Hibiscus Jade Spirit Sect.
Night, light rain.
The outer sect area was shaken by mountain-crumbling upheaval, littered with shattered walls, broken ruins, and traces of supernatural techniques blasting everything apart.
Even the cave dwellings nearby that had escaped destruction were either occupied by enemy forces or surrounded by docked warships and tethered spirit beasts.
After all, this was only a war below the Core Formation stage; it had yet to reach the destructive power of moving mountains and filling seas. The entire war was therefore bound to drag on for a long time.
From afar, the mountain-protecting grand formation gave off a faint halo. This was its lowest operational threshold, maintained to guard against sudden enemy attacks.
Inner sect of the spirit sect.
Only some of the buildings here had been burned or damaged, likely during one of the assaults on the sect. Even a sect grand formation had areas beyond its control, and it could not withstand the frenzied, focused bombardment of Core Formation leaders.
Yet even in ruins, Hibiscus Jade Spirit Sect's former grandeur and splendor could still be seen.
Many disciples either sat hugging their swords or lay out in the open, resting with weapons at hand. The wretched state of their bodies and faces laid bare the countless brushes with death they had endured these past days.
I drifted to a stop before the barrier of the grand formation, observing the scenes unfolding before me beneath the rainy night.
Hibiscus Jade Spirit Sect had far more female disciples than male ones; men did not even make up a fifth of them. Even those who were male tended toward a soft, feminine appearance and dress, lacking the savage dominance of Beast-Taming Spirit Sect disciples and the keen, razor-sharp edge of Sharp Mound Spirit Sect.
Rumble!
Just as