Chapter 825: Small Team Gathering

An hour later, an order from the Palace Master spread throughout the Ziwei Dao Palace.

Ten days later, the Dao Palace would launch an all-out assault on the Hun Tian Holy Temple. Inside and outside the secret realm, all cultivators affiliated with the Dao Palace, regardless of their cultivation level, gender, or age, were commanded to participate, or face expulsion from the Dao Palace.

Under the Palace Master's order, the entire Dao Palace quickly erupted into an uproar.

Initially, many were bewildered and confused because the Palace Master's order was issued too suddenly, without any prior warning. Moreover, such a major command had only been given a handful of times in the history of the Ziwei Dao Palace. The first two instances occurred not long after the Great Cataclysm, nearly a thousand years ago. Even the most recent, the third time, was several centuries ago.

In recent centuries, the Dao Palace had not undertaken any major campaigns. Its current foundation was naturally far inferior to what it once was; the previous three attempts had failed with heavy losses. What resources could they possibly have left to attack the Hun Tian Holy Temple this time? Yet, despite the bewilderment and confusion, when the Palace Master's order circulated, most Dao Palace cultivators couldn't help but feel excitement and anticipation.

As Elder Xiao had previously stated, Dao Palace cultivators were not afraid of death; they only feared dying without purpose. For so many years, they had been fighting against the Corpse Race, with countless ancestors falling in succession. The conflict between the Dao Palace and the Corpse Race had long reached a point of 'you or me.'

Regardless of the Palace Master's reasons for issuing this order, the deep-seated blood feud accumulated over generations with the Corpse Race ensured that they could only, and would only, obey.

Soon, another piece of exciting news spread.

The Dao Palace had found a medical cultivator capable of neutralizing the primal corpse poison...

Boosting morale before a major battle was a common tactic in warfare. For the cultivators of the Peerless Continent, no news could be more encouraging, especially for the Ziwei Dao Palace, which had the highest casualty rate among the three major human secret realms.

Over the years, countless Dao Palace cultivators had taken their own lives after being afflicted by the primal corpse poison. The Dao Palace had also tried various methods to find a cure, but always in vain. Until now!

Therefore, when the news broke, the excitement of all Dao Palace cultivators intensified. With this, they would have fewer worries when fighting the Corpse Race, allowing them to act freely and unleash their full strength.

Astute Dao Palace cultivators also noticed something else.

Recently, the Dao Palace had acquired a batch of high-quality, well-crafted spiritual artifacts. Almost every Dao Palace cultivator had received at least one. As a result, while the overall strength of the Dao Palace might not have increased dramatically, a ten percent improvement was certainly noticeable.

These spiritual artifacts were naturally provided by Lu Ye. As the saying goes, if you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass.

The artifact refining standard on the Peerless Continent was not high. After all, with limitations on cultivation levels, how many good spiritual artifacts could be refined? Kyushu was different; the quality of the spiritual artifacts in the Heavenly Secret Treasury was incomparable to anything found on the Peerless Continent.

Lu Ye had a vast stock of artifacts, so providing a batch to the Dao Palace was no problem at all.

When they saw the immense collection of spiritual artifacts, not only was Pang Huanyin dumbfounded, but even the others who had come from Kyushu with Lu Ye couldn't help but twitch their eyelids.

Pang Huanyin didn't fully grasp what such a vast and varied collection of spiritual artifacts represented, but how could Lu Qing and the others not? Each one of those artifacts represented the life of a Myriad Demon Ridge cultivator! Beneath that mountain of artifacts flowed an invisible river of blood. "This Lu Yiye... he truly is a butcher!"

And when Pang Huanyin took these artifacts back and handed them to Elder Xiao, all doubts in Elder Xiao's heart were completely dispelled. Earlier, when he heard Pang Huanyin say that Lu Ye claimed to be from a realm called Kyushu, he hadn't quite dared to believe it because such a fact was simply too inconceivable. But if he wasn't from Kyushu, where else could so many excellent spiritual artifacts come from? The other two secret realms certainly wouldn't possess such abundant resources!

The entire Dao Palace was preparing for war, a storm brewing.

Hua Ci was busy refining spiritual elixirs, with many of the Dao Palace's alchemists being dispatched to assist her. Although she possessed the ability to neutralize the primal corpse poison, once the battle began, the situation would undoubtedly be chaotic. As a medical cultivator, she didn't have much prowess in direct combat and couldn't possibly join the army on the front lines. She needed to remain in the rear with the Dao Palace's other medical cultivators, awaiting injured soldiers to treat. This naturally meant she couldn't immediately neutralize the primal corpse poison on the battlefield. Therefore, she had to refine a spiritual elixir capable of temporarily suppressing the onset of the primal corpse poison, at least enough to allow those afflicted to return for treatment.

Lu Ye and Ying Wuji were also busy. To prepare for this war, the Dao Palace had brought forth all its accumulated resources. Even the three Soaring Dragon Boats, left behind by their ancestors, had been taken out of storage. Soaring Dragon Boats were similar to Kyushu's Flying Dragon Ships, both being formidable tools for siege warfare. With the current artifact refining standards on the Peerless Continent, such large-scale spiritual artifacts could no longer be produced. These three boats were ancient relics, preserved by the Dao Palace as treasured artifacts. Lu Ye and Ying Wuji, both skilled in formation cultivation, led a group of Dao Palace formation masters to inspect the various formations on the Soaring Dragon Boats, either repairing or re-arranging them. They also installed numerous deadly weapons on the boats, making the three Soaring Dragon Boats look formidable.

As for Lan Ziyi and the others, they temporarily acted as instructors. A group of Dao Palace cultivators, according to their respective factions, followed them to practice combat techniques. Although time was pressing, and there might not be significant results, every little bit learned could potentially save a life on the battlefield.

Everyone was busy, preparing diligently for the upcoming battle.

Time passed, and the deadline for the decisive battle against the Corpse Race finally arrived!

In front of the portal to the Dao Discourse Secret Realm, cultivators gathered. Their numbers weren't overwhelming, but certainly not few, totaling around ten thousand.

Pang Huanyin stood in the void, her voice steady as she recounted the various deeds of their ancestors. There was no excessive passion or stirring rhetoric. But when her voice faded, a deafening chorus of shouts echoed through the heavens, shaking the earth. "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!"

The aura of the Dao Palace cultivators seemed to coalesce into one in that instant, causing the very winds and clouds to change color. Such a convergence of hearts demonstrated the overall cohesion of the Dao Palace, and even more so, Pang Huanyin's standing in the hearts of its cultivators.

Pang Huanyin smiled, satisfaction in her eyes, and softly declared, "Then follow your Palace Master, and let us... fight to the death against the Corpse Race!"

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"

Pang Huanyin turned and looked at Lu Ye and the others waiting at the portal, admonishing them gravely, "Be careful!"

Lu Ye nodded, "Take good care of my junior sister!" Hua Ci could not accompany them on this expedition, so Elder Xiao was tasked with keeping her safe and overseeing her activities.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her, even if it costs me my life!" Elder Xiao shouted. "Open the portal!" As the duty cultivators performed their tasks, the portal quickly opened. Lu Ye turned and was the first to step through, with Lu Qing and the others following closely behind.

With a single step, his vision shifted, and he found himself in a wilderness. When he looked back, the open portal had already closed and vanished without a trace.

Without needing any orders from him, Ying Wuji concealed his presence, and the others quickly stood guard in all directions.

Lu Ye looked up at the sun, briefly ascertained their direction, and led the few people behind him to dash in one direction. Not long after, they descended.

From a nearby concealed spot, four figures emerged one after another. The two leading them were none other than the brothers Fengyun Qianli and Fengyun Wanli, who had originally guided Lu Ye and Ying Wuji into the Ziwei Dao Palace. Close behind them, the other two were both burly figures who, when they walked, seemed like two iron towers leaning towards them.

Both were dressed in simple linen clothes, their thick arms, legs, and even chests exposed, revealing bulging muscles that exuded a sense of explosive power. "Brothers Fengyun, greetings, fellow Daoists," Fengyun Qianli said, stepping forward with clasped fists.

"You've gone to a lot of trouble," Lu Ye nodded slightly, then looked up at the two behind them. Yang Yuan and Ju Jia!

Even before heading to Mount Sumeru, Lu Ye had made two requests to Pang Huanyin, one of which was to help him find his lost junior brothers and sisters. Pang Huanyin naturally agreed and had been keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the others during this time. Finally, three days ago, Yang Yuan and Ju Jia were found and had been waiting there specifically for today's reunion.

Speaking of which, Yang Yuan and Ju Jia actually hadn't intended to deliberately hide their whereabouts; they hadn't even considered it. It was simply that the Dao Palace had few scattered personnel outside, making them difficult to locate. The two had been together since arriving on the Peerless Continent, and both being body cultivators, they clearly shared some common ground.

Originally, Yang Yuan had somewhat looked down on Ju Jia, as Ju Jia's cultivation was a level lower. However, after spending these past few days together, Ju Jia's abilities had earned his respect. During this period, the two had engaged in various battles and killings, slaying Corpse Race members wherever they found them, and countless Corpse Race members had fallen at their hands. They had also encountered many human strongholds hidden in the shadows, struggling for survival, but both had refused their overtures. If the Fengyun brothers hadn't found them in time, they would have even planned to storm the Hun Tian Holy Temple and challenge the Golden Corpse King, Shi Sha, to a decisive battle!

This was also why the Fengyun brothers had brought the two here to wait; this location was not far from the Hun Tian Holy Temple Secret Realm.

When Lu Ye learned this news from Pang Huanyin that day, he remained silent for a long time, only able to sigh that body cultivators truly were simple-minded. Although the jokes among Kyushu cultivators were meant as teasing, it now seemed they were not without basis. The simple-mindedness of body cultivators and the stubbornness of soldier cultivators had long become ingrained perceptions.

After appearing, Yang Yuan bowed to the Myriad Demon Ridge group, while Ju Jia merely nodded slightly, maintaining a cold, unapproachable demeanor. "No need to pretend anymore, they probably already know," Lu Ye said, casually glancing at Ying Wuji.

Previously, he had kept his relationship with Hua Ci and Ju Jia a secret, fearing that the Myriad Demon Ridge group might not be fully aligned with him and might target the two. However, in the current situation, everyone had no choice but to cooperate sincerely, so there was no longer any need for concealment.

Upon hearing this, Ju Jia immediately flashed a simple grin at Lu Ye, his molars almost showing.