Chapter 138: Taking the Initiative
Chapter 138: Taking the Initiative
“Lu Hangzhi’s move was risky, but highly effective.”
The large-scale operation launched by the supply base across all fronts didn’t just catch the attention of the four Inspector Envoys; it was also seen by other Cultivators at the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage. While admiring Lu Hangzhi, they also sensed a sharp aura of intelligence and bravery emanating from him.
They could see it!
Lu Hangzhi massively reclaiming lost territory and rebuilding the Core Battle Zone and Fifth Zone was definitely not just to gain merit…
The Core Battle Zone faced the peak Soul-Concentrating Demon Beast hordes head-on. A single misstep could provoke a violent surge or even a devastating attack from them.
However.
This seemed precisely to be Lu Hangzhi’s goal.
Because the Elite Vanguard Team was under extreme pressure right now. Almost all the Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts were focused on blocking their advance from the south, throwing themselves forward one after another, slowing progress to a crawl.
If demon beast hordes from other directions could be drawn away at this time, the pressure on the Elite Vanguard Team would lessen significantly. They might even find an opportunity to storm the Monster Lair.
Therefore, even though they saw Lu Hangzhi was playing with fire, the four Inspector Envoys still hoped the demon beasts would prove stupid enough to be drawn out by his move.
That way…
Their chance of success would be greater, and casualties would be greatly reduced.
However…
Despite the Mind Focusing Cultivators in the Core Battle Zone provocating constantly, the roars from the peak-level beasts within the mountain peak’s horde repeatedly suppressed the violent, frenzied demon beasts, forcing them to stubbornly hold their ground without emerging.
An Intelligent Demon Beast was constantly stationed there, commanding the Soul-Concentrating Demon Beast horde!
As he saw the horde stubbornly refusing to emerge, Lu Hangzhi frowned deeply, feeling more and more worried.
“Hangzhi.”
Elder Lu, Chen Xiangxiang, and Buming walked over together.
Lu Hangzhi snapped out of his thoughts, turned, and nodded in greeting:
“Elder Lu?”
Seeing the deep worry etched on Lu Hangzhi’s face, the three exchanged an involuntary glance.
They all offered words of comfort: “You don’t need to worry so much. You are, after all, just the Logistics Commander for this battle. Reaching this point is already quite remarkable. The fighting ahead is not something we can interfere with; it depends on the four Lords, and Immortal Lord Long.”
“Right! Being able to clear the rear so swiftly, reclaiming the entire core area and Fifth Zone – your logistical planning ability and your contributions, we have all seen it.”
“Let’s just wait and see how things unfold.”
Hearing their comfort warmed Lu Hangzhi’s heart a little, but…
If it were someone else, Lu Hangzhi might have been content with the current situation.
But he was Lu Hangzhi.
“The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every common man.”
Moreover, having taken up the post as the Chief Steward of the Two Realms Mountain rear support headquarters, wielding authority over the dispatch of over a thousand supply Spirit Coalescence Elders, and the distribution of countless resources, he constantly felt the impulse to use all this power.
Elder Lu, a man who had seen much, immediately saw that Lu Hangzhi was still troubled, still worried about the tense situation at the front. He couldn’t help but sigh:
“If you still want to do something, this old man would hand you his bones. Just one word, and I’d go through hell or high water without hesitation… if you truly can change the current situation at Two Realms Mountain.”
“Elder Lu!” “How can you…”
Chen Xiangxiang and Buming both looked shocked.
They didn’t understand why Elder Lu suddenly changed his tune.
Lu Hangzhi nodded but didn’t speak immediately. He pondered for a long while before saying:
“I’m confused too right now. I haven’t thought of a foolproof plan yet.”
“I have an idea.”
Elder Lu actively proposed it:
“In this battle, Luo Sen collected many skeletons of Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage and Late Concentration Stage Monster Beasts, along with the corpses and Essential Blood of many Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts… If we can persuade him, sacrificing twelve Blood Slaves as vanguards to charge the Monster Lair at Two Realms Mountain, we might be able to create a slim opportunity.”
Snap!
His eyes lit up! Lu Hangzhi instantly realized Elder Lu’s idea was excellent. Without another word, he sent a message summoning Luo Sen, who was busy refining skeletons.
The latter didn’t rest on hooves; he ran over as quickly as he could.
“Commander Lu! You called me!”
Among all the Spirit Coalescence Elders, Luo Sen now held the utmost respect and gratitude for Lu Hangzhi.
In just one day, he had gone from hell to heaven; from loathed to admired by tens of thousands; his strength had surged; and the resources he gained were enough to revitalize his blood cultivation path. Naturally, he followed Lu Hangzhi’s orders without question.
“Your contribution to the successful recovery of the Core Battle Zone and the Fifth Zone this time wasn’t small. This is the rear support headquarters’ reward for you.”
Lu Hangzhi casually tossed over a small, exquisite Matrix Tower.
It hit Luo Sen, leaving him utterly gobsmacked, saliva practically drooling.
“Aside from this, other material rewards need to wait until the battle is over. When we return to the headquarters and take charge of its supply warehouses, I will decide on them then.”
“……”
Luo Sen’s eyes instantly turned red. One Matrix Tower was already an extremely generous gift. To think there were yet more rewards! He was profoundly moved. He slapped his chest on the spot, vowing that from now on, wherever Lu Hangzhi pointed, he would go west; without exception, every command would be followed! Absolutely!
“Good!”
Seizing the moment, Lu Hangzhi continued:
“The battlefront has been at a stalemate for too long now. I intend to launch a strong assault to draw the Beast Tide’s fire. Prepare yourself. The twelve Blood Slaves will serve as the vanguard, absorbing the enemy’s attacks. Afterward, I will replace any losses you incur. Any problems with that?”
“No problem!”
Luo Sen answered loudly.
Just like that, the powerful Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage Evil Cultivator was dealt with by Lu Hangzhi.
Outwardly, Elder Lu and the other two showed no ripple of emotion, but their hearts were churning with turbulent waves. They were extremely impressed. They couldn’t help but suspect: Was this youth in front of them, not yet sixteen, who supposedly poured all his efforts solely into cultivation and understood nothing of worldly affairs… actually a total fox?
Without another word, the three also went to make preparations!
Soon after, a team consisting of fifty Mind Focusing Cultivators was ready.
Lu Hangzhi joined the line personally.
“Hangzhi?”
“What are you doing out here!”
At the front line, Honglian and the others quickly noticed this team’s unusual movement toward the very front. They shouted for them to halt.
Lu Hangzhi stepped forward smiling, “Sirs, your losses are significant. If this continues, even if you breach the Monster Lair, your remaining strength will be thin. Let us brothers from the supply base lend a hand. Allow us to assist.”
“The best help you can give us is to properly secure our backs completely…”
The four tried to say more, but Lu Hangzhi interrupted them: “Don’t worry. I have a plan. If it fails, we can always retreat.”
“……”
The four were also deeply troubled by their inability to break through the Blood Cocoons protecting the peak-level Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts standing before them. Hearing this, they couldn’t help but feel a sliver of hope and expectation rise within them.
“Alright.”
“If that’s what you say, be careful yourself.”
“Do not go beyond the Divine Sense Range of Immortal Lord Long. This is not our War Zone. Monster beasts might ambush from underground at any moment. Several of our Cultivators died to their filthy sneak attacks.”
“Hmm.”
Lu Hangzhi’s expression turned grave.
The group, under the watchful eyes of the over two hundred members of the Elite Vanguard Team, advanced toward the very front lines…
The queue parted.
Twelve Blood Slaves at the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage, with astonishing auras, swaggered to the front.
Behind them were Elder Lu’s two Spirit Beasts at the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage—the White Tiger and the Spirit Ape.
“Brother Zhao, can you send a Clone over to help?”
Lu Hangzhi asked straightforwardly.
Zhao Qian walked out from the crowd with a smile and said, “You rascal, what sneaky plan are you thinking of this time?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
“But let me tell you in advance, the area ahead is not peaceful. There’s a Monster Beast with a Mutated Bloodline underground. It can destroy one of my Clones with just one strike. I’ve tried to break through twice already, and both times it stopped me.”
Zhao Qian reminded him seriously.
Lu Hangzhi quickly asked for more details and grew more alert. Then he instructed Zhao Qian:
“Listen to my command later. Use the same methods you did before.”
“You…” Zhao Qian smiled bitterly at this. Looking at Lu Hangzhi’s faint figure in the Spiritual Vortex Storm, he thought, “Is this what you call a detailed plan? There’s no plan at all!” “Fine, I’ll risk my life to keep you company.”
…
The next second.
Lu Hangzhi walked to the front.
The silver Spiritual Vortex Storm had already expanded to sixty-five meters in diameter. Those close to it felt their Magic Power being rapidly nourished, and they widened their eyes, focusing their gaze on it.
The Monster Beasts in the distance did the same…
They all recognized that the silver Spiritual Vortex Storm had the exact same aura as the Sword Qi from the Spatial Fissure. They became extremely vigilant and tense, preparing for battle as if facing a great enemy.
Lu Hangzhi did not waste any time. He rotated the sword hilt, and seven Flying Swords shot out, landing just outside the edge of the Spiritual Vortex Storm. They were then connected by silver Magic Power, forming a Sword Formation.
“What is he doing?”
“Is that a Sword Formation?”
“It looks like he’s planning to launch a forceful attack?”
“This place is not like the Core Battle Zone. This is the most dangerous unknown land. The Monster Beasts definitely won’t let him summon three Sword Formations easily.”
“It’s fine. Didn’t you see? Immortal Lord Long has already gone over.”
“With Immortal Lord Long personally protecting him, it should be no problem.”
“Although the Mutated Bloodline Monster Beast at the Concentrated Spirit Peak Stage underground is powerful, it’s no match for an Immortal Lord.”
The people in the back chattered among themselves.
Lu Hangzhi was already an Epiphany Stage eleventh-grade late-stage Cultivator, equivalent to the Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage peak cultivation. He practiced “The Path to Divinity,” and his silver Magic Power further enhanced his Magic Power and Spiritual Sense, bringing him infinitely close to the Late Concentration Stage. His current Mind-Concentrating Sword Qi was no longer just at the ordinary Early Spirit Concentration Stage level…
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”
The first Sword Formation was completed. Forty-nine Sword Qi beams, comparable to the Mid Soul-Concentrating Stage, shot into the sky, instantly adding more tension to the front line.
The first Sword Formation had average power. It was enough to deal with ordinary Soul-Concentrating Demon Beasts, but it was undoubtedly like a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the current situation.
Without hesitation, Lu Hangzhi summoned seven more Flying Swords and directly formed a second Sword Formation.
The doubled Magic Power consumption and even more powerful Late Concentration Stage Sword Qi broke through the formation.
In an instant, the winds and clouds changed!
“Something’s wrong.”
Lu Hangzhi immediately sensed that something was amiss, and his expression changed dramatically:
“My current Magic Power is more than three times what it was before. In theory, it should be enough to easily support the consumption of summoning three Sword Formations. But why has summoning just the second Sword Formation already used up more than a third of my Magic Power?”
“Oh no!”
“Although my total Magic Power has increased, the power of the first Sword Formation is equivalent to the second Sword Formation from before; the second Sword Formation is equivalent to the third Sword Formation… The consumption is even greater!”
Lu Hangzhi felt embarrassed:
He hadn’t expected to make such a basic mistake.
Luckily, the silver Spiritual Vortex Storm continued to sustain and grow, quickly replenishing his Spiritual Power Pool. Otherwise…
He wouldn’t have been able to summon the third Sword Formation at all!
But now…
After realizing this, Lu Hangzhi’s body trembled slightly. An uncontrollable excitement and thrill surged from the depths of his heart!
If the second Sword Formation already had such power, what about the third?
What would it look like when the Sword Qi from all three Sword Formations merged together!