Toppling the Mushroom

"They really are completely brainless! Nothing but mindless beasts!" A human cultivator grinned through his sweat-drenched face as he watched a destructive sphere of spiritual energy fired from the Heaven-Shaking Cannon instantly turn five or six water beasts into chunks of raw meat.

"My thoughts exactly!" agreed the cultivator partnering with him to operate the cannon. "I don't even know what those things hoped to achieve by swarming all the way here! Do those mere water beasts actually think they can crawl out of the water?"

His skepticism was entirely justified. Unless they were Great Demons, most water beasts could not leave the water, and even if they did, they could not exert their full strength. Because of this, the humans of Yangseo Lake held an inherently invincible position against the Beast Race. Even if the tide of battle turned against them and the situation grew dire, as long as they kept their feet on solid ground and maintained a defensive posture, they could hold out indefinitely—provided a Demon King did not invade.

"Where is it hiding?" Unlike the Qi Condensation cultivators who grinned at the sight of the water beasts dying so foolishly, the Foundation Establishment cultivators looked grim. They knew that the Great Demon leading this horde of water beasts was lurking somewhere out of sight.

"What in the world is its plan?" Just as they frowned, straining their eyes to peer through the dense shroud of steam, a massive, earth-shaking rumble swept over Wonbojin, completely drowning out the chaotic din of the battlefield.

Thoom—!

"W-what was that?!" In that instant, every human cultivator gasped in shock. They had no choice but to be alarmed; the moment that thunderous sound echoed, the entire island had shuddered beneath their feet.

"Could this be...?!" One of the Foundation Establishment cultivators soared high into the sky. He scanned the dense steam enveloping Wonbojin and the blurry shapes of the water beasts moving within it. Where is it? Channeling spiritual energy into his eyes, his gaze swept back and forth, but he found nothing. Is it too far away for me to detect? Or is it...

Thoom—! Another thunderous impact. This one was even more violent than the first. "No way..." Before his very eyes, the island visibly shuddered. It might have been his imagination, but the land itself seemed to tilt slightly.

Thoom! Jekyeong caught his breath as he stared at the massive stone pillar swaying precariously before him. This is easier than I thought. The colossal stone pillar he had just rammed with all his might was the very pedestal supporting Wonbo Island.

What a bizarre world this is. Seen from a distance underwater, Wonbo Island resembled a giant mushroom. The island above the water was the mushroom's cap, while beneath it lay a massive stone stalk that connected directly to the lake bed. Now, Jekyeong intended to strike that stalk and tilt the island above.

At first glance, it sounded like an absurd plan, but it was entirely feasible. Jekyeong's colossal size—which made even other Great Demons look like mere hatchlings—and his immense physical power made the seemingly impossible possible. Of course, this was only feasible because Wonbo Island was relatively small, but even so, it was a feat an ordinary Great Demon could never dream of accomplishing.

"Grrr..." Steadying his breathing, Jekyeong slammed his massive body against the stalk once more with all his might. Crash! With a deafening roar louder than before, the stone stalk tilted visibly.

While Jekyeong was ramming the stalk of Wonbo Island from the depths of the water, the humans on the surface were thrown into utter panic. Although the Foundation Establishment cultivators hovering in the sky managed to observe the situation with relative composure, they too were deeply shaken.

"The Great Demons are in the water! They're pulling some kind of trick!" shouted the cultivator who had been monitoring the battlefield from above. But his urgent warning offered no practical help to his two companions. If anything, it only heightened their confusion.

"A trick? What kind of trick?!" The Great Demons were in the water? Of course they were; they were water beasts. But what trick could they possibly be playing? What kind of scheme could actually cause an entire island to tilt? And if they were attacking Wonbojin from underwater using some unknown method, what were the humans supposed to do? Were they expected to dive into the depths and fight them on their own turf?

Crash! While they wavered in indecision, another thunderous impact reverberated, and the entire island shuddered and tilted even further.

"Oh no! The Warding Towers!" As the island tilted, the Warding Towers inevitably began to lean as well. The real problem was that as they tilted, the glowing light of the defensive array began to flicker and dim. The Warding Towers were both powerful weapons and the core anchors of the barrier. Ten Warding Towers supplied spiritual energy while simultaneously serving as the array's focal points, allowing the Ten Cosmic Warding Grand Array to function and maintain its integrity. This meant that if anything happened to the towers, the grand array would collapse.

"We must stabilize the Warding Towers! Otherwise, the grand array will collapse!" "But how?! How do we stabilize them when the entire island itself is tilting?!" No matter how experienced these Foundation Establishment cultivators were, confronted with such an unimaginable crisis, they were no different from the Qi Condensation disciples. The only advantage they possessed was the ability to fly, which allowed them to view the unfolding disaster with slightly more detachment.

Crash—! "It's no use. At this rate..." His voice trailed off, but the other two knew exactly what he meant. The island had already tilted to a precarious angle, and the Ten Cosmic Warding Grand Array was on the verge of shattering.

Crash! Jekyeong frowned as he stared at the stalk, which was shaking violently but refused to tilt any further. He was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠partly irritated by the stubborn pillar that seemed right on the edge of toppling but wouldn't budge, but more than that, he was in pain. His entire body throbbed with an ache so intense it felt as though he had been beaten by dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Is this my limit? The impact had only been highly effective the first few times. With each subsequent strike, the returns diminished, leaving him with nothing but a battered body. It was almost as if the stone stalk possessed a consciousness of its own, gradually adapting to the shocks to hold its ground.

Well, this should be enough. Looking up, he could see that the island had tilted significantly. Even if it didn't sink completely, it was more than enough to create a perfect stage for the water beasts to run rampant.

The defensive array must be on the verge of collapse as well. Like most cultivation arts, formation arrays required absolute precision. In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠extreme cases, a single misaligned focal point could render an entire array useless. While the Ten Cosmic Warding Grand Array might not be quite that fragile, shaking the very island it rested upon would inevitably deal a devastating blow to even the most robust and stable of formations.

It won't last long. In fact, it might already be destroyed. Dragging his aching body, Jekyeong swam toward the surface. As he drew closer, the sheer madness of the battlefield grew more palpable. The raw, chaotic air was a turbulent mix of the water beasts' mindless bloodlust and the humans' unmistakable terror.

They must be in utter disarray. At the same time, Jekyeong sensed the auras of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators hovering in the air. Even without looking, he could easily picture their sheer bewilderment. Concealing his presence beneath the surface, Jekyeong quietly observed their movements.

"Launch the ships! Abandon the array!" the most decisive of the three Foundation Establishment cultivators roared, gritting his teeth. The other two stared at him with wide eyes at his bold command, but though their lips parted to speak, they did not object. They knew he was right. Staying here any longer would change nothing. Once the barrier fell and the water beasts launched their full assault, even escaping would become impossible. It was far better to retreat while they still had the strength to salvage at least some of their forces.

"The water beasts are concentrated near the docks! Abandon the docks!" As the Foundation Establishment cultivators began shouting orders, the Qi Condensation cultivators, despite their terror and confusion, scrambled to obey. Giving up on the docks where the water beasts were swarming, they hurriedly dragged out their reserve vessels and launched them into the water. However, in their frantic haste, several panic-stricken cultivators tried to scramble aboard the moment the boats touched the water, completely forgetting to load the array flags and weapons required to activate the Vessel Protection Array.

"Calm down! The grand array has not fallen yet, so—" The cultivator shouting at the chaotic scene suddenly gasped in horror as an intense heat surged from directly beneath his feet. He threw himself upward. Whoosh! His reaction was swift, befitting an experienced cultivator. Unfortunately, the flames rising to engulf him were far faster—and, above all, colossal. Despite launching himself at maximum speed, he could not escape the radius of the erupting inferno, and the right side of his body was instantly caught in the blaze.

"Aaaaaagh!" The fire that had consumed half his body spread to his entire frame in the blink of an eye. Though his mind went entirely blank from the excruciating pain, he desperately channeled his Dharma Power into his Warding Talisman. But the talisman, which had barely begun to glow, was instantly swallowed by the raging fire and reduced to ash.

"Seungmyeong!" His fellow Foundation Establishment cultivators cried out in horror and rushed to help him. But before they could even stretch out their hands, another massive pillar of fire erupted toward them. "Damn it!" Having witnessed their companion's fate, they were on high alert and managed to dodge the rising pillar of fire. Yet, in the brief moments they spent frantically dodging, their companion was completely reduced to ash.

"Who goes there?!" After dodging the flames, the two remaining cultivators unleashed a barrage of attacks toward the water where the pillar of fire had erupted. It was a reasonably swift counterattack, but beneath the surface, Jekyeong had already quietly shifted his position.

They aren't stupid, but their reactions are slow. Compared to the ones I fought before, they're quite lacking. Watching the two cultivators in the air frantically striking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠empty water, Jekyeong naturally recalled the Foundation Establishment cultivators he had clashed with in the past. Perhaps because those men had been hired separately by the Yeongbu Merchant Alliance, they had possessed decent skills and reacted nimbly even when caught off guard. These ones, on the other hand... while not completely incompetent, felt lacking in comparison.

They want to run. Their frequent, twitchy movements made their true intentions painfully obvious. Jekyeong could smell the same scent on them ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as the Qi Condensation cultivators trapped on the island. Their morale was already broken. It was only a matter of time before they were completely consumed by fear. He was curious to see how they would react if he dragged this out, but unfortunately, he didn't have the luxury of time. Time was not on his side. Since he had no idea how many more Foundation Establishment cultivators might be rushing to this location at this very moment, he had to wrap up this battle as quickly as possible.