Chapter 515: Sword Comes to the Isle

Although the Origin Pond was vast, once all the disciples from the Cangxuan Sect's seven peaks entered, the sea became bustling and lively, making it exceptionally exciting.

Unlike the Saint Origin Peak, which pitifully hid, the other six peaks were already well-versed in the Origin Pond Festival. They delved deep into the pond, each locating one of six massive islands. Using these as bases, they fanned out in all directions, beginning to hunt Origin Beasts and seize Origin Marrow.

From a high-altitude perspective, one would notice that within a ten-thousand-mile radius of the six peaks' locations, there was hardly a peaceful spot. Intense hunting battles were erupting everywhere.

At this stage, each peak focused on collecting Origin Marrow. While occasional friction arose over competing for water beasts, most were able to exercise restraint. After all, these six peaks were not like Saint Origin Peak, which could be easily bullied. With comparable strength, even the formidable Sword-Coming Peak showed some restraint. Their aggression towards Saint Origin Peak stemmed simply from their belief that the latter lacked the qualification and strength to be treated courteously.

As a result, with such mutual restraint among the six peaks, several days quietly passed.

Despite their restraint towards the other peaks, Sword-Coming Peak had not forgotten Saint Origin Peak. Over the past few days, while hunting water beasts, they had also been searching for traces of Saint Origin Peak. Given the number of Sword-Coming Peak disciples, it was no surprise that by the fourth day, one of their disciples located Baili Che.

"Oh, so you've found traces of Saint Origin Peak?" Baili Che's lips curved into a playful smile as he heard the report. Kong Sheng and Zhao Zhu had led a group of disciples out to search for thousand-zhang water beasts, leaving him to remain at the island base.

"Did you happen to see Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao?" Baili Che asked casually.

"We didn't see them, but we did encounter that mysterious little beast. It's extremely powerful. We were in the process of plundering a group of Saint Origin Peak disciples when it appeared. If we hadn't fled quickly, it might have robbed us instead," the disciple recounted, still somewhat shaken.

"Oh?" Baili Che's eyebrow raised slightly. He was quite wary of that mysterious beast, especially since even Zhao Zhu had been injured by it.

"Chief, should we proceed directly to encircle them?" the disciple asked.

Baili Che pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No rush," he said. "All six peaks are currently pouring their full effort into hunting Origin Beasts. There's no need to waste time on Saint Origin Peak just yet." He narrowed his eyes slightly, paused, then continued, "But why haven't Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao shown themselves? That's rather peculiar."

Baili Che considered this for a moment, then slowly said, "While we don't have time to mount a full-scale assault on Saint Origin Peak just yet, we can't completely ignore them. I'll dispatch a team of about a thousand disciples to surround Saint Origin Peak's location, preventing them from scattering and forcing us to waste further effort later."

"The other Saint Origin Peak disciples are no threat; only that small beast poses a problem. You can split up and harass the Saint Origin Peak disciples. If the beast appears, retreat immediately. Repeated harassment like this will gradually erode Saint Origin Peak's morale. By then, Zhou Yuan might incur widespread resentment and be thoroughly disgraced without us even needing to intervene. Find an opportunity to capture a few Saint Origin Peak disciples and interrogate them separately to determine if Zhou Yuan and Zhou Xiaoyao have made any preparations. Additionally, thoroughly scout that island. If you detect any unusual energy fluctuations, report them immediately!"

"Understood!"

The disciple acknowledged respectfully and then withdrew.

Baili Che looked up, gazing in the direction the disciple had indicated, and smiled faintly, his expression revealing a hunter's playful amusement with his prey. In his view, Saint Origin Peak, having entered the Origin Pond, was simply prey for him to control.

"Zhou Yuan, where do you think you'll run this time?"

***

The small island where the Saint Origin Peak disciples were located.

By the seashore, Zhou Tai, Zhang Yan, and Lu Yan gathered, their faces etched with worry. Just half a day earlier, a disciple had reported an encounter with Sword-Coming Peak disciples. This indicated that their whereabouts had been exposed to Sword-Coming Peak's reconnaissance. This news further dampened the morale of the Saint Origin Peak disciples. Coupled with Chief Zhou Yuan's continued absence, panic began to spread among them.

"Sword-Coming Peak has found us," Zhou Tai stated gravely. "They are sure to act."

Lu Yan's beautiful eyes couldn't help but glance towards the island's interior. "Aren't Zhou Yuan and the others ready yet?" she asked.

Zhou Tai shook his head with a wry smile, indicating his own ignorance. Ever since he brought everyone to this spot that day, neither Zhou Yuan nor Yaoyao had shown themselves.

Lu Yan complained, "He's the chief disciple, the backbone of everyone here. With him not showing himself, morale has plummeted to an all-time low. Now that Sword-Coming Peak has discovered our whereabouts, many disciples are completely dejected."

Zhou Tai defended Zhou Yuan, saying, "Junior Brother Zhou Yuan surely has his reasons for acting this way."

"I hope so," Lu Yan sighed. At this point, that was all she could do, though she truly couldn't fathom what capabilities Zhou Yuan possessed to counter Sword-Coming Peak.

As the three spoke, a disciple suddenly rushed over from a distance, panicking. "Many Sword-Coming Peak disciples have arrived!" he exclaimed. "They've completely blockaded our area!"

Zhou Tai and the others were instantly alarmed. They quickly ascended into the air and indeed saw numerous figures rising into the sky at the edge of the horizon, forming a ring that almost entirely blockaded an area of a hundred miles. Judging by the sharp Origin Qi emanating from them, they were undoubtedly Sword-Coming Peak disciples. Clearly, as they had expected, Sword-Coming Peak acted without hesitation once their whereabouts were discovered.

Zhou Tai's gaze swept across the scene. He slowly said, "The Sword-Coming Peak disciples here number around a thousand; they haven't sent out their entire force."

"This is clearly an attempt to trap us first," Lu Yan said, her expression grim. "Once Sword-Coming Peak has collected enough Origin Marrow, they'll make their move against us."

"There's no way for us to break out now."

All three fell silent. At that moment, Saint Origin Peak squads, which had been searching for water beasts nearby, began to return one after another, scrambling back to the small island. All of them looked terrified. Behind them, some Sword-Coming Peak disciples were laughing and giving chase, clearly toying with the Saint Origin Peak disciples.

"Roar!"

Amidst the disciples' panic, a low beastly roar suddenly rang out. Everyone looked to see astonishing Origin Qi fluctuations erupting from Tun Tun, who had been lazily sprawled on the ground. Its pair of beastly eyes, gleaming with fierce light, locked onto the Sword-Coming Peak disciples. Enveloped by this fierce aura, the Sword-Coming Peak disciples were so terrified they nearly plunged into the sea. However, they managed to regain their composure, turn, and flee, clearly aware of Tun Tun's formidable power.

Although the Sword-Coming Peak disciples were repelled by Tun Tun's fierce might, many of the Saint Origin Peak disciples remained dispirited, sitting dejectedly on the ground. Clearly, Sword-Coming Peak's targeting had extinguished any hope they had for this Origin Pond Festival. Furthermore, with Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao still nowhere to be seen, the overall morale of Saint Origin Peak plummeted to its lowest point.

Zhou Tai and the other two watched this scene, their hearts heavy. They turned to gaze into the island's interior, their worry deepening.

"Junior Brother Zhou Yuan, do you really have a plan...?"