Chapter 2893: Setting an Example

Gongsun Yang frowned. Logically, Wang Changsheng could have captured Bu Guang's soul, but instead, he directly destroyed it.

Gongsun Yang didn't dwell on it. Wang Changsheng had shown him kindness, and he wouldn't let an outsider affect their relationship.

"Fellow Daoist Gongsun, I'm so grateful you arrived; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable," Wang Changsheng said gratefully.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you're too kind. Even without me, it wouldn't have been a problem for you to defeat this person with your strength," Gongsun Yang replied humbly. He spoke the truth; Bu Guang was clearly not Wang Changsheng's match and only managed to evade him with his excellent concealment techniques.

"Fairy Yang and Fairy Lin came to support us, but they were trapped by this person's magic treasure as soon as they arrived. If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Gongsun, he would have surely escaped. Your contribution to eliminating him is significant," Wang Changsheng said earnestly.

He knew Gongsun Yang had noticed something. He had to give Gongsun Yang a substantial share of the credit: firstly, to keep him quiet and prevent him from speaking carelessly; secondly, to avoid attracting too much jealousy from others due to excessive credit; and thirdly, to lower his own profile. With so many human strongholds, the Sable tribe chose to attack the Qianlei Mountain Range, where Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan were stationed, sending three Mid-Integration cultivators—a clear indication they were specifically targeting Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. This meant that their previous defeat of two Integration cultivators had drawn the enemy's attention.

Gongsun Yang was slightly taken aback. He understood Wang Changsheng's intention: Wang Changsheng wanted to share this major credit with him. He realized that Wang Changsheng likely wanted to conceal his true strength, or perhaps to win him over. Gongsun Yang did not refuse, stating gravely, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Wang, without you, I wouldn't have been able to kill this person either."

With Bu Guang's death, his magic treasure lost control. Wang Ruyan was the first to break free, followed shortly by Fairy Xuanyue and Lin Yiyi. Had Bu Guang still been controlling the Myriad Souls Banner, they wouldn't have escaped so quickly.

Upon learning that Bu Guang had been eliminated by Gongsun Yang, Fairy Xuanyue was surprised but also a little disappointed, as she hadn't contributed much.

Gongsun Yang received the military merit. Bu Guang's possessions all went to Wang Changsheng, but Wang Changsheng still gave each of them a mid-grade Heaven-reaching Spirit Treasure. Sharing wealth was better than hoarding it.

"Fairy Yang, I'm afraid we won't be able to participate in the upcoming battles; we need some time to recuperate," Wang Changsheng said, his voice tinged with feigned weakness. As the saying goes, "the tree that stands tallest in the forest will be felled by the wind." With their military exploit of killing four Integration cultivators, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan could easily justify not participating in further battles without anyone daring to question them.

"No problem, you two go back and recuperate! Fellow Daoist Gongsun, let's go attack the Sable Mountain Range. I hope we can capture it," Fairy Xuanyue said gravely. The deployment of Gongsun Yang and Lin Sen for support had significantly strengthened their forces. With three Integration cultivators from the alien races dead, their strength was considerably weakened, making it the perfect opportunity to strike decisively and capture the Sable Mountain Range.

Gongsun Yang naturally had no objections. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan teleported back to the Celestial Ox Mountain Range to rest. Fairy Xuanyue led her forces to attack the Sable Mountain Range, but by the time they arrived, the Sable tribe members had already fled. After Bian Xiao was killed, the Sable tribe immediately learned of it and had already teleported a large number of their clansmen to the rear. By the time Fairy Xuanyue and her army arrived, they were all gone.

The Sable tribe completely retreated, and the human race captured the Sable Mountain Range, which counted as a meritorious achievement. Fairy Xuanyue sent someone to report to Sword Venerable Tianhe, requesting further instructions and also seeking credit.

The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple became famous overnight for slaying four Integration cultivators. The Wang family also gained significant benefits from this, and thanks to this merit, their cultivators were temporarily exempt from front-line duties.

They were granted a Qianlei Crystal ore vein, four sixth-tier ore veins, and seven spiritual mountains, all with abundant sixth-tier spiritual veins. The Wang family cultivators could also mine the Five-Colored Jade ore vein, taking the majority of the yield.

All twelve strongholds required garrisons, and miners were needed at the Five-Colored Jade ore vein. Consequently, Wang Changsheng's existing manpower was insufficient. As the war was ongoing and they needed to continue advancing, Wang Changsheng sent Wang Xiangrong back to the rear to dispatch thirty Void Refinement cultivators and three hundred Spirit Transformation cultivators to the front line. Ten Void Refinement and two hundred Spirit Transformation cultivators were drawn from allied factions, and twenty Void Refinement and one hundred Spirit Transformation cultivators from the Wang family.

In the deliberation hall of the Celestial Lizard Mountain Range, Yi Feng and over a hundred cultivators were holding a meeting, most of them beaming with smiles.

According to Yi Feng's deployment, the allied races inter-dispatched personnel, disrupting human plans. After several engagements, the human race lost two Integration cultivators and had three severely wounded, while the Lizard tribe lost one Integration cultivator and had one severely wounded. This small victory greatly boosted morale. Yuan Gang personally led a team, slaying two Integration-stage Bone tribe members and capturing a stronghold managed by the Bone tribe. Hu Yan led her forces to resist the attacks of the Fiery Spirit tribe, protecting the Azure Crocodile tribe.

"The patriarch is wise! If we had cross-deployed personnel earlier, perhaps our losses wouldn't have been so great.""Hehe, I will always support the patriarch.""Exactly, listening to the patriarch is always the right thing to do."Most clansmen looked delighted at the rare small victory.

Yi Feng was also smiling, but then he pulled out a shimmering spiritual disc from his robes and struck it with a spell, his smile instantly faltering. "This is bad! The Sable tribe is retreating; they can't withstand the human attack," a frantic male voice cried out from outside.

"How is that possible? Weren't reinforcements dispatched to the Sable tribe? Why are they retreating?""Exactly! They aren't just cowards retreating to the rear to avoid danger, are they?""Right, I don't believe the human race could capture the Sable Mountain Range so easily."The elders present couldn't believe it. They had just secured a minor victory, and now the Sable tribe was retreating?

Yi Feng said gravely, "The news is true; Bu Guang and Bu Yu have been killed. It seems the human race has also adjusted its deployment." He refused to believe that the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, with only two people, could completely annihilate the three, including Bu Guang; such combat power would be comparable to Late-Integration cultivators. It must mean the human race had adjusted their strategy. Of course, he would send people to verify. If the three really were killed by the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, then they were truly terrifying, and Late-Integration cultivators would be needed to deal with them. The problem was that the Lizard tribe didn't have many Late-Integration cultivators, who were also needed to counter human masters like Lin Tianlong.

Hearing this, the smiles vanished from the cultivators' faces, replaced by various expressions.

"Alright, all of you may return! Proceed to the front lines as per our deployment," Yi Feng instructed.

The elders acknowledged his command and rose to leave.

"The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple!" Yi Feng said gravely, his face ashen and filled with murderous intent.

He took out a pale golden magical disc, struck it with a spell, and commanded, "Contact our informant. Investigate the reason for Bu Guang and the other two's deaths. Confirm if it was indeed the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, and gather as many details as possible.""Yes, Patriarch," a respectful male voice responded from the disc.

At the Seven Stars Mountain Range, one of the human race's eighteen strongholds, many cultivators could be seen. A magnificent palace stood, its plaque bearing three golden characters: "Tianhe Hall."

Sword Venerable Tianhe sat in the main seat, a faint smile on his face. Feng Xiaoyao, Xu Xiang, and over a dozen other Integration cultivators stood on either side, their expressions excited.

An Integration cultivator from the Blood Frog tribe suddenly appeared at the Thunder Mantis tribe's stronghold, catching them off guard and resulting in a great loss, with one Integration cultivator killed. The situation at other strongholds was similar; no significant progress was made, and many casualties were incurred. Sword Venerable Tianhe immediately changed tactics and re-assigned personnel.

"The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple killed four Integration cultivators? Including two Mid-Integration cultivators?" Xu Xiang asked, his face full of disbelief. The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple had only reached the Integration stage less than five thousand years ago; how could they be so strong?

"Young Friend Yang is stationed at the Celestial Ox Mountain Range; she wouldn't lie for the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple. Spread the news and heavily reward the Wang family. Additionally, severely punish those cowards," Sword Venerable Tianhe commanded. For so long into the war, many human cultivators had died in battle, and some had been captured and defected to the alien races, guiding them. Morale was currently low, and a victory was needed to boost it. The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple would be set as an example, and in addition, a group of cowards would be punished.

"Understood, Senior Lin," Xu Xiang and the others readily agreed.