CHAPTER 317: CHAPTER 315 THE DAO IS LIKE GOLD!

"Fire Plume... is her strength this formidable?"

Wu Wang muttered to himself. Looking at the image Yun Zhongjun had sent him, he let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t help worrying about Fire Feather’s staying power.

During his conversation with Elder Shen Nong, Wu Wang had first clarified the concept of the Dao of Fuel and Fire.

Unexpectedly, he was now able to ’witness’ the Dao of Fuel and Fire’s might so soon.

The lingering regrets of the nine Transcendents had transformed into fuel. This fuel was absorbed by the flame mark on Fire Feather’s forehead, which was likely the main reason she could suddenly burst forth and confront the Gold God head-on.

Wu Wang opened his eyes, looking at the surrounding Heaven and Earth.

The Spiritual Snake had nonchalantly torn open a rift emanating a pale blue light, which slowly widened like an entrance.

Stepping through this gateway, one would arrive at a dense forest mere hundreds of miles away from the Gold God.

Numerous experts and Divine Spirits were currently hurrying to this area. With the battlefield just ahead, the disturbance in Heaven and Earth caused by the Spiritual Snake’s Teleportation Divine Skill was not conspicuous.

Wu Wang took a step forward.

"Really going over?"

Yun Zhongjun, who had transformed into a wisp of cloud, condensed into a human face in front of Wu Wang and asked him, "Have you thought it through? What can you do once you’re over there?"

Wu Wang pondered briefly, knowing that if he couldn’t present a complete plan, it would affect this elder brother’s trust in him.

He said, "Once I’m there, I will find the body of a Human Domain cultivator, disguise myself as him, and join the fray. I’ll be a common soldier, do my duty as a member of the human race, and make a statement to Elder Shen Nong. The most important thing is to have a clear conscience, so I can stand tall next time and continue to curse those parasites of the Human Domain."

"Uh."

Yun Zhongjun smiled, and this wisp of his essence slipped into Wu Wang’s sleeve.

"Let’s make it clear first: unless you’re about to be annihilated, with absolutely no chance of survival, I, your elder brother, will save you once. My revealing myself too early would not benefit the Heavenly Dao, and the Heaven Palace would immediately associate you with that ghost."

"Mm."

"Elder Brother, you need not intervene," Wu Wang said softly, tightening his sleeve. "This is a battle between the Human Domain and the Heaven Palace."

Having spoken, he flashed into the rift of Heaven and Earth, with the Spiritual Snake following from behind, casually smoothing out the rift, leaving no trace throughout the process.

...

Gold, the very edge of Heaven and Earth, its fearsome reputation struck terror even in ancient times.

A great battle erupted on the Western Route of Central Mountain. A Gold God from the Heaven Palace suddenly appeared, easily tearing through the defense line formed by the armies of the Western Three Routes and slaying nine Transcendent Realm masters of the Human Domain. She was intercepted by the arriving Xia Official, Zhu Rong Fire Feather.

The cultivators of the Human Domain rose in counterattack, but the gods of the Heaven Palace gained the upper hand for the time being due to the Gold God’s intervention.

Fortunately, the Human Emperor’s Imperial Guards appeared on the western front in the shortest possible time, filling the gaps in the battle line with their flesh and blood.

In just a moment, a large number of the Human Domain’s masters hurried towards this place.

The Heaven Palace responded accordingly, with the Earth God allocating even more Innate Gods to support the Gold God.

Even the battle lines of both the Human Domain and the Heaven Palace underwent various levels of chaos; the Gold God’s intervention had clearly exceeded all gods’ and humans’ expectations.

At the Western Route battleground.

Xu Mu’s voice had turned somewhat hoarse, yet he continued to shout and call out unceasingly.

He led thousands of cultivators, personally forming a great Formation. He also had to direct at least a dozen other battle formations, coordinating them to gather immortal power and launch it at the Innate Gods being held back by the Human Domain’s Transcendents.

Although there were several Strong Gods in this area, each possessing immense power, a single one of them could entangle more than a dozen Transcendents. This forced the Transcendent Realm masters of the Human Domain into a defensive posture, with almost no ability to counter.

This couldn’t be helped, as Transcendents also had different levels. Above the Transcendent Realm were two higher realms, and most of the Transcendents here were elite masters chosen by their Sects.

In a battle formation slightly to the rear, Xu Mu forced himself to focus completely on directing and maintaining the formation, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift towards the sky.

A moment before, the leader of the Imperial Guards, Xia Official Fire Feather, had appeared to confront the Gold God, whose destructive power was astonishing. She had dragged the Gold God high into the air for a fierce battle.

There, Heaven and Earth kept shattering and were continually being repaired by the power of the rules of Heaven and Earth.

There, no clouds formed, and any remnants were torn apart by the surging forces.

There, flames sometimes covered the sky, and sometimes a crevice was torn open.

What kind of Innate God is this, so domineering? Xu Mu couldn’t help but mutter in his heart, feeling a slight sense of powerlessness.

The young faces beside him all carried a mix of helplessness and anger.

The annihilation of nine Transcendents by the Gold God in a single move was a tremendous shock to these cultivators who normally looked up to Transcendents as their role models.

"Summon your spirits!" Xu Mu roared, using the most authoritative voice he could muster, his voice spreading throughout the several formations under his command.

"The Hundred Tribes Coalition Army is about to break through—the bloodiest part of the battle is yet to come! If our position collapses, the adjacent allies will shatter! Until we receive military orders, fight to the death on this ground, defend without retreating! Haven’t you all been complaining about not having battles to fight, not finding delight? Today, the Five Elements Gods have all shown up! If any of you dare to chicken out—"

He couldn’t help but smile self-deprecatingly. Am I still that cultured scholar from the Four Seas Pavilion? he thought. He had even started cursing! However, his words had a notably direct effect, as many younger commanders began to shout:

"Who’s chickening out?"

"So what if the Five Elements Gods have shown up? The Head Manager and the Young Master were both defeated by our Human Domain troops!"

"If anyone dares to show any hint of cowardice today, I’ll be the first to not let him off the hook!"

"Get your spirits up! If any of you still have immortal power left before dying, that would be the real disgrace!"

Many Immortal Soldiers looked up and laughed heartily, sweeping away the originally oppressive atmosphere of this place.

And why not?

If one was to die in battle here, so be it.

Fame and fortune are not my desire; I joined the army only to protect our homes.

The Heaven Palace has oppressed us for too long; how could these gods possess true courage!

"Quiet down!" Xu Mu bellowed, his longsword raised high. The soldiers quickly gathered their immortal power in their palms, ready to infuse it into the formation wall before them at a moment’s notice.

In front of them, several formidable shadows surrounded an Innate God, bombarding him relentlessly.

The Innate God’s expression was cold and stern as he methodically fended off the surrounding magic treasures and Divine Skills. Although his Divine Power was rapidly depleting, he was not in immediate danger.

Bypassing the zone of intense battle between the masters, Xu Mu looked towards the north.

Dust billowed there.

The Hundred Tribes Coalition Army, which had been left behind by the dozens of Innate Gods, had now reached this region.

Correspondingly, on the southern side, innumerable figures from the Human Domain’s army soared through the sky. Several Teleportation Formations were already flashing with light.

The great battle had not yet fully erupted. This location had merely sustained a strong assault from the Innate Gods, yet the Human Domain had already summoned a large number of reinforcements.

The deterrent power of the Gold God was evident.

High in the sky, two figures engaged in relentless combat.

To the naked eye from the ground, only fragmented afterimages could be seen: now a flame-wrapped Fairy Immortal slamming down with her spear, now a Golden Armor-clad Goddess slashing with her blade.

If one were to sense with Immortal Consciousness, they could only perceive fragmented ripples, and everything seemed hazy and unclear.

This was the might of the Great Wilderness’s top combatants!

If the Rule of Dao did not sustain Heaven and Earth, this world would have been shattered by these powerful individuals many divine eras ago.

Fire Feather stood alone against the Gold God!

A Human Domain cultivator, alone, was holding off the foremost killing force among the Five Elements Gods of the Heaven Palace!

When the cultivators regained their senses, their spirits began to soar continuously.

CLANG!

Behind the battle formation, the sudden sound of clashing metal rang out.

Many cultivators slightly to the rear turned to look, only to see lines of old crones, women, and Fairy Immortals standing outside the Human Domain battle line. They were spaced every hundred yards, forming a line that spanned hundreds of miles.

Leading them was an old crone who emanated an aura of peace and tranquility. She bowed her head and plucked the strings of her instrument.

Then, a thousand female immortals strummed their strings in unison!

With the sound of eagles soaring high and iron horses crossing rivers, the thin, hair-like strings played out the sounds of slaughter in this world!

As the melody unfolded, the cultivators’ Dao hearts trembled and their Divine Souls’ strength surged. Their eyes shone with brilliant Divine Light, and they felt an overwhelming energy course through their bodies, as if they were invincible within this limited space!

A thousand strong, they played the Song of War!

The Tianyan Xuan Nu Sect had joined the battle!

...

"It’s good that the Sect Master isn’t here; otherwise, if he encountered that Gold God, the problem would be serious."

In the Northern Region of the Human Domain, within a reserve army rushing to the northwest, dozens of True Immortals and Heavenly Immortals from the Annihilation Sect of the Wind Great Demon Sect sat on a gray cloud behind their Grand Elder, discussing among themselves.

News from the front kept coming:

The strong emergence of the Gold God;

The explosive combat power unleashed by Fire Feather;

Within an hour, the western front had become the core battlefield;

The Heaven Palace and Human Domain kept sending reinforcements and elite troops...

All of these pulled at the heartstrings of countless cultivators.

At this moment, the Grand Elder constantly attempted to activate the Cloud Mirror with his Transcendent Realm cultivation. However, the images in the Cloud Mirror remained somewhat unclear, and the area where the two top experts clashed could not be scrutinized at all.

"Grand Elder, how goes the front line?"

"The great battle has just begun," the Grand Elder replied somberly to the Skill-Imparting Elder’s question. He then stroked his beard and mused before explaining, "This war still harbors a hidden danger: the outcome of the battle between the Gold God and Fire Feather. This will directly affect the entire battle situation. According to ancient records, the Gold God has an unpredictable temperament, regards combat as life itself, and once even committed the insane act of intruding into the Human Domain to seek out experts for duels. I’m afraid it will be tough for Fire Feather to be her match."

"What if several top experts gang up on her?"

"At such a level of conflict, numbers cannot make up for a disadvantage."

An elder from a neighboring Sect muttered, "I heard some news that this battle with the Heaven Palace is to draw out the Strong Gods of the Heaven Palace, to fight and kill them if possible. The lifespans of those experts who followed our Human Emperor in conquering the Great Wilderness back then are nearly at their end."

The crowd fell silent.

This news, from an unknown source, had been circulating in the Human Domain for the past two days.

However, this did not impact the morale of the Human Domain; instead, it further fueled their will to fight.

The older generation of cultivators, already with one foot in the grave, still thought about defending their homeland and offering up their last flame.

How dare these later generations, who enjoyed the various benefits that a stable Human Domain provided, not fight to the death?

If they could die along with the heroes, their pursuit of the immortal dream would not have been in vain this lifetime.

If by chance they survived, they would send these old heroes off to their eternal rest and carry on their legacy, advancing step by step.

In any case, they counted it a gain to be able to participate in this battle.

The Grand Elder declared solemnly, "The Gold God is not easy to slay."

The crowd’s silence deepened.

Mao Aowu, who had accompanied the members of the Annihilation Sect, couldn’t help but repeat at this time:

"It’s good that the Sect Master isn’t here."

All the cultivators agreed.

...

Ah, so this is how dull it is to fight in a great army, he thought.

In a place slightly behind the core battle area where the Gold God and Fire Feather fiercely fought, Wu Wang found himself in a formation led by a general whom he didn’t recognize.

He was clad in Blood Clothes, wore a tattered robe, and his face was transformed into that of a young True Immortal.

This True Immortal had already died in battle.

Wu Wang had borrowed his identity. Yun Zhongjun adjusted Wu Wang’s aura to perfectly match that of the deceased man, and the Transformation Qi given by Elder Shen Nong allowed Wu Wang to flawlessly alter his physique.

Average, unremarkably handsome—essentially the standard for an ordinary cultivator.

Cultivators who wished to be recognized by their appearance either pursued extreme beauty, chose to stand out uniquely, or simply relied on a naturally ’strangely spirited’ look.

In the Human Domain, where everyone could make minor adjustments to their appearance, merely having well-proportioned features and clear eyes left no memorable impression.

Wu Wang, on the other hand, was different. He... was rather square.

At this moment, he stood amidst the crowd, stepping on the positional marks of the battle formation, responsible only for three tasks.

First, he had to channel his immortal power into the battle formation beneath his feet.

Second, he had to glance left and right to check for any gaps and immediately report to his captain if any appeared.

Third, he had to seal an elixir with immortal power and keep it in his mouth. If his immortal power fell below seventy percent, he would bite the elixir to replenish it.

The result was a hundred cultivators operating the formation, conjuring a hundred-yard-long phantom of a Spiritual Snake. This phantom then rampaged amongst the Hundred Races’ army dozens of miles away.

Moreover, they managed to continuously fire beams of immortal light at an Innate God, harassing and slightly distracting the deity’s attention.

Such was the method of battle formations in the Human Domain—pooling together immortal power to maximize its use, while ensuring the cultivators themselves remained in a relatively safe zone.

Any foe wishing to confront a cultivator must first withstand the cultivator’s long-range Divine Skills and magic treasure barrage.

Then they had to withstand the bombardment of the formations conjured by the cultivators.

Only then would they stand a chance to engage in close combat with the Human Domain cultivators.

The Hundred Tribes Coalition Army also had long-range means, but these were limited to a group of shackled citizens from the Giant Nation throwing a rain of stones from a distance, which didn’t significantly impact the cultivators’ formations.

The real threat to the cultivators came from those among the Hundred Races who had gained the favor of the Divine Spirits.

It wasn’t exactly safe either.

The formations slightly further forward were already bearing the brunt of the Hundred Races’ powerhouses’ assault; if their own formation broke, it meant close-quarters combat.

What Wu Wang saw:

A three-zhang-tall giant enveloped in Divine Light, moving with extraordinary agility, wielding a long staff with great strength and heavy momentum, their combat ability comparable to a Transcendent Body Cultivation expert from the Human Domain.

Dozens of beings, roughly the size of an average person with rabbit ears, whose speed could soar to the extreme in a very short time. They narrowly dodged the countless streaks of light unleashed by the cultivators. With dark, glowing weapons, they effortlessly sliced through the formation barriers, spreading out rapidly and causing the cultivators considerable trouble.

There were also elderly priests unleashing spells like the Praying Star Technique, conjuring black thunder with devastating force.

The ground would also occasionally crack open, revealing short, stout figures that made the Human Domain cultivators’ footing unsteady...

There were many such examples.

Naturally, the Human Domain cultivators were not afraid to engage in close-quarters combat.

Cultivators skilled in melee combat would take the initiative to move forward, while those proficient in long-range spells would quickly retreat. In the narrow spaces, they formed simple cooperative formations, turning the continuous onslaught of Hundred Races creatures into ash.

The immortal light summoned by Yuanxians was already quite dazzling.

True Immortals’ blade and sword attacks often left the ground strewn with broken bodies and shattered bones.

Heavenly Immortals actively confronted the stronger opponents within the Hundred Tribes Coalition Army. If they encountered a particularly tough foe, they would attack en masse to minimize casualties on their side.

In the conflict zone, beings fell in droves.

Soon, piles of corpses formed long, low walls. Yet, more figures appeared on the northern and southern horizons, continuously swarming towards this place.

Even further away, group Teleportation Formations flickered with Divine Light. Towering Teleportation Formations activated, rifts in Heaven and Earth continuously opened, and powerful beings leaped out from within.

The Innate Gods fought as they retreated, trying to reach a somewhat safer position.

But at some unknown point, aged figures had appeared among the Human Domain’s Immortals. Their Great Daos resonated, allowing them to confront even the Main Gods of the Heaven Palace. Groups of three to five of these elders could make even a reasonably powerful Innate God struggle.

Wu Wang had already vaguely sensed it.

Some powerful Divine Souls were beginning to prepare to burn.

But what they were targeting were not these ordinary Innate Gods, but rather the few most powerful among the Innate Gods.

As well as that increasingly fierce figure in the high sky.

Gold, of the Five Elements Gods.

Wu Wang took a light breath, secretly steadied his spiritual mind, and continued to mechanically perform his duties. He waited for the moment his formation would be impacted, the moment he would engage in close combat with the creatures of the Hundred Races.

In the high sky, at the boundary between Heaven and Earth.

Fire Feather’s long spear flickered relentlessly. Her shattered shoulder armor and dripping blood only accentuated her valor.

"Not bad at all," said the Gold God, almost standing in the void, a faint smile on her lips.

"The Human Domain is truly marvelous, always able to cultivate strong warriors in such a short amount of time. By the way, I was against the Head Manager’s idea of setting a lifespan limit for you powerful Human Domain cultivators. That was truly despicable."

As the Gold God spoke, her helmet transformed into golden light and dissipated.

Her chin tilted up slightly, revealing fine scales on her fair, slender neck. Her hair slowly lengthened by several inches, becoming denser and more dazzling.

"My armor was actually for suppressing my Divine Power."

Fire Feather frowned slightly, her expression growing more solemn.

The Gold God’s shoulders shook lightly. Illusions of six arms appeared around her, each translucent shadow holding a razor-sharp Divine Weapon.

The smile faded from the Gold God’s face, her pupils reflecting Fire Feather’s figure. She waited for the firelight to ignite around Fire Feather, for Fire Feather to be enveloped by the Fire Phoenix.

Then, the Gold God stepped forward, and Heaven and Earth seemed to tremble.

Her figure flickered, and it was as if the rules of Heaven and Earth vanished around her!

The Fire Phoenix shrieked as it took flight. Fire Feather leaped up, her long spear stirring waves of fire.

But the flickering golden light burst into limitless brilliance, scattering the forming fire waves before they could fully materialize. The golden light then shot straight for the Fire Phoenix’s neck!

"The Great Dao is like gold!"

On the ground below, Wu Wang’s Dao heart trembled. He suddenly looked up, his expression changing slightly.