Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Chapter 1298: Chapter 1266: The Second Expeditionary Army of the Horned Ming Realm is Perfecting its Forces

Jiang Ding stared at the hundreds of kneeling Nascent Soul cultivators before him.

Some were from the Tiger Clan, some from the Vine Demon Clan, some from the Human Race, and some from the Stone People Race… A motley mix of various races, all of whom served the Magic Stone Clan—the former rulers of this Minor Thousand World—for purposes ranging from production and servitude to sustenance.

Some were older Nascent Soul cultivators with experiences from the era of the Xianmen Sect.

Others were Nascent Soul cultivators who had only emerged in recent years.

The older ones likely had Spirit Restrictions imprinted on their Divine Souls by the Xianmen Sect’s forces during their grand sweep across the worlds. Such measures ensured obedience, as relying solely on their self-discipline and morals was not a viable option.

Of course, Xianmen’s restrictions were usually dormant unless one violated the relevant laws, activating them only under specific circumstances.

Xianmen Citizens were not permitted to oppress Minor Thousand World cultivators at will, as some members of the Horned Demon Imperial Clan might.

Xianmen Citizens were bound by laws; even individuals such as the Great Sun Celestial Lord or the Sun Extinguisher Heavenly Monarch were occasionally subject to imprisonment. Ordinary Xianmen Citizens engaging in tyrannical behavior—like dominating a realm in the Minor Thousand World, surrounded by powerful subordinates, or killing slaves at their whim—was strictly prohibited.

Yet, there were no traces of Spirit Soul Restrictions present here.

“Everyone, where are the restrictions on your Divine Souls?”

Jiang Ding inquired.

“Heavenly Monarch…”

The numerous Nascent Soul Immortals trembled, chills running down their spines, as they struggled to form coherent sentences.

“Unveil your Divine Souls; I need to examine them.”

Jiang Ding, having lost patience, spoke indifferently.

“Yes!”

“Heavenly Monarch!”

The Nascent Soul Immortals, having witnessed the continuous deaths of their leaders, dared not resist.

Jiang Ding’s vast Divine Sense spread out, enveloping the Divine Souls of the hundreds of Nascent Soul cultivators, beginning a relatively gentle Soul Searching process with their cooperation, resulting in minimal spiritual damage.

Scenes flickered across Jiang Ding’s Sea of Consciousness.

Every second of information flow held enough power to overwhelm a Golden Pill cultivator, but for Jiang Ding, it felt as effortless as a breeze. He quickly processed and consolidated the gathered information.

“Shadow Demon Abyss cultivators have undone Xianmen’s restrictions?”

Jiang Ding furrowed his brows.

Spirit Restrictions, once applied, could naturally be undone. Particularly for a sect like the Eight Great Immortal Sects, esteemed for their expertise in slave Divine Soul Restrictions, their foundational knowledge and research in this area ran deep.

In comparison, Xianmen fell short.

Several thousand years ago, across the Minor Thousand Worlds under Xianmen’s dominion, even ten native Nascent Soul Immortals were a rarity. Their legacy in this domain was deliberately suppressed, reducing the need for further exploration of Spirit Restrictions. Naturally, Xianmen did not allocate significant resources to this field; Xianmen had always been relatively resource-poor, unable to afford waste.

“Those directly or indirectly involved in the massacre of citizens must die.”

Jiang Ding pointed his finger lightly.

Bang!

Bang bang!

The sound of exploding skulls repeatedly echoed, as one Nascent Soul cultivator after another from the Slave Clan collapsed silently. Following Xianmen Law, the Divine Souls of dozens of Nascent Soul Immortals were utterly annihilated.

These Nascent Soul Immortals, as servants of the Magic Stone Clan, were accomplices in the massacre of citizens.

Denying responsibility by claiming obedience to orders or being merely tools mattered not—the involvement in such atrocities carried a penalty regardless.

The remaining Nascent Soul Immortals trembled, not daring to utter a single word.

“This concludes this matter.”

“Fellow Daoists who remain,”

Jiang Ding brought this affair to its end: “You are naturally innocent, contributors to Xianmen who deserve recognition and rewards. I hope you will work together to rebuild the Magical Stone Minor Realm. Xianmen sees your efforts and will not ignore your contributions. Once the Boundary Formation is established, your merits will be recorded.”

The killings were excessive; henceforth, a policy of conciliation would be adopted.

“The Heavenly Monarch is merciful!”

“Thank you for your great kindness, Heavenly Monarch…”

The many Nascent Soul Immortals kowtowed, their eyes filled with tears of relief as they escaped the peril of life and death. Their bodies slackened, nearly collapsing to the ground.

“You are all aware of Xianmen’s policies.”

“They are not harsh; as long as Xianmen Law is followed, there will be no unnecessary troubles. You may all feel at ease to cultivate and produce.”

Jiang Ding smiled and said.

His immense Divine Sense expanded, transforming into a series of Spirit Consciousness Restrictions that imprinted upon the Divine Souls of the Nascent Soul Immortals. These were the standard Spirit Restrictions used by Xianmen for Minor Thousand World cultivators, albeit enhanced with adaptations and additional Six Paths Order markings unique to him, significantly increasing the difficulty of breaking them.

Such precautions were only natural.

Xianmen had never placed full trust in human nature and moral virtue, whether internally or externally.

The Nascent Soul Immortals repeatedly kowtowed and then flew into the Magical Stone Minor Realm, assisting Xianmen’s conscripted army in exterminating all residual Magic Stone Clan forces within the domain.

The guilty were executed, the condemned sent to forced labor camps for reform—the entire realm’s inhabitants underwent thorough cleansing to ensure everyone involved in the slaughter of citizens faced justice.

Beyond that, efforts included Formation Method construction, restoration of production, teleportation Formation establishment, and more.

All these tasks took over a year to complete.

These efforts merely marked the beginning. Many projects were only in their initial stages; for instance, the Formation setup included only ultra-long-distance teleportation arrays, while protective and restorative formations remained under construction.

“Next, I must divide the troops.”

Jiang Ding thought to himself, calmly.

He gazed ahead.

Over three million conscripted fleets from the Nine Spirits Realm stood silently in the starry sky. Beside them were the hastily-trained Second Expeditionary Army’s second Star Sky Recruitment Army Group from the Horned Ming Realm, abbreviated as the Magical Stone Minor Realm Star Sky Corps.

Compared to the disciplined Nine Spirits Realm conscripted troops, the fleets of the Magical Stone Minor Realm Star Sky Corps were disorganized, their army formations incomplete. Calling them a proper military force was an overstatement; they seemed less like an army and more like an unruly cluster of loose cultivators engaged in random skirmishes.

Despite having dozens of Xianmen Nascent Soul Golden Core cultivators serving as senior officers who repeatedly issued reprimands, the results were ineffective.

“Vice Marshal,”

The commander of the Magical Stone Minor Realm Star Sky Corps, an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, spoke with deep shame: “I am incompetent; I am unable to organize them into even the most basic army formation.”

For a domain overlord power like Xianmen, whose strength revolved around army formations with every cultivator trained as an array master, this “army formation” was nothing short of humiliating!

“No matter; the time is insufficient. Training them while marching will have to do.”

“This is not your fault.”

Jiang Ding, exercising great patience, offered thoughtful guidance: “Do not underestimate the cultivators of Minor Thousand Worlds. Though they lack our refined immortal path education, they are exceptional figures who have fought their way to prominence. Their talent and comprehension are commendable. With patience in teaching, they can still learn.”

“Through continuous battles and trials, supplementing their ranks, and unrelenting combat, a formidable army will inevitably emerge.”

“Understood, Vice Marshal!”

The commander of the Magical Stone Minor Realm Star Sky Corps saluted.

The Magical Stone Minor Realm had conscripted two million troops, half stationed to defend the Minor Thousand World, and the other half joining Xianmen’s main forces to fight across various domains in ten-year rotations.

Every rebellion suppressed resulted in new Minor Thousand World conscripted armies being recruited and armed with Xianmen equipment, forming a continuous cycle.

This snowball-like process caused troop numbers to skyrocket, swiftly filling all organizational structures of Xianmen’s Second Horned Ming Realm Expeditionary Army, eventually forming a legitimate Star Sky Army capable of maintaining Xianmen’s rear and logistical channels.