Chapter 147

Several months later, the Great Xia Dynasty officially announced the news of the Hundred Dynasties War, which was soon confirmed by other dynasties.

To the entire Southern Domain’s cultivation world, this was nothing short of a bolt from the blue.

The last war had ended only three hundred years ago—how could another one come so soon?

Those high-level Southern Domain cultivators who understood the truth behind it had long since cursed the extraterrestrial clans in their hearts.

This matter would hit mid-tier sects like the lower-ranked Great Xia Twelve Sects the hardest.

Typically, a dynasty might not even have fifty Nascent Soul cultivators combined. If the war required a thousand participants, every single Nascent Soul cultivator would have to mobilize.

War was war—no matter how reluctant they were, they would have no choice but to slaughter each other.

If only Golden Core cultivators died as cannon fodder, the losses would look insignificant on paper. At least a few Nascent Souls had to perish. And among them, the weaker Nascent Souls from lower-ranked sects would be the most vulnerable.

These cultivators were often the pillars of their sects. Unlike the larger factions that could rely on unity, they stood alone—easy prey for veteran Nascent Souls from other dynasties looking to pad their achievements.

If their sects lacked successors, they could easily decline into obscurity.

Among the Great Xia Twelve Sects, only the top three had remained stable throughout history. The rest had seen significant shifts in ranking, with some even vanishing into the dust of time.

The same fate could befall first-rate sects with only Golden Core cultivators!

If Nascent Souls died in small batches during the war, Golden Cores would be slaughtered like pigs during New Year’s—in droves.

Far worse.

Normally, conflicts between dynasties remained minor skirmishes, never escalating to the level of Nascent Soul or Golden Core cultivators.

Both sides knew better than to push too far.

After all, wasn’t the all-out war of high-level combat every five hundred years enough of a bloodbath?

Though the royal families of the major dynasties were essentially puppets of the extraterrestrial clans, they were supported, not disposable pawns. Even if they couldn’t disobey orders, resentment festered in their hearts—some even sympathized with each other.

Five hundred years was already the bare minimum to prevent the collapse of a dynasty’s high-level combat power. Yet now, for some inexplicable reason, the extraterrestrial clans had gone mad and decided to launch another war after only three hundred years.

This would absolutely cripple them.

Especially the Great Xia Dynasty. They had already lost a batch of talented low-level cultivators in the Spatial Rift incident. Now, with the Hundred Dynasties War, their high-level forces would suffer even more.

If a few of their royal ancestors fell in battle, the damage would be irreparable.

However, while most sects panicked, the Qinglian Sect remained the calmest within the Great Xia Dynasty.

The Spatial Rift incident and the Three Thousand Sects Competition had taught them one thing clearly:

They were strong.

At the very least, they surpassed other sects of the same tier.

Even the newly advanced Nascent Soul inner disciples were eager for this war.

The Yuan Tan Academy’s master and elder were veterans of multiple wars, yet their sect leader and Elder Ji had suppressed them effortlessly. That kind of security was powerful.

And the personal disciples? Each one was a monster.

Afraid?

They should be asking if their enemies were afraid of them.

……

“So this is the Qinglian Sect? The current number one sect of Great Xia?”

A petite girl in red, with delicate features, stood with her hands on her hips, scrutinizing the sect’s scenery from a distance. Her cherry lips moved nonstop as she critiqued everything.

“From afar, the architecture isn’t as grand as Yuan Tan Academy’s, and the spiritual energy is only slightly denser than average. It doesn’t seem impressive at all.”

Behind her, a stunning woman in form-fitting black clothes—curvaceous and exuding arrogance—merely glanced over with disdain.

“Third Miss, this is just the Southern Domain. What good place could there be?”

“Forget the major holy lands—even an average sect from outside could crush whatever they call ‘the strongest’ here.”

“True enough.” The red-clad girl nodded in agreement.

“But… since we’re already here, and I finally convinced Eldest Sister to let me leave, we might as well take a look. We’re supposed to help the Qinglian Sect improve their overall strength for the Hundred Dynasties War in ten years.”

“The resources at stake this time are crucial—they’ll affect the Ji Clan’s future development. Father said that even if we must avoid clashing with the top clans, we at least need Great Xia to rank at the top among all first-rate supported dynasties.”

“Eldest Sister is handling the Great Xia royal family, Second Sister is managing Yuan Tan Academy—I can’t afford to embarrass myself here!”

Pumped with determination, the red-clad girl’s identity was now obvious:

Ji Clan’s Third Miss—Ji Yunjing.

“I’ll have to rely on you, Sister Qianyue. I’m not good at teaching, so I’ll just hand out the usual pills.”

Hearing this, her protector, Ji Qianyue, immediately straightened and cupped her hands respectfully.

“It is my duty to serve the Third Miss.”

“This will be more than enough. These Southern Domain bumpkins have never seen anything good—even our basic cultivation aid pills will have them scrambling for more.”

“As for guidance? Just casually teach them a few secret techniques from outside the Southern Domain, and they’ll benefit immensely.”

Ji Qianyue spoke with absolute certainty, never once taking the so-called “number one sect of Great Xia” seriously.

So what if they rose quickly?

So what if they produced multiple young Nascent Souls?

The Southern Domain’s laws of heaven and earth were incomplete. At the same cultivation level, their cultivators were the weakest.

They weren’t worth the attention of a high-level Void Refinement expert like her.

Ji Yunjing didn’t comment on Ji Qianyue’s words, but her silence implied agreement.

“Let’s go take a look inside.”

“I heard the Qinglian Sect is an all-female sect, just like the Jade Pool Holy Land. That’s pretty rare!”

Transforming into a streak of light, Ji Yunjing excitedly dashed forward.

“Third Miss, wait—!”

Ji Qianyue reached out to stop her, but it was too late.

Bzzzt!

An invisible barrier materialized, blocking Ji Yunjing’s path.

A deep, resonant chime echoed throughout the sect.

“A defensive formation? This is my first time seeing one activate.” Rubbing her chest where the barrier had repelled her (it didn’t hurt—she was just curious), Ji Yunjing turned to her companion.

She wasn’t skilled in breaking formations, but that didn’t mean she lacked the right tools.

“Sister Qianyue!”

“Understood, Third Miss!”

Ji Qianyue immediately summoned an ancient compass.

The compass expanded with the wind, overshadowing nearly the entire sect and blotting out the sky.

“What’s happening?”

“Why did it suddenly get dark?”

The formation’s activation had already drawn the attention of all the female cultivators, but the sudden appearance of the massive compass caught them completely off guard.

The sect had risen too quickly—no one had ever dared to cause trouble before.

None of them had expected their formation to be triggered.

Ji Qianyue and Ji Yunjing leaped onto the compass, watching as its needle spun on its own. A smug expression crossed Ji Qianyue’s face.

“Rest assured, Third Miss. Within three breaths, this treasure will locate the formation’s core. A mere sect-protecting array? It’ll shatter with a flick of my finger.”

She could forcibly break through with her suppressed late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, but wouldn’t an overwhelming display of skill be more impressive?

Yet three breaths passed.

Then thirty.

The compass kept spinning wildly without stopping.

“How…?” Ji Qianyue’s face paled.

This had never happened before!

How could a backwater sect in the remote Southern Domain possess such a profound formation?

If this had been during Liu Ruyan’s early Nascent Soul days, her formation might have been easily dismantled.

But over the years, Liu Ruyan had followed Yu Hua’s advice on formation construction.

As the reincarnation of an ancient Mahayana cultivator, one who had once broken immortal-grade formations—Yu Hua’s suggestions were naturally ingenious.

Thus, the two outsiders now found themselves in this awkward stalemate…

“Sister Qianyue, why haven’t you broken the formation yet?” Ji Yunjing tilted her head, genuinely curious.

She truly didn’t understand—formation-breaking was beyond her.

But to Ji Qianyue, these words felt like a slap to the face. Her cheeks burned with humiliation.

Retracting the compass with a wave, she prepared to forcefully shatter the barrier when—

Whoosh!

A graceful, elegant woman soared up from below at astonishing speed, stopping before them.