Seeking Aid

"We won!" "The outcome is decided!" "The Xuanming Sect has just over a thousand Great Cultivators in total. Even if they've kept some hidden, it couldn't possibly exceed twelve hundred. And out of those twelve hundred at most, genuine Rank 3 cultivators number only around three hundred, practically all of whom were deployed to the East Sea. Now, almost every one of those Rank 3 Great Cultivators in the East Sea has been wiped out across these two battles. The Xuanming Sect can no longer pose a threat in the East Sea Archipelago!" Inside the Virtual Spirit Realm, everyone learned the results of the two great battles immediately. As Yaoguang guided the sword cultivators in hunting down the remnants of the Xuanming Sect, Lou Yuyu finally found a moment to turn his attention back to the gathered crowd, declaring proudly, "Mission accomplished! One hundred and sixty-six Great Cultivators of our Nine Cauldrons Sect marched out from Jiuxiao Domain and achieved total victory in both battles, slaying three hundred and seven Xuanming Sect Great Cultivators! On our side, one was seriously injured, and sixteen suffered light wounds!" Although everyone present had mentally prepared themselves, when the final numbers were reported, dead silence settled over the hall for several seconds. Not a single person stirred even a ripple of divine sense. Though one was seriously injured and sixteen were lightly wounded... Not one had fallen. What did that mean? It meant that in a battle of one hundred and sixty-six against three hundred and seven, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had delivered an astounding score of three hundred and seven to zero. No! "Astounding" didn't begin to describe it. Such an outcome was legendary! A legendary triumph! In an instant, everyone's gaze turned once more toward Li Qingshan. They knew full well that this glorious, sweeping victory had been made possible entirely by the Dharma Idol spirit treasure provided by Sect Master Li Qingshan. Had it not been for that spirit treasure cutting off all of the Xuanming Sect's communications and even altering and falsifying many of their orders, the Nine Cauldrons Sect could never have achieved such a feat, even if fully equipped with third-generation Treasure Weapons. In the end, perhaps the Nine Cauldrons Sect could still have routed those Great Cultivators, but the price in blood would undoubtedly have reached thirty, forty-five, or even sixty of their own Great Cultivators. Li Qingshan glanced toward the spot where he sensed Yaoguang. Only after a long moment did he smile and turn to the others. "Why are you looking at me? Achieving this victory is entirely thanks to the sect's elders and protectors fighting with everything on the line! They are the true heroes of our Nine Cauldrons Sect!" Hearing this, the crowd finally looked away from him. In the end, He Xifeng, Master of Xingtian Hall, was the first to sigh with feeling. "I never imagined our Nine Cauldrons Sect could unleash such astonishing combat power against a faction like the Xuanming Sect... Now we can say with full justification that a single battle institute is enough to destroy a mid-sized power." "That is the benchmark of a top-tier immortal sect," Zhou Lijian murmured, somewhat awed. "Judging by this battle record, we are no longer inferior to the Six Great Immortal Sects." A battle institute referred to an operational unit above a four-person squad, a twelve-person medium squad, and a thirty-six-person brigade. A battle institute typically comprised around one hundred Great Cultivators. Larger ones could reach a hundred and fifty, or even two hundred. Units like the Nine Cauldrons Sect's most elite Sword-Bearing Institute, or the Zhenhai Institute commanded by Yaoguang, belonged to this category. "This battle had some special circumstances, but I believe that over time, as our sect grows, such occurrences will become more and more frequent. One day, a single battle institute suppressing an entire sect will be the norm. Only then will our Nine Cauldrons Sect truly reclaim the glory and brilliance of the past and stand once more at the summit of the world," Li Qingshan said. With that, he swept his eyes over the crowd. "We have achieved an unprecedented, glorious victory, but triumph on the battlefield is only the beginning. Next, it is time to expand the impact of this victory and reclaim what belongs to our Nine Cauldrons Sect." "Indeed. And while the rest of the Xuanming Sect has yet to react, we should destroy and drive out as many as possible to weaken their strength. We cannot leave a wounded snake alive to strike back," Lou Yuyu said. Li Qingshan nodded. The Cangwu Great World was, after all, a world of immortal cultivation. Its politics were not nearly as convoluted as those of mortal-dominated worlds like the Yaoguang Realm. In the cultivation world, no matter how extravagantly politics were played, everything came down to one core reality: weakening one's rivals and strengthening oneself was the fundamental foundation upon which every sect stood. Therefore, with the opportunity before them, they naturally intended to weaken the Xuanming Sect to the absolute limit. *** Meanwhile. At the Xuanming Sect headquarters. The moment the Nine Cauldrons Sect marched out from Jiuxiao Domain, Sect Master Song You had been on utmost alert, maintaining constant contact with Song Xuan, Lü Ming, and the others on the front lines. In addition, he reached out periodically to the other sects of the East Sea Archipelago—especially the Great Sun Sword Sect—urging that those who held vested interests in the archipelago ought to stand united. The Great Sun Sword Sect was more than happy to let the Xuanming Sect serve as the vanguard, so naturally, they only said what sounded good. All manner of empty promises were handed out freely. They declared with utmost conviction that the Great Sun Sword Sect stood shoulder to shoulder with the Xuanming Sect, firmly resolved to defend their legitimate rights and interests in the East Sea Archipelago. Of course, Song You understood that such words should only be taken with a grain of salt. If he truly believed them, he wouldn't even realize he'd been sold until he was already helping them count the coins. Yet judging from their stance, as long as the Xuanming Sect could blunt the edge of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's advance, factions like the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Great Yue Dynasty, the Ancient Immortal Sect, and the Astral Sea Sect would not simply sit by and watch. That outcome had allowed him to breathe a faint sigh of relief. Yet now... The heart he had managed to ease was suddenly in his throat again. Because not long ago, he had unexpectedly lost contact with Grand Elder Song Xuan. Not only the Grand Elder, but even news from Lü Ming, Master of the War Hall, had ceased completely. An ominous premonition seized him. He had already issued orders for the War Hall's deputy master in the rear to muster cultivators skilled in sword flight and rush to Fangyuan Island to investigate. No matter the outcome, he had to know immediately! "Sect Master, something terrible has happened!" Just as Song You waited with mounting anxiety, a strand of divine mind barged in. It was the lamp attendant of Changming Hall. The attendant's voice was tinged with panic. "Sect Master, just now... several elders' life flames went out at the same time... No! They're still going out! A massive number of life flames belonging to elders, protectors, and true disciples are rapidly extinguishing... No! No! No!" By the end, his message had turned into a terrified shriek. "Damn it!" Song You instantly pushed out his divine sense toward Changming Hall. Leaving his administrative quarters entirely, he mounted his flying sword and rushed straight for Changming Hall. Through the attendant's terror-choked cries, Song You swiftly bridged the distance between his quarters and the hall. Yet when he arrived... Inside Changming Hall, the soul lamps of the hundred-plus Great Cultivators led by Song Xuan were nearly all extinguished. Only sixteen lamps still flickered with life flames. "H-how many?" Staring at the dense expanse of extinguished soul lamps before him, Song You felt his voice trembling faintly. "It's... one hundred and thirty..." the attendant said, his voice dry and hoarse. One hundred and thirty! Hearing that number, even though Song You was a Rank 4 Great Spell Cultivator who had established a Dao Foundation, he swayed violently, nearly unable to keep his footing. One hundred and thirty! A full one hundred and thirty Great Cultivators of the Xuanming Sect—more than a tenth of all their Great Cultivators—gone just like that?! No! Those deployed to the East Sea were the elite! It could not be measured by raw numbers alone! The fall of these one hundred and thirty Great Cultivators meant far more than losing a tenth of their roster; it meant the Xuanming Sect's overall combat strength among Great Cultivators had plummeted by at least thirty percent! "Nine Cauldrons Sect!" Song You ground out the three words through clenched teeth. Yet just as the words left his mouth, another lamp's life flame flickered and abruptly went dark. "It's still not over?!" Song You's eyes widened in horror. Immediately after that flame extinguished, six more snuffed out in rapid succession. This nightmare of a scene left the several lamp attendants trembling all over. *Pfft!* Suddenly... A life flame on the highest tier flickered and died. And the moment that flame went dark, all the lamp attendants fell deathly silent. They stared dumbly at the identity represented by that lamp, incapable of uttering a single word. "Song... Xuan!" Grand Elder Song Xuan... had actually fallen as well? Song You swayed, involuntarily stumbling back three paces. "Sect Master..." A lamp attendant rushed forward to support him. Song You waved him away, heedless of everything else. Because he suddenly remembered that Song Xuan wasn't the only one out of contact—so was Lü Ming! At that realization, he immediately barked an order, "Quick! Mobilize everyone in the Heavenly Palace Hall! Do whatever it takes to reach Lü Ming! I must know their exact situation!" Then he turned to the capable disciple at his side. "Contact Deputy Hall Master Lei Meng, the head of Wuji Astral Palace's forces on Tianxing Continent! We need his help!" "Understood!" Receiving the order, the disciple hurried away to get to work. Before long, a communication came through from Lei Meng, Deputy Master of the Wuji Astral Palace's War Hall. "What is it? We are currently concentrating our forces toward Heiyan Continent and cannot offer you much assistance." Even though he was merely a deputy hall master, Lei Meng's attitude toward Song You was far from courteous, his tone laced with impatience. Song You paid no mind to Lei Meng's demeanor and replied with polite deference, "Just moments ago, our Xuanming Sect suffered grievous losses. Furthermore, we have lost contact with more than one hundred and sixty Great Cultivators in the East Sea Archipelago. In all likelihood, we have been jammed and blocked by Heavenly Palace cultivators from the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Therefore, I hope to request Hall Master Lei Meng's aid in borrowing the strength of the Wuji Astral Palace's Heavenly Palace Hall to help us break their blockade." "The Nine Cauldrons Sect deployed Heavenly Palace cultivators?" Lei Meng raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like they're making quite a large move." "Yes. For the Nine Cauldrons Sect to mobilize on such a scale and inflict such heavy losses on our Xuanming Sect, they must possess some secret method. It is precisely because of this secret method that they dared to launch such an operation," Song You said hurriedly. "Therefore, I beseech the aid of your esteemed palace's Heavenly Palace Hall to help us uncover just what trickery the Nine Cauldrons Sect is relying on!"