Translator: CinderTL
"What's going on!? What's happening!? What were True Martial, Zhuo Long, Mo He, and Gui Xing doing!? How could they have suffered such massive losses!"
Yuan Taiji immediately turned his gaze to the Two Extremes Elder.
He had entrusted the Star Abyss matter entirely to this Dharma Manifestation Venerable from the Council of Elders, tasking him with monitoring every move there.
Yet...
How long had it been!?
And already such a disaster had erupted there!?
The Two Extremes Venerable quickly explained, "According to the information we've gathered, this was a tactical blunder by Mo He, Gui Xing, and their forces! After Li Chunjun clashed fiercely with Mo He's team, he managed to kill eight Void Refining cultivators from our Wu Ji Sect. However, he was also pushed to the brink of exhaustion. To break through their encirclement, he resorted to the True Spirit Incineration Secret Art..."
The Dharma Manifestation Venerable wiped a nonexistent bead of sweat from his forehead. "As a result, Gui Xing, in his haste to intercept, split his forces into two groups. But the team that actually confronted Li Chunjun was intimidated by his willingness to fight to the death. Their fear only provided Li Chunjun with opportunities to pick them off one by one. This... this is what led to such devastating losses..."
Speaking of this, he immediately added, "But Elder True Martial reacted swiftly. He has already issued an order forbidding any further acts of insubordination or desertion among the Elders. Anyone who violates this order will be treated as a traitor to the sect. Under these circumstances, Li Chunjun no longer has the opportunity to pick them off one by one. I expect good news to arrive soon."
"Soon? How soon is soon?"
Yuan Taiji glared coldly at the Two Extremes Venerable. "The loss of over forty Void Refining cultivators—I sent them to surround and kill a high-grade dharma manifestation, and yet so many elite warriors perished at the hands of Li Chunjun?"
He couldn't contain his anger and added, "Especially since he had already slain nineteen Void Refining cultivators of our Wu Ji Sect not long ago! Just count how many of our sect members have fallen in the Star Abyss, slain by Li Chunjun's sword!"
"This..."
The Two Extremes Venerable was momentarily speechless.
At that moment, another Void Refining cultivator hurried to the door.
This cultivator was Yuan Taiji's follower and proxy, serving as his eyes and ears to keep him informed of all developments within the Wu Ji Sect.
Upon seeing the Two Extremes Venerable present, the cultivator paused slightly.
"Didn't I tell you to investigate the matter of the life lamps in the Eternal Flame Hall? What went wrong? I wanted you to gather information about the truth of this battle through the Soul Mirrors of the Elders."
Yuan Taiji asked directly.
"In the Eternal Flame Hall... another twelve life lamps have been extinguished..."
The Void Refining cultivator spoke in a low voice.
At these words, Two Extremes Venerable froze.
The previous loss of over forty Void Refining cultivators had already earned him a severe scolding from Yuan Taiji. He had hastily assured the sect master that with Primordial True Martial's order, the other Elders would no longer dare to feign obedience, and the situation would surely change. Yet, before he could even finish speaking, news arrived of twelve more Void Refining Elders falling in battle...
A slap in the face!
His face was swollen from the impact!
"Sect Master..."
Two Extremes Elder wanted to say something, but no words came out.
Yuan Taiji's expression darkened to its limit.
"How many more lives must we sacrifice to kill this Li Chunjun!? At this rate, even if our sect manages to kill Li Chunjun, the catastrophic losses will turn the Wu Ji Sect into a laughingstock!"
"The Aurora Special Forces are rushing over at full speed..."
Two Extremes Venerable whispered.
"No matter how fast the Aurora Special Forces are, it will still take them several days to arrive. In that time, Li Chunjun will undoubtedly reach the Profound Yellow Sect, undergo Nirvana Rebirth under their protection, and recover completely!"
Yuan Taiji said coldly.
Then, turning to the trusted elder, he ordered, "Connect me to Primordial True Martial!"
"Yes, Sect Master."
Following the order, the elder quickly used a treasure to contact the Void Refining leaders of the Star Abyss Wu Ji Sect.
Moments later, Primordial True Martial's figure materialized.
"Sect Master! The thirty Void Refining Elders under my command are already close to him!"
As soon as the connection was established, Primordial True Martial immediately reported, "Losing so many Void Refining cultivators is my fault. However, I've joined forces with Yan Que of the Heavenly Palace to cut off Li Chunjun's path to the Profound Yellow Sect. He won't be able to rely on their strength to catch his breath. No matter how bravely he fights, trapped in this predicament, he's as good as a bird in a cage!"
Receiving such good news as soon as the connection was made, Yuan Taiji finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Excellent! I'll hand over control of all the Void Refining cultivators to you, including Zhuo Long and his group. That's over sixty Void Refining cultivators here, plus the hundred or more newly deployed to the Star Abyss. You'll have over 160 Void Refining cultivators at your disposal. Add to that the forty or more Void Refining cultivators from the Heavenly Palace, and you'll be able to mobilize over 200 Void Refining cultivators!"
Yuan Taiji declared heavily, "With the combined power of over 200 Void Refining cultivators, I trust you won't disappoint me, right?"
"Over 200 Void Refining cultivators..."
Primordial True Martial fell silent, his expression subtly shifting.
This reaction startled Yuan Taiji, instinctively filling him with unease.
At that moment, the old man beside him seemed to receive another message, his face growing even grimmer. "Sect Master, news from the Eternal Flame Hall. Just moments ago, within a span of only a dozen breaths, another team sent to intercept Li Chunjun was completely wiped out. That team... had sixteen members!"
Yuan Taiji's breath hitched at the old man's words.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Primordial True Martial. "Another sixteen!?!"
"Yes..."
Primordial True Martial nodded with a bitter expression. "Not only did we lose another sixteen people, but the Heavenly Palace has also sent in two teams, both of which were wiped out. According to Yan Que, they lost twenty-one Void Refining cultivators! Now... the Heavenly Palace is questioning us, claiming we provided them with false intelligence that led to the deaths of twenty-one Void Refining cultivators!"
"The Heavenly Palace lost another twenty-one!? How is that possible!?"
Yuan Taiji felt dizzy and disoriented.
After a long moment, he managed to suppress the tremors in his Heart-Mind and asked, "Didn't you say Li Chunjun had been driven to the brink of desperation and even resorted to the True Spirit Incineration Art? How long has he been using it now? It's been more than a hundred breaths, hasn't it? Don't tell me his True Spirit still hasn't been completely incinerated!"
Primordial True Martial was at a loss for words.
True Spirit Incineration!
In theory, anyone who could endure ten breaths was considered to have a profound foundation and a masterful understanding of this Secret Art.
But Li Chunjun...
A hundred breaths!?
No!
It was almost two hundred breaths!
Whose True Spirit could withstand such torment!?
Faced with this ironclad truth, Primordial True Martial had no choice but to admit a grim reality...
"We... have likely fallen for Li Chunjun's trap..."
"You mean..."
Even though Yuan Taiji had already suspected this, his chest still felt like it was about to explode with old blood, threatening to spill out of his mouth.
"Yes. He used a less self-damaging Secret Art to disguise himself as having used the True Spirit Incineration Art. He then deliberately reminded us of his Flaming Phoenix Blood, knowing we would rush to attack him in waves to prevent him from catching his breath before we could fully converge. This allowed him to use his superior strength to crush our Void Refining teams, each numbering no more than twenty cultivators."
Primordial True Martial's divine sense responded with a strained, halting tone.
In an instant, Yuan Taiji's heart sank like a stone.
The Two Extremes Venerable beside him widened his eyes in disbelief.
The old man immediately began calculating the Wu Ji Sect's losses in Void Refining cultivators.
Adding the nineteen who had fallen earlier...
Over a hundred!
In such a short time, the Wu Ji Sect had sacrificed over a hundred Void Refining cultivators to kill a single Li Chunjun!
Adding to this, the Heavenly Palace had also sent in thirty Void Refining cultivators...
Just imagining such a loss was enough to make one's chest ache with a suffocating pain.
After a long moment, Yuan Taiji gritted his teeth fiercely. "Li Chunjun!"
The three words spat from his mouth were laced with such hatred that he nearly bit through his own lip.
"Sect Master, rest assured. I will never make the same mistake again!"
Primordial True Martial spoke with utmost caution. "I now have thirty Void Refining cultivators by my side! Elder Zhuo Long has also gathered thirty-three Void Refining cultivators! Even if Li Chunjun were made of iron, he would be doomed to perish under the siege of so many Void Refining cultivators!"
He added, "Even I must admit that Li Chunjun's ability to achieve such a feat proves his strength surpasses even mine. But no matter how you look at it, he's still just a Void Refining cultivator! Void Refining cultivators have their limits! I refuse to believe he can withstand the combined assault of sixty-five Void Refining cultivators—including myself, a peak Void Refining cultivator—after killing so many and having no time to recover!"
Sixty-five Void Refining cultivators!
This number finally brought a sliver of relief to Yuan Taiji's tormented heart.
But then, as if grasping a crucial point, he suddenly exclaimed, "Wait! You haven't joined forces with Zhuo Long yet?"
"Yes, I was slightly delayed because I had to deal with Yan Que and the Profound Yellow Sect's reinforcements, and further refine the encirclement around Li Chunjun..."
Primordial True Martial explained, quickly adding, "But it won't be long now... Li Chunjun is just ahead of me, and Zhuo Long and the others..."
He trailed off, his expression freezing in shock as if he'd just realized something.
"What's happened!?" Yuan Taiji demanded urgently.
Primordial True Martial seemed to be communicating with someone beside him. After hearing Yuan Taiji's urgent question, he paled and stammered, "It's... it's a distress call... from Elder Zhuo Long..."
As he spoke, the old man received another message, his face paling in horror as he turned to Sect Master Yuan Taiji. His voice, filled with anger, also held a hint of fear. "It's started again... The Eternal Flame Hall reports... the life lamps are going out again."
He trembled, "Just now, ten life lamps extinguished one after another, almost one per breath..."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (MI) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c438. [+3.9k]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.