Chapter 120: The Battle Begins
At this moment, Li Changsheng couldn't care less about the faint traces of aura that had leaked out despite the layers of protective formations.
In the instant he made his choice, a terrifying transformation occurred within his body.
Not only did his physical body expand to a height of a hundred meters, but a numbing sensation also began to spread below his arms, and two additional arms sprouted forth. At the same time, a similar sensation spread across his back, and a pair of wings resembling those of a golden eagle grew out, crackling with faint traces of lightning.
From his tailbone, a long tail extended, gently flicking and shattering the void with its movement.
These were not true flesh and blood but rather resembled energy constructs. However, they were rapidly transforming into physical forms.
Even a vertical eye-like mark began to appear between his eyebrows, as if on the verge of opening.
Li Changsheng's expression remained unchanged. Back in the Void Lands, Old Gu had already explained to him that upon reaching the ninth transformation of the Divine Demon Nine Transformations, the latent bloodline within him would awaken and begin to evolve toward a divine demonic form. At that point, he would have the choice to extract the essence and discard the dross, preserving only the beneficial aspects.
Moreover, according to Mo Chengkong's accounts, back in the day, the Blood Demon Sect's heir apparent had been a figure with two heads and two pairs of wings.
His combat prowess was extraordinary, capable of slaying Celestial Immortals while still in the Earth Immortal stage, and his cultivation speed was double that of ordinary cultivators. One pair of wings granted him control over the wind, while the other pair allowed him to wield the power of lightning. Even in the immortal realm, he was considered a renowned prodigy.
"Get back inside!"
Li Changsheng let out a roar.
He was confident that, with the simulator at his disposal, he could ascend to the pinnacle of power without relying on these flashy additions.
"Ah!"
Blood trickled from the corner of Li Changsheng's mouth as he forcibly suppressed the newly grown arms, wings, and tail, grinding them back into nothingness. Only the vertical eye mark between his eyebrows remained unchanged.
Half an hour later, Li Changsheng's body returned to its normal state, though a faint red mark now lingered between his brows.
Li Changsheng opened his eyes and murmured:
"I originally wanted to lure the Demon Crown Prince to Old Gu's place and deal with him there, but it seems that's no longer an option."
"Old Gu's enemies in the immortal realm are too powerful. Once he makes a move, they'll sense his presence."
In the simulation earlier, that giant hand descending from the immortal realm had obliterated him, Old Gu, and the entire palace in one strike. The strength of its owner was unimaginable.
Compared to that, the strike from the mysterious demonic powerhouse summoned by the Demon Crown Prince paled in comparison.
Half an hour passed.
The oppressive aura that had enveloped the Hundred Herbs Pavilion headquarters finally dissipated.
However, the incident left a shadow over the cultivators of the pavilion. This was already a critical moment for the Hundred Herbs Pavilion's survival, and with Mr. Mo absent, the appearance of such a powerful figure nearby seemed like a deliberate show of force.
Fear and unease spread like wildfire.
Many members of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion returned to their residences with complex expressions, their hearts heavy.
Two days later.
The elite forces of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion gathered at the headquarters.
The atmosphere was solemn.
Many wore expressions of sorrow. The chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence had arrived outside Pearl City with a coalition of powerful factions. After this battle, it was uncertain how many of those present would still be alive.
"Mr. Mo, Chi Yangshu, Zhen Hongwei, and Wu Nan have defected with some members of the headquarters. I failed to stop them in time," Tang Xuangan said, standing beside Mo Chengkong, his face filled with anger.
"It's fine."
Mo Chengkong shook his head and said indifferently, "Those who remain here will not be forgotten by the Hundred Herbs Pavilion in the future."
"The cultivators outside the city are nothing more than paper tigers. Those who betrayed us will pay the price for their actions."
Seeing that Mo Chengkong's demeanor was firm and resolute, the high-ranking members of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion present felt a glimmer of hope.
Mr. Mo's origins were mysterious. Before the Hundred Herbs Pavilion opened, there had been no records or rumors about him in the Cangqing Realm. It was as if he had appeared out of thin air. Some even speculated that Mr. Mo wasn't from the Cangqing Realm but had come from another world.
Could it be that Mr. Mo had a powerful backer who could withstand the might of the Crown Prince's residence?
"Boom!"
At that moment, an overwhelming sword beam slashed from outside the city toward the Hundred Herbs Pavilion headquarters.
"Bang!"
A deafening crash echoed.
The sword beam triggered the defensive formations of the headquarters, and a massive five-colored barrier enveloped the entire structure.
The Great Five Elements Formation, a ninth-tier formation.
Before entering the blessed land, Li Changsheng had led the efforts of dozens of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion's formation masters to forcibly combine five eighth-tier elemental defense formations into this pseudo-ninth-tier formation. While not as powerful as a true ninth-tier formation, it was still capable of withstanding the full force of several Tribulation Transcendence cultivators for half an hour.
The overwhelming sword beam collided with the Great Five Elements Formation but only stirred a faint ripple before dissipating.
"Mo Chengkong, today marks the annihilation of your Hundred Herbs Pavilion!"
A shrill, grating voice echoed from the distance.
An old man in a flamboyant eunuch's robe, riding atop a Great Ascension peak-level Ironclaw Eagle, sped toward the Hundred Herbs Pavilion headquarters.
The man was none other than the chief steward of the Crown Prince's residence, a late-stage Human Immortal powerhouse—Xiao Huangmen.
Behind him followed nearly 200,000 cultivators, all riding on spiritual artifacts. Not a single one of them was weak; the lowest among them were at the Golden Core stage, and there were nearly twenty Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, along with three half-step Human Immortals.
Following closely behind Xiao Huangmen were four figures, each radiating terrifying auras.
They were four Human Immortals!
In the northernmost high-rise of Pearl City.
Over a hundred powerful figures from various factions stood on the rooftop, their expressions shifting as they sensed the commotion to the east.
Among them were old monsters who had lived for thousands of years, but even they were startled by the sight of nearly 200,000 powerful cultivators on the move.
"It's about to begin!"
"The Hundred Herbs Pavilion is in deep trouble this time!"
"What a pity. If they hadn't offended the Crown Prince's residence, the Cangqing Realm would have had five superpowers—apart from the South Li Empire—in a few centuries!"
Discussions erupted.
However, it was clear that none of these powerful figures held much hope for the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
They acknowledged the pavilion's strength, but against a coalition of dozens of factions, the Hundred Herbs Pavilion stood little chance.
"You damned eunuch, you think you can destroy my Hundred Herbs Pavilion?"
At that moment, a powerful surge of energy emanated from the direction of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion headquarters.
Clearly, the battle had begun!
"It's fortunate that the cultivators of the eastern city were evacuated beforehand. Otherwise, after this battle… the eastern city might cease to exist!"
The Marquis of the Northern Garrison sighed as he gazed toward the eastern city.
Lin Ruoxi's expression was equally complicated. The Marquis's residence had always been at odds with the Crown Prince's residence, siding with the Ninth Prince's faction. Moreover, Li Changsheng had once saved her life. Though her heart leaned toward Li Changsheng, she didn't have the authority—nor the courage—to gamble the lives of tens of thousands under her family's protection.
Above the eastern city.
Mo Chengkong had already engaged in battle with the old eunuch, Xiao Huangmen.
"Is that all you've got, old eunuch?"
Clearly, Mo Chengkong held the upper hand. His body radiated a crimson glow, making him appear more like a demonic cultivator than Xiao Huangmen himself.
Mo Chengkong charged into the midst of the enemy forces, each of his strikes claiming hundreds of lives. He used the essence and blood of the attacking cultivators as fuel for his divine abilities.
"Boom!"
Mo Chengkong clashed with Xiao Huangmen once again.
With a wave of his hand, hundreds of cultivators withered into dried husks, their essence drained. Even Great Ascension cultivators couldn't withstand his crimson glow, and only those at the Tribulation Transcendence stage and above could barely hold on.
"Spread out!"
"Black Robe, White Bone, get over here and help!"
Xiao Huangmen's shrill voice rang out.
Two figures—one clad in black and the other in white—quickly joined the fray. With three Human Immortals attacking simultaneously, Mo Chengkong was momentarily overwhelmed, forced to focus on defense.
"Kill everyone in the Hundred Herbs Pavilion!"
"Leave no one alive!"
"This is the price of opposing the Crown Prince's residence!"