NOVPUB"There’s no time left! This node has been successfully solidified, and the Formation is already set up... Sacrificing a Snake Venerable achieved this, which is enough!"
The brawny man covered in colors frowned and glanced at the monk.
Even though he had encountered many peculiar ways of Cultivation in recent years, witnessing this method of increasing one’s Cultivation Base through consuming dead bodies still made him feel a sense of unease.
The monk gently wiped the accumulated blood from his face and mouth.
A fleeting expression of regret crossed his face:
"What a pity. Here, the geographical positions intersect. There are many branches connected to this node. If we continue to set up following this node, we might have reached Fengyu Mountain directly."
"If you want to die, I’m not ready yet. With Xumi’s keen perception, he might not notice if we keep our distance. But if we go under his nose, I fear we’d be located and all killed instantly!"
The brawny man responded coldly.
Remembering the suffocating strength of the armless figure, a genuine fear flickered in his eyes.
"It’s a pity that the Thief Cultivator, Wuya, wasn’t careful making his moves, which let the cultivators of Jin Become aware of his flaws. We had to act first for self-defense. Unfortunately, we are only the vanguard and not strong enough, just a little bit short. Otherwise, when the Clan Leader and the others will have arrived..."
"It won’s be easy to overcome these sea barriers."
The monk took out a handkerchief, cleaned off the last bit of dirtied blood on his face, and said while shaking his head.
"Isn’t this your purpose for coming here?"
"Enough, let’s leave quickly, or it will truly be over."
The brawny man huffed impatiently.
Instantly, his body contracted rapidly and slipped into the crevice between the cliff wall and the rocks nearby.
The monk looked at the blue sea ahead.
At some point, a wispy mist had softly floated up on the sea’s surface, subtly covering the entire sea area and the cliff wall.
The monk looked at the putrefied body in front of him, his eyes filled with pity and regret. He made an obeisance with his hands together and chanted a sutra silently towards the dead body.
His body also contracted rapidly and slipped into a crevice beside the rocks.
...
Fengyu Mountain.
The Daoist Palace.
"In this operation, five Golden Core Competitors and twenty-seven Foundation Establishment disciples who went to Hai’an County and Gaotan County were all lost, among them are Wei Zong, Lu Kuming, Zhao Yuqi..."
"In Huatao County, there was no loss of Golden Core Competitors, but twenty-one Foundation Establishment competitors were lost..."
"In Haitou County, one Golden Core competitor was lost and fifteen Foundation Establishment competitors were lost..."
"In Haibei County, there was no Golden Core competitor lost, however, three Foundation Establishment competitors were lost..."
"... in Nanji County, there was no loss of the Golden Core competitor, but seven Foundation Establishment competitors— Zhu Yu and Li Heng among others— were lost..."
"..."
"In this operation, the total loss from the two Sects and a clan was nine Golden Core competitors and one hundred and eighteen Foundation Establishment competitors... The loss was enormous, all sins are upon me."
Yuan Genuine Teachings stood at the top of the Daoist Palace, his face somber.
"I misjudged the number of remnant Thief Cultivators in West Sea Country and didn’t expect they would use common people as sacrificial blood..."
Listening to Yuan Genuine Teachings’ words.
Down below, the faces of people like Xi Wushang turned slightly gloomy. Many Foundation Establishment competitors fell silent.
Even the rebellious Liang Zhongkang and the aloof Qin Lingxiao couldn’t help their eyes from turning red.
They are not weak.
But for most of them, it was their first time going on a mission. They were prepared, but they didn’t expect the first battle would result in such a great loss, and death would come so suddenly.
In the midst of these drastic changes, their Dao-hearts seemed to be shaken.
Among all these people, only Wang Ba remained as calm as water, without a ripple.
He had seen these scenes too many times.
Perhaps even among the Golden Core competitors present, there weren’t many with more extensive experiences than him.
After all, most of them lived in the highly organized Jin, with the support of their Sect, they rarely encountered desperate situations.
But it was different for Wang Ba.
At this time, many cultivators began to console.
"Vice Guardian Yuan, the cultivators from the two states are desperate to live, they naturally use any means necessary. You needn’t feel guilty for this."
"Exactly, defending against external enemies, of course, would come with losses."
At this time, behind Yuan Genuine Teachings, the ever-silent Xumi slowly opened his mouth and uttered four words:
"This is not appropriate."
The Nascent Soul cultivators below immediately understood Xumi’s intention and promptly said:
"Since the incident has happened, regret is pointless. Now is not the time to blame, but to consider how to avoid this."
The proposal of this Nascent Soul cultivator was immediately approved by many cultivators below.
Yuan Genuine Teachings was also not the kind of person for self-pity, and immediately said:
"Very well! If you’re willing to give me another chance to make amends, then I will not say any more."
After he said this, he swept his sleeve. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓹𝓾𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
A ray of light swiftly appeared before everyone’s eyes, turning into a map.
Yuan Genuine Teachings said with a grave face:
"To prevent the common people from being used again, I have ordered a large area near the capital of West Sea Country to be transformed into fertile fields and cities. Your mission is to escort these common people safely."
"In addition, clean up those Thief Cultivators on the way."
As he spoke, he quickly marked on the map.
Every time he marked a point, a squad was assigned.
Xi Wushang and his group were also considered as one team.
However, considering their other tasks, they were sent to the nearby Haitou County, to escort the local people to the capital of West Sea Country.
This task, for people like Xi Wushang, was exceedingly simple.
