Chapter 90: The Lure of the Team Fight

Fierce combat raged in Kao Mountain Town, yet downriver by the Blackwater River, some people were enjoying the scenery.

“How goes it?”

A Blood Crow rasped within a ship’s cabin.

Answering it wasn’t another Blood Crow, but an old man in black robes hunched in the corner. Clearly human, his expression oozed the level of flattery and groveling one might reserve for bootlicking.

“Masters,” he simpered, “We can be nearly certain. The master of this Pure Land just made a move. His strength isn’t beyond the Golden Core Realm. Yet… he favors many Divine Abilities. Several are quite tricky.”

“First, he seems skilled in the Jiuxuan Spirit Sword Sect’s methods. Earlier, his sword skills for hunting the Four Beasts were clean and precise. Be especially wary of his sword. It’s at least a Magic Treasure grade. Masters, you must be careful if you face him. The Jiuxuan Spirit Sword Sect’s flying swords are, or rather were, the world’s sharpest – they don’t dare call themselves Spirit Swords now…”

“Second, he is also skilled in the Heart Cleansing Curse and the Iron Prison Discipline. Both originate from the Floating Cloud Sect. This deepens his ties to them. Considering the Floating Cloud Sect’s old base we just uncovered, this place might very well be their newly established Pure Land.”

“Third, is the Lanshan Sect’s Golden Radiance Chant. This technique suppresses wraiths and Mist Demons remarkably well. I’m not sure he cast it, but even if not, it means his forces contain Spirit Cultivators. This is severe. Cultivators and Spirit Cultivators are natural foes, yet their Arts and Divine Abilities can complement each other disastrously. Given time to grow, they’ll become a major threat.”

“Fourth… and this worries me most: the Divine Arts cast by mortals within Kao Mountain Town have power comparable to half-step Divine Abilities. This shows one thing: the master of this Pure Land is profoundly, fiendishly adept at Dao Techniques and Divine Abilities. I bet he masters one or two Primal Divine Abilities! That makes this core threat even graver. Masters, further probing attacks are pointless. With Primal Divine Abilities plus the Hundred-League Law Seal’s special suppression effect… he will win.”

Hearing the old man’s analysis, the two Blood Crows looked stunned. They trusted his insight. He was a defector—a high-level Cultivator intimately familiar with the sects’ secrets.

“To think… we hooked a big fish,” one rasped. “Are you sure? This Pure Land is linked to Floating Cloud’s World Guardian True Immortal?”

“I am. Utterly certain. Otherwise, its master wouldn’t have so much Fate to resist. Understand this: in today’s era, besides the Great Celestial God, only the Twelve World-Quelling True Immortals can directly gather Fate. But it’s difficult. They must create Pure Lands, grow towns. A single small village? That yields barely over a hundred units of Fate annually.”

“So… they have little Fate stored now?” A Blood Crow interrupted sharply.

“I… I cannot be certain, Master. But these Cultivator stragglers are sly as hares! Anything could happen. We’ve collected our data. We should withdraw! Since he favors diverse Dao Techniques… the best plan is to trap him with a banishing edict! Then he will be powerless! All his skills useless! He’ll meekly surrender!”

The old man’s words were sinister, slimy… and utterly venomous.

But this lackey didn’t call the shots. The Crows clearly thought differently. Crucially, that Pure Land master still hadn’t thrown his best punch. The Hundred-League Law Seal held back its power.

It was unsettling. Was he bluffing? Or playing conqueror?

Truly vexing!

Withdraw? Then abandon those two thousand-plus cultist pawns and face reprimand upon return.

Attack? Damnably unsure! No Crow’s life was so cheap.

Alas! Such strange Cultivator stragglers were unheard of.

“What do we do?”

Exchanging glances, malice sparked in their eyes. They’d test once more!

Instantly, they commanded the Evil God Idol. The boundless blood sea boiled upwards again like a heaven-swallowing curtain, rolling forward!

Crack-CRAACK!

Dozens of terrifying fissures spider-webbed across the idol’s surface. Thankfully, it didn’t shatter completely. But it could take no more. Returning it like this? Sacrificing ten thousand “vegetable-people” might just repair it.

This attack must reveal the opponent’s depth. Was he hanging on by a thread? Or puffing himself up? Come! Let the moment of revelation arrive!

Humm!

As the crimson curtain surged towards Kao Mountain Town, Li Si—sitting on the temple roof—flicked a thought. The Hundred-League Law Seal shot out! Like an immovable mountain, it precisely blocked the blood sea tides. It looked as steady as a sea-taming pillar, radiating solid confidence.

To the two Blood Crows however, this was cause for mad elation. See? See? He slipped! Called his bluff? Why not another full Divine Grace Baptism? Still acting tough? Liar! Liar!

Caw Caw Caaaw!

Giddy, the two remained cautious instead of charging recklessly. Both traced grotesque bloody glyphs in the air. When the glyphs materialized, far beyond the Floating Cloud Sect’s great formation, something happened.

Two other Blood Crows lazily circling overhead suddenly screeched! Transforming into bloody lights, they blipped away…

… reappearing instantly at the battle site!

Caw! Caaaw!

Yes… steady!

Form the team! Fight! Fight!

Synchronized minds shrieking, the Four Blood Crows became streaks of crimson, charging fiercely to suppress the Hundred-League Law Seal! Crushing it? Glory awaited them!

Exactly when the Four Blood Crows committed, Li Si smiled faintly on the roof. He waited for this. These Crows were fast! Activating the Law Seal full-force might pin one, but the others could escape easily. Not worth it.

For peak gains, he’d held back… hoping to draw both closer. Miraculously, luck surged! They charged his position! With some secret art! All Four united! Suppressing the Law Seal!

Technically, their strategy was sound: pin down that Law Seal, and you pin down Li Si’s limbs. Free reign.

Question was… who gave them that hubris?

True, the Four Blood Crows striking combined dealt immense pressure. The Law Seal couldn’t resist… for an instant.

Then Li Si slammed 500 units of White Fate Firewood into it!

Instantly, the Law Seal grew heavier—a mountain piercing heaven and earth! It slammed downwards! Force so brutal it felt like gravity itself increased tenfold! The Four Blood Crows lost control instantly. Tumbling. Falling.

Before they could recover… terrifying, brilliant azure light erupted from it! Its surface reflected illusions—towering mountains! Thousand-league rivers! Giant cities! Countless living scenes!

Swiftly, these illusions shifted from Illusory Void into substance! Crushing heaviness pressed upon ALL! Not just the Four Crows! Enemy and ally! Reality and Illusion! EVERYTHING felt paralyzed!

This… was the Fate Vessel!

HUM-HUMMM!

BOOOM-CRACK!

The Hundred-League Law Seal split into Four! Each locked onto a Blood Crow and vanished INTO its body! Only then, the Law Seal itself dissipated.

Free? Not! Their power plunged viciously! Nascent Soul to Golden Core! That was being sealed by the Hundred-League Law Seal! They were trussed-up chickens!

Screeeeesh! CAAAAW!

Blood-light pulsed around them! Desperate wing flaps! Useless! Downgraded Golden Core bodies flapped frantically… far slower than Li Si’s flying sword!

Swoosh!

Crisp clangs resounded across the battlefield. Sword gleams vanished too quickly to see. Only the lingering, clear echoes… like a vanished dream. “So… it is done?”

BOOM!

Back at the Blackwater River, a millstone-sized boulder fell like meteoric rock! Smashing a ship! Annihilating the already crippled Evil God Idol to dust!

Li Si stood atop the Temple, perfectly relaxed. See? Smashing the idols was easiest.

“Slayed Evil God’s Bloodline Divine Emissary x4. Gained 1600 White Fate Firewood. Gained 4 Divine Plumage.”

“Gained 4 drops of Thin Evil God Descendant Blood. Can be smelted in Fate Forge. Yields 800 White Fate Firewood.”

“Gained 4 Divine Corpses. Can be smelted. Yields 400 White Fate Firewood & 4 Inferior Deity-Demon Sapient Crystals.”

“You have gained the Evil God’s ‘Friendship’.”

—

“You destroyed the Evil God’s Idol. Gained 600 White Fate Firewood.”

“You seized the Faith Power of 791 believers from the Evil God Cult.”

“You have gained the Evil God’s ‘Friendship’.”

—

Flicking through the notifications, Li Si cast his Track-Finding and Trace-Erasing Curse. Vanished. He thought tonight might expose him, yet ended without major action!

Smelting the Four Blood Crow bodies in his Fate Forge, he sped back to his Quiet Room within the Floating Cloud Sect. Didn’t bother with the 791 surrendered Cult Priests, Cultists, or Black-Armored Warriors. Fine. Minor matters. Just issue Divine Decrees remotely. Conflicts? Resolve them with a Divine Grace Baptism.

Managing battle cleanup? Logistics? If that needed him, he’d be “Mountback Labour Model,” not “Kaoshan Patriarch!”

Now, the actual crucial issue: The Floating Cloud Sect exposed its secret base supporting Kao Mountain Town! That debt required generous repayment.

That night, a Divine Decree descended:

“Henceforth, Mountback Sect and Floating Cloud Sect are as close as family!”

Whoosh-Whoosh!

Over Floating Cloud Sect’s village, streams of Divine Grace Baptism rained down like heavenly coupons. Xu Shen, Ji Chang, Li Si, Jiang Ying… everyone gained blessings. Everyone but the Old Madam.

Jiang Ying received special focus: NINE doubled blessings without extra cost! Each worth two!

Many that night… did not sleep.