the darkness, which was quickly replenished by more gloomy air.


    Jingkong frowned, "This array is at least an upper-tier Nascent Soul formation."


    Jinghui spoke in a serious tone, "Master Zhao, an upper-tier Nascent Soul formation''s defenses are formidable. The demon cultivators must have prepared a substantial amount of spirit stones. We could forcefully break through, but it would consume a vast amount of time. Do you have any methods, Master Zhao?"


    Zhao Kai smiled faintly, "If Feather Transformation Heaven Palace lacks anything, it is not depth of resources."


    He casually slapped his hand down.


    More than ten Breaking Restriction Talismans suddenly flew out, landing in their hands.


    These talismans were specifically designed to break Nascent Soul-level formations.


    Heavenly Heart Temple, being a fourth-tier cultivation sect, could at most possess one or two such talismans, treated like precious treasures.


    But Feather Transformation Heaven Palace was different, being a fifth-tier cultivation sect.


    When Zhao Kai and his group had attacked the Hundred Refinements Sect, they had used a large number of these talismans.


    "Excellent! With these divine talismans, breaking the formation will be a breeze!" Jingxuan exclaimed with great joy.


    "Please proceed without hesitation, I will cover you!" Zhao Kai declared loudly.


    "Yes!" The three monks shouted in unison, channeling their spiritual qi into the Breaking Restriction Talismans and propelling them forward.


    The talismans struck Golden Thunder Mountain like meteors.


    Boom!


    The mountain''s ominous aura was instantly halved. The array was damaged, causing considerable discomfort to Golden Core cultivators like Fu Peng and Bai Jinkun, who were stationed at the array''s base. They felt as though they were struck by a massive hammer, with their inner energies roiling uncontrollably.


    "Damn! So many Breaking Restriction Talismans. Feather Transformation Heaven Palace is loaded!" Fu Peng couldn''t help cursing.


    Noticing that Chu Xuan showed no intention of intervening, Wei Ji and Wan Hun exchanged glances and immediately took out their magic treasures to confront the attackers, determined not to let the enemy break the formation easily.


    Wei Ji, slightly stronger, took on Jinghui and Jingxuan, managing a two-on-one fight. Meanwhile, Wan Hun, controlling several ghost generals, encircled Jingkong.


    Zhao Kai stood with his hands behind his back, opting not to join the fray but instead scanning the surroundings, as if searching for someone.


    Chu Xuan shook his head. This Zhao Kai was indeed cautious. If Zhao had rushed into the melee, Chu Xuan could have taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, potentially inflicting severe damage. Unfortunately, Zhao was also on his guard, likely wary of a hidden strike from Shi Juntian.


    The battle between Wei Ji and the others continued for a while. Wan Hun''s ghost generals were slain, showing signs of defeat.


    "In the name of Buddha, banish these demons!" Jingkong roared, forming seals with his hands and summoning two layers of merit wheels behind his head. A colossal hand descended rapidly, aiming for Wan Hun.


    Wan Hun, visibly shocked, quickly pulled out his life-saving magic treasure in defense. Nevertheless, he was blown away, coughing up blood midair, his treasure visibly cracked.


    Wan Hun managed a bitter smile. Despite appearing strong, he was internally drained. He had been fighting with all his might and was now at his limit.


    "It''s time to depart from this path, demon," Jingkong declared, ready to deliver the final blow to Wan Hun.


    Just then, a powerful aura suddenly surged. A massive earth-colored spear thrust towards Jingkong.


    Zhao Kai''s eyes sparkled as he smirked, "All this hiding and finally showing yourself!"