SWNOVELXO Chapter 123 Deadlock
"Count the casualties, quickly!"
After the shock, the Heavenly Army retreated hundreds of miles away from Flower-Fruit Mountain, leaving the sky above it completely empty. Not a single person dared to fly over Flower-Fruit Mountain again—if an attack like the previous one were to happen again, wouldn't they end up just like their unlucky comrades, dead without a trace?
Soon, the number of casualties was tallied up. Just from that one strike, a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals had lost twenty thousand of their ranks!
Twenty thousand men!
Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing felt as if his heart was bleeding. They hadn't even seen a glimpse of their opponents, yet they had already lost twenty thousand men. It was as if a loud slap had been fiercely delivered across his face.
Before departing, he had made grand vows to crush the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Clan with his mighty army of a hundred thousand, to level the entire Flower-Fruit Mountain without shedding any blood. And now? Not a single soldier or piece of grass on Flower-Fruit Mountain had been harmed, while their Heavenly Army had lost a full two-tenths straight away!
"Someone go investigate the situation at the front, and do a thorough check for me!"
"Form up the army, set up the Vajra Formation, and erect a defensive barrier for me. We absolutely can't give the enemy any more opportunities!"
Command after command was issued, and scouts from the Heavenly Army were dispatched. They cautiously made their way towards Flower-Fruit Mountain, afraid of being struck again by the terrifying Deadly Slaughter Formation. Li Jing was still not at ease and had the remaining army erect a Vajra defensive barrier hundreds of miles apart, which might have seemed paranoid.
Inside Flower-Fruit Mountain, watching the Deadly Slaughter Formation blow a huge hole through the Heavenly Army and the remaining Heavenly Soldiers and Generals fleeing in panic, all the members of the Flower-Fruit Mountain Demon Cult couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Exhilarating! Ha ha! Truly exhilarating!"
"Look at how arrogant they all were just now, and now they're running away like scared mice. It's so satisfying, so damn relieving!"
Leng Xuan also had a smile on his face. This was the Deadly Slaughter Formation he had set up. Although it had the power of just one strike, the effect had been exceptional, and he estimated that at least ten to twenty thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals had perished under that single strike of the Deadly Slaughter Formation.
While losing ten to twenty thousand men might not have a huge impact on the Heavenly Army comprising of a hundred thousand soldiers, Leng Xuan believed it would definitely deal a significant blow to their morale. He predicted that they would only send out scouts to carefully inspect Flower-Fruit Mountain, not daring to advance rashly again.
That suited them just fine. Nezha the Third Prince was still in seclusion attempting to break through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, and the members of the Demon Clan of Flower-Fruit Mountain needed more time to practice and become familiar with the battle formations. The more cautious and careful the Heavenly Army was, the more preparation time they had.
Ideally, both sides would continue this standoff indefinitely; after all, they could outlast them!
Of course, that was just what Leng Xuan wished for. After what had just happened, the Heavenly Army might have less courage, but a campaign of a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals couldn't end so anticlimactically. Once they confirmed that there were no more Killing Formations to threaten them, they would undoubtedly return with a vengeance.
"Everyone, continue to practice diligently, and always be ready to confront the Heavenly Army!"
"Yes!"
The imposing campaign of a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers against Flower-Fruit Mountain came to an end in the first phase, with Leng Xuan's Deadly Slaughter Formation wiping out twenty thousand soldiers in one fell swoop. The Heavenly Army retreated hundreds of miles, set up camp, and dispatched scouts to investigate thoroughly.
Until they were sure that there were no more Killing Formations or ambushes near Flower-Fruit Mountain, Li Jing didn't dare to encircle the mountain again. The situation became temporarily deadlocked.
This first encounter of the battle, which everyone had anticipated as a grand spectacle, caught all sides by surprise. Nobody expected the Heavenly Court to be the one to suffer a loss, especially one so large!
Twenty thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals—that's fully one-fifth of the hundred thousand-strong army—gone in the blink of an eye. The Deadly Slaughter Formation staged by Flower-Fruit Mountain was incredibly powerful!
Most critically, they must have received news early, made preparations in advance, and definitely had a Formation Grandmaster among them; otherwise, they could not have laid such a deadly trap!
Western Heaven Spiritual Mountain.
"Ancestral Buddha, the Heavenly Court's army of a hundred thousand has suffered a defeat in its first battle against Flower-Fruit Mountain, with twenty thousand casualties. The two sides are now in a standoff. Should we step in and lend the Heavenly Court a hand?"
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva reported the battle situation to Tathagata Buddha and inquired. In fact, Tathagata had already known about these events but had not issued any directives. As one of the main protectors beside the Ancestral Buddha, seeing the empty seat of Manjusri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra felt a sense of sorrow, like that of one beast mourning another's demise.
He also harbored a deep hatred for Sun Wukong and the entire Flower-Fruit Mountain.
"Let's wait and see how things unfold!"
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Tathagata Buddha merely responded with four words, then closed his eyes again and said no more, as if he had already forgotten that Manjusri Bodhisattva had died at the hands of Sun Wukong, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva's lips twitched a few times, then he could do nothing but follow the command and retreat.
After much thought, he could hardly swallow his indignation so he mounted the auspicious clouds and left Spiritual Mountain, flying towards Mount Luoja in the Southern Sea, to consult with Guanyin Bodhisattva. They needed to strategize on how to exact retribution from Flower-Fruit Mountain and from that Demon Monkey, Sun Wukong, for this debt of blood!
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In the Heavenly Court, at the Lingxia Palace.
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"Dammit!"
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Upon witnessing from the Heavenly Observation Mirror the scene of the Heavenly Army being decimated by the energy beams released from the barrier above Flower-Fruit Mountain, with over twenty thousand fallen, and hearing the report of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's various military orders from Thousand-Mile Eyes and Listening Ears, the Jade Emperor flew into a rage, smashing the jade cup in his hand to pieces, his complexion darker than clouds and the corners of his eyes twitching slightly.
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One hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals marched against Flower-Fruit Mountain with impressive momentum, but before they could properly encounter and engage the enemy at the mountain's gate, they were thoroughly trounced in a surprise attack, losing twenty percent of their forces. This was a staggering humiliation for the Heavenly Court, a slap in the face of the Jade Emperor himself!
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"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
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Great White Golden Star hurried forward, attempting to soothe,"It must be that there is someone with vast divine skills within Flower-Fruit Mountain who had foreknowledge of our Heavenly Court's plan to send troops and had prepared in advance. Although their Formation is strong, it does not last. It's likely a one-time mechanism. Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing was simply caught off guard.
Please hold back your thunderous wrath for now and give Li Jing time. This humble servant believes Li Jing will surely meet your expectations and completely eradicate the demons of Flower-Fruit Mountain!"
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"Yes, yes, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing merely suffered a momentary setback. If we were to confront them head-on, those demons from Flower-Fruit Mountain could never stand against our Heavenly Army. Please, Your Majesty, stay your anxiety and wait patiently!"
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"Your Majesty, please hold back your anger, and wait patiently!"
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The Immortals and Gods all chimed in with their advice, urging patience. The Jade Emperor took a deep breath and suppressed his fury, gesturing dismissively, "Convey my command to Li Jing. He must be careful and not act recklessly. I will await news of his triumphant return in the Heavenly Palace!"
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The standoff between the Heavenly Army and Flower-Fruit Mountain thus continued, while in Heavenly Dragon Valley, Sun Wukong and his group finally arrived at the depths of the Beast Spirit Mountain Range, where from a distance they could see the shape-shifting Immortal Peach that the Dragon Cat had spoken of.
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Experience more tales on empire
Similar to the scene on Dragon Island they had encountered earlier, from afar, the tree of the shape-shifting Immortal Peach appeared immense, flourishing with branches and leaves, located on a protruding stone platform at the center of the entire Beast Spirit Mountain Range. The entire tree billowed with auspicious steam and was enveloped in lucky clouds, clearly no ordinary tree at first glance.
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Yet, like before, this colossal peach tree bore just a single fruit, identical to what Sun Wukong had previously seen.
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"That's it, that is the shape-shifting Immortal Peach! Look, big brother, the peach is almost ripe!"
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The Dragon Cat poked its head out from Sun Wukong's collar, then whizzed out, enlarging as it perched atop Sun Wukong's shoulder. Its plump body affectionately rubbed against Sun Wukong's face as its small paw pointed towards the shape-shifting Immortal Peach tree on the distant stone platform, its face full of longing.
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Patting the Dragon Cat's belly gently, Sun Wukong chuckled at the creature's greedy appearance and shook his head, "I've seen it already! Don't worry, I promised to help you get the shape-shifting Immortal Peach and I won't go back on my word!"
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"Shall we hurry over then?"
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The Dragon Cat was still visibly agitated, as if it wished to swoop down immediately and devour the shape-shifting Immortal Peach.
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"What's the rush? That Immortal Peach isn't completely ripe yet. Are you afraid it's going to grow wings and fly away?"
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Sun Wukong rolled his eyes and gestured towards various parts of the mountain range, especially the grassy and shadowy areas next to the stone platform, "See all those monsters lurking around the peak? Charging now would make us a target for them all. Once the fighting starts, would you still have the chance to pick the shape-shifting Immortal Peach? Be patient.
When the peach ripens and falls, I guarantee you'll be the first to lay your hands on it!"
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Ever since he stepped into the Beast Spirit Mountain Range, Sun Wukong noticed that it was a place where the Ancient Dragon Clan exiled those of lower breeds who bore their bloodline. But with the downfall of Ancient Dragon Clan, the entire range had undergone significant changes.
The exiled, mixed-blood beasts seemed to have all turned into undead creatures, similar to the Undead Dragon-Tiger Beast they encountered earlier. Shrouded in death, they had lost all spiritual wisdom and retained only their instinct to kill.
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From the moment they entered Beast Spirit Mountain Range, Sun Wukong and Mu Chenxuan had slain many such Undead Mixed-Blood Beasts, with varied levels of cultivation. Some approached the strength of the Da Luo Golden Immortal Realm, others merely the Earth Immortal Realm. Without exception, they all attacked recklessly upon contact, fighting to the death without fear of being pulverized.
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Furthermore, besides these threats, Sun Wukong hadn't encountered any other dangers like formations or barriers or traps in Beast Spirit Mountain Range, perhaps because the Heavenly Dragon Clan had never specialized in the Path of Formations.
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"It's ripe, it's ripe! Big brother, the Immortal Peach is ripe, it's about to fall!"
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