Ransacked Clean
Behind a desolate hillside, hundreds of men in black suddenly appeared, immediately forming battle formations to guard their surroundings. Their movements were highly trained, and their coordination was remarkably smooth. Yue Qianchou was dressed in a black outfit, but unlike the others, he did not cover his face. Only Guan Yu, seated on his horse, remained clad in a green robe.
The wind howled! Yue Qianchou surveyed his surroundings. This was the location he had chosen during his reconnaissance. From a tactical perspective, this place was more suitable for assembling troops than the nearby Spirit Stone mine, and it was also the best place for so many people to advance covertly.
"First Company platoon, one company, follow me!" Yue Qianchou shouted softly, a flying sword gently lifting him up as they flew close to the ground along the undulating mountain range. A platoon of men followed closely behind, all leaning forward a few inches off the ground.
Guan Yu waved his hand, and the remaining men quickly dispersed in their squads, leaving only three Company Commanders by his side.
Yue Qianchou led about thirty men to a mountain hollow and lay in wait. Below the slope ahead lay the Qingguang Sect's Spirit Stone mine, and they could already hear the shouts of those inside. If he showed himself now, he would surely be spotted by those on the high ground. He needed to wait for the others to encircle the Spirit Stone mine within the allotted time before launching a sudden attack. Even if the enemy discovered him then, it wouldn't be a big problem; he could catch them off guard.
There was no unusual movement around, indicating that the encirclement by the others had gone unnoticed by the Qingguang Sect members. If someone were looking down from above, they would see hundreds of dark figures closing in along the mountainside around the Spirit Stone mine. In truth, this method wasn't very safe; the safest approach would have been to suddenly appear inside the Spirit Stone mine and launch a swift attack.
The key issue is that when Yue Qianchou came to scout, he couldn't enter the mine. He could only observe secretly from the outside and couldn't run in to leave a location marker for everyone to instantly appear. Because of the golden pearl, if Yue Qianchou controlled his breathing and remained still, probably no one would be able to detect him. However, if he sneaked in, he would inevitably make a move, and with his cultivation level, it would be very difficult for him to deceive the Nascent Soul Realm experts inside.
Judging that the time was about right, Yue Qianchou gave the group a ready signal, making a five-four-three-two-one gesture with one hand. Everyone watched his hand movements closely, their flying swords ready at any moment. When the last finger flicked out, Yue Qianchou was the first to leap out of the ravine on his sword, and the thirty or so people below were all sent flying in an instant with a "whoosh".
With a thought, Yue Qianchou pointed his fingers at a tall wooden building ahead, and a hundred flying swords suddenly appeared around him, shooting out like a storm. Two Foundation Establishment Realm disciples were leaning against the building, idly watching the scenery. Although their duty was to observe the surroundings and prevent sudden dangers, neither of them believed that robbing Spirit Stone mine would happen easily. After all, the Qingguang Sect was no ordinary sect; the Illusion Demon Palace of yesteryear served as a cautionary tale.
By the time they heard the sound and turned around to see the hundred cold glints of light shooting towards them, it was too late. The flying swords were as fast as lightning; the speed of sword control was Yue Qianchou's forte, perfect for a sneak attack. "Pfft pfft pfft..." The hundred flying swords shattered the wooden building on the scaffold with overwhelming force, several sprays of blood exploded, and limbs fell to the ground.
Hundreds of flying swords swarmed back to Yue Qianchou's side like locusts, protecting him. More than thirty figures flew swiftly over the collapsed wooden building. Yue Qianchou pointed his sword at a cave; the information provided by Hundred Charm Demoness confirmed that it was the location of the communication array. Dozens of people shot off at top speed. Several Qingguang Sect disciples rushed forward, but they were no match for the fierce attack led by the Nascent Soul Realm stage black-clad team. In a single exchange, they were reduced to pieces.
Just as a few people peeked out of the cave to see what was happening, dozens of others pulled out handfuls of talismans and threw them inside. First Company loud cracking sounds erupted from within, accompanied by screams of agony. Immediately, a few people guarded the cave entrance, while the rest rushed inside.
At the sound of commotion, Guan Yu spurred his horse and leaped onto the hilltop of a Spirit Stone mine. He stroked his long beard, casually pulled a large flag from his Storage Bag, and with a shout of "Hey!" planted it on the hilltop. The "Black Society" flag fluttered in the wind—this was the signal for the all-out attack.
"How dare you! Who dares to provoke the Qingguang Sect!" A figure flew out from a row of wooden houses in the mine, followed by a flurry of activity as all the Qingguang Sect's mine-guarding disciples rushed out. Looking around, a group of men in black had already surrounded the mountain mine. Judging from the stunned expressions of many, they clearly hadn't yet realized what was happening.
A small black flag appeared in the hand of the third Company Commander beside Guan Yu. With a wave of his hand, over a hundred men from the third company immediately charged into the crowd from all directions, launching a fierce attack. A situation instantly arose where Qingguang Sect disciples were besieging the more than one hundred men of the third company. For a moment, light flashed, the sounds of fighting were incessant, and screams filled the air. Guan Yu gave a cold snort, and a small black flag also appeared in the hand of the second Company Commander. He raised it and waved it from side to side, and the Qingguang Sect disciples fighting the third company in the mine were immediately surrounded by over a hundred men from the outside. A massacre had begun.
The Qingguang Sect was immediately attacked from both sides, its situation precarious, and it was in imminent danger of annihilation. This was a battle with no suspense. The group from Utopia were originally elite disciples of the top three sects of the righteous and demonic realms, seasoned veterans of countless battles in the Demon Ghost Domain, and among those of equal cultivation, they were top-tier fighters. The group was roughly half Nascent Soul and half Core Formation stage cultivators, trained in military discipline, emphasizing teamwork; for every attacker, two or three would assist in defense. The Qingguang Sect, on the other hand, consisted mostly of the Foundation Establishment Realm disciples, with only one late-stage Nascent Soul, who was already being relentlessly attacked by several Nascent Soul Realm.
The First Company raised his fist, First Company remaining two platoons immediately tightened the encirclement again to prevent anyone from escaping.
After Yue Qianchou and his men successfully destroyed the communication array in the cave, he immediately ordered his platoon to ignore the other fighting and disperse into groups of two or three to search for the miners in various caves. The miners were all disciples Law Artifacts and they had to be captured alive. Those who could not be captured alive were to be killed on the spot, leaving no survivors.
One platoon of men immediately obeyed and scattered. Yue Qianchou flew to Guan Yu's side, just as the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators of the Qingguang Sect, seeing that the situation was hopeless, struggled to break through the encirclement and try to escape. Yue Qianchou glanced at them coldly and shouted in a deep voice, "Kill!" He had no good feelings towards these so-called elders of the Qingguang Sect.
The three Nascent Soul Company Commanders beside Guan Yu flashed forward simultaneously, launching a combined attack in mid-air that sent the man crashing down. The three Nascent Soul Realm who had been attacking him also rose from below, three above and three below, the six of them striking in mid-air in a coordinated attack. The Nascent Soul stage cultivator from the Qingguang Sect Nascent Soul let out a shrill scream and turned into a shower of blood. The three Company Commanders flew back to Guan Yu's side, appearing completely unfazed.
The battle ended quickly, lasting only about fifteen minutes from the start of the attack. Yue Qianchou surveyed his men in the arena; remarkably, not a single one had died, only a few had sustained minor injuries. With such an overwhelming advantage, meticulous preparation, and a surprise attack, such a result was to be expected. Yue Qianchou nodded in satisfaction and shouted, "Don't hesitate! Clean up the battlefield! Take everything you can! Quickly!"
First Company remaining two platoons immediately rushed down, while more than ten Nascent Soul Realm flew to guard various directions. A group of people immediately sprang into action; those Qingguang Sect disciples lying on the ground, barely alive, were immediately struck several more times with swords. There was no need to leave those who couldn't be saved alive; this was one of the subjects taught in previous drills. Then a large-scale sweep began; Storage Bags and other items were directly pulled from the corpses, and even a fallen flying sword was not spared.
A platoon led out one group of miners after another, having been ordered by Yue Qianchou to capture them. These miners were already unpopular in the Qingguang Sect and had suffered even more here. During the capture, almost none of them resisted. When they saw the corpses of the Qingguang Sect disciples scattered on the ground, they showed no pity. Instead, when they faced the men in black around them, their expressions were full of fear, not knowing what fate awaited them.
The platoon Platoon Leader came over and reported, "Chief, all the miners we could capture are here." Yue Qianchou waved him away, leaped into the air, and covered the trembling miners with his Divine Sense, instantly transporting the entire platoon into Utopia. He then walked over to the Qingguang Sect disciples who were still healable and, with a wave of his hand, sent them back to Utopia as well.
After the entire Spirit Stone mine was cleared, everyone quickly regrouped. Guan Yu pulled out a Squad Commander embroidered with the three golden characters for "Black Society," and flicked it towards a stone pillar. The black Squad Commander clattered and stuck into the pillar. Guan Yu returned to the group, Yue Qianchou waved his hands, causing everyone to vanish. The Qingguang Sect Spirit Stone mine, ravaged by blood, was deathly silent, a deathly stillness. Only the mangled corpses on the ground testified to the fierce battle that had taken place there...
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