Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

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The fight grew more intense, the flames of war fiercer.

On the upper tier, mighty dragons clashed against each other, fiercely entangled, indissolubly bound.

In the middle tier, ferocious tigers battled packs of wolves, a grinding of flesh and bone, fighting for their very lives.

On the lower tier, the Termination Array trapped three armies, with Heavenly Thunder Earthly Fire shattering all to dust.

At both high and low, in just a moment, all were in a predicament.

Only to see the bloodbath in the middle tier, Heavenly Gang Earth Sha and Nine Luminaries Star Officers, over a hundred Mahayana as fierce as tigers, fiercely battling three thousand middle and lower tier mechas.

The Heavenly Court Mahayana, monks of the Dipper Department, were not to be underestimated in battle power, even the Immortal Spirit Mech Armor could hardly withstand a single foe, only a pack of wolves swarming could barely hold them off.

Even so, the power of the Mahayana True Immortal, and the all-encompassing Cultivation Skills Divine Magic, also wreaked havoc within the Armored Mecha Formation, countless Magic Artifacts shattered, a great many mechas were damaged beyond use, and had no choice but to turn back, returning to the Scholar's Palace for repairs.

The Void Stele, although a top-grade Immortal Spirit Mech Armor capable of instantaneous movement, summoning, and teleportation, had limited power and could not be used on all Immortal Spirit Mech Armors. To do so would be to show one's inadequacy and instead worsen the battle situation.

Therefore, it could only ensure the safety of the high ranks, fully summoning twenty-eight top-grade mechas, while the middle-grade and lower-grade mechas from the middle tier battlefield could only find a way to withdraw from the fight and return to the Scholar's Palace for repairs on their own.

This then led to...

"Hmph!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

A Heavenly Gang Star General, an elder of the Mahayana, summoned his Divine Power to drive back several middle-grade mechas, seizing the opportunity to heavily wound one of them.

The pilot, seriously injured with damaged mecha, was about to withdraw and return to the Scholar's Palace for repair.

But how could the Heavenly Gang Star General let his opponent get away so easily? He forcefully executed his dynamic Divine Power, charging past the blockades of several others to forcibly intercept and cut off this one.

Yet unexpectedly...

"Hmph!!!"

With a cold snort, the battle-damaged mecha instead charged forward rather than retreating. The billions of remaining Magical Artifacts activated in a final overload state, crashing directly into the face of the Heavenly Gang Star General, exploding all Divine Powers and Immortal Artifacts.

"Boom!!!"

A thunderous explosion shook all directions; the Immortal Spirit Mech Armor shattered, the Heavenly Gang Star General was thrown back, his body covered in scorch marks, with fresh blood visibly splattering. The protective Magical Treasure and Supernatural Secret Techniques were largely destroyed, but they still could not fully absorb the self-destructive force of the enemy.

Under the shock of the blast, he was heavily injured.

Even as a Celestial Star of the Dipper Department, an elder near the Calamity Immortal level, faced with the overloaded attack of a middle-grade Fairy Spirit Mech Armor in a suicidal strike, could not avoid injury.

Being injured was one thing, but there were more weaknesses exposed. The Heavenly Gang Star General, having somersaulted out, had yet to stabilize himself and suppress his injuries when two middle-grade Immortal Spirit Mech Armors came charging from left and right, delivering a combined strike that spelled instant death.

"Boom!!!"

"Ahh!!!"

Amidst the roaring blast, a wail seemed to resonate. A dim starlight fell from the Firmament Summit, crashing into the earth, speaking of the ferocity of this battle.

This was but one corner of the battlefield; looking at the overall situation, similar scenes played out everywhere one looked.

In a mere moment, over ten Star Generals and dozens of mechs were destroyed, like fallen stars, plummeting to the earth.

"This...!"

Witnessing this scene, even the Heavenly Gang's brutal stars and Nine Luminaries' vile deities couldn't help but turn pale.

As Star Generals of the Dipper Department, warriors specialized in combat, they had seen the ruthless and the utterly evil, but to see so many desperate soldiers ready to self-destruct at a moment's notice was only witnessed on the most tragic of Demon battlefields.

What's more important, such people, such fanatical warriors, nearly three thousand in number, faced with just over a hundred of them—if this kind of fighting were to continue, the opponent would undoubtedly eradicate them all.

This caused the Dipper Department's Star Generals, particularly the near-Calamity Immortal level elderly Mahayana, to involuntarily fall into hesitation. Their offensive slowed, allowing opponents to leave and return to the Academy for repairs, unwilling to press too hard and force them into a self-destructive, scorched-earth retaliation.

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There was no choice, if there was a chance of winning and surviving, they might have fought on, but in this situation, it was certain they couldn't win, and any sacrifice would be meaningless; it would only cost them their lives.

They had cultivated laboriously for ten thousand years, enduring untold hardships to achieve this Mahayana accomplishment; how could they squander it so meaninglessly?

So...

One person hesitated, a hundred people had reservations; the ferocious tiger losing its sharpness suddenly found itself surrounded and could only engage in a fierce battle with the pack of wolves, half offensive, half defensive, neither too light nor too heavy.

Seeing this, the Academy Monks didn't press too hard, instead shifting to a war of attrition. The battle became deadlocked, intense but not too intense.

This was the result of dozens of people's sacrifices, which blunted the opponent's edge with the least cost, turning the battle into a war of attrition that was most advantageous for Wandao School, avoiding greater sacrifices.

"Dammit!"

Seeing this scene, within the rear army, the five lords of the Thunder Department were furious, but helpless.

The seven Calamity Immortals and more than a hundred Mahayana were all the forces they could mobilize, and the rest needed to hold their formations, to deal with Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire.

If they disregarded the formation and led the thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department and the remaining Mahayana to support the front, then the Heavenly Thunder and Earthly Fire would become unstoppable, blasting all of their four departments' cultivators and the million Celestial Soldiers into ash and cinder.

Clearly, this was unacceptable.

Therefore, they could not act.

But if they didn't act, this battle...

"Kill!!!"

A fierce shout shook the Heavenly Domain.

Seven ferocious stars roared into action, charging straight for the Firmament Summit's Ascension Academy.

It was the White Tiger Seven Constellations!

As the last reserve force, and the most overt top-tier combat power for this expedition, their mission was very clear.

Strike at the vital point, a decisive blow!

Where was the crux?

It was the enemy's base, the Ascension Academy!

If it was allowed to teleport and continually restore the Immortal Spirit Mech Armor's strength, the battle would never be so deadlocked.

Therefore, the Seven Stars acted decisively, only ascending to the heavens.

Even if they could not breach the academy, they had to at least hinder the enemy, preventing them from teleporting, in order to break the deadlock.

As for why they didn't divide their forces to reinforce other battlefields...

"Boom!"

As soon as the Seven Stars moved, a sword cry was heard, resounding like thunder.

A sword light, dazzling and mighty, with the authority to oppress the nine heavens, directly deterred the White Tiger Seven Constellations.

Matching horses in Tian Ji's horse racing; troop against troop, general against general, and a king faces another king.

As soon as the White Tiger Seven Constellations made their move, the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate appeared on the scene, with a dazzling sword light descending from the sky, covering the fierce might of the Seven Stars in an instant.

The Western Extreme White Tiger, a heavenly ferocious star, with the Seven Constellations forming a killing array, could battle Seven Tribulations powerhouses. In situations where those of Nine Tribulations would not easily appear and those of Eight Calamities could not be moved, they were undoubtedly the ultimate combat power.

However, faced with the Heavenly Venerate's might, even the Western Extreme White Tiger, with the merged Seven Constellations, struggled to wield their ferocity.

"Kill!!!"

The eyes of the White Tiger Star glowed red, the Heavenly Star bled upon sight, its killing sword moved to stir Qiankun.

However, under Xuanyuan's suppressive might, all laws dissipated; against that profound heavenly will, against that majestic earthly power, against that vast human spirit, the killing sword seemed edgeless, and the Heavenly Star failed to show its prowess.

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At last…

"Boom!!!"

Blazing sword light twisted and turned, the White Tiger Seven Constellations each retreated, breaking through the encirclement of the killing formation.

The White Tiger Star had blood-red eyes and blood at the corners of its mouth, evidently injured.

The remaining six stars were also wounded, all significantly drained.

A fierce battle on the fourth layer, the decisive victory at the summit? Enjoy exclusive chapters from empire

Just as the outcome of the battle neared…

"Rumble!"

The sound of thunder rolled from outside the formation.

A huge hand, as if formed by thunder, gathered the starlight from the skies, reaching in from the north, and forcefully broke into the formation.

"This is…"

"Amitabha!"

At this scene, everyone was shocked, only the Great Mercy chanting the Buddha's name, as if he had anticipated it.

Indeed, he had foreseen it!

This military expedition, involving a third of the Heavenly Court's potentiality, how could there not be any safeguards?

The ultimate reserve combat power was finally revealed at this moment.

The Nine Tribulations True Immortal, one of the Four Auxiliary Imperial Lords—the Emperor of the North Pole!

One hand reached in, thunderously entering the formation, heading straight for the Ascension Academy.

Sword light soared, striking against the odds, seeking to challenge the divine might of a True Immortal.

"Boom!!!"

At their encounter, they collided with explosive force, rending the heavens and shattering the earth, breaking open the deadlock.

True Immortal's mighty power surged, washing over in waves; even just the residual force was not something ordinary people could withstand.

Even Immortals in the Tribulation Realm and top-grade mech armors were forcibly knocked back, with mountains shifting and ravines opening up across thousands of miles.

"..."

"..."

"..."

After the earth-shattering change, there was only silence, a deathly stillness without an echo, with only dust and smoke lingering.

"Whoosh!!!"

Only the howling wind, out of nowhere, dispersed the clouds over ten thousand miles, and the battlefield became clear once again.

In the north, a majestic imperial figure stood tall; though colossal in size, he held a commanding presence. Beneath the twelve-tiered crown, his face was not clearly visible, only his commanding outline, looking down upon the world, indifferent to all the saints.

It was none other than the Nine Tribulations True Immortal, the Heavenly Emperor of the North Pole!

"Emperor!!!"

The Celestial Soldiers of the Heavenly Court, the Thunder Department, the Fire Department, and the Plague Department, regardless of their stage in tribulation, all bowed in reverence, honoring the Emperor's sovereign status and even more so the power of a True Immortal.

"The Nine Tribulations True Immortal?"

"The Emperor of the North Pole?"

"This…!"

Gazing at that majestic imperial silhouette and then at the battlefield covered in wounds, everyone stood rigidly, struggling to find words.

Is this the power of a True Immortal?

With just one move, he had shattered the immensely strong formation that spanned tens of thousands of miles and had trapped a million Celestial Soldiers.

This kind of power…

"Taoist Master!!!"

The Immortals of the Heavenly Court turned to bow in reverence, and the Cultivators of the Academy also turned and bowed deeply, paying respect to the person emerging in the center.

At the center stood a person, his splendor shining brightly like the proud sun, towering like a mountain, with the air of the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerable, commanding the realms.

It was indeed…

"Taoist Master?"

"This…"

"Wandao School!"

"Zhen Yuanzi!"

"Li Liuxian!"

Witnessing this grandeur, the various reactions differed.

But that was not the main point.

The ranks of the Heavenly Court watched coldly, with the White Tiger Seven Stars burning with murderous intent.

A battle of wits and strategy, akin to Tian Ji's horse racing!

The opponent indeed had his methods, covering all bases, causing their nineteen Calamity Realm Immortal Lords, along with the four departments' million Celestial Soldiers, to fall into a difficult position, on the verge of defeat.

But…

They still had their ultimate technique, a supreme combat power that surpassed the pinnacle—Nine Tribulations True Immortal!

Now that the Great Array was broken, the opponent no longer had the advantage of home ground, nor the capabilities of an Emperor True Immortal. What could they use to contest their sovereignty?

This battle, the victor and the vanquished were clear!

What remained was no longer in doubt, at most a futile last stand, a desperate struggle.

To avenge the theft, to eliminate a worry deep in the heart, now all would be swept clean.

Thinking this, even the fierce White Tiger, a hint of joy appeared in its eyes, almost bursting into loud laughter.

"Taoist Master?"

As the Immortals' hearts grew joyful, the Emperor of the North Pole remained calm, muttering to himself, then gazing back at his opponent: "I… will only make one move!"

Upon hearing this, the Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate responded with laughter: "And I shall use only one sword strike!"

"Hmm!?"

The Emperor of the North Pole's eyes sharpened, a flash of astonishment fleeting before returning to tranquility: "Come!"

"Please!"

The Nine Rituals Heavenly Venerate said no more, just brought his sword points together.

In an instant, the heavens and earth stirred, and a myriad of swords were born!