Chapter 2436: Reinforcing Dayu City
This round of core disciple assessment ultimately saw only three pass among those at the initial Saint realm. After Hou Qinglin passed, Jun Moxi also broke through the trial with his unshakable resilience, earning a word of praise from the Prophet. He remarked that Hou Qinglin and Jun Moxi were two completely different personalities—Hou Qinglin was mad and demonic, while Jun Moxi was steady and composed—but both possessed extremely tenacious willpower.
Jun Moxi and another person were also taken notice of, but they were not as fortunate as Hou Qinglin, who was accepted as a disciple by a Supreme Realm priest. Instead, they were taken away by an old man who was a Great Accomplishment Saint King for training. At the Saint realm, the gap between each level was enormous. The difference between an initial Saint and a Great Accomplishment Saint King was absolutely terrifying. Therefore, even being valued by a Great Accomplishment figure was quite a good thing.
"There are many at the Emperor realm, so the assessment will take longer. However, probably no more than ten will become core disciples," the Prophet murmured, watching the Emperor realm assessment.
"These participants are already figures from the City of Fate, outstanding geniuses, yet the pass rate is still this low. In ten years, only about ten or so. The difficulty is immense," Lin Feng said softly.
"For the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, ten years is too short. If not for the chaos in the Nine Heavens, such an opportunity might not come even once in a century," the Prophet said with a smile. Lin Feng nodded slightly. At his level, ten years was sometimes just a single closed-door cultivation session. For the older figures of the Fate Temple, one session could even last a thousand or ten thousand years.
"Lin Feng, recently in Dayu City of the Nine Heavens Celestial Court, the Flame Temple and the Void Divine Temple have been pressuring us simultaneously, trying to seize control of that city. Our Fate Temple has already sent three Great Accomplishment Saint Kings to guard it. However, the other two temples have also intensified their forces. Besides Great Accomplishment Saint Kings, they have dispatched a terrifying force, including four Great Accomplishment Saint Kings, eighteen Minor Accomplishment Saint Kings, thirty-six Half-step Saints, and enough Emperor realm experts to form a legion, all aiming to take Dayu City."
"For a single city, they sent such a terrifying force?" Lin Feng's expression stiffened. Even if the two temples were allied, this force was astonishing. Moreover, temple conflicts were not limited to just one city; they were erupting everywhere simultaneously. Seeing this lineup, Lin Feng could imagine the horror of this upheaval. It seemed the temples had truly recalled all Saint realm figures to prepare for this great war that would shake the Nine Heavens.
"Yes, in these extraordinary times, the temples' influence is no longer confined to their interiors; they are also expanding outward. For example, our Fate Temple's true power was previously limited to the City of Fate. Of course, we had a strong deterrent effect on the surrounding areas, but we never had real substantive control. Now, however, it's different. The temples have begun to directly control various domains and cities. By taking over the major powers within a city, they consolidate the entire city and domain into one unit, holding it firmly in their grasp."
"Dayu City is a city of great significance. Its geographical location lies at the midpoint between the Fate Temple, the Flame Temple, and the Void Divine Temple. Historically, it has been a city that produces geniuses, having produced many influential figures, including numerous temple disciples. Moreover, some of its internal forces are very powerful. Therefore, we hope to keep it under our control and not let it be taken away, or we will be very passive."
The Prophet spoke slowly, making Lin Feng seem to understand the severity of the situation. This upheaval had reached a point where even a single city had to be contested. It was a long-term war, gradually depleting the opponent's strength while building up one's own, in order to endure until the end of this turmoil.
"Senior, if you have any instructions, please feel free to command," Lin Feng said.
"Our Fate Temple is currently somewhat short-handed. Apart from the experts stationed at the Fate Temple, almost all other disciples have been recalled and dispatched. Since the end of the ancient era, the Fate Temple has never done this—recalling all disciples who were out. Yet even so, it's still not enough," the Prophet said to Lin Feng. "As I mentioned to you last time, those at the Supreme Realm will not act until the decisive battle. When they do act, it will likely be the end of this era of chaos. For now, the struggle is mainly centered on Great Accomplishment Saint Kings. Therefore, I hope you can grow to that level as soon as possible."
"Great Accomplishment Saint Kings control the overall situation, while the assault combat power falls to your level. In Dayu City, our Great Accomplishment Saint Kings are not at a disadvantage, but we are clearly lacking in Minor Accomplishment Saint Kings and initial Saint Kings. I need you to assume a different identity and go to Dayu City to assist. After those three who became core disciples undergo some tempering, you will lead them to reinforce Dayu City."
"I have no problem with that. But how long will it take for Senior Brother and Jun Moxi? Can Dayu City hold out?" Lin Feng responded.
"Don't worry about that. A major city conflict cannot be resolved in just a few years. Moreover, I have already instructed our side to focus on defense and avoid direct confrontation. The advantage of this approach is that we can hold out longer without being directly defeated. The disadvantage is that the enemy forces will continuously erode Dayu City, making things harder for us later. However, if we can produce a few Saint realm experts who can kill their counterparts without giving them a chance to escape, and continuously reduce the number of their Saint realm experts, the balance of victory will eventually tilt in our favor. So we wait."
"I understand." Lin Feng nodded slightly. At the Saint realm, being able to defeat someone did not necessarily mean being able to kill them, unless there was a huge gap in combat power that could overcome all escape methods and slay the opponent.
"Go back for now. When they are ready, I will notify you."
"Alright." Lin Feng nodded, then left and headed toward his own palace. It seemed the Prophet was in charge of the temple's affairs, overseeing the entire battlefield. Those at the Supreme Realm generally did not handle matters; they might not even be in the temple. Lin Feng wondered if the Temple Lord, despite being the highest authority in the temple, could actually be stronger than all those old monsters at the Supreme Realm? That was hard to say.
During this period, Lin Feng did not go out. He cultivated quietly, hoping to soon touch the next level of the Dominion realm. Nearly a year passed in the blink of an eye. The Prophet found Lin Feng, had him change his appearance, and brought him to a place where Hou Qinglin, Jun Moxi, and others were waiting.
"Are they going too?" Lin Feng looked at those Emperor realm experts, who had also passed the last assessment.
"Yes. Since they have become core disciples, they need to experience some things. Take them to Dayu City and hand them over to Qingye Saint King. He will make the arrangements," the Prophet said.
"Alright." Lin Feng nodded, then sent a telepathic message to Hou Qinglin and Jun Moxi: "Senior Brother, Moxi, it's me. I need to conceal my identity when I go. From now on, just call me Mu Lin."
The two were momentarily stunned but immediately understood. If Lin Feng's identity were exposed, it could trigger a large-scale extermination campaign by other temples. They naturally knew what to do.
"I have already transmitted the map of Dayu City to you via divine sense. Go ahead," the Prophet said calmly.
"Alright." Lin Feng waved his hand, and an ancient sail appeared before him. This ancient sail was a mid-grade Sacred King weapon from the Treasure Hall, a speed-type artifact, very suitable for travel.
"Let's set off," Lin Feng said. The group stepped onto the ancient sail, which shot into the air and vanished in an instant. The Prophet watched Lin Feng and the others leave with a smile, then said, "Qingye, this is all I can help you with. I hope you can make good use of Lin Feng and take Dayu City."
Dayu City was vast and boundless, comparable to a domain. Within Dayu City, there were many ancient Saint clans, one of which was the Ye Clan. However, at this moment, the Ye Clan was in ruins, reduced to a pile of rubble, having suffered severe destruction.
"Is this the Ye Clan?" On a flying boat, a group of people stared stiffly at the ruins below.
"There's no mistake. This is marked on the divine sense map the Prophet gave me. Something must have happened," Lin Feng said softly. Just then, a figure flew toward the ruins and looked up at them, asking, "Where are you from?"
"Who are you?" Lin Feng's eyes suddenly sharpened as he looked at the man.
"Do you recognize this?" The man's brow faintly shimmered with light, like a star of fate, causing Lin Feng and the others to pause. A Fate Temple disciple.
Lin Feng and the others also let their brows shimmer. The man nodded slightly and said, "You must be reinforcements. The Ye Clan was attacked. Follow me."
"Alright." Lin Feng and the others nodded and followed the man. Lin Feng asked, "What were the casualties?"
"This was a direct battle. They knew we had eyes everywhere, so they didn't bother to hide. They launched a full frontal assault with all their forces. We responded immediately and evacuated, but the losses were still heavy. Three Saints fell, and Emperor realm casualties were severe. The Ye Clan was wiped out. It's a tragedy."
Lin Feng and the others took a deep breath. A full-scale assault. The Ye Clan was indeed utterly destroyed.
"What about the Fate Temple disciple from the Ye Clan?"
"He escaped, but he is heartbroken, wishing he could kill all the enemies. They didn't even spare the entire Ye Clan. This is clearly to make it impossible for our Fate Temple disciples to find a foothold, so no force dares to harbor us."
"Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys," Lin Feng said sharply. The temple war had already escalated to this level of cruelty, even directly annihilating allied ancient Saint clans.