frightfiction Chapter 1036 Setting up a trap
Chapter 1036 Setting up a trap
Iron Arm Mountains, Fortress No. 507, within that cave that even a seventh-grade True Immortal could hardly detect.
The twenty-fourth-grade Yuanxu Purple Lotus swayed gently, its petals shimmering with a faint glow, like shattered stars scattered on the lotus petals; the primordial energy flowing over it was like water under the moonlight, delicate and gentle, enveloping Su Mo, who sat upright in the lotus heart, making him even more hazy, and even his slightly furrowed brows were tinged with a touch of etherealness, as if he had merged with this secret realm.
At this moment, a torrent of complex and varied memories flooded his mind like a burst dam, carrying with it glints of swords and tales of secret realms, relentlessly challenging his understanding of the Nine Realms Immortal War. Soon, a hint of solemnity appeared on Su Mo's face, a shallow furrow appeared between his brows, and a flash of understanding appeared in his eyes.
As expected, the True Immortal Ancestors he had previously defeated were still somewhat lacking in strength, and much of the information was unreliable. The claim that "Eighth-Rank True Immortals are invincible in the Nine Domains Immortal War, and may not even lose a single one in several wars" was pure nonsense. The Nine Domains Immortal War involved nine Immortal Domains and tens of thousands of cosmic seas, gathering at least five figures of Eighth-Rank True Immortals, not to mention Ninth-Rank True Immortals and half-step Golden Immortals holding the line. How could such a large-scale battle not result in casualties?
Let alone eighth-grade True Immortals, even ninth-grade True Immortals suffer numerous casualties in every Nine Realms Immortal War. Unless you can resist the temptation of the massive resources—finding a secluded place to hide upon entering the Nine Realms Continent, surviving until the casualties of the nine Immortal Realms reach a critical threshold and you automatically escape after the Immortal War ends—then you might be considered "foolproof." As long as you're not cursed by bad luck or your fortune is completely depleted, you're basically safe.
If an eighth-rank True Immortal truly wanted to remain hidden, even a half-step Golden Immortal would find it extremely difficult. Moreover, the Nine Domains Continent was rife with conflict and its rules were chaotic, providing further cover. But then again, how many eighth-rank True Immortals could completely resist the temptation of top-tier treasures?
Grade 8 True Immortal Medicine and Grade 8 True Immortal Artifacts are extremely rare treasures in the outside world, with a chance of obtaining even one after dozens or hundreds of cosmic eras or even longer. However, in this Nine Domains Continent, one only needs to kill some low-level True Immortals to accumulate battle merits, and it may take less than one cosmic era to collect one. With such temptation, who could resist?
At least, Su Mo admitted that it would be very difficult for him to do so.
Fortunately, he hadn't slackened in the slightest during these hundreds of chaotic eras; otherwise, if he had entered the Nine Domains Continent with only the combat power to rival an eighth-grade True Immortal, he might have met with disaster at any time. If he had entered with the cultivation of a perfect fifth-grade True Immortal, and his illusory spirit body had fallen into the hands of a ninth-grade True Immortal or a half-step Golden Immortal, his main body's chances of escaping would have been, if not nonexistent, extremely slim.
Suddenly, Su Mo frowned again, his fingertips tracing the lotus petals paused, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips—these old guys were indeed not so easy to deal with.
Of the six True Immortals, including the Crimson Fire Old Monster, half were incarnations of True Immortals. Only the Golden-Armored True Immortal, the Blue-Skirt True Immortal, and the Crimson Fire Old Monster (who served as bait) were the true True Immortals themselves. The actual gains were half of what was expected, as killing True Immortal incarnations did not count towards battle merits.
Although his overall combat strength has now reached the level of a half-step Golden Immortal, it is still lacking compared to a true half-step Golden Immortal. He is still a bit short of the skill to deduce the whereabouts of their true selves using these True Immortal incarnations.
Well, capturing three Rank 8 True Immortals is already an unexpected bonus. A total of 240 billion battle merits is enough to exchange for two Rank 9 True Immortal artifacts, so what more could I ask for?
The next second...
Su Mo's gaze burned intensely once more, as if two sparks were blazing within him. Compared to the eighth-grade True Immortal artifact, the "Time-Space Heavenly Pearl," the power of a ninth-grade True Immortal artifact was more than ten times stronger. With two ninth-grade Time-Space True Immortal artifacts in hand, his cultivation speed would increase by several thousand times—one day of cultivation would be equivalent to hundreds of millions of years in the outside world. It wouldn't be long before he successfully broke through to the eighth-grade Perfect True Immortal realm.
At that time, as long as he doesn't encounter someone wielding a Golden Immortal artifact, no one will be his match. Even if he faces a Golden Immortal artifact, he won't be as powerless as he is now, with even the possibility of escape being extremely slim.
......
At the border of the Thousand Cliffs Domain and the Crimson Flame Domain, within the Four Symbols Suppressing Immortals Formation.
The illusory figures of the Azure Dragon and White Tiger gradually lost their divine light, their scales and claws turning into streaks of light and dissipating into the air; the light of the Vermilion Bird True Fire and the Black Tortoise Shell also dimmed, leaving only the thick bloody smell permeating the formation and the scattered fragments of broken immortal artifacts, reflecting the blood-red color of the setting sun, adding a touch of desolation.
Master Huanglong raised his hand and summoned a dark golden identity token. The token was engraved with intricate star patterns and emanated a faint aura of primordial energy; it was Su Mo's natal token. He gently touched the identity tokens of Ancestor Tianya and True Immortal Yunhan to each other, and three faint lights intertwined and flowed in the air like three swimming fish, instantly transferring all the battle merits accumulated by the two over hundreds of billions of years.
Although he had already earned 240 billion battle merits, this "small amount" seemed insignificant. However, as Huanglong Zhenren stroked the edge of the divine tablet with his fingertips, a shrewd calculation flashed in his eyes—even a small mosquito is still meat, and besides, these "small goals" of battle merits were enough to exchange for a seventh-grade true immortal artifact.
"Fellow Daoists, what are your plans next?" Huanglong Zhenren asked as he handed back his identity token. His golden dragon robe gleamed with a calm luster in the fading array light, and the dragon patterns on the hem seemed to still be slowly moving, exuding a restrained majesty.
The Old Ancestor of Tianya accepted the divine tablet and tucked it into his sleeve. His once flowing purple hair was now neatly combed, and the starlight around him had returned to calm, like a silent sea of stars, devoid of his previous excitement: "Now that this matter is settled, I should return to Tianya City. The Crimson Flame Domain has suffered heavy losses in this battle, but the situation in the Nine Domains is constantly changing. If too much time passes, I fear that something might happen to Tianya City, and I must return to guard it to prevent other forces from taking advantage of the situation."
"I plan to find a place to retreat and heal my wounds."
Yun Han Zhenxian gave a bitter smile, his fingertips trembling slightly as he accepted the divine tablet, the wound in his back still throbbing. He had truly suffered a complete loss this time, not only gaining no benefit whatsoever but also ending up severely injured. That old ghost Qing Ming's attack was extremely vicious; without several eras of rest and recuperation, it would be difficult for him to fully recover—by then, the Nine Realms Immortal War would likely be over, and his trip would have been in vain.
Thinking of this, a flame of anger ignited in his eyes. He looked in the direction where the body of the Azure Nether Immortal had disappeared, his teeth itching with hatred: If the traitor's body hadn't been taken away by the Yellow Dragon True Man, he would have dragged it out and whipped it to vent his anger! Instead of being a fellow cultivator from the same realm, he insisted on being a scoundrel who betrayed his master for personal gain. He truly deserved to die!
“Fellow Daoist Yun Han, I have an idea. I wonder if you would be willing to lend me a hand?” Huanglong Zhenren suddenly spoke, his gaze falling on Yun Han Zhenxian with a hint of scrutiny.
Immortal Yunhan was taken aback, then cupped his hands and said, "Please speak, senior. I will do my best."
Master Huanglong slowly walked to the edge of the formation, gazing at the churning fire clouds in the direction of the Crimson Flame Domain in the distance, and said slowly, "If the Crimson Flame Domain can use the Crimson Flame Old Monster as bait to set up a trap, why don't we follow suit? Now that Fellow Daoist Yun Han is seriously injured and his aura is weakened, he is just right to act as bait to lure the eighth-grade True Immortals from other major domains to take the bait—I wonder if you are willing?"
"This..." A hint of hesitation flashed in Yun Han True Immortal's eyes, and he subconsciously touched the wound on his back. Using his severely injured body as bait was tantamount to putting himself in danger. At present, his combat strength was less than one-tenth of what it used to be, and he was not much stronger than some quasi-eighth-grade True Immortals. A late-stage eighth-grade True Immortal could kill him instantly. If Huanglong True Immortal made any carelessness, his old life might be over.
Master Huanglong seemed to see through his concerns and added, "Fellow Daoist Yunhan, you can rest assured. I will secretly lay a trap to ensure you are not in any danger. After the mission is accomplished, I will share some of the battle merits with you."
One level of merit!
Yun Han Zhenxian's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart skipped a beat. With Huanglong Zhenren's methods, if the scheme succeeded, he would have killed quite a few eighth-grade Zhenxian, and each level of battle merit would be worth at least hundreds of billions. Not only would it have restored his injuries to their original state, but it might even have allowed him to advance further.
He gritted his teeth, and the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by determination: "Since you have such a plan, I dare not disobey! However... please make sure you have a backup plan."
"Senior, may I participate? I can also act as bait for you." Ancestor Tianya stepped forward, his eyes filled with hope beneath his purple hair, and cupped his hands in greeting to True Immortal Huanglong. With this late-stage Ninth-Rank True Immortal in charge, as long as they don't attract those real Ninth-Rank old monsters, this is practically free merit; only a fool would miss it.
At this moment, he had long since forgotten about the safety of Tianya City—what did the city's temporary stability matter compared to real battle achievements and cultivation resources?
"This one……"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Huanglong Zhenren's eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his palm. There were indeed advantages and disadvantages to this matter: two seriously injured eighth-grade true immortals would naturally be more attractive as bait than one, and more "fish" could be caught, perhaps even some peak or perfect eighth-grade true immortals; but in doing so, he would inevitably have to share another layer of battle merits with Tianya Laozu, and he couldn't let him be bait for nothing.
"Alright, throughout these chaotic eras, the Tianya Auction House has been busy running around for me. Even if I haven't made any great contributions, I have certainly put in a lot of effort. This favor deserves some reward."
With a sigh, Master Huanglong finally nodded slightly: "Very well, one more person will increase our chances of winning."
Upon hearing this, True Immortal Yunhan breathed a sigh of relief. With Ancestor Tianya acting as bait, the pressure on him would be greatly reduced. If they really encountered a tough opponent, the two of them could look after each other for a while.
Ancestor Tianya's face lit up with joy. Just as he was about to express his gratitude, he heard True Man Huanglong add, "However, we will have to trouble Fellow Daoist Tianya a little later."
Those eighth-grade True Immortals aren't fools. If you weren't truly severely injured, it wouldn't be easy to deceive their senses. You have to make it look convincing.
Old Ancestor Tianya was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood and hurriedly said, "Senior, rest assured, I know what is important. When the time comes, please do as you please and do not worry about me."
What is a small price to pay for military achievements?
"In that case, let's set off now and find a suitable ambush site."
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