Chapter 1162: Open Fire

Winds of Kyushu

The last time Lu Ye obtained a drop of holy blood in the Divine Palace Sea, it was a result of both pure luck and his unique cultivation method. When cultivating, he activated the power of his Talent Tree, causing his position to become like a bottomless black hole, frantically devouring everything around him. That drop of holy blood must have been flowing nearby and was subsequently drawn to him. If Lu Ye hadn't used that specific cultivation method, he wouldn't have had the chance to acquire the holy blood. This method relies too much on luck and severely drains the Talent Tree, so it cannot be used casually.

Currently, Lu Ye can only rely on luck to find more holy blood. Of course, finding holy blood is secondary; his main goal is to explore the mysteries of the Blood River. Whether he will gain anything remains uncertain.

Time passed.

On the Sacred Mountain of the Jade Blood Holy Land in the Divine Palace Sea, numerous human top cultivators, led by Feng Wujiang, waited solemnly. The Holy Land had already surveyed the movements of the Blood Race army. They had been waiting for this day, because according to previous plans and estimations, the day the Blood Race army launched its siege on the Jade Blood Holy Land would be the opportune moment for a counterattack. Now, that moment had finally arrived!

The Heavenly Secret Pillars that Lu Ye had left behind were also placed around the Divine Palace Sea. When the time was right, they would emerge from the ground, serving as teleportation anchors for cultivators from Kyushu. Inside the Jade Blood Holy Land itself, two more Heavenly Secret Pillars had been installed. This arrangement would allow a portion of Kyushu cultivators to directly teleport into the Jade Blood Holy Land, supplementing their insufficient forces.

Figures of cultivators flew in from various directions across the Divine Palace Sea, reporting reconnaissance information. As time passed, the Blood Race army drew closer to the Holy Land, so close that the numerous powerful cultivators could vaguely discern the enemy's vast military formation.

Only when the Blood Race army was half a day's journey from the Holy Land did Feng Wujiang gently exhale. He turned to the other human top cultivators and said, "For this battle, I entrust it to all of you."

Although the entire Kyushu cultivation world served as a strong backing this time, there were still risks for the Jade Blood Holy Land. They needed to withstand the initial siege of the Blood Race army to give the Kyushu cultivators time to gather and teleport. Fortunately, this task shouldn't be difficult. Whenever the Blood Race came to besiege, they would send large numbers of miscellaneous troops in the initial stages to deplete the human forces. While a gap had appeared in the Holy Land's final defense line, holding out for a while should not be an issue. As long as they could hold until the arrival of the Kyushu reinforcements, they would be able to stabilize their position.

Everyone returned their greetings and quickly dispersed to their pre-assigned positions. In an instant, a solemn and deadly atmosphere enveloped the entire Holy Island. The Blood Race army's formation became clearer. Compared to previous times, their forces were undoubtedly much larger. Moreover, according to intelligence gathered by the Holy Island, the number of Saint Seeds accompanying the army this time was also incomparable to before, with at least a twofold difference. This time, the Blood Race was determined to completely eradicate the Jade Blood Holy Land.

There was no pre-battle declaration or probing. Once the Blood Race army reached its designated position, as always, a large number of Blood Race members activated their blood arts, converging to form a blood river. Instantly, blood-red light connected heaven and earth; another sea of blood spread over the existing blood sea of the Divine Palace Sea. From within this blood sea came countless wails and howls of the Blood Race. As the blood sea surged, it launched an attack on the Jade Blood Holy Land.

Moments later, on the defensive islets of the Holy Land, the power of numerous formations was unleashed. Overwhelming streams of light shot out in all directions, striking into the vast and continuous blood sea. Most attacks were dissolved by the power of the blood sea, but its edges continuously eroded under the relentless assault. The moment any hidden Blood Race members revealed themselves, they would be utterly annihilated. For a time, Blood Race corpses fell like dumplings into the depths below. From a high-altitude perspective, it appeared as if four blood clouds were encroaching upon the Holy Island, but they were constantly repelled by continuous flashes of light, making it incredibly difficult for the blood clouds to advance further.

The moment the war between both sides began, the entire Holy Island shook violently.

At the eastern and western ends of the Holy Island, in two open areas, two Heavenly Secret Pillars rose from the ground. As the pillars broke through the earth, the surrounding spiritual energy was frantically absorbed, appearing to be depleted in a short span of time. It was at this very moment that countless cultivators across Kyushu, who had been waiting, suddenly opened their eyes simultaneously, each gaining a sudden realization.

In Haotian City, the Heavenly Secret Hall had been dismantled, leaving only a solitary Heavenly Secret Pillar standing. Around it, countless cultivators sat in layers, waiting quietly. Closest to the Heavenly Secret Pillar, Pang Zhen, Long Bai, and Tang Yifeng rose simultaneously. A low shout came from Pang Zhen's lips: "Depart!" The three raised their hands and pressed them against the Heavenly Secret Pillar, their figures vanishing instantly. Following closely behind them, the elite forces of the two major factions, forming the Bingzhou Legion, arrived one after another. The Heavenly Secret Pillar seemed to become a black hole; all cultivators who touched it disappeared in an instant.

At the Jade Blood Sect, on ShouZheng Peak, Shui Yuan had a sudden realization: "It has begun." She turned to Pang Huanyin and said, "I'll go ahead and scout the way; you all follow." Pang Huanyin nodded, "Be careful, Senior Sister." Shui Yuan raised her hand and pressed it against the Heavenly Secret Pillar.

At the Danxin Gate, the old sect master, who had been in secluded cultivation for many years, emerged. He had entered seclusion to comprehend the mysteries beyond the Divine Sea, but ever since Lu Ye revealed the truth about the world's foundation, the top Divine Sea cultivators of Kyushu finally understood that their inability to break through their current realm was not due to a lack of effort or talent, but rather the world's limitations. Consequently, remaining in secluded cultivation became meaningless.

Thus, the old sect master emerged. Under his leadership, eighty percent of the Danxin Gate cultivators, starting from the Cloud River realm, were to participate in this expedition. The number of cultivators here was substantial, but it was not the entirety of Danxin Gate, as some elites had joined the Bingzhou Legion. This was also the choice made by every major sect: not putting all their eggs in one basket, making it wiser to divide their forces into two locations. If possible, they would have divided their forces further, but considering their unfamiliarity with the Blood Refinement Realm and the unknown strength of the Blood Race there, they ultimately decided that after sending a portion of their elites to join the legion, the remaining members would act as a unified sect. This choice mirrored that of the Jade Blood Sect, except the Jade Blood Sect had merged its forces with the Ziwei Dao Palace.

Qiu Min stood quietly among the crowd, appearing outwardly calm, but internally she was in turmoil. Ever since Lu Ye had visited that day and informed her about the Jade Blood Holy Land and Feng Wujiang, Qiu Min had been anticipating this day. Hearing was one thing, seeing was another; even though she knew Lu Ye wouldn't deceive her in such matters, she dared not easily believe it before seeing Feng Wujiang with her own eyes. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, especially for her. She had long accepted Feng Wujiang's demise, and if hope were given to her now only to be shattered, the blow would be unimaginably severe.

A warm hand took hers. Qiu Min turned to see Feng Yuechan. Mother and daughter exchanged glances and smiled at each other. If Qiu Min was anticipating this day, how could Feng Yuechan not be? She had no memory of her father because when Feng Wujiang died in battle, she was still in Qiu Min's womb. She had never seen Feng Wujiang since birth. However, she had grown up hearing all sorts of legends about Feng Wujiang. She held a stronger adoration and reverence for her father than anyone else. She had thought there would never be a chance to meet him in this lifetime, but who would have imagined such a turn of events?

Beside the two women, Li Baxian's expression was extremely solemn! He had been worrying about one question: would he be beaten to death by his senior brother when they met again? Although he had always corrected Feng Yuechan's way of addressing him, he had never truly regarded himself as her martial uncle. The two had grown up together, childhood sweethearts. When his Spirit Aperture was broken and he was stuck in the Spirit Creek Realm, Feng Yuechan even suppressed her own cultivation for him, preferring not to advance just to stay with him on the Spirit Creek battlefield. One must know that those years were the golden age for cultivators to advance their realms. How could he not know Feng Yuechan's feelings for him? But ultimately, due to the generational gap, he dared not and could not directly face his true feelings, always thinking of delaying, delaying further… Now, however, he knew he could no longer delay. He was about to meet his senior brother. If he delayed any longer, his senior brother might truly beat him. He was a sword cultivator; in this world, there were only sword cultivators who faced difficulties head-on and did not shy away from risks, never sword cultivators who retreated or cowered! Li Baxian immediately made up his mind, and his posture straightened considerably. For a moment, he felt his Sword Heart become perfectly clear.

Qiu Min, sensing something, couldn't help but glance at Li Baxian. She then showed a thoughtful expression and smiled faintly. "Let's go," she called out, leading Feng Yuechan and Li Baxian forward.

At an unnamed mountain peak stood a derelict Heavenly Secret Pillar. Many years ago, a sect had existed here, but it was later destroyed, leaving the Heavenly Secret Pillar behind. Tai Shan strode towards the Heavenly Secret Pillar, a smile playing on his lips. He truly hadn't expected that what Lu Ye had told him would actually come to pass. When Lu Ye had approached him to discuss certain matters, while he didn't believe Lu Ye was deceiving him, his innate caution prevented him from harboring too much hope or expectation. Until this moment... Yu Daiwei followed closely behind him, her face full of surprise. Having followed Tai Shan for so many years, she had never seen such an expression on him—one of immense anticipation mixed with a hint of anxiety. In her mind, Tai Shan was a man full of mystery, an omnipotent man. It was hard to imagine such a man displaying such a strange expression. A moment later, the two arrived before the Heavenly Secret Pillar, simultaneously raising their hands and pressing them onto it. "I only hope you are truly still alive," Tai Shan murmured softly, and his figure disappeared.

At the same moment, across various locations in Kyushu, before the Heavenly Secret Pillars of different sects, figures disappeared one after another. In just the short span of about an incense stick's burning time, eighty percent of Kyushu's cultivators had departed.