Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Demon Palace, amidst the sprawling Molten Gold Vines on the mountain.

Many candidate maids concentrated with bated breath, watching the thirteen women in the center of the grounds with solemn and respectful expressions, their eyes brimming with envy and excitement.

”Miss Gong Caiyu.”

Jiang Ding took out from the tray of a candidate maid a foot-long flying sword with a crimson hue and a straight, mysterious blue light, gazed into the eyes of the woman before him, and spoke softly, ”Are you willing to become my maid, to protect me during my cultivation journey, to follow my commands, and to fight for me?”

”In exchange, as long as you don’t violate the agreement between us, I am willing to provide you with a certain level of protection and supply you with corresponding Cultivation Methods.”

”Should either party break the agreement, it shall automatically become void.”

”Are you willing?”

”My lord, I am willing!”

Gong Caiyu’s face became flushed, she knelt on one knee, her long white dress spread out on the ground, and she declared firmly, ”From this moment onward, I am willing to fight for you, protect you, and obey your orders until the day my body perishes and my Divine Soul is shattered.”

”Thank you.”

Jiang Ding smiled slightly and placed the Heaven Light Dao Troops sword in her hand.

The Dao sword radiated a crimson glow, and in an instant, a blistering Sword Qi circulated throughout her body, the self-recognition as its master a success.

”This is...”

Gong Caiyu was inwardly shaken, a feeling of unparalleled affinity emanated from the sword. The ”Heaven Light Shining Sun Sword Canon” operated on its own, and the flying sword with its crimson red and straight blue light, vibrantly danced around her. With the consumption and release of Sword Qi, an aura far surpassing that of a Mid-stage Foundation Building Cultivator filled the air.

She watched in amazement, feeling as though she might not fear even a Late Foundation Establishment Cultivator, despite her merely being at the Early Stage of Foundation Building in her Cultivation Base.

”Rest for a moment.”

Jiang Ding said kindly, reaching out to help her up.

”Yes, my lord.”

Gong Caiyu’s face reddened, and she hurriedly stood behind him.

”Miss Xia Tu...”

”Miss Chun Shi...”

One by one, the young women knelt before him, receiving the blessing of the Heaven Light sword. All thirteen were maids who had followed him since the days of Jinlingshan Mountain and had established many meritorious deeds, smart and dependable.

The thirteen flying swords recognized their masters, each one gleaming brilliantly.

Without the need for stimulation, they spontaneously resonated, with array patterns spreading across each blade, interweaving and converging. With Gong Caiyu at the center, the aura of the twelve maids merged into one entity, emitting a sharp and intense aura that far exceeded the peak of the Foundation Building stage.

”The sisters look so formidable!”

The candidate maids’ eyes sparkled.

A moment later, the aura disappeared, leaving only thirteen graceful maids standing there, their presence so faint it was as if they would vanish the next instant.

”Well done.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

His sixteen years of teaching had not gone to waste; their control over Mana and understanding of the Dao Troops Formation Method had reached a satisfactory level.

”You may go.”

Jiang Ding spoke softly, ”Form groups of three, with no more than twenty kilometers between you. Clear out the surrounding five hundred kilometers of Tushan Immortal City. If you encounter any Xiexiu or Bandit Cultivators, record proof then execute them on the spot without further trial.”

”Let the world know that Tushan Immortal City is a place of order, where no acts beyond the law will be tolerated.”

”Yes, my lord!”

Gong Caiyu, Xia Tu, and the others all kneeled in salute, their forms becoming hazy and disappearing from sight.

The surrounding candidate maids widened their eyes, scanning with their Divine Sense back and forth, but they discovered nothing, their mouths involuntarily gaping open in shock.

”Let’s continue with the lesson.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

Now their numbers were still too small, but in hundreds or thousands of years, as their numbers increased, even on the main front of the battlefield, they would have a huge role to play. With one sword strike, ten thousand Taoist soldiers and flying swords would follow, sealing the skies and the earth below.

Back then, the sword soldiers of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion were also a renowned force in the Domain.

...

With the first formation of the female protectors complete, they immediately brought devastating blows to the bandit cultivators in the vicinity.

They came without a trace and left without a shadow, soaring in the sky. As soon as they spotted a bandit cultivator, three bright red flying swords would be unleashed without delay, slaying their targets in the blink of an eye, leaving the victims no chance to react before they vanished without a trace.

Occasionally, when encountering large groups of demon cultivators or Peak of Foundation Building Cultivators, it was only a matter of moments. Thirteen bright red flying swords would converge, and in the blink of an eye, a great number of Foundation Building demon cultivators would fall, easily dealt with as if they were withered and weak.

And unlike the Qiyu Swordman, who would only act once after a long time, and whoever encountered them would be unlucky, these women would patrol every few days with no discernible pattern.

Like a sieve, they would come and go again and again within five hundred miles of Tushan Immortal City.

In just over a month, hundreds of Qi cultivating and Foundation Building demon cultivators fell, their blood spattered across the land, silencing the remaining demon cultivators.

Due to the upcoming Spirit Treasure Auction, which had caused some unrest in the law and order, the area was instantly cleared, and even the usual state of affairs seemed much better.

The cultivators coming and going were all following the rules, exceedingly polite, and the fiery temper commonly seen among cultivators ready to fight at a moment’s notice was gone.

The outside world had a new name for these female protectors.

Tushan Witches!

...

A battlefield.

Thirteen bright red flying swords crisscrossed and combined, the sword-light filled the sky, swift as lightning. Amid roaring sounds, they tore the infamous Blood Bone Hermit, a Peak Foundation Building Cultivator among the demon cultivators, into pieces, and many Blood Bone Strange Serpents were shattered into pieces.

After cleaning up one or two battlefields, the thirteen women disappeared without a trace, their movements incredibly practiced.

Yet they did not know that in the sky above, two cultivators quietly watched the scene.

One was a monk in worn robes, holding a wooden fish, and the other was a handsome gentleman with a face like fine jade.

”Are they all quasi-third rank treasures? Which fellow Daoist has such generous means?” the handsome gentleman asked, retracting his folding fan. His peach blossom eyes swept over those concealed female protectors, revealing a covetous gaze.

”Peach Blossom Gentleman is asking knowingly,” replied the Vajra Tuduo, chanting a Buddhist mantra. ”Other than the City Lord of Tushan Immortal City, and that Tushan sword cultivator, who else would spend such an effort to maintain order in the vicinity?”

”In these years, I have been to many markets and immortal cities,” continued the Vajra Tuduo. ”Most are satisfied with forbidding fighting within the market itself, or at most, extending to a few miles around it.”

”This one, on the other hand, seems determined to have no bandit cultivators within his entire domain, executing them on the spot if caught.”

”Tushan sword cultivator...”

A look of dread appeared on Peach Blossom Gentleman’s face.

In the Northern Plains, Yellow Leopard and Liu Yan of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights were well-known among Golden Pill Monks.

Yellow Leopard was especially formidable, practicing dual cultivation of law and body. His Golden Ape Subduing Magic was rarely matched among Middle Jindan Stage cultivators and he had even faced a Post-golden Alchemist for a while without defeat, truly a peerless force.

Yet he had fallen to this person in a brief exchange and couldn’t even escape.

”Heh, this person is indeed powerful, but he made one mistake,” said Peach Blossom Gentleman with a cold laugh. ”The one thing he should never have done was to nail Yellow Leopard’s life treasure to the city wall, no different from hanging a corpse for display. The Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights will not let this go, making it hard for him to feign ignorance.”

”Moreover, Blood Cloud is renowned in the Northern Plains for his righteousness over clouds. Although he is currently being hunted by the Nascent Soul of the Liudao Sect and cannot disentangle himself, if someone avenges his brother and earns his favor, it wouldn’t be hard to receive a debt of gratitude.”

”This is a favor from a Nascent Soul Monk, or even from someone who might be a Nascent Soul Monk in a few hundred years. If used properly, it’s enough to make a family prosper for a thousand years. It’s really tempting,” the gentleman added.

The Vajra Tuduo also showed a look of temptation.

Being alone, he did not have a family to care for, but if he could receive a future Nascent Soul’s favor, whether to extend his life, break through a realm, or kill an enemy, it would all be greatly beneficial.