Chapter 2899: Raid

Sixty years had passed.

In the Seven Stars Mountain Range, at Skyriver Hall.

Skyriver Sword Sovereign sat on the main seat, while Xu Xiang and over a dozen other Integration Realm cultivators stood solemnly on either side.

The Lizard Race had dispatched experts to harass their rear, led by Integration Realm cultivators, causing endless annoyance. The Lizard Race's strategy was primarily harassment; their cultivators would quickly withdraw once human reinforcements arrived.

Unlike before, this time the Lizard Race had drawn experts from their subordinate races and organized multiple teams. Their diverse divine abilities, from the Bloodfrog, Thunder Mantis, Purple Sable, Golden Crow, and Ice Silkworm races, made them extremely difficult to contend with.

When human cultivators organized high-level forces to eliminate the Lizard cultivators, the latter would break into smaller groups and scatter. As soon as the human experts withdrew, they would regroup and assault the strongholds occupied by humans.

Having finally managed to occupy a large territory, the Human Race naturally could not abandon these strongholds. Concentrating all personnel in the eighteen existing strongholds would make supply transportation highly inconvenient, and these eighteen strongholds alone could not control a territory spanning hundreds of millions of miles. After suffering numerous high-level cultivator casualties to advance this far, the major factions were also unwilling to simply huddle in large strongholds.

Currently, both sides were still adhering to the rules, engaging in battles of comparable strength. Lizard Integration Realm cultivators attacked strongholds garrisoned by their Integration Realm counterparts, while Void Refinement cultivators targeted strongholds protected by Void Refinement cultivators.

If Skyriver Sword Sovereign were to personally intervene, the Lizard Race's strongholds would be utterly defenseless. However, if he were to do so, and if the Lizard Race's Mahayana cultivator was still alive, that Mahayana cultivator would also intervene to eliminate high-level human cultivators.

The straight-line distance from the Xuang Ling Continent to the Azure Glaze Sea was over ten trillion miles. This sea area was known as the Thunder Eel Sea, which was once home to the powerful Thunder Eel Race, boasting two Mahayana cultivators. The Golden Scale Race was merely a subordinate force to the Thunder Eel Race.

Over 200,000 years ago, the Thunder Eel Race engaged in a major war with the Blood Slug Race. Hai Jiao, the Blood Slug Race's Mahayana cultivator, had not been seen for tens of thousands of years. The Thunder Eel Race coveted the Blood Slug Race's clan-protecting treasure, the East-Yi Spirit Suppressing Ruler, which was reportedly crafted from 200,000-year-old East-Yi Divine Wood and highly effective against lightning tribulations.

The Thunder Eel Race initially sent Integration Realm cultivators as vanguards to attack the Blood Slug Race, but suffered heavy losses. Subsequently, the two Mahayana cultivators of the Thunder Eel Race personally intervened, sweeping all before them and attacking the Blood Slug Race's lair. To their surprise, they discovered that Hai Jiao had not perished but was merely traveling.

After this war, the Blood Slug Race existed only in name, and Hai Jiao still did not appear. Ten thousand years later, high-level cultivators of the Thunder Eel Race began to mysteriously disappear, and some subordinate races were wiped out overnight. The Thunder Eel Race's Mahayana cultivators could not find the culprit. After another ten thousand years, very few high-level cultivators remained in the Thunder Eel Race; most retreated to their lair, not daring to venture out without Mahayana cultivator protection.

Hai Jiao suddenly attacked one of the Thunder Eel Race's strongholds. When the two Mahayana cultivators of the Thunder Eel Race rushed to support, Hai Jiao used a treasure to trap them. She then employed a secret technique to summon a great heavenly tribulation, using it to severely wound both Mahayana cultivators of the Thunder Eel Race. Hai Jiao also perished in the process. From then on, the Thunder Eel Race began its decline, while the Golden Scale Race seized the opportunity to rise.

Subsequent investigations revealed that Hai Jiao had obtained an eighth-tier secret talisman from the Xuang Ling Celestial Venerable's cultivation ground. Knowing she would not survive her next great heavenly tribulation, she delayed it for ten thousand years, thereby increasing its power, and then used it to severely wound the Thunder Eel Race's Mahayana cultivators.

Unless he was absolutely certain that the Lizard Race's Mahayana cultivator had perished, Skyriver Sword Sovereign would not attack the Lizard Race's juniors, to avoid suffering the same fate as the Thunder Eel Race.

The Lizard Race's harassment tactics indeed greatly annoyed human cultivators, making it impossible to concentrate superior forces against them.

“We will turn their own tactics against them,” Skyriver Sword Sovereign said. “I plan to dispatch a group of experts deep into Lizard territory to harass them. Who among you is willing to go? Those who participate in this mission will be exempt from further combat for a hundred years after their return, and if you achieve great merit, even tribulation-transcending treasures will be within reach.” He asked, knowing that forced assignments often resulted in half-hearted efforts.

“This junior is willing to go,” Grandmaster Myriad Poison volunteered, thinking how wonderful it would be to be exempt from combat for a hundred years. Deep in the Lizard Race's rear, any plundered resources would be his alone. If he encountered a strong enemy, he could immediately escape. In contrast, positional warfare, capturing a stronghold meant sharing the spoils, and immediate escape was not an option when facing a powerful foe.

“Pass on the order,” Skyriver Sword Sovereign instructed. “Recruit personnel from the eighteen strongholds on a voluntary basis. They can choose their own targets. In short, the more chaos they create, the better.”

“Yes, Senior Lin,” Xu Xiang and the others readily agreed, then left to carry out the orders.

In the Fire Ridge Mountain Range, there was a medium-sized fire rock ore vein from which fire rock divine crystals could be extracted.

Wang Mengbin was stationed here with six Void Refinement cultivators and fifty Divine Transformation cultivators. Wang Yimei had also been transferred to this location.

A five-story red pavilion stood there, adorned with upturned eaves, intricate dougong brackets, carved beams, and painted pillars.

Inside the main hall, Wang Yimei sat on the main seat, while Lin Tianfeng spoke to her, his face full of flattery.

After the Wang family's main force arrived at the front lines, Lin Tianfeng could no longer mine Heaven-Thunder ore, nor did he have the opportunity to mine fire rock ore. He could only cultivate in seclusion in the Sky Ox Mountain Range. He had already mined a good amount of Heaven-Thunder ore and was quite content.

“Fairy Wang,” Lin Tianfeng said, “I've collected a piece of 30,000-year-old Fire Crystal Wood. I heard you're collecting wood-attribute refining materials; if you don't mind, please accept it!” Lin Tianfeng took out a piece of red wood and handed it to Wang Yimei.

With many Wang family Void Refinement cultivators on the front lines, Lin Tianfeng sought to gain more benefits. Naturally, he needed to build good relations with them. However, Wang Mengbin, Wang Qingfeng, and Wang Yingjie held higher positions and lacked no ordinary items, making it difficult for Lin Tianfeng to bribe them. Wang Yimei, being relatively greedy and easier to bribe, was someone Lin Tianfeng intended to use as a channel.

“30,000-year-old Fire Crystal Wood?” Wang Yimei's gaze became somewhat fervent as she accepted the Fire Crystal Wood.

“Fellow Daoist Lin,” Wang Yimei said, “if you have something to say, just be direct!”

“If there's any good fortune,” Lin Tianfeng said politely, “I hope Fairy Wang will consider me first. If I gain any benefits, Fairy Wang will definitely have a share.” Currently, it was mostly minor skirmishes; while Integration Realm cultivators occasionally engaged, most of the fighting involved Divine Transformation and Void Refinement cultivators. A large-scale war could break out any day, and Lin Tianfeng hoped Wang Yimei would support him more. The Wang family had recruited many Void Refinement cultivators to the front lines, and some were even family by marriage, so good opportunities might not necessarily come to Lin Tianfeng.

“That's it?” Wang Yimei was a bit disbelieving.

“Of course,” Lin Tianfeng said meaningfully, “if it were anything else, it wouldn't just be one piece of Fire Crystal Wood.”

“Alright!” Wang Yimei conceded. “If there's any good fortune, I'll inform you.” Wang Yimei pondered for a moment, then agreed. This was not a difficult task for her; receiving a 30,000-year-old Fire Crystal Wood for free was a sure profit with no loss.