Chapter 2309: Tactical Response to the Great Divine Skill

“This!” Yuan Xilin’s eyes nearly popped out in desperation.

Mortal arrows could actually hit the phantom image of the Great Spirit God?! This was impossible, unreasonable!

Liu Qingdao then spoke: “Qionglong has also been subdued. The Qixia Sect’s momentum is gone. If Sect Master Yuan doesn't surrender now, it will be too late for you to surrender once we defeat the Great Spirit God! The Emperor has given orders: once the Great Spirit God is vanquished, the Qixia Sect will be killed without mercy!”

The last few words were chillingly murderous.

Yuan Xilin gritted his teeth, secretly urging the Great Spirit God to continue its attack.

He could feel the mirror world shaking. Just a little more effort and they could break through; just a little more effort!

As long as the mirror world was shattered, the Qixia Sect could escape.

Liu Qingdao seemed to see through his thoughts and said unceremoniously: “Even if you could escape this small world back to reality, what then? On Cang Yan’s territory, you wouldn’t be able to move an inch!”

If Cang Yan was determined to pursue them, where could the Qixia Sect escape to?

Yuan Xilin remained silent.

In this small world, it was true that the Qixia Sect had fallen into an ambush, but their opponents hadn’t used any earth-shattering divine powers or grand techniques. So why were they constantly being defeated, and why had even their two great trump cards, the Great Spirit God and Qionglong, become useless?

Their failure dealt an unprecedented blow to the Qixia Sect's confidence. Yuan Xilin didn't need to look back to know that his disciples behind him were terrified and bewildered, unsure of what to do next.

The Great Emperor of Nine Serenities had already declared that if the Qixia Sect resisted until the Great Spirit God fell, Cang Yan would surely slaughter them all.

So, would the ultimate outcome of this great battle be Cang Yan first defeating the Great Spirit God and then annihilating the entire Qixia Sect, or would the Great Spirit God first break through the small world and lead the Qixia Sect back to the mortal realm, far from Wei'an City?

However, Liu Qingdao was not wrong; even if they could get out, would the Qixia Sect's fortunes turn?

Cang Yan might have already deployed a vast army outside the small world, waiting specifically for them to appear.

Before today's great battle, Yuan Xilin had scoffed at the combat strength of mortal armies, but after seeing the Great Spirit God being thoroughly battered by the demon-breaking arrows, his confidence wavered.

All seven Great Spirit Gods were besieged by powerful cultivators and armies.

In terms of strength and attrition, the Qixia Sect was inferior to their opponents. Especially since every breath of the Great Spirit God's battle consumed a large amount of profound crystals, what had Cang Yan's army consumed?

Just tens of thousands of arrows.

And they could be recovered after the battle.

In a battle of attrition, how could one sect be a match for an entire nation?

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Yuan Xilin's mind like a revolving lantern.

Meanwhile, after a round of rapid firing, the Cang Yan army encircling the main Great Spirit God suddenly split apart.

Three golden-armored divine generals swiftly advanced from three directions, each carrying two ballistae.

These ballistae were even larger than typical siege engines; their bolts alone were over two zhang long. Their dark, ominous arrowheads pointed at the Great Spirit God, making Yuan Xilin's heart pound.

The main Great Spirit God suddenly made a move unexpected by the Cang Yan army:

It turned and leaped away with large strides.

Ballista bolts were usually cumbersome, so Yuan Xilin had no intention of leaving it there as a target.

With a muffled "buzz," two siege ballistae fired.

They had clearly aimed at the Great Spirit God's original position, but as soon as the bolts left the strings, they automatically changed direction, tracking the Great Spirit God.

“It’s useless. These are our newly developed Godslayer Ballistae, capable of hitting their target every time. They won’t stop until they strike their mark.” Liu Qingdao said slowly, “They have more capabilities, which I won’t go into detail about. The Emperor wants to test these bolts on the Great Spirit God, but personally, I don't think your Great Spirit God can withstand three shots!”

The Great Spirit God sprinted wildly.

For its size, its movements were incredibly agile and nimble. Yet, the two ballista bolts chased it with increasing speed, accelerating after every missed turn.

In just five breaths, the bolts’ speed reached an astonishing level, and the Great Spirit God could no longer evade them.

The two bolts struck it, one in the back, the other in the leg.

The bolt that hit its leg immediately began to drill frantically into the Great Spirit God's limb upon impact. While its outer skin was incredibly tough, the siege ballista bolt itself advanced in a spiral, effectively drilling into the Great Spirit God's leg, and its surface glowed with a vivid, blood-red light.

The elemental force had taken effect again.

Both friendly and enemy forces watched as the siege ballista bolt plunged deep into the Great Spirit God's thigh.

Immediately after, the arrowhead exploded with a thunderous roar.

This was akin to firing venomous fire-sand into an enemy's wound, causing severe secondary damage.

The Great Spirit God was indeed incredibly resilient; its thigh wasn't completely severed by the blast. However, it couldn't stand steadily and toppled forward like a collapsing mountain.

As it stumbled, the other siege ballista bolt caught up and exploded, blowing a large hole in its back.

Liu Qingdao held up two fingers: “One more bolt.”

Two bolts struck, and the Great Spirit God was already gravely wounded.

Despite taking these two heavy blows, the Great Spirit God’s wounds were visibly healing, a characteristic of its phantom nature. However, its form had become transparent and unstable.

Yuan Xilin was unsure if it could withstand a third bolt.

Previously, the Great Spirit God had expended immense energy smashing the ground, then endured an assault of countless arrows, and now had been pierced by the siege ballistae. The meager profound crystals allocated to the Great Spirit God probably wouldn't last much longer.

Furthermore, who said Cang Yan would stop after firing three bolts? Were all these powerful cultivators and armies just for show?

A sharp, somewhat mournful whistle echoed from afar. Upon hearing it, Yuan Xilin’s face drastically changed.

That was Elder Chu’s signal; they couldn't hold on either.

Indeed, Liu Qingdao had just mentioned that Qionglong had also been subdued by Cang Yan.

“Three!” Liu Qingdao raised a third finger and sighed, “Sect Master Yuan, I’m truly sorry…”

Sorry, but I am about to give the order to show no mercy!

“Wait!” Yuan Xilin raised a hand, his throat tightening. “Elder Liu, there’s no need for such a large-scale conflict. We… we surrender!”

He quickly issued several commands, and his disciples put down their weapons and raised their hands.

Liu Qingdao immediately stepped forward and held out his palm to Yuan Xilin.

Though unwilling, Yuan Xilin had no choice but to release his spiritual artifacts from his ownership and hand them over—including the statue of the Great Spirit God.

Only if this object was not in his possession could the Bingyuan Department feel at ease.

Surrendering required an attitude of surrender; the rules of the cultivation world had always been this straightforward.

Liu Qingdao took the statue and, following Yuan Xilin’s instructions, shook it gently a few times. The Great Spirit God transformed into several golden lights and returned to rest within the statue.

Interestingly, all the Great Spirit God's injuries were reflected on the statue.

As a result, the statue was now covered in small holes.

As time passed, the statue would absorb spiritual energy, and these holes would slowly heal, signifying the Great Spirit God's complete recovery.

Yuan Xilin also used a sound transmission technique to notify Elder Chu to surrender.

“Let’s go. We’ll pick up Elder Chu.” Liu Qingdao nodded, and behind him, Weng Su immediately fired a signal arrow into the sky, informing his brother that their work here was done.

A moment later, the two groups converged.