Immortality Cultivation

The "Small Five Elements Rotating Thick Earth Formation" that Fang Hao had hastily cobbled together was like a straw for a drowning man, stubbornly propping up a yellowish-brown wall of light in front of the breach in the East City. Although it was shaky and looked like it would fall apart at any moment, it at least managed to block the Great Qin vanguard troops who had killed until their eyes were red.

Relying on this brief respite, Commander Lei led his men in a desperate counterattack, finally managing to force back the enemy troops that had surged into the city and plugging the breach once more. The city’s defenders also caught their breath, hurriedly carrying sandbags and pushing battering rams to desperately repair the collapsed section of the city wall.

But everyone knew that this was just a temporary breather. The core of the East City’s defensive Formation had been completely wiped out by the enemy; relying solely on Fang Hao’s makeshift, amateur-level Formation would never withstand the next fierce assault. If that Nascent Soul Old Monster on the other side were to personally strike a couple more times, the city would fall again!

Just when everyone was panicking, feeling that they were doomed, news suddenly arrived from the horizon—and it was some truly great news!

The capital, Heavenly Capital, had finally gotten serious! The old Emperor of the Mingling Empire, likely fed up with the mess at the border, had dispatched three Nascent Soul Stage experts from the Capital Garrison to support Qingzhou in one go! These three were not like Cloud Crane, who hailed from a background of Loose Cultivators, or some mansion’s Guest Elder; they were legitimate pillars of the Empire and veteran generals of the army! It was said that the leader was even a Late Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse!

This news spread through Iron Rock City as if it had grown wings. In an instant, the morale of the defenders on the city walls soared! The morale that had been near rock bottom immediately stabilized! Many people were so moved that they wiped away tears, feeling that there was finally hope.

Sure enough, within two days, the three Nascent Soul experts arrived in Iron Rock City, leading the elite Capital Garrison guards in a majestic procession. The Formation and the aura they exuded were incredibly morale-boosting! Especially that old general who was at the Late Nascent Soul Stage; standing on the city wall, he didn’t need to say a word. The mere Evil Qi he radiated, honed from slaughtering in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, was enough to make people gasp for air. The activity in the Great Qin camp across the way diminished significantly right then and there.

Once the experts arrived, they immediately took over the command of the city’s defense. They organized the Formation repairs, drilled the troops, and stockpiled supplies; everything became orderly. The defenders, who had previously been like headless flies, suddenly had a backbone.

The Great Qin side wasn’t stupid. Seeing that the Mingling Empire was truly enraged and had even sent out their prized Capital Garrison troops, they knew that trying to swallow Iron Rock City in one bite would come at too high a price. Although they had gained an initial advantage, they were, after all, fighting on someone else’s territory; logistics and reinforcements were issues. If they really fought to a mutual destruction, neither side would benefit.

Consequently, as the fighting continued, the nature of the conflict changed. Large-scale sieges gradually decreased, turning into sneak attacks and harassment by small squads, along with cat-and-mouse games between scouts. The higher-ups on both sides were likely also passing secret notes under the table, haggling over terms.

Once the fighting died down, Fang Hao and his fellow technical workers got busy. They had nearly exhausted themselves just putting out fires before, but now that they finally had a breather, they had to properly repair the broken pot that was the city’s defense, especially that mess in the East City.

Master Zhao and Fang Hao were directly assigned to work under the new Nascent Soul expert in charge of Formations—Immortal Master Xuanji. Immortal Master Xuanji was a lean, wiry little old man who didn’t say much, but his eyes were incredibly sharp; one look told you he was an old monster who had been immersed in Formations for centuries. He led his people to thoroughly examine the Formations all over Iron Rock City, and then began drastic reforms.

The East City was the top priority. Immortal Master Xuanji personally surveyed the ley lines and redesigned the Formation diagram. This time, it wasn’t some minor tinkering; he used the Imperial Ministry of Works’ latest "Nine-Turn Profound Turtle Demon-Suppressing Formation," which was said to be able to withstand continuous attacks from a Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator for several hours! The Formation foundation used specially crafted Profound Iron and Essence Gold, and the spiritual liquid used to carve the Formation was a treasure exclusively supplied by the Imperial family.

Fang Hao, along with Master Zhao and several Formation Masters from the capital, spent day and night at the East City construction site. Digging foundations, setting up Formation bases, carving Formation patterns, burying Spirit Stones... the work was both heavy and meticulous, and not a single mistake could be tolerated. Immortal Master Xuanji had extremely high standards; even the slightest deviation meant redoing the work. Fang Hao was exhausted like a dog, but he felt quite satisfied. The opportunity to learn from an expert of this level was rare! Compared to this, his previous knowledge of Formations was practically child’s play.

Besides the East City, the Formation walls on the other sides were also comprehensively upgraded and reinforced. Immortal Master Xuanji also took the opportunity to set up hidden defensive and early-warning Formations at several important nodes in the city, such as the granaries, armories, and command posts. The entire Iron Rock City was decked out from the inside out like an iron hedgehog.

After working busily for about a month, the city walls were repaired, and the new Formations were mostly set up. The Qin army outside the city had also completely quieted down, moving their camp far back. There were still occasional minor skirmishes between the two sides, but large-scale warfare had basically ceased. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

As the atmosphere eased, the matter of negotiations was officially brought to the table. Both sides sent delegations to find a place between Iron Rock City and the Great Qin army camp, where they began to bicker. It was nothing more than arguing over territory, demanding reparations, and negotiating conditions; they went back and forth, but they wouldn’t reach a conclusion anytime soon.

But for the people doing the work on the ground like Fang Hao, this was a great thing. At least they didn’t have to live with their heads on the chopping block every day.

This day, Fang Hao had just finished checking the final core Formation pattern and was so exhausted that he plopped down on the battlements, staring blankly at the cooking smoke rising from the distant Great Qin army camp. Little Grandson’s arm injury had healed completely, and he came over to hand him a waterskin: "Guest Official Ning, take a break. I heard there’s progress in the negotiations; perhaps the war will end soon."

Fang Hao took the waterskin and took a gulp, letting out a long sigh: "Ending the war is good... If it keeps going, there won’t be any people left." He looked at his hands, calloused from long hours of carving Formations, and then looked at the majestic city beneath his feet, which had been soaked in blood and then reinforced once more, feeling a thousand emotions in his heart.

These few months had been more eventful than the previous dozen years of his life. Life-and-death struggles, Formation duels, the maneuvering of great powers... He, a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator, had managed to roll through this whirlpool and somehow survived, even increasing his cultivation. Just thinking about it felt unbelievable.

"Once the war stops, will we be able to return to Tianqing City?" Little Grandson asked with a look of longing.

Fang Hao smiled but didn’t speak. Return to Tianqing City? Perhaps. But he knew in his heart that after this experience, many things would never be the same. What rewards would the mansion offer? The trouble with the Gongming Family hadn’t been resolved yet? How should he proceed with his own path of cultivation?

A pile of questions awaited him. This temporary peace was likely just the brief calm before the storm.