Ji Qing Gravely Injured, Another Bountiful Harvest

"I wonder how the fighting at the front is going..."

Having finished his work for the day, Li Ye stepped out of the spirit fields and couldn't help wondering.

Nearly two months had passed since High Person Purple Profound was attacked, Cai Shiwei's whereabouts were discovered again two days later, the Purple Profound Sect's party pursued him only to be ambushed, and the Flying Feather Sect of the Yue Kingdom launched a massive invasion.

A large number of disciples and elders in the sect had been called up and sent to the front.

Almost every day, Li Ye heard all kinds of reports from the war: casualties at the front, advantages and disadvantages, victories and defeats, formidable geniuses among the enemy, or someone who had shone brilliantly on the battlefield...

Cai Shiwei, once a disciple of the Purple Profound Sect and now an elder of the Flying Feather Sect, had also been exceptionally active, putting on a dazzling display!

Though he had become a thorn in the eyes of countless Purple Profound Sect elders and disciples, he had remained a dominant force, displaying astonishing combat prowess and often holding his own against multiple opponents!

There was hardly time to take in all the news.

Someone as outstanding in battle as Elder Ji Qing had naturally set out early to guard a region.

As for Li Ye, Elder Ji had shielded him from this round of conscription on the grounds that the spirit fields could not be left untended, keeping the spirit farmer disciple in the sect.

Spirit farmer disciples in the various sects were generally exempt from the first wave of conscription as a matter of course. Only when the fighting became desperate would a sect temporarily abandon the care of its spirit fields and send them to the battlefield.

But in Li Ye's case, it clearly depended on what the elder backing him wanted.

Clearly, Elder Ji had always treated him fairly well!

The Blood Li Rice was nearly ripe, and the Blazing Sun Flowers looked as though they were about to bloom. Yet Elder Ji was still at the front, so Li Ye reckoned this harvest would probably have to be overseen by the boy.

"But the Flying Feather Sect and the Yue Kingdom came on fiercely. Even their Golden Core patriarch made a move on the battlefield. Though our sect's High Person Purple Profound immediately went to confront him afterward, and we at least didn't show signs of weakness..."

"After that, even though the Golden Core patriarchs stopped interfering in the fighting, the Flying Feather Sect's offensive somehow grew even fiercer..."

Such signs could mean far too many things.

"At this rate, I probably won't have long before I'm called up to fight..."

Li Ye sighed silently. "Before then, I should do my best to bring the Blood Li Rice to maturity and harvest it..."

"After using up four hundred strands of Blood Li Spiritual Essence, I've nearly pushed Elephant Armor Force to the brink of a breakthrough. My Qi and Blood reserves are deep, just one final step short, but ordinary medicinal baths and Qi and Blood Pills no longer do much for me..."

"I can only try using a large amount of Blood Li Spiritual Essence to refine a few pills with purer properties and stronger medicinal effects!"

Whoosh-

Mist surged as the formation's restrictions abruptly opened.

A figure wrapped in dim orange-red spiritual light dropped straight into the palace, and the many restrictions activated once more.

"Elder Ji is back... Wait, why is his presence so weak?"

Watching from afar, Li Ye felt his heart skip a beat.

Even someone as formidable as Elder Ji had returned grievously injured. Something major must have happened at the front.

There might even have been a major defeat that set off a chain of routs across the battlefield!

He gathered his things and immediately left the spirit fields for the front hall.

Sure enough.

When Li Ye came to pay his respects to the elder, Boy Xiangyang stopped him and made it clear that Elder Ji was in seclusion healing his injuries and was not to be disturbed.

Seeing the shock on Li Ye's face, Boy Xiangyang hesitated briefly before telling him more.

"The Qi Household betrayed our sect. While facing the Flying Feather Sect, they suddenly struck and joined forces with the cultivators on the other side to attack the elder..."

"The elder relied on his formidable physique to kill the Qi Household's Foundation Establishment cultivator and fight his way out of the encirclement..."

"But the elder was also grievously injured and cut off from help, so he could only lead the group in retreat. At other locations, local lineages likewise betrayed and stabbed us in the back, causing our sect to suffer defeat after defeat. Another region has now fallen into enemy hands!"

This is bad!

The thought sprang into Li Ye's mind as he listened.

This was probably about more than lost territory.

Those lineages' betrayal had not only caused casualties among the Foundation Establishment elders and heavy losses among the Qi Refining disciples, but had also shattered the fragile trust between the Purple Profound Sect and the many lineages of the Huan Kingdom.

No one knew whether another lineage might stab them in the back!

Even under pressure from the Yue Kingdom, both the Purple Profound Sect and the remaining lineages and minor sects still had to fight together.

After all, the Yue Kingdom had invaded for the Huan Kingdom's territory and resources, which it would ultimately have to seize from those very powers.

Perhaps those who had surrendered to the Flying Feather Sect at the outset could receive favorable treatment and preserve their foundations, but who could guarantee that those who defected later would not be carved up by the Flying Feather Sect afterward?

To preserve their power and foundations, the only true course was to drive back the Yue Kingdom's allied forces!

The small lineages and minor sects could only profess their loyalty to the Purple Profound Sect, while the Purple Profound Sect, having suffered a heavy blow, still had to placate the lineages large and small and unite their forces.

But even so, the seeds of distrust had already been sown, and the day would come when they sprouted within the Huan Kingdom's camp.

Compared with those problems that had yet to surface, however, the ones in the most awkward position now were the Purple Profound Sect disciples who came from the various cultivation lineages.

In the past, their lineage backgrounds had often earned them better treatment in the sect.

But under the present circumstances, they were beginning to find themselves caught between two fires, pleasing neither side!

And as it happened, Li Ye was one of them!

"The sect has taken heavy losses at the front and urgently needs reinforcements. They might well turn their attention to people like us..."

A sense of urgency rising in his heart, Li Ye thanked the boy and headed straight for Old Man Luo's residence.

He needed more detailed information and wanted to see whether there was any way to pull some strings. Even if he had to fight at the front, he wanted to see whether he could secure a patch of spirit fields to try his hand at!

Two days later.

"Good, good, good! They actually went this far without even trying to hide it!"

Li Ye looked at the sect decree in his hand, his expression quite something to behold.

The Purple Profound Sect had simply published a roster and sent the corresponding orders to them.

Looking over the roster of those assigned to fight, he saw that, aside from a few scattered disciples who seemed to have no backing in the sect, the great majority came from various lineages.

And the regions they were being sent to all seemed to be places where the fighting was currently fierce.

They really were using them as cannon fodder!

"Fortunately, there are still a few days to prepare. That might just be enough time for me to wait for the four mu of Blood Li Rice to come in..."

Li Ye's expression filled with anticipation.

He had previously asked Old Man Luo about the allocation of spirit fields in the war zone, but the old man had been helpless too, saying that at a time like this, there was no way to pull strings.

And Elder Ji Qing remained in seclusion, leaving Li Ye unable to seek his help.

If he couldn't farm for some time to come, this harvest would be especially important!

With that thought, he wasted no more time and headed straight for the spirit fields on the back mountain.

Another two days passed.

Boy Xiangyang came to the back mountain and looked with mixed feelings at Li Ye, who was bent over working in the fields.

This man was about to go to the battlefield, yet he still spent large chunks of every day on these fields...

Who knew what he was thinking!

However diligently he worked, the elder was in seclusion healing his injuries. Even if he came out, he wouldn't keep Li Ye here at a time like this, so what use was putting on this display?

He was thinking this to himself when, as he watched, a sincere smile suddenly appeared on Li Ye's face, leaving him momentarily stunned.

He could still smile at a time like this.

Did he really like working away in these fields that much?

[...]

[You cultivated a first-tier Spirit Plant [Blood Li Rice] to maturity. Experience +0.5...]

[...]

[A first-tier Spirit Plant [Blood Li Rice] has fully matured. You obtained [Blood Li Spiritual Essence] (5%)...]

[...]

The heads of rice swayed before Li Ye, messages streaming across the panel as the smile on his face grew wider.

A bountiful harvest!

It finally came in just in time!