On the border, the older generation of Azure Cloud charged into the Duravia Trade Prefecture.
There was a place where troops were stationed, a high mountain with a barracks inside, from which the smoke of cooking fires could be seen. Cultivators were constantly flying back and forth on their swords.
Perhaps because of the strange, dark clouds gathering on the Eternal Sun Prefecture border, the activity of the cultivators within this mountain garrison became even more frequent, with figures bustling about.
"Report!"
"There is military intelligence from Eternal Sun Prefecture! Prefecture Lord Li Dalong has summoned zombies, forming a corpse cloud, and is charging towards the heartland of our Duravia Trade Prefecture! The major powers of Azure Cloud have suddenly appeared with a million-strong army! They have already entered our territory! We had no time to react, and they had already dispersed throughout the prefecture!"
The soldiers in the mountain garrison were thrown into a panic for a moment, but they quickly recovered.
Military orders echoed from within the mountain.
"Transmit the order! As long as the main army of Eternal Sun does not advance, our forces are to remain as immovable as a mountain. We will wait with our weapons at the ready. Dispatch scouts to the border and keep a close watch for any advance from their main army. Order all surrounding towns to send out their cultivators to aid in the defense!"
High in the sky outside the mountain, a white eagle flew past, an expert's aura emanating from within.
A cultivator in the mountain garrison sensed it but gave the order to ignore it, instead sending a message via a Dharma Treasure.
"It is exactly as Fourth Sister and Lady Dongfang predicted."
On the white eagle, Li Yaoqing had her hands tucked in her sleeves.
Sensing the probing from the mountain below, she said in a low voice, "The cultivators on the border are from all the various clans of Duravia Trade Prefecture's twelve regions. Their objective is to guard the border. They can form a grand army at any time, and they can also invade our Eternal Sun Prefecture. They will not move."
Bai Rourou took up the point. "Of course, they won't move. The deeper our army advances, the more surrounded we will be. For these great, established clans, what they truly fear is our Eternal Sun Prefecture's main army slowly encroaching on their territory."
"As long as there are still Duravia Trade Prefecture clans at our army's rear, we will always have to be on guard against a stab in the back. The moment our forces advance too deep and are surrounded by their people…"
Bai Rourou's expression was grim. "They will try to devour us bit by bit, just like the Wu Clan who rashly entered our Azure Cloud Region all those years ago. In the end, they too could not escape the fate of being toyed with to death."
There were over a hundred such mountain garrisons along the border between the Eternal Sun Prefecture and the Duravia Trade Prefecture.
The people of Azure Cloud were like men jumping into a whirlpool.
"But this is the only way we can draw the attention of the various clans of the Duravia Trade Prefecture," Li Yaotie let out a long breath.
The white eagle had been soaring for a long time and was now high above the clouds.
From Li Yaotie's vantage point, he could see two cities that looked incredibly small. All around them were treasure-filled lands of mountains and rivers.
He closed his eyes. Three feet above his head, a silver giant with sharp, chiseled features materialized, a great hammer in its hand. It flew out and vanished in an unknown direction.
Just a moment later, the hammer-wielding giant was soaring through the clouds when it was suddenly ambushed. One Nascent Soul phantom after another appeared, surrounding it in the blink of an eye. The auras of three of the phantoms were especially immense.
Boom!
Without a single word, the three great phantoms instantly annihilated the giant's projection.
High above in the clouds, Li Yaotie's body swayed for a moment. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes flashed with a grave light.
"Second Sister, they're here. A lot of experts. Most of the experts from one of the regions have arrived, including three old bastards at the Divinity Transformation stage! It looks like they want to wipe us out quickly so they can go and reinforce Prince Qian."
"Good."
Li Yaoqing patted the white eagle. The great eagle, which they had captured on their journey, let out a cry and quickly fled.
Afterward, Li Yaoqing squatted down, took out a small, bright dagger, and sliced open her left palm.
Clenching her fist, she let her blood drip all over the mountain. As her blood soaked into the soil, the pattern of a grand formation began to appear on the ground.
Flowers and grasses started to grow madly all over the mountain, spreading rapidly and releasing a green mist. Below, roots began to sprout, as if they were hoisting the entire mountain into the air.
A light flashed from Li Yaotie's storage ring.
One after another, iron men emerged from it and slowly walked into the forest now enveloped by the green mist. They were then engulfed by the wildly growing vegetation—an incredibly eerie sight. After a hundred had emerged, they continued to flow out in a steady stream, heading into the green mist.
A silver orb appeared beside Bai Rourou, transforming into molten silver iron that flowed to cover her body. With a flash from her storage ring, a ghost-head greatsaber floated into the air.
"Third Brother, do you remember when we fought in Tailin Town those hundreds of years ago?" Li Yaoqing asked, as thunderclouds gathered in the sky and lightning struck the mist-covered mountain.
Li Yaotie rubbed his bald head and gritted his teeth. "Of course, I remember. Got tricked by that bastard and lost an arm. But it was worth it. I got a good wife out of the deal."
"You old scoundrel, you dare bring that up again?!!"
Bai Rourou, now encased in molten iron, floated into the air. Her body expanded continuously, transforming into that of a giant as she roared in fury at Li Yaotie.
"This time, the two of us, brother and sister, have brought Rourou along to take on an entire region. You'd better be careful. Survival is the priority. Our mission is to pin down their experts so they can't reinforce the three great powers and Prince Qian. Don't you go fighting too desperately," Li Yaoqing said with a frown.
"Look at you, saying that."
Li Yaotie grinned. "Who am I? I am the personal disciple of the Heavenly Light Sect's Grand Ancestor! Even if I just stood here, who would dare to touch me?"
As he spoke, Li Yaotie floated into the air. Sensing the auras of the experts drawing ever closer, he puffed out his chest and sent a voice transmission into the distance.
"I am Li Yaotie, the personal disciple of the Heavenly Light Sect's Grand Ancestor!"
"Who dares to—"
BOOM!