CHAPTER 611: SIX HUNDRED AND ELEVEN NINE PALACE MOUNTAIN FORMATION

Xuanyue Imperial City, Baiyue City!

In front of the gate of Jade Pot Courtyard, a group of powerful members from the Jade Pot Sect stood solemnly, with a young man dressed in coarse clothes standing at the front, drawing proud glances from many elders.

"Yun Xiao, have you decided? This time we go to eradicate the Qingshan Sect, are you sure you don’t want to call on the help of the Royal Family and the Luoyi Sect?"

Yu Shu’s eyes flashed with a strange light as he asked the question that many elders were also contemplating; after all, the Qingshan Sect was one of the top three sects in the Empire and its overall strength was no less than that of the Jade Pot Sect.

Now that matters with the Xuanyue Royal Family have concluded, and the three major families of the Imperial City have been eradicated, the only remaining enemies from the previous confrontation wanting to eradicate the Jade Pot Sect are the Qingshan Sect. So, under Yun Xiao’s suggestion, this decision was made.

However, due to the previous war of sect destruction where several elders from the Poison Vein defected, the Jade Pot Sect was significantly weakened. Even though Yun Xiao has forcefully risen, Yu Shu and others still didn’t have much confidence, especially since Qingshan Sect was not comparable to the three big families of the Imperial City overseen by the King.

"Yes, Yun Xiao, I heard that the Qingshan Sect has a Sect Protection Array that hasn’t been used for many years, we must be cautious!"

Great Elder Lu Zhan also nodded. He had witnessed Yun Xiao’s combat power and Meridian Refining Technique, but the art of arrays, however, had little to do with these two major factions.

There are many professions on the Continent, and Meridian Refining Masters are just one of the most prestigious among them. Others like Artifact Refiners, Talisman Refiners, and Array Masters all possess formidable skills.

For instance, an Array Master could deploy Illusion Arrays, Killing Arrays, and Maze Arrays that could pose significant trouble for more powerful cultivators; especially when one is completely ignorant about arrays, it would be impossible to resolve them in a short time.

"Rest assured, it’s just an array, nothing to be afraid of!"

Who would have thought, just when Lu Zhan thought his reminder would make Yun Xiao take it seriously, he saw the young man in coarse clothes slightly smile, then he immediately headed towards the North Gate of the Imperial City.

"This guy!"

Seeing this, Lu Zhan and Yu Shu exchanged a glance but said nothing more, leading the elders as they quickly followed. This time, those deployed were all powerful cultivators who had reached the Spirit Vein Realm, while the younger generation like Mo Qingling Pill and others were advised not to involve themselves in such a grand battle.

...

Xuanyue Palace.

On a very high tower of the Imperial Palace, two figures, an old man and a young man, stood; if Yun Xiao were here, he might recognize them as Xuan Haoran and his son Xuan Jing.

"Tsk tsk, Yun Xiao is quite impatient!"

Xuan Haoran watched the group exiting from the North Gate from afar and murmured in contemplation, seeming to have guessed the purpose of the Jade Pot Sect’s mission.

"Father, are you worried about the Qingshan Sect’s Sect Protection Array?"

The newly appointed King, Xuan Jing, now carried an indescribable aura. Without turning his gaze, he asked, apparently familiar with the Qingshan Sect.

"Qingshan Sect has been able to stand firm in our Xuanyue Empire for hundreds of years for good reasons. Yun Xiao trying to eradicate them as easily as he did with the Imperial City’s three major families is unlikely!"

Xuan Haoran nodded. As a wise monarch who had sat on the throne for over a hundred years, his understanding of all the major sects in the Xuanyue Empire was unparalleled.

"Heh, Qingshan Sect is indeed formidable, but I have more faith in Yun Xiao. In my view, there’s nothing in this Continent that Yun Xiao cannot handle!"

Xuan Jing shrugged his shoulders. Watching the distant figure that had already disappeared beyond the North Gate, a flood of memories surged, and the words he uttered made Xuan Haoran agree wholeheartedly.

In fact, Xuan Haoran had witnessed too many miracles achieved by Yun Xiao; those impossibilities in the eyes of others were accomplished one by one by Yun Xiao’s hands. Thinking about it, he might have been overly concerned.

"Though I have confidence in Yun Xiao, since the Jade Pot Sect is making a move against the Qingshan Sect, we can’t afford to have any escapees. Immediately mobilize the Empire’s northeastern army, always keeping an eye on Qingshan Sect’s movements!"

A glint of determination flashed through Xuan Haoran’s eyes. Now that the Xuanyue Royal Family and the Jade Pot Sect were as one, even if Yun Xiao didn’t ask for the Royal Family’s help, they could not just stand by; this stance still had to be shown.

At the same time, the Luoyi Sect also received the news and made the same decision as the Royal Family: to covertly observe. As long as the Jade Pot Sect didn’t encounter any danger, they would definitely not intervene.

...

The scenery in the northeast of the Xuanyue Empire, unlike the northwest, which Yun Xiao had visited before, if the northwest was described as desolate, then this area was teeming with vitality.

Approximately half a month later, the Jade Pot Sect’s delegation had already entered the Qingshan Sect’s territory. It is worth mentioning that until they delved deep into the mountain range where the Qingshan Sect was located, they had not encountered any cultivators from the Qingshan Sect, which was somewhat strange.

"Roar!"

A beastly roar echoed from the sky. Yun Xiao looked up and nodded, then turned his head and smiled, "It seems the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion has also not detected the presence of any enemies!"

""It’s not surprising that we come with such fanfare. Either the Qingshan Sect has already abandoned their headquarters to flee, or they are entrenched within their base. After all, those covert and overt guards are merely sending themselves to die!"

Yu Shu’s deduction is logical and makes sense because they have not concealed their tracks along the journey. In fact, they have intended to disperse the Qingshan Sect by their overt presence.

In their hearts, Yu Shu and the others felt that this trip might turn out to be futile. After all, with the current rise of the Jade Pot Sect and Yun Xiao, the Qingshan Sect alone could not possibly compete.

If they do not want to follow in the footsteps of the three major families of the Imperial City, the wisest decision for the Qingshan Sect would be to abandon their headquarters. Although such a move might subject them to being ridiculed for cowardice, it is the smartest decision to preserve their strength.

"Even though nothing unusual has been found, everyone should still be cautious!"

Yu Shu’s mind has not relaxed. Over the years of overt and covert conflicts with the Qingshan Sect, he knew that this sect was not as foolish as it appeared on the surface. The tricks of releasing sneaky attacks might even surpass those of some Poison Vein Masters.

"The headquarters of the Qingshan Sect should be close, right?"

As they climbed over another mountain, Yun Xiao suddenly noticed something different about the landscape ahead and turned to ask, apparently having some guesses.

"Yes, do you see that mountain range ahead with exactly nine peaks? That’s the renowned Qingshan Nine Peaks. The headquarters of the Qingshan Sect is right in the middle of these nine peaks!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Shu pointed forward. They were standing atop a high mountain, giving them a clear view of the nine peaks ahead. The other elders had long heard of the Qingshan Nine Peaks.

"Qingshan Nine Peaks? That’s quite interesting!"

Following Yu Shu’s direction, a hint of light flashed across Yun Xiao’s eyes. He muttered softly without elaborating further. With a wave of his hand, they quickly advanced towards the so-called Qingshan Nine Peaks.

Another day and night passed.

"Huh? Where did the Blood Winged Fire-Eyed Lion go?"

The Great Elder Lu Zhan, looking up, exclaimed in surprise upon not seeing the giant Vein Demon in the sky. Under Yun Xiao’s command, that Seventh Rank Vein Demon shouldn’t have flown too high. So why was there no trace of it now?

"It seems much quieter!"

At the same time, Yu Shu also noticed something amiss. His expression turned serious, and he signaled everyone to stop. It seemed his initial guess about the Qingshan Sect abandoning their sect and avoiding conflict wasn’t very reliable.

"No need to guess anymore, we’ve already entered the large array of the Qingshan Sect!"

While everyone was on high alert, Yun Xiao’s voice suddenly rang out, causing everyone to turn their heads, staring at this youth in coarse clothing with a peculiar expression.

"Yun Xiao, you knew about this all along? Why didn’t you warn us?"

Yu Shu asked irritably, seeing that Yun Xiao seemed to have anticipated this. However, Yun Xiao only mentioned it when they had deeply entered the array. What was he playing at?

"Just a ’Nine Palace Mountain Formation,’ nothing to be afraid of!"

In response to Yu Shu’s veiled complaint, Yun Xiao simply pointed at the surrounding peaks, not placing much importance on it. For many of the elders from the Jade Pot Sect, this was their first time hearing the name of this formation.

Previously, they had only heard that the Qingshan Sect possessed an array for protection, but neither the name of this formation nor its formidable power was known to them.

Indeed, not only were these powerful members of the Jade Pot Sect unaware, but even the elders of the Qingshan Sect probably knew barely anything more than the existence of the formation.

"Nine Palace Mountain Formation?"

Yu Shu murmured the unfamiliar name again, his eyes brightening as he asked, "Yun Xiao, since you know the details of this formation, you should be able to break it, right?"

"Break it? Why break it?"

Hearing this, a strange expression crossed Yun Xiao’s face. Seeing several elders staring at him, he smiled and said, "Wouldn’t it be better to take this immensely powerful formation for our own use?"

"What did you say?!"

Yun Xiao’s words left the elders, including Yu Shu, feeling as though they had misheard. Although they heard him clearly, they couldn’t help but ask again in disbelief.

"Hehe, a large array requires human control. The Nine Palace Mountain Formation especially needs nine strong cultivators, each controlling one peak, to unleash its true power!"

Yun Xiao explained casually and gestured towards the elders of the Jade Pot Sect surrounding him, saying, "Together here, we have exactly nine people. If we could replace those from the Qingshan Sect who control the nine peaks, then there will be no more defenses left at the headquarters of the Qingshan Sect!"

Even though the Jade Pot Sect is renowned for having six elders, there are more than six individuals who have reached the Spirit Vein Realm. Setting aside those elders who defected from the Poison Vein lineage, the Spirit Vein Realm or higher cultivators who came out in full force this