Chapter 2023: Chapter 2021: Zixuan Attacks
Inside the grand hall, Lu Ye’s voice continued to echo, and the assembled Sun Blaze listened attentively. Now that they had obtained precise intelligence about Zixuan and discovered the expected arrival time, it was naturally necessary to make detailed deployments and arrangements.
The crux of this battle is not the tens of thousands of demon cultivators from Zixuan, but those ten Sun Blaze. As long as these Demon Venerable masters are dealt with, victory is assured.
Qin Yi sat dazedly, momentarily feeling as if she were in a dream.
She had some understanding of the foundation of the Jade Conch Galaxy, so no matter how she tried, she couldn’t figure out where Lu Ye had found so many helpers, and of different races too.
What startled her even more was that the many Sun Blaze in the grand hall seemed to faintly look to Lu Ye’s leadership.
She had previously learned from cultivators of the four galaxies returning from the All Phenomena Ocean that Lu Ye had developed well over there, but she never expected that the former Constellation had reached such heights that she now had to look up to.
Shortly after, all the deployments were finalized.
Qin Yi finally came back to herself slowly, saying, "Junior Brother Lu, is there anywhere I can help? If there is, feel free to instruct me."
Originally, she came prepared to find Lu Ye’s friends and relatives to evacuate them, but the current situation no longer required that. Yet, since she was here, she certainly couldn’t just sit idly by; she could always contribute somehow.
Lu Ye looked at her, "Senior Sister Qin’s presence here is already enough. The four galaxies have made great sacrifices to delay the Zixuan battalion, and Jade Conch greatly appreciates that. This battle is a conflict of enmity between our home galaxy and Zixuan, not suitable for the four galaxies to intervene."
After this battle, the Jade Conch Galaxy will surely become renowned in stellar space, but it will also earn Zixuan’s thorough hatred.
The current Jade Conch has a sufficient self-defense capability, but the four galaxies might not. Therefore, at that time, Zixuan might avoid confronting Jade Conch directly, but could still trouble the four galaxies. Hence, it’s best for Qin Yi not to participate in this battle to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Qin Yi sighed, "Shame!"
The four galaxies fear Zixuan’s might; all they can do is delay them for a while, letting Qin Yi come over to make a show, without daring to tear off the mask.
If they had known earlier that Jade Conch had such deep foundations, the four galaxies could have made a better choice, like dispatching a few cultivators to pretend joining the Zixuan battalion, then turning on them once the battle started, catching Zixuan off guard.
But there are not so many foresights in the world; the Sun Blaze of the four galaxies must also be responsible for their own galaxy’s cultivators, and even no matter how indebted they are to Lu Ye for past favors, they dare not offend Zixuan without absolute certainty.
Tried every means to delay the Zixuan battalion, to get Qin Yi here in advance, they were actually taking quite a risk.
Seeing her expression, Lu Ye vaguely guessed her thoughts and smiled, "Senior Sister Qin, there’s no need to worry. If Sister is indeed restless, then please oversee Mount Fangcun. There will be many healing cultivators stationed here to tend to injured cultivators returning for treatment during battle, Sister could help keep an eye on them."
Stationed inside Mount Fangcun, she wouldn’t have to show her face. As long as Mount Fangcun’s protective shield remains intact, nobody would know there’s a Qin Yi inside.
Qin Yi clearly understood the intent behind Lu Ye’s arrangement and nodded immediately, "Rest assured, Junior Brother Lu, I will take good care of them."
Lu Ye nodded slightly, not saying more.
From his standpoint, the response of the four galaxies this time was understandable. The one who had helped the four galaxies back then was him personally, so now that Jade Conch faces difficulty, the four galaxies, given their resources, sent Qin Yi over to help evacuate Lu Ye’s friends and relatives in advance.
The four galaxies couldn’t do more, and naturally, this didn’t create any rift in his heart. In fact, he was quite grateful because Qin Yi coming over indeed involved some risks.
The discussion concluded, and everyone dispersed to prepare for the battle in the remaining time.
With the precise intelligence brought by Qin Yi, Lu Ye naturally no longer needed to probe the geomagnetic turbulence zone.
Days passed by.
On this day, at the exit of the geomagnetic turbulence zone, several colossal shadows suddenly appeared, revealing the massive warships.
A total of five warships: four of them similar to the central hub battleships Lu Ye had brought back from the All Phenomena Ocean, albeit larger in size and more formidable in appearance — anyone could tell they were invaluable for siege and conquest.
The last warship was particularly gigantic, truly a Sun Blaze level battleship. Whether in offensive or defensive capabilities, it could easily compare to a Sun Blaze’s hand, especially its defense, fortified by powerful formations, beyond common Sun Blaze.
Compared to this warship, the other four originally not small warships now appear insufficiently big.
One large, four small, five warships passed through the geomagnetic turbulence zone, arriving at the Jade Conch Galaxy.
"We’ve finally arrived."
Inside the central control hall of the largest, central warship, two figures stood side by side, one with wildly swirling hair and a naturally authoritative presence, the other exuding a condensed aura, with eyes as black as the darkest night.
There are many Demon Venerables on Zixuan Demon Planet, but there are only five who can be called Great Demon Venerables, and Black Cloud is one of them, with four others remaining.
The two here are two of the remaining four Great Demon Venerables. The one with wild hair and beard is Demon Venerable Bi Chen, renowned for over ten thousand years, a formidable force across the stellar space.
The one with jet-black eyes is Demon Venerable Moh Xuan. Although he has been a Great Demon Venerable for only a millennium, his foundation is immensely profound and should not be underestimated, especially due to his bloodline, which grants him an extremely powerful Pupil Skill, mysterious and difficult to defend against.
This time, they are leading the expedition against the Nine Provinces, accompanied by eight minor Demon Venerables.
Even a minor Demon Venerable has a Sun Blaze cultivation, just not at its peak.
Ten Demon Venerables and ten thousand demon cultivators—such a formation has only been mobilized twice in a millennium by Zixuan, each time targeting an extremely powerful force. Normally, a Jade Conch doesn’t warrant such effort from Zixuan, but the involvement of the Nine Provinces changes everything.
A hundred thousand years ago, the Nine Provinces was the most renowned domain in the entire stellar space. Its strength was unparalleled, overshadowing even other top-tier forces, with its brilliance illuminating the entire stellar space.
But ever since the great war a millennium ago, the Nine Provinces vanished without a trace. No one knew where it was until Black Cloud obtained definitive news, leading Zixuan to strike decisively with heavy forces.
Bringing so many demon cultivators is mainly to facilitate the current rule over the Nine Provinces. After all, there lies a great opportunity that many sought a millennium ago, yet found nothing. So with fewer people, it would certainly be unfindable.
At this moment, beside the two Great Demon Venerables, numerous Arrays are activated, reflecting mirror-like images that display scenes from different angles around them.
"Following Black Cloud’s route, this should be the Jade Conch Galaxy," Moh Xuan spoke. "So the Nine Provinces is not far from here. His doppelganger was lost there last time."
Bi Chen nodded slightly, his low voice resonating: "Black Cloud’s doppelganger was tempered for three thousand years, with a Sun Blaze Mid-Stage cultivation. As he said, it suddenly lost contact with the original, and he doesn’t know what exactly happened. However, being able to easily deal with a Sun Blaze Mid-Stage suggests that the Nine Provinces still holds potential."
Moh Xuan smiled: "After all, it is the Nine Provinces. Even after a millennium, there’s always somewhere unexpected."
The two Demon Venerables chatted leisurely, yet neither took the Nine Provinces seriously. Even if the present Nine Provinces really had a Sun Blaze stationed, their overwhelming force nullified any potential resistance.
"Is there any news from Black Cloud?" Bi Chen inquired.
Moh Xuan said, "Not yet. However, Black Cloud mentioned before that he would deal with the Three Worlds Island in the All Phenomena Ocean first, as there are many cultivators from the Nine Provinces there. He plans to take it down before joining us. If there are no surprises, he should be on his way. Should we wait for him?"
"No need!" Bi Chen shook his head. "Continue onward, find the Nine Provinces!"
Moh Xuan understood, and just as he was about to give orders for the fleet to advance, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he exclaimed in surprise: "Oh!"
Bi Chen also looked in that direction. Where the two Demon Venerables were staring, the reflection of the nearby stellar space showed a sudden appearance of a blood-red light, rapidly approaching the fleet.
"Blood Escape Technique?" Moh Xuan raised his eyebrows, showing astonishment.
The sudden appearance of a cultivator using the Blood Escape Technique in such a place seemed odd, especially since there was no sign of anything pursuing the individual. Moh Xuan was puzzled about what the other was evading.
Moreover, upon sensing it more closely, it was even more surprising that the one performing the Blood Escape was actually a Sun Blaze.
"Coming for us!" Bi Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting!" Moh Xuan smirked. Just as Zixuan arrived in the Jade Conch Galaxy, a Sun Blaze was using the Blood Escape Technique towards the fleet. What was the intention?
Under normal circumstances, the Blood Escape Technique, once executed, brought immense consumption and strain on the user, with potential side effects if maintained for too long, making it primarily used for escaping or pursuit, not during ordinary moments.
As the two conversed, another battleship had a Demon Venerable appear to intercept it.
The Sun Blaze executing the Blood Escape Technique was not of high cultivation, seemingly newly-ascended. Thus, the Demon Venerable who appeared was also approximately at Sun Blaze Mid-Stage, one of the eight minor Demon Venerables.
He had two antlers on his head, evidently a Deer Demon, with a sturdy build and muscular frame. He leapt from the battleship to intercept the blood light head-on, shouting, "Who goes there?"
Yet there was no response, with the blood light only accelerating towards them.
"Courting death!" The Deer Demon Venerable roared in anger, surrounding himself with rolling Demon Origin. A giant deer’s shadow flickered briefly behind him, followed by an expansion of his form. Confident in his superior cultivation, he charged towards the blood light without fear.
In an instant collision, the Demon Origin vibrated, and space shattered.
The blood light scattered, revealing the figure obscured within the crimson glow.
