509: Chapter 509 Hands and Feet

"Fellow Daoist Peach Blossom, south of Biyou Pool, there are currently three Middle Nascent Soul Stage True Lords, eight Early Nascent Soul Stage True Lords, eight hundred Golden Core True Persons, and an elite Cultivator army of sixteen million."

"These are merely the defensive forces within a thousand miles of Biyou Pool. The entire southern territory of Biyou Pool spans a hundred thousand miles, with countless Cultivator armies and over twenty Nascent Soul True Lords."

Biyou Pool served as the military core where top-tier power was concentrated; the vast extended territories on the periphery were the battlefields for the massive armies of low-level Cultivators.

From True Lord Guanxin's perspective, the Demon Court's Demon Saint Xuanyu had not yet launched an attack on Biyou Pool.

However, from the perspective of the vast number of low-level Cultivators, they had been marching all the way here and had already been fighting local Yao Race forces and the Demon Court's reinforcement armies for several months without a single day's rest.

Ding Shaoxia was one of the three Middle Nascent Soul Stage True Lords. The others included an Academy True Lord named Fang Duyuan, and Liu Xuan's father-in-law, True Lord Haoran.

Everyone's current task was very simple: follow the blueprints, Formation Plates, and Formation Flags sent by the Beast Taming Sect to set up and strengthen the Earth Vein Grand Array and the Cultivator army's battle Formations.

A large-scale Earth Vein Grand Array was not set up by a single Formation Master, but completed by a massive team of Formation Masters working together.

The power of such a grand array was mainly related to three aspects.

First, the number and level of connected Spiritual Veins; the higher the grade and the greater the number of Spiritual Veins, the stronger the power would naturally be.

Second, the number and cultivation level of the Cultivator army; the more soldiers there were and the stronger the overall strength of the Cultivators, the greater the power.

Third, the quality of the Formation Materials and the overall level of the Formation Master team. The better the quality of Materials and the higher the rank of the Formation Masters, the stronger the grand array they established tended to be.

According to what Liu Xuan knew, there were a total of two Rank Four Low Grade Formation Masters for the entire Southern Border battlefield array; one was responsible for the Earth Vein Grand Array, and the other for the army array, working in coordination.

The status of these two was second only to True Lord Guanxin. Their identities were kept secret, and they had never made a public appearance.

"Fellow Daoist Peach Blossom, the grand array needs to be compatible with your magic power. Should I invite a Formation Master over to take orders from you?" Ding Shaoxia asked.

"No need. This seat is a Formation Master and can handle it personally."

Peach Blossom swept her Divine Sense across the pavilion and commanded, "Everything shall proceed as usual. You may leave now!"

Ding Shaoxia was half-skeptical but said nothing more. After cupping her hands in salute, she led her people away, leaving this 'Square Inch' Pavilion for Peach Blossom to reside in.

Once everyone had left, Peach Blossom waved her hand to isolate the interior of the pavilion from the outside. Sitting in Liu Xuan's lap and wrapping her arms around his neck, she asked, "Husband, there doesn't seem to be any conspiracy here. If things continue like this, the Beast Taming Sect will gain absolute control."

Liu Xuan couldn't figure it out either. He was a genuine Rank Four Formation Master and understood the power a grand array would have once established.

With a layout like the one at Biyou Pool, they could already withstand the true body of Demon Saint Xuanyu with their current strength. It would only get stronger as it developed. How could the enemy possibly turn the tables?

"Since it's a conspiracy, how could it be seen through so easily?" Liu Xuan didn't harbor any wishful thinking. He said solemnly, "Demon Saint Xuanyu's opponent is Daoist Lord Lihuo. If we could easily see through it, it wouldn't be called a conspiracy."

"But the Pioneering War is an unstoppable trend. Once the grand array is up, even a Dao Lord would find it difficult to break through in a short time. Can a few schemes really reverse such a situation?"

Peach Blossom Demon Lord knew the intelligence analysis Liu Xuan had obtained from Zhu Pan and Demon Lord Han Jing, and she felt Liu Xuan's analysis made sense.

However, looking at the current situation, this suspicion wasn't enough to prove that Demon Saint Xuanyu definitely had a hidden trump card. It was possible that Zhu Pan and Han Jing were being controlled, or perhaps these people had teamed up to set them up for some reason.

"No matter!"

Liu Xuan smiled and comforted her, "Let's wait and see. In the end, this is a game between Daoist Lord Lihuo and Demon Saint Xuanyu. We can't beat a Dao Lord, but escaping at a critical moment won't be a problem. There's no need to worry too much."

Taking the emerald-green array token from Peach Blossom's hand, Liu Xuan said confidently, "Your husband is a bona fide Rank Four Low Grade Formation Master, and my level is even higher than those two from the Beast Taming Sect. Doing a little tampering with the grand array won't be a problem. If anything changes, we'll just make a run for it."

"Will we be discovered?" Peach Blossom asked worriedly.

She knew Liu Xuan's Formation attainments were extremely high; she had known that since he set up the Star Array years ago.

But this time was different. This was tampering right under the noses of two Rank Four Formation Masters from the Beast Taming Sect. To do so without being noticed was exceptionally difficult.

"Rest assured!" Spinning the emerald-green token in his hand, Liu Xuan laughed. "I observed the entire grand array just now. Without the token, it would indeed be hard to tamper with, but..."

The spinning emerald-green token stopped. He said confidently, "We aren't destroying the grand array. We only need to leave a gap for a spatial teleportation. It will be extremely difficult to detect."

Peach Blossom's deepest mastery was in the Law of Space, and Liu Xuan himself had also comprehended the Law of Space.

By simply setting a gap in the grand array and establishing an auxiliary teleportation array inside, even a Dao Lord would find it hard to stop them if taken by surprise.

After all, the Law of Space belonged to the Great Dao. If a Dao Lord was not proficient in this path, they could not easily stop it, nor would they be able to track them.

The next day.

Peach Blossom Demon Lord summoned True Lord Haoran, True Lord Ding Shaoxia, and True Lord Fang Duyuan. She handed over all core affairs to True Lord Haoran and, in the process, requisitioned half of the Formation Master personnel under Haoran's command.

Ding Shaoxia and Fang Duyuan were quite dissatisfied at first, but later they found that Peach Blossom Demon Lord didn't interfere with their actions or micromanage them at all. Instead, they felt this arrangement was quite good.

Although True Lord Haoran's lineage was in charge of core affairs, peripheral administrative matters were still decided through consultation. Compared to the other three factions, they lived much more comfortably.

On the other hand, Peach Blossom Demon Lord didn't covet merit or take a cut of the profits; it was all divided among them. This made things far more pleasant than the other three sides.

A month later.

On the second-floor balcony of the Fangcun Tower, Liu Xuan sat on a lounge chair with a fishing rod to his right. To his left, Yao Qian was massaging his shoulders with her soft hands.

"Husband~"

"The lakeside market is short of a few management deacons, and they need to be selected from the Academy students. Can you help me out?"

The lakeside market?

As the Beast Taming Sect's armies continued to gather in the Biyou Pool territory, the place became increasingly prosperous.

With more Cultivators, the demand for various transactions increased, and markets naturally emerged.

The closer a market was to Biyou Pool, the higher its grade. Ordinary Golden Core True Persons weren't even qualified to serve as a Market Master; one had to have a background.

As for the management deacons in the market, they were basically all Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and most had some backing as well.

Yao Qian's background was decent, but she was young and only at the Late Qi Refining Stage, failing to meet even the basic requirements.

"Why the sudden desire to be a deacon? Are you short on money?" Liu Xuan asked.

"Not really!" Yao Qian shook her head. "I just want to find something to do. Otherwise, my Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters will laugh at me."

It turned out she had run into her fellow disciples. Yao Qian was young, after all, and inevitably had some vanity.

Seeing Liu Xuan remain silent, Yao Qian felt a bit dejected. "I was just asking. If you think it's inappropriate, Husband, then never mind."

Liu Xuan reached out and tilted her chin up, chuckling. "What's the fun in working for others? How about I fund the construction of a market, and you and your sisters can just be the bosses?"