Chapter 417 : Two Sects at War
The Crimson Blood Sect's treasury contained many fine items, but unfortunately, it wasn't theirs, so no matter how tempted Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue were, they couldn't take too many things. The two wandered around the treasury, nearly dazzled by the choices, but in the end selected only a handful of items.
Overall, the items they chose fell into two categories. One comprised various spiritual herbs rich in spiritual energy that would help increase cultivation when consumed. The other consisted of complete spirit stone veins that, once planted, would continue to produce spiritual energy. The former was clearly suitable for Yun Qingyue's use—once she replenished enough spiritual energy, she could return to her peak condition and transform into human form. The latter was obviously prepared for Jiang Mo, perfect for placing in her Innate Space.
This appeared to be a simple matter of each taking what they needed, but it was Jiang Mo who selected the spiritual herbs, while Yun Qingyue chose the mineral veins.
The two separated in the treasury, each making their selections without consulting the other, only learning what the other had chosen for them after leaving. Yun Qingyue wasn't at all surprised by Jiang Mo's choice, but Jiang Mo was nearly moved to tears.
The Innate Space was a divine beast's private domain, initially the size of just one room, eventually evolving into an entire world. One could certainly leave it unmanaged, using it only to avoid danger and store items, but divine beasts with even minimal ambition wouldn't waste it so. They would seek out precious materials and spirit stone veins to transform their Innate Space into their own blessed land.
The little tiger's efficiency in modifying her space wasn't particularly high; she had only moved a small spiritual vein into the space under the urging of system tasks. Thus, while there was spiritual energy in the space, it wasn't abundant, and cultivation still required additional spirit stones. She herself hadn't paid much attention to this matter, but her senior sister had been mindful of it for her, which truly moved the tiger to tears!
After her moment of emotional gratitude, Jiang Mo looked around and suddenly realized someone was missing: "Huh, where's Sect Leader Zhu?"
Yun Qingyue felt quite pressured by Jiang Mo's emotional display and slightly relaxed when her attention finally shifted. She then also noticed Zhu Baiyi's absence and took the initiative to walk to the window and look outside, where she saw spiritual light flickering in the distance and a group of people engaged in fierce combat.
Jiang Mo followed and saw it too, immediately asking in surprise: "Has the battle begun?"
Yes, Nine Abyss Sect and Crimson Blood Sect were at war, and in fact, this wasn't the first time the two sects had clashed at Mount Xuanyin. If Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue stayed a few more days, they would discover that the two sects fought almost daily, with each battle lasting about twelve hours. However, previously, the two sects' confrontations hadn't occurred so close to the demonic vessel; this time, it appeared that Nine Abyss Sect had launched a sudden ambush.
Yun Qingyue had excellent eyesight and could see Sect Leader Zhu's figure in the distance, beyond the battlefield. She wasn't directly engaged in the fighting but instead hovered in the air at the rear, serving as a deterrent, while facing her from afar was another middle-aged cultivator with a gloomy expression.
Others might not recognize that person, but Yun Qingyue did—it was the Nine Abyss Sect Leader who had once captured her.
Had they already reached the point of revealing their true intentions?
Yun Qingyue was somewhat surprised, but even more concerned.
Neither she nor Jiang Mo had expected Sect Leader Zhu to be so reckless, rushing out again as soon as her injuries showed signs of improvement.
Jiang Mo sensed it; they originally hadn't planned to get involved in this conflict, but when faced with the reality, they couldn't truly turn a blind eye. So after thinking for a moment, she was about to suggest offering help when her words took a different turn: "Hey, what's that?"
Hearing her voice, Yun Qingyue shifted her gaze slightly from the center of the battlefield and immediately noticed the spiritual light rising in the distance. Being newcomers, they didn't realize that the location where the spiritual light was appearing was precisely Nine Abyss Sect's current base... Given the situation, it seemed like someone was raiding their home!
Sure enough, the Nine Abyss Sect's attacking formation soon became chaotic, and the previously balanced battle underwent a change.
At first, Yun Qingyue didn't understand what was happening, but after seeing the shift in the battle, she could easily guess the situation. However, this left her somewhat perplexed—wasn't Nine Abyss Sect supposed to be slightly stronger than Crimson Blood Sect? How could Crimson Blood Sect still have enough reserves to raid Nine Abyss Sect's territory while the battle was ongoing? She doubted that Nine Abyss Sect's base was left unguarded!
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Mount Xuanyin, two sects at war.
The Crimson Blood Sect had openly arrived on their demonic vessel and occupied a small town to accommodate their disciples, putting almost all their forces in plain sight. Nine Abyss Sect, however, was different—they seemed deeply versed in the ways of spectral stealth. Their usual actions were ghostlike enough, but even during battle, they kept their base deeply hidden. Moreover, with Crimson Blood Sect's personnel closely monitored by Nine Abyss Sect, they had yet to locate Nine Abyss Sect's specific base location.
However, places that Crimson Blood Sect had no opportunity to find didn't mean others couldn't locate them. With both sects engaged in another battle, there were fewer disciples patrolling Mount Xuanyin, and while neither sect noticed, a third force slipped in.
Several figures swiftly moved through the forest, hearing the distant sounds of battle and avoiding them, heading deeper into the mountains.
"Junior Sister, how is it? Have you located the position?" A somewhat rugged voice echoed through the forest; by the time the first word was uttered, it came from one end of the forest, but by the end of the sentence, it had reached the other side.
The several people traversing the forest moved with extreme speed. The wind carried a faint response, the tone cold: "Found it, this way."
They wore white robes, which would normally make them quite conspicuous in the forest, but even if someone spotted them, it wouldn't matter because the next moment, that person would silently perish. They were like harbingers of death, bringing mortality wherever they went, until they reached a valley where, standing on high ground outside it, they could see a massive demonic vessel docked within.
One person gazed at the tall flag flying atop the demonic vessel and exclaimed joyfully: "That's definitely Nine Abyss Sect's vessel. We've actually found it!"
As soon as these words were spoken, someone nearby promptly warned: "Be careful. The demonic path practitioners employ numerous techniques. Who knows how many traps that vessel contains? We must not lower our guard."
"Yes, Senior Brother," the others responded in unison, their expressions suddenly solemn.
The mountain breeze swept by—who else could these figures, appearing so abruptly in the depths of Mount Xuanyin, be but several Peak Masters from Xuanqing Sect?
It turned out that when Crimson Blood Sect had sent the message to Xuanqing Sect, Qingyu's persuasion had finally moved Sect Leader Qingxiao. Combined with the threat of the broken sealing formation hanging over their heads like a sword, Xuanqing Sect ultimately couldn't remain uninvolved.
Sect Leader Qingxiao quickly established contact with Zhu Baiyi, and though it's unknown how they deliberated, Qingyu and several other Peak Masters were soon dispatched to Mount Xuanyin. They didn't bring disciples with them, nor did they contact the other two sects—partly out of concern that the more people who knew, the more likely the information would leak, and partly because they hadn't planned to confront the enemy directly.
And so, while Nine Abyss Sect and Crimson Blood Sect were engaged in fierce battle, they received information and came to raid Nine Abyss Sect's territory.
The combat prowess of high-level cultivators was not to be underestimated, especially with Qingyu, who had just entered the Great Achievement realm, overwhelming the numerous Fusion cultivators—Nine Abyss Sect's leader had been drawn away by the "injured" Zhu Baiyi, leaving several Fusion realm Elders to guard the vessel.
Normally, Nine Abyss Sect's strength slightly exceeded Crimson Blood Sect's, and Crimson Blood Sect had lost several high-ranking Elders in an internal conflict. Under such circumstances, they absolutely wouldn't have the strength to send people for a surprise attack. But who could have known that Crimson Blood Sect had already allied with the righteous path? So when Qingyu's earth-shattering sword strike fell upon the demonic vessel, and the defensive barrier activated at that instant, the people on board were utterly astonished.
"Who dares to attack our Nine Abyss Sect?!" An angry shout resonated from within the demonic vessel, followed by several figures soaring into the sky.
Qingyu's expression was solemn. Without even looking at who was coming, she swung her sword again—the fierce sword energy transformed into a phoenix rising to the heavens, crying out as it charged toward the opponent, its momentum even surpassing that of Yun Qingyue, the true Swan Goose.
The figures rushing out from the demonic vessel had barely emerged, not even having time to clearly assess the external situation, when they looked up to see this majestic phoenix. They were immediately shocked and scattered in flight. Those who fled quickly escaped disaster with lingering fear, while those half a beat slower sprayed blood three feet high, a severed arm falling from midair.
The Nine Abyss Sect Elders had no time to feel shock or anger before several more attacks arrived in quick succession. Though not as powerful as the previous sword strike, they were still formidable, forcing the Elders to respond urgently without even having time to speak.
Qingyu and her companions had come to raid, primarily to kill people, since during wartime, the demonic vessel's defenses were fully activated, and even a Great Achievement realm cultivator couldn't break through in a short time. Unless they could slay all the Nine Abyss Sect disciples who remained, as long as one person survived, the vessel would remain impenetrable... But what did that matter? Their goal was merely to create confusion.
The Xuanqing Sect members were filled with killing intent, especially Qingyu. After learning that Zhu Baiyi had fallen victim to Nine Abyss Sect's plot, she had been harboring a fire in her heart. Now, with a legitimate target for venting, every move she made was imbued with murderous intent.
Coincidentally, Qingyu also had the highest cultivation among those present, and when she set her mind on killing, truly no one could escape.
Qingxu and the others coordinated remarkably well. From the moment they attacked to the first person falling to Qingyu's sword, it took only a few breaths. Such lightning-fast methods immediately terrified the Nine Abyss Sect Elders to their core, making them too afraid to engage and instead attempting to flee back to the vessel.
However, while it was easy to come out, returning wouldn't be so simple...