Chapter 2910: All Directions Break Through

In the Oxhorn Mountain Range, a colossal golden mushroom cloud rose into the sky, strikingly conspicuous, accompanied by faint, resonant chirping sounds.

Deep within the mountain range, a gigantic valley contained hundreds of enormous craters, and the ground showed signs of melting.

Gongsun Yang stood on the ground, his face pale. A terrifying bloodied hole on his left shoulder bled profusely, and his aura was weak. Not far away, two corpses lay on the ground.

He and Immortal Xuanyue had stayed behind to cover the retreat, holding back five Integration-stage cultivators. Gongsun Yang and Immortal Xuanyue collaborated, eliminating three Integration-stage cultivators and severely wounding another.

He held a miniature praying mantis in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face. "So, it was a dying counterattack," he murmured.

The Lizard Race was under immense pressure, consistently facing outnumbered odds. Wang Changsheng and others, raiding deep behind enemy lines, faced even greater pressure. Their morale was low, and they desperately needed a victory to boost spirits. The breakthrough point was chosen to be the Oxhorn Mountain Range, primarily because the Azure Lotus Immortals had led attacks on other strongholds, significantly weakening defenses. The Lizard Race hoped to capture the Oxhorn Mountain Range to uplift morale, but they underestimated Gongsun Yang and Immortal Xuanyue.

They had ordered the lower-tier cultivators to retreat, mainly to prevent them from being caught in the battles of the Integration-stage cultivators, which allowed them to fight without restraint.

Gongsun Yang took out a green jade bottle and placed the miniature praying mantis inside.

Immortal Xuanyue flew in from a distance, her face slightly pale, her robes stained with some blood.

"How was it? Did you catch them?" Gongsun Yang asked.

"No, they got away. Even with spirit elixirs, it will take them centuries to fully recover," Immortal Xuanyue replied, her voice somewhat weary. In this battle, one Integration-stage cultivator had died, and her flying sword, linked to her life-force, was damaged, though they had eliminated three Integration-stage cultivators. Immortal Xuanyue had also used a Calamity Substitution Talisman; otherwise, she would have perished.

"Let's first recall the formation masters to reconstruct the formation," Gongsun Yang suggested. The teleportation formation leading to Moon Rhinoceros Valley had been destroyed and needed to be rebuilt.

Immortal Xuanyue nodded, gathered their forces, and dispatched formation masters to rebuild the formation.

***

Golden Crow Mountain Range, the Golden Crow Tribe's ancestral home.

The ground was a mess, littered with many corpses. Human cultivators were clearing the battlefield around a magnificent golden palace. On its golden plaque, the three characters "Golden Crow Hall" were inscribed.

Inside the hall, six Integration-stage cultivators, including Lin Tianlong, Lin Youxin, Song Yuchan, and Huang Yilong, sat with smiles on their faces.

A tall, thin elder in a golden robe stood nearby, his left arm missing, his face pale. This was Feng Yan, the patriarch of the Golden Crow Tribe.

As the Lizard Race's allied tribes were successively annihilated, Feng Yan did not wish for the Golden Crow Tribe to suffer the same fate. Facing the threat of tribal annihilation if the fighting continued, Feng Yan ultimately agreed to surrender. He proactively opened the formation, allowing Lin Tianlong and the other Integration-stage cultivators to enter, and eliminated the Lizard Race Integration-stage cultivator overseeing the battle.

"Fellow Daoist Lin, Fellow Daoist Huang, I have fulfilled my promise to you. I hope you will uphold yours," Feng Yan said in a low, somewhat weak voice. According to the agreement, the Human Race would absorb the Golden Crow Tribe as an allied tribe. The Golden Crow Tribe would henceforth serve the Human Race, and all past grievances would be forgiven.

"Rest assured, from now on, your Golden Crow Tribe will be an allied tribe of our Human Race. You are heavily wounded; retreat to the rear with Fellow Daoist Huang to recuperate!" Lin Tianlong instructed. Feng Yan was an Integration-stage mid-level cultivator, and there were also four Integration-stage early-level tribal elders. Lin Tianlong was concerned that Feng Yan might be feigning surrender.

"If possible, I hope you can rescue my grandson," Feng Yan said sincerely. His grandson was being held as a hostage in the Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range. Since he had defected to the Human Race, his grandson would surely suffer. Faced with a choice between his descendant and his tribe, Feng Yan chose the latter. He might not have been a good grandparent, but he was a good patriarch.

"We will do our best. Please go and heal your injuries now," Lin Tianlong promised.

Feng Yan expressed his gratitude and departed with Huang Yilong.

***

Jade Alligator Pond, the ancestral home of the Jade Alligator Tribe.

Flames blazed skyward, vast numbers of buildings were destroyed, and numerous corpses lay on the ground.

In a greenish-blue palace, the plaque read "Jade Alligator Hall." Yan Ji sat on the main seat, while a hunched, green-robed elder stood respectfully beside her. This was Kesa, the protecting elder of the Jade Alligator Tribe. He had defected to the Spiritfire Race. He helped open the formation, allowing Yan Ji and her group to enter. Hu Yan escaped with severe injuries, while Jin Luo and other Integration-stage cultivators were killed. Kesa's defection to the Spiritfire Race saved the Jade Alligator Tribe from annihilation.

Every race has its cowards, and Kesa was one for the Jade Alligator Tribe. Having no descendants, he was unwilling to fight to the death for the Lizard Race.

"Fellow Daoist Ke, a wise person knows when to adapt to circumstances. I will petition for your merits, but the war is not yet over. I hope you will cooperate with us to capture other strongholds, or persuade other tribes to submit to our Spiritfire Race," Yan Ji's voice was full of allure.

"No problem," Kesa readily agreed. Having already pledged allegiance to the Spiritfire Race, like an arrow shot from a bow, there was no turning back. He needed to prove his worth to secure his position.

***

Thunder Mantis Ridge, the ancestral home of the Thunder Mantis Tribe, lay in ruins. Numerous buildings were destroyed, vast numbers of corpses littered the ground, and human cultivators were clearing the battlefield.

Xu Xiang stood atop a steep peak, a broad smile on his face. They had amassed a large army. The Spirit-Shattering Mirror, the prized treasure of the Divine Weapons Sect, had weakened the Thunder Mantis Tribe's protective formation. Xu Xiang and several other Integration-stage cultivators then launched a concerted attack, storming into Thunder Mantis Ridge.

"Quickly clear the battlefield! The front line is moving forward," Xu Xiang commanded, his voice echoing across Thunder Mantis Ridge.

"Yes, Senior Xu," the cultivators responded in unison.

***

Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range, Council Hall.

Yi Feng and over a hundred tribal elders were holding a meeting, all of them looking grim.

After the Violet Sable Tribe retreated, the Lizard Race was left with only nine allied tribes on the front lines. The Human Race, Yaksha Race, and Spiritfire Race were simultaneously sending experts deep behind enemy lines to harass and increasing their offensive pressure. The Lizard Race's allied tribes simply could not withstand the assault. The Golden Crow Tribe and Jade Alligator Tribe had defected in the middle of battle, costing the Lizard Race several Integration-stage cultivators. The Thunder Mantis Tribe and Blood Frog Tribe were annihilated, and the Ice Silkworm Tribe had defected to the Yaksha Race. Consequently, only four allied tribes remained.

"Issue orders for the Golden Bee Tribe and the other four tribes to withdraw all their forces to our outer strongholds. Abandon the other strongholds and consolidate defenses at just thirty-six locations," Yi Feng commanded. Bringing back these four tribes would strengthen their defenses and also provide more cannon fodder.

The Lizard Race originally had seventy-two outer strongholds, but two had been breached, and their forces were too dispersed, forcing them to consolidate their troops. They could only trade space for time now. By abandoning so much territory, the Human Race, Yaksha Race, and Spiritfire Race's offensive would surely slow down, as they would undoubtedly occupy the relinquished lands. The Lizard Race abandoned more than half of their territory, which included dozens of seventh-tier spiritual ore veins, as well as many spiritual mountains, secret realms, and sixth-tier ore veins. The Human Race, Yaksha Race, and Spiritfire Race were not entirely harmonious; they might even fight amongst themselves over these treasures, granting the Lizard Race a much-needed respite.

"Yes, Patriarch," a tribesman replied.

Bu Dan frowned, about to speak, when a massive roar echoed, and alarms blared loudly.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" a panicked voice cried from outside.

Yi Feng's face darkened. The Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range was fortified with an eighth-tier formation, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. To dare assault it, at least thirty Integration-stage cultivators would be needed; if it were a Mahayana cultivator, one would suffice.

He took out a golden, shimmering disk and cast a spell. A terrified voice then reported, "Patriarch, something terrible has happened! Yan Que of the Spiritfire Race is here!"

With a Mahayana cultivator attacking, Bu Dan and the others' hearts sank to their lowest depths.