Chapter 1799: Unusual Occurrence

Xiang Yin and her companions made no attempt to conceal their presence. Consequently, as soon as they spotted the enemy, the enemy also became aware of them, which instantly galvanized the Saint Blood Peak team, sending them surging forward.

This was due to habitual thinking. In past Black Abyss skirmishes, cultivators from the Red Talisman Society, upon encountering a Saint Blood Peak team in such circumstances, typically opted to flee. Even if they didn't, their primary objective was usually to contain or divert.

However, to the Saint Blood Peak team's surprise, their opponents reacted unusually this time. They neither fled nor scattered to create diversions; instead, they advanced directly to meet them.

As the distance between them rapidly closed, both sides seemed ready to overwhelm the other in a single surge. Although the leading Saint Blood Peak cultivator sensed something was amiss, it was too late to alter their formation.

The instant the two teams clashed, a vast sea of blood suddenly erupted into turmoil.

Within the sea of blood, the faces of all Saint Blood Peak cultivators paled. Their leader, in particular, spun around abruptly, fixed his gaze in a certain direction, and roared, "Zhao Bingli, how dare you betray us?!"

The disruption within the sea of blood was not the enemy's doing; it originated from within their own ranks, a fact that many Saint Blood Peak cultivators clearly perceived.

Secret arts, such as those where multiple cultivators jointly activate blood techniques that then merge to form a vast sea of blood, are the most frequently employed tactics by the Blood Clan in combat.

Once the sea of blood has merged and condensed, its sheer volume and power significantly increase. Even Star Constellation Realm cultivators can contribute effectively in such a scenario, providing substantial support to more powerful allied cultivators.

However, such jointly activated blood arts presented another problem: the suppression caused by sacredness.

After numerous small skirmishes, only one of those individuals now remained alive.

For a fleeting moment, all allied cultivators felt they had the upper hand.

In another direction, a different Saint Blood Peak team met with the same grim fate as the previous one. This time, however, the attacking leaders were not the Lu Ye sisters, but Wang Taisheng and Zhou Ran.

If everyone possessed sacredness, it would be simple; no one could suppress another.

The Saint Blood Peak cultivators, who had been concealed within the sea of blood, were unceremoniously exposed, their faces grim. What terrified them even more was that the Xiang Yin Society members had already arrived, while their own magical energy was inexplicably suppressed…

Although Hei Yuanzheng had not been in this world for the shortest time within the team, he certainly hadn't been here the longest either. Many individuals possessed stronger sacredness than him.

In another direction, Yang Ling, who had been lying in wait and conserving his energy, suddenly opened his eyes. He checked the message from the musical note, then, without responding, rose to his full height and swept forward.

Yet, precisely at the moment the Saint Blood Peak team was about to engage the enemy, Hei Yuanzheng, a member of that team, suddenly stopped concealing his sacredness.

For a year since entering this realm, he had been refining his own precious blood. However, to this day, not a single drop remained within him; it had all been used to subjugate blood servants.

By this point, he no longer questioned Red Talisman's resolve to confront Saint Blood Peak. He also decided to relinquish his command authority to Li Wan, acknowledging that having two commanding voices in a team was ultimately disadvantageous.

After a brief deliberation, Red Talisman said, "Brother, this battle is yours to command. However you say we fight, that's how we'll fight!"

Li Wan pondered for a moment, then sent a message: "Brother Dao, you may proceed. Caution is paramount!"

He had undoubtedly already received the message from that direction.

Within his bloodline perception, his two blood servants in that direction vanished instantly without a trace.

Li Tian had indeed arrived in that space; Red Talisman could continuously sense his Sun Illumination power from afar. However, what puzzled him was that Li Tian had remained stationary since his arrival, showing no reaction regardless of the casualties suffered by his subordinates.

Red Talisman was greatly excited. In all the years of the Black Abyss Contest, the Xiang Yin Society had never fought such a deeply satisfying battle. Even when they occasionally gained an advantage in large-scale clashes, it had been utterly impossible to completely annihilate the enemy. Such a victorious start was incredibly morale-boosting!

"Understood!" Red Talisman nodded; he had also received the message from Lu Ye.

In previous years, they had always been on the defensive. They never imagined that one day they would be able to launch an initiative, effortlessly achieving significant victories each time.

This was truly astonishing. The potency of a Saint Blood Peak cultivator's sacredness was typically linked to the duration of their stay in this realm; the longer they resided here, the more profound their sacredness became, as they could bathe in more blood rain and refine more of the realm's indigenous resources.

If only one Blood Clan member in a team possessed sacredness, it would be simple: that individual could preside over the sea of blood, with other Blood Clan members providing support.

The Sacred Convergence Art is a Blood Clan secret technique specifically for such circumstances. By activating this art, Blood Clan members can suppress their own sacredness, thereby preventing mutual suppression and interference among themselves.

Although Wang Taisheng and Zhou Ran's sacredness was slightly weaker than that of the Lu Ye sisters, with careful planning against an unaware enemy and the support of internal informants, that battle was still won without much difficulty.

Red Talisman was not surprised by this outcome.

However, for Saint Blood Peak cultivators, where everyone possesses sacredness, only the one with the strongest sacredness can preside over the sea of blood, with other cultivators suppressing their own sacredness and assisting.

That direction was precisely Li Tian's location.

He was like a spectator, watching this farce unfold from a distance. Regardless of who won or lost, it had no impact on him. This time was, of course, no exception.

Besides Lu Ye and the other Moonfall cultivators who had been constantly by his side, Saint Blood Peak also had several blood servants hidden away.

Today's battle was the moment to deploy these hidden blood servants. Each blood servant had refined a drop of his precious blood, with the Lu Ye sisters having refined one and a half drops. In terms of sacredness alone, very few in Saint Blood Peak could compare to them.

Thus, no one understood why his sacredness had suddenly surged to such an extent.

As time passed, under Li Wan's coordinated command, the scattered Saint Blood Peak teams suffered misfortune. Once caught, they generally could not escape complete annihilation.

His two blood servants had met a tragic end.

On the meteorite, Red Talisman watched him depart without interference, continuing to sense the locations of numerous blood servants. Messages were sent one after another, guiding the blood servants from both factions to precisely converge.

An incense stick's time later, a Red Talisman Society member's eyes suddenly widened, an expression of disbelief on his face. He turned to Red Talisman, his lips trembling as he stammered, "Annihilated! Brother, Lu Ye's squad completely annihilated a Saint Blood Peak team!"

According to intelligence he gathered from the Red Talisman Society, over the years, several cultivators possessing Xiang Yin had failed to uphold their ideals as time passed, defecting from the Xiang Yin Society to join Saint Blood Peak.

After years of nurturing, any activated Xiang Yin technique was no weaker than an attack from a Sun Illumination expert. Therefore, even if the cultivation realms differed significantly, using it for diversion was not an issue.

He secretly felt fortunate that, before the battle, they had reached a consensus with Red Talisman and chosen to trust him. Otherwise, such good fortune would not have been possible; without Red Talisman's assistance, the Xiang Yin Society would likely have continued down its old, difficult path.

Soon, news arrived from that battlefield: those annihilated by Xiang Yin were not only his two blood servants but also eight members of the Xiang Yin Society, all of whom were in the Moonfall Realm.

However, the enemy fared no better; their entire squad was completely wiped out, which could be considered revenge.

The next instant, a sacredness even more potent than Hei Yuanzheng's permeated the area. The already turbulent sea of blood became even more violently agitated, then utterly collapsed with a roar!

With those words, he stood up, stretched his limbs, and adopted a posture of readiness for a major task. He then flashed out of his hiding place, declaring, "I'm going to kill the enemy too!"

Red Talisman's expression tightened. He turned to look in that direction, and even from an unknown distance, he could still perceive a burst of red light blooming there.

As he was deep in thought, a fierce aura suddenly erupted from one direction.

Intelligence relayed by the blood servants hidden within Saint Blood Peak indicated that Li Tian had not even issued any direct orders to his own cultivators.

So far in this battle, their side had suffered casualties for the first time, losing seven individuals at once—a considerable loss.

Red Talisman was very concerned about Li Tian, wanting to know what he was currently doing. However, it was inconvenient for him to investigate personally, as confronting Li Tian might expose the true strength of his own sacredness under the opponent's intimidation.

Red Talisman did not want to reveal this before truly engaging Li Tian, so he could only ask Yang Ling to make the arduous trip.

In every previous Black Abyss Contest, Yang Ling had been the one to contain Li Tian, because he was the only one in the Xiang Yin Society who possessed two Xiang Yin techniques—one for attack and one for defense!

The numerical disparity between the two sides was continuously shrinking, and the overall strength comparison was no longer so vast…

The might of Xiang Yin!

One thing was certain: Li Wanfeng's actions constituted an undeniable betrayal of Saint Blood Peak.

Only Red Talisman, who was responsible for overseeing operations from the rear, felt a slight unease. For despite the smooth progress of the battle, the opponent's most powerful combatant had not yet entered the fray.

As the balance of the sea of blood was shattered, and in that moment of unrest, the Xiang Yin Society's team, led by the Lu Ye sisters and their four companions, had already charged forward.

Originally, there had been two…

An anomaly suggests something sinister is at play. To win this battle, Li Tian was the key; only by killing him could they claim true victory. If Li Tian remained alive, even if all Saint Blood Peak cultivators perished, it could not be considered a victory.

What astonished and confused the other cultivators even more was that Li Wanfeng's sacredness was actually more potent than anyone else's!

Such news spread among the Xiang Yin Society cultivators, rendering those accustomed to hardship both incredulous and immensely exhilarated.

Yet, at this moment, the might of Xiang Yin was unleashed, clearly indicating that the cultivator wielding Xiang Yin had been pushed to a desperate situation.

Another one, however, had been slain by Red Talisman on Listening Snow Peak. This Xiang Yin was undoubtedly a potent weapon for any faction and would not be easily deployed.