Chapter 855: Flood Disaster

The Sect Master was speechless, but he knew that Lady Yun wasn't just speaking in anger; she was truly capable of acting on her words. Protecting one's own was not exclusive to the Crimson Blood Sect. Decades ago, Yun Xuechu's reputation was known throughout the entire Nine Provinces. Countless top sects had tried to recruit her, but she had rejected them all. Although she no longer belonged to any sect, her accumulated connections over the years were unimaginable. If she became enraged, even Pang Zhen would have to reconsider.

"Once the Dragon Seat is repaired, you'll go to Haotian City," Lady Yun declared. "Since you're a member of the Elder Council, go and play your insignificant part!"

"Understood," the Sect Master nodded. He disliked power struggles and had no desire to engage in overt or covert conflicts with others. However, with the Crimson Blood Sect's current development, it had become a strong trend for its disciples to join the Bingzhou Guard. Today there was only Lu Ye, but there would be more in the future. With him looking out for them on the Elder Council, it wouldn't grant them special privileges, but it would at least ensure they weren't bullied. Even if Lady Yun hadn't mentioned it, the Sect Master had already been considering this. Now that Shui Yuan had advanced to the Divine Sea Realm, she was capable of shouldering the main responsibilities of the Crimson Blood Sect, allowing him to leave with peace of mind.

Although he had traveled far and wide across the Spirit Stream Battlefield and Cloud River Battlefield, experiencing many hardships and wonders, this departure from the Crimson Blood Sect for Haotian City still gave Lu Ye an unusual feeling, like leaving home for the first time. There was some anticipation, some excitement, and also a touch of reluctance. His spirit boat soared through the sky, allowing him to take in the beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers below.

At his current speed, traveling to Haotian City would take just over two days. If he activated his Flying Wings and Windwalk, disregarding the spiritual energy consumption, he would arrive even faster. With a detailed map guiding his direction, he wouldn't get lost. He traveled onward, gradually moving away from Ao Mountain.

A little less than half a day later, as Lu Ye was sitting comfortably on his spirit boat, shouts of alarm suddenly drifted up from below, interspersed with cries of panic and wailing.

"Lu Ye, it looks like there's a flood down there!" Yi Yi, who was piloting the spirit boat, exclaimed.

Lu Ye quickly stood up and looked down. He saw widespread flooding across the land; a small village was completely submerged. Most houses had collapsed under the torrent, and only the ridges of the few sturdier ones remained visible above the water. In the distance, several figures could be seen standing on rooftops, vulnerable and helpless. Cries for help, the wails of children, and waves of sorrow filled the air.

"Save them!" Lu Ye quickly retracted his spirit boat and plunged downwards. In the Spirit Stream Battlefield and Cloud River Battlefield, he had encountered almost exclusively cultivators. However, the Nine Provinces were still home to a vast population of mortals. It was these short-lived, often sick, and disaster-prone mortals who formed the foundation from which cultivators emerged. If cultivators faced such a flood, they could easily escape, but for mortals, such a natural disaster was completely unstoppable!

Ordinarily, mortal settlements fell under the protection of whichever sect governed their territory. Within the Crimson Blood Sect's sphere of influence, there were indeed many mortals living, even numerous cities. They survived under the sect's wing, receiving its protection. However, in the past, the Crimson Blood Sect had fallen into decline, and there weren't enough personnel to patrol the territory and help mortals resist disasters. Consequently, over the past few decades, many mortals had migrated away from the Crimson Blood Sect's territory. This was also why the Sect Master enjoyed attending other sects' disciple recruitment ceremonies to poach people. With a sparse population in their own territory, naturally there weren't many with cultivation aptitude.

Lu Ye didn't know which sect this area belonged to, but with the sudden flood, it would take time for that sect's cultivators to arrive. Since he had encountered it, he naturally couldn't stand by.

"Nine-Formation Diagram!" Lu Ye called out. Yi Yi quickly retrieved the Nine-Formation Diagram and tossed it to him. Lu Ye grabbed it and held it in his hand. The village didn't have a huge population, but there were dozens of households, all now caught in the flood, their lives beyond their control. For just him and Yi Yi to try and rescue everyone would be too unrealistic; they had to rely on the power of the Nine-Formation Diagram. This artifact could gather and contain people, making it perfectly suited for this situation. The only cost was the spiritual energy continuously consumed to maintain the Nine-Formation Diagram's activation.

"Mom! Dad!" a child of about ten years old cried out from the crown of a large tree, but there was no sign of his parents. It was fortunate he had practiced climbing trees, otherwise he would have been swept away by the flood by now. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind sounded overhead. The child looked up and saw a person descending from high above, followed immediately by an object that enveloped him. His vision went black, and when he regained his senses, he was in a rocky forest. The child was helpless and terrified. Though he didn't know exactly what had happened, he understood he had been saved by a cultivator. But... where was this place?

Just as he stood bewildered and helpless, a figure suddenly appeared beside him—a white-haired old man, who seemed to have been in the water for some time, shivering from the cold. Seeing the old man, the child quickly ran over: "Grandpa Chen!"

"Erniu!" the old man coughed lightly.

"Grandpa Chen, have you seen my mom and dad? Where is this place?"

"Your mom and dad... don't worry. The cultivators from Clear Spring Sect have come to rescue us. This is a safe place," the old man, surnamed Chen, reassured the child. He didn't know where this place was either, and mistakenly assumed Lu Ye was a cultivator from Clear Spring Sect. Since it was a technique performed by a cultivator, ordinary mortals naturally wouldn't understand it.

More and more people appeared in the rocky forest. Suddenly, Erniu cried out in joyful surprise: "Dad, Mom!" He rushed towards them, having found his separated parents. The couple had just escaped danger and, seeing their child, cried tears of joy, hugging him tightly, afraid to lose him again.

Lu Ye moved back and forth, collecting struggling people from the water into the Nine-Formation Diagram. Yi Yi and Amber were also helping, continuously rescuing villagers from the surroundings and bringing them to Lu Ye. However, relatively speaking, those rescued by Amber were undoubtedly greatly terrified. Amber would open its huge mouth, biting onto their clothes. Such fright was not something ordinary people could endure. Of those Amber rescued, more than half fainted from shock, and those who didn't were punching and kicking it, much to Amber's vexation.

In a mere few dozen breaths, Lu Ye had rescued all the villagers he could see. As for those he couldn't see, their fate was likely grim. Just then, several streaks of light rapidly approached from a distance. The leader called out loudly, "Which fellow Daoist has extended a helping hand? The Clear Spring Sect is immensely grateful!" This area was Clear Spring Sect territory, and they were also cultivators from that sect. They had been patrolling the nearby region when they learned of the sudden flood. They immediately sent word to their sect and rushed over, spotting Lu Ye's rescue efforts from afar.

As he spoke, the figures swept forward, arriving before Lu Ye. The leader possessed a Cloud River Realm cultivation, while the others were all Spirit Stream Realm cultivators. Upon getting closer and clearly seeing Lu Ye's face, the leader was startled: "You are... Fellow Daoist Lu Yiye of the Crimson Blood Sect?" He had clearly paid special attention to Lu Ye, likely having seen his image before, which allowed him to recognize Lu Ye's identity at a glance.

Lu Ye nodded, holding the Nine-Formation Diagram and continuously channeling spiritual energy into it. He had no mind for pleasantries. His gaze swept into the distance, where a city came into view dozens of miles away. Alarmingly, that city was directly in the path of the advancing floodwaters, which were now less than ten miles away! Mortals naturally couldn't see as far as cultivators. The many mortals in the city were living peacefully, completely unaware that a disaster was about to strike. The city wasn't large, but at least tens of thousands of people resided there. Lu Ye, by himself, could rescue the survivors of this village, but he could absolutely not save an entire city.

The arriving Clear Spring Sect cultivators clearly saw this scene as well, and the leader's expression changed: "Oh no!" Under such a natural disaster, even a Cloud River Realm cultivator seemed powerless. Although they had already sent word to their sect, it would still take time for reinforcements to arrive.

"Please, hurry to that small city to warn and evacuate the people. I'll go check the source," Lu Ye said, handing the Nine-Formation Diagram to Yi Yi. A pair of fiery red wings suddenly unfolded on his back, and boosted by Windwalk, he transformed into a streak of flaming light, shooting towards the direction from which the flood originated. In the current situation, the only way to save the people in that city was to solve the problem at its source; otherwise, the entire city would be submerged.

Watching Lu Ye's departure, the leading Clear Spring Sect disciple snapped back to reality. While continuing to transmit messages to his sect to report the situation, he led his junior brothers and sisters toward the small city. Moments later, the previously peaceful and quiet city was thrown into chaos.

Meanwhile, on a high ground, Yi Yi, holding the Nine-Formation Diagram, arrived and released all the people previously stored within the artifact. She instructed them, "Don't run around; stay here. People from Clear Spring Sect will come to settle you soon." Having said that, she climbed onto Amber and galloped rapidly in Lu Ye's direction.

Among the still-shaken crowd, two men watched Yi Yi's departing direction with complex expressions.

"Big Brother, was that person... Lu Ye?" one of them asked softly.

The other remained silent.

"It's only been a few years, and he's already so formidable," the first speaker sighed with emotion. He recalled how, back in Xieyue Valley, when they were all mining slaves, he and his brother had quite a few run-ins with Lu Ye and were severely taught lessons by him on several occasions. Who could have imagined that in just a few short years, Lu Ye, having embarked on the path of cultivation, would become so powerful, while they, due to their insufficient aptitude, hadn't been able to join any sect and were settled here by the Haotian Alliance, destined for a lifetime of mediocrity.

"Everyone has their own destiny, why dwell on it so much!" While a few years wouldn't completely erase a person's sharp edges, both brothers had come to accept the reality of their limited cultivation aptitude. It was just that seeing Lu Ye so suddenly today had caused a stir in their hearts, leaving them with some feelings.

"Yes, everyone has their own destiny," the man echoed. He recalled that when Lu Ye saved them, he didn't seem to recognize them at all, likely having forgotten them long ago. After all, since they had embarked on the path of cultivation, their destinies were bound to diverge.