Chapter 325: Shocking News

Even with an overwhelming advantage, the cultivators from both sects remained calm and composed, maintaining their formation. No one wanted to encounter an unexpected mishap just as they were about to claim victory; it could lead to fatalities.

The surviving cultivators of the Pure Breeze Sect attempted several charges, but they were repelled by the body cultivators led by Ju Jia. During these charges and retreats, cultivators were constantly slain, their bodies falling one after another.

Among them, Lu Ye killed the most. With four controlled artifacts, his attack range reached sixty zhang. He could also imbue his artifacts with spirit patterns, and each pass would result in several deaths. By the end, the spiritual power stored in all four spirit artifacts was depleted.

An incense stick's time later, when the last Pure Breeze Sect cultivator fell, thunderous cheers erupted. The cultivators from both sects roared and celebrated. No one had ever experienced such a resounding victory. They not only captured the enemy sect's stronghold but also almost annihilated its cultivators. This battle of offense and defense was significant enough to be recorded in the annals of the Spirit Stream Battlefield, revered by future generations.

The cultivators of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, in particular, finally unleashed two months of pent-up fury. Every one of them had a flushed face, as if celebrating a festival. Compared to what they had endured two months prior, today they thoroughly vented their frustrations, feeling a sense of clarity and immense relief.

"Clear the battlefield in the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, everyone get to it!" Zhao Li's shout rang out. In his and Lu Ye's plan, Pure Breeze Sect was just the first stop; there were two more to go. The Pure Breeze Sect had been overly careless, which made this battle remarkably smooth. However, the next battles against the Myriad Demons Ridge would likely be met with preparedness, so such large gains might not be possible.

The cultivators from both sects immediately sprang into action, scattering to clear the battlefield. An incense stick's time was not long; there wouldn't be enough time if they didn't hurry.

Lu Ye began refining the grand formation jade slip. When they previously captured the Wind and Flower Pavilion and Sun-Drenched Mountain, they were forced to destroy the grand formation jade slips to break the formations. This time, the situation was different; the Pure Breeze Sect's defensive grand formation was still intact. All he needed to do was refine the grand formation jade slip, deactivate the formation, and then dig out the formation foundations. A complete defensive grand formation purchased from the Heavenly Secret Treasury cost a considerable amount of merit points.

Zhao Li and Song Yin, meanwhile, went to the Heavenly Secret Hall to plunder the enhancements from the Pure Breeze Sect's Heavenly Secret Pillar. Zhao Li would take seventy percent, and Song Yin thirty percent. A portion of the Heavenly Mystery Sect's seventy percent share belonged to Lu Ye. Before setting out, since Lu Ye had told Bai Qian that the Heavenly Mystery Sect would reclaim what they had lost, he naturally had to fulfill that promise. Moreover, according to their prior agreement, this set of defensive grand formations from the Pure Breeze Sect belonged to him. While Lu Ye had no direct use for it, he could sell it to the Heavenly Mystery Sect or the Heavenly Secret Treasury. Selling it to the former would yield many cultivation resources, and selling it to the latter would earn merit points; both options were viable.

A short while later, Lu Ye activated the grand formation jade slip, shut down the formation, and then recruited some people to help dig out all the formation foundations, storing them in his storage bag.

While they were busy working, the news of the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold's capture quickly spread within the Myriad Demons Ridge faction, and subsequently to the Vast Sky Alliance faction. The rumored Lu Yiye of the Jade Blood Sect, thought to have been poisoned to death, was in fact alive. This time, the capture of the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold was his doing.

According to the Pure Breeze Sect disciples who managed to escape back to Kyushu, Lu Yiye had only taken a few dozen breaths to breach a massive gap in the defensive grand formation. Following this, the well-prepared disciples of the Heavenly Mystery Sect and Azure Waves Mountain surged in, catching the Pure Breeze Sect off guard, rendering them unable to form effective resistance, and causing their forces to collapse like a mountain. In this battle, the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold was breached, over four hundred Spirit Stream Realm cultivators were killed, and the inner circle of cultivators was nearly wiped out.

When the news spread, Kyushu was shaken! What was shocking was not merely that Lu Yiye, who should have died, had returned from the dead, but also his terrifying method of breaking formations. If his previous methods for capturing the Wind and Flower Pavilion and Sun-Drenched Mountain strongholds involved cunning tricks that could be easily countered, his current methods were more than ten times superior. These were genuine formation-breaking techniques that could not be targeted. If this person truly came knocking, the defensive grand formations would be utterly unable to withstand him.

The major sects of Myriad Demons Ridge, who had only been at ease for two months, grew anxious once more. Two months prior, various reports had made them overjoyed, celebrating Lu Yiye's rumored poisoning and the elimination of a major threat. However, it now appeared that it had all been a mere ruse. Lu Yiye was still alive and well! After hiding in the Heavenly Mystery Sect for two months, his mastery of formation arts had improved beyond imagination.

Many formation masters who specialized in array arts, upon hearing this news, vehemently declared it impossible. They argued that even a Spirit Stream Realm cultivator, no matter how talented, could not breach a defensive grand formation in mere dozens of breaths. Such a feat was unheard of, let alone witnessed. If defensive grand formations could be breached so easily, how could any sect ever find peace again? Yet, the facts were undeniable, leaving them no choice but to believe. The incident caused a huge uproar across Kyushu.

Within the Spirit Stream Battlefield, the cultivators of Crimson Blood Valley and Thunderlight Sect panicked. They had been on their way to reinforce the Pure Breeze Sect, expecting to arrive soon and launch a coordinated attack from within and without. To their shock, they suddenly received devastating news: The Pure Breeze Sect stronghold had been captured! The Pure Breeze Sect cultivators were almost entirely wiped out!

The cultivators leading the two sects initially thought someone was playing a trick on them. After several confirmations, they realized it was no joke. Their surging enthusiasm was instantly replaced by a chilling realization. There was no longer any need to reinforce the Pure Breeze Sect; they immediately turned around halfway and hastily retreated to their own sect's stronghold. With the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold captured, it would be their turn next, especially Crimson Blood Valley, which was closer to Pure Breeze Sect and clearly the next target for attack.

For a time, the Crimson Blood Valley's garrison envoy and deputy envoy were distraught, urgently requesting external aid. They also sent a message to the Thunderlight Sect, discussing whether the Thunderlight Sect could provide immediate assistance. The Thunderlight Sect's personnel were already available and on their way, so if they were willing to help, the chances of defending Crimson Blood Valley were high.

The Thunderlight Sect also understood the principle of "when the lips are gone, the teeth are cold" (mutual dependence). The leading deputy envoy was inclined to agree to Crimson Blood Valley's request for aid, but as a deputy envoy, he dared not make such a decision independently. He could only send a message back to his sect to request instructions from the elders. Soon, a reply came back: the high-ranking officials of the Thunderlight Sect agreed to Crimson Blood Valley's plea for aid. The leading garrison deputy envoy immediately directed his cultivators to change course and hasten towards the Crimson Blood Valley stronghold.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Mystery Sect and Azure Waves Mountain cultivators, having finished clearing the battlefield, had already set off for their next destination. On the Heavenly Mystery Sect's large ship, Lu Ye was busy with a group of formation masters on the deck. Speed was of the essence in warfare. Since they had captured the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold, the news would undoubtedly spread. Once Crimson Blood Valley was prepared, the next battle would not be so easy. Therefore, they had to reach the Crimson Blood Valley stronghold as quickly as possible to catch their opponents by surprise. Furthermore, if their predictions were correct, both Crimson Blood Valley and Thunderlight Sect would have had reinforcements en route. At this moment, these reinforcements were likely retreating. If their own speed was sufficient, they might still be able to intercept the enemy on the way.

These large ship-type spirit artifacts, capable of carrying hundreds of people, were purchased from the Heavenly Secret Treasury at a considerable cost. Their speed was decent but not exceptionally fast, certainly slower than individual cultivators' flying speeds. Even with the Heavenly Mystery Sect cultivators responsible for piloting the ship exerting their full effort to maximize its speed, there were ultimately limits. What Lu Ye was doing now was increasing the ship's speed.

As he and the group of formation masters worked, a formation soon took shape, enveloping the entire ship. This formation was not particularly complex; it was simply constructed with a large Wind-Attribute Spirit Pattern as its core and sixteen formation flags as its foundation. A Wind-Attribute Spirit Pattern could enhance oneself and Amber, and naturally, it could also be applied to flying spirit artifacts. However, the ship was too large for Lu Ye to empower it alone. But with the aid of a formation, it was different. The sixteen formation flags served to stabilize the Wind-Attribute Spirit Pattern Lu Ye had created onto the ship and also drew external spiritual power to replenish itself, preventing the spirit pattern from dissipating easily.

Numerous spirit stones were placed near the formation flags, their spiritual power flowing into the grand formation. As Lu Ye activated it, the newly arranged formation hummed and began to operate, complex patterns appearing and illuminating the entire deck.

The next moment, the Heavenly Mystery Sect's flying ship, which had been sailing alongside Azure Waves Mountain's ship, suddenly shot forward like an unbridled wild horse, instantly transforming into a tiny black speck.

On the Azure Waves Mountain's flying ship, Song Yin was tallying his cultivators' casualties when he noticed something amiss. He turned to look, his face blank with surprise, and quickly sent a message to Zhao Li to inquire about the situation. On the Heavenly Mystery Sect's flying ship, hundreds of cultivators were caught off guard by the sudden acceleration of the large ship. They stumbled and swayed, barely managing to regain their balance.

Lu Ye quickly adjusted the formation. He had set up many formations while passing through the layers of trials in the Hundred Formations Tower, but this was his first time deploying a speed-enhancing formation, so he naturally lacked some experience. If not adjusted, the formation would collapse from overload within half an hour.

Gradually, the ship's speed decreased significantly, but the formation's operation became stable. Even at this reduced speed, the ship was still more than twice as fast as its previous full-speed voyage.

Zhao Li sent a few messages back to Song Yin, explaining what had just happened, and then instructed his disciples to keep watch in all directions.

An hour later, a cultivator reported that a large ship had appeared in the front-side direction. Judging by its heading, it was clearly bound for the Crimson Blood Valley stronghold. Zhao Li's spirits lifted. He knew his previous conjecture was correct: when they were preparing to attack the Pure Breeze Sect, Crimson Blood Valley had indeed sent reinforcements. However, their own efficiency was too high; the enemy's support hadn't arrived, and the Pure Breeze Sect stronghold was already captured. This meant the reinforcements had to retreat, and their rapid pursuit was precisely to intercept them, wasn't it?

"Ram them!" Zhao Li issued the order on the deck.