Black Sand River Battle Report

By dragging the Chen Household completely into the mess, the elders all felt much better.

Anyone with a seat in this council hall had access to extremely well-informed intelligence.

Everyone knew why the Chen Household had suffered this calamity.

It was because Chen Changlin of the Chen Household had previously joined forces with Liu Yuanchen to kill an evil cultivator with bizarre methods.

Now that the other side had set its sights on the Chen Household, it was clearly an act of revenge.

Everyone could guess that Liu Yuanchen had surely been the main force behind killing that evil cultivator, while Chen Changlin had merely assisted.

Yet those evil cultivators were especially well-behaved. Not only did they not dare trouble the Liu Family, they even feared crossing the boundary into Liu territory whenever they passed nearby.

After this incident, everyone grew even more apprehensive of Zhao Hong.

Sect Master Qingyang Adept spoke again. "Since the scope of the conscription has been decided, who should lead this rescue operation for the Chen Household?"

By convention, whenever the sect needed to dispatch a large number of people into battle, an elder with real authority had to take command.

Most commonly, it would be the Hall Master or Deputy Hall Master of the Guard Hall.

This time, the Guard Hall was not sending anyone to rescue the Chen Household, so it would not be suitable for them to lead.

Moreover, Demoncloud Sect was coming in aggressively, and no one wanted to step forward.

Everyone turned to look at Ye Lingshuang.

Though she was young and lacked seniority, as the Deputy Hall Master of Shennong Hall, she was still an elder with genuine authority.

Her specialty might not fit the task, but both her strength and status were sufficient.

Furthermore, she was the Chen Household's backer, and she had personally pushed for this rescue operation. Naturally, she should lead it.

Ye Lingshuang did not decline. "Sect Master, since I was the one who advocated aiding the Chen Household, I will take responsibility for this matter."

In Qinghe Town, Liu Yuanchen was chatting with Mo Lianshan, hoping to learn more about the battle situation.

Mo Lianshan took out a Communication Jade Talisman and glanced at it.

"The sect has finished discussing it. They have issued another conscription order, selecting disciples from the various halls to rescue the Chen Household."

Liu Yuanchen was not surprised by this.

The Chen Household had an extremely solid foundation. There was a Second-Rank Superior-Grade Spirit Vein around Black Sand Lake, and it was not small.

If the evil cultivators occupied it, Azure Elixir Sect would be thoroughly miserable.

Coupled with the Chen Household pulling strings through its connections, it was only a matter of time before the sect agreed to send reinforcements.

Mo Lianshan continued, "This time, Chen Changshan and the Chen Household's talented junior, Chen Zongming, will also take part.

"The elder leading them is actually Ye Lingshuang, Deputy Hall Master of Shennong Hall."

Liu Yuanchen's face lit up. It seemed his master had finally put in enough effort to send those Chen Household people within the sect to the battlefield.

Seeing that he was not the least bit surprised, Mo Lianshan asked, "Why do you not seem surprised at all?"

Liu Yuanchen chuckled. "What is there to be surprised about?"

Mo Lianshan did not continue discussing the matter and instead asked, "The battle around Black Sand Lake is in full swing. You came out to gain experience on Deputy Hall Master Zhao's orders. Do you want to go have some fun?"

Liu Yuanchen repeatedly shook his head. "I came out to gain experience, not to seek death.

"That evil cultivator mainly died by my hand. His fellow disciples are probably looking to cause trouble for me.

"Going over there now would not be much different from courting death."

Mo Lianshan looked curious. "We have killed evil cultivators in the Sea of Qi Realm before, yet Demoncloud Sect did not seem all that enraged.

"The evil cultivator you killed was only in the Qi-Nourishing Realm.

"Yet Demoncloud Sect is acting as though it has gone mad, determined to destroy the Chen Household.

"Just what background did that evil cultivator have, for Demoncloud Sect to invest so heavily?"

"Our families have been friends for generations. Give me a little information, so I can prepare early as well.

"That way, my descendants will not offend someone they should not offend and bring disaster upon the entire family."

Liu Yuanchen smiled faintly. "It is nothing too serious. The Blood Bat Sect is a major power beyond the Red Wasteland.

"Before that power, Demoncloud Sect is merely a dog.

"Chen Changlin and I killed one of their disciples. They do not dare touch me, so they naturally came to trouble the Chen Household instead."

Upon hearing this, the way Mo Lianshan looked at Liu Yuanchen changed entirely.

He had previously looked at him as an outstanding junior, but now there was a trace of awe in his gaze.

The Blood Bat Sect was a power beyond the Red Wasteland. It did not regard Demoncloud Sect at all, yet it did not dare touch Liu Yuanchen or even harass the Liu Family.

This showed just how terrifying Zhao Hong's background was.

Over the following days, Liu Yuanchen did not hurry to the Spirit Realm at Bluestone Mountain, instead remaining in Qinghe Town for the time being.

In any case, the arrangements for the Spirit Realm to merge with the Spirit Nexus had already been made.

The remaining matters could only be left to time.

No matter how hard he worked, he could not make a difference.

Moreover, the Spirit Realm could not merge with multiple Spirit Nexuses at once.

Otherwise, it might damage the Spirit Realm's spatial barrier.

Though the spiritual energy in Qinghe Town was somewhat inferior, it was already entirely sufficient for Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators.

By staying here, he could learn of any change in the battle situation as quickly as possible.

Half a month later.

In the middle reaches of the Black Sand River, streams of every size crisscrossed one another before eventually flowing into a lake more than twenty li in circumference.

Most of the Red Wasteland was crimson Gobi desert, making such a watery landscape truly rare.

This lake was Black Sand Lake, the Chen Family Ancestral Grounds. The Chen Household had built embankments along its shores and dug canals to divert water, irrigating many Spirit Fields.

The Chen Household had intercepted more than eighty percent of the water throughout the Black Sand River basin.

It was precisely through the Black Sand River's water and its many Spirit Fields that the Chen Household had become the local tyrant of the Qingshui River basin.

Now, the area around Black Sand Lake was littered with broken walls and collapsed ruins.

Among the shattered stones and roof tiles, dark-red bloodstains and damaged artifacts could still be seen.

The stretches of ruins seemed to recount a tragic past.

Large swathes of Spirit Fields had also been destroyed in the great battle.

The spirit plants within them had either been dug up by evil cultivators or reduced to broken branches and dead leaves.

Restoring these Spirit Fields and spirit plants would take at least twenty or thirty years.

Only along the shores of Black Sand Lake, protected by layers of defensive formations, did many intact buildings remain.

On a higher earthen slope along Black Sand Lake's northern shore stood a spacious residence.

The front gate was quite lively, with many cultivators in Azure Elixir Sect robes coming and going.

The main hall within the residence was extremely spacious, and more than a dozen Sea of Qi Realm cultivators had gathered there.

A cold and beautiful woman dressed in a green palace gown and wearing a golden crown patterned with phoenixes sat in the seat of honor. She was Ye Lingshuang.

The other cultivators, young and old alike, sat on either side.

Ye Lingshuang's lovely face showed neither joy nor sorrow. "After capturing White Creek Crossing and driving the evil cultivators back more than twenty li, what did we gain, and what were our casualties?"

Chen Changshan, a Shennong Hall steward, rose and replied, "Reporting to Hall Master, nine sect disciples and five Chen Household juniors died in this battle, all of them in the Late Qi-Nourishing Realm.

"Including one Sea of Qi Realm cultivator, a total of twenty-three people were injured.

"Half of the cultivators who died were turned into dried corpses.

"We found thirty-one evil cultivator corpses on the battlefield. After examining their storage bags, we discovered six Demoncloud Sect disciple tokens and one Blood Bat Sect token."

At those words, everyone's faces filled with worry.

They were not troubled by their own heavy casualties, but by that single Blood Bat Sect token.

After several clashes, Azure Elixir Sect had gained some understanding of the Blood Bat Sect.

These evil cultivators had attacked Chen territory because a Blood Bat Sect disciple had been killed by Liu Yuanchen and Chen Changlin.

Although they did not know the Blood Bat Sect's background, they could guess that its status was higher than Demoncloud Sect's.

The evil cultivators had not even been driven back yet, and they had already killed another Blood Bat Sect disciple. How could the Blood Bat Sect simply let the matter rest?

They did not want to provoke the Blood Bat Sect further, but Blood Bat Sect disciples did not have labels written on their foreheads. In a melee, there was no way to hold back.

Once a great battle began, casualties were unavoidable.

Seeing everyone steeped in gloom, Ye Lingshuang, as the commander, naturally had to offer reassurance.

"No matter what kind of background the Blood Bat Sect has, the fact that they do not dare launch an all-out attack against Azure Elixir Sect means they still have concerns.

"Regardless of what they think, we must first drive them out of the Black Sand River basin.

"Once they no longer have a foothold, they will pose no significant threat to us."

"Chen Changshan, compile the list of meritorious disciples and fallen disciples, then distribute rewards according to their contributions.

"Wang Shu, gather disciples skilled in healing and have them treat the injured cultivators.

"Jiang Hai, take three Sea of Qi Realm cultivators and fifty Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivators to hold White Creek Crossing.

"Secure White Creek Crossing first and prepare to capture Blackrock Mountain."

Everyone answered in unison, then withdrew separately.

The Blackrock Mountain mine, where Liu Yuanchen had previously comprehended the Withered Wood Longevity Art.

The dense forest surrounding the mine had now been reduced to nothing but wood chips and charcoal.

The buildings within the mine had also become ruins, though several additional layers of defensive formations had been added.

At the entrance to the mine tunnel was an exceptionally spacious stone chamber, where many cultivators had gathered.

Two cultivators in dark-red robes that concealed their faces sat in the seats of honor.

One was burly, while the other was slight.

The many other cultivators sat obediently below them.

The burly cultivator cursed angrily, "What a bunch of trash! White Creek Crossing had a formation protecting it, yet you still could not hold it. What use are you?

"If you ask me, trash like you ought to be used for cultivation.

"Losing the stronghold would have been bad enough, but you relied on the formation for defense and still suffered such heavy losses. Even one of my Blood Bat Sect disciples died."

The slight cultivator spoke to smooth things over. "It is not entirely their fault. Azure Elixir Sect has too many disciples.

"Furthermore, the Chen Household has operated White Creek Crossing for centuries and knows the place extremely well.

"It is hardly strange that the formation was easily broken.

"You may leave. Do your utmost to strengthen Blackrock Mountain's defenses.

"If Blackrock Mountain cannot be held either, there will be no need for you to remain alive."

Upon hearing this, the evil cultivators felt as though they had been granted a pardon.

After thanking them repeatedly, they fled from the mine tunnel as if they had gone mad.

The burly cultivator slapped the table in fury. "What use is there in keeping this kind of trash?

"Choosing to support Demoncloud Sect in the first place was our greatest mistake.

"We would have been better off sending a few personal disciples to establish our own sect near the Demon Cloud Sea and swallow Demoncloud Sect whole."

The slight cultivator chuckled. "Demoncloud Sect crossed thousands of li of wasteland on this expedition, so it was already at a disadvantage.

"Previously, it also desperately attacked Black Sand Lake and lost many people.

"Its current state is only to be expected.

"In my opinion, we should withdraw as well."

The burly cultivator flew into a rage. "Why should we withdraw? The Blood Bat Sect has lost face this time, yet we cannot touch the chief culprit, Liu Yuanchen.

"Azure Elixir Sect has Zhao Hong standing behind it, so we cannot touch it either.

"Now we cannot even attack the Chen Household?"

The slight cultivator patiently explained, "It is not that we cannot attack them, but that they are difficult to attack.

"Before Azure Elixir Sect's reinforcements arrived, we could have worn every last Chen Household member down through sheer force.

"But now Azure Elixir Sect has dispatched several hundred disciples, and there are even Condensed Origin Realm cultivators among them.

"With the few rotten peaches under our command, we cannot possibly capture Black Sand Lake."

"The elders' plan is to capture Golden Ao Mountain with all their strength, then use Golden Ao Mountain as a foothold to launch a war to destroy Azure Elixir Sect.

"Our harassment of the Qingshui River basin was also meant to make Azure Elixir Sect retreat in the face of difficulty and abandon Golden Ao Mountain.

"Before Golden Ao Mountain is taken, they cannot possibly send us many more reinforcements.

"The opportunity to destroy the Chen Household has already passed. There is no meaning in continuing to persist.

"The Chen Household has suffered considerable losses, and we have already displayed the Blood Bat Sect's might.

"If we withdraw now, our losses will not be great, and we have also gained a considerable amount of resources.

"Before the elders, we will only receive merit, not blame."

The burly cultivator slammed his palm onto the table. "The Blood Bat Sect has some reputation even beyond the Red Wasteland.

"Back then, when we slaughtered the Divine Court's lackeys, we never cared about such things.

"Why must we restrain ourselves now that we have come to this backwater of the Red Wasteland?

"Azure Elixir Sect has only sent a mere Condensed Origin Realm cultivator, and we are already supposed to admit defeat.

"Have all our years of cultivation been for nothing?"

"This time, I will personally act and break the formations around Black Sand Lake, allowing those little brats to charge in.

"I refuse to believe we cannot destroy the Chen Household."

The slight cultivator hurriedly tried to dissuade him. "The elder said that experts like us must not act without authorization.

"If we draw the Divine Court's lackeys here, we will have to confront them head-on.

"The Blood Bat Sect's meager foundation cannot afford to contend with the Divine Court."

The burly cultivator snorted coldly. "But the elder also said that we could interfere in conflicts between local powers.

"When those Demoncloud Sect fools plotted against Azure Elixir Sect before, were we not the ones who stepped in to conceal it?

"What is wrong with me helping to break a formation this time?

"When we came out to attack the Chen Household, the elder told the two of us to discuss matters together. He never said I had to listen to you in everything."

"I would never retreat without breaching Black Sand Lake.

Either you showed me what you could do and breached Black Sand Lake.

Or I would personally act and smash Black Sand Lake's formation to pieces."

Seeing how resolute he was, the scrawny cultivator took out a blood-red seal.

The seal was only three inches square. A fierce tiger was carved on its knob, while mountains and rivers were carved along all four sides of its base.

Unfortunately, it was covered in countless cracks, and they ran deep into the seal.

It looked as though it could collapse at any moment.

The burly cultivator was somewhat surprised. "The Mountain-Shaking Seal? This is your most precious treasure. How could you bear to take it out?"

The scrawny cultivator let out a long sigh. "Other than using this, did we have any other choice?

You brute refused to listen to reason and insisted on making such a commotion. I couldn't just stand by and watch you ruin the elder's grand plan.

Besides offense and defense, the Mountain-Shaking Seal could also shake small and medium-sized Spirit Veins, temporarily cutting off the flow of spiritual energy within them.

Without the spiritual energy supplied by the Spirit Vein, Black Sand Lake's formation would collapse on its own.

That way, we could break Black Sand Lake's formation without showing ourselves directly."

"I obtained this item from the resting place of an ancient cultivator. It had already been on the verge of shattering.

I had nourished it with my essence blood for more than ten years just to barely make it usable.

With this use, more than half of my efforts from the past decade would be spent.

This was its final use. Whether or not we could destroy the Chen Household, we had to retreat."