Chapter 1680: Rear Chaos

On an island a thousand li in radius, inside the Tianlan Hall, Lei Yunbin and eight other Soul Transformation cultivators were discussing the war, their faces beaming with smiles.

"Today's battle truly made all the Soul Transformation cultivators of the East-Hedge Realm experience our might. Senior Martial Brother Lei, your contributions were indispensable," Long Xiaoyao said with a smile. "If fighting individually, we might not be a match for the East-Hedge Realm's Soul Transformation cultivators. However, each of us possessed a spirit treasure, and using battle formations against our enemies caused the East-Hedge Realm to suffer a significant loss."

"It's not my achievement alone; it's everyone's contribution," Lei Yunbin said, brimming with confidence. "From now on, we just need to engage in more battles with the East-Hedge Realm's Soul Transformation cultivators and injure more of them. They will surrender sooner or later."

"Senior Martial Brother Lei," Li Shuo said, frowning with doubt, "I don't think the East-Hedge Realm will submit to our Sky-Ocean Realm so easily. They have always been divided, each governing their own affairs. Even if Sun Tianhu is willing to submit to us, other Soul Transformation cultivators might not be. Furthermore, I believe Sun Tianhu is deliberately stalling for time, perhaps waiting for the outbreak of the Spirit-Depleting Qi."

The Buried Immortal Sea has a natural magnetic field, similar to the Myriad Lightning Sea in the Sky-Ocean Realm. The difference is that the Myriad Lightning Sea has no Spirit-Depleting Qi, while the Buried Immortal Sea does.

Bear in mind that the spatial passage connecting the East-Hedge Realm and the Sky-Ocean Realm is located in the Buried Immortal Sea. Their battle lines cannot be stretched too thin, otherwise they won't be able to protect the entrance. If they continuously station troops in the Buried Immortal Sea, and the Spirit-Depleting Qi breaks out, they will face significant trouble.

Lei Yunbin smiled faintly and looked towards Long Xiaoyao, saying, "Senior Martial Brother Long, please explain it to them, so that Junior Martial Brother Li and the others can set their minds at ease."

How could they not have considered the existence of Spirit-Depleting Qi? They had already prepared countermeasures.

"I led a team to patrol more than half of the Buried Immortal Sea and eliminated all the demonic beasts on the seabed," Long Xiaoyao said with a proud smile. "We have stockpiled large quantities of provisions and also built cities. If the Spirit-Depleting Qi breaks out, our fellow disciples trapped in the Buried Immortal Sea can live in the cities for hundreds of years."

They had been in the East-Hedge Realm for over a decade. Besides battling cultivators from the East-Hedge Realm, they had also been mining the Buried Immortal Sea's resources and formulating strategies to deal with the Spirit-Depleting Qi.

After the Spirit-Depleting Qi breaks out, cultivators trapped in the Buried Immortal Sea will lose their spiritual power, become mortals, and be unable to abstain from food. In addition to that, many demonic beasts still live in the Buried Immortal Sea; these beasts are the culprits that cause cultivators to perish.

As long as the issues of provisions and demonic beasts are resolved, the Spirit-Depleting Qi isn't that terrifying. Of course, if the Spirit-Depleting Qi persists for hundreds of years, then their luck would be bad, and there would be nothing they could do about it.

There are some places in the Buried Immortal Sea that even Long Xiaoyao cannot reach, as the magnetic force is too strong for him to withstand.

While the Sky-Ocean Realm has made contingency plans, they can only try to minimize losses as much as possible; how much loss can be reduced, no one knows. They believed that by using battle formations and injuring many Soul Transformation cultivators, the East-Hedge Realm's surrender was only a matter of time. After all, if they couldn't win, why not cooperate and invade other realms together?

They held fast to the Buried Immortal Sea for two reasons: firstly, the spatial passage was located there; secondly, the Buried Immortal Sea contained abundant rare ores. Some of these ores could be used to refine defensive spirit treasures, though mining was arduous due to the magnetic force. Additionally, certain special ores could also be used for setting up formations.

Otherwise, they would not have dispatched heavy troops to guard the Buried Immortal Sea.

"By now, Fellow Daoist Yan and his group should have reached their destination and likely succeeded," Lei Yunbin said gravely, his face filled with murderous intent. "Most of the East-Hedge Realm's Soul Transformation cultivators are at the front lines, so they should not encounter any trouble."

"All right, everyone, go back and rest first," Lei Yunbin concluded. "After Fellow Daoist Yan and his group succeed, the East-Hedge Realm will surely retaliate, and then it will be another fierce battle."

"Yes, Senior Martial Brother Lei," the cultivators replied in unison, then left one after another.

Fire Raven Island, the Shen family's stronghold, was heavily guarded in the past, making it very difficult for outsiders to enter.

Now, Fire Raven Island was in ruins, with numerous bodies scattered on the ground and flames soaring into the sky.

Yan Que held the Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure, the Sky-Burning Axe, his gaze cold. He was covered in blood in many places, his face smudged with dirt, looking somewhat disheveled.

"I narrowly avoided a major setback," Yan Que muttered to himself. He had stormed into the Shen family, successfully eliminating over a thousand Shen family cultivators. Just as he was looting the Shen family's treasury, he triggered a fifth-rank formation and suffered a significant loss. Fortunately, he had a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure; otherwise, his vitality would have been severely damaged.

The Shen family, one of the Ten Great Immortal Cultivation Families of the South Sea, was already in decline. Having long anticipated this day, they had already relocated their family treasury and dispersed their clansmen, hoping to make a comeback.

Yan Que's life was not in danger; however, all the junior cultivators who had come with him were dead.

Yan Que dared not linger, transforming into a red streak of light and returning the way he came.

Divine Condor Island, located in the northwestern part of the South Sea Cultivation World, was the stronghold of the Dugu family.

The Dugu family was one of the Ten Great Immortal Cultivation Families of the South Sea, possessing profound heritage. Although the Dugu family was not as strong as before, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse; their influence in the South Sea was still immense.

Zhao Lei floated high in the sky, his expression indifferent, as the area below was empty.

After the Dugu family was attacked, they used their protective family formation to block Zhao Lei's attacks, gaining time to submerge Divine Condor Island into the seabed. Zhao Lei searched millions of li of sea but could not find Divine Condor Island.

"What bad luck," Zhao Lei muttered, "I'd better go back first."

Zhao Lei pondered for a moment and returned the way he came.

Long Hanji and her group had been ambushed during their last attack on the Dongfang family, and he certainly didn't want to follow in her footsteps.

On Myriad Flame Island, a burly man in green robes stood atop a steep peak, his expression cold.

Bodies lay strewn across the island, and flames soared into the sky.

He had eliminated over a thousand cultivators, though the number of Nascent Soul cultivators was not large. In the Myriad Flame Palace's treasury, he hadn't found many valuable items.

He had effectively destroyed the Myriad Flame Palace; however, many of its disciples were still scattered outside. Unless all high-ranking Myriad Flame Palace cultivators were dead, its reconstruction in the future would only be a matter of time.

The man in green robes flipped his hand and took out a green feather fan, green light continuously swirling on its surface.

He gently fanned the green feather fan, and a large swath of green flames swept out.

A resounding boom!

With a deafening roar, flames soared into the sky over Myriad Flame Island.

The man in green robes transformed into a streak of light, flew towards the sky, and quickly disappeared from sight.

The Shen family, Dugu family, and Myriad Flame Palace were successively attacked by Soul Transformation cultivators. After the news spread, panic gripped the populace. Various major forces, without prior agreement, dispersed their troops to prevent being wiped out in one swoop by the Soul Transformation cultivators, causing great chaos in the South Sea's rear.

Upon receiving the news, the Ten Great Sects of the South Sea immediately dispatched personnel to appease the rear, but with little effect.