“Don’t let them activate it!”

“It’s too late!”

A blue shield of light pushed up into the sky. Instantly it stopped many projectiles that slammed against the protective energies. The tremendous explosions would have leveled any average building in one hit. Yet, the barrier of light stood strong without buckling under the pressure.

With the shield standing strong the ships firing could not get to the generators on the other side. Soon the people that were ordering the bombardment realized that it was over. Their projectiles couldn’t make it over to the other side but they, on the other hand, could be hit.

Large cannons on the walls of the stronghold they were trying to besiege took aim. Previously they had been almost successful in clearing them all out but some were still operational. With the blue shield between them, even these damaged cannons would be able to give them hell.

“R-retreat!”

It was too late, some of the blasts connected with the ships that had their own barriers already depleted. This army had given it all to shut off these structures before it was activated and had lost their wager. Now they were unable to cause any harm to their enemies but the other side could blast them to Kingdom Come.

“They are retreating! Should we form a pursuit unit?”

“No, we have achieved our goal, the great wall has been created and it will never fall!”

People on the other side cheered while watching the mass of ships retreating. The great wall of spiritual energy could be seen on both sides and reached deep underground as well. There was only one way to get in and that was through a stronghold and destroying one would probably not be enough. As long as the other castles remained intact the great formation would persist. Only after multiple ones fell would it be possible to get through.

‘At least that’s the theory, I am not sure how strong the Azure Emperor is or what their real trump card is…”

Zhang Dong in the disguise of Lei Yinglo was floating up in the sky. He helped defend this location while Zhang Zhi and Huo Qiang were doing the same in other regions. This was a combined attack of the branching families performed at multiple fronts. After his last ploy, the enemy army had lost a lot of good soldiers.

The infighting helped them tremendously and now the barrier was there. Anyone that wished to travel to the central region would have to go through one of the strongholds which his sect controlled. It worked both ways, all trade routes from the west that existed were now removed. Even though the central region was one of the most lush in the Empire it imported a lot of resources from the larger regions.

‘If the Heavenly Crane Sect decided to cut them off, we could slowly squeeze them dry… but those guys could see it as a chance to strike a deal with the Long Clan, that is if I let them…’

The Eastern region was supposed to be natural during this conflict. If they started aiding the Long Clan they would automatically become the enemies of the United Element Sect. Zhang Dong hoped that he had shown enough of his hand for them to reconsider.

‘I don’t think they will make any decisions unless I or the other side sends them an ultimatum. They should also realize that if they try to curry favor with the Long Clan, they will be used as replacements for these branching families…’

After seeing how the Long Clan does things it was obvious that they didn’t like to get their hands dirty. Their branching families were in an uproar after the news of the Emperor being a demonic being had started spreading. Some recordings of his illusion were skillfully pushed to some of the intelligence agencies working there. He was convinced that it would not go anywhere but thanks to this little trick he was finally able to create his great wall.

‘They should remain neutral but perhaps I need to send them a warning.’

Even if he was on good terms with the Heavenly Crane Sect, it was important to make them aware of the line they should not cross. If they aided the Long Clan in any way, they would be considered enemies. In the north as well as in the south regions of the empire his clan’s borders connected to the Heavenly Crane Sect. The Emperor resided in an oval region in the center that didn’t stretch out fully to the north and neither the south.

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If the Heavenly Crane Sect decided to become his enemy, then he would need to fight them in those two regions. This was also why this wall was created, now even if the two teamed up, they would be able to easily get into his lands. Then there was also the hidden ally that was down in the south.

Argus and Lucius were still searching for parts of their holy equipment. They would not shy away from entering the central region to do so. The West was already opened to them and they were also allowed to search the East. Some new parts were discovered but with time they would have to move towards the central region.

‘They will be a good distraction when the time comes…’

While his mind was torn with ways of winning this war he was brought back to reality by the victorious shouts of his sect brothers and sisters. They were cheering as their mission was now done and they had been victorious. Everyone was going to get some merits that could be turned into cultivation resources. All of them took one big step towards immortality and more power.

‘I wonder what these people are really fighting for… for their families or just for selfish gain of power?’

Even after spending more than ten years in this world he still didn’t understand these people. To this day, gaining more power was only a means to an end. If he could just relax in a normal-sized home with his family and was left alone, then he would stop fighting. He didn’t even know if he wanted to provoke the one that created this world out of fright.

What if fighting was meaningless and he would just lose the short time he was given in this world to spend with his family? What if it was better to just live out his days and perish like everyone else? Maybe dying wasn’t the end and his life would continue in another strange world filled with adventure. However, what would a place like that be without his wife or children?

‘I must get around that time-stopping ability before it’s too late…’

Thus as his work was done, Lei Yinglo disappeared from the battlefield. Perhaps if he needed a secret identity again, his old persona could appear again as he was now considered an ally of the sect. Zhang Dong in his true form on the other hand returned to the dimensional regalia to ponder the elements and time. When the time for the last battle came he needed to be prepared.

Soon days turned into weeks and those into months as another year went by. A lot of changes took place after the appearance of the great wall which was named the Elemental Barrier after their sect. Many people were enraged by its appearance as they weren’t able to reach their families in the central region. They weren’t given a choice to complain as anyone willing to join the Long Clan was not allowed out.

No one expected such a drastic split to occur and neither that the Unlimited Elemental Sect was capable of producing such grand structures. It had become painfully obvious that the Golden Dragon was not in any way inferior to the Azure one. Soon more people started congregating in their cities and the armies continued to grow.

The Heavenly Crane Sect was put in a bad spot but it managed to remain neutral. They had been sent an ultimatum from both sides and decided to not join up with anyone. This of course soured their relations with the Long Clan but allowed them to conserve their forces. The East side was forced to create its own barricades in case of an invasion and thus weakened the central region even more.

No one knew who would attack who. Only the masters of the Western region could relax as their barrier could not be broken. A few attempts of bombarding or slamming powerful techniques at it were taken. Yet with the possibility of boosting the defenses in a desired location through the faction system and also teleporting, it was impossible for the Long Clan to get through.

It seemed that neither side was able to produce any substantial damage. The United Element Sect remained passive while the Long Clan even started sending out some of their own troops to test the defensive formation. No one knew what would happen but rumors of a counteroffensive were spreading. Sooner or later one side would complete their preparations and break this stalemate.

When this happened, all hell would break loose. The borders were devoid of life and the cities were deserted by their inhabitants. No one was willing to live close to the strongholds on either side. They knew that something was coming, two dragons could not exist so close to each other. This stalemate was nothing more than two giants throwing small jabs at each other before finally going in for the haymaker.

‘Warning warning, large structure approaching…’

“So it begins… I will have to work with what I have…”

Zhang Dong brought up his map as Bob informed him about the movement near the border region. Previously small skirmishes took place with the Long Clan’s flying armada being forced to return. Yet he knew that it was all just a test. They were trying to figure out the defensive limitations of the great elemental barrier. Several key strongholds were being approached by a swarm of large flying ships. It was a united attack bent on getting this large wall down.

“I bet they intend to push forward here after the barrier breaks… Well, I better not keep my brother waiting then…”