Chapter 148: Participating in the Battle

Seventh Lord smiled faintly, remaining silent, and merely bowed again with clasped fists. The ancestor, outlined by blood-red lines in the sky, shifted his gaze from his smiling face to the main city of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect. From his elevated position and with his cultivation, it seemed as though every disciple in the city was reflected within his mind. As he gazed, his voice thundered out, each word booming:

"Peak Lords and Elders are obligated to participate in this war, but Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators are not. I know that your cultivation is the result of your own hard work, risking your lives to advance. While the sect has provided some assistance during this time, it has not been substantial.

"Therefore, participation in this war is not mandatory for you. Those willing to participate will receive rewards. All participants in this conflict will do so by voluntarily accepting tasks. Seven Blood Eyes disciples, who among you is willing to fight?"

The moment the ancestor's words were uttered, identity tokens on cultivators across all seven peaks of the Seven Blood Eyes Sect, from Qi Condensation fifth level and above, instantly vibrated, and information regarding the benefits of participation immediately appeared.

Upon reading this information, all cultivators instantly understood. Some, after finishing, even showed a glimmer of light and desire in their eyes.

Soon, voices from both the main city and the mountain peaks echoed out: "This disciple is willing to participate!" "This disciple is willing to participate!"

As these declarations of participation continuously rang out, figures also flew from the main city and the seven peaks into mid-air, standing respectfully. Among them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, as well as high-level Qi Condensation disciples from the mountain base who arrived using flight talismans.

Xu Qing looked up, gazing at the scene, then took out his identity token to check the information within.

"Participants will receive the first wave of rewards based on their cultivation immediately. For Qi Condensation, it starts at 500 spirit stones for fifth level, up to 3,000 for Grand Perfection. For Foundation Establishment, it starts at 100,000 spirit stones, up to 500,000 for Grand Perfection. These will be granted immediately upon agreeing to participate. However, once you join, you cannot withdraw until the war ends, though tasks during the war are voluntary."

This was the first benefit for participating cultivators detailed in the jade slip. Xu Qing was slightly moved upon seeing it. He believed he could receive 100,000 spirit stones, an already considerable fortune.

"During the war, tasks will be assigned by Peak Lords to their respective Elders. Once Elders release them, any disciple from any peak can accept them, and the task rewards will be extremely generous.

"All personal gains, both from tasks and outside them, do not need to be reported and belong solely to the individual!

"Upon the Seven Blood Eyes' victory, all participants will receive sect benefits from this war, calculated based on the comprehensive evaluation of their task completion quality and quantity!

"Additionally, the souls of the Sea Corpse Race have miraculous effects for those in our sect cultivating the Fiendfire Soul Devouring Scripture. They are incredibly delicious; you will know once you try them! Who among you is willing to participate in this war?"

The initial rewards for this war included so many spirit stones, making it clear that subsequent tasks would be even more astonishing. Xu Qing was greatly tempted by what he read. He was in great need of spirit stones.

Especially after buying magical artifacts and poisonous herbs, while he had some spirit stones in his pocket, they were only enough for daily expenses. The importance of spirit stones for cultivation was immense, and Xu Qing knew this well. If he had ten million spirit stones now, he could even issue tasks outside of the war, commissioning many sect cultivators to help him capture Foundation Establishment-level sea beasts. If he had even more spirit stones, he could even get Elders to assist him. This way, breaking through to thirty Dharma Apertures would be significantly easier.

Even without seeking help from Elders, if he had enough spirit stones and was willing to spare no expense to refine a Dharma battleship that surpassed Dharma boats, carefully avoiding some irresistible forces, he could still dominate a region on the Forbidden Sea. Therefore, the rewards for this war made Xu Qing's breathing quicken slightly.

In particular, the souls of the Sea Corpse Race held an even greater temptation for Xu Qing, who had already experienced their benefits. Being a decisive person by nature, after a brief consideration, he had already made up his mind.

At this moment, figures continuously soared into the sky, and cries of participation rose one after another. Of the Seven Blood Eyes' seven peaks, nearly a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators altogether were present, and a full seventy percent of them chose to participate. Their dense numbers and astonishing aura stirred winds in all directions and caused the sea to churn violently.

Furthermore, figures of Elders also emerged from their respective peaks, standing beside their Peak Lords. Meanwhile, on the ground of the main city, countless Qi Condensation cultivators, after their own deliberations, some chose to participate, while others prepared to observe. After all, those who could become Seven Blood Eyes disciples and survive to Qi Condensation fifth level or higher were rarely ordinary individuals.

"Activate the sect's grand formation! Open the teleportation link to Mermaid Island!" As Ancestor Xue Lianzi's voice echoed from the sky, the entire Seven Blood Eyes Sect rumbled. The seven enormous blood-red eyes on the seven peaks emitted an eerie glow, encompassing the entire area. The grand formation was activated.

Within everyone's identity tokens, besides the reward information, there was also a simple strategic layout for this war. It seemed the sect was not afraid of this layout being exposed at all.

The entire strategy designated the four islands of the Mermaid Race as the frontline command center. All participants, beneath the massive light barrier formation of the Seven Blood Eyes main city, need only hold their identity tokens and silently recite "participate" to be directly teleported by the formation to the Mermaid Race islands, where they would gather. This method kept the battlefield far from the Seven Blood Eyes, and the Mermaid Race islands held an extremely important strategic position, located between the Seven Blood Eyes and the Sea Corpse Race.

The Seven Blood Eyes had previously used a grand competition as a cover, taking advantage of the Ancestor's breakthrough to infiltrate and cause chaos within the enemy's territory, catching the Sea Corpse Race off guard and conquering them in one fell swoop. Therefore, the first step of this strategic layout had already been completed. The next step was to establish a firm foothold on the Mermaid Race islands amidst the Sea Corpse Race's counterattack. The first step was a covert operation; the second step is an overt one.

"Participants, depart!" Ancestor Xue Lianzi suddenly waved his hand. His figure transformed into countless terrifying red lines, whistling towards the sect's formation. He vanished instantly, having been teleported away.

Then, the Peak Lords of the five peaks stepped in one after another. Behind them were the Elders of each peak, and finally, over seven hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators from the seven peaks. The massive group, exuding an overwhelming killing aura, directly teleported away.

Among the Foundation Establishment cultivators, Xu Qing did not teleport immediately. Instead, he glanced at the main city of the Seven Blood Eyes. Although the sect must have reserved some forces for defense, the sect now appeared much emptier than usual. Even with the protective grand formation activated, there were still vulnerabilities. Since arriving at the Seven Blood Eyes, Xu Qing's impression of the sect was that most of its members were cunning and calculating. Therefore, he did not believe the sect's Ancestor and the seven Peak Lords would be negligent in this regard.

Thus, it was highly probable that the Seven Blood Eyes' true foundation was not merely what was visible. There must be deeper elements, and it was even possible that the current mountain gate and main city were a trap, designed to lure other forces. Xu Qing, deep in thought, looked up at the sect's grand formation, his eyes glinting subtly. Holding his identity token, he silently recited, "Participate!"

The next instant, Xu Qing's figure was enveloped by a beam of light descending from the formation above, and he instantly vanished. In the main city at this moment, such beams of light appeared one after another, and large numbers of disciples were teleported away under these beams. It was conceivable that more such beams would appear in the coming days.

Meanwhile, on the Forbidden Sea, where the four islands of the Mermaid Race were located, the sky was also enveloped by the formation light from the Seven Blood Eyes' main city, completely covering all four islands. Besides their inherent defenses, the formations here were clearly synchronized with the Seven Blood Eyes' main city, allowing disciples to be instantly teleported. Looking out, beyond these four islands, the sky was filled with rolling thunder and wind, and continuous roars, as if powerful cultivators were clashing. Farther out on the sea, turbulent waves surged, and mist swirled, with clear sounds of battle and magical combat emanating from within the mist. Vaguely, it could be seen that most of those fighting the Sea Corpse Race were actually members of the Mermaid Race!

Clearly, after their entire race was suppressed, the Mermaid Race had chosen complete submission and were deployed as the first wave of war power. However, the battle was not extremely intense; it seemed to be just a normal state. On these four islands, countless buildings, unlike those of the Mermaid Race, had already sprung up. They were high towers, one after another. Blue lightning flashed on each tower, snaking in all directions and connecting with other towers, making the four islands appear as if they were fused into one.

Furthermore, countless large magical artifacts had been constructed on the four islands, occasionally rumbling and unleashing a barrage of offensive spells that fell towards the distant battlefield. At the same time, formations permeated these four islands, and in the sky, every few breaths, the silhouettes of formation talismans would form, rapidly merging into the surrounding environment, strengthening the formations here. Additionally, simple residential areas had been opened up, and on Youzang Island, a large amount of strange substance had been extracted, seemingly controlled, transforming into a nine-headed great serpent that was fighting for the Seven Blood Eyes.

The many volcanoes on Mi'e Island were likewise. After being arranged by the Seven Blood Eyes, they were now erupting, and each eruption caused the earth to tremble, unleashing terrifying power that roared in all directions. Yimeiqi Island was similar: more than half of the island had been transformed into a sword pool, where flying swords were submerged as if being nurtured. This was clearly a method of the First Peak, and once activated, it would undoubtedly shake heaven and earth.

The most significant change was on Juying Island. An eye had been planted on this island, an eye as large as seventy percent of the island itself. While astonishingly massive, upon closer inspection, it could be seen to resemble the blood-red eyes of the Seven Blood Eyes. As it blinked, streams of information were transmitted to the identity tokens of all cultivators on these four islands.

When Xu Qing arrived, he appeared in mid-air above Mi'e Island. The moment he manifested, what he saw were these four vastly transformed Mermaid Race islands. Xu Qing's mind was shaken. Gazing into the distance, he saw Ancestor Xue Lianzi standing in mid-air above Juying Island, along with the five Peak Lords behind him. Also, before Ancestor Xue Lianzi, two other Peak Lords were bowing and seemingly reporting. One was an old woman, standing upon a vast formation diagram that appeared to be tens of thousands of formations overlapping, her aura not weak in the slightest. The other was an old man with a darkened complexion, devoid of any sense of majesty. Instead, he exuded a feeling of bitterness, as if he carried a profound tribulation in his heart that he could never resolve. He held a wine gourd in his hand, drinking from it as he ascended into the sky. These were precisely the Peak Lords of the Fifth Peak and the Sixth Peak.

Witnessing this, Xu Qing suddenly understood why the Peak Lords of the Fifth and Sixth Peaks had not appeared among the seven Peak Lords within the sect previously. The transformation of these four Mermaid Race islands was the result of the Fifth and Sixth Peaks' construction and deployment!