With the arrival of the two Li family members, everyone exchanged brief introductions and began discussing the battle against the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
"The Holy Monk has already initiated the battle and alerted the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems!"
He Hao's expression was icy cold.
He could see that on the Inverted Mountain, the cultivators of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems had already activated their formations and were ready to counterattack at any moment.
All of this was a disaster caused by Holy Monk Yidian launching a massive attack without a word of agreement, completely deviating from the original plan of charging into the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems together.
However, given the Holy Monk's Integration Realm status, He Hao dared not rebuke him directly.
The Eternal Immortal Sect indeed possessed a profound foundation.
He Hao summoned a talisman paper, which ignited and swept across his eyes.
Instantly, the ground below appeared to him like a rushing mountain torrent.
Tracing the source into the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, he saw a woman atop the mountain peak dressed in revealing white robes.
She was solemnly casting a technique, white smoke pouring endlessly from her mouth as the Sea of Blood surged and space rippled around her.
"There is a woman inside who is proficient in illusion techniques and formations.
She is a Fourth-Grade Array Master.
The formations of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems have a foundation built over many years, and the array base lies within.
Unless we break it with brute force..."
He Hao spoke in a grave voice, "Once we enter, now that the array is active, we... will inevitably be scattered to different locations across the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems!"
"Hahaha!"
Heavenly Lord Ning'an gave a loud laugh.
"So what? We only know a few details about the Mountain's foundation.
But with the majority of the Immortal Suppression Department's forces gathered here, once we enter the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, success will depend on our individual capabilities.
We have cooperated plenty of times over these years; are we really to fear a single Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems?"
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
The various factions within the Immortal Suppression Department had been united for many years, suppressing those who acted with reckless abandon in the Azure Dynasty.
Yet, when all was said and done, many of them did not even know the trump cards held by their allies.
Leave aside those who had attained the Void Refinement Realm—even among those at the Divinity Transformation Realm, who wasn't a peerless talent of their time?
Everyone believed themselves to be the outstanding elite of their realm.
Until the very moment of their death, they would never truly know just how much—or how little—they were worth.
Immediately, the group stepped onto the ground.
Numerous cultivators—figures who were likened to gods in the mortal world—activated their protective techniques and gradually merged into the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
....
[At the Hall Of White-Robes]
Atop the Hall Of White-Robes, the white-robed Huangui exhaled white mist.
Beneath the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, the Sea of Blood surged violently.
The white mist spread to every corner of the mountain, triggering formation after formation.
Within the Sea of Blood, terrifying auras erupted one after another, and hideous corpse shadows crawled out from the depths of the blood.
"They have come, after all."
Huangui sighed.
Within the mountain, the Purple-Robed Elders were already rising to meet the enemy, and collisions of Spiritual power were erupting everywhere.
Li Tianyi stood by Huangui's side, his face filled with panic.
"Master, since you anticipated this long ago, why didn't you flee earlier?"
He felt a sense of helplessness.
During these years of study at the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, his master, Huangui, had treated him exceptionally well, often personally guiding him in corpse refinement.
Huangui had even told him that even while refining corpses, one must never neglect one's own cultivation.
There were other Purple-Robed Elders in the mountain, and when some grew jealous of him, he never needed to lift a finger; Huangui would ruthlessly shield him, displaying extreme partiality.
He had even become privy to the relationship between the Grand Tower and the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Yet, he had also witnessed Huangui refining a Nascent Soul cultivator alive.
No matter how that cultivator wailed in agony, Huangui had kept a beaming smile on his face as he discussed the Art of Corpse Stitching with him.
It was cruel to the extreme.
From his perspective as a member of the Li Clan, Huangui was wicked in the extreme.
Yet, viewed through the eyes of a disciple of Huangui, she was a revered elder.
Now that the Immortal Suppression Department and his own seniors were charging in to kill, this was the first time Li Tianyi had felt such deep conflict.
Yet, he had no choice but to feign ignorance, inevitably feeling a pang of guilt in his heart.
"Silly disciple, the struggle for the Great Dao is inevitable.
Apart from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, where else in this vast world is there a sanctuary for us Corpse Stitchers?"
"The reason we are not tolerated by the world is simply because our cultivation realm is lacking.
If we truly possessed absolute strength, then even if we demanded the world offer up a tribute of a hundred thousand or even a million people every year, who would dare say no?"
Hearing these words, Li Tianyi's expression changed.
Li Tianyi watched as Huangui rose into the air before him.
It was the first time he had ever seen his Master with such a gloomy expression.
Her words were as cold as frost.
"It seems a vile traitor has betrayed my Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
Very well, let us show them: while the Dao rises one foot, the Demon rises ten!"
"Disciple, seize the opportunity to leave. As your Master, I will come find you in a few days."
The woman's white robes billowed, and her silken black hair danced in the wind.
The majestic aura of the Void Refinement Realm surged forth.
Li Tianyi raised his head.
With a wave of Huangui's hand, white mist instantly enveloped him, carrying him toward a weak point in the formation.
The grand formation set up by the Immortal Suppression Department outside the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems was instantly breached, the opening forming as easily as a popping bubble!
Huangui could be seen maneuvering ahead, leaving an afterimage with every step.
No, those were not mere afterimages.
They were successive manifestations of Huangui appearing one after another.
Unlike his Master's usual gentle demeanor, each of these Huanguis wore a different expression—hideous, bloodthirsty, berserk...
In the end, there were eight Huanguis!
Inside the Profound Seals Talisman, the expressions of those old seniors turned to horror.
"Mother of God!"
"Quick, Tianyi, warn your elders to be careful!
This girl possesses 'One Body, Nine Forms.'
She has already cultivated to the absolute peak of the Void Refinement Realm.
She has been hiding her true strength all this time.
If she wished, she could reach the Integration Realm within a few years!"
"Do not fight her under any circumstances! She is a monster!"
"..."
Li Tianyi blinked.
It had been eight years.
He had been by his Master's side for eight years, yet he hadn't noticed a single thing about her true cultivation realm!
[Inside the Huangui]
The voices had barely faded when, inside the Hall Of White-Robes, the White-Robed Taotie leapt into the air.
As he ascended, his child-like physique transformed into a hideous, colossal beast.
The beast was indescribable in shape, towering a thousand meters high.
It resembled an elephant, yet human hands and teeth emerged from every part of its body.
Its roar sounded like the screaming of ten thousand people in unison!
"Immortal Suppression Department? Do you really think the likes of you can trap us, the Four Great White Robes?
We had no desire to enter the mortal world; we merely accepted the offerings of the Grand Tower.
Why do you force our hand?!"
White Robe Zhen Wu, who had always treated Li Tianyi with a gentle voice, now appeared like a Banished Immortal.
He walked out from the Hall Of White-Robes, stepping onto the empty air.
With every step he took, a jade stair materialized beneath his feet, while ancient bronze gates emerged one after another behind him.
"Roar!"
Beastly roars echoed from within the bronze gates.
Zhen Wu's expression remained calm, yet his indifferent voice resonated throughout the entire Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
"Members of the Immortal Suppression Department, heed this Seat's words.
My Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems has no desire to be your enemy.
We hope you will leave us a path of retreat."
At this moment, every member of the Immortal Suppression Department who had entered the domain of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems looked up at the sky in horror.
The Three Titans of the Mountain had appeared.
In this instant, the aura permeating the entire mountain was almost suffocating.
These three individuals were peerless in their power!
The invaders had been wrong; they had woefully underestimated the strength of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems!
Meanwhile, Zhen Wu's voice continued to echo thunderously.
He was already revealing the secrets of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, causing everyone to narrow their eyes in contemplation.
"We of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems focus solely on the study of the Art of Corpse Stitching.
Now that the world is in chaos, we could easily serve the Imperial Dynasty, fighting against the Wu Clan at the borders, or going to war against the Monster Race and the aquatic tribes of the Sea Realm."
"As for the source of our materials, that was not the doing of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
For sixty thousand years, it was the Grand Tower that sent us living humans to aid in our cultivation of the Art of Corpse Stitching.
In return, the price paid by the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems was to use our arts to strengthen the physical bodies of the members of the Grand Tower."
"In truth, our enemy is the same."
"As for the physical body of the Ling Tian Three Corpses that you seek, it lies right at the summit of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems. If you want it, simply take it!"
---
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