For them to invade our airspace so casually, they either had something to rely on or feared nothing at all. I flew ahead to meet the cultivators and scanned them carefully, searching for their leader.
"Brother Tian!" Before I could spot anyone familiar, a woman's voice rang out from among the cultivators. I looked into the distance, where divine light gradually rose behind them, shining brilliantly like an unmistakable beacon.
"Qian?" I flew toward the cultivators and took a closer look. Sure enough, hidden behind them was Zhao Qian, bearing her divine spark. Around her were sixty or seventy powerful cultivators protected by divine light! Another two thousand-odd cultivators lacked that light, with humans, demons, and ghosts all mingled together.
Quan Chanyu, Shang Wanqiu, Li Qinghe, and the others were beside her, all having returned safely. The ring of divine light on Zhao Qian's forehead had already grown quite faint. Clearly, she could offer protection to fewer and fewer people; protecting this group alone had consumed most of it.
"We're back!" Zhao Qian said, flying toward me. Behind me, an army of over ten thousand cultivators was assembling, leaving the two thousand-odd cultivators accompanying her dumbfounded. They had never imagined that a prefectural seat in Central Province could harbor so many cultivators.
In fact, most of the cultivators at the prefectural seat were from Lan Province and needed to cultivate in seclusion. Tens of thousands more had already gone to reinforce the front where Ruan Qiushui was stationed. Otherwise, there would have been even more cultivators here.
Everyone was delighted as the two forces joined up. After all, in the War of the Nine Provinces, there were no longer any true enemies. Those who possessed divine sparks were the ones everyone ought to protect. Not having to fight meant we