Chapter 2372: Sounding the Retreat

Deep within a verdant mountain range stretching for hundreds of millions of miles, Huang Yilong and Li Yan stood high in the sky. Their faces were slightly pale, and their expressions grim. Around them, an area spanning tens of thousands of miles had been razed, with flames soaring into the sky.

"She escaped," Huang Yilong said, frowning. "The Nine Flame Spirit-Splitting Technique truly lives up to its reputation. It is an escape art mastered by the Essence Fire Tribe, and only their elites can grasp this secret technique. It is said to have originated from a page of the Heavenly Void Jade Tome obtained by the Essence Fire Tribe."

Li Yan nodded, saying, "Using the Nine Flame Spirit-Splitting Technique drains a lot of vital energy; otherwise, she would have used it much earlier. After this battle, even with healing elixirs, it will likely take her two or three millennia to fully recover."

"Let's go!" Li Yan declared, waving his large sleeve. "We need to go back and help Fellow Daoist Feng. Let's finish off Bai Xuan and make sure he doesn't escape." He flew off along their previous path, with Huang Yilong following closely behind.

Above a vast, boundless grassland, an area tens of thousands of miles wide had been reduced to a wasteland. Numerous giant craters, still spewing flames, and countless ice shards were visible. Feng Xiaoyao stood high above, his face slightly pale. Bai Xuan was nowhere to be found.

Two streaks of light flew in from a distance. Soon, they stopped, revealing the figures of Huang Yilong and Li Yan.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, where is Bai Xuan?" Huang Yilong asked, scanning the ground curiously.

"I wounded him, but he used a secret technique to escape," Feng Xiaoyao replied. "How about you two? Did you kill Yan Ji?"

"No," Huang Yilong answered. "Yan Ji escaped using the Nine Flame Spirit-Splitting Technique. She fled while severely injured by employing this secret art, suffering a major depletion of vital energy. Without sacred healing elixirs, it will take her several millennia to recover."

"She escaped?" Feng Xiaoyao said. "Never mind, let's head back. Defending Xuanguang City is the most important thing." He transformed into a streak of red light and darted away, with Huang Yilong and Li Yan swiftly following him.

In a dense black forest, numerous towering trees were snapped in half, and many massive craters were clearly visible. Wang Qingshan, Lan Fukun, and Wang Dafei stood high above, their faces slightly pale, indicating significant mana depletion. Wang Dafei bore several gruesome blood marks on his body. The ground was littered with numerous white skeletons, a somewhat chilling sight.

"We finally got rid of it," Lan Fukun said, his face filled with pride. "The Bone Tribe is truly difficult to deal with. Thanks to Fellow Daoist Wang, whose sword shattered the Bone Tribe's defenses. And Fellow Daoist Wang's spirit flame is immune to the Bone Tribe's ghost fire; it was truly an eye-opener for me." He shifted his gaze to Wang Dafei and added with a smile, "Of course, Fellow Daoist Wang, your divine abilities are also considerable. You shattered the Spiritual Race's physical body with a single punch. I estimate even Orcs in the late Void Refinement stage wouldn't withstand many of your blows."

Wang Qingshan and Wang Dafei exchanged smiles. Lan Fukun truly lived up to his nickname, 'The Exaggerating Monarch,' always ready to lavish praise at the slightest opportunity. Flattery never fails, and unless there was deep-seated animosity, few people disliked Lan Fukun.

A loud horn blast echoed, reverberating across an area of a million miles.

"The troops are retreating!" Lan Fukun exclaimed, overjoyed. "It seems the foreign tribes have been defeated." He wished the battle would end immediately so he could return to his clan to recuperate.

Wang Qingshan nodded, collected the corpses of the foreign tribesmen, and the three of them departed.

A short while later, they appeared on a vast grassland where tens of thousands of cultivators had gathered. They gathered in small groups, chatting or trading items, creating a lively scene. Wang Qingshan's gaze quickly swept over the cultivators. After a moment, he found Wang Lihe and the others. Wang Qingshan immediately flew over. Wang Lihe and the others were injured, but their wounds were not severe.

"Lihe, where are Lihai and Qingfeng?" Wang Qingshan asked, his brow furrowed and his heart heavy.

"Lihai's physical body was destroyed by the Essence Fire Tribe," Wang Lihe honestly replied. "As for the Patriarchs, they went to pursue the foreign tribesmen, and we don't know where they are." At first, they could still see other clan members, but then they became scattered, fighting independently.

Wang Qingshan's brows furrowed tightly. He had instructed Wang Qingfeng not to stray too far, and if something happened to Wang Qingfeng, Wang Qingshan truly wouldn't know how to explain it to Wang Changsheng.

"The Patriarchs are back, but Liangpu is missing!" Wang Lijiao suddenly exclaimed.

Wang Qingshan looked in the direction Wang Lijiao pointed and saw Wang Qingfeng and Dong Xueli flying back, their expressions filled with grief.

"What happened? Where is Liangpu?" Wang Qingshan pressed, a bad feeling rising in his heart, as the Wang family had already lost one Soul Transformation cultivator.

"He was killed by a foreign tribe member," Wang Qingfeng said, his voice heavy and his eyes full of murderous intent. "It's all Deng Tianqi's fault. He lured three Soul Transformation stage foreign tribesmen here and then left." If other Soul Transformation cultivators hadn't arrived, he would have definitely killed Deng Tianqi.

Wang Qingshan asked about the incident, and Wang Qingfeng recounted it truthfully. Each side had its own justifiable arguments, making it truly difficult to judge. At the time, everyone was pursuing the foreign tribesmen, and it was reasonable for Deng Tianqi to go assist his own kin.

"Alright," Wang Qingshan commanded. "All of you stay here and don't wander off." Two Soul Transformation cultivators had died, and one's physical body was destroyed. A significant portion of Nascent Soul cultivators suffered casualties, and this was even with the benefit of bringing many puppet beasts. Other factions had suffered even greater losses.

A large number of cultivators gradually returned, gathering on this grassland.

A day later, most of the cultivators had returned. Liu Yilong led the main force back to Xuanguang City and sent people to search for those who had not yet returned.

Wang Qingshan found Li Yan to report the situation and briefly mentioned how Deng Tianqi had harmed Wang Qingfeng.

Li Yan frowned. "The Deng family?" he said. "I understand. I will deal with it. You performed well, having slain several foreign tribesmen in the Void Refinement stage." Both for public good and personal reasons, he would step in to handle Deng Tianqi. While Deng Tianqi's actions didn't warrant death, severe punishment was necessary. The Zhenhai Palace had its internal factional disputes, as did other major sects or cultivation families. This was not unusual; however, they always presented a united front against external threats. Deng Tianqi's treatment of Wang Qingfeng showed a blatant disregard for the Zhenhai Palace.

"Senior Li, you flatter me," Wang Qingshan said humbly. "It was thanks to Fellow Daoist Wang and Fellow Daoist Lan's assistance." He then recalled something and asked, "Senior Li, do you know the situation on the home front? Regarding Qinglian Island?"

"I don't know much either," Li Yan replied. "Only that your clan uncle killed four powerful enemies in the Void Refinement stage. You don't need to worry too much. The sect leader will send people to support your Wang family. After all, the Wang family is a cultivation family supported by our Zhenhai Palace." Li Yan offered comfort. He also didn't believe Wang Changsheng could defeat four Void Refinement cultivators by himself. His first thought was that the Ascension faction had helped and given the credit to Wang Changsheng. The local faction had done similar things in the past, and as an executor, Li Yan naturally understood the intricacies involved.

"You should go back and rest first!" Li Yan instructed. "Report your losses and achievements, and I will request commendations for you. When we return to the main hall, there will be rewards based on merit."

"Yes, Senior Li," Wang Qingshan acknowledged. He agreed and departed, having received his orders.