Chapter 818: The Final Stretch, the Nine Yuan Sect Counterattacks

Song Qingyu’s cultivation had already reached the sixth level of Core Formation. As a sword cultivator skilled in combat, she was rarely matched by any cultivator below the late Core Formation stage.

She had secretly prepared a fierce strike for some time, but it had failed to directly slay Liu Jinhe, who was only at the second level of Core Formation, leaving her feeling quite irritated.

Just as Li Mu had used a high-grade "Formation-Breaking Bead" to forcibly tear open a corner of the grand formation, Song Qingyu, who had been eyeing Liu Jinhe for a long time, immediately charged into the formation, swearing to take his life to vent her frustration.

Liu Jinhe, who was in the middle of activating the teleportation array, was shocked to see the sharp sword light striking toward him. He hurriedly shouted to the few Foundation Establishment disciples guarding the platform: "I will block her! You must activate the array quickly, or if the teleportation array is destroyed by her, none of us will be able to leave."

In the world of immortal cultivation, whether it is a large or small teleportation array, the process cannot be interrupted once it begins.

If the array suffers external attacks while activating, the best-case scenario is a failed teleportation leading to spiritual power backlash; the worst-case scenario is falling into a spatial rift and being devoured by a spatial storm.

Having witnessed Song Qingyu’s prowess, Liu Jinhe knew that the second-grade superior formation at the teleportation platform could never stop her, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and intercept her himself.

Enduring the pain from his severed arm, Liu Jinhe waved his single arm, and a golden iron tower appeared before him. Under his spell, it rapidly expanded dozens of times, blocking the path in front of the teleportation platform.

Even though he knew he was no match for her, Liu Jinhe had no other choice but to rely on this magic treasure to withstand Song Qingyu’s powerful attacks, buying as much time as possible for his side to escape.

A moment later, a deafening "boom" shook the entire teleportation platform.

At the same time, the iron tower magic treasure in Liu Jinhe’s hand snapped into two pieces, and he himself was sent flying by Song Qingyu’s fierce sword strike, falling beside the platform.

"Master!"

"Master, come quickly! The teleportation array has already started."

"..."

Seeing their master, Liu Jinhe, struck down by Song Qingyu’s sword and left barely able to stand, the disciples who had just activated the array were shocked and couldn't help but cry out.

Seeing the anxious faces of the group on the platform, Liu Jinhe, who had just spat out a mouthful of blood, did not rush to join them. Instead, with a solemn expression, he spoke directly to his disciples:

"You go first, don't worry about me!"

"I have cultivated for a lifetime, and my path to the Dao is already severed. Since it is destined that I cannot leave today, let me use this life to protect you for one last stretch!"

"Yuancheng, keep these things safe. From now on, with me gone, you must look after the others."

After Liu Jinhe finished speaking, a flash of spiritual light moved in his hand, and a verdant jade pendant flew out, landing in the hands of a Foundation Establishment cultivator on the platform.

Subsequently, Liu Jinhe, holding a flying sword, ignored the anxious cries of his disciples and resolutely charged toward Song Qingyu, who had just broken through the formation.

"Master..."

After receiving the storage magic treasure tossed over by her master, before the few people on the teleportation platform could recover from their shock, a flash of white light enveloped the entire teleportation array platform.

A moment later, on a stone platform atop a high mountain in the central part of the Song Guo.

Several cultivators standing around the stone platform saw the teleportation array they were guarding suddenly shrouded in white light and hurriedly turned to look at the center.

Before long, the white light dissipated, and several cultivators who had just teleported from afar suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

"Eh! Why have you all returned? How is Nanyue Market? Is Junior Brother Liu alright?"

Before they could even step off the platform, two flashes of white light appeared in the distance, followed by an anxious voice reaching their ears.

Seeing the two Core Formation cultivators who had suddenly appeared, the group hurriedly knelt in excitement.

"Uncle-Master Li, Uncle-Master Wei, Nanyue Market has been breached! Master told us to return quickly to report the news. Please, Uncle-Masters, go and save Master and the others!"

"What! Nanyue Market was breached so quickly? How is that possible?"

Hearing this, the two Core Formation Elders of the Nine Yuan Sect who had just arrived showed expressions of shock, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"The Xiaoyao Sect has many people; five or six Core Formation experts came. They... they even used high-grade Formation-Breaking Beads. We were only able to escape because Master covered us."

"This... move aside!"

Before the Core Formation Elder could finish speaking, another "boom" sounded from the teleportation platform, followed by an explosion of spiritual light on the array.

After the smoke cleared, the Wei-surnamed Core Formation Elder of the Nine Yuan Sect immediately stepped onto the platform to inspect it, only to find that the teleportation array had been destroyed by the enemy.

Seeing this, the two Nine Yuan Sect Core Formation Elders, Li and Wei, who had intended to support Nanyue Market, looked at each other with grim expressions. — Southeast of Song Guo, in Nanyue Market.

After glancing at the teleportation array destroyed by her sword, Song Qingyu landed from mid-air, and three Xiaoyao Sect Foundation Establishment disciples surrounded her.

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Song, the area around the teleportation array is under our control. Aside from the few who escaped, there are no survivors."

"We have just checked; the Core Formation cultivator guarding this place was named Liu Jinhe, the very man who just died under your sword, Uncle-Master."

Song Qingyu nodded slightly, her gaze drifting to a corpse not far away, and she led the group to stand before Liu Jinhe, who had completely ceased breathing.

"Uncle-Master, should we take his head back to present to the Sect's Merit Pavilion for your reward?"

Hearing the suggestion from the Foundation Establishment cultivator, Song Qingyu, with a calm expression, shook her head and spoke softly:

"His magic treasures are already in my hands; there is no need for such trouble."

"At the final moment, he sacrificed himself to cover those people's escape; he can be considered a man of loyalty and righteousness. Do not leave his body exposed in the wilderness; move it to the mountain and find a clean place to bury him!"

Although Liu Jinhe was a cultivator of the hostile Nine Yuan Sect, his act of sacrificing himself to buy a chance for his disciples touched Song Qingyu’s heart, earning him a measure of respect.

"Disciple obeys!"

Watching the Xiaoyao Sect disciples carry away Liu Jinhe’s body, Song Qingyu slowly turned around and vanished into an escape light.

After the battle, the powerful Xiaoyao Sect quickly occupied the entire market and cleared out the remaining enemies.

Aside from all the garrison cultivators of the "Nine Yuan Sect" being killed in battle, most of the rogue cultivators in the market and some cultivators from surrounding immortal-cultivating families chose to defect and surrender after the "Market Great Array" was breached.

Only a very small number of lucky ones took advantage of the chaos to flee the market.

By the time Song Qingyu returned to the large sect flying ship in mid-air, the other Xiaoyao Sect Core Formation Elders had also finished dealing with the enemies in their respective sectors and returned to the ship.

Once everyone had gathered, Li Mu, who was in charge of the operation, smiled and said to the group: "Thank you for your hard work, Junior Brothers and Sisters."

As Li Mu’s voice faded, a middle-aged man in green robes among the group bowed and replied: "We are here to serve the sect; Brother Li, please do not be so formal. Now that the enemies in Nanyue Market have been cleared, please give the order for our next step."

The speaker was Shen Tongzhou, a Core Formation Elder who had recently joined the Xiaoyao Sect after their northern expedition.

Shen Tongzhou was a rogue Core Formation cultivator from the Pei Guo in the south of the Wei Guo. His cultivation had reached the peak of the third level of Core Formation, just one step away from the middle stage.

Long before joining the Xiaoyao Sect, Shen Tongzhou was already familiar with several Core Formation Elders of the sect, and it was only through Chen Xuan’s persistent persuasion that he gave up his status as a rogue cultivator to join the Xiaoyao Sect.

Because he had always had a good relationship with the sect and was a well-known figure from the surrounding countries,

Shen Tongzhou quickly gained the trust of the Xiaoyao Sect after becoming a guest elder and had now officially integrated into the sect as an inner sect elder.

Hearing Shen Tongzhou’s words, Li Mu nodded slightly and immediately instructed the group: "Since the market has been cleared, we must now quickly repair the market formation to prevent a counterattack from the Nine Yuan Sect."

"I and Junior Brother Song will stay behind to repair the formation. Junior Brother Fang and Junior Sister Song will take people to clear out the immortal families around the market to prevent them from causing trouble behind our backs."

"The spirit stone mine behind the mountain will be left to Junior Brother Shen and Junior Sister Yun."

"Although there are no Core Formation cultivators stationed there, such an important place might still have hidden defenses."

"You must be careful; do not let the Nine Yuan Sect destroy the mine."

"Brother, rest assured, this matter is left to me and Senior Sister Yun. However, what is there to fear from a bunch of rabble? Whoever dares to covet the mine, see if I don't skin them alive."

Shen Tongzhou’s fiery temper was somewhat similar to Jin Ziyuan’s. Although he hadn't been in the sect long, he quickly hit it off with everyone, and his few words drew laughter from those around him.

Seeing this, Li Mu smiled and nodded without further comment.

After the others had left, he took out a sound-transmission talisman to send the news of victory to the sect cultivators waiting in the rear.

In the previous battle, the Nanyue Market formation had only been damaged in a few key points by the Formation-Breaking Beads, and the overall damage was not severe. Under the leadership of Song Qingming, a third-grade superior formation master, the Xiaoyao Sect group spent less than two days restoring most of the market formation.

Song Qingyu and Fang Baixuan acted separately. Under the leadership of these two Core Formation cultivators, the many immortal families under the Nine Yuan Sect around Nanyue Market surrendered one after another.

Except for a few die-hard families with close ties to the Nine Yuan Sect who received advance notice and fled with their entire families, Song Qingyu and the others encountered almost no significant resistance.

Some immortal families who had been oppressed by the Nine Yuan Sect even took the initiative to act as guides, helping Song Qingyu and the others attack other nearby immortal families after learning that the Xiaoyao Sect had captured Nanyue Market.

Within a few days, Song Qingyu and her companion had cleared out all the nearby immortal families, making them change their allegiance to the Xiaoyao Sect.

Shen Tongzhou and Yun Nishang also lived up to expectations, taking less than half a day to capture the Nine Yuan Sect spirit stone mine not far from Nanyue Market.

However, what they didn't expect was that, just as Li Mu had predicted, the Nine Yuan Sect had left behind hidden defenses in the mine.

Upon learning that the Xiaoyao Sect was coming to attack the mine, the few Nine Yuan Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators guarding the spirit stone mine ordered their subordinates to use pre-prepared second-grade talismans to blow up the entire mine before retreating.

Fortunately, Shen Tongzhou and the others arrived in time to stop them, killing a portion of the Nine Yuan Sect cultivators and preventing their plan from fully succeeding.

Even so, nearly half of the entire "spirit stone mine" was destroyed in the explosion. It would likely take several years to clear these areas and resume mining.

Seeing the "spirit stone mine" destroyed by the enemy, Shen Tongzhou was furious. With nowhere to vent his anger, he took it out on the captured Nine Yuan Sect cultivators in the mine.

He ordered the execution of those who had already surrendered on the spot and hung their corpses at the entrance of the mine, causing nearby cultivators and mortals to turn pale with fear.

After controlling the entire area around "Nanyue Market," the Xiaoyao Sect group gathered back in the market, preparing with all their might for the counterattack that could come at any time.

In this battle, the Xiaoyao Sect, under the banner of exterminating demonic cultivators, directly captured the "Nanyue Market" under the Nine Yuan Sect.

Not only was Liu Jinhe, a Core Formation Elder of the Nine Yuan Sect, killed, but hundreds of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples also died at the hands of the Xiaoyao Sect.

The territory within a radius of several thousand miles in the southeast of Song Guo had thus fallen under the control of the Xiaoyao Sect.

As a Nascent Soul sect, the Nine Yuan Sect could not possibly swallow such a bitter loss.

Song Qingming and the others knew without thinking that the enemy would certainly not easily give up "Nanyue Market" and the surrounding territory.

The capture of "Nanyue Market" had gone so smoothly mainly because the Xiaoyao Sect had taken them by surprise. Defending this place would certainly not be so easy.

Just as Song Qingming and the others were preparing for battle, high in the sky thousands of miles away, several large flying ships bearing the "Nine Yuan Sect" flag were majestically heading toward "Nanyue Market."

On the flying ships, eight Nine Yuan Sect Core Formation Elders looked ahead, each with a solemn expression.

Before long, a sword light flew from the distance and landed on the flying ship.

The person bowed to an old man in blue and white Daoist robes standing in front of him and said slowly: "Reporting to the Sect Master, I have just scouted the area around Nanyue Market."

"The situation is much as Junior Brother Zhou and the others described. The Xiaoyao Sect has six Core Formation cultivators in the market."

"The leader is Li Mu at the eighth level of Core Formation. The others are Song Qingming, Song Qingyu, Fang Baixuan, Yun Nishang, and one other whose name I do not know, only that he is a Core Formation early-stage cultivator."

"In addition, there are over a hundred Foundation Establishment and over eight hundred Qi Refining cultivators stationed in the market."

"Most of them are from the Xiaoyao Sect, but some were sent to assist by the surrounding immortal families who have defected to them."

"Alright! You may step down."

After hearing the report, Yue Wuji, the Sect Master of the "Nine Yuan Sect," showed no change in expression, his eyes still fixed firmly ahead.

Another Core Formation Elder standing beside him, Wang Ziheng, asked with a solemn expression: "Sect Master, I heard that the Song siblings' divine abilities are no weaker than late-stage Core Formation cultivators. I didn't expect both of them to come this time."

"With Li Mu, our old rival, they have three late-stage Core Formation combatants in the market. Although we have many people, I fear it won't be easy to retake the market!"

"Sigh! Junior Brother Wang, you are mistaken. We have brought eight Core Formation cultivators this time, along with several high-grade treasure ships and thousands of disciples to assist."

"Even if we cannot defeat their Core Formation combatants in a short time, our Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining disciples are several times theirs. The Xiaoyao Sect has so few people; they definitely cannot hold the market."

Yue Wuji nodded slightly and said: "Junior Brother He is right. The battle is imminent; do not let others' ambition destroy our own prestige."

"Not to mention avenging Junior Brother Liu and our fallen comrades, you all know how important Nanyue Market is to the sect. No matter what, we cannot just let the Xiaoyao Sect have it."

"Rest assured, the Supreme Elder has already come out of seclusion. If we cannot take this battle, he will not sit idly by."

Hearing the news that the Supreme Elder had come out of seclusion, the Nine Yuan Sect members, who had been doubtful, immediately showed signs of joy.

After half a day of travel, the three large flying ships carrying the Nine Yuan Sect members finally appeared in the sky north of "Nanyue Market."

"Fellow disciples, follow me to retake Nanyue Market and avenge Junior Brother Liu!"

Following Sect Master Yue Wuji’s order, thousands of cultivators jumped off the flying ships, and these people surged toward "Nanyue Market" from all directions.

The many Xiaoyao Sect cultivators standing on the city walls, although prepared, felt a trace of nervousness as they saw the Nine Yuan Sect cultivators charging toward them in swarms.

"Activate the formation! Prepare to meet the enemy."

When the Nine Yuan Sect cultivators outside were about to reach the city walls, an inspiring voice suddenly echoed in the ears of the many Xiaoyao Sect disciples.

Subsequently, a purple light shield rose rapidly outside the market, firmly protecting the front of the city walls, and hundreds of sword lights flew out from the market, standing in front of the formation.

These people were the elite Foundation Establishment cultivators carefully selected by the Xiaoyao Sect, and standing at the very front were the six Core Formation Elders, including Song Qingming.

Seeing so many sect elders and Foundation Establishment cultivators blocking the front, the Qi Refining disciples on the city walls were also encouraged and began to operate the crossbow artifacts on the walls to attack the enemies who had arrived.

After the two sides began to clash, the entire battlefield erupted with earth-shattering sounds, and colorful spells flew everywhere.

Although the Xiaoyao Sect had fewer people, those who came this time were elite cultivators selected by the sect, and relying on the market's "Mountain-Protecting Formation," they did not lose momentum to the enemy for a time.

The Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators below were fighting fiercely, but because the battlefield was too large, it was difficult to determine the outcome in a short time. The main factor deciding the trend of the battlefield was the Core Formation cultivators like Song Qingming in the high sky.

The Xiaoyao Sect side only had six Core Formation cultivators, two fewer than the enemy.

However, after the battle began, Song Qingming and the others were not much worse than the Nine Yuan Sect side in terms of cultivation and divine abilities, and they were not at a disadvantage overall.

Song Qingming, with the highest cultivation, faced the Nine Yuan Sect Sect Master Yue Wuji, who was also at the ninth level of Core Formation, while Li Mu fought another Nine Yuan Sect late-stage Core Formation expert, Linghu Jie.

Both were veteran Core Formation cultivators who had broken through to the late stage for many years, and both sides had excellent magic treasures and trump cards, fighting back and forth.

Song Qingyu fought two Nine Yuan Sect middle-stage Core Formation cultivators alone and did not fall behind.

Fang Baixuan and Yun Nishang, although they had formed their cores later than others in the sect, did not let their opponents take any advantage when they faced opponents with similar cultivation on the battlefield.

Shen Tongzhou faced two Nine Yuan Sect early-stage Core Formation cultivators with slightly weaker strength, and his performance was also eye-catching. Although he was struggling, he held on and did not ask for help from nearby fellow disciples.

This battle lasted from the afternoon until dusk.

As time passed, the Xiaoyao Sect side, which was at a disadvantage in numbers, gradually showed signs of weakness, and even the "Mountain-Protecting Formation" was almost broken by the enemy's large flying ships.

Fortunately, Song Qingming and the others in the sky shook off their opponents in time to reinforce, which blocked the enemy's attack and barely held on until the time for both sides to sound the retreat.

Both sides had fought for nearly a day and needed some time to recover their magic power to fight again.

When the next day dawned, the Nine Yuan Sect cultivators, who had mostly recovered, immediately launched an attack on "Nanyue Market."

At the same time, the Nine Yuan Sect, after a night of rest, had received many reinforcements conscripted from the immortal families in the rear, and their strength had increased again.

After the two sides clashed again, the Xiaoyao Sect side, which had already suffered many casualties, gradually could not hold on and had to temporarily retreat into the market's "Mountain-Protecting Formation."

Seeing this, the Nine Yuan Sect cultivators immediately began to besiege the market formation.

To speed up the attack, the Nine Yuan Sect also threw out the high-grade "Formation-Breaking Beads" that the Xiaoyao Sect cultivators had used before, directly forcing open a corner of the market formation and rushing in.

Just as the entire "Nanyue Market" was in jeopardy, many "Xiaoyao Sect" cultivators suddenly appeared behind the market and killed their way toward the enemy's position.

(PS: Sorry, I went out for a birthday cake today and came back a little late. I wasn't slacking off, everyone rest assured!)

(End of chapter)