HSSB868: The decisive battle arrives
Shen Lingzi left as quickly as he had come.
The water-light faded from the horizon as Broad Creed Mountain instantly saw the light of day once more.
However, the chaotic spiritual qi between the heavens and the earth was an indication of the great, heaven-shocking battle which had just occurred here.
Though Broad Creed Mountain had defended itself successfully, there had already unfolded intense changes in the Royal Reed Sea that shook the heavens and overturned the earth.
Of the four major powers of the anti-Xuan coalition that had resisted the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s rule in the past, following the decline of the Dim Darkness Sect and the fall of the Radiant Light Sect, the North Sea Sword Pavilion and Copper Men Island had both been decimated on that very same day!
As compared to the Dim Darkness Sect who still had a lease of life and the Radiant Light Sect whose remaining troops in the Clear Scenic Region still had an uncertain future, the North Sea Sword Pavilion and Copper Men Island had unquestionably suffered an even more tragic fate.
Copper Men Island which had been the Royal Reed Sea’s number one defensive location and had never once been successfully invaded for millennia was directly destroyed!
The North Sea Sword Pavilion who had the sole Immortal Bridge Martial Saint amongst the anti-Xuan forces reached its end as well.
In Broad Creed Mountain, Yue Baoqi who had originally come to visit Sikong Qing and had avoided a tribulation when residing there as a guest for a few days was currently feeling extremely down.
While she had fortunately been unharmed, her entire sect had been decimated. Rather than feeling fortunate, it was more of pain and sorrow that Yue Baoqi felt.
Not only was Shen Lingzi domineeringly strong, he had utilised his extreme speed to the maximum as well such that the anti-Xuan forces in the Royal Reed Sea had been hard pressed to reinforce one another. In the end, they had been taken down by him one by one.
Though he had met with unexpected resistance at Broad Creed Mountain, Shen Lingzi had still launched a terrifying, one-sided counterattack in sweeping through the entire Royal Reed Sea.
On Broad Creed Mountain, Yuan Zhengfeng and the others dealt with the repercussions of that battle while actively seeking news regarding the southern part of the Royal Reed Sea.
In the end, the report was within their predictions whilst also outside of their predictions.
The Dim Darkness Sect had been helpless when faced with a peak expert no inferior to the Star Plucking Practitioner Guan Lide.
Upon receiving news of Copper Men Island’s downfall, the Dim Darkness Sect had promptly and decisively abandoned their new headquarters which had only just been rebuilt a couple of years back and was starting to look proper again. Despite losing their land, at least they would survive.
Facing a great enemy, despite any tensions that might exist between them, Zhou Haosheng and the others had still been going to join up with Broad Creed Mountain and the North Sea Sword Pavilion.
They had only just set off when news had come regarding the fall of the North Sea Sword Pavilion.
Their moods had immediately fallen further as the whole world seemed dark.
As compared to the region in which the Dim Darkness Sect was active, Broad Creed Mountain was located closer to the North Sea Sword Pavilion as it would clearly be Shen Lingzi’s next target.
While Lin Hanhua and other experts of Golden Court Mountain were stationed to the extreme west of the Royal Reed Sea in a standoff against experts of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory, if they were to head there, they would unquestionably be blocked by Shen Lingzi.
They of the Dim Darkness Sect were only able to halt their advance and return to the southern part of the Royal Reed Sea.
Those disciples with lower cultivation bases dispersed, hiding themselves in various neighbourhoods.
Zhou Haosheng and the higher echelon experts of the Dim Darkness Sect had decided to temporarily leave the Royal Reed Sea to protect themselves.
Sadly for them, as the very last anti-Xuan power that Shen Lingzi was going to visit, the Grand Xuan Dynasty would never allow the Dim Darkness Sect to retreat so easily.
It was precisely to guard against the Dim Darkness Sect directly fleeing as Shen Lingzi swept through the other three powers that the Grand Xuan Dynasty had dispatched two Lord Protectors of the sixth level of the Martial Saint realm, commanding numerous Grand Xuan Dynasty troops as they arrived in the south of the Royal Reed Sea where they surrounded and attacked the Dim Darkness Sect.
The Grand Xuan Dynasty was really determined to wipe them all out this time, completely exterminating all opposing forces in the Royal Reed Sea.
Not leaving anyone alive, taking no prisoners, not even leaving their opponents a chance to flee!
Harassed by these Grand Xuan Dynasty martial practitioners, Zhou Haosheng and the others had retreated even as they had fought, unable to extricate themselves.
Soon, like a descending tribulation, Shen Lingzi had quickly arrived in the south of the Royal Reed Sea after leaving Broad Creed Mountain.
Still, Shen Lingzi had been unable to succeed completely in the end.
As the attention of Lin Hanhua and the others was occupied by the southern Blazing Heaven Territory, he launched a sneak attack and swept through the Royal Reed Sea at lightning speed.
Yan Zhaoge was on good terms with Golden Court Mountain, Gu Hong had previously helped Golden Court Mountain in arresting a martial practitioner of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory while Lin Hanhua himself had also stayed at a branch altar of the Dim Darkness Sect when staying in the Royal Reed Sea previously.
If it was merely Copper Men Island that they targeted, it might really be fine, but if these other three sects were facing the threat of extinction, Golden Court Mountain would be very likely to intervene.
However, Lin Hanhua had been even more decisive than he had predicted as he had quickly moved after receiving the news. While he had not been in time for the battle at Broad Creed Mountain, after confirming Broad Creed Mountain’s safety, he had pursued Shen Lingzi all the way to the southern Royal Reed Sea.
The two peak experts had clashed in a short but intense battle over the southern Royal Reed Sea.
In the end, neither had been able to do anything to the other. Facing Shen Lingzi’s attacks, Lin Hanhua had forcibly secured the life of the Chief of the Dim Darkness Sect, Zhou Haosheng.
In the process of this battle, however, Pavilion Lord Gu Hong of the North Sea Sword Pavilion who had lost all ability to protect himself after being captured had been harmed, wounded to the point of near death.
In the battle between the two great sword cultivators, it had ultimately been Lin Hanhua who first retreated, returning to the west of the Royal Reed Sea.
Because he had temporarily left, the southern Blazing Heaven Territory was already advancing on the border of the southern Yang Heaven Territory, raring to go.
Shen Lingzi and the others did not continue the battle.
Still, following the battles at the north and east of the Royal Reed Sea, the south of the Royal Reed Sea was reclaimed by the Grand Xuan Dynasty as well.
Yuan Zhengfeng said, “Following this, Golden Court Mountain will probably truly be unable to care about whatever is going on within the Royal Reed Sea.”
The conflict between the southern Blazing Heaven Territory and the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory was already to the extent where it could erupt at the slightest of provocations into a conflict of much greater proportions than that within the Royal Reed Sea itself.
Looking at Yan Zhaoge’s Northern Ocean Clone, Fang Zhun said, “There is a major problem now, which is that that wound of the sky leading to the Vast Ocean World in the Phoenix Bearing Region at the south of the Royal Reed Sea has already fallen beneath the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s control.”
The Northern Ocean Clone said, “Get all our sect’s martial practitioners in the Vast Ocean World to retreat to the Eight Extremities World.”
“As for me, there is no need to worry. Aside from the mere few of us, there is no one who knows where my real body is, including those of the Vast Ocean World.”
“Even if someone of the Vast Ocean World tells them that it was in the Bewildering Maze Sea that I first appeared, they still wouldn’t be able to find me.”
If the other side wanted to descend, they would have to suppress their cultivation bases to beneath the fourth level of the Martial Saint realm.
The Northern Ocean Clone said, “Not knowing the specific location and simply searching blindly, it would be very difficult for a martial practitioner at the third level of the Martial Saint realm to find me in the environment of the Bewildering Maze Sea. It was with such considerations in mind that I previously chose that place for my secluded cultivation. Secrecy is the greatest form of protection.”
As Yan Zhaoge, Fang Zhun and the others had thought, the Grand Xuan Dynasty indeed dispatched people to the Vast Ocean World via the wound of the sky in the Phoenix Bearing Region.
Long since having been prepared for this, Broad Creed Mountain did not suffer. Instead, it was Changli Mountain that suffered a bit of a tribulation as they were forced to give up on their headquarters, their people hiding in the Star Shifting Sea and the Bewildering Maze Sea.
There were some other powers of the Vast Ocean World which made use of this chance to make things difficult for Changli Mountain, causing them to suffer quite a bit.
Only when half a year had passed in the World beyond Worlds with Yan Di leaving seclusion and Broad Creed Mountain no longer requiring all its manpower for the Taiyi Imperial Breaking Formation did Yuan Zhengfeng and Feng Yunsheng successively descend to the Vast Ocean World, reinvigorating Changli Mountain’s spirits.
And as time passed, Kang Ping and the others were soon to be extricating themselves from the Clear Scenic Region, seeing the light of day once more.
One day, a figure suddenly descended from the skies in the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s capital.
Inside the city, seeing this person, a mild smile appeared on Shen Lingzi’s face, “Welcome back from extradimensional space, junior apprentice-brother Shi.”