Techniques and Dao

Chapter 66 All-out war

The stratosphere, also known as the isothermal layer, is located above the troposphere and below the mesosphere.

The lower boundary of the stratosphere is located at an altitude of 10 kilometers above the Earth's surface in mid-latitude regions, while its upper boundary is approximately 50 kilometers above the Earth's surface. The temperature in the stratosphere is warmer at higher altitudes and cooler at lower altitudes. As altitude increases, the temperature in the stratosphere initially remains relatively constant before rising rapidly. Within the stratosphere, atmospheric movement is primarily horizontal, with weaker vertical movement, resulting in stable airflow without vertical convection.

To prevent the moon from approaching, the only option is to have forty-nine immortal masters set up the "Heavenly Cover and Earthly Support Combined Array" in the stratosphere, combining the Heavenly Cover and Earthly Support formations, to support the moon from 108,000 miles away and prevent it from getting closer.

Because the formation's defenses were extremely weak and could barely withstand external magical attacks, it was necessary to set up protective formations on its left and right sides. The left side was the Six Ding Six Jia Formation composed by the "BRAVE" group, and the right side was the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation composed by the "HOPE" group. Since there were no clouds in the middle and upper stratosphere, there was nowhere to set up these three formations, so the only option was to use the Magic Academy as the base.

However, if both sides fight near or even inside the Academy of Arts and Sciences, it will not only physically damage the entire academy but also destroy the three Qimen Dunjia formations. If the main formation, the Heaven-Covering Earth-Supporting Formation, is destroyed, it will be powerless to resist the force of the lunar impact, and all will be lost!
This necessitates establishing a settlement for the immortals, humans, and spirits in the stratosphere, where there are no clouds. The settlement needs to stretch for over two thousand miles and extend for over ten miles vertically.

The total number of magical artifacts and cranes at the Academy of Arts and Sciences can only support about a thousand people flying in the stratosphere. If the remaining disciples have no place to land, then the main battlefield must be shrunk to the Earth's troposphere, the closest point to the ground below the stratosphere. Although there are cloud formations in the troposphere that can provide landing spots for combat personnel, several new problems will arise.

First, the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, contains nearly 80% of the atmospheric mass and over 90% of the water vapor. Its lower boundary connects to the ground, while its upper boundary varies with latitude and season. In southern my country, the troposphere is approximately 10 to 18 kilometers above the ground. Currently, in autumn, the troposphere is higher than in winter but slightly lower than in summer. Even at a range of 20 kilometers, this battle could very likely impact urban areas, causing severe damage and numerous civilian casualties.

Secondly, and most importantly, once the Academy of Arts and Sciences descends into the troposphere, the "Heaven and Earth Combined Array" will be outside the spell's range, forcing the moon to approach Earth further. The moon's immense gravity will cause a significant rise in sea levels, submerging over 90% of the landmass. Global sea levels will rise to an astonishing 3,000 meters or more, with tsunamis potentially reaching 3,500 meters high, subjecting Earth to unprecedented flooding.

Of the world's ten largest plateaus, only three, with altitudes exceeding 3,000 meters, offer a chance of survival for humans. These include the Tibetan Plateau (average altitude over 4,000 meters) and the Pamir Plateau (average altitude 5,850 meters) in Asia, and small portions of the Bolivian Highlands (average altitude 3,800 meters) and the Ecuadorian Highlands (average altitude 3,000 meters) in South America. These four plateaus, combined, cover only 3.1 million square kilometers. Subtracting areas below 3,000 meters, the usable space for humans to escape is less than one million square kilometers.

The remaining six plateau regions with an average elevation of less than 3,000 meters are the Antarctic Plateau (average elevation of 2,500 meters) in Antarctica, the Ethiopian Plateau (average elevation of 2,200 meters) in Africa, the Mexican Plateau (average elevation of 2,000 meters) and the Greenland Plateau (average elevation of 1,900 meters) in North America, and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau (average elevation of 2,000 meters) and the Armenian Plateau (average elevation of 2,000 meters) in Asia. Although these places are all plateaus, they would be submerged 1,000 meters below sea level, making it almost impossible for humans to survive.

Therefore, the Academy of Arts and Sciences must be suspended in the stratosphere. However, since the enemy's overall strength cannot be fully determined, it is known that the number of strange beasts is likely to be in the millions. At this point, retreating the main fighting force to the troposphere and placing the three Qimen Dunjia formations that need protection on the front line would be suicidal. On the other hand, placing all combat personnel in the Academy of Arts and Sciences, which is only a tiny area in the stratosphere, would be extremely dangerous.

The estimated total number of the monstrous beasts they faced was around five million. At the general command meeting within the Xi Academy, Dao Ling Xing Jun stipulated that disciples under the age of fourteen were exempt from the battle, while those over fourteen could volunteer. Ultimately, almost all the compassionate disciples of the Xi Academy who met the requirements signed up for the battle.

The total number of teachers and students from the Daoist Academy participating in the battle, including immortals, humans, and spirits, is around 30,000. Facing the anticipated arrival of the alien beast army, each participating disciple must fight against a hundred.

The remaining task was to construct an "aerial combat corridor" that stretched for over two thousand miles and covered approximately 150,000 square kilometers in the empty stratosphere. The length of this corridor was equivalent to crossing four provinces, and the total area was equivalent to the entire GD province.

Placing the Daoist Academy in the stratosphere already requires the use of immeasurable-level immortal techniques. Suspending the entire GD province's landmass in the stratosphere is simply impossible.

The following evening, while actively preparing, the Academy of Arts and Sciences convened its second operational meeting. The biggest issue was how to establish this stratospheric aerial combat corridor. Due to Hua Sheng's previous farce, he was excluded from this meeting. Fortunately, Tai Shang Xiao Jun still attended.

Before attending the meeting, Hua Sheng escorted Tai Shang Xiao Jun to the shore of Zui Xin Lake. The two were at a loss regarding the problem of the aerial corridor. They pinned their hopes on Dao Ling Xing Jun, Jue Guang Xian Shi, Yu Ran Xian Shi, and others who might have a good solution.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "Although this aerial corridor is of great importance, I am also worried about whether Jin Fan Yin and Sun Xiao Ming can adapt to it quickly. Sending these young men and women directly to the battlefield in just a few days seems a bit too cruel."

Hua Sheng said, "Isn't it the same on Xi Academy's side?"

In every historical catastrophe, the burden is inevitably borne by the young; in every historical mistake, the price is inevitably paid by the young.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun took a deep breath and perked up: "The meeting is about to begin. I hope everything goes smoothly. Hua Sheng, don't wait here. Go see Jin Fanyin and Sun Xiaoming. Those more than a hundred people need someone like you to accompany them so they can adapt to this place as soon as possible."

Hanamoto, who was standing to the side, did not answer.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun turned her head and saw Hua Sheng staring blankly at the red lanterns on the distant building. Just as Tai Shang Xiao Jun was about to say something, Hua Sheng suddenly shouted, "Ah!"

"What's wrong? What's gotten into you?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun was startled by him.

"I've got it! I've got it! I've got it!"

"What did you think of?"

Hua Sheng suddenly started gesticulating wildly like a mad child, his hands tightly gripping Tai Shang Xiao Jun's arm. His hands and voice trembled simultaneously: "The aerial combat corridor in the stratosphere! That aerial combat corridor!"

"What? You've made me dizzy!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun's surprise was no less than his earlier shock.

Hua Sheng gave Tai Shang Xiao Jun a suggestion regarding the construction of this "aerial combat corridor." Upon hearing the suggestion, Tai Shang Xiao Jun's jaw nearly dropped.

"Are you sure? Can a mortal do that in such a short time?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun asked in surprise.

"If there's only one place in the whole world that can do this, it's here!"

A moment later, at the start of the battle meeting at the Lake Star Pavilion in Zuixin Lake, Taishang Xiaojun brought up this idea.

"What we aim to achieve is to provide the disciples of the Xi Academy with a foothold to support them during the 'stratospheric blocking battle.' The method is to release hundreds of millions of prayer lanterns from the ground to build an aerial corridor in the stratosphere!"

This is the "Prayer Lantern Battle Corridor" in the Flower Blooming Garden!
Sky lanterns, also known as Kongming lanterns or wishing lanterns, typically fly at an altitude of about one kilometer. In good weather and with good air quality, they can potentially reach altitudes of nearly ten kilometers. Disciples from the Daoist Academy, positioned near the troposphere, can use magical techniques to envelop the sky lanterns and prevent them from extinguishing, thus allowing them to reach stratosphere altitude.

Using the floating prayer lanterns as footholds, the teachers and students of the Magic Academy can use their cloud-riding skills to move back and forth between the prayer lanterns in order to resist the invasion of alien beasts.

Ultimately, the "Prayer Lantern Corridor" proposed by Taishang Xiaojun, commissioned by Huasheng, became a crucial component of this "Stratospheric Blockade Battle." If they could hold back the moon's approach, they could seal the Spirit Serpent and defeat Mingyou, preventing this catastrophe. Based on this, the second operational meeting proceeded rapidly.

The three major formations in the Academy of Arts and Sciences include the main formation, "Heaven Covers Earth and Carries Harmony Formation," which is presided over by Dao Ling Xingjun, the academy's dean, with Qing Miao Xian Shi assisting in the formation. A total of forty-nine immortal masters work together to set up the formation, which is spread throughout the Xuanwu Divine Mountain within the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The "Six Ding Six Jia Formation" on the left side uses the four tall pavilions on the left side of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, namely "Si Xian Ge", "Hui Xian Ge", "Qi Xian Ge" and "Yu Xian Ge", as the central core of the formation. It is composed of 64 male members of the "BRAVE" group, with Captain Jin Fan as the core of the formation. As the "main artillery" weapon of the Academy of Arts and Sciences in this battle, it mainly defends against and attacks the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent.

The "Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation" on the right side uses "Drunken Heart Lake" to the right of the Magic Academy as its base. It is formed by 64 female members of the "HOPE" group, standing on the water's surface. The water-based Eight Trigrams formation uses softness to overcome hardness. Captain Sun Xiaoming is at the center of the formation and is responsible for the Magic Academy's defensive fortifications in this battle.

The "Six Ding Six Jia Formation," centered around the high pavilion, and the "Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation," centered around the lake, jointly protect the central main formation, the "Heaven Covers Earth and Carries Harmony Formation." A total of 177 participants participate in the three formations. If any formation loses even one participant, its magical power is halved; if it loses three or more, the formation breaks. If the formation breaks and is attacked, especially since the left and right formations are composed of mortals, it is extremely dangerous and could crumble in an instant.

To protect the three Qimen Dunjia formations in the center of the Academy, the Academy needed to deploy its disciples on the outer perimeter. Among them, the Immortal Master Jueguang of the Academy led eight thousand disciples to form a "cone-shaped golden light formation," located at the top of the stratosphere, responsible for blocking the powerful Netherworld and Xuanwu Spirit Serpent.

Outside the "Six Ding Six Jia Formation" on the left, the Fire and Thunder Immortal Master led six thousand disciples to set up the "Sharp Arrow Blazing Fire Formation." While presiding over the offensive of the "Six Ding Six Jia Formation," he was also responsible for supplementing the defensive capabilities of the formation.

Outside the "Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation" on the right, Master Ran, leading six thousand disciples, deployed the "Fish Scale Ice Formation." While overseeing the defense of the "Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation," they were also responsible for supplementing the formation's offensive capabilities.

Meanwhile, Tianjizi, the head of the student committee of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, led five thousand students and disciples to form the "Mysterious Wind Howling Formation." In addition to casting spells on the Prayer Lanterns, the combatants also retreated to the lower troposphere to defend against and eliminate the hordes of alien beasts that crossed the stratosphere above. In the stratospheric battle, they served as the last line of defense to protect the human world and prevent the alien beasts from attacking the city below and harming innocent people.

The remaining five thousand disciples formed a mobile team, arranged in the "Crane Wing Heavenly Annihilation Formation." This included all the cranes from the Daoist Academy, which were led and deployed by the Supreme Lord, randomly replenishing and supporting various factions.

Finally, Dao Ling Xingjun named this battle to defend the universe "The Battle to Defend the Universe".

As soon as the meeting ended, Immortal Master Yu Ran immediately set off with several other immortal masters to the mortal realm. Dao Ling Xing Jun had given him a task for this battle: to ensure that the "Prayer Lantern Corridor" would appear in the sky on time for the Moon Worship Festival.

Without wasting a moment, Immortal Master Yu Ran stepped out of the Lake Star Pavilion and headed straight for the Hunyuan Path.

As they soared through the clouds, Master Yu Ran began to worry. To mobilize hundreds of millions of people across the nation to create the prayer lanterns was no easy feat. While using bewitching magic might solve the immediate problem, if the millions of workers weren't truly dedicated and were merely going through the motions, they might not be able to gather the required quantity.

“This might not work, and that… is also inappropriate,” Master Yu Ran murmured.

He calculated with his fingers for a while, then suddenly said softly, "If that's the case, there might be a turning point."

Master Yu Ran arrived in the mortal realm in the middle of the night at a state-owned five-star hotel with a fifty-year history. From the road in front of the hotel to the lobby, it was a drive of nearly two kilometers.

The hotel covers an area of ​​over 1,000 acres, with famous and ancient trees, exotic flowers and plants, pavilions and waterside terraces planted throughout, dotting a lake of nearly 100,000 square meters. The hotel also consists of a series of buildings, with the walls painted off-white and the roofs covered with deep red tiles, and each building is brightly lit.

Armed police guarded the outside of the hotel, and hundreds of plainclothes officers patrolled the vast garden.

Of course, these people were no problem for Master Yu Ran. Unwilling to disturb the guards, he quietly entered a suite in the hotel. The suite was about eighty square meters, and although it had been renovated in recent years, the style remained relatively simple. Master Yu Ran didn't turn on the lights, but instead found a wooden chair in the dark, crossed his legs, and began to meditate.

Time ticked by in the darkness, and Immortal Master Yu Ran remained motionless, as if he had become a statue. After a while, footsteps echoed in the corridor, sounding like there were nearly ten people.

The footsteps stopped outside the door, which then opened and the lights inside came on. Two or three plainclothes officers entered, but Master Yu Ran used a little magic to conceal himself from them.

The plainclothes officers drew the curtains. They had already searched the room several times and knew every corner like the back of their hand. Seeing that the room was unharmed, they turned and walked to the door, saying, "Sir, please come in!"

Then, an elderly man who looked to be in his seventies walked in slowly. He looked tired from his journey and seemed to have had a few drinks at the dinner, as his face was flushed.

He entered the living room and saw Master Yu Ran sitting cross-legged on a wooden chair. The old man was startled, and his drunkenness vanished instantly. He immediately turned to the staff member beside him and asked, "Who is this person?"

A middle-aged staff member next to me, carrying a leather bag, stared at the wooden chair for a long time before cautiously asking, "Sir, who are you referring to?"

"It's the one sitting on that wooden chair!"

The staff member looked nervous and surprised: "But, boss, there's no one on this wooden chair."

"Hmm?" The old man frowned, looking at the plainclothes officers around him.

The plainclothes officers looked even more nervous than the middle-aged staff. They immediately stared at the wooden chair for a long time, but naturally saw nothing, and shook their heads at the old man.

"Sir, there's really no one in this chair. If you feel uncomfortable with the chair here, how about we move it out for you..." The staff member paused slightly before continuing, "No, how about we move you to another room?"

The man, addressed as "Chief" by his subordinates, narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Immortal Master Yu Ran without moving.

He didn't react, but the plainclothes officers around him became somewhat flustered.

At this moment, Immortal Master Yu Ran opened his eyes, looked at the man, and slowly said, "My lord, do you think it is you who should ask them to leave, or should I ask them to leave?"

(End of this chapter)