NOVPUBAnd just when everyone thought the situation was about to become completely one-sided...
Groups of black-clothed cultivators began to arrive at the battlefield through the teleportation arrays of various states.
The origins of these cultivators were unknown.
But each was at the very least at the Nascent Soul Transformation Realm. Their mainstay were those who had attained God Transformation, led by Integration Cultivators.
The combat power they exhibited was extremely terrifying.
It should be known that the Xuanhuang World had not seen major warfare for hundreds of years.
Yet these cultivators seemed as though they were veterans of countless battles, their aura of slaughter extremely dense.
They coordinated seamlessly, their movements sharp and fierce.
A group of four or five Nascent Souls could surround and kill a cultivator in God Transformation.
When the leading Integration Cultivators took action, they were able to force the Integration Cultivators of the Five Elders Organization into consecutive retreats.
The battlefield dynamics reversed in an instant.
Li Fan, hidden in Shilin State, just happened to witness these black-clothed cultivators make their move.
What left the deepest impression on him was naturally the leading Integration Cultivator.
It was as if he had condensed the thunder from the heavens into a long spear, which he held in his hand.
In an instant, all of Shilin State was illuminated.
The silver spear was like a dragon, stirring heaven and earth.
Even Li Fan, who was observing from a distance, was affected. It was as though he was in the midst of a fierce storm, surrounded by piercing howls caused by the violent surge of Spiritual Energy. The Spiritual Power within his body resonated against his will, circulating sluggishly.
Before the strike was even unleashed, it caused groups of monks from the Five Elders to fall from the sky.
In the end, it was a wooden fan that blocked the silver thunder.
This avoided the fate of a complete annihilation for the side of the Five Elders Organization.
"This move, it seems somewhat familiar. Wu?" Li Fan couldn’t help but narrow his eyes.
Before he could continue pondering, another unexpected change took place on the battlefield.
The slightly frustrated Five Elders Organization chose to retreat en masse immediately.
Without any delay, as if they had already prepared for this.
In addition to the cultivator holding the wooden fan, there was another man sitting in a wooden wheelchair who calmly deployed an Array Diagram.
In a moment, he laid down several arrays on the battlefield, delaying and preventing the pursuit from the Alliance of Thousands of Immortals.
The Five Elders Organization retreated efficiently, like the tide receding in a mere moment.
They left behind a ground full of scars, telling of the recent war.
"Rather than a full-scale war, it’s more like a probe. If they could take us down in one battle, all the better."
"Otherwise, they would leave upon contact," Li Fan reflected as he looked at the cultivators of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals on the land of Shilin State, who had survived the calamity and were still in a state of shock.
As for the black-clothed cultivators who had come to support, faced with the orderly retreat of the Five Elders Organization, they chose not to pursue.
They stood in midair for a long time, preventing a possible surprise counterattack.
Only after the frontline was reorganized did they turn into dark light and disappear.
Although the timely arrival of the black-clothed cultivators had prevented a complete collapse of the battlefield, the rapid defeat had still left the entire Immortal Alliance feeling incredibly incensed.
The first response was to rapidly transform the protective arrays in various locations from the [Heaven Yuan Life Formation] to the more defensive [Array of Rivers and Mountains Spanning Thousands of Miles].
Following that, the Immortal Alliance Formation Hall began a top-down self-investigation.
Without a doubt, the fact that the Five Elders Organization could easily breach the defenses of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals had a lot to do with the leakage of the protection array’s secrets.
A regular Array Master could only understand a corner of the Great Array.
The ability to know the various vulnerabilities of the protective array so clearly...
It must be the higher-ups from the Immortal Alliance Formation Hall!
If this person is not eliminated, no matter how we change the Protection Matrix in the future, to the enemy’s eyes it will unquestionably be as transparent as nothing!
The severity of this matter is self-evident.
It’s not just the Immortal Alliance Headquarters, even in the state regions’ Formation Halls, Array Masters are being taken away for investigation.
The Five Elders’ Territory may have temporarily retreated, but the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals has fallen into intense turmoil.
On Haixuan Island in Misthaven Sea,
Ji Shaoli was enthusiastically greeting the Misthaven Sea cultivators who had come to attend the gathering.
Most of them were Island Guards, and others held positions on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Not to mention dealing with countless affairs daily, in such a tense situation as today, they were also extremely busy.
Being able to spare time to attend today’s banquet was indeed giving Ji Shaoli a lot of face.
"It’s just a pity that several friends from the Array Strategy Hall are not present today to grace the occasion," Ji Shaoli’s clone said with regret.
"Heh, they are all too busy dealing with various inspections to spare any time," a cultivator immediately explained with a sigh.
"It’s truly unexpected that even the secrets of the Protective Array could be sold out. One can imagine the extent to which the Formation Hall’s upper echelons have decayed."
"It’s said that, to quell the situation, Lu Qixian, the chief Array Master of the Array Strategy Hall, has already offered to step down. Tsk tsk…"
"In my opinion, it’s not just the Array Strategy Hall. The entire upper echelon of the Immortal Alliance..."
"Eh, Zhang friend, be careful with your words..."
All present held positions within the Immortal Alliance System. Ji Shaoli started a topic that led everyone to engage in a heated discussion.
Still, as the topics became more taboo and sensitive as time went on,
they mutually agreed to stop.
"Speaking of which, Ji friend, have you changed your ways? In the past, there were always many beautiful female cultivators accompanying you on the island, but today I don’t see even one?"
"Hehe, a few days ago, Ji friend dismissed a batch. I thought he had found a new fancy, but after such a long time, he still hasn’t made a move. It’s indeed a bit strange."
Faced with curious looks and inquiries from around, Ji Shaoli let out a long sigh and said, "Nothing much, I just grew tired of it all!"
"After indulging in pleasures, I ultimately felt somewhat empty inside."
"Especially with the war breaking out inexplicably recently, a good friend of mine from Shilin State suddenly fell. It was quite a wake-up call for me."
"Compared to indulgence, my own cultivation base and realm are more important."
"Nowadays, situations change daily, and no one knows in which direction they will develop. A higher realm by one degree means a better chance of surviving in the future!"
Ji Shaoli’s remarks immediately garnered agreement from many.
"Although we in Misthaven Sea are in a frontier region, we are also adjacent to the Five Elders’ Territory. Who knows when they might attack. We must be prepared!"
But this also caused many to show worried expressions: "Most of us are only at the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core cultivation levels, and if a great war truly breaks out, we’ll likely be as unstable as duckweed in the wind..."
At the right moment, Ji Shaoli sighed and said, "Life and death are not in our hands after all!"
A single statement about life and death moved the cultivators present,
each showing different expressions.
Ji Shaoli changed the subject: "This is also another reason I invited everyone here today."
"As you all know, I once won the [Dingyu] jackpot, accumulating quite a fortune."
The gazes of the cultivators were instantly drawn in.
Indeed, if he wasn’t wealthy, why would they treat Ji Shaoli with such respect?
Wasn’t it because they hoped to borrow some contribution points from him when it was crucial?
"And as for myself, having some understanding of investment, though I’ve squandered a lot in hedonistic pursuits over the years, overall, my wealth has doubled,"
Ji Shaoli said, looking quite pleased with himself.
