Chapter 518: Sword Comes Army

Shortly after Baili Che’s signal was sent, teams began to continuously return from all directions around Jianlai Peak’s island. At the same time, news spread that Saint Origin Peak had eliminated nearly a thousand of their members. In an instant, the entire vast island was filled with an atmosphere of fury.

No one had expected that Saint Origin Peak, which had paid protection money to Jianlai Peak just last year, would dare to actively declare war on them.

How arrogant was this?

Did Zhou Yuan truly believe that defeating Yuan Hong and becoming Saint Origin Peak's chief disciple made him qualified to stand as an equal to Jianlai Peak?

All the Jianlai Peak disciples were clamoring, demanding that Saint Origin Peak pay a heavy price for their chief disciple's arrogance.

In this atmosphere, Kong Sheng and Zhao Zhu also returned, leading their teams.

On a hilltop of the island, Zhao Zhu’s hand rested on the hilt of the long sword at his waist, a sarcastic smile on his face. Beside him, Kong Sheng was expressionless, calmly observing the many enraged Jianlai Peak disciples on the island.

“This junior disciple Zhou Yuan... he may not be skilled, but his audacity, I doubt anyone in the Cangxuan Sect can match it,” Zhao Zhu said with a faint smile, his words steeped in mockery and contempt.

Kong Sheng's tone was calm as he said, “Losing nearly a thousand disciples all at once will significantly reduce our collection of Origin Marrow.” He paused, then said, enunciating each word, “This Zhou Yuan, he simply doesn't understand the rules.” In his view, even if Zhou Yuan had captured Jianlai Peak's disciples, he shouldn't have eliminated them directly. They could have used them as leverage to negotiate terms. Although, ultimately, those terms would have been reclaimed with interest.

“That kid is just someone who doesn't know his place,” Zhao Zhu said, jabbing the tip of his sword into the ground and smiling faintly, his smile exuding an extremely dangerous aura. “Now he's declared war on our Jianlai Peak... What do you plan to do?”

Kong Sheng turned his head, looked at Baili Che behind him, and said, “Gather the disciples; we'll launch a full-scale attack. Since they dared to declare war, let's show them how ridiculous they are. As for that Zhou Yuan, I will make him the biggest joke of this Origin Pond Festival.” His voice remained calm and even, but beneath it, a chilling, sharp aura emerged. This invigorated both Zhao Zhu and Baili Che. They knew that Jianlai Peak's First Saint Son had finally been provoked by Zhou Yuan, who clearly didn't know his place.

At Kong Sheng's word, all Jianlai Peak disciples began to assemble. The commotion was considerable and was noticed by the other peaks, who immediately dispatched disciples to gather information.

When the other five peaks heard that Saint Origin Peak's chief disciple had actually declared war on Jianlai Peak, they were all somewhat shocked.

“Has that Zhou Yuan gone mad?”

“With only a few hundred disciples from Saint Origin Peak, how can they fight against Jianlai Peak?”

“Even if Zhou Xiaoyao is there, what can one person change in this situation?”

“It seems Saint Origin Peak is simply throwing caution to the wind...”

Disciples from various peaks shook their heads and sighed. After all, who would have thought that Saint Origin Peak's new chief disciple would be so unyielding? But no matter how unyielding, one must consider the disparity in strength. When two sides are not on the same level, such unyielding defiance simply becomes a self-inflicted hardship.

On the island where Snow Lotus Peak was located, Li Qingchan, upon hearing the news, furrowed her delicate brows slightly and murmured, “What exactly is this Zhou Yuan fellow trying to do?” Saint Origin Peak's overall strength lagged too far behind Jianlai Peak. A head-on confrontation would be akin to an egg hitting a rock. Even with the assistance of Yaoyao and Tun Tun, as long as Kong Sheng and Zhao Zhu engaged them, Jianlai Peak could instantly crush Saint Origin Peak's hundreds of disciples. So she didn't understand why Zhou Yuan would proactively declare war. Wouldn't it have been better to stall for more time while Jianlai Peak was preoccupied? Now, Jianlai Peak was thoroughly enraged, even pausing their Origin Marrow collection, clearly intending to deal with Saint Origin Peak first. Facing Jianlai Peak's full-scale encirclement and suppression, Saint Origin Peak was clearly in danger.

Not only was Li Qingchan paying attention, but the Saint Sons of the other peaks were also watching with interest. Of course, they were more interested in Zhou Xiaoyao, as she had always been quite mysterious within the Cangxuan Sect. If these two peaks clashed this time, Kong Sheng would undoubtedly engage her in battle. At that time, perhaps they could gauge Zhou Xiaoyao's true strength. Thus, when all of Jianlai Peak's disciples set out, the other peaks also dispatched personnel to monitor the situation at all times. The impending clash between these two peaks had clearly become the most attention-grabbing event in the Origin Pond at that moment.

On Saint Origin Peak's island, Zhou Yuan sat cross-legged on a large boulder by the sea. Behind him, Yaoyao stood gracefully, holding Tun Tun.

“Chief, Jianlai Peak's disciples are already assembling and will be coming for us at any moment!” a scouting disciple announced, rushing over. Hearing this, the other Saint Origin Peak disciples stirred slightly. However, after seeing Zhou Yuan's calm expression, they gradually settled down.

Zhou Yuan nodded, acknowledging the information. Then he looked at the other disciples and said, “Although our Saint Origin Peak's strength is not as great as Jianlai Peak's, at the very least, we must let the other peaks know that while our strength may be lacking, our resolve is unyielding. If they want to take us on, they'll have to pay a price.” In Zhou Yuan's calm voice, there was a hint of wolf-like ferocity.

The other disciples nodded heavily, a fierce glint appearing in their eyes. Knowing there was no retreat, they no longer feared Jianlai Peak's oppressive force. After all, it was already the worst possible situation.

“Junior Disciple Zhou Yuan, just give the orders on how we should fight,” Zhou Tai said, gritting his teeth. “Even if we get eliminated, we'll at least take some of them with us.” Clearly, he was prepared to go down fighting, taking the enemy with him. Zhang Yan, Lu Yan, and others nodded, immediately clenching their fists, their fierce intent fully revealed.

Zhou Yuan smiled at this. He knew that perhaps, besides himself and Yaoyao, even Zhou Tai and the others didn't believe they had any chance of winning.

“Everyone, rest up first. When Jianlai Peak appears, just follow my commands.” He looked up at the distant sky, where dark clouds seemed to gather, brewing an earth-shattering storm.

Time quietly flowed by. The atmosphere on the island grew increasingly tense. All the disciples adjusted their spirit, energy, and mind to their peak state.

At a certain moment, the Origin Qi between heaven and earth seemed to quietly begin to boil.

Zhou Yuan, sitting cross-legged on the boulder, opened his eyes and calmly said, “They're here.”

All the disciples' expressions shifted slightly. They looked up into the distance, where countless streaks of light began to appear at the edge of the horizon, then swept towards them like a surging tide. That scene, blotting out the sky, brought with it a terrifying sense of oppression. This entire sea area seemed to tremble at that moment, stirring up colossal waves.

At this moment, Jianlai Peak arrived, as promised.