Chapter 101 - 100: A Swift and Decisive Battle

Chapter 101: Chapter 100: A Swift and Decisive Battle

"...We’ve been out for more than ten days without sending any word back." Mao Xiu looked toward the Demon Sect, her delicate little face filled with worry. "Knowing the Sect Leader’s personality, he should have sent people to investigate by now, regardless of whether we’re dead or alive. Remember, when he found out that Qiu Ming and the others were part of the Wenda Alliance, the Sect Leader sent the four of us out immediately..."

"It’s definitely not normal," Lei Wenjie agreed. "The Snake Shadow Sect is a subsidiary of the Demon Sect. We left behind so many Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, so they should have gone to the Demon Sect for help long ago. But now, the Demon Sect hasn’t reacted at all. Something must have happened."

"By that logic, the Daoist Sect isn’t acting normally either." Qu Hao seemed to realize it as well. "Even if the false report we sent back temporarily confused the Sect Leader, word of what the Wenda Alliance has been doing should have reached him by now after all this time. He shouldn’t be this unresponsive. Even if I defected to the Wenda Alliance, he should have sent people to investigate, just like the Demon Sect was supposed to."

Qu Hao was currently at the peak of the Void Refinement Realm, just a single step away from breaking through to the Harmonization Realm.

He was currently full of vigor, single-mindedly focused on increasing his Skill Level, then cultivating Wish Power, breaking through the world barrier to achieve Ascension, and following in Li Ye’s footsteps. He had long since cast his former master to the back of his mind.

If Mao Xiu hadn’t suddenly mentioned the Demon Sect, he wouldn’t even have remembered the Daoist Sect!

...

Li Ye had already considered the issues they were raising; he had just kept it to himself.

The Wenda Alliance was a plan full of holes from the very beginning. No matter how he patched it up, more would eventually appear.

That was why, from the start, he had never made the Wenda Alliance his main focus.

He was only thinking about using this one year to rapidly increase his strength and acquire some Derived Skills. The Wenda Alliance was merely his tool—the disposable kind you use once and then toss away.

But Qu Hao and the others were thinking about Wish Power Ascension. Their fundamental goals were completely different.

Li Ye was more like a con man, grabbing what he wanted before slipping away.

In fact, his plan was already halfway to success.

In just over three months, he had raised his cultivation to the late Void Refinement Realm. He was one step away from possessing the highest level of combat power in this world...

But now, ’Those who should have come, haven’t. It’s really not normal.’

’If those people don’t show up soon, once my strength breaks through to the Harmonization Realm, I probably won’t even be able to feel the threat of a life-and-death crisis anymore.’

’Without a life-and-death crisis, how am I supposed to awaken any Derived Skills?’

’Am I really going to go back from this business trip with only a single Derived Skill like Stars Surrounding the Moon?’

’Or is the Demon Sect cooking up something big?’

’Or maybe... the other wisp of Demon Qi has sensed a threat and started stirring up trouble in the Demon Sect?’

Li Ye frowned in thought.

Still, he didn’t pay that wisp of Demon Qi much mind.

The Demon Qi in the last world managed to create the Divine Dragon Sect, but the Demon Qi in this world had been here for four years and hadn’t made a single move.

Even if it had recently sensed a threat and started causing trouble, it probably couldn’t threaten him. After all, the combat power in this world was simply too high.

In the first world Pang Feng had traversed, the Demon Qi was wiped out by the natives, and he had basically coasted through the entire thing without lifting a finger.

The combat power of this world was nothing to sneeze at, so it was normal for the Demon Qi to keep a low profile.

...

"Alliance Leader, I suggest we send someone back to the Demon Sect to investigate," Mao Xiu said. "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat. A proper Sect must always keep track of the movements of other Sects."

"Elder, you can handle the arrangements." Li Ye smiled nonchalantly. "From now on, I’ll be focusing my energy on Ascension. The Wenda Alliance will ultimately be yours, so you can make the decisions on these matters. I only want to give your strength a boost before I leave.

"Strength is the only thing that truly matters. Without enough of it, no matter how much you know about the other Sects’ movements, you’ll still be crushed when the time comes..."

Silence.

Mao Xiu and the others had already learned of Li Ye’s origins from Lei Wenjie.

But they had been deliberately ignoring the fact that Li Ye would eventually undergo Ascension. Their own strength wasn’t high enough yet, and they still hadn’t figured out the cultivation technique for a Loose Immortal. None of them wanted Li Ye to leave just like that.

But now that Li Ye had emphasized his Ascension once more, they knew that the Alliance Leader’s departure was set in stone and couldn’t be changed.

’No wonder Li Ye has been leading us to conquer in all directions without a moment’s rest. He must be worried about the Wenda Alliance he built, wanting to raise everyone’s strength in the shortest time possible!’

’He’s making arrangements for after he’s gone!’ A wave of emotion washed over them.

"Alliance Leader, never mind the Demon Sect! We’ll face whatever comes our way. Let’s go attack the next Sect!" Mao Xiu looked up at Li Ye and smiled. "The Alliance Leader is right. Strength is the only thing that truly matters."

Suddenly.

Li Ye turned his head and looked behind him.

"What is it?" Mao Xiu asked.

"Speak of the devil. Some tough customers have arrived. All hands, prepare for battle." Li Ye’s eyes gleamed as he drew his Immortal-Slaying Sword from his Storage Pouch.

After winning over Mao Xiu and the others, his equipment had also been upgraded a level.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword, obtained from Mao Xiu, was exceptionally sharp.

When used, the Spirit Enhancing Array Pattern engraved on the blade allowed one’s Spiritual Qi to have a piercing effect, making it an excellent tool for breaking through defenses.

Its only weakness was its extremely high Spiritual Qi consumption; anyone below the Void Refinement Realm would find their Spiritual Qi completely drained after just a few uses.

But a Void Refinement Realm cultivator’s Spiritual Qi recovered quickly, so this wasn’t a concern.

...

Lv Jun and the few others with the highest cultivation levels didn’t sense anything, but they trusted Li Ye one hundred percent. After all, Li Ye was different from them.

"Form the array!"

Lei Wenjie shouted.

The several hundred members of the Wenda Alliance immediately formed a modified Celestial Net Array, primarily to protect Li Ye.

They shielded Li Ye in the center with layers of protection from all sides, facing outward and exposing their backs, making it convenient for the Alliance Leader to land his devastating blows.

Every one of their faces was alight with excitement.

After all, every battle meant a rapid increase in their cultivation realm.

They absolutely loved the euphoric feeling of a sudden pain in their kidneys, followed by a massive surge in their Skill Level.

They didn’t even need to worry about casualties during battle anymore.

Their Nascent Souls could be converted to cultivate as Loose Immortals.

And at the very least, the name "Loose Immortal" still had the word "Immortal" in it!

Being able to join the Wenda Alliance and meet the Alliance Leader was a blessing they must have cultivated for several lifetimes...

...

Just as everyone finished forming the array,

three figures suddenly appeared, hovering in the air not far away.

They wore looks of astonishment, seemingly surprised that the Wenda Alliance had managed to form an array before their arrival.

"Master?" Qu Hao cried out in alarm.

"Make it quick."

The Daoist Sect Leader completely ignored him. His gaze locked onto Li Ye, and with a low shout, he launched the first attack, sending several talismans flying from his palm.

The Sword Sect Leader followed immediately after. The Sword Box on his back opened, and countless flying swords shot out, blotting out the sky as they stabbed toward the Spherical Array protecting Li Ye.

The Buddhist Sect Leader pressed his palms together, and the illusory figure of a Buddha manifested behind him.

He thrust his hand downward, and the Buddha phantom mirrored the action. A golden Palm Seal hundreds of meters long descended from the sky, pressing down upon the numerous cultivators of the Wenda Alliance.

They were the strongest experts of the Upper Three Sects, representing the pinnacle of power in this world. The moment they acted, they unleashed killing moves.

With no movement from the Demon Sect, who knew what ultimate move they were preparing. The three leaders wanted to capture Li Ye before the Demon Sect could act, and had no intention of negotiating.

A mere seven or eight hundred Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators were not worthy of their serious attention.

...

The instant the battle began,

Li Ye shot out a thousand rays of Sword Light, completing a new round of backstabs.

In that instant, his Skill Level surged by more than two hundred times, successfully pushing his cultivation to the peak of the Void Refinement Realm.

’I still didn’t reach the Harmonization Realm?’

Li Ye sighed to himself.

’The amount of Spiritual Qi needed to advance from the Void Refinement Realm to the Harmonization Realm is just too immense.’

’It’s a good thing I have a Derived Skill that relies on striking my teammates. Otherwise, after coming to this world, I would’ve at best reached Foundation Establishment. Hoping for Harmonization would have been a pipe dream in this lifetime.’

’For a Time Traveler, Derived Skills are the real foundation of survival.’

"Alliance Leader, they are the three Sect Leaders of the Upper Three Sects!" Mao Xiu’s face was aghast. "The three of them have actually joined forces?"

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Li Ye said. "So what if they’re Sect Leaders? If they know what’s good for them, they can be our teammates. If they don’t, we won’t even let them become Loose Immortals..."

At the peak of the Void Refinement Realm, Li Ye felt unprecedentedly powerful.

His Spiritual Qi felt inexhaustible, and his physical strength had reached an inconceivable level.

’I feel like even without using Spiritual Qi, relying on pure physical strength, I could shatter a Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator with a single punch.’

’In the last world, if I had this kind of power, I wouldn’t have needed to sacrifice any teammates. I could have hammered that black loach to death in two punches.’

...

Though launched later, the Sword Sect Leader’s flying swords arrived first.

Under the assault of the Sword Array, the Magical Treasures of the Wenda Alliance’s Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators shattered one after another, unable to withstand a single blow.

Most cultivators used rays of Sword Light when they attacked, but the Sword Sect Leader controlled real, solid flying swords.

The power and control required for the two were on completely different levels.

Moreover,

mixed in with the dense swarm of flying swords were numerous rays of Sword Light, whose power seemed no weaker than the physical blades.

After breaking through the outer defensive array, the flying swords’ momentum didn’t lessen in the slightest as they proceeded to pierce through their bodies.

The Spiritual Qi clinging to the sword blades shredded the meridians of these Divinity Transformation Realm cultivators, blowing their bodies to smithereens. Not even their Nascent Souls could escape...

The Sword Sect was unparalleled in killing power.

The few talismans released by the Daoist Sect Leader formed a trapping array.

Eight Spirit Talismans occupied the eight cardinal directions, sealing off all of the Wenda Alliance’s escape routes.

The cultivators who were lucky enough to dodge the Sword Sect Leader’s Sword Array were struck by the golden Palm Seal that followed, and were instantly splattered into a meat paste, unable to mount any effective resistance.

Shrieks of agony filled the ranks of the Wenda Alliance.

In a single exchange,

the Wenda Alliance’s eight hundred Divinity Transformation cultivators lost nearly a tenth of their number. The newer members who hadn’t had much time to grow were almost completely wiped out.

Not all Harmonization Realm experts were the same.

Compared to these three top-tier combatants, the Harmonization Realm of the Demon Sect’s Grand Elder, Mao Xiu, seemed like a watered-down version. Back at the Snake Shadow Sect, if any of these three had shown up, Li Ye likely wouldn’t have gained any advantage.

He might not have even been able to use his time acceleration ability, because they would have never let him get within three li of them; Qiu Ming’s chessboard would have never held up.

...

’If a Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator can’t even withstand a single punch from me, how could they possibly block the three Sect Leaders of the Upper Three Sects?’

’The way high-level cultivators crush low-level ones is truly like slicing vegetables!’

They were too strong.

Li Ye couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’It would be so awesome if I could learn the Sword Sect Leader’s techniques. Look at all those flying swords filling the sky—so cool and flashy!’

"Alliance Leader, what do we do?" Zhai Bin’s Nascent Soul cried out. "They’re too strong! Only the Demon Sect and the Ghost Sect can stand against them. We’re no match..."

"Why don’t you use your Spatial Technique to escape!" another Nascent Soul chimed in.

"Yes, Alliance Leader, run!"

"Run!"

"As long as the green hills remain..."

The Nascent Soul Tree behind Li Ye chattered in agreement.

These Nascent Souls were all from the Demon Sect. As long as they could stay alive, they couldn’t care less if anyone else died.

In their minds, Li Ye’s Spatial Technique could be used without limit, making it as easy as flipping a hand to escape the pursuit of three peak Harmonization Realm experts.