Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Chapter 478 Defending the Pass (Part 1)

Three days later, Wang Chen took up residence in the Seven-Star Pavilion of Town Sand Pass.

Before this, he had temporarily entrusted the affairs of the Shangxun Heavenly Master Pavilion to Xi Wanhai, the family head of the Xi Family, to manage.

Dayi City was divided into eight Heavenly Master Pavilions, signified by the eight extremities of Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui, guarding the vital points of the City Protecting Great Array, and thus it was essential to have a Purple Mansion cultivator in charge.

If Dayi City were to suffer an attack by powerful enemies, the combined defense of the eight arrays could withstand even the personal assault of a Nascent Soul True Immortal.

Normally, as a Guarding Heavenly Master, Wang Chen, taking his turn at Town Sand Pass, should have handed over the Shangxun Heavenly Master Pavilion to the director, Wu Jingwei, to oversee.

But how could Wang Chen possibly hand over authority to someone with ulterior motives!

Xi Wanhai naturally became the best choice.

This Purple Mansion cultivator was cunning and shrewd, and although he lacked ambition, guarding the Heavenly Master Pavilion was entirely within his capability.

It was enough to put Wang Chen at ease.

Standing at the top floor of the Seven-Star Pavilion, Wang Chen gazed out at the boundless Gobi desert in the distance.

It was nearing dusk at the time, the sun about to descend below the horizon, and the evening clouds in the glow of the setting sun blazed like a raging fire, the desolate Gobi appearing as if it had donned a coat of gold.

Magnificent yet desolate!

Wang Chen looked as far as he could but didn't see a single animal.

Not to mention people.

Yet it was said that the corpses piled at the base of Town Sand Pass were high enough to surpass the Guan Wall!

As a crucial part of Dayi City, the defenses of Town Sand Pass were extremely strong, with the canyon's exit completely sealed by a massive city wall tens of zhang high and ten zhang wide.

Not even ordinary people, let alone Innate Martial Artists, could think of climbing up.

The rock bricks that formed the Guan Wall were jet-black with a metallic sheen, and their surfaces were engraved with complex runes. It was hard to imagine how much manpower and resources the West Sea Sect had expended to build it.

Under the blessing of billions of runes, even the heavy strikes of a Golden Core True Person couldn't cause the slightest shift in the city wall.

Not just that, behind every crenellation, there was a large siege crossbow arranged.

These magic artifact-level siege crossbows could shoot specially made crossbow arrows that could easily penetrate the body of a battle cultivator.

Even magical armor couldn't withstand it.

But what was truly fearsome were the God-Slaying Cannons set atop the twelve towers, with single shots that could dissolve everything within ten li. Even Golden Cores had to steer clear!

Moreover, Town Sand Pass was garrisoned with nearly one hundred thousand elite Taoist soldiers and battle soldiers.

With such layered defenses, Dayi City was impregnable, never having been breached since its establishment.

This had also left countless Sand People nursing grudges.

However, Wang Chen did not have the authority to command this powerful and unparalleled force, nor could he direct the Taoist soldiers and battle soldiers. His main task was to sit in the Seven-Star Pavilion, monitor, and strike at the Sand Tribe hunter cultivators who sneaked into the pass.

Even though Town Sand Pass was enveloped in layers of arrays inside and out, the Sand Tribe hunter cultivators, who had mastered Buddhist Sect secret techniques, always managed to infiltrate, like toads on one's back that were small yet utterly disgusting.

And yet, he couldn't afford to ignore them, or a minor issue could turn into a huge calamity!

Wang Chen had been stationed in the Seven-Star Pavilion for five days, and even the most spectacular scenery had already become tiresome.

But during these days, it had been calm, not to mention Sand Tribe hunter cultivators, not even a fly had entered Town Sand Pass.

On the surface, this seemed like a good thing, but Wang Chen always felt that beneath this calm facade, turbulent undercurrents were hidden.

And his instincts were always accurate!

Therefore, Wang Chen did not let his guard down but instead heightened his vigilance and hardly strayed from the Seven-Star Pavilion.

The Seven-Star Pavilion was the highest building in Town Sand Pass, standing over sixty zhang tall. Even in his previous world, it would be considered a skyscraper, like a blade piercing the heavens, towering at the center of the pass city.

The Seven-Star Pavilion was also a hub connected to the City Protecting Great Array. Theoretically, any movements inside or outside the Guan Wall were supposed to be transmitted to this lofty building that reached into the clouds!

Today seemed no different from usual, the troublesome Sand People were nowhere to be seen.

But Wang Chen always felt something was off.

After pondering for a while, he sat down in the center of the pavilion and stimulated the Heavenly Master's Token.

The Heavenly Master's Token floating in front of Wang Chen suddenly emitted a gentle white light, instantly establishing a connection with the pavilion beneath him. Threads of golden light emerged from the surrounding floor, completely enveloping him.

Another significant use of the Seven-Star Pavilion was to enhance the power of the array for the cultivators who guarded it.

Although Wang Chen only had the cultivation level of the third tier of Purple Mansion, with the aid of the Seven-Star Pavilion's might, countering a Golden Core True Person was not a problem at all. Even if a Nascent Soul True Immortal came personally, he could hold his ground for a few moves.

The next moment, Wang Chen expanded his Divine Sense to scout the vast Gobi desert ahead.

A cultivator's Divine Sense is similar to radar, capable of conducting an all-round search, but it is also limited by the environment.

The more complex the environment, the smaller the scope of the search. The more cultivators there are around, the greater the interference one will face.

However, from the highest position atop the Seven-Star Pavilion, without any barriers around, Wang Chen's high vantage point coupled with the strength of the array, allowed him to search up to ten times better than usual.

Then, Wang Chen activated global mode!

His view suddenly widened, and the scenery beyond the pass turned into a flat map.

Several red dots instantly appeared!

There really are some!

Without a second thought, Wang Chen leaped into action, using 'Shrinking Ground into Inches' to dart out of the Seven-Star Pavilion.

Sword Light flashed, and in an instant, he shot towards the outside of the pass with such speed that he resembled lightning!

At this very moment, in a hidden arms depot behind the city wall, a group of Battle Cultivators were sitting around a stone table enjoying their dinner.

Most of these Battle Cultivators were at higher levels of Qi Cultivation, but each had a rugged demeanor and crude behavior. They drank from large bowls and tore into their meat with big bites, their faces oily from the food, uncaring about poise or elegance.

A bearded Battle Cultivator downed a big bowl of Spiritual Wine, wiped his wet beard, and complained, "I don't know what they're thinking up there, assigning a green youngster to guard the Seven-Star Pavilion. He has no experience. Can he really defend against the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators?"

When it came to the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators, he expressed nothing but deep loathing.

For the Battle Cultivators guarding Town Sand Pass, the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators were undoubtedly their most hated enemy.

Each year, too many comrades fell at the hands of these Hunter Cultivators.

It made everyone's sleep restless.

This was when the importance of the Guarding Heavenly Master was greatly highlighted.

With a strong ability and ample experience, the Guarding Heavenly Master could set up proper defenses against the Hunter Cultivators, reducing their losses.

"Watch your words."

Another Battle Cultivator warned, "No matter what, he's a Purple Mansion Superior, an Inner Sect Disciple of the West Sea Sect. If your words get out, being charged with insubordination won't be a problem!"

"I'm not scared of some softy!"

The bearded Battle Cultivator slammed down his empty bowl with a scoff, "To end up like this, what do I have to fear about being called to account?"

The rest of the Battle Cultivators fell silent.

What the bearded Battle Cultivator said truly struck a nerve with everyone.

If they had a future, hopes, connections, resources, who would want to stay here fighting to the death against the Sand People?

"Captain!"

Suddenly, a Battle Cultivator rushed in, anxiously reporting to the bearded Battle Cultivator, "Something's happened!"

-------

The first update is here.