Just now, Qingliang City's defense formation began to operate at full capacity.
Soon after, Gao Yuan received an elder summoning order from the city lord Yin Shiyi, the guardian of the town ‘Yu Linglong’:
It's three o'clock in the afternoon today.
The city guard, ‘Yu Linglong’, will summon all the elders at home in the ‘Lingyun Palace’ on the mountain behind the blessed land!
"Tsk!"
"After the 'Strengthening the Wall and Clearing the Fields' plan is completed as scheduled, the next step for the cities in the Northern Territory is naturally the encirclement and suppression plan against 'Ember'!"
I remembered what I had experienced in the past month when I led my men and set up formations everywhere in Qingliang City.
After a brief silence, Gao Yuan muttered silently to himself.
In the process of leading the team to set up formations everywhere, the elders including him also simultaneously accepted the task of hunting down and wiping out the remnants of the 'Ember' party in Qingliang City.
Similar to the process of setting up the array, the task of searching and suppressing the remnants of the 'Ember' party also went very smoothly.
'Ember' is an extremely evil organization, and all the personnel under its command really seem to have completely evacuated from the Northern Territory.
During the entire process of hunting and eradicating, Gao Yuan encountered almost no decent resistance except for occasionally encountering some sporadic low-level 'Ember Devotees'.
It was also under this situation that the original city guard ‘Yu Linglong’ issued the ‘Strengthen the Wall and Clear the Wilderness’ plan.
It only took less than a month to complete successfully.
According to Gao Yuan's understanding, in addition to Qingliang City, the other fifteen main cities in the Northern Territory have carried out corresponding plans and the progress is generally similar.
Against this background, after some secret communication and contact, the city guards of the main cities in the Eastern Region, Western Region and Northern Region.
It can be imagined that a plan to gather the power of the three regions of the east, west and north, and send personnel from each major city to form a coalition to jointly go to the southern region to encircle and suppress the 'Embers', was promptly released.
“I don’t know what the senior ‘Yu Linglong’ has any specific plans for sending troops to assist the Southern Territory and encircle and suppress ‘Ember’.”
As his mind turned, Gao Yuan activated his 'Ke Qing Elder Token' and disappeared in a flash.
…………
Gao Yuan's guess was correct.
After the elders, including him, arrived at Lingyun Palace on time, the city guard Yu Linglong immediately announced the decision to assemble manpower and send troops to the southern region.
According to the specific action plan, among the many Hunyuan realm elders under the City Lord's Mansion, except for Hua Wuqi and City Lord Yin Shiyi, they must stay in Qingliang City to guard against possible unexpected situations.
Including three deacons and elders, Xiao Huaizhi, Feng Zeyuan and Tang Qi, and five guest elders including Qi Tianyuan, Mei Zhi, Bai Ziming, Song Wenli and Gao Yuan, a total of eight people.
Under the leadership of the city guard "Yu Linglong", everyone must go to the southern region together to participate in the three-region clearing operation against "Ember".
This arrangement is not much different from what Gao Yuan had expected.
And he himself didn't have much thought about this arrangement.
After all, according to the senior ‘Yu Linglong’, in this plan for the three regions of the east, west and north to jointly send troops to the south region.
For the sixteen main cities in the Northern Territory alone, a total of ten spiritual realm monks, including Senior Yu Linglong, and a total of 154 Hunyuan realm monks will be dispatched.
On this basis, each city will also dispatch a total of more than 100,000 Kaiyuan Realm monks to assist in various operations.
If we also count the Eastern and Western Regions, as well as the cities in the Southern Region that are currently fighting fiercely with the Embers in the Southern Region.
The lineup of coalition forces participating in the encirclement and suppression of 'Ember' this time is extremely luxurious, and just thinking about it is enough to make people feel extremely shocked.
…………
Early morning two days later.
The personnel of Qingliang City gathered together and it was time to set out for the Southern Region.
The main palace of Qingliang City, Central Campus.
Gao Yuan saw Chen Ziming coming to see him off with everyone from the Mei family.
After saying hello to Chen Ziming's aunt Chen Lanyun, Gao Yuan took Chen Ziming's hand and walked to a quiet place aside, speaking to her in a low voice from time to time.
At this time, in the sky above the entire campus, there were ten uniformly shaped ‘Big Belly Spirit Boats’ belonging to the City Lord’s Mansion, which were quietly suspended in the sky about a hundred meters above the ground.
On the ground below each Big Belly Spirit Boat, there were gathered a large number of black-clothed deacons wearing uniform uniforms who were about to accompany the army to the southern region.
These people lined up in a neat formation, one after another taking the ferry spirit boats that were only a few feet in size, and entered the "Big Belly Spirit Boat" in the sky.
Gao Yuan looked around, then looked away.
He lowered his head and looked at Chen Ziming, who was staring at him silently without blinking.
I saw an obvious look of worry on the latter's face. Gao Yuan looked at this and said with a chuckle:
"This time, the three regions worked together to encircle and suppress the 'Embers' in the southern region. More than thirty city guards from the Divine Soul Realm alone were dispatched!"
"With so many senior experts in charge, naturally nothing can go wrong."
"So you don't have to worry about me at all. You can just continue to practice and live as usual."
"On the Qingliang City side, although there are City Lord Yin and Elder Hua presiding over the city defense formation, after all, there is no Shenso realm guard guarding the city."
"So, after I leave, to prevent accidents, you will stay at Mei's house and don't go anywhere. Do you understand?"
Seeing Chen Ziming nodding silently, Gao Yuan seemed to have remembered something and asked in a low voice:
"Have you mastered the specific methods of using the puppets and talismans I gave you before?"
"Got it all!"
Chen Ziming responded in a low voice, and then looked at Gao Yuan eagerly.
Seeing the undisguised look of worry on the latter's face, Gao Yuan changed his mind, smiled and comforted:
"Although the Southern Territory is located in a remote area, it is hundreds of thousands of miles away from the Northern Territory."
"But fortunately, in this three-region encirclement and suppression of 'Ember', each city has contributed a lot of force, and its momentum is like covering a stone with an egg."
"Therefore, if nothing else happens, this war should not last long."
"Totalizing all the comings and goings, I estimate that it will only take two or three months for me to come back."
At this point, Gao Yuan paused for a moment.
He saw Chen Ziming standing aside, still looking at him silently.
So he reached out and pulled her into his arms. At the same time, he brought his mouth to her ear and chuckled:
"The day before yesterday at Lingyun Palace, your ancestor Mei and I discussed the details."
"Well, when I come back from the Southern Territory this time, I will immediately start organizing the wedding and marry you."
After listening to Gao Yuan's hot words in his ears, Chen Ziming's ears suddenly turned red.
She twisted her body a little ticklishly, but did not avoid it.
She raised her head, met Gaoyuan's gaze with bright eyes, and responded with a shy smile:
"Well, I know!"
At this moment, Gao Yuan felt a slight vibration coming from the 'Ke Qing Elder Token' on his waist.
His eyes turned and looked into the distance.
I saw that all the deacons in black who had gathered on the campus had now boarded the 'Spiritual Ferry Boat' and completed the boarding process.
Qi Tianyuan, Bai Ziming and others in the distance also gathered towards the Qingliang Hall in the center of the square from the direction of their respective families.
Gao Yuan didn't delay anymore. He patted Chen Ziming's shoulder gently and said with a carefree smile:
"Okay, I won't say much else. I'll take you back first."
…
In the small square in front of Qingliang Hall.
Not long after Gao Yuan arrived here, the city guard 'Yu Linglong' appeared in front of everyone.
Her eyes quickly glanced at the people who were bowing and saluting in front of them, and then she ordered very simply:
"lets go."
Then, without waiting for anyone to respond, he disappeared from the spot in a flash.
When Gao Yuan and others saw this, they didn't waste any time.
Each activated their escape light, and with a flash of their bodies, they appeared on the deck of the leading ship, the 'Big Belly Spirit Boat'.
"Fellow Taoist Gao, come on, come on, sit here."
Near the center of the spirit boat, on a pavilion with a huge terrace on the top, the eight elders who were going to the Southern Region this time gathered here in perfect harmony.
Seeing Gao Yuan coming in a little behind because he had been interacting with Chen Ziming for a while on the deck of the Big Belly Spirit Boat, Song Wenli stood up and greeted him warmly.
As for the other people in the hall, they all paid warm gazes.
Gao Yuan and the elders who went on the expedition exchanged greetings with each other, and then sat down on an armchair next to Song Wenli.
At this time, everyone in the palace was gathering together to share with each other various information about the Southern Territory that they had obtained through different channels.
"In general, the war started by 'Ember' in the Southern Territory this time, except for the early stage with the help of surprise attacks, they successively conquered six main cities in the Southern Territory near the northern border."
"After the other major cities in the southern region responded one after another, they each activated their protective formations in the city."
"The subsequent offensive momentum of 'Ember' was obviously curbed."
"Today, there are thirteen main cities in the Southern Territory that have not yet been conquered."
"These main cities each rely on the protection of the city defense array, as well as the city guards in each city. With the advantage of the 'Shen Soul Realm' monks, they can project the 'Original Law Body' from a distance to participate in the battle."
"Whenever a certain main city is besieged by multiple 'Ember Fire Bearers', the city guards of the adjacent main city will project the 'Original Law Body' and come to assist in the defense."
"In view of this, the thirteen main cities in the Southern Territory, with mutual help, have formed a tug of war with 'Ember'."
"Although 'Ember' still occupies a clear numerical advantage at the level of the Soul Realm and the Hunyuan Realm."
"But with the intervention of the main city defense formations, unless 'Ember' ignores the damage to high-level combat power, it will be difficult to break through the mutual defense trend formed by the main cities in the Southern Territory in a short period of time.
"
Opposite Gao Yuan, Qi Tianyuan, a tall and muscular man with a beard, sighed with a sigh while stroking his thick beard that reached his belly.
"Having said that, as far as I know, in this battle in the Southern Territory, the total number of 'Ember Fire Bearers' who appeared on the battlefield has accumulated to twenty-seven!"
"Such a quantity, if we don't consider siege warfare, is already enough to overwhelm the astonishing power in an area!"
"You must know that after the bloody turmoil ended, during the subsequent crackdowns and raids, all levels of personnel under Ember's command were basically wiped out."
"To this day, only a few hundred years have passed."
"However, who would have thought that in such a short period of time, 'Ember' would once again accumulate as many as twenty-seven 'Fire Bearers' of the same divine spirit realm!"
"This has not yet counted its unexposed secrets, as well as the 'fire bearers' lurking around the three regions of the East, West and North."
"hiss--"
"The expansion and development speed of this 'Ember' is really appalling!"
As soon as Qi Tianyuan finished speaking, Bai Ziming, who was sitting next to him, also spoke with a shocked look on his face.
"Who says it isn't!"
"After all, these evil cultivators under the command of 'Ember' have extremely evil ways of improving their cultivation."
"It's not like us, who need to spend a lot of time to hone their cultivation step by step and steadily."
"It often only takes a large-scale bloody ceremony to make many people's cultivation progress greatly improve at the same time."
"Of course, any method like 'Ember' that relies on heretical methods to forcibly improve one's cultivation level generally has a large number of huge hidden dangers that are difficult to avoid."
"In addition to the fact that these people are extremely easy to fall into the devil's path during their cultivation, their own strength also has a very obvious gap compared to the monks who are promoted normally."
"Like the failure of the 'Ember' siege on the major cities in the southern region this time, except for the fact that after these major cities reacted, they promptly activated the city defense formations that had been accumulated for many years."
"It may be that the personal strength of those 'Ember Fire Bearers' is insufficient and they are unable to confront the city guards head-on."
Seeing that the atmosphere on the court was slightly tense, Feng Zeyuan, the oldest person besides Hua Wuqi and Yin Shiyi, spoke up.
"What Elder Feng said is true. In the past few years, Xiao has fought against the so-called 'sowers' under 'Ember' many times."
"To be honest, most of these guys are just fake. The number of attacks and the treasures they use are a little weird. To say that the strength of these guys is really average."
After Feng Zeyuan finished speaking, Xiao Huaizhi, who was sitting next to him, also echoed.
"Having said that, even if the strength of these 'ember fire bearers' is not as good as the city guards in each city, they are still not comparable to the monks in the Hunyuan Realm."
"Now the three-region encirclement and suppression of 'Embers' is about to begin. Once the war breaks out, various unexpected situations will inevitably be inevitable."
"I am not afraid of the jokes of fellow Taoists. What Qi is most worried about right now is that in the subsequent battle, he will be chased by opponents at the level of 'Ember Fire Bearer'."
"Speaking of which, among all of you here, probably only Fellow Daoist Gao and Fellow Daoist Song have the experience of facing the 'Ember Fire Bearer' head-on."
"I wonder if you two can share with us the situation of the day as appropriate, so that Qi can be mentally prepared in advance before proceeding."
After Xiao Huaizhi finished speaking, Qi Tianyuan, who was sitting diagonally across from him, continued his conversation, but then turned to Gao Yuan, who had not said a word after sitting down.
After hearing his words, the hall couldn't help but become quiet.
Including the three deacons and elders, Feng Zeyuan, Xiao Huaizhi, and Tang Qi, everyone's eyes were subconsciously looking towards Gao Yuan.