126: The Evolution from the Training Ground to the Battlefield

Su Ling searched down the rankings and finally found his name around the five-thousandth mark.

His points remained at the value from before his seclusion, and the gap between him and the top was now like heaven and earth.

But what truly made his heart sink slightly were the names that had disappeared.

Qi Fei... that Peak Core Formation Cultivator who had once fought side by side with him.

He had now been completely removed from the rankings, clearly having perished in the Nether Prison Plane.

Wen Qingzhu and Fu Yongnian's rankings had also dropped significantly; the former had fallen out of the top hundred.

The latter was nearing the two-hundredth mark, with slow point growth; it seemed his past ten years had not been smooth.

Only Luo Xuanxiao, with eight hundred thousand points, barely managed to hold onto the sixty-seventh position.

However, given his strength, this rate of point growth had clearly slowed down, suggesting he must have encountered significant crises.

Su Ling also specifically searched for the name "Zhao Lian" in the rankings.

The Core Formation Cultivator he had met when he first arrived at Thousand Star City to set up a stall.

It wasn't until around the hundred-thousandth mark on the rankings that Su Ling's eyes flickered slightly.

To his surprise, Zhao Lian was actually still alive.

However, his strength remained at the Core Formation Mid-stage, and his points were a measly thirty thousand.

Clearly, during these ten years, he had either been hiding in safe zones or had repeatedly suffered setbacks in battle, making no progress whatsoever.

After all, there were many ways to obtain points.

Assisting in occupying resource points, hunting Demon Species, killing hostile Cultivators, and so on could all earn points.

But undoubtedly, killing hostile Cultivators yielded the most points.

Scanning the entire leaderboard again, Su Ling's eyes suddenly narrowed.

He clearly remembered that when the Bitao Faction set out, there were nearly two hundred thousand registered Cultivators.

But the number of survivors shown on the rankings now was only slightly over one hundred and forty thousand.

This meant that in just ten short years, over forty thousand Core Formation Cultivators from the Bitao Faction had remained forever in the Nether Prison Plane.

They had either fallen to the Magic Treasures of hostile factions, been devoured by local Demon Species, or been killed in some dangerous terrain.

"Forty thousand..."

Su Ling subconsciously clenched his fists. "If all Seven Factions are like this, then nearly three hundred thousand Core Formation Cultivators have perished..."

This number was like a giant boulder, weighing heavily on his heart.

Even though Cultivators in the Canglang Plane were as numerous as ox hairs, three hundred thousand Core Formation Cultivators was by no means a small number.

That was the backbone of many Sects cultivated over hundreds of years, the hope of many families, yet now they were perishing like ants in the National War.

He truly couldn't understand why the Golden Immortal experts of the Seven Sects had launched such a brutal National War.

Was the benefit of the Nether Prison Plane truly worth such a massive sacrifice?

Or perhaps, they didn't care at all about the lives of these 'ants'... Recalling the oppressive atmosphere in the base city now, Su Ling finally understood.

The solemnity in the eyes of those hurried Cultivators and the silence of those in the square were not without reason.

The loss of forty thousand fresh lives had long since turned this Nether Prison Plane from a 'trial ground for Cultivators' into a 'battlefield where one could perish at any moment.'

The tension in the air was merely the Cultivators' instinctive awe of death and deep fear of the unknown.

Su Ling took a deep breath and was about to turn and leave the square to go to the Logistics Hall to restock some Medicinal Pills.

A thick voice like a thunderclap suddenly exploded over the city, making his eardrums tingle slightly.

"Emergency conscription! The resource point at Wuwang Bone Forest to the north is under attack; one thousand Core Formation Cultivators are required for immediate reinforcement!"

"Those whose waist tokens are glowing, board the ship immediately! Those who delay will be treated as deserters!"

Before the voice had even faded, dots of azure light suddenly lit up throughout the city.

Dozens, then hundreds of azure light shields, like awakened stars, rose from all over the city with the figures of Cultivators, converging toward the sky.

From the corner of his eye, Su Ling saw that the faces of the conscripted Cultivators showed no idleness; instead, they were cold and solemn.

Even while flying, they subconsciously tensed their bodies, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire city.

"Hmm?"

Su Ling's brow suddenly furrowed as his faction token at his waist began to vibrate. A soft but irresistible azure light surged from the token, gently lifting his body and carrying him toward the sky.

He instinctively wanted to circulate his mana to break free, but he found that the light shield generated by the token actually emitted the mana fluctuations of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

This was definitely not an authority a regular Disciple could use.

"Forced conscription? Since when did the Bitao Sect have such a rule?"

Su Ling's heart was full of doubts, but he temporarily set aside his thoughts of resistance.

His gaze was then drawn to the colossal object in the sky.

It was a Flying Boat a thousand zhang long, its hull forged from dark black profound iron, its surface densely inlaid with profound turtle shell plates and covered in defensive formation runes.

A giant eagle with outspread wings was carved onto the bow, with two fist-sized crystals inlaid in the eagle's eyes, emitting heart-palpitating spiritual energy fluctuations.

Even without using the Immortal Eye of Treasure Appraisal, Su Ling instantly recognized its identity—the Black Armor Flying Boat Mothership!

He had seen an introduction on the light screen in the Logistics Hall; this Flying Boat could not only carry over a thousand Cultivators but was also equipped with ten Spirit Crystal Cannons, and the points required to exchange for it were as high as a million.

Before he could think further, his body was carried by the azure light and landed on the Flying Boat's deck.

Hundreds of Cultivators had already gathered on the deck, maintaining a wary distance from one another.

Soon, the number reached one thousand.

Several figures stepped forward quickly, cupping their hands in respect toward a thick-browed, big-eyed Cultivator at the bow of the mothership, their voices carrying a hint of reverence: "Greetings, Senior Brother Yan!"

Su Ling followed their gaze; that Cultivator surnamed Yan wore the Bitao Dharma Robe of a core Disciple of the Bitao Sect, and his entire body radiated the unique aura of a Nascent Soul Cultivator.

He waved his hand, his voice resonant as a bell, echoing across the deck. "No need for formalities! The Shadow Soul Crystal Mine in the Wuwang Bone Forest is a key stronghold for our faction to replenish Divine Soul resources; it must not be lost!"

"The incoming enemies total three thousand, led by two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Qingming Faction, with over a dozen Peak Core Formation Stage Cultivators under them. Senior Brother Bai Fan is leading men to defend the mine to the death, and the situation is critical!"

The Cultivator surnamed Yan scanned the crowd, his gaze sharp as a knife. "This battle is dangerous, but the rewards are by no means stingy—a total of three million points will be distributed based on the number of enemies slain and contributions to defending the mine. If you can kill a Nascent Soul Cultivator, there's an additional reward of three hundred thousand points!"

As soon as these words were spoken, a flash of heat appeared in the eyes of the Cultivators on the deck.

Three million points—distributed to everyone, that would be over three thousand each!

Not to mention, there were extra points for killing hostile Cultivators.

If one could survive this battle, the points earned might reach over ten thousand.

Su Ling, however, was listening with a look of confusion, feeling as though he had missed a lot of information during his ten years of seclusion.

"Now, those with the same mana attributes form teams yourselves. Ten people to one spirit cannon, rotating every three shots."

"Depart immediately!"

Having finished speaking, the Cultivator surnamed Yan no longer looked at the crowd's reaction. He pinched a complex hand seal with his fingertips and struck it firmly into the Flying Boat's main cabin.

"Buzz..."

The massive Black Armor Flying Boat suddenly let out a series of roars. The spiritual energy nozzles at the stern spewed out azure spiritual flames dozens of zhang long, carrying the thousand-plus Cultivators as it sped northward like an arrow from a bow.