The ice rain and frozen earth dissipated, and the world transformed in an instant.
The previous landscape of ice and snow was replaced by a dim, open environment, as though it were evening — heavy clouds blanketed the sky, and a thunderstorm was about to break. Wretched weather by any measure.
This was clearly yet another battlefield killer move.
"Welcome to the War Soul Battlefield." A female voice, ethereal and melodious, suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
Each time one entered a new battlefield, a voice would announce it.
Shark Demon's expression shifted. "This is bad — it's the legendary War Soul Battlefield! This just got complicated."
Before his words had even faded, gusts of sand began to swirl around them. Yellow dust filled the sky, and soul beasts materialized out of thin air from every direction, closing in on the group of Gu Masters.
Su Baiman hurriedly warned, "Star Astrologer, Bu Dan — you two need to hurry! The soul beasts here are endless. The longer we delay, the more numerous and powerful they become. This War Soul Battlefield was created by Paradise Immortal Venerable after studying one of Dark Soul Demon Venerable's inheritances. Paradise Immortal Venerable's other works always contained a compassionate heart, always leaving a sliver of hope. But this battlefield killer move is vastly different — it carries the killing intent of Dark Soul Demon Venerable. Among all the battlefield killer moves Paradise Immortal Venerable created, this one is by far the most lethal!"
Fang Yuan and Bu Dan dared not slacken in the slightest, each deploying their methods to crack the formation at full effort.
Fang Yuan quickly discovered that this War Soul Battlefield was different from the Ice Rain Frozen Earth. In the latter, the attacks had no apparent flaw when they came — they were seamlessly unified, leaving nothing to grip. But the War Soul Battlefield, from the very start, allowed Fang Yuan to easily locate the hidden nodes of several ordinary Gu.
As time passed, Fang Yuan discovered more and more hidden nodes — they were densely packed, practically everywhere. Tens of thousands!
The sheer number of Gu composing this battlefield killer move far exceeded Fang Yuan's expectations.
Fang Yuan also noticed something else. Unlike the Ice Rain Frozen Earth, there were no traps within this battlefield killer move. No matter which hidden node he dismantled, there was no backlash. Nor did it require him to recalculate anything.
So, before long, Fang Yuan and Bu Dan began methodically tearing down these hidden nodes on all sides.
However, the offensive power of the War Soul Battlefield was several tiers above that of the Ice Rain Frozen Earth.
The Ice Rain Frozen Earth's attacks were intermittent, with calm intervals between each wave that allowed the Gu Masters inside to rest and recover.
But the War Soul Battlefield, once activated, never ceased. Soul beasts multiplied at a terrifying rate, and before long, Desolate-stage soul beasts had already formed.
Moments later, there were more than ten Desolate-stage soul beasts, and Ancient Desolate-stage soul beasts began to appear as well.
They could not even hold out for half an incense stick's time before Shark Demon and the others had to activate the Mysterious Ice Remnant House and flee in disarray, breaking through the surface of the sea.
"The number of Gu composing this battlefield killer move is staggering. My apologies — my methods are limited, and I can only dismantle them one by one." Once above the water, Bu Dan faced Shark Demon and held nothing back, reporting the truth without concealment.
Fang Yuan also furrowed his brow. "My methods can at most dismantle five or six hidden nodes at a time. I suspect the difficulty of cracking the War Soul Battlefield lies precisely here. The faster you dismantle them, the longer you can hold out against the siege of soul beasts — and the more likely you are to ultimately break the formation. The actual difficulty of each individual dismantling isn't particularly high."
"Then based on your calculations, Star Astrologer — at the pace the two of you work, how long would it take to fully crack this battlefield killer move?" Shark Demon asked urgently.
Fang Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "I'm not sure. I haven't mapped out the full scope of the battlefield killer move. The hidden nodes are too many — like stars in the sky. But from the tens of thousands I've already identified, clearing them all would take at least two incense sticks' time."
Sha Nanjiang blurted out, "Two incense sticks? We only held out for half a stick and Ancient Desolate-stage soul beasts had already appeared! Two sticks... there will definitely be Primal-stage soul beasts by then, and more than one!"
The group fell silent.
Su Baiman said gravely, "If that's the case, it seems next time we'll need to bring more people. The Gu Masters we recruit will at least need sufficient Wisdom Path attainment to dismantle the hidden nodes."
As she spoke, Su Baiman and Shark Demon exchanged a glance, each seeing the bitterness in the other's eyes.
Gu Masters with genuine Wisdom Path attainment were already rare to begin with. Hiring them to help would not come cheap.
After a moment of deliberation, Shark Demon spoke. "Then let's disband for now. The next attempt will be approximately thirty days from now, with the exact time depending on circumstances — you will be notified separately. Star Astrologer, here is my token. You may use it to stay temporarily at the Zombie Alliance headquarters and lie low for a while."
Fang Yuan smiled faintly. "I appreciate Lord Shark Demon's kind offer, but I have no wish to waste time. A mere Song Yishi cannot pose a real threat to me. The Song family may be powerful, but they don't have the reach to cover the entire Eastern Sea with one hand. If I cower in some corner over something like this, then I, Star Astrologer, would not have cultivated for all these years. Everyone — we'll meet next time."
Watching Fang Yuan and Tai Bai Yunsheng fly off into the distance, Bu Dan stepped forward to Shark Demon's side and whispered venomously, "That Star Astrologer is awfully ungrateful. You offered your kindness, my lord, and he won't even accept it!"
Shark Demon gave him a cold glance and snorted, displeased. "If you were more capable, why would I need to treat him so?"
Bu Dan's face twisted with bitterness. "My lord, it's not that I'm not trying my hardest — it's that the inheritance is too fragmented. My abilities are limited."
Shark Demon waved his hand impatiently.
Bu Dan quickly shut his mouth, hung his head, and retreated.
Su Baiman sidled closer, a smile playing at her lips. "If my husband is worried that something might happen to Star Astrologer and disrupt the next attempt, there's no need. Northern Plains Gu Masters tend to be stronger than those of the other four regions. Star Astrologer also has an Immortal Gu at his disposal — his combat prowess was impressive enough to kill Yao Ge Pi on the spot. He'll be fine."
"He may have offended Song Yishi, the beloved daughter of Song Qiyuan, but precisely because the Song family is a Righteous Path superpower with vast resources, they would never mobilize over such a trivial matter. However, their reputation has taken a hit, so they'll certainly need to put on a show for the public before long. Before long, Star Astrologer will feel the pressure mounting — and when that happens, who else will he come running to but us?"
"Mm, that does seem right. Your analysis is sound, dear wife." Shark Demon's expression relaxed, and he gently took Su Baiman's hand.
……
Northern Plains. Falling Spirit Valley.
The siege and defense around Falling Spirit Valley had, almost imperceptibly, been going on for over half a month.
Qin Baisheng's side held a formidable geographic advantage, keeping Feng Jiuge's forces at bay. But Feng Jiuge and his allies seemed determined to maintain the siege. As long as they refused to withdraw, Qin Baisheng's side had no choice but to continue hunkering down inside Falling Spirit Valley.