Chapter 1 The Beginning

Above the void, six massive beams of light, invisible to the naked eye, descended from the depths of space, hundreds of thousands of *zhang* away. After traversing that vast distance, they transformed into six strands, no thicker than a foot, and evenly dispersed into the body of a slender, tall young man.

This man possessed an imposing air between his brows, and a thick, bloody aura emanated from him, almost solidifying into substance.

He wore a bright yellow imperial robe, and his every movement exuded the majesty and bearing of an emperor.

…

"Hmm, who is it?"

"Donghai, Li Tong!"

"Heh!"

Logically speaking, Li Tong did not belong to the world of the Yi cultivators (those who follow unorthodox cultivation methods). He was an emperor of the human realm, pursuing a path of dominance over the Eastern Sea, and never participated in the conflicts of the Yi cultivator world, so he had not been notified at first.

Chu Zhong was very pleased with Li Tong's arrival, partly because the brothers hadn't seen each other in a long time, and partly because Li Tong was an excellent commander, making him a valuable addition to their forces.

"Little Chu, I really didn't expect that we've only been apart for a short time, and you've become so powerful, even becoming the leader of the Yi cultivator alliance. I thought that after passing the Lesser Heavenly Tribulation, the gap between us would narrow a bit, but now it seems the gap is only getting wider."

Chu Zhong laughed and said, "There's no need for you to envy me. Once you can cultivate all nine streams of Ziwei Dragon Qi, you will definitely be able to surpass the Divine Tribulation stage as well."

Li Tong shook his head, speaking frankly, "My current cultivation has begun to stagnate. Surpassing the Divine Tribulation stage is by no means a matter of days, so I want to take advantage of the great war between the Yi cultivator world and the Western magic legions to achieve a breakthrough."

Li Tong laughed heartily, boundless domineering aura surging forth, "Have I had few dangers in my life? Don't worry, I cherish my life the most. No matter who it is, wanting my life will not be easy."

Li Tong also smiled and suddenly asked, "Little Chu, have you thought about how to fight this war? A chaotic melee? Or what?"

"I have two ideas right now that I want to discuss with you. If they are feasible, I will gather representatives from the major sects tonight to discuss them."

Chu Zhong organized his thoughts and slowly said, "Our Daoist sects are most skilled in formations. We can set up formations with extremely powerful attacks in the places the Western magic legions must pass through. Although they won't pose a major threat to powerhouses above the level of Archmages, they can effectively kill their ordinary mages."

A strange smile appeared on Chu Zhong's face, "This holy war is different from the one thousands of years ago. It definitely won't last too long. A brief confrontation will cause us to lose many people."

"By the time our Yi cultivator world unites and fights together, the war will have been going on for nearly three months. Those three months will also be the most tragic period for our Yi cultivator world, with countless cultivators lost."

Li Tong wasn't too clear about these secrets. After listening to Chu Zhong's explanation, a trace of emotion appeared on his calm face.

"The second method is a risky move. I want to assassinate Arthur Lothar. As long as we kill this person, the Western magic legions will be without a leader, and their morale will definitely collapse. Then, solving them will be as easy as turning over my hand."

Li Tong sighed and said with a wry smile, "It seems that naval warfare strategies among humans are of no help to this war. This is almost a war between immortals, and mortal tactics are useless."

"As for the first method you mentioned, I think we can try it, but don't have too much hope. Arthur Lothar is about the same age as us, but he can unify the Western magic world. His cunning and intelligence must be extraordinary. How could he not know the power of our Daoist sect formations?"

"But even if he knows, he will inevitably have to continue to advance. This is not a conspiracy, but an open scheme. We can only hope that those barbarian fellows don't understand formations and kill as many ordinary mages as possible, also reducing some burden for us."

After Li Tong finished speaking, he glanced at Chu Zhong and his voice lowered, "As for the second method you mentioned, I strongly oppose it. You cannot take this risk."

"We don't know Arthur Lothar's strength, and he must be surrounded by experts, gathering the most elite forces of the Western magic legions. Even if you are a Golden Immortal, able to roam freely across the Nine Desolate Continents, but if you are surrounded by a group of Grand Mages, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to leave unscathed!"

Chu Zhong chuckled, knowing that his close friend was worried about his safety, and couldn't help but tease, "What? Do you have so little confidence in me?"

"I'm just very confident in Arthur Lothar's strength. He can unify the Western magic world. If he doesn't have strength beyond a Grand Mage, how can he convince the masses? I don't believe that the elders of the Church of Light and the Dark Temple are so easy to deal with. Little Chu, give up this idea, it's not realistic."

"Alas, I also know it's not realistic."

Chu Zhong shook his head and sighed, "It seems that we can only use the first method first, setting up several extremely powerful formations in their must-pass areas, hoping it will be effective."

"Mm."

…

Chu Zhong's proposal was agreed to by representatives of all the major sects.

This holy war may be very short, but the degree of tragedy will definitely not be lower than the last one, and may even be more tragic than the last Eastern-Western war.

In the following days, the fleet advanced at full speed, sailing fiercely in the turbulent Sea of Death like ferocious beasts.

After about ten days, they had traveled about 500,000 *li*, and the distance to the Western magic legions was at most 200,000 *li*.

The powerful, boundless energy fluctuations seemed to be perceptible to everyone.

At this time, the masters of formation arrangement from the major sects began to study together how to arrange several compound formations, and they had to be the kind with extremely powerful killing power.

Finally, the major sects sent a total of nearly a hundred people to begin arranging seemingly gentle but actually powerful formations on the vast Sea of Death.

'Nine Heavens All-Embracing Yin Demon Grand Formation!'

'Upside Down Five Elements Grand Formation!'

'Five Thunder Heavenly Heart Grand Formation!'

'Buddhist Sect Samsara Three Aspects Transformation Grand Formation!'

'…!'

After a day and a night of research and discussion by the formation masters of the major sects, nearly twenty formations were jointly laid out on the vast Sea of Death.

These formations were interlocked, one ring connecting to another. As long as the Western magic legions' fleet entered the formation, it would surely lead them to their deaths.

"The entire army retreats 50,000 *li*!"

After the formations were arranged, Chu Zhong led the elite forces of the Yi cultivator world, retreating instead of advancing. Three days later, they retreated another 50,000 *li*, waiting to watch the show.

Enticing the enemy into a trap!

Next, it was up to Arthur Lothar to deal with it!!~!