HSSB649: Many gains with a single action
It had already been some time since Yan Zhaoge had come to the Royal Reed Sea. Having stayed in a branch altar of the Dim Darkness Sect for a period of time before, he also had decent understanding of the various local powers.
While the North Sea Sword Pavilion did not have three great copper men protecting it like Copper Men Island, having been flourishing for so many years, it had naturally accumulated advantages of its own.
Having been in the northern regions of the Royal Reed Sea for so many years, the sword-qi of the experts of the North Sea Sword Pavilion had accumulated to become vast as the deep ocean.
The ocean of sword-qi seemed to have truly merged completely with the ocean there.
The closer one got to Grinding Hut Island where the North Sea Sword Pavilion was located, the more vigorous and condensed the sword-qi became.
It was to the extent that the Grinding Hut Region surrounding the island had gradually become an independent world of its own, completely separated from the outside world by layers of sword-qi as it had become a sword-qi world.
This sword-qi world was all-encompassing and seamlessly connected with the North Sea Sword Pavilion’s guardian grand formation as its core.
Wanting to break through this sword domain and launch an attack directly on Grinding Hut Island would not be an easy thing at all.
There were as many experts in the Grand Xuan Dynasty as there were clouds, and they even possessed the high-grade Sacred Artifacts, the Xuan King Spear and the Cloud Rotating Heavenly Light Sword.
However, the anti-Xuan coalition was prepared this time. Not just experts of the North Sea Sword Pavilion itself, experts of the other sects had congregated in the Grinding Hut Region as well.
Like this, the Grand Xuan Dynasty had to proceed with caution.
King Xuanmu wanted to mightily sweep through the Royal Reed Sea, securing his position as the absolute ruler of the Grand Xuan Dynasty. He did not want to accrue great losses in doing so, obtaining an overall hard won victory with tragic casualties to his side.
Thus, he had chosen to use the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation, a great killing weapon.
Having heard at the Dim Darkness Sect branch altar that the Grand Xuan Dynasty grasped the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation, Yan Zhaoge had been rather surprised by this.
After all, the might of this formation was considerably great.
If the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation that Yan Zhaoge knew of was unleashed completely, the entire northern region of the Royal Reed Sea could be engulfed entirely in flames.
Its scale would be far greater than the frenzied tides of flames that the Eight Extremities World had suffered during the invasion of the Flame Devil World back then.
Still, the amount of materials that would have to be depleted for the establishment of this formation would also be an inestimable amount, an incomparable sum.
In worlds like the Eight Extremities World and the Vast Ocean World, it was impossible that they might be gathered successfully.
There was only the World beyond Worlds in which this possibility existed.
Even so, Yan Zhaoge strongly suspected that not all of them could be collected from just the Royal Reed Sea alone.
In wanting to establish this formation now, the Grand Xuan Dynasty had clearly viciously steeled their resolve.
The Dim Darkness Sect’s main altar having already fallen, if the North Sea Sword Pavilion was conquered, especially if their Pavilion Lord Gu Hong perished in the process, the anti-Xuan forces should no longer pose much of a threat at all then.
Copper Men Island possessing sufficient defences, the Grand Xuan Dynasty could even ignore then, just slowly going to deal with the remaining Radiant Light Sect.
At that point, the Radiant Light Sect would be hard pressed to stand on its own. It was questionable if they would even continue forcefully resisting the Grand Xuan Dynasty then.
Yan Zhaoge smacked his lips, “You mean that preparations for the establishment of the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation are already complete?”
Zhang Xuan said, “It has not been completed completely. Word from the higher-ups is to temporarily lock down the news, drawing out more North Sea Sword Pavilion martial practitioners who were out to return to reinforce them before netting them all in one fell swoop.
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows, rather surprised, “Are there extremely important figures of the North Sea Sword Pavilion who are not there and have to be captured?”
King Xuanmu was personally leading his troops as he was reinforced by two Immortal Bridge Martial Saints of Shen Lingzi’s lineage.
People who held sufficient weight in their eyes were figures like the Pavilion Lord Gu Hong of the North Sea Sword Pavilion, the Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect Zhou Haosheng, the Chief of the Radiant Light Sect Luo Zhitao and the Chief of Copper Men Island Gongsun Wu.
Beneath them would be Seeing Divinity Martial Saints like Wu Zixiu and Nie Sheng.
The remaining, even if they were not small fry, could definitely not be considered important targets.
Yue Baoqi shook her head, “From what I know, our sect’s higher echelon experts have all long since returned to reinforce, no one remaining in the outside world.”
Zhang Xuan glanced at her upon hearing this, not saying anything.
Yan Zhaoge came before Zhang Xuan, smiling as he asked, “Oh? It looks like there’s something you’re still not telling us.”
“Let me remind you. It is impossible for me to directly believe whatever you say without verifying it at all.”
“If I learn from others that your information is false, I believe you can imagine what the consequences will be.”
Yan Zhaoge pointed to Yue Baoqi, “It is related to her?”
Zhang Xuan sighed, “The higher-ups instructed us to keep an eye out for the ‘North Sea Fairy’ Yue Baoqi. If we manage to capture her, we will be rewarded greatly.”
Hearing his words, Yan Zhaoge turned to look at Yue Baoqi and blinked.
Yue Baoqi appeared to be at a loss.
Yan Zhaoge asked slowly, “The reason?”
Zhang Xuan shook his head, “I am indeed unclear on the reason. Marquis Weilin did not explain it. Still, it is rumoured to be a decision by one of the Shenling Nine Swords.”
Looking towards Yue Baoqi, his gaze was rather strange.
The Grand Xuan Dynasty’s people who had received this order were all Martial Saint experts at the very least. All of them felt completely mystified by it as well.
Yue Baoqi was a famous figure of the entire Royal Reed Sea. Even if everyone had not seen her in person before, from looking at recorded images of her, they would know her to be a rare beauty.
Not only was she a beauty, she was also remarkably talented, possessing extraordinary strength as she had Transcended Mortality and reached Sainthood at a young age, her future unprecedented.
This inevitably caused those of the Grand Xuan Dynasty who had received this order to wonder if someone of Shen Lingzi’s lineage had set his eyes on Yue Baoqi, wanted to obtain her for himself.
After all, considering those who had pursued Yue Baoqi since the times of her youth, they were already nearly sufficient to fill up an entire ocean.
King Xuanmu had even asked for Yue Baoqi’s hand in marriage on behalf of his son before. It was just that the North Sea Sword Pavilion had refused.
Knowing what Zhang Xuan was thinking from his gaze, Yue Baoqi frowned, not uttering a sound.
However, Yan Zhaoge’s thoughts would not be as simple as this.
Indeed, what Zhang Xuan and the others were guessing was also very possible, was even a very great possibility.
However, knowing that there had to be some connection between Sikong Qing and Yue Baoqi, Yan Zhaoge inevitably had to think more about this.
What if they were looking for more ‘Sikong Qings’ or ‘Yue Baoqis’?
How much did they understand regarding this?
Did they grasp clues to other ‘Sikong Qings’ or was it that they already had a ‘Sikong Qing’ imprisoned?
Yan Zhaoge’s interest suddenly rose greatly.
Yan Zhaoge had originally had many thoughts regarding what he should do amidst the current chaos of the Royal Reed Sea.
Now, he gradually came to a decision.
Therefore, Yan Zhaoge looked smilingly at Zhang Xuan, “Shenling Nine Swords? Do you know their whereabouts?”
Zhang Xuan had just wanted to speak when Yan Zhaoge continued, “Can you tell me where the one with the weakest cultivation base currently is?”
“The one with the weakest cultivation base…” Zhang Xuan answered, “His name is Kang Jinyuan. He was active in the Whole Tower Region previously, but I am unclear on whether he is still there now.”
The Whole Tower Region was also in the northern regions of the Royal Reed Sea. Still, it was comparatively closer to the south.
“Kang Jingyuan? Haha, what a coincidence. We can barely be considered acquainted,” Yan Zhaoge nodded slightly, knowing that Kang Jinyuan was the one who had fought with Nong Yuxuan initially in an attempt to obtain the power of reversed sun and moon.
While he was arrogant and full of himself, he actually possessed considerable strength. It was just that Nong Yuxuan had been even stronger, with Kang Jinyuan unable to get the slightest bit of advantage over him at all.
Instead, it was unknown whether this person had managed to kill Nong Yuxuan after he had fled, having been injured and sent into cultivation deviation by Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge pondered, “If they go to establish the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation in order to break the sword world of the Grinding Hut Region, the Full Tower Region should also be a key corner of the formation…”
Zhang Xuan was stunned as he looked at Yan Zhaoge, “He understands the formation so well?”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, snapping his fingers, “Very good. Many gains with a single action, to the Whole Tower Region it is.”