The battle between Xuan Ling Sect and Zhen Ling Sect only seemed to grow fiercer as the days went by. It also felt like the battlefield had become a training ground for the sects’ disciples to hone their skills.
Every day, Lu Ping would see a constant stream of people traveling through the teleportation formations, either new faces joining the combat or old faces leaving the battlefield.
Several cultivators had put up shops on Xuan Qi Island, treating it like the new central marketplace and logistical base. Lu Ping, who had recently earned a fortune, would visit this marketplace for spirit herbs and charm papers to practice his charm-crafting and alchemy.
Master Immortal Liu had participated in several battles himself. He was rumored to have accumulated an impressive amount of merits by killing at least six Xuan Ling disciples at the Mid and Late Blood Condensation Realm. Now, he had already left the battlefield and entered closed-door cultivation.
Lu Ping initially thought he returned because of injuries. But after paying a visit, he learned that Master Immortal Liu only left because of a bottleneck in his cultivation—he was now preparing to break through to the Eighth Layer Blood Condensation Realm.
Some days later, Xuan Ling Sect finally couldn’t endure the stalemate anymore and made the first move. Xuan Ling Sect’s Feng Xu-Dao entered the battlefield and destroyed the cultivation base of a Zhen Ling Late Blood Condensation disciple.
His reason was that the disciple had publicly challenged his authority and threatened Xuan Ling disciples in front of his face. Hence, as a Core Forging Enlightened Master and a Xuan Ling cultivator, Feng Xu-Dao had to punish him to maintain their sect’s reputation.
When the news came out, it caused an uproar in the Zhen Ling Sect as the reason was absurd and completely unacceptable. They immediately condemned Xuan Ling Sect’s actions at the North Ocean Alliance.
Zhen Ling Sect’s Jiang Xuan-Lin entered the battlefield and confronted Feng Xu-Dao. A battle thus broke out between the two Enlightened Masters.
In the midst of the battle, the aftershocks from the Core Forging Realm attacks “accidentally” dissipated to the sides and “coincidentally” killed three Xuan Ling disciples watching nearby. The victims were all at the Mid and Late Blood Condensation Realm.
The arrival of Core Forging Enlightened Masters pushed the tension between the sects to its peak. The struggle between the Blood Condensation disciples seemed to be a mere prelude to the real battle between the Core Forging Enlightened Masters.
With this clash between Enlightened Masters on Xuan Qi Island’s waters, the war soon spread to the other sea regions bordering the two sects. These regions were Xuan Sheng Island, Xuan Yun Island, Xuan Chang Island, and Xuan Yuan Island.
According to Hu Lili, the battles were controlled to just these five sea regions, yet both sects had each dispatched more than a thousand Blood Condensation disciples.
The Core Forging Enlightened Masters had also entered the fray. Most of the time, many Blood Condensation disciples ended up “accidentally” killed from the shockwaves of their attacks. The disciples quickly learned to stay far away from these battles.
Meanwhile, the other sects in the North Ocean also began their own wars, for example, between Cang Hai Sect and Cang Yu Sect, and Yu Jian Sect against Fei Yu Sect. The sects’ Blood Condensation disciples fought each other and it was rumored that Core Forging Enlightened Masters were present on the battlefield too.
On the eleventh day of the ninth month, Xuan Qi Island started its day in the usual manner. Cultivators entered and departed the island, and traded in the marketplace. Suddenly, seven flashes of light of different colors appeared overhead and flew towards the southern sea.
A clamor erupted among the island’s cultivators. Although there were already Enlightened Masters in the battlefield, their battles were controlled and restrained. They only fought once a day and only injured their opponents instead of killing them.
Yet now, Zhen Ling Sect was sending seven Core Forging Enlightened Masters to the frontlines. Did this mean Zhen Ling Sect was planning to launch a full attack?
At that moment, the majority of cultivators on Xuan Qi Island had swarmed out to the southern waters—they didn’t want to miss out on witnessing this unprecedented battle. Although the battlefield would be extremely dangerous, Zhen Ling Sect must have great confidence to dispatch seven Core Forging Enlightened Masters all at once. The disciples naturally wanted a piece of the spoils when Zhen Ling Sect won the battle.
Meanwhile, several suspicious-looking rogue cultivators were hurriedly leaving through the teleportation formations. The more timid cultivators also left the island in fear of getting dragged into the upcoming fight.
Two hours later, a loud rumbling could be heard coming from the southern seas. The Enlightened Masters from both sects had begun their battles. The remaining cultivators on Xuan Qi Island stood on the shore and looked towards the south.
Several cultivators soon returned with the latest news. In summary, Zhen Ling Sect had secured the upper hand in the battlefield.
At noon, another ear-ringing explosion came from the sea. The cultivators on the island saw the sea gush upwards into the sky, forming a wall of water almost as high as the clouds. Then, the water wall curled inwards and formed a dome several miles tall in the middle of the southern sea.
The cultivators on Xuan Qi Island were dumbstruck, they couldn’t comprehend what was happening. But they could do nothing but wait anxiously for news from the cultivators returning from the battlefield.
So, they waited, and waited. Yet fifteen minutes had passed, and there were still no signs of anyone returning.
Inevitably, some grew impatient and decided to head out and check for themselves. They left the island either on their own or in groups. After their departure, Xuan Qi Island was left with less than half of its population.
Just as the impatient cultivators left the island, a wounded Zhen Ling disciple returned with shocking news—the North Ocean monster race has invaded human territory!
As soon as this news reached the island, every Zhen Ling disciple was mobilized, with the exception of those in charge of protecting their base. Lu Ping was naturally on the list, and even Late Blood Refining disciples like Shi Lingling were ordered to march towards the southern sea.
The North Ocean monster race was the nemesis of the North Ocean Alliance. In fact, one of the major reasons in establishing the alliance was to guard against the threat of this enemy and to fight for cultivation resources for the human sects.
When Lu Ping and the others arrived at the border, the battlefield was a chaotic mess. The sudden appearance of monsters had ruined whatever both sects had planned.
Right now, there were only two sides fighting in the battlefield; the humans and the monsters. It wasn’t strange to see Zhen Ling and Xuan Ling disciples working together. Both sects had put aside their hatred and animosity, and joined forces against their common enemy.
The reinforcements from Xuan Qi Island didn’t hesitate and entered the battlefield right away. Lu Ping, Yao Yong, Du Feng, Zhong Jian, Ma Yu, Shi Lingling, and Leng Qian grouped up together. They formed a simple Seven Star Formation, and had the two strongest cultivators—Lu Ping and Ma Yu—spearheading the array formation.
Their first targets were two Early Blood Condensation monsters. In a large-scale battle like this, their individual prowess was insignificant. They didn’t dare venture near the center of the battlefield and only roamed in the peripheral areas of the battlefield.
Even so, they still managed to kill a few Early Blood Condensation monsters. Shi Lingling was full of excitement; Yao Yong and Zhong Jian could also feel their blood boiling. Brimming with fighting spirit, they proposed to join the main action in the middle of the battlefield.
On the other hand, Du Feng maintained his usual cold composure. Ma Yu and Leng Qian were both reserved and so they didn’t say anything.
However, Lu Ping had faced the Mid and Late Blood Condensation Realm before, so he knew the difference in strength between them. Hence, he strongly opposed their suggestion and so the group gave up the idea.
Suddenly, a loud and ear-ringing sound rumbled in the battlefield again.
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