World's No. 1 Swordsman-Chapter 485: The Grand Immortal-Trapping Array!

The golden roc's descent was so agonizingly slow that it made one wonder if the two riders and the bird already sensed the danger awaiting them on Mount Dajian, where a trap array had been set.

Inside the command room of the hidden base near Ziyan Temple, Earth's greatest cultivation experts watched in silence. All they could do now was wait. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ever since Spiritless returned to the Realm of Exiled Immortals with news that outsiders had broken in, no one had known peace. Every cultivator feared that the Earth's cultivation world was about to face a devastating calamity.

The Heavenly Court matter was no longer a secret among the Daoist sects. It was widely known that Earth's cultivation world had inherited the Daoist heritage of the Heavenly Court's immortals. The forces that had once destroyed that celestial empire would never let its descendants exist unchallenged.

They wouldn't even have to mobilize armies. Once they discovered Earth, sending a few True Immortals or Heavenly Immortals would be enough to wipe out the entire planet. Its cultivators were just far too weak to face such threats.

That was why the three immortal intruders and their beast had to be stopped here. Apart from Qing Yanzi and Xi Lian, only a few on Earth could withstand even just one blow from them. Nevertheless, the blue planet's cultivators still had to stand their ground.

Yaoyun claimed to have built the trap array at great cost, even using countless Spirit Stones and rare materials, but no one actually knew if they could detain the three immortals. Even so, there was no turning back now.

Death and injury were inevitable. Many had even already accepted that they could end up having to sacrifice themselves.

Twenty-one Daoist elders, over a hundred Daoist masters, and several hundred other cultivators stood as bait across the three array sites. Among them were veteran Daoist elders who had reached the Rebirth Realm through the Pool of Transcendence, as well as young cultivators who had only just entered the Spirit Convergence Realm. They were completely exposed to the enemy.

These hundreds of cultivators acted as representatives of the three major Daoist sects, each guarding their respective mountain gates. Moreover, their numbers were arranged to reflect the Daoist sects' proportional distribution of cultivators.

By all logic, if the immortal intruders discovered Earth and harbored hostility, the Rebirth and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators—the "strongest" combatants of this world—would be the first to attract their attention.

High above the Shu Mountains' gate, the golden roc circled endlessly with the two immortals on its back. The sect's disciples below them had already rushed out and looked up, pretending to be alarmed. Their expressions showed a mix of fear and resolve.

The two immortals and the golden roc had released their powerful auras. Many cultivators below had turned pale, yet they held their formation. They looked every bit ready to fight to the death. Though they now stood between life and death, they made sure not to reveal any weaknesses.

If their actions could provoke the intruders to descend into the mountain gate and lure them into the trap array, their deaths wouldn't be in vain. The bait would also be trapped within it, like antelopes locked in a cage with lions, yet they still volunteered for the task.

Wang Sheng, who was currently Earth's strongest cultivator, had brought the most powerful intruder to the Moon. The cultivators watching from afar were well aware that he had deliberately lured away the female immortal, whose realm Xi Lian had described as far beyond the Ascended Immortal Realm.

Now, the golden roc and the two immortals were slowly descending toward the Shu Mountains' gate. Those who understood what was happening felt their hearts tighten for Wang Sheng's sake. Nevertheless, there was nothing they could do. Even Xiaomiao dared not dwell on her brother's fate. She only reminded the Special Investigation Unit to keep their eyes fixed on the Moon's direction.

A military officer muttered, "Why haven't they landed yet?"

"Their altitude is still dropping. It seems they're probing Mount Dajian for ambushes," someone replied.

Xiaomiao anxiously warned, "Tell the other ambush sites not to act until the array activates. Those immortals' spiritual perception can probably scan the entire Hua Republic."

The communications team immediately relayed the message. Electromagnetic-wave communication had become one of Earth's few advantages since it was beyond the immortals' understanding.

The room fell silent again. Every cultivator fixed their eyes on the glowing dots on the screen, waiting for the instant when the immortal-trapping array would activate.

"The targets have reached the edge of the array!"

"Hold," Xiaomiao swiftly ordered. "It takes time to activate. If we show our hand too soon, they'll be able to escape!"

The projection screen then switched to the live feed of the Shu Mountains' gate. From a corner, someone tensely shouted, "Movement detected! A Daoist master has taken to the air!"

All eyes turned to the display. The footage was from a camera that was fixed at the Shu Sword Sect's great palace.

***

At the Shu Sword Sect's great palace, a white-haired Daoist elder hovered in midair. Looking up at the golden roc, he asked in an ancient tone, "May I ask why you've graced our humble mountain with your presence today, Immortals?"

The roc stopped. The two on its back glanced at each other, their lips curling in faint mockery.

"Experts don't seem to be hiding anywhere in this place," the man with twin sabers commented.

"So it seems," the old man with the round hat replied. He stomped his foot on the golden feathers beneath him. "Chi Lian can't sense any trace of powerful auras either."

The man with the sabers shook his head. "The strongest cultivator here is barely at the Rebirth Realm. Let's just do as our senior instructed. Take forty-nine prisoners and bring them to the yin star."

"Agreed."

The old man pressed down with his foot, making the golden roc let out a piercing cry and dive toward the ground. Turning into a golden flash, it smashed into the open plaza before the Shu Sword Sect's great palace.

Mount Dajian fell completely silent. Even the wind seemed to have vanished.

The two immortals looked around. They noticed the stiff, frozen expressions of the hundred or so cultivators around them, but they didn't sense anything amiss.

"Frightened stiff, are they?" The man with twin sabers lazily remarked. He then lifted his weapons and prepared to soar into the air.

The Daoist elder floating above frowned slightly. Cold sweat covered his forehead as the three immortal pressures bore down on him, nearly crushing the breath from his lungs.

***

Inside the command room, Xiaomiao crushed the jade talisman in her hand.

All around Mount Dajian, a wave of jade light swept through hundreds of miles. It ignited the glowing threads of the qi veins beneath the mountain.

Hum—

From the Cuiping Peak in the distance to the nearby nameless mountain, dozens of radiant pillars shot into the sky and converged a thousand meters above Mount Dajian. The beams stretched outward to both sides, forming a translucent semicircular barrier that sealed Mount Dajian within it.

"Do it, now!" Qing Long roared, shaking the command room.

Xi Lian had already snatched the ancient sword from Fei Lianzi's hands and vanished.

At the same time, hundreds of cultivators who had been waiting for the signal burst upward, breaking through the roof of the building. The concealment array that had hidden their presence shattered instantly.

On the mountain beside the Ziyan Temple, Xi Lian appeared out of thin air. She gripped Nameless and flew straight toward the Shu Sword Sect's mountain gate.

Ripples spread through the air as one cultivator after another emerged from the distortions. A few rode arcs of rainbow light behind Xi Lian, while the rest relied on object-control technique, pushing themselves to their limits. They flew through the air like wave after wave of lightning bolts.

The cultivators at the Longhu Mountains and Zhongnan Mountains also sprang into action. Cultivators all over the place rushed out of concealment arrays and sped toward their designated positions.

Compared to Earth's cultivators, who were straining under immense pressure, the three intruders reacted a second too slow.

The two immortals looked up at the same time, but the old man was the first to realize what was happening. His expression darkened as he shouted, "It's a trap!"

The golden roc immediately beat its wings furiously and shot upward. However, the barrier in the sky had already sealed shut.

Its wings produced gales so violent that it nearly flattened every building on Mount Dajian. The blast alone injured many low-rank cultivators. Not only was the roc incredibly fast, but it was also terrifyingly powerful.

It threw back its head and slammed into the light barrier, causing the latter to glow dazzlingly. As though the skies could collapse at any moment, every mountain within hundreds of miles in every direction trembled.

Still, the barrier remained intact. After shaking for a moment, the nearby peaks steadied again.

The two immortals roared deeply as they realized how formidable the trapping array was. They gathered their enchanted power and struck the barrier with full force. Though they were in the sky, the impact still made the ground quake and rumble from the impact.

In front of the Shu Sword Sect's great palace, a Daoist elder shouted, "We can't let them keep attacking the array!"

Three Rebirth Realm, nine Nascent Soul Realm, and six Heavenly Abode Realm cultivators shot into the air. Gathering their power, they flew straight at their enemies.

The twin-saber immortal turned, eyes blazing with fury. With a flick of his weapons, crimson saber radiance slashed through the air. A wave of blood-colored qi swept forth, and the incoming cultivators exploded almost simultaneously.

Xi Lian, who had just arrived, furiously shouted beside the flaring array, "Bastard!"

She pierced through the barrier as the ancient sword in her hand shone blindingly. It broke free from her grip, its scabbard splitting apart. A streak of bright-green sword radiance shot skyward and cleaved at the twin-saber immortal.

The enemy blinked in surprise, then snarled, "How dare you, a mere treasured artifact, flaunt its power before me?!"

Xi Lian rapidly formed hand signs. Channeling streams of primal qi, she locked onto the golden roc and the old man.

Buddhist light surged forth, and within it formed spectral white foxes that were more than ten meters long. They raced along the barrier, closing in on the golden roc and the old immortal.

The golden roc let out a piercing cry and charged head-on into the foxes.

That brief delay was enough. Hundreds of streaks of light descended onto the surrounding mountains. On each peak, cultivators began chanting the same spell. They also activated qi-gathering arrays that drew primal qi from the earth and funneled it into the great immortal-trapping array.

More streaks of light arrived at the barrier's edge. Apart from the strongest twenty or so, the rest stopped and waited outside. The array allowed entry but barred escape.

With such a vast gap in power, sending in weaker cultivators would only add to the casualties. However, if the situation within the array turned dire, those waiting outside would not flee. They were the reserve force, ready to act at any cost.

But would their side truly be outmatched?

Even after dozens of clashes, Nameless remained on equal ground with the twin-saber immortal. Meanwhile, Xi Lian had unleashed her immortal power, but the golden roc and the old man were putting her under immense pressure.

At that moment, dark clouds gathered outside the array. From within the gloom, the Nether Gate emerged, and an old lady with gray hair stepped out and strode straight into the battle.