As a cultivator and a member of a prominent family, Ying Yue naturally had access to more sources of information than ordinary people.
Years ago, she had already learned that the entire world would face a great calamity.
At that time, the information was very vague, only mentioning phrases like “a great tribulation is coming” and “turmoil among mankind.” However, the imperial court was showing unusual activity, and the various True Deity churches were also taking action. It was just like before a major disaster such as an earthquake, when animals that sense the danger flee first, while other animals, though unaware of what is about to happen, still instinctively join the exodus.
In this catastrophe, the imperial court and the churches were the ones who foresaw the danger, while the major families and the Federation of Sects and Daoist Palaces were like those animals who didn’t fully understand the situation but still fled instinctively.
The only ones left in ignorance were the common people.
Even now, rumors of the impending great tribulation had already begun to spread among the populace.
After all, such a large-scale state of readiness could no longer be concealed. Using the time buffer over the past few years, the imperial court had completed its preparations and was confident in minimizing panic and losses. Thus, the truth was finally revealed through an imperial proclamation.
Now even New Territories Port has seen the addition of many soul-refining arrays. Could it be that the great tribulation is related to a disaster of wandering souls? No wonder my family was so reluctant to let me join the volunteers, yet still promoted me so quickly!
A faint mocking smile appeared on Ying Yue’s lips.
Since her previous trip to the West, many of her beliefs had been shaken, and she could never forget that graceful, otherworldly figure.
Suddenly, her expression changed.
“This is…”
As a Yin Yang Priestess, although she was more renowned for her sword techniques, she was also extremely sensitive to soul energy.
At this moment, she sensed a massive terror suddenly descending beyond New界港!
That immense force, like a deep-sea vortex of soul energy, even caused her body to involuntarily tremble.
Wu Wu!
A piercing alarm instantly reverberated throughout New Port. Soldiers rushed out to enforce martial law, while many Taoist priests and sorcerers found their compass needles spinning wildly out of control. Some magical artifacts even exploded on the spot.
“Enemy attack!”
By this time, the entire port was already under military control, and the response was swift. Not only were the soldiers immediately deployed, but even the high points were equipped with the imperial court’s Fenghuo Ballistae.
These ballista carriages were entirely forged from high-quality steel, inscribed with talismans by cultivators. Their range was astonishing, and they could fire magical arrows, making them formidable military weapons. Dozens of these ballistae were now lined up in a row facing the sea. Even if a legendary ferocious beast appeared, the army would have the confidence to pierce it full of holes!
Hu Hu!
From an unknown time, a vast expanse of dark clouds had appeared in the sky, blocking the sun’s halo. At the horizon where sea and sky met, a white line slowly emerged, surging forward.
“A tsunami?”
A soldier murmured. As the line drew closer and became clear, his mouth fell open in shock.
Souls!
Countless souls, densely packed and layered, formed waves over ten meters high, rushing toward New World Harbor.
This was no tsunami, but a far more terrifying calamity of the undead!
“By the Moon Goddess… how is this possible? So many souls appearing at once?”
Ying Yue stared at the scene, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Target: sea level, deploy Soul-Piercing Arrows, fire!”
A regiment commander leapt onto the city wall, his commanding voice echoing across the port. Without a doubt, this was a warrior of at least Master rank.
Xiu Xiu!
The Fenghuo Ballistae roared, firing a barrage of Soul-Piercing Arrows.
Peng Peng!
In the sea of undead souls, several massive holes were immediately blown open, killing thousands upon thousands.
Thanks to prior intelligence, the stockpile of Soul-Piercing Arrows was at its highest. Yet the regiment commander overseeing the port gazed at the scene with a grim expression, bitterly regretting that he had not prepared enough.
Because within moments, the holes created by the arrows were filled by even more vengeful spirits, and the wave continued its relentless advance.
At this point, the front-line soldiers could clearly see the white garments of the undead, their ethereal forms, blank faces, and the blood-red eyes!
“Mages, prepare!”
The regiment commander shouted, turning to an elderly man beside him who was full of vigor: “Master Hai, it’s up to you all now!”
“Rest assured, defending our homeland is everyone’s duty. I’ve already mobilized all the mages from the port federation, academies, and guilds to assist…”
Master Hai frowned slightly as he watched merchant ships that hadn’t managed to dock being swallowed by the tide of undead: “As long as the supply of spirit stones continues, the port’s arrays will absolutely not fail!”
“Good! With such preparation, we can fight!”
A pleased expression appeared on the regiment commander’s face.
“Hurry! Activate the Soul-Cleansing Array!”
“Students from Luohua Academy, get to position three!”
“Supply the spirit stones, and make sure not to mix up their attributes!”
…
Within the port, teams of mages quickly deployed to their designated array nodes.
Nine You forces, heed my command, swiftly!
With the chanting of incantations, colorful lights illuminated the edges of the port. These were various arrays specifically designed to counter wandering souls, now beginning to activate their effects.
Wu Wu!
Wu Wu!
Under the tense gazes of many, the wave of undead finally crashed into the port after devouring a few unfortunate merchant ships.
Weng Weng!
A ripple of energy spread outward. The leading spirits immediately began to dissolve under the array’s glow, leaving behind barely a wisp of vapor.
“Heaven protects our Emperor!”
The regiment commander finally exhaled in relief, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.
“Hehe… this chain of soul-countering arrays was personally designed by several of our federation’s elders. How could it possibly fail?”
Master Hai also wore a smile, though tinged with regret: “It’s a pity that space was taken up by another array prepared for fighting demons. Otherwise, the power of this array could have been increased by another one or two tenths!”
“More than enough! More than enough!”
The regiment commander waved repeatedly: “Ballista crews, archers, fire!”
With this layer of protection in place, the human forces no longer had to engage the undead directly. The ranged units cheered, needing no encouragement as they fired countless Soul-Piercing Arrows and Spirit-Extinguishing Bolts, exploding through the sea of undead and easily claiming many spirits.
“No… something’s wrong… it’s too easy…”
Standing on the eaves of a tall building, Ying Yue watched from afar, biting her lip.
As a Yin Yang Priestess highly attuned to spirits, the undead calamity before her felt extremely terrifying: “This shouldn’t be happening… with this many spirits, there should already be ghost kings or ghost monarchs among them. Why haven’t they appeared here? Could it be that…”
However, before she could continue her speculation, cries of alarm erupted from the soldiers within the port.
For in the midst of the darkness, the sky of this world underwent another change. A dark red spot appeared, radiating strange and dazzling power, casting ominous shadows.
“What in the world is that?”
The regiment commander’s eyes widened like copper bells. Suddenly, he felt an intense discomfort, as if countless malicious presences had inexplicably surrounded him.
“Something terrible is happening!”
Master Hai suddenly cried out, and the regiment commander immediately noticed that the light of the protective arrays surrounding the port had become unstable.
“What’s going on?”
With the matter of life and death at stake, the regiment commander no longer cared about decorum and grabbed Master Hai by the collar.
“This is impossible… I checked all the array protocols myself. How could there be an error?”
Master Hai tugged anxiously at his beard: “This array draws on the power of heaven and earth. As long as the central node is slightly powered by spirit stones and the mages coordinate properly, it should be able to hold for years. Why is it failing now…”
He furrowed his brows, suddenly slapping his hand against his forehead: “Unless the mistake isn’t with me or the federation, but with heaven and earth itself!”
Master Hai’s expression turned extremely grave: “The ambient mana… it has changed! Indeed, it is the end of days, and mankind is in turmoil!”
“The ambient mana?”
As a Master-level warrior, the regiment commander naturally had a deep understanding of this concept. Thinking carefully now, he realized there was indeed some truth to it: “Then what should we do?”
“We must alter the magical protocols!”
Master Hai took a deep breath: “But even if everything goes smoothly, we must first temporarily suspend the arrays…”
“You mean… the army will have to face these spirits directly?”
The regiment commander frowned.
This would certainly result in heavy casualties among his men, and the outcome was uncertain.
Unfortunately, the undead wave ahead would not grant him time to think.
Under the crimson glow, many spirits’ bodies emitted a black aura and underwent sudden transformations.
“Ji Ji!”
With shrieks, several particularly powerful spirits devoured their weaker kin, their forms rapidly growing and transforming into Death Knights, Vengeful Spirit Tyrants, and other high-level undead.
Of course, in the East, they had special names, such as Fierce Ghosts, Ghost Lords, and Ghost Kings!
“Hu…”
The regiment commander exhaled deeply, drawing a hundred-fold tempered steel blade from his waist.
The blade was sharp, and it even emitted a resonant hum as it was drawn, indicating its spiritual nature. It was wrapped in a murderous aura, specifically designed to counter magical and evil forces, making it a rare treasure among martial cultivators.
“Master Hai, I entrust the arrays to you completely!”
After giving his instructions, the regiment commander turned to his personal guards: “This is the moment to repay the empire. Follow me into battle!”
In the next instant, led by high-ranking vengeful spirits, several protective arrays were consecutively breached. Humans and undead clashed in brutal close combat, and the fierce battle erupted instantly.
…
“The tribulation has begun!”
Across the continent of Saier, Wu Ming’s eyes seemed to pierce through space, gazing into the hidden realm.
At this moment, the massive vortex of resentment had gradually stopped, even beginning to rotate in reverse, sending waves of resentment and primal energy seeping into this world.
“This is the backlash…”
Feeling the changes in the main world, Wu Ming’s brows slightly furrowed.
“Forcefully transforming the entire world to make it more suitable for the survival and power of creatures from the hidden realm! And it poses a significant threat to cultivators!”
Although the primal energy of the main world could neutralize the transformation, preventing ordinary people from becoming monsters, if a cultivator with ill intentions willingly succumbed to corruption, that would be a completely different matter.
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