Chapter 188 Annihilation
"Great Elder!?"
Many sword cultivators hearing their elder issue this command were somewhat dazed.
The enemy forces had arrived, yet instead of ordering a defense against the enemy, the Great Elder was actually calling for a retreat without a fight?
"Great Elder, we are ready to fight to the death, yet you want to retreat first!?"
A great cultivator, seemingly responsible for the sect's discipline, asked with his divine sense.
"It's not me, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Song Xuan quickly waved his hands.
Because this time his expression and voice were vivid, even though his divine sense still couldn't be transmitted, his intent was clearly conveyed, making the discipline-enforcing great cultivator realize that it was the Heavenly Palace cultivators from Nine Cauldrons Sect causing trouble.
However, Nine Cauldrons Sect did not give them much time to communicate.
The second wave of attacks followed closely behind.
This wave of attacking sword cultivators were skilled at slaughter.
The sword array they formed created a dreadful oppressive force, like dark clouds rolling in with incredible speed from the horizon's end, bringing with it a rainstorm that tore through everything, instantly enveloping all cultivators of Xuanming Sect.
However...
The cultivators of Xuanming Sect still appeared to be fighting independently.
Let alone forming a sword array, they didn't even cooperate decently.
The sword qi like a violent tempest passed through the hundred or more great cultivators of Xuanming Sect as if they were combing through them.
Even if a great cultivator exerted all his strength to burst out sword light and shattered the sky-filled sword rain, after one burst of exertion he would need to catch his breath, wouldn't he?
The following sword rain would cover him just as his old strength had gone and before his new strength could emerge, shooting him into a blood mist on the spot, leaving almost no complete part behind.
The sword rain formed by the sword array combined the strength of dozens of sword cultivators into one entity. Not to mention that the quality of Nine Cauldrons Sect's sword cultivators was slightly higher than that of Xuanming Sect, even if they were of equal quality, when dozens were attacking you alone, what could you use to defend?
Unless one had an Immortal Foundation Golden Core Seed, perhaps with an extremely solid foundation and inevitably the most advanced flying sword, it would be possible to contend against this sword array composed of dozens for a moment. But at the same level, wherever this wave of sword rain swept through, the great cultivators of Xuanming Sect perished!
Just after the first wave of attacks, Xuanming Sect had already suffered a near 30 percent loss in strength!
While part of this was due to the suddenness of the attack and their inability to react, the main factor was the complete suppression of their information transmission and divine sense communication.
And moreover...
As the first wave of attacks passed, the second wave followed closely.
Seeing so many comrades reduced in number so quickly around him, Song Xuan, the Great Elder, felt his anger and unwillingness climb to its peak.
Great Cultivators!
All of these people were great cultivators who had successfully established their foundations!
Each one was priceless.
The number of these cultivators represented the deep or shallow foundation of a sect and its overall strength.
Even though Xuanming Sect had billions of people and countless geniuses emerged, they might not be able to cultivate even ten or eight great cultivators in a year.
In such a situation, losing over forty all at once, how could he not be heartbroken and enraged!
"Counterattack! Counterattack! Don't panic! The more disordered we are, the faster we die! As per our past training, form a battle array, defend and counterattack! As long as our sword array is formed, they absolutely cannot crush us so easily. If Fangyuan Island responds in time, we might even have a chance to turn the tables…"
The Great Elder roared loudly.
He transmitted his voice across hundreds of miles through the vibration of his True Yuan.
Although his voice carried far, on the battlefield, the whistling of the flying swords piercing through the air, the rumbling of True Yuan colliding with True Yuan, and the horrific turbulence from the protective dharma treasures being penetrated by the flying swords suppressed the "sound" to an extreme.
Especially when...
As he shook his True Yuan and roared, more powerful divine sense and divine consciousness were already continually being forced into the minds of Xuanming Sect's great cultivators.
"Run! Run fast!"
"Kill! Kill! Even if I die in battle today, I must drag someone with me...ugh…"
"We can't hold them off, we absolutely can't! Run! Save yourself if you can!"
"Hahaha, I was born and nurtured by Xuanming Sect, today, it's time for me to show my loyalty to the sect!"
"Don't sacrifice yourselves in vain on a battlefield that's doomed to failure. Preserve your lives, fleeing back to the sect. Being alive is more important than anything else!"
Chaos!
In the absence of organization, dispatching, or cooperation, the scene was utter chaos.
All sorts of divine senses, divine thoughts, angry shouts, and roars, true and false, mixed among them, made it impossible to discern clearly.
Even more so these disordered sounds filling their minds made them annoyed and confused, wishing they could block them out directly. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire
So much so that when the second wave of attacks from Nine Cauldrons Sect was imminent, there was nearly a breath of pause, yet the cultivators on Xuanming Sect's side were still a noisy, confused mess, unable to adapt to this kind of "communication" being completely suppressed in a major battle.
The Primordial Spirit Cultivators of Xuanming Sect were strenuously using various methods to break through the blockade brought by the divine consciousness.
But...
The more they attempted to break free, the more desperate they became.
"It's impossible! Impossible! Unless the Nine Cauldrons Sect has concentrated all Heavenly Palace Cultivators in this battlefield, there is no way they could suppress us to this degree! Not even a single Divine Sense can break through! After all, Heavenly Palace Cultivators ascend to the Nine Heavens; they monitor the entire world. How could their control over a local battlefield compare to us Primordial Spirit Cultivators who are right in the midst of it?"
"No, it's not right! Even if the Nine Cauldrons Sect were to rally all Heavenly Palace Cultivators, powers such as the Limitless Star Palace, Myriad Beasts Sect, and the Immortal Alliance would have already reported it within the Void Divine Realm, warning us. And even if they did gather all Heavenly Palace Cultivators, they shouldn't be able to exert such control over the battlefield! This power is simply not something a Primordial Spirit Cultivator, including Heavenly Palace Cultivators, can possess!"
Several Xuanming Sect Primordial Spirit Cultivators continuously speculated and deduced, gradually reaching a conclusion that they found hard to believe, yet which approached the truth.
"An information blockade! This must be an Information Black Realm forged by a Dharma Phase Cultivator! They're using an Information Black Realm to thoroughly suppress us! Not giving us any chance to resist!"
"Impossible! How can there be an Information Black Realm? How could there possibly be a Dharma Phase Cultivator within the Nine Cauldrons Sect? How could they possess a Dharma Phase Cultivator that not even the Supreme Yin Sect, Heavenly Law Pavilion, or Golden Temple have?"
The unbelievable truth and the reluctant reality clashed in their minds, violently shaking the hearts of the Xuanming Sect's Primordial Spirit Realm Cultivators. Coupled with the environment of absolute suppression they were in at the moment, and watching one after another of their fellow sect members meet their demise, finally...
Fear, despair, and overwhelming pressure caused some Primordial Spirit Realm Cultivators to collapse.
"This isn't real... This isn't happening..."
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Blood Mist exploded.
Flying Swords broke through the surrounding Sword Cultivators' defenses...
Or rather, as a mass of Sword Cultivators died or fled, the Nine Cauldrons Sect's Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators penetrated the formations of Technique Cultivators and Primordial Spirit Cultivators.
Instantly...
A one-sided massacre.
Technique Cultivators fared somewhat better.
Those who cultivated protective spells could still struggle a bit, put up some resistance.
But the Primordial Spirit Cultivators...
Not a single one could withstand even a single Sword Cultivator's Lifebound Flying Sword.
These Lifebound Flying Swords, infused with all of a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator's Divine Skills and cultivation, could forcibly pierce through even a Sixth Level defensive formation, it was just a matter of time.
How could Primordial Spirit Cultivators, not adept at fighting for life and death, withstand such fierce Sword Qi?
Flying Swords that broke into the midst of Xuanming Sect's Technique and Primordial Spirit Cultivators instantly caused a bloodbath.
...
Compared to the Xuanming Sect's widespread devastation and bloodshed, the Nine Cauldrons Sect was completely enveloped in joy.
"It's too easy; this fight is just too easy!"
"Strong Foundation Establishment Cultivators, yet like a flock of clueless geese, all they do is squawk chaotically, a total disarray. They don't form Sword Arrays or coordinate counterattacks. I've never fought such a delightful battle in my life!"
"Hahaha, it's like a dream returning to a hundred years ago. A hundred years ago, all Cultivators fought for themselves, with no cooperation. Now, it's like we're using tactics a hundred years ahead to fight enemies from a hundred years ago!"
One by one, the Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivators laughed out loud, releasing the surges of joy in their hearts.
Everyone genuinely marveled at the ease of the battle they had never experienced before.
Previously, the Xuanming Sect that actually had the capability to clash with them, was now beaten without any power to fight back.
Compared to other Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were still reveling in joy, people like Shen Qinglian at the forefront had a lot more on their minds and felt an inexplicable heaviness in their hearts.
"The Xuanming Sect is not weak. Back then, during the skirmishes among great Sword Cultivators of small teams in the East Sea Archipelago, although we had the advantage, it was not significant. But now... Nearly a hundred Sword Cultivators from the Xuanming Sect can't put together any effective counterattack... Is this the power of a Dharma Phase Cultivator? No, that's not complete Dharma Phase power, and yet it can already achieve this?"
"It's unimaginable. Equal numbers in battle... No, that's not right, our side's Great Cultivators are actually fewer than those of the Xuanming Sect, yet so far, we haven't lost a single person. With this trend, I'm afraid we can achieve a 146:0 outcome!?"
"Now I finally understand why the Limitless Star Palace was able to effortlessly crush the Quicksand Sect seventeen years ago, which wasn't any weaker than us... All communication was completely cut off, even effective commands were hard to issue, everyone was forced to either fight individually or in small groups... How can one fight like this?"
The battle seventeen years ago made them aware of the gap between them, so the Nine Cauldrons Sect had been fully focusing on developing Heavenly Palace Cultivators.
The number of Heavenly Palace Cultivators directly rose from three, seventeen years ago, to fourteen...
But the display of partial Dharma Phase power in today's battle still made them realize the colossal impact of having a Dharma Phase and not having one on the battlefield.
Quicksand Sect...
Their defeat was not unjust.
"Humming!"
At this moment, Shen Qinglian received a transmission in her mind.
"The main force of the Xuanming Sect has been eliminated. Please, Hall Master Shen Qinglian, pursue the target..."
The message directly marked sixteen red dots and provided the fastest pursuit route.
These sixteen red dots...
Were the scattered remnants of fleeing Xuanming Sect Sword Cultivators.
Among them, Shen Qinglian and two other Sword Cultivators were assigned to chase after the Xuanming Sect's Great Elder Song Xuan.
The second most powerful person in the Xuanming Sect.