The Armies of the Daofathers

“Daofather Ink Bamboo?”

Looking at the towering bamboo that swayed a hundred thousand zhang in the air, Ji Ning guessed his identity. There were only so many major powers in the Three Realms; without seeing their techniques, Ji Ning couldn’t be certain, but once he revealed a hint of his methods, it wasn’t hard to deduce.

Based on the rumors he had heard: Daofather Ink Bamboo was renowned for his ‘immortality.’ His true form was a single stalk of ink-green bamboo, brimming with boundless life-force. Relying on this ability, he had survived even the great tribulation of the primordial cataclysm.

“So that’s Daofather Ink Bamboo. Even seeing him from this distance, my heart trembles. That black light he radiates… I feel that if I were to touch it, I would definitely die.”

“This is my first time seeing a Daofather.”

“A Daofather who controls a Heavenly Dao. I can’t even imagine how powerful he really is.”

Murmurs spread throughout the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

After all, the vast majority of the Eight Dragons Cloudcity’s inhabitants were Loose Immortals. Back when Daofather Crimsonbright had summoned a million Celestial Immortals, the Celestial Immortals of the Crimsonbright Realm had at least seen a ‘Daofather’ and had their horizons broadened. But countless Loose Immortals had rarely, if ever, had the chance to see one. Now, they were gazing upon Daofather Ink Bamboo with their own eyes.

“I heard that in this Realm war, Daofather Crimsonbright will also descend on our side.”

“I wonder what Daofather Crimsonbright looks like.”

Everyone was waiting eagerly.

…

Three months after Daofather Ink Bamboo descended upon the Grand Xia, Daofather Crimsonbright also descended.

On that day.

The Xia Emperor led Ji Ning and the others in waiting respectfully. Even the proud and aloof Evergreen Sword Immortal and the others were all solemn and deferential.

“Boom!”

The entire world trembled.

Then, the sky above split open, revealing an enormous rift tens of thousands of zhang tall. A green-haired elder stepped through, and with another step, he was already within the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

“Master.” “Daofather.”

The Xia Emperor called out respectfully, and then Ji Ning and the others all bowed in salute.

Even with a single glance, Ji Ning had already seared the image into his memory. Daofather Crimsonbright… was ancient and silent. Looking at him was like looking at a tree that had existed for endless eons.

Daofather Crimsonbright swept his gaze across the crowd and took special note of Ji Ning. “Bodhi truly has a peculiar temperament. He has clearly trained a group of disciples himself, yet he refuses to lead them, allowing them to scatter across the Three Realms. This youngest disciple of his, Ji Ning, clearly has great potential, and Bodhi truly cares for him… yet now, Ji Ning ends up following me.” Daofather Crimsonbright did not understand his old friend.

Bodhi’s temperament was strange, or perhaps… too detached!

He clearly had a group of extremely powerful disciples. If Bodhi gave the order, all of them would gather under his banner. Bodhi could then instantly assemble a force no weaker than the ‘Four Ancestors of the Source River.’ If Bodhi were to manage such a force, he might even surpass the Four Ancestors of the Source River.

But Bodhi had absolutely no intention of leading his disciples.

Daofather Crimsonbright did not understand. Many major powers in the Three Realms did not understand. To them, the feeling Bodhi gave off was that of ‘mystery.’ He was recognized as the most mysterious Daofather in the Three Realms.

“Rumble…”

After Daofather Crimsonbright descended upon the Eight Dragons Cloudcity, the enormous rift tens of thousands of zhang tall in the sky still remained. Now, an endless torrent of Immortal armies began to fly in. At a single glance, they were densely packed, like countless streams of light flying out from the rift in the sky, then heading towards the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

One army of Immortals after another…

Far, far more than the armies that the Grand Xia world had originally possessed.

“Whoa.”

“This is…”

“Too… too…”

Ji Ning felt his breath catch. The Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals of the original Grand Xia, who were under orders not to leave their barracks and could only watch through the doors, all gasped.

Boundless!

Like an ocean!

All of them were Immortals and Fiendgods!

“Compared to this, the Heavenly Court’s heavenly soldiers and heavenly generals are nothing. I heard the Heavenly Court has a few legions, like a hundred thousand or a million heavenly soldiers. The weaker ones among those soldiers are only at the Primal Daoist level. A single Celestial Immortal could hold a high-ranking position in the Heavenly Court, and if an Empyrean God or True Immortal appeared, the Celestial Thearch would try his utmost to curry favor. If the armies of Immortals we see before us were to march forth, they could sweep the Heavenly Court in the blink of an eye.”

“Yeah. A single glance tells me there are at least a few million Immortals.”

“A few million? Definitely over ten million.”

“And those Fiendgods. Also over ten million certainly.”

The Immortals of the original Grand Xia, including the Northmoon Legion, were truly having their horizons broadened. In truth, the power of the Heavenly Court could be matched by the Grand Xia world alone. What was being mobilized now for the Realm war, with a single command from Daofather Crimsonbright, was power that a true hegemon of the Three Realms could command—far, far beyond what the Heavenly Court could compare to.

However, such a large-scale mobilization of war only occurred during a true ‘Great Tribulation.’

…

The Dark Seamless City.

Daofather Ink Bamboo, tall and thin, stood atop the city walls. Behind him stood a large number of Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, all of them gazing into the distance at the Eight Dragons Cloudcity.

“Quite a few Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals,” Daofather Ink Bamboo said with a smile.

“Crimsonbright is just putting on a show. Our Immortal and Fiendgod armies are no fewer than theirs,” said the three Fiendgods standing closest to Daofather Ink Bamboo. They were the three great Fiendgods of the Devour Dragon Mountain.

The three great Fiendgods of Devour Dragon Mountain.

The eldest, ‘Devour Mountain Great Sage.’ The second, ‘Devour Sea Great Sage.’ The third, ‘Devour Heaven Great Sage.’

The mightier their names, the more they had once been a joke in the primordial era. They were imitating the Seven Great Sages of the Fiendgod race. The Seven Great Sages of the Fiendgod race had been outstanding among the Empyrean Gods of the primordial era, and their power was now unfathomable. But these three from Devour Mountain had only grown stronger over time, and now, no one dared mock them for overreaching.

All three were top-tier existences beneath the Daofathers.

“Second brother, our Immortal and Fiendgod armies aren’t fewer, but many haven’t been transferred here yet,” said ‘Devour Heaven Fiendgod,’ who had a large lion’s head, rubbing his mouth.

“Our Seamless Gate’s military strength is still somewhat weaker than the entire Nuwa Alliance, so mobilizing is more difficult,” Daofather Ink Bamboo said calmly with a smile. “We must use our intelligence advantage to shift troops and deploy generals from various locations.”

They had the advantage in intelligence.

Even with one-third the troops, they could achieve the effect of a full force.

Fortunately, the major powers on the Nuwa Alliance side also had formidable methods and could investigate a great deal of intelligence. Otherwise, the battle for fortune would have been lost long ago.

“Though we are weaker, we are strong enough for a defensive stand,” Azure Fox said with a smile from the side.

“Mm.” Daofather Ink Bamboo nodded. “Even if they attack, we will first hold the line. Wait until our forces are fully gathered, then fight them… Normally, conquering a major world isn’t that important. But as far as this Realm war goes, you all know well… there is only one path for you. You must win.”

The three great Fiendgods of Devour Dragon Mountain and the others all nodded solemnly.

If they suffered a crushing defeat, even escaping would be difficult. On the losing side, many Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would die.

The winning side’s losses would be relatively lighter.

This was because true slaughter only occurred after one side had completely collapsed. That was when the most Empyrean Gods and True Immortals would die.

If you didn’t want to collapse?

Then you had to win!

…

The vast, mighty armies of Immortals and Fiendgods had gathered at the Eight Dragons Cloudcity. Fortunately, the Eight Dragons Cloudcity was already ten thousand li in size and could be made even larger, so it could easily accommodate them all.

“These tens of millions of Fiendgod armies will be divided into seventy-eight Pangu battle formations,” Daofather Crimsonbright said from his high throne, a faint smile on his face, as he gave the orders directly. “They will be led by Fufang Empyrean God, Zhuanshui Empyrean God, Liusi Empyrean God… a total of twenty-six Empyrean Gods. Each Empyrean God will command three Fiendgod legions.”

“Yes.”

Immediately, twenty-six Empyrean Gods rose and responded respectfully.

No one disobeyed the Daofather’s command.

These twenty-six Empyrean Gods would all have to use their split-body technique. Empyrean Gods could split into countless bodies, but in real combat, the fewer the splits, the stronger their combat power. Each of these twenty-six would have to split into three, commanding three Fiendgod legions. Though splitting into three weakened their personal power and their leadership of the Fiendgod armies, even a split-body of an Empyrean God leading them was far better than a Void Fiendgod. Moreover, with one Empyrean God commanding three legions, the coordination between them would be more perfect.

“As for the armies sent by Daofather Yinglong, they will follow his instructions. You eighteen Empyrean Gods and True Immortals will continue to command the eighteen Yinglong legions,” Daofather Crimsonbright said.

Eighteen Empyrean Gods and True Immortals immediately stood up and accepted the order.

These were reinforcements sent by Daofather Yinglong, largely because he had learned that the ‘Three Great Fiendgods of Devour Dragon Mountain’ were involved in this war, and also because of the Xia Emperor’s connection to him.

“The remaining Immortal armies will be divided into three hundred and twenty-six Xingtian battle formations,” Daofather Crimsonbright said with a smile. “The Xingtian battle formation is more effective in combat than the ‘Crimsonbright Formation’ I created. Three hundred and twenty-six commanders, these Immortals are now in your hands.”

“Yes.”

Immediately, twelve Empyrean Gods and True Immortals, along with three hundred and fourteen Celestial Immortals (including Ji Ning), all stood up.

“Ji Ning.” Daofather Crimsonbright looked at Ji Ning.

“The various methods, including the divine golems and other such measures, will be arranged by Xiamang.” Daofather Crimsonbright said, “Alright. The Seamless Gate is currently on the defensive. I suspect it will take them some time to transfer their troops. My guess is… within a year, the great battle should begin. Those who previously commanded the ‘Crimsonbright Formation’ must familiarize themselves with the Xingtian Formation as quickly as possible. Now, you may all withdraw.”

“Yes.” Everyone rose.

They all began to leave. Even the Xia Emperor left. As soon as they exited the main hall, the Xia Emperor sent a mental transmission to Ji Ning: “Ji Ning, my master gave me a command. Transfer another two thousand Celestial Immortals and two hundred thousand Loose Immortals under your command.”

“Mm?” Ji Ning was puzzled.

“That way, you will have three thousand Celestial Immortals and three hundred thousand Loose Immortals under your command. You can form an even more powerful Xingtian Fiendgod,” the Xia Emperor said. “You are skilled at commanding the Xingtian Fiendgod, so naturally you should have more Celestial Immortals and Loose Immortals.”

The most perfect Xingtian battle formation consisted of a single commander, nine thousand Celestial Immortals, and eight hundred and ten thousand Loose Immortals.

“Alright.” Ji Ning smiled. In truth, even if the Xia Emperor hadn’t mentioned it, Ji Ning had been thinking of asking for more troops. During the nearly one year of ceasefire, his Heartforce Soul Arts had naturally improved somewhat. The Xingtian Fiendgod formed from just a thousand Celestial Immortals and a hundred thousand Loose Immortals… he could now utilize one hundred percent of its power.