Sudden Downpour

Fangyuan Island. It was a strategic hub established by the Nine Cauldrons Sect to defend against the Great Sun Sword Sect. Numerous formations had been deployed here, including a tier-six formation—the Jiuxiao Dark Ocean Formation. This island had originally been overseen personally by Elder Canghai, who had undergone more than ten temperings of Zixiao Divine Lightning. Yet as the situation across the East Sea deteriorated, the elder had been forced to abandon the island, leading the Nine Cauldrons Sect personnel stationed there to retreat back to the sect. Ultimately... This great island had fallen into the hands of the Xuanming Sect. And when the Nine Cauldrons Sect began mobilizing troops and posturing to reclaim the East Sea Archipelago, the entire Xuanming Sect grew tense. Because of this, high-level leaders such as Song You, Song Ming, and Lü Xuan held countless meetings. According to their deliberations, however, most believed that the Nine Cauldrons Sect was merely bluffing. They had just been taught a harsh lesson by the Wuji Astral Palace, and their Golden Core Ancestor had even been forced into action. Right now... that ancestor's Golden Core likely had not even stabilized yet, had it? Under such circumstances, the likelihood of the Nine Cauldrons Sect launching an all-out war was slim. Of course, to project a tough stance, the Xuanming Sect was unwilling to fall behind and deployed substantial forces around Fangyuan Island. Across the East Sea as a whole, while the Xuanming Sect had not poured out everything they had, they had still committed more than half of their strength. Their Great Cultivators alone numbered over six hundred. Once the Nine Cauldrons Sect massed troops in the Jiuxiao Domain, appearing poised to genuinely push deep into the East Sea, the pressure on the Xuanming Sect grew even heavier, with meetings convened almost daily. Fortunately, word from the Wuji Astral Palace gave them a shot in the arm at this juncture—even within the Nine Cauldrons Sect, internal disputes lingered over whether to mount a full-scale push into the East Sea Archipelago. Though the forces currently deployed appeared formidable, the assault was merely exploratory. As long as the Xuanming Sect could withstand the Nine Cauldrons Sect's first wave of attacks, surrounding sects would inevitably make their moves. When that time came, the Great Sun Sword Sect, Shouyang Sect, Astral Sea Sect, Great Yue Dynasty, and Ancient Immortal Sect would certainly enter the fray one after another. If the Xuanming Sect performed well and shattered the Nine Cauldrons Sect's facade of strength, they might even create a scenario where a pack of wolves devoured a tiger, pressing all the way into the Nine Cauldrons Sect's homeland. Moreover, the Wuji Astral Palace had made a promise. If the Xuanming Sect truly managed to strike into the Nine Cauldrons Sect's homeland, the Wuji Astral Palace was willing to sell them a decommissioned sky-patrol warship at "cost price." Of course, the Xuanming Sect's higher-ups still possessed self-awareness; they took this promise with a grain of salt. Uniting with various East Sea sects to occupy tens of thousands of li of territory across the East Sea was already the Xuanming Sect's limit. Invade the Nine Cauldrons Sect's homeland? Unless the Wuji Astral Palace, Great Sun Sword Sect, or Shouyang Sect took the lead, if they dared attempt it alone, the ferocious retaliation of the Nine Cauldrons Sect would inflict catastrophic losses on them. At that point, let alone occupying numerous islands in the East Sea, whether they could safeguard the sect's interests in the East Sea at all would be in serious doubt. Under these circumstances, they opted for a relatively conservative tactic. Hold Fangyuan Island at all costs. As long as they dealt the Nine Cauldrons Sect a heavy blow at Fangyuan Island and made them realize how difficult reclaiming the East Sea would be, then, just as the intel from the Wuji Astral Palace suggested, the opposing faction within the Nine Cauldrons Sect would naturally drop the idea of re-entering the East Sea Archipelago. *** "Hall Master, we've received the latest intelligence. The Nine Cauldrons Sect has marched out of the Jiuxiao Domain and is heading straight for us. According to our informants, their vanguard consists of one hundred and eight Great Sword Cultivators, accompanied by a small number of spell cultivators and spirit cultivators. Without exception, all of them are tier-three elites!" On Fangyuan Island, Lü Ming, the Hall Master of the Xuanming Sect's War Hall, received this dreadful piece of news. Though he had long anticipated it, his heart still sank when the report actually arrived. "Is it finally beginning?" Lü Ming took a deep breath. His gaze swept over the people behind him. The force the Xuanming Sect had garrisoned on Fangyuan Island was not weak. There were over one hundred and sixty Great Cultivators, roughly a hundred of whom were sword cultivators. Yet among those hundred-odd sword cultivators, tier-two Foundation Establishment cultivators made up the majority; in terms of quality, they could not rival the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Moreover... Just like the Nine Cauldrons Sect, the flying swords equipped by their sword cultivators were predominantly first-generation models, interspersed with a small number of second-generation flying swords purchased at great expense from other sects. As for those who possessed third-generation flying swords... They could be counted on one hand. "What did the Sect Master say?" He looked toward the Deputy Hall Master of the Heavenly Palace Hall. Of course, the Xuanming Sect had no Heavenly Palace cultivators, but that did not stop them from establishing such a department. And the function of this department was essentially that of an intelligence agency. "A force of over a hundred Great Cultivators is indeed formidable, but it isn't so overwhelmingly powerful that we cannot resist it," the Deputy Hall Master of the Heavenly Palace Hall said in a deep voice. "The Sect Master's intention is for you to rely on the advantages of the formation here to tie down this force. Meanwhile, the Grand Elder will gather the Great Cultivators stationed on other islands to come reinforce us. When the time comes, we will coordinate from inside and out to severely batter this enemy elite unit! As long as we leave half of them behind, we will beat the Nine Cauldrons Sect into submission! Once the surrounding sects witness our battle results, they will definitely seize the momentum to pressure the Nine Cauldrons Sect, ensuring they never dare step into the East Sea again!" "Coordinate from inside and out..." Lü Ming pondered for a moment. "It's a solid plan, but what if the Nine Cauldrons Sect doesn't fall for it? Or what if they have other deployments?" "That would be even better. If their first attack is forced to a halt because of our flawless deployment, it will deal no small blow to their morale. In turn, it will allow the surrounding sects to see through their hollow facade..." The Heavenly Palace Hall's deputy sneered. "As for other deployments... personnel movements from the Great Sun Sword Sect, Shouyang Sect, Astral Sea Sect, Ancient Immortal Sect, and Great Yue Dynasty have been frequent. The Nine Cauldrons Sect cannot guarantee when those sects might arrive at their homeland. Under such circumstances, they are bound to leave behind sufficient forces for defense. The strength they can deploy against us here is limited." Lü Ming did not entirely believe this upon hearing it, but he understood one point very clearly: since the Nine Cauldrons Sect had chosen their Xuanming Sect as their first target, a clash between the two sects was inevitable. Therefore, this battle could not be avoided. The only thing they could do was make the most of the relatively favorable situation to demonstrate the Xuanming Sect's might as much as possible. With that in mind, the War Hall Master nodded. "Let it be as the Sect Master said. I only hope the Grand Elder's movements are swift and discreet." *** "Let it be as the Sect Master said. I only hope the Grand Elder's movements are swift and discreet." Inside the Divine Kingdom disguised as the Virtual Spirit Realm. All the higher-ups of the Nine Cauldrons Sect clearly intercepted this transmission. "They have no sense of vigilance at all." "Heh, that's normal. They could never have imagined in their wildest dreams that we possess abilities akin to a Dharma Idol." "All of the enemy's arrangements are right under our noses... If we still can't deal with a petty Xuanming Sect like this, I'll spell my name backward." The higher-ups were all in very relaxed spirits. "The movements of the Great Sun Sword Sect, Shouyang Sect, Astral Sea Sect, Ancient Immortal Sect, and Great Yue Dynasty are all under surveillance. They are all bluffing to divert pressure for the Xuanming Sect... Of course, if an opportunity presents itself, their bluffs will immediately turn into action to take a bite out of our Nine Cauldrons Sect." Li Qingshan spoke with a calm smile, unhurried and composed. Only at the end did he turn toward Lou Yuyu. "What are your thoughts?" "We know the distribution of their personnel, whereas they know nothing of our exact locations. Since the Xuanming Sect's Grand Elder Song Xuan intends to gather their forces across the East Sea to surround us, we can likewise mobilize more personnel to encircle and eliminate both of their detachments," Lou Yuyu responded without hesitation. At the same time, he waved his hand, projecting a topographical map of the East Sea. "The Xuanming Sect has deployed a total of six hundred and four Great Cultivators across the East Sea. Aside from the one hundred and sixty-six on Fangyuan Island, the personnel they can assemble before our arrival amount to only one hundred and forty to one hundred and fifty. Therefore, we can first wipe out those one hundred and forty-to-fifty cultivators before attacking Fangyuan Island. Once we trap Fangyuan Island like a turtle in a jar, the Xuanming Sect will instantly lose over half of its forces in the East Sea!" "Are you confident?" Li Qingshan asked. "As long as the Sect Master can provide me with sufficient intelligence support, I am one hundred percent confident I can swallow these three hundred-odd Great Cultivators of the Xuanming Sect!" Lou Yuyu declared resolutely. "Good!" Li Qingshan gave his absolute trust. "Then go do it! Over three hundred Great Cultivators amounts to nearly thirty percent of all the Xuanming Sect's Great Cultivators. Furthermore, because those deployed to the front line are tier-two and tier-three cultivators, this force accounts for nearly half of the Xuanming Sect's overall strength. As long as we can swallow them whole, the Xuanming Sect will not catch their breath for decades to come, let alone stir up trouble in our East Sea Archipelago." Lou Yuyu nodded heavily. He soon departed to make the arrangements. Li Qingshan then turned to the other Hall Masters, instructing them to ensure stability across the board so that rushing into battle on the front lines would by no means lead to disaster at home. After finishing his instructions, his divine sense entered a deeper layer of this "Virtual Spirit Realm." "Hall Master Yaoguang, I must trouble you regarding the intelligence support," Li Qingshan said solemnly. "At present, the only faction in the East Sea that poses a genuine threat to us is the Great Sun Sword Sect. The remaining Shouyang Sect is preoccupied with internal strife between its sword and qi factions and has no leisure to concern itself with the East Sea; at most, they occasionally make their presence felt. As long as we can display sufficient strength in this battle to deter powers like the Great Yue Dynasty, Astral Sea Sect, and Ancient Immortal Sect, making them realize that today's Nine Cauldrons Sect is no longer what it once was, they will naturally withdraw in good order and yield the East Sea Archipelago." Yaoguang nodded. Having spent this period observing the developments through the Virtual Spirit Realm, his understanding of the current situation across the Cangwu Realm was hardly inferior to that of sect leaders like Li Qingshan. Though he might not have touched upon certain core secrets, he undeniably understood the state of the East Sea Archipelago inside and out. "These factions are merely taking advantage of the chaos to profit in the East Sea. They also know very well what consequences they will face by opposing us. Under such circumstances, there is only one way: strike! Deliver one punch now to forestall a hundred blows later!" Yaoguang paused briefly before continuing, "I have already arrived at the front line. Leave what comes next to me." "Very well. This major battle is of paramount importance. As for the rest... you can set it aside for now," Li Qingshan said. "No matter. Gao Shenghan and the others learn very slowly. Whenever I teach them a little something, it takes them a long time to absorb it. I have plenty of time," Yaoguang replied. Li Qingshan felt somewhat amused. He wondered what the Hall Master of the Mystic Formation Hall would think if he knew Yaoguang held him in such regard. "In any case, I leave it in your hands," Li Qingshan said solemnly. "Understood," Yaoguang replied. The next instant, his thought process shifted. His awareness descended directly onto Shen Qinglian, a tier-four Great Sword Cultivator. He was also one of Li Qingshan's disciples tasked with foreign campaigns. "Change course! Ambush target, thirteen thousand li to the east! Push forward at full speed—they will not receive a single warning notification."