Chapter 132: The Situation Has Complicated

Before long, Xu Zhe followed Gu Jia'er and Qu Hongxiu directly to the Putuo Sacred Land.

The location of the Putuo Sacred Land was quite unique; it was situated in the center of a lake, with a bridge spanning the water to connect it to the land on the shore. However, according to Gu Jia'er, the bridge was built purely for aesthetic purposes and served little practical function. After all, cultivators could simply fly, and taking the time to walk across a bridge was considered a waste of time.

As they traveled from the Divine Pill Grotto, Xu Zhe noticed a shift in the surrounding environment; there seemed to be far fewer people than usual. At first, he assumed it was natural for things to quiet down now that the Divine Pill Assembly had concluded and visitors were departing. It was not until he arrived at the Putuo Sacred Land, sat down for a casual chat with the others, and inadvertently brought it up, that he understood the reason.

"The Southern Heaven Continent has been in a dire state recently. The demon tribes suddenly surged in power, using some mysterious method to slaughter millions of Vermilion Bird soldiers, breaking through the first line of defense on the battlefield. A conscription order was issued from the frontier dozens of days ago, but very few have enlisted; most cultivators have fled to other continents," Qu Hongxiu said, her face filled with melancholy and helplessness.

In her view, defending the Southern Heaven Continent was a responsibility everyone should share. If the Southern Heaven Continent were to fall, the other continents—which were closely adjacent and lacked the natural defensive terrain of the battlefield—would be in even greater danger. Unfortunately, many did not understand the logic that if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.

"It isn't that they don't understand the logic, but that they understand it all too well and simply don't want to face it," Xu Zhe patted Qu Hongxiu's head and smiled faintly.

This situation was somewhat unexpected. He remembered how confident Chu Xiaotong had been when she received the war order. He had not expected a defeat, though it seemed the situation was not yet critical. Currently, only the first line of defense had been breached; there were still the stronger second and third lines of defense, and the Vermilion Bird Army was only conscripting within the Southern Heaven Continent, not yet requesting aid from other regions. The situation had not yet reached its breaking point.

"Why are they unwilling to face it? Do they really have to wait until the demon tribes conquer all four continents and there is nowhere left for the human race to go before they start to regret it?" Qu Hongxiu asked, deeply puzzled.

"It is precisely because they think that way that so many people prefer to evade. They assume that others will surely not stand by and watch the four continents be conquered, so they are waiting for someone else to step up," Xu Zhe sighed. "There is an old saying: when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Unfortunately, they haven't considered that if only the tall ones are holding it up and no one helps, what will they do if the tall ones eventually collapse?"

"We haven't been without losses on the frontier battlefield before, but I was always there during the previous ones. This time, I am stuck in the rear, and seeing how many people are behaving, I truly feel disappointed," Qu Hongxiu said, her eyes filled with dejection. This was completely different from what she had imagined. She had thought that once the conscription order was issued, countless passionate individuals would rush to join. On the Spirit Net, she had seen countless people acting heroic, criticizing the battlefield strategy with grandiosity, and many had claimed they could be more effective than the Vermilion Bird soldiers. But this time, she found those people had all vanished; the number of those participating in the conscription was pitifully small, not even one-ten-thousandth of those on the Spirit Net.

"How can you take what is on the Spirit Net seriously? This kind of thing is common practice back home," Gu Jia'er shrugged, not surprised by the situation.

"Stop dwelling on these things; it’s useless. I will head to the frontier soon to see the situation for myself," Xu Zhe shook his head and pulled out his Myriad Phenomena Jade Plate, preparing to contact Chu Xiaotong. With his current personal strength, he might not be able to play a major role on the battlefield, but war was not just about individual power; tactics were sometimes very useful. As it happened, he possessed several powerful battle formations from the Cangtian Domain that might prove invaluable.

"No, Uncle Xu! Master sent word earlier: when you finish your seclusion, you must not go to the frontier. It is extremely chaotic there; you would only be in more danger if you went," Qu Hongxiu immediately blocked him.

"That is because she doesn't know the situation. I didn't mention it before because I thought she could win, but I actually have some battle formations that can turn the tide," Xu Zhe said with a smile, attempting to contact Chu Xiaotong via the jade plate. However, after the communication request was sent, there was no response from her.

"Stop busy-bodying; she is probably very busy right now and has no time to look at the jade plate. But what do you mean by 'battle formations'?" Gu Jia'er asked curiously.

"You don't know what battle formations are?" Xu Zhe was stunned, then explained, "Battle formations are quite effective on the battlefield. Some can boost morale, while others help soldiers recover their spiritual energy or heal wounds. To use terms from our old games, it's essentially group buffs and group healing."

"There is such a powerful thing?" Gu Jia'er's eyes widened. She had never heard of this on the Qingci Continent.

"That is only the basic level," Xu Zhe shook his head calmly. "Intermediate battle formations can temporarily raise the cultivation level of soldiers, and some, if set up properly, can make summoning an army as easy as scattering beans."

"What?" Gu Jia'er and Qu Hongxiu both changed expressions upon hearing this.

"Is it that shocking?" Xu Zhe was left speechless.

"No, you just said intermediate battle formations can temporarily raise cultivation levels, and it works on a group?" Gu Jia'er asked solemnly.

"That's right. Why?" Xu Zhe realized something was off, feeling slightly startled.

"Uncle Xu, look at this." Qu Hongxiu took out her jade plate, opened a recorded clip, and handed it to him. "This is footage recorded by the Heavenly Secret Sect at the frontier. When the demon tribes attacked the first line of defense, they suddenly surged in strength and their cultivation levels rose by a tier, which is how they pushed back the Vermilion Bird Army," she explained.

Xu Zhe watched the recording. In the clip, the two forces were locked in a desperate struggle. Various techniques were flying everywhere, accompanied by roars, screams, and explosions. At first, the human side used their geographical advantage to hold the line, and the waves of demon beasts could not break through. But suddenly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to be sucked dry; the bodies of countless beasts surged, their cultivation levels climbed, and the situation was instantly reversed. The Vermilion Bird soldiers, who had been fighting evenly, were suddenly no longer matches and were slaughtered with ease. The defense line developed a breach, and the beasts surged through in a stampede. The scene descended into chaos as human soldiers were trampled underfoot by the massive beasts, with blood splashing everywhere...

"Intermediate Battle Formation—'Force That Could Uproot Mountains'!" Xu Zhe was shocked. This formation was all too familiar; it was clearly from the Cangtian Domain. How could the demon tribes of this realm understand such a thing? If it were a legacy, it wouldn't be strange, but the problem was that this formation had been developed by a war god from the Cangtian Domain over two thousand years ago to fight the Demon Gate. After the war ended and the Demon Gate was driven out, the formation began to circulate among the major powers of the Cangtian Domain. To deploy a battle formation, one needed a high level of mastery in array formations; otherwise, one wouldn't even be able to understand the complex patterns and sequences.

Very few people in the four continents understood arrays, and their mastery was low. As for the demon tribes, according to what Chu Xiaotong had said, they fought by charging blindly and using their numerical advantage—simple and crude, with no knowledge of arrays or talismans. Therefore, it seemed impossible for them to deploy battle formations.

Yet, looking at the recording, the demon tribes were indeed using an intermediate battle formation, which meant the person who deployed it had at least a Master-level understanding of arrays.

"Are the demon tribes using... what you called a battle formation?" Gu Jia'er asked in astonishment. Qu Hongxiu was also stunned. They had been trying to figure out what demonic technique the demons used to boost their strength, never imagining that Xu Zhe would identify it at a glance.

"Yes." Xu Zhe nodded, his expression grave. "The situation is complicated."

When he obtained the *Jade Slip of Righteous Sealing and Demon Suppressing* from the Hall Master of the Youji Hall, he learned that there was a channel between the two heavenly domains. Later, in a secret realm, he found that channel, but he could not pass through it. After that, while masquerading as Yu Song in the Alchemy Competition, he coincidentally discovered that Yu Song's sister, Yu Haiqiong, possessed a pill formula that also originated from his own work back in the Cangtian Domain.

Seeing things from the Cangtian Domain appearing in the Qingtian Domain one after another, Xu Zhe had initially thought they were brought back by the remnant souls of those from the Cangtian Domain. Although he had wondered if someone from the Cangtian Domain had survived after passing through the heavenly channel, the various techniques he had displayed were unheard of by the people of the Qingci Continent. Thus, he had assumed that perhaps long ago, someone had returned as a remnant soul like the ancestor of Ji Dali, bringing some things back, but that no one had ultimately survived.

But now, seeing the intermediate battle formation used by the demon tribes, Xu Zhe knew the situation was dire. There must be someone from the Cangtian Domain alive among the demon tribes; otherwise, they could not possibly be using intermediate battle formations.

"Quick, lead the way. Take me to the frontier battlefield," Xu Zhe said, standing up immediately and speaking to Gu Jia'er and Qu Hongxiu. He dared not think further. If his guess were correct, the strength of Chu Xiaotong and her forces would be nowhere near enough to counter the enemy. He knew that someone capable of deploying an intermediate battle formation and hailing from the Cangtian Domain was not to be underestimated.

"Uncle Xu, this..." Qu Hongxiu was at a loss. Chu Xiaotong had given strict instructions that no matter what happened, he must not be taken to the frontier. But in this situation, she didn't know if she should go.

"What are you standing there for? Don't just stare blankly! Let's go! If we are too late, your master might be gone," Xu Zhe frowned and headed out. Hearing this, Qu Hongxiu dared not hesitate and immediately chased after him. Gu Jia'er hesitated for a moment, then followed as well.