Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-464

Ao-Lie initially thought that seizing the island would be a piece of cake. Yet, the reality was harsh, for they barged straight into Qu Xuan-Cheng’s traps, resulting in the death of seven Core-Forging Realm Monster cultivators, and six more sustaining heavy injuries. The survivors who managed to escape all had pale and disheveled faces, none of them daring to move an inch closer to the protective formation on the island.

At that, Ao-Lie’s expression twisted. Standing beside him was Mo Wei, who had previously warned Ao-Lie about the hidden threats. However, he was not stupid enough to reprimand Ao-Lie for his rash decision just to highlight his own foresight. He merely stood beside Ao-Lie in silence, playing a supportive role for the moment.

Amongst the seven perished Monster cultivators, four of them were the direct descendants of the many Monster tribes’ leaders in the North Ocean. Their family members were influential figures with far-reaching connections, and it was possible that one of these perished cultivators was the descendant of a Monster Lord. In fact, Ao-Lie’s own nephew was also one of the seven who were killed. Ao-Di, Ao-Li’s brother, had entrusted his son to Ao-Lie. The request was simple. He hoped that his son could witness a proper large-scale battle and temper his arrogance. Yet, before the battle had even begun, his son had already lost his life.

Ao-Lie could already imagine Ao-Di’s fury upon learning of his son’s demise. As a Monster cultivator who had one foot in the Law Avatar Realm, Ao-Di could easily turn into an unspeakable horror to Ao-Lie in the blink of an eye. Not since Ao-Chuang had anyone else been recognized as a potential tenth Monster Lord of the Primordial Crocodilian Clan.

Apart from that, the injured Monster cultivators also came from noble and powerful backgrounds. At the thought of this, Ao-Lie could already foresee his future fate. After this unfortunate event, Ao-Lie would lose all recognition among the Monsters. But that wouldn’t be the end of it. If luck itself deemed him unworthy, Ao-Lie would eventually become a pawn in the power struggles of various factions and be abandoned as a scapegoat.

Hence, he needed to find his own scapegoat!

Such was Ao-Lie’s initial reaction, and he had already found the perfect target—Mo Wei. However, it took him less than a second to discard this idea. After all, if Mo-Wei hadn’t been the first to notice something amiss and promptly rush in to rescue the Monster cultivators, Qu Xuan-Cheng’s attack would have resulted in more souls sent to the afterlife. In addition, Mo Wei’s voice had echoed through the battlefield as soon as he warned the others about the impending doom, reaching the ears of many. If Ao-Lie used Mo Wei as a scapegoat for his mistakes, wouldn’t that make Ao Lie, who failed to react in time, appear even more incompetent as a leader?

From the reckless attack to the demoralizing defeat, Lue Hai had witnessed the entire scene. It was obvious that their defeat was due to Ao-Lie’s blind confidence and ignorance. He did not heed Mo Wei’s warning, and at the time of the incident, Ao-Lie himself failed to react in time, exacerbating the situation.

Seeing Ao-Lie standing there silently, his face twisted with rage, and Mo Wei standing beside him like a wooden statue, Lue Hai concluded that Mo Wei was no longer willing to assist Ao-Lie.

Consequently, Lue Hai's regard for Ao-Lie diminished even further.

More than twenty Core-Forging Realm cultivators had gathered in the skies above the island, and with Ao-Lie showing no further actions, anxiety clouded Lue Hai’s mind. His unease led him to use a more harsher tone as he asked, “Lord Ao-Lie, what are your orders? We can’t possibly allow our enemies the time they need to fortify their defenses, can we?”

Upon hearing this, Ao-Lie suddenly whipped his neck toward Lue-Hai. The burning gaze in his eyes, capable of scorching a person alive, made Lue Hai’s heart skip a beat. It was at this moment Lue Hai realized that his tone was a little inappropriate, and he would face severe consequences if he offended Ao-Lie. Feeling the intense heat emanating from Ao-Lie’s fiery gaze, Lue Hai looked away. Although their cultivation levels were the same, Ao-Lie was, after all, from the Primordial Crocodilian Clan. While he believed that he had gotten much stronger after advancing into the late-Core Forging Realm, he was still no match for that clan.

Just as Lue Hai was contemplating the right time to apologize, Ao-Lie suddenly burst out laughing. “You’re right. I’ll help Brother Mo Wei and keep Qu Xuan-Cheng occupied. In the meantime, I’ll hand over command to you, Brother Lue Hai. As for the two young cultivators from earlier, I believe that they are incredibly important in the Zhen Ling Sect. It would be greatly advantageous for us if these two cultivators were to perish.”

Lue Hai looked somewhat surprised by Ao-Lie’s sharp change in attitude, but he didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he simply nodded and said, “I’ll do my best.”

At that, Ao-Lie nodded in satisfaction and began arranging the siege on the island. Mo Wei glanced at Lue Hai, who exuded passion and confidence, his expression slightly complicated. He opened his mouth as if to warn Lue Hai about something, but ended up keeping quiet and leaving the scene with Ao-Lie.

Since its expansion, Huang Li Island had transformed from a tiny island to one that spanned a wide area. Alongside its growth in size, the number of visiting cultivators also increased. Now, this large base of cultivators had become a valuable force in this crisis. Additionally, the spirit veins on the island had increased to a total of six, further strengthening the sturdiness and stability of the protective formation.

The Monsters, having learned their lesson from the disastrous defeat in their previous siege on the island, no longer charged blindly at the protective array. Instead, the Core-Forging Realm Monster cultivators deployed a simple formation in an attempt to break through.

In a split second after the Monsters’ formation was deployed, a series of explosions engulfed its target, causing the protective array to tremble violently. This time, the Monsters avoided focusing on a specific part of the protective formation, as the sudden increase in Human cultivators on the island made it impossible for them to stay in a large group. With Qu Xuan-Cheng and other Core-Forging Realm Human cultivators present, employing the same tactics as before would only result in needless deaths for the Monsters.

As he observed the attacks on the protective formation, Qu Xuan-Cheng couldn’t help but frown. “They’ve become smarter than before! It seems they’ve decided to wear down the protective formation even if it consumes more time. The moment the protective barrier breaks is when they will strike!”

Qu Xuan-Cheng then looked back with concern, focusing his gaze on Yin Xuan-Chu. After all, ever since the demise of Xuan-Yin, Yin Xuan-Chu’s attitude had drastically changed. He became increasingly silent with each passing day, emanating a cold and chilling aura.

Ji Xuan-Xuan chuckled. “We don’t have to worry about him. I’m sure he’ll be fine. Anyway, we managed to bring back that little turtle alive. Senior Sister Hu took the things he brought back into Senior Brother Lu’s chamber. I believe Senior Brother Lu will return soon, further enhancing our combat power!”

Qu Xuan-Cheng, however, did not share Ji Xuan-Xuan’s optimistic attitude. He stated, “I had a clear view when I went out earlier. I noticed more than just Mo Wei alone. Alongside him is Lue Hai, who reached the late-Core Forging Realm, and another Primordial Crocodile of the same level. Once the battle begins, just two will be enough to keep my hands busy, while the remaining one will easily defeat you all with little effort. Junior Nephew Lu may be stronger than his peers, but I’m afraid he’s still no match for a late-Core Forging Realm cultivator. You only truly understand the gap between a mid and late-Core Forging Realm cultivator when you reach the late-Core Forging Realm yourself.”

Ji Xuan-Xuan fell silent, as he also had his doubts. In the Zhen Ling Sect, only those of the late-Core Forging Realm and above could participate in the sect’s decision-making alongside Law Avatar cultivators. This situation applied to other sects in the North Ocean too. However, unlike the other sects, they had appointed a Sect Master to oversee the sect’s affairs with the assistance of a Law-Avatar Realm cultivator, further emphasizing the status of Law-Avatar Realm cultivators in the cultivation world of the North Ocean.

As for the status of a cultivator, it was mostly gained through actual strength. Hence, the late-Core Forging Realm cultivators had formed a separate group in the cultivation world to distinguish themselves from the early and mid-Core Forging Realm cultivators.

Yao Yong, who stood beside them, thought for a moment and suggested, “Why don’t we seek help from Di Kun Island? Junior Uncle Xuan-Chang, who guards the island, is a late-Core Forging Realm cultivator, and the island’s strength surpasses that of Huang Li Island–”

Before Yao Yong could finish his sentence, he quickly stopped himself after seeing Shi Ling-Ling roll her eyes. Realizing he had likely made a foolish suggestion, he chuckled at his blunder and fell silent.

Qu Xuan-Cheng glanced at his naive disciple with a hint of helplessness in his eyes but couldn’t be bothered to address it.

Shi Ling-Ling cut straight to the point. “Since the Monsters have surrounded Huang Li Island, they undoubtedly left behind another army to keep Di Kun Island’s forces at bay. Senior Uncle Xuan-Chang will not take the risk.”

Qu Xuan-Chang nodded. “The Monsters stationed around Di Kun Island are led by a Monster called Ao-Li. He’s a formidable cultivator in the late-Core Forging Realm from the Primordial Crocodilian Clan.”

The others fell into silence upon hearing this. As a top-tier Monster race, the Primordial Crocodiles were often innately far stronger than their counterparts. Both Xuan-Chang and Ao-Li were at the same level, but despite this, Xuan-Chang was no match for Ao-Li. Only by relying on the formation set up on the island could Xuan-Chang hold his ground against Ao-Li.

At the same time, Chen Lian added, “Maybe we should do everything we can to maintain the protective formation. The Monsters will eventually have to retreat, or they will face annihilation at the hands of our elders once they deal with the invaders at Heaven Forge Mountain.”

Zhong Jian hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Can we hold our ground for that long? How many high-grade spirit stones will be needed to replenish the depleted spiritual veins? I’m worried about the situation at the mountain right now. If Huang Li Island falls, the Xuan Ling Sect will be seen as an accomplice.”

“The Xuan Ling Sect will not win. The battle at Heaven Forge Mountain won’t last long, but merely defending is not an ideal solution either. We must launch an assault on the Monsters, inflict pain upon them, and make them fear us. This is the only way for the island to stand proudly in this region!”

Meanwhile, Hu Li-Li finally managed to locate the teleportal Lu Ping had set up in the Abyssal Monster Realm using the item brought back by Lu Da-Gui. After a blinding flash of light, the teleportal was activated.

After the blinding white light subsided, Hu Li-Li blinked her eyes and found Lu Ping staring at her with a wide smile on his face. Hu Li-Li’s lips curved upward, and she said softly, “You’re finally back.”

“Thank you for your hard work!” Lu Ping nodded.

Hu Li-Li burst into laughter and replied, “So, where did you get yourself into trouble this time? What happened?”

Noticing Hu Li-Li was about to destroy the formation she had set up to connect the teleportal, Lu Ping hurriedly stopped her and said, “Just remove the disc. I may have some use for it in the future.”