A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 333 - 293: Return

"Elder Guh, please hurry back to the city and eliminate Han Wen and Zhang Hansong," Wang Yu said urgently while commanding the Divine Ship to kill the enemy, "With Fellow Daoist Ning’s assistance, it’s more than enough here."

Fairy Nishang nodded, turned around, and shot back toward Lingsha City.

Just as she turned her head, she saw a crooked escape light fleeing from Lingsha City— it was Zhang Hansong!

But with his severely injured body, how could he outrun the newly-broken-through Fairy Nishang?

With a flash of pale cyan light, Fairy Nishang was continuously closing in. Zhang Hansong, in a panic, threw out several Spiritual Artifacts, all of which were struck aside with a single palm by Fairy Nishang.

Seeing he could not escape, Zhang Hansong loudly pleaded for mercy, "Fellow Daoist Guh, I was merely an Honored Guest Elder of the Shahe Gang, doing things for money. Spare my life! I am willing to be loyal to the Yunshan Sect from now on. I am an Array Cultivator, and Sect Leader Lu will need me—"

Before he could finish speaking, Fairy Nishang had already closed in, her sword pointing with a flash of green flame, striking between his brows.

"A life for a life; no need for more words."

He let out a miserable wail, and suddenly fierce flames erupted from his seven orifices!

Fairy Nishang withdrew her hand, and Zhang Hansong’s body fell straight down.

After completing this, Fairy Nishang glanced at the sky, where two Divine Ships were bombarding behind the enemy army, like two giant sharks hunting a school of fish.

She flickered back into the city. In front of the ruins of the Hexagonal Glazed Tower, Han Wen lay there, his cloudy eyes blankly staring at the sky.

Fearing he might have some hidden means, Fairy Nishang compressed the raging flames around her, forming azure-white flames that slowly condensed into armor covering her body.

Walking forward slowly, Fairy Nishang raised a single palm.

Han Wen laboriously turned his head; he had already become a desolate old man, his hair completely devoid of luster, his body emaciated, completely devoid of vitality.

His lifespan was spent.

"Fellow Daoist Guh," he said weakly, "I lost. I have a letter in my bosom, please deliver it to Sect Leader Lu."

He seemed to want to turn his head and take one last look at the sky, but he had no strength left.

That day was also such a beautiful day. Beneath the azure sky, beside the rushing Lingsha River, a poor fisherman boy first saw the cheerful and radiant Immortal Family maiden.

"Third Lady..."

The last trace of vitality dissipated from Han Wen’s eyes, and his withered hand slipped to the ground.

The former master of Lingsha City, the commanding leader of the Shahe Gang, the most feared opponent in Chongming County apart from the Xuanguang Sect by Lu Qian, was now dead, his oil lamp extinguished.

Fairy Nishang stared at his body for a moment, waved her hand to extract a Jade Scroll from his bosom, and after confirming it was harmless, put it away.

The sound of the Spiritual Power Cannon in the sky gradually ceased; the battle was nearing its end.

The remaining enemy troops intended to turn and resist, but the Divine Ship would accelerate in retreat, and when they fled, the Divine Ship bit down tightly. After two rounds of this, half of the enemy troops were dead, while the Divine Ship remained unscathed.

The surviving enemy troops collapsed, scattering in all directions. Though the Divine Ship was swift and Ning Songzhi offered assistance, even they could miss some. After pursuing for a few miles, the Divine Ship dared not stray too far from Lingsha City and flew back, estimating that over thirty enemy remnants escaped in the end.

Regardless, the brutal defense of Lingsha City was finally over.

The two severely damaged Divine Ships slowly landed in Lingsha City. The cultivators of the Shuangye Alliance looked around at the ruins, hearts filled with confusion and sorrow.

It was Wang Yu who, bearing immense sorrow, stood up, arranged for several guards to keep watch over Lingsha City from above, and then called together the leadership of the Shuangye Alliance to make arrangements.

Upon gathering everyone, they discovered that the sect leaders of the six sects were no longer all present.

Sect Leader Wang of the Wuwang Temple and Chen Wei of Liuhua Valley had both died in battle. The remaining Zhou Chao, Zhao Xianzong of Spirit Snake Peak, Sect Leader Sun of Zhuquan Sect, and Xuu Yingcai of Qingli Mountain were all wounded, with Zhou Chao being particularly severely injured.

Wang Yu sighed, appointing the highest cultivation disciples of the Wuwang Temple and Liuhua Valley to temporarily act as leaders, and then urged everyone to disperse and take charge individually, account for casualties, take care of the wounded, search for the severely injured who had not boarded the Divine Ship and were hiding in the city, and gather the bodies of fallen cultivators.

The cultivators of the Shuangye Alliance received their orders, began to work, temporarily suppressing their physical and emotional pain, bringing a semblance of vitality back to Lingsha City.

Wang Yu then invited Fairy Nishang and Ning Songzhi to rest, to which Ning Songzhi, exhausted, cupped his hands and found a place to meditate and recover. However, Fairy Nishang shook her head.

"I’ll join you."

Wang Yu was slightly surprised; though Fairy Nishang still maintained a cold demeanor while speaking, there was indeed a change in this Fairy Nishang.

The people of Yunshan Sect began to bustle about. As the bodies of the fallen disciples were gradually gathered and placed together, someone began to weep quietly, the sound of mourning quickly spreading.

Wang Yu, with red-rimmed eyes, dared not look too long at the bodies on the ground, just as he was about to say a few encouraging words, when suddenly a guard in the air cried out, "A Foundation Establishment is approaching!"

Everyone was instantly tense, and Fairy Nishang moved, soaring into the sky.

With a sweep of her Divine Sense, she recognized the newcomer and relaxed, shouting downward, "Lu Qian is back!"

The Sect Leader has returned!

The escape light landed, and Lu Qian set down Wu Yan.

Earlier, the Primordial Pearl had deposited them at a hidden spot dozens of miles outside Lingsha City, and Lu Qian had hurriedly continued his flight toward Lingsha City.

From afar, seeing the city without the cover of the Five Elements Grand Array made Lu Qian’s heart sink heavily. Fortunately, as he got closer, he saw that the cultivators of the Shuangye Alliance were still maintaining aerial vigilance in the sky.

Upon hearing the news, everyone dropped what they were doing and swarmed forward, surrounding Lu Qian.

At that moment, the Yunshan disciples, upon seeing their Sect Leader, were filled with tears, though they had a thousand words to say, none knew how to speak them.

Lu Qian’s Divine Sense, incredibly keen, had already scanned the devastation below, with seriously damaged Divine Ships and the sharply reduced numbers of the Shuangye Alliance cultivators.

He was still too late, despite giving his all and trying numerous strategies; ultimately, it was still too late.

Now, as Lu Qian’s Divine Sense swept once more across the crowd, he suddenly staggered and clenched his fists.

His face pale, he forced a smile: "Where is Elder Zhou and Senior Brother Tan? Are they too gravely injured and recovering?"

Jiang Qingfeng could bear it no longer, tears streaming down.

Lu Qian fell silent, after a long pause, he spoke with a trembling voice, "Alright, I understand."

Wang Yu suddenly fell to his knees, voice quivering and full of anguish: "Sect Leader, it’s my fault for failing to see through Han Wen’s treachery, allowing him into the city, breaking the Five Elements Grand Array..."

Lu Qian helped him up, momentarily unable to speak, shaking his head incessantly.

After a while, his voice hoarse, he shouted, "What are you all doing standing around, get back to work!"

Thus, the cultivators slowly dispersed, Lu Qian steadily observed Wang Yu, speaking gently, "Take me to see..."

Wang Yu, holding back tears, took a few steps with him, then suddenly Lu Qian shook his head: "No, don’t see it, don’t see it."

He turned away, heading directly to the Spirit Vein. With a wave of his hand, he cleared away the mess of bricks and wood pressing on the Spirit Vein, and from his bosom took out a dazzling, multicolored Array Map.

Lu Qian affixed the Array Map to the Spirit Vein, ten Array Bases flew up from his bosom into the sky, embedding themselves around Lingsha City.

With a thunderous sound, a colossal Array slowly rose, its ten layers of light flaring, enveloping Lingsha City within.

It was the Golden Core Level Mountain Protection Grand Array, the Ten Extremes Ten Directions Array!