I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 335 - 319: A Path Is Made by Eating

"I agree with Sect Leader Xuee. According to my intelligence, Demon Blade City might be mobilizing its full force this time. We should use our geographical advantage to counterattack."

"To be safe, we should notify the other cities. We might need their help if a crisis arises."

"Sect Leader Yang, don’t tell me our Snow Moon City is afraid of Demon Blade City! We’ll face whatever they throw at us. This isn’t our first fight with them. If they want to take Snow Moon City, they’ll need some sharp teeth."

The Demon Cultivator army, organized by Sect, began to advance on Snow Moon City. Wang Meng, however, went into hiding. He had deliberated for a long time before making this decision.

Under normal circumstances, Demon Blade City only had twelve Sect Leaders, five of whom had yet to recover from their injuries from the last major battle. But this time, there were thirteen. They had clearly called for reinforcements, and the Saint Cultivators were likely unaware of this.

Wang Meng desperately wanted to get this information out, but he quickly quashed the idea. All the Demon Cultivators were watching him like hawks. The slightest suspicious move would get him killed. So, he came up with a plan.

Ten thousand Demon Cultivators surrounded Snow Moon City. Xuee Zhongnan and the others clearly hadn’t expected this. The scale of the army obviously exceeded Demon Blade City’s own capabilities.

Xuee Zhongnan and the others led the Saint Cultivators, hovering above Snow Moon City with grave expressions. Even with the city’s defensive advantages, it was questionable whether they could hold out. The Demon Cultivators had done an excellent job of keeping this operation a secret.

Hatred flared the moment the old enemies met. The great battle erupted the instant they made contact. The Bow Cultivators unleashed a sky full of light, while the Great Perfection Sect Leaders remained in the center, observing the battlefield.

Snow Moon City shone with a radiant light as its massive Defensive Array blocked the Demon Cultivators’ ranged attacks. Meanwhile, the Saint Cultivators’ Bow Cultivators began firing round after round, tearing into the Demon Cultivators’ lines. With the first exchange, swathes of Demon Cultivation Disciples fell.

In the current Small Thousand Realms, the number of Demon Cultivation Disciples had already clearly surpassed that of the Saint Cultivators. Now, in the Slaughter Space and even in the Star Alliance’s assembly, the Demon Cultivators held the upper hand.

Despite having the defensive advantage of Snow Moon City, Xuee Zhongnan and his comrades couldn’t feel the slightest bit of joy. The Demon Cultivators dying at the front were all just cannon fodder. Snow Moon City currently had only a little over three thousand Saint Cultivators, while the Demon Cultivators outnumbered them several times over. These losses meant nothing to them.

The Bow Cultivators traded volleys for a good while, a battle of attrition between them. Large-scale wars between Cultivators were incredibly brutal, especially sieges like this one, which could only be described as a grueling struggle.

The Bow Cultivators, taking advantage of their superior range, exchanged fire for a full five ancient hours. When the Bow Cultivators’ momentum weakened, countless Sword Cultivators took to the air, blotting out the sun as Sword Qi filled the sky.

Xuee Zhongnan drew his sword. "Holy Hall Disciples, advance!"

From within the crowd, Xu Huang drew his sword and shot into the air, charging toward the oncoming Demon Cultivator army.

After several years of training in the Slaughter Space, Xu Huang had broken through to the Fiftieth Layer of Elemental Power, becoming a fierce general of the Holy Hall.

Countless streams of Sword Qi rushed toward them. Swathes of Sword Cultivators fell in an instant. Whether it was their Magical Artifacts or their Defensive Arrays, they were almost powerless against such a massed attack.

If the Sect Leaders were to face off, it would be thirteen from the Demon Cultivators against seven from the Saint Cultivators—nearly two to one. At the Great Perfection level, a duel between Sect Leaders could sometimes last for months without a clear winner. But a two-on-one fight was another matter entirely.

None of the Sect Leaders made a move. These Great Perfection masters would only act once the battle reached its middle stages.

There was no retreat in a battle like this. Once a city was lost, its affiliated Sects would lose their foothold in the Great Yuan Realm and could very well be delisted directly. And without a position in the Great Yuan Realm, it would likely be difficult to survive in their own Small Thousand Realm.

The Great Yuan Realm was extremely dangerous, but the resources and speed of growth it offered were incomparable to any other place.

The battle was incredibly intense.

The Demon Cultivators were full of confidence. This was a surprise attack, but they actually weren’t afraid of the Saint Cultivators finding out. The Demon Cultivators’ forces were simply superior to the Saint Cultivators’. Even if Snow Moon City had known, it wouldn’t have mattered. The other cities wouldn’t dare to send reinforcements, lest their own cities be conquered by the Demon Cultivators they were supposed to be defending against. By then, it would be too late for regrets.

Yang Jian’s expression was grave. "Leave this battle to me."

"Sect Leader Yang, you are the City Lord. Let me take this one."

Xuee Zhongnan said. The first to go up would almost certainly be sacrificed. Even if they didn’t die, they would be grievously wounded. By relying on the city, he could draw on Snow Moon City’s power and hold off four opponents by himself. But the best-case scenario was still severe injury. Snow Moon City had already lost three Sect Leaders this way.

Seeing the situation before them, all the Sect Leaders knew this was no ordinary battle. In the best-case scenario, they would sacrifice one Great Perfection master. If things went poorly, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Now, it was the Holy Hall’s turn.

Yang Jian nodded. "Sect Leader Xuee, the disciples of the Holy Hall are the disciples of my Celestial Rainbow Sect!"

Xuee Zhongnan nodded. Someone had to step forward. The other five Sect Leaders also nodded, their expressions solemn. Once the balance was broken, a master might be sacrificed in every major battle. If it didn’t cost the attacking side an astronomical amount of resources to launch such a large-scale war, the Saint Cultivators probably wouldn’t have been able to hold on.

The Saint Cultivators’ situation was dire. In a situation like this, someone always had to make a sacrifice. Evil Cultivators might have a path of retreat, but Saint Cultivators did not.

Above and below Snow Moon City, sword light flashed, Elemental Qi raged, and killing intent soared to the heavens. But Demon Blade City was completely quiet.

「The night had already grown deep.」

Wang Meng, who had been hiding, finally emerged. He had mulled it over for a long time. ’Forget me, at only the Thirty-Fifth Layer. Even a Great Perfection expert would just be throwing their life away by going over there. But what if I look at it from another angle? What if I undermine them at the source? Could that have an unexpectedly miraculous effect?’

’War depends on strategy. It’s like back in my brawling days; I would always grab the leader and beat them senseless. Once the leader is down, the fight is over.’

Of course, Wang Meng couldn’t take down a Great Perfection Grandmaster. But it was obvious that in the Slaughter Space, cities played a crucial role. Now that so many Demon Cultivation Disciples were on the battlefield, although some remained in Demon Blade City, the Great Perfection Sect Leaders that Wang Meng feared most were clearly all gone. In truth, they never would have imagined someone would stay behind, let alone someone so audacious.

The most direct way to cripple a city was to destroy its Array Core. If the Array Core was destroyed, the city would be half-useless.

Wang Meng was putting what he’d just learned into practice.

Late at night, a figure stealthily slipped into the Main Array Tower.

The Demon Cultivator guards were merely disciples at the Thirtieth-something Layer, and they were yawning.

"Fuck, we always get stuck on guard duty. I heard you can get rich just by scavenging on the battlefield!"

"We don’t even qualify to be cannon fodder right now. Let’s just obediently stand guard. Besides, a huge battle like this is full of danger. One careless mistake and you’re dead."

"Some guy from my Sect just barely broke through to the Fortieth Layer, but he got super lucky. He managed to snag a Fire Attribute Treasure Sword in the last big battle and was showing it off in our faces for ages."

"Let’s hope he’s just as lucky this time. You think the Saint Cultivators are just freeloaders?"

"True that. I curse him to not come back."

The two of them drank, cup after cup. Wang Meng quietly made his way inside.

The two Demon Cultivation Disciples were rather confident in the Array’s warning system. If any unauthorized person entered, the Defensive Array would activate immediately. Unless it was a Great Perfection master, it would be useless even if their own ancestors showed up.

But unfortunately for them, they had run into a freak like Wang Meng. When it came to things like Array Technique, Wang Meng could fool them with his Divine Sense.

At last, Wang Meng reached the city’s Array Core. This was the power center that ran the entire Demon Cultivator city. During a siege, a Great Perfection master could borrow this power to obtain heaven-defying Divine Power. This was also why, despite having a clear advantage, Demon Cultivators could only slowly wear down Saint Cultivation Cities.

Pushing the door open, Wang Meng was stunned by the sight before him.

A massive Spirit Stone, the size of a small mountain, stood before him. Even for an experienced man of the world like Master Wang, a Spirit Stone this huge was a shocking sight.

Having transformed from the Sea of Fire Consciousness into a Spirit Beast-like existence, Little Flame’s need for Spirit Stones was growing ever stronger. It was even more voracious than a Cultivator, eating Spirit Stones like they were regular meals.

Seeing such a huge "white steamed bun," the sparks on Little Flame’s forehead immediately bloomed like a hundred flowers.

"Master, can I eat it?"

*Sweatdrop.* Wang Meng was taken aback for a moment. "Aren’t you afraid of eating till you burst!" he whispered, gazing at the enormous Spirit Stone. Not only was it massive, but its quality was completely different from the Broken Spirit Stones used by ordinary Cultivators. Its entire body was smooth and round, wreathed in Spiritual Qi that didn’t dissipate. No wonder it could power an entire city. He had to admit, the Star Alliance was a truly magical, hellish place. No wonder all the major Sects were willing to obey "it."

He held back the eager Little Flame. ’In such an important place, given the Demon Cultivators’ cautious nature, they’re either morons for not posting a master to guard it, or they’re simply not afraid of anyone coming here.’

He swept the area with his Heart Spirit and found nothing unusual. But when his Divine Sense swept over it, Wang Meng saw that the floor was densely packed with Talisman Arrays.

He couldn’t recognize many of them, but they were basically the type that would leave you utterly doomed if you touched them. There were many more he didn’t recognize at all; heaven only knew what would happen if he triggered those.

’Not being able to chip off a piece of such a massive Spirit Stone really isn’t the Thunderlight King Master’s style. Looks like my only option is to blow it up with the Flame Encyclopedia.’

While Wang Meng was contemplating, Little Flame could no longer hold back, unable to resist the temptation of a meal.

Wang Meng was startled and tried to stop it, but it was too late. However, what happened next left him dumbfounded.

The little guy was eating the Array...

’It can eat that too?’

The Array didn’t activate when it touched Little Flame. Instead, Little Flame followed the lines of the Array and ate it, as skillfully as a master butcher carving an ox. Before long, it had devoured an entire Talisman Array.

After finishing, Little Flame rubbed its forehead. "Doesn’t taste good."

Then it stared blankly at the even more formidable Array in front of it, looked longingly at the giant Spirit Stone, and buried its head to get back to work.

Perhaps the temptation of the Spirit Stone was too great. Little Flame ate for its life, forcefully carving a path right through the massive, complex Heaven and Earth Four Extremes Array.

Just as Little Flame excitedly pounced on its victorious "big cake," it was picked up by someone.

Wang Meng ran his hand over the giant Spirit Stone. It was a terrifying source of energy. It was just a pity he couldn’t swallow it.

His Divine Sense swept over it. The Spirit Stone wasn’t natural; it seemed to have been formed through some kind of combination. But after confirming there were no problems, he let go of Little Flame, which immediately pounced on it.