Chapter 1042: Blood Clan Retreats

A colossal river of blood suddenly materialized in the sky above where the small island had once stood. It was no longer merely a river; it was a veritable sea of blood. While it paled in comparison to the immense sea of blood beneath them, it nonetheless stretched out, forming a magnificent defensive line.

This massive formation was, after all, the result of over seventy Blood Clan experts from the Godsea Realm combining their bloodline secret techniques, further amplified by the Conjoined Spirit Array Disk. The sea of blood exuded a unified and formidable aura, showcasing immense power. It surged and writhed, resembling a living entity.

As the Blood Clan army drew nearer, their secret techniques slammed into the crimson mass, sending ripples outward.

Alongside the blood-red expanse suspended in mid-air, numerous human cultivators, having lost their footing, unleashed their respective abilities to engage the Blood Clan. Streaks of light crisscrossed, plunging the scene into chaos.

However, the human forces were outnumbered. In this fierce exchange, they quickly found themselves at a disadvantage and were soon suppressed, losing almost all ability to retaliate. Casualties mounted. At that critical moment, the sea of blood began to writhe, then abruptly expanded, engulfing all the human cultivators within its crimson depths.

With the human cultivators no longer visible, the charging Blood Clan warriors bravely plunged into the blood-red expanse. Instantly, spiritual energy surged and rippled violently within the sea of blood.

Within the sea of blood, Lu Ye and his Dao Soldiers formed a tight formation, their energies closely intertwined. They moved through the chaotic environment, leaving a trail of carnage and bloodshed in their wake.

The sea of blood itself was a construct, formed by the combined secret techniques of over seventy Blood Clan Dao Soldiers. This was their domain, and they were under Lu Ye's command. The Blood Clan army, charging headlong into it, was destined for a grim fate.

Lu Ye simply continued to strike and slash with his blade; nearly every blow found its mark. He didn't need to actively seek targets; his Blood Clan Dao Soldiers guided him, even delivering Blood Clan members who stumbled into the blood-sea directly to him.

The numerous human cultivators enjoyed the same advantage. Within this vast blood-sea environment, each of them had an invisible helper, aiding them in felling enemies and mitigating risks. Blood Clan casualties mounted steadily, and the blood of the fallen only served to expand the sea's size. From the outside, the colossal blood-sea writhed and shifted, resembling a rapidly growing monster.

Still, an endless stream of Blood Clan warriors continued to pour into the blood-sea. Others attempted to bypass it, seeking to attack from the air.

However, the blood-sea seemed to possess a will of its own. Periodically, crimson whips lashed out from its depths, ensnaring Blood Clan cultivators attempting to fly over. Any Blood Clan caught by these whips were either killed or gravely injured. For a time, not a single Blood Clan member could breach the defensive line forged by the conjoined blood-sea.

Personnel were also diverted from the small islands on either side to provide assistance. Everyone understood that a Blood Clan breakthrough here was unacceptable, as it would inevitably lead to heavy casualties among the island's mortals. While the original defensive line had been breached, its replacement by the Blood Clan Dao Soldiers' secret techniques offered newfound flexibility and versatility. This presented a crucial opportunity for humanity.

Within the blood-sea, Lu Ye no longer needed to actively seek targets. He stood united with Dao Shisan, continuously replenishing his energy by chewing blood crystals. His Pan Mountain Blade was poised to strike. Whenever a Blood Clan dared to appear before them, master and servant, blade and fist, would immediately launch a devastating attack.

Virtually no Blood Clan member could withstand their onslaught.

While some Godsea Realm Blood Clan did manage to infiltrate, they were forced to fight individually. How could they possibly contend with this immense blood-sea? Within its confines, every intruding Blood Clan member was severely suppressed. Even a Godsea Seventh Layer Realm Blood Clan, upon entering, could only exert the strength of a Fourth or Fifth Layer Realm practitioner.

The slaughter continued relentlessly from the moment it began.

Sounds of lives fading away echoed constantly, signaling the demise of either human cultivators or Blood Clan warriors.

Lu Ye wasn't even aware which side held the advantage. In a large-scale conflict such as this, an individual's strength felt truly minuscule. He could only focus on his duty: eliminate enemies! Kill as many foes as possible!

He believed everyone else was doing the same.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly. Lu Ye had no idea how many Blood Clan members he had slain. Initially, enemies were continuously channeled to him, but gradually, the frequency dwindled. Eventually, Lu Ye stood idle, waiting for Blood Clan that never came, forcing him to seek them out proactively, though his efforts yielded little.

He couldn't discern why this was happening. Perhaps the Blood Clan had been largely decimated, or perhaps they had successfully breached the blood-sea's defensive line and invaded the Sacred Blood Holy Land. He fervently hoped for the former.

Then, at a certain moment, a soft voice suddenly reached his ears from an unknown direction: "Everyone, come out. The Blood Clan has retreated!"

Lu Ye paused in surprise, then ascended, bringing Dao Shisan with him. After a prolonged ascent, he burst free from the blood-sea's enveloping confines and turned to survey his surroundings. As far as his eyes could see, no Blood Clan figures remained near the archipelago; only faint crimson streaks of retreating Blood Clan could be glimpsed in the far distance.

Deafening cheers erupted around him, a cacophony of celebration and release from the surviving human cultivators.

Lu Ye gasped for breath, his face ashen. The nearly boiling killing intent within him struggled to subside.

"Are you alright?" Yue Ji asked, her voice laced with concern.

Lu Ye, still somewhat dazed, shook his head.

He suddenly cast his gaze downward at the blood-sea. This was the very blood-sea created by the combined secret techniques of his seventy-plus Blood Clan Dao Soldiers, yet its current state was clearly abnormal. It had grown over five times its original size and was violently writhing, alternately expanding and contracting, appearing profoundly unstable.

Lu Ye's spiritual sense surged as he issued the command to all his Dao Soldiers to dismiss the secret technique. However, it was futile.

The blood-sea writhed even more violently. It vaguely seemed to be attempting to split apart, yet it utterly failed to do so.

This was the sinister nature of Blood Clan secret techniques. While the individual blood rivers unleashed by Blood Clan cultivators could indeed merge and combine forces against enemies, they could never be maintained for an extended period. To do so would inevitably lead to an irreversible fusion, where the blood rivers of different Blood Clan members would truly become one, making separation impossible.

Especially in this instance, with over seventy Blood Clan Dao Soldiers having merged, and the Conjoined Spirit Array Disk also in use, the fusion had become even more complete. All power comes at a cost.

This blood-sea had served as the defensive line after the island's destruction, creating an immense tactical advantage that helped humanity withstand the Blood Clan army's assault. The price, however, was that its constituent parts could no longer separate.

One after another, human cultivators emerged from the blood-sea, following closely behind Lu Ye. They were all disheveled and wounded, some severely, missing limbs.

The brutal reality of large-scale warfare unfolded before Lu Ye for the very first time.

Few human cultivators had survived, less than thirty percent of the original force. It was clear that had the Blood Clan's assault been more ferocious, this defensive line would likely not have held. In such a scenario, the Blood Clan army would have streamed through the breach, leading to unimaginable consequences.

The blood-sea's writhing intensified. From within it, frantic emotions emanated, revealing the struggle of the Blood Clan Dao Soldiers. Lu Ye sighed, raised a hand, and slowly pressed it down, conveying his final command to them.

The struggle ceased. The vast blood-sea, responding to Lu Ye's downward gesture, slowly descended, ultimately merging into the true sea of blood below. Waves surged as the two became one, indistinguishable from each other.

The greatest contributors to this battle ultimately met a grim end. Although they were Blood Clan, their fate still left Lu Ye with a profound sense of melancholy.

A figure descended from the sky, landing before Lu Ye. It was Feng Wujiang, who looked at Lu Ye with a start. "Junior Brother, how are you?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Lu Ye replied, shaking his head.

That seemingly innocuous shake, however, instantly brought on a dizzying sensation. He stumbled, instinctively grasping Dao Shisan's arm beside him. "I feel a bit faint," he murmured. *Ding-a-ling...*

A crisp chime of a bell sounded. Yue Ji's slender finger gently touched Lu Ye's forehead, and her soft voice, like a whispered dream, spoke, "If you're tired, rest well." Lu Ye glanced at her, then his eyelids fluttered shut, and he instantly fell into a deep sleep.

Dao Shisan promptly grabbed his collar, preventing him from collapsing.

"His expenditure was too immense," Yue Ji remarked, looking at Feng Wujiang.

Throughout this battle, Lu Ye had continually replenished his strength while simultaneously expending it. The depletion of his spiritual energy and even his soul power had been unprecedented.

In a major battle, ordinary cultivators can only exert power that their physical bodies can endure as their strength wanes. Lu Ye, however, was different. His ability to easily replenish his expended energy allowed him to maintain peak intensity throughout the entire conflict.

While engaged in combat, his mind remained intensely focused, allowing him to ignore the drain. But the moment the battle concluded, as his tense nerves relaxed, a tidal wave of exhaustion surged over him, and he instantly succumbed.

A quick sweep with his spiritual sense instantly revealed Lu Ye's condition to Feng Wujiang.

His life was not in danger; he merely required a period of recuperation. "Send him back," Feng Wujiang instructed, "and ask Granny Jiu to heal him."

Yue Ji nodded in agreement. "Of course," she said.

The breach in this defensive line had been successfully held thanks entirely to Lu Ye's Blood Clan Dao Soldiers. While, strictly speaking, the credit wasn't solely Lu Ye's, the Conjoined Spirit Array Disk's stellar performance in this battle was undeniable.

Given the Blood Clan's displayed forces and formations in this engagement, without the Conjoined Spirit Array Disk, the Sacred Blood Holy Land would undoubtedly have been indefensible. In that grim scenario, the elder cultivators would have been forced to lead a desperate breakout, the Holy Land would have been razed, humanity massacred, and decades of effort reduced to ashes.

Waves of jubilant cheers continued unabated, celebrating the repulsion of the Blood Clan army once more. Amidst the joyous clamor, Feng Wujiang let out a soft sigh.

They had repelled the Blood Clan army and preserved the Sacred Blood Holy Land this time, but what about the next? In this recent conflict, humanity had indeed won, yet also suffered a profound loss.

One of the eleven surrounding islands had been destroyed, leaving a breach in their defenses. Should the Blood Clan attack again, they would undoubtedly concentrate their forces on this vulnerability, making it exceedingly difficult for humanity to defend. As the Master of the Holy Land, Feng Wujiang naturally had to look further ahead, and his heart was heavy with worry.

It was crucial to remember that the Blood Clan reproduced and recovered quickly. Even with their heavy losses in this battle, they would regain their strength and launch a comeback within a few short years. Humanity, however, did not possess such a swift recovery.