Chapter 82: All Trees and Grasses Are Enemies

  The Emperor deeply believed in the immortal arts, and the two National Masters had a naturally high status in the hearts of the people of China. In recent years, the seven disciples under the National Master's seat had widely accepted apprentices, among whom there were also many talented individuals. The current Heavenly Observatory was comparable to any of the top nine sects under the "99 Return to One" and most of the cultivators who formed teams to attack small towns in the three arrays were low-level cultivators.

  No one could have foreseen that this battle would turn out like this. The small town of Jie Xian had already claimed the lives of hundreds of cultivators, yet not a single member of the Jiulong Qingyi was injured.

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  Seven miles west of the town, three monks stood shoulder to shoulder. They were Guoshi's second disciple Lingdang, fourth disciple Kengqiang and sixth disciple Huanxi.

  Huan Xi looked like he was only seven or eight years old, a clean and white little monk, playing with an ant in his hand. After a while, he raised his head to look at the sky fire burning fiercely above Jie Ling Town, and said with a sad face: "Wu Shixiong must have encountered trouble, there are powerful people in this small town."

  Lao Wu Bai Mao, having cultivated to the realm of sound and color, was sent to the town in advance, preparing to secretly respond when both sides started fighting. Now that Guoshi's disciples have lost three battles in a row, he still hasn't made a move, so his fellow disciples outside understand that he is already in a precarious situation.

  At this time, the mud under the feet of the three monks slightly shook, and a black dwarf drilled out, saluting them: "Report to Master, Master Shu, that below the town is a fully ripe copper mine, and the earth can't pass through."

  Another disciple ran over and reported: "The stones sealing off the town are all extremely poisonous and difficult to climb."

  Lao Si was just about to open his mouth and scold loudly, but Lao Er rang out a clear voice and stopped him, asking the disciple: "How many of us are left?"

  Ling looked to be in her thirties, with a tall and slender figure, her face had some feminine features, somewhat resembling the deceased Haitang, but far less charming.

  The disciple replied: "There are still one hundred and twenty-six people left."

  Her eyes twitched at the corner, and her face turned much darker...

  Among the seven fellow apprentices, the eldest brother's cultivation was the highest, while the seventh was the least talented. This time, the national master ordered them to attack Xieyuan Town and capture the person protected by Qingyi. Originally, it was led by Eldest Brother Haitang, and Second Brother to Sixth Brother were just helping out with supporting roles. However, unexpectedly, a few days ago, Haitang, who had already reached the fifth step of cultivation, died in Yin Prefecture.

  This bellied leader also knew that this small town had been operated by the Green Shirt for ten years, and it was probably not easy to fight. He temporarily mobilized a large number of disciples. In addition, the national teacher personally bestowed a mysterious formation called "Grass and Wood are all soldiers" to seal off the town, only allowing entry but not exit.

  The leader of Qingyi in Jie Ling Town, Li Jiao, fell into the 'all things are enemies' formation and ended up being seriously injured and dying.

  Ling Tian was naturally cautious, treating this task as a battle to be fought. What he didn't expect was that even though he thought he had attached enough importance to the Nine Dragons Green Robe, in reality, he still underestimated it.

  The town's Qingyi had a way of divination, and before they could even set up properly, they discovered the danger; Lao San hadn't even had time to gather his troops when he was killed by the 'formidable Qingyi'; Lao Wu, who was infiltrating the town, mysteriously disappeared; They had assembled a total of 500 men, with high individual combat strength and sufficient numbers, but after three battles, they almost suffered a complete defeat...

  Lao Si's temperament was violent and explosive, watching the offensive being frustrated, even the white hair of Wu Shi Di was damaged inside. He walked back and forth anxiously, finally letting out a sigh and stamping his foot: "Let the younger ones retreat, we brothers will go in personally..."

  The words were not yet finished, Lao Liu suddenly chuckled: "If it could be entered, the second master would not have sent those hands to fight in advance. This town is heavily guarded and can only be forced through with personal cultivation. Only the great master has this skill. We want to go in, there's only one dead end."

  Lao Si said with a hateful tone: "What can we do then? If we can't break in, are we just going to wait for the reinforcements from Qing Yi to arrive and chase us away?"

  Huan Xi shrugged and made a helpless expression, pursing her lips.

  The second brother, Ling Tong, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up: "The only plan now... is to change our formation!"

  As soon as he spoke, his two junior brothers were stunned. After a moment, Huan Xi furrowed her brow: "Second Brother, many people will die, and you'll lose your life too."

  Lao Er smiled and reached out to rub the round head of his delighted younger brother, saying lightly: "My death is not worth worrying about, Master's important matter cannot be delayed, the remaining things, I entrust to you two." After finishing speaking, he shook his sleeves and quickly walked towards the east.

  "'Grass and trees are all soldiers' formation, can only trap but not attack, the green-clad guards of Ling Town also only defend and do not attack. The disciples of Guo Shi have a powerful formation, but it has no use at all. Now what Ling Tong needs to do is change the formation chart, making 'Grass and trees are all soldiers' transform from besieging to attacking."

  The formation technique was passed down by the national teacher, with a four-step grand completion of the cultivation of the bell and drum. To change the formation, there is only one way: to sacrifice one's life to heaven, to force out the power of the origin, and turn adversity into attack!

  Huan Xi and the monk couldn't laugh anymore, he reached out to grab Siu Gong's hand, tears streaming down his face as he choked back sobs: "Second Brother is going to die, Fifth Brother is also gone, only we two are left... you, you must take good care of yourself..."

  At this moment, Liang Xin and others in Jie Ling Town were quietly waiting for the enemy's next wave of attack.

  The fierce flames in the sky have gone out, and a burnt smell pervades the small town, with a nauseating feeling lingering in the savory aroma...

  After a while, the enemy was still quiet, and Liang Xin became somewhat worried. He asked Zhao Qing beside him: "Are there any other restrictions after the third array?"

  Zhao Qing smiled complacently and proudly, tapping his fingers and nodding: "Apart from 'stone breaking the sky', 'unaccustomed to the local customs', and 'raising fire to burn the sky', we also have 'floods and wild beasts', 'as bright as the sun at noon', 'Yan Wang pointing soldiers', and 'rushing into boiling water and jumping into the fire'..."

  Liang Xin's tongue was tied, and he laughed with some trepidation: "I'm afraid the restrictions in the imperial palace of the capital are probably like this too!"

  Zhao Qing shook his head: "The imperial palace should have a formation of masters to protect it, and its power is naturally extraordinary... but in terms of mechanical restrictions alone, the imperial palace may not be more powerful than our Jie Ling Town."

  After a long time, a white figure flashed by, and Xiaotang floated onto the roof. Behind them were two young boys and several green-clad men, with Old Man Cheng being carried on one of their backs.

  Xiao Hai said to Liang Xin, "Let's go to the escort agency, everyone will gather together and we can still take care of each other." As she spoke, she tossed a piece of dried meat to Liang Xin with a flick of her hand, then turned and leapt towards the escort agency, her clothes fluttering behind her. A moment later, her voice came again from the night sky: "It's been so long since the enemy last came, next time they attack it won't be easy to deal with, be careful, if you can't hold on just return to the escort agency, I'll take care of everything."

  Liang Xinle smiled and replied loudly: "You be careful too!"

  "Take care of yourself..." Xiaoyu's voice was always so cold and pleasant to hear.

  Liang Xin savored the cured meat, feeling the fragrance on his lips and teeth, and thought it was deliciously salty and fresh. Zhao Qing chuckled from beside him: "The old shop of Sparrow has many good things indeed, after defeating the enemy, we must make an effort to knock on Old Man Cheng's bamboo stick."

  Two people were chatting idly, the Heavenly Observatory still hadn't launched an attack, and before they knew it, the stars in the sky had disappeared, and a fish belly white dawn was rising in the east. The cool morning breeze swept by, bringing with it the fragrance of green grass. Liang Xin couldn't help but take a deep breath, smiling as he was about to say something, when suddenly his eyes widened, and he said in a low voice: "That's not right!"

  In mid-October, apart from the vibrant red leaves, all other grass and trees have started to wither, this fresh grass scent is a smell that only comes in spring and summer.

  Suddenly, a rustling noise began to spread from all directions, and the townspeople in green clothes were on high alert, but they didn't know what had happened...

  From the sky, birds look down at the small town surrounded by wheat fields, which are rapidly turning into layer upon layer of new green. Tender shoots of grass sprout from the ground, growing with the wind, and in an instant, they fill all the gaps on the ground. The buds turn into small grass, turn into mugwort, but continue to grow, growing as tall as a person!

  The autumn wind blows, and the disheveled long grass also sways with it, entwining each other, squeezing and twisting into big lumps, although still green, but now the green is so dense that it makes people feel sick.

  After a while, the endless 'grass heap' suddenly shook violently, as if it had turned into surging waves, layer after layer, from all directions, rushing towards Jie Ling Town... When the long grass surged to the edge of the town, a series of strange noises burst out. One after another, dark green grass balls rolled out and then burst open.

  In each grass cluster, a straw man wearing rattan armor and holding a wooden sword stood up. The straw men in rattan armor slightly discerned the direction and rushed towards the giant stone blocking the main road.