Chapter 1167: Support

The Bingzhou Legion had been doing its utmost to conceal its presence, supporting the Holy Land with a "drip-feed" tactic, continuously sending small contingents to join the defensive line. This was to prevent the Blood Race army from detecting any anomalies.

However, once the Blood Race army suddenly intensified its offensive, the Bingzhou Legion could no longer remain hidden. They had no choice but to commit fully, prioritizing the defense of the front line before considering anything else.

Such a shift could not evade the Blood Race's reconnaissance. It was foreseeable that a full-scale Blood Race offensive was imminent. When that happened, the battlefield would no longer be limited to Blood Race cannon fodder; truly powerful and capable Blood Race cultivators would appear, and even the Sacred Offspring would be forced into direct combat.

The elder cultivators of the Holy Land were filled with worry, knowing the immense power of the Sacred Offspring.

In contrast, the powerful cultivators of the Bingzhou Legion were all eager for battle, their morale high. While "newborn calves not fearing tigers" might not be a perfect description, it broadly captured their state of readiness.

Only Lu Ye was quietly biding his time, waiting to deliver a massive shock to those Sacred Offspring!

As the fierce battle raged on, the allied forces of the Jadeblood Sect and Ziwei Dao Palace, led by Shui Yuan and Pang Huanyin, also set out from Jue Li Heavenly Cave.

Their mission was simple: to clear out all Blood Race gathering points in the area and eradicate any Blood Race members they encountered.

With Lan Qiyue among them, accomplishing this was not difficult; it would merely take some time.

Furthermore, lacking proper communication channels, the Blood Race's information transmission was far slower than that of Kyushu.

If an inter-realm invasion like this were to occur in Kyushu, it would instantly become public knowledge. Yet, in the Blood Refinement Realm, most Blood Race members remained blissfully unaware, completely oblivious that countless cultivators from another realm had appeared throughout their world.

This provided the Kyushu visitors with the opportunity to defeat them piecemeal. While the process might not always be smooth, it was already difficult for the Blood Race to organize large-scale resistance, unless one of them possessed the ability to quickly disseminate news of the major enemy's invasion.

The clone did not accompany them; instead, he remained in Jue Li Heavenly Cave, seated before the Heavenly Secret Pillar, quietly waiting.

Most of the Sacred Offspring in the Southern Territory were concentrated in Shenque Sea, to be handled by the main body. However, the Northern Territory presented a different situation, with more Sacred Offspring scattered across various Holy Lands, making encounters with Kyushu cultivators inevitable.

Against Sacred Offspring-level powerhouses, ordinary cultivators were no match, not even those at the ninth-layer realm. Only the elder cultivators possessed the qualifications to contend with a Sacred Offspring.

In such circumstances, the existence of Lu Ye's clone was highly significant. Stationed here, he could provide immediate support to any location, serving as a crucial fallback.

This was also why he had instructed Shui Yuan to send out messages far and wide: to immediately relay news of any Sacred Offspring encountered.

To be safe, he had earlier conducted an experiment with Lan Qiyue, confirming that even his clone possessed the same sacred essence as his main body.

This was natural, as Lu Ye's clone had always possessed all the main body's characteristics, and its sacred essence was no exception. It was only because there was just one Panshan Saber that the clone always presented himself as a sword cultivator.

As he waited, the main body received a message.

Upon Lu Ye's investigation, the clone immediately rose and teleported via the Heavenly Secret Pillar to a place called Gray Bamboo Heavenly Cave, where he had previously stationed the Heavenly Secret Pillar.

A major battle had clearly erupted there, with combat traces evident on all sides. When Lu Ye arrived, the place was empty and lifeless, indicating that the Kyushu cultivators who had been there had already dispersed.

He quickly ascertained his direction, then shot skyward, streaking southwest, his entire being transforming into a crimson blur.

Simultaneously, tens of thousands of miles to the southwest, outside the Blood Race's Yulin Holy Land, a river of blood stretched across the sky. From within it, intense sounds of combat continuously emanated, indicating that not just two, but several individuals were clashing.

It was none other than Yulin Sacred Venerable fighting against multiple opponents!

Three Divine Sea realm cultivators were involved in his encirclement: one from the Danxin Sect, one from the Huangyu Sect, and one from the Fentian Dao.

All three were Second-Rank Sects: Danxin Sect was located in Bingzhou, Huangyu Sect in Leizhou, and Fentian Dao in Youzhou.

These three sects, along with cultivators from other factions, had teleported to Gray Bamboo Heavenly Cave. After eliminating the Blood Race there, they divided their forces into several groups and advanced in various directions, exterminating the Blood Race along the way.

Lu Ye had previously proclaimed the formidable power of the Sacred Offspring while in Kyushu, so the powerful cultivators from these sects did not underestimate Yulin Sacred Venerable. However, once they truly engaged in combat, they realized just how difficult Blood Race Sacred Offspring were to deal with.

A single Blood River technique left them completely incapacitated. The cultivators participating in the encirclement of Yulin Sacred Venerable were all at the Divine Sea Ninth-Layer, yet even then, they were constantly on the defensive and sustained injuries. When they realized the gravity of their situation, they attempted to escape the blood river, but exiting such a place was far from simple once inside.

If this continued, the three of them feared they would surely die here. Once they perished, the cultivators from their three sects would no longer be able to resist Yulin Sacred Venerable, inevitably leading to immeasurable casualties.

Regret washed over them. Lu Ye had clearly long publicized the formidable power of the Sacred Offspring, and they had received prior messages to immediately alert everyone upon encountering one. Yet, they had stubbornly dismissed the warnings. Now, they were in an inescapable predicament, their lives in peril, and even endangering their own sect's cultivators.

There wasn't just one blood river stretching across the sky, but many. After all, this was one of the Blood Race's most depended-upon blood techniques; it could be said that any Blood Race member whose cultivation reached a certain level could unleash it.

However, aside from Yulin Sacred Venerable's blood river, at other blood rivers, human cultivators and Blood Race members were also locked in fierce, back-and-forth combat. Blood rivers continuously shattered in the sky, bodies fell, and human cultivators emerged, fighting their way out.

Li Baxian and Feng Yuebi had remained together. Although neither had yet advanced to the Divine Sea realm, both were at the True Lake Ninth-Layer, and their years of tacit cooperation allowed them to mutually leverage each other's strengths even without the "Same Qi, Linked Branches" array disc.

In a battlefield of this scale, precisely identifying suitable opponents was the greatest guarantee of survival.

Divine Sea realm Blood Race members were handled by the Divine Sea cultivators from the three sects. Li Baxian and Feng Yuebi's task was to eliminate True Lake realm Blood Race members. And at the True Lake realm level, few Blood Race members could withstand their combined strength.

"Senior Brother, has Junior Brother Lu responded?" Feng Yuebi couldn't help but ask amidst their maneuvers.

It was Li Baxian who had sent the message to Lu Ye, informing him of the Sacred Offspring encounter, as he had a direct communication channel with Lu Ye, bypassing any intermediaries.

Li Baxian's sword light swirled around him, his flying sword striking continuously. He found a moment to reply, "He's on his way!"

Feng Yuebi's mind settled.

It was quite strange. She knew full well that Lu Ye's strength could not surpass a Sacred Offspring, nor could he be stronger than those three Ninth-Layer cultivators. Yet, it seemed that no matter how complex a situation, it would simplify once Lu Ye became involved.

She didn't know what Lu Ye would do upon his arrival; she only knew that in this situation, only he could resolve it.

It was a blind trust, seemingly influenced by Li Baxian.

Within the Sacred Venerable's blood river, the battle grew increasingly fierce and intense. Evidently, Yulin Sacred Venerable, realizing the heavy casualties among his subordinate Blood Race members, was about to unleash devastating blows on the three human Ninth-Layer cultivators.

During the clash, muffled groans were heard, and the aura of a Ninth-Layer cultivator within the blood river suddenly plummeted, clearly indicating severe injury.

This turn of events caused all human cultivators secretly observing to blanch.

With one of them severely injured, an overwhelming blood might permeated the blood river. Judging by his stance, Yulin Sacred Venerable seemed intent on pressing his advantage and annihilating them.

This was absolutely devastating news for the three human Ninth-Layer cultivators. In any other combat environment, if they couldn't win, they could flee. But within the blood river, defeat meant certain death; there was no possibility of escape.

The two relatively unharmed individuals quickly protected their severely injured companion, knowing they couldn't be defeated one by one, or they would surely die. However, the disparity in strength and the lack of favorable terrain left them feeling powerless despite their intentions.

Having personally experienced the terror and power of the Sacred Offspring, they now realized that Lu Ye's earlier proclamations had been no exaggeration.

They had overestimated themselves, believing that the combined strength of three of them could overcome a Sacred Offspring.

It wasn't a lack of caution; rather, their complete inexperience in battling Sacred Offspring led them to a misjudgment of their own strengths.

Ultimately, it was the Blood River technique. Without it, their combined strength might have been enough to contend with a Sacred Offspring.

Now, it was too late for regrets...

Suddenly, a thunderous roar rolled in from the distance—the outward manifestation of extreme speed. All three were startled, realizing a powerful reinforcement was approaching.

As for who this powerful individual was, they couldn't be certain, nor could they discern their cultivation level, as spiritual sense perception was heavily suppressed within the blood river.

To prevent the newcomer from repeating their mistake, the old Sect Master of Danxin Sect quickly shouted, "The Blood River is treacherous and highly restrictive! Fellow Daoist, do not enter recklessly; instead, provide support from the periphery!"

He was genuinely kind; having suffered a loss himself, he couldn't bear to see others endure the same fate.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had his words fallen than the newcomer plunged headfirst into the blood river.

The old Sect Master's face darkened, wondering why the newcomer was acting so impetuously.

Immediately afterward, a young voice rang out: "Three seniors, you are truly reckless! Why would you engage a Sacred Offspring within the blood river?"

Then the old Sect Master heard his two companions' surprised shouts: "Lu Yiye!"