Chapter 478

Chapter 478: The Sand Guard (Part 1)

Three days later, Wang Chen settled into the Seven Star Pavilion of the Sand Guard.

Before this, he had entrusted the affairs of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion to Xi Wanhai, the head of the Xi family, for the time being.

Daying City was divided into eight celestial guardian pavilions, named after the eight trigrams: Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, and Dui. These pavilions guarded the core of the protective formation, and thus it was essential to have Purple Palace cultivators stationed there.

If Daying City were to be attacked by a strong enemy, the eight formations could open in unison to protect the central hub; even a Nascent Soul true immortal would be held at bay.

Under normal circumstances, as the celestial guardian on rotation at the Sand Guard, Wang Chen should have handed over the oversight of the Xun Celestial Guardian’s pavilion to the chief steward, Wu Jingwei.

But how could Wang Chen entrust such authority to someone with ulterior motives?

Xi Wanhai naturally became the best choice.

This seasoned Purple Palace cultivator, though lacking ambition, was more than capable of overseeing the celestial guardian pavilion.

Wang Chen felt at ease with this arrangement.

Standing at the top of the Seven Star Pavilion, Wang Chen gazed at the vast, desolate Gobi desert before him.

As dusk approached, the sun sank toward the horizon, and the evening clouds were bathed in fiery light, making the barren desert appear draped in a golden robe.

Magnificent yet desolate!

Wang Chen strained his eyes but saw no animals, let alone humans.

However, it was said that the corpses piled up beneath the Sand Guard could surpass the walls!

As the most vital part of Daying City, the defenses of the Sand Guard were exceptionally strong; the canyon’s exit was entirely sealed by a massive wall, dozens of yards high and ten yards wide.

Not even an ordinary person could climb up, let alone an innate martial artist.

The rocks that made up this wall had a dark golden hue, their surfaces carved with intricate runes, and it was hard to imagine the tremendous manpower and resources the West Sea Sect had spent to construct it.

With countless true Dao symbols supporting it, even the strikes of a Golden Core true master could not budge the wall an inch.

Not only that, each wall tower was equipped with a large crossbow.

These artifact-level crossbows fired special crossbow arrows that could easily pierce the body of a battle cultivator.

Even with magical armor, they wouldn’t be able to withstand the impact.

But what was truly terrifying were the God-slaying cannons set on twelve towers, capable of devastating a ten-mile radius; even Golden Core cultivators had to keep their distance!

Moreover, nearly a hundred thousand elite Dao soldiers and battle soldiers garrisoned the Sand Guard.

With such heavy fortifications, Daying City was as solid as a fortress and had never been breached since its establishment.

Countless Sand People had suffered bitter losses there.

However, Wang Chen had no authority to command this powerful force; he could not influence the Dao soldiers and battle soldiers. His main task was to remain in the Seven Star Pavilion, monitoring and taking action against the infiltrating Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators.

Even though there were formidable formations inside and outside the Sand Guard, the Hunter Cultivators from the Sand Tribe, armed with the Buddhist Sect’s secret methods, always found ways to slip in, like a slimy toad jumping on a foot—small yet incredibly unpleasant.

And he could not ignore them; otherwise, even a small problem could turn into a big disaster!

Wang Chen had been stationed in the Seven Star Pavilion for five days, and even the most spectacular scenery had lost its charm by now.

But during these days, it had been calm and quiet; not a single Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivator, not even a fly, had entered the Sand Guard.

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

His intuition had always been accurate!

Therefore, Wang Chen did not let his guard down; instead, he remained vigilant, never straying far from the Seven Star Pavilion.

The Seven Star Pavilion was the tallest building in the Sand Guard, standing over sixty yards high—considered a skyscraper even in his past life—like a sharp blade piercing the heavens, rising in the center of the guard city.

The Seven Star Pavilion was also a key point connecting the protective formation. Theoretically, any movement inside or outside the city walls would be relayed to this towering structure!

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

Yet, Wang Chen sensed that something was off.

After some thought, he sat down in the middle of the top pavilion and activated the Celestial Order.

The Celestial Order floated in front of Wang Chen, suddenly emitting a soft white light that instantly connected with the tall pavilion beneath him. A stream of golden radiance rose from the surrounding floor, enveloping him completely.

Another significant function of the Seven Star Pavilion was to enhance the power of formations for the guarding cultivators.

Although Wang Chen had only reached the third level of the Purple Palace in his cultivation level, with the destructive power of the Seven Star Pavilion, he could easily resist a Golden Core true master, and even hold his ground against a Nascent Soul true immortal for a few exchanges.

In the next moment, Wang Chen expanded his divine sense, probing the vast Gobi ahead.

A cultivator’s divine sense was much like radar, capable of comprehensive detection but limited by the environment.

The more complex the environment, the smaller the area that could be probed. With more nearby cultivators, the interference would also increase.

At the pinnacle of the Seven Star Pavilion, there were no obstructions around; Wang Chen, being elevated, could use the power of the formations, allowing his probing range to be ten times stronger than usual.

Then, Wang Chen activated Global Mode!

His field of vision suddenly transformed, and the scenery outside the walls became a flat map.

Several red dots sprang into existence!

There really were!

Without a second thought, Wang Chen leaped into action, performing Shortening the Earth to dart out of the Seven Star Pavilion.

Sword light flashed, and in an instant, it carried him shooting toward the outside of the guard with lightning speed!

At that moment, in a concealed armory behind the city walls, a group of battle cultivators was gathered around a stone table enjoying their dinner.

Most of these battle cultivators had reached high-level Qi Training, but they all had a rugged demeanor and rough manners, drinking from large bowls and tearing into meat, completely unconcerned about their appearance as grease dripped from their mouths.

One battle cultivator, with a face full of twisted beard, slammed down an empty bowl of spiritual wine and wiped his wet beard, complaining, “What is wrong with those above? Sending a little punk to guard the Seven Star Pavilion—he has no experience at all! How can he fend off the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators?”

When he mentioned the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators, he spoke with evident disgust.

For the battle cultivators guarding the Sand Guard, the Sand Tribe Hunter Cultivators were undoubtedly their most hated foes.

Every year, many comrades fell at the hands of the Hunter Cultivators.

This kept everyone from sleeping peacefully.

At this moment, the importance of having a celestial guardian in charge became glaringly apparent.

A strong and experienced celestial guardian could effectively prevent the Hunters, reducing their losses.

“Speak with Caution.”

Another battle cultivator cautioned, “No matter how inexperienced he is, he’s still a Purple Palace master and an inner sect disciple of the West Sea Sect. If your words get out, it could lead to charges of disrespect!”

“I’m not afraid of a soft one!”

The bearded battle cultivator slammed the empty bowl down, scoffing, “We’ve gone this far; who cares about being questioned?”

The other battle cultivators fell silent.

What the bearded man said struck a chord with everyone.

If there were prospects, hope, contacts, and resources, who would want to be here fighting with the Sand People?

“Captain!”

Suddenly, a battle cultivator rushed in, anxious as he reported to the bearded warrior, “Something has happened!”