The entire exchange lasted no more than a split second.
From the mont the Butcher launched his attacks to the appearance of the sword lights and his eventual capture, only an instant had passed.
Even he, a Nascent Soul cultivator, had barely been able to react, much less his subordinates and the surrounding spectators.
By the ti everyone understood what had happened, blood was already raining from the sky.
Silence descended upon the battlefield, and everyone was frozen in place.
"E-Elder!"
The Late Stage Core Formation cultivator cried out in horror.
But the mont the words left his mouth, regret filled his heart.
His shout seed to draw the young man’s attention. As he turned his head to look at him, their gazes t across the battlefield.
The demonic cultivator’s mind instantly went blank.
A mont later, a thunderous explosion echoed through the air.
His Core exploded, while his consciousness was erased.
Unlike the Butcher, this man possessed no Nascent Soul. He didn’t even have the chance to flee.
With a single glance, he died on the spot.
Chen Xuan did not take action after that.
With a wave of his sleeve, two figures appeared beside him.
Chi Yao and Huo Ling’er.
Looking toward the battlefield below, he spoke calmly.
"Deal with the rest."
His words were not only directed at his two disciples, but also at Su Ying and Duan Feng.
And indeed, the two imdiately reacted.
Though shocked by Chen Xuan’s overwhelming display of power, they quickly rushed into battle.
The remaining elders and disciples of the Jade Pure Sect followed close behind.
Having endured days of relentless attacks, they seed eager to vent their inner frustration.
--
Only half an hour later, the Spirit Stone mine had mostly returned to calm.
Although the war was still ongoing, the Core Formation cultivators leading the assault had already been eliminated.
Standing beside Chen Xuan, Su Ying looked at him with unconcealed admiration.
Below them, bloody corpses littered the battlefield.
So belonged to demonic cultivators, while others belonged to the disciples of the Jade Pure Sect.
Yet Chen Xuan’s expression remained largely unchanged.
He knew that a major reason behind the conflict between the two factions was to temper their younger disciples.
Thus, although he could have personally killed all enemies and prevented casualties, doing so would only deprive the disciples of valuable experience.
Countless thoughts swirled through his mind.
A mont later, he turned to Su Ying.
"What happened?"
He asked calmly.
"Why did the demonic faction launch another attack? Even if they learned of my disappearance, they shouldn’t have acted with such urgency."
"Even if they had, a re Spirit Stone mine isn’t worth deploying a Nascent Soul cultivator."
His words snapped Su Ying out of her daze.
Suppressing the stars of admiration within her eyes, she quickly grew serious.
"Master, you may not be aware, but ever since your disappearance, the conflict between the two factions has intensified."
A trace of concern appeared on her face.
"It’s not just our stronghold. Nearly every outpost belonging to the Jade Pure Sect and the other righteous forces along the border has co under attack."
"The Sword Forging Sect has suffered the most. A few days ago, they summoned the leaders of the major righteous factions to a eting."
"I’m afraid that the recent attacks have been rely a diversion."
Chen Xuan understood the aning behind her words.
The demonic faction’s true target appeared to be the Sword Forging Sect.
To accomplish that, they needed to keep the other righteous factions occupied and prevent reinforcents from arriving.
This was not a new tactic.
The demonic invasion that started everything had served a similar purpose: to stop them from supporting the Alchemy Pavilion.
Everyone could see that this was a conspiracy.
Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to stop it.
Still, Chen Xuan caught another implication hidden within Su Ying’s words.
"Has Sect Leader Qian left the sect?"
Su Ying nodded.
"Who is overseeing the sect in her absence?" he asked, though he already had a suspicion.
"Reporting to Master, Sect Leader Qian appointed Tang Yuechen as acting Sect Leader."
She hesitated briefly before continuing.
"Originally, Peak Master Lan was the most likely candidate. Unfortunately, he suffered severe injuries a week ago."
"It’s rumored that his Dantian was damaged. For the next few decades, he’ll be unable to cultivate properly, much less participate in the war."
Hearing Su Ying’s words, Chen Xuan finally rembered his unfortunate Senior Brother.
Learning that he had been injured made him feel strange.
Although Chen Xuan had predicted such an outco the last ti the two t, it was just a speculation.
Hearing that it really happened was sothing else.
He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
He knew this was most likely the influence of Xiao Huo—evidenced by how he had recovered around the sa period that Lan Lanyue t disaster.
Although Chen Xuan did not know how Lan Lanyue’s injury had benefited him, he could almost be certain.
The protagonist’s Master would seldom have a good ending!
’Senior Brother Lan, you previously fought for the position of the Sect Leader, going as far as to offend Qian Lingxue.’
’If you had only waited a little longer, and stayed away from that troublemaker Xiao Huo, you might have achieved your goal.’
The position of acting Sect Leader was temporary. Yet the advantages it provided were imnse.
If Qian Lingxue stepped down in the future, Tang Yuechen would possess a significant advantage over the competitors, though it was very likely she didn’t want the position either way.
Chen Xuan thought of many things, ranging from the Nine Origins Seas to Tang Yuechen and Xiao Huo.
Only several minutes later did he return to reality.
A fiery bird swept across the battlefield, devouring the last remaining demonic cultivators.
The battle was finally over.
Glancing at the blood-covered Huo Ling’er and Chi Yao, he nodded in satisfaction.
Yet when his eyes settled on Chi Yao’s opponents, he noticed sothing.
A small portion of their Blood Essence had vanished, clearly the result of the Heaven-Swallowing Scripture’s power.
As soon as he saw this, a certain thought surfaced in his mind.
It had been quite so ti since he had last taken a look at his disciples’ System Panels.
Considering everything that had happened recently, he suddenly grew curious about whether anything had changed.
Thinking of this, the Heavenly Insight Eye was activated.
The next mont, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes.
"So it really is true..." he couldn’t help but mutter.
User Comments
0 comments from readers