As messages from the various clans and families of the Duravia Trade Prefecture reached the battlefield, more and more disciples from the great clans within the Three Great Powers began to depart.
Just like Li Yunlin back when he first joined the Skyveil Sect, they would do everything in their power to aid their clans in a time of crisis; these disciples were no different. But where in the mortal world could one find so many cultivators of such extraordinary talent?
The Three Great Powers divided the Duravia Trade Prefecture among themselves, and within their ranks, disciples from the great aristocratic clans made up more than half their number.
Now, with the majority of these disciples gone and with reinforcements having arrived, the Li family had finally escaped their difficult predicament.
As for Li Wei, who had been the one to shatter the grand formation, his face was already pale. Even after re-entering the Ancestor Space from the real world, his gaze was somewhat vacant.
The Rank 4 grand formation had been far too sturdy. To break it open, he'd had no choice but to fuse the anti-matter into his body, forcing all of its power to converge at a single point.
That power of annihilation spread throughout his entire body, and having to control it in such a short time made him truly feel as if every second were a year.
His cultivation at the Divinity Transformation realm, far from helping, instead made him feel as if every cell was in agony while his Divine Soul was worn away, bit by bit.
But at the same time, it was a blessing in disguise.
[Your body and soul have been worn away. You have comprehended the power of annihilation, and for the first time, you have felt every part of your own body with such clarity...]
[You are currently fusing the techniques and martial arts you have learned over many years to create a new Primordial Spirit Art!]
Continuously recalling every moment of his body's breakdown, Li Wei did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent.
He sat cross-legged, comprehending all the insights he had gained in the wake of his death. If he missed this opportunity, Li Wei wasn't sure if he would have such a realization the next time he died.
At the same time, he also divided his attention, monitoring his clansmen's situation through the Ancestor Space. If any of them were in trouble, he would have no choice but to give up this chance.
Fortunately, however, the situation on the battlefield was becoming more and more favorable.
During the initial battle, the Three Great Powers could form various grand formations, with their disciples fighting in unison. But now, they were in chaos, reduced to nothing more than scattered stragglers.
This was especially true with the arrival of the Seven Ironclads and the Blood Demon Lord; the eight of them were undying and indestructible, truly great killing weapons on the battlefield.
Li Wei's perception shifted slightly, and his focus landed on Li Yaozu.
Li Yaozu, carrying his sword box on his back, had already left the battlefield. He traveled by sword flight, his gaze fixed in one direction, and let out a single, cold sneer.
"Prince Qian, do you really think you can escape?"
....
"Hurry! Spare no Spirit Stones—make the spirit arks fly at their top speed!"
"We're returning to the Imperial Capital! The world is in chaos now; His Highness can stage a comeback from anywhere. Just obey your orders, and great wealth and fortune will be yours in the future!"
"The spirit arks in the rear, keep up!"
High above in the sky, a dozen or so streaks of light shot forward—they were all spirit arks from Prince Qian's Mansion.
These vessels headed toward the Imperial Capital at extreme speed, each carrying over a hundred cultivators.
The cultivators continuously fed Spirit Stones into the arks to supply them with Heaven and Earth Spirit Qi. Occasionally, one of them would glance back with an unwilling expression.
They were all Prince Qian's most loyal subordinates, yet they had no choice but to flee the Duravia Trade Prefecture.
Within the lead spirit ark.
Prince Qian sat in a private cabin, his expression dark and gloomy as he stroked the storage ring on his hand.
"I was wrong…"
He once again remembered the three words Li Yaozu had once spoken to him.
He never would have imagined that the Li family's Old Ancestor could actually shatter the Rank 4 Void Refining formation he had so meticulously prepared!
"Ming Daozi, you trash! You're utterly useless!"
Prince Qian growled in resentment. Ming Daozi had clearly told him that the Rank 4 defensive formation—sustained by two Void Refining cultivators and tens of thousands of others—would take even four Void Refining experts two or three months to break through.
He had made all his calculations; everything had been planned out perfectly.
As long as the Li family couldn't break the grand formation, the cultivators from Azure Cloud who were pinning down the various clans would have sacrificed themselves for nothing, and the Li family would be forced to flee back to Eternal Sun Prefecture with their tails between their legs.
Even the cultivators from Skynet and those from Duskwild Prefecture would see the situation clearly in the coming days and would no longer fight for the Li family.
Coupled with the unceasing internal strife in Eternal Sun Prefecture, in just two or three years, that would have been his moment to march his army into their territory.
What the Li family's Old Ancestor had blasted open was not just the grand formation—it was all of his schemes.
One wrong step leads to a chain reaction, causing every subsequent action to also go wrong.
"Huuu."
Prince Qian let out a long breath. "Calm down. Staying calm is the only true path."
He sensed the few direct disciples from the Three Great Powers accompanying him outside the spirit ark, then stroked the emerald jade ring on his hand. His worried expression finally eased somewhat.
"I haven't lost yet. What I possess now is far more than what I had when I first came to the Duravia Trade Prefecture from the Imperial Capital. I was able to take control of the entire Duravia Trade Prefecture, and I can just as easily stage a comeback somewhere else!"
"This great chaos in the world is my opportunity! A mere Duravia Trade Prefecture, a mere Eternal Sun Prefecture—they are nothing!"
"I will go to the Auric Empire, to the Immortal Alliance Nation! With the Three Great Powers, with these subordinates, and with this chaotic age, in a hundred years, or a thousand years, I will definitely return!"
The aura of a half-step Divinity Transformation expert erupted from his body, his eyes ice-cold.
Fortunately, he had always been cautious; he had long since made preparations for both outcomes.
The moment the Li family's Old Ancestor struck the great formation, he was already standing on his teleportation array.
These thirteen spirit arks were something he had prepared long ago, and aboard them were all the most talented genius disciples from the Three Great Powers.
What's more, the direct disciples of the Three Great Powers were already his people and had received his orders long ago. If this battle were lost, they would take advantage of the internal emptiness within the sects and steal everything from their treasure vaults.
Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, Dharma Treasures and Spirit Artifacts, loyal and devoted genius subordinates... He had all of this!
At this thought, Prince Qian regained his former composure and spirit.
"In a few hundred years, I went from being a down-and-out prince to a regional hegemon. This is nothing more than starting over. I can afford to lose."