Chapter 880: They Left?!

The rank five spiritual beast that barged into the flying ship didn’t do much damage to the high-level experts on board and it was quickly surrounded and killed.

However, in the short time it was wreaking havoc on the ship, close to half the low-level cultivators on the ship lost their lives.

For a ship of that size to be able to remain flying would require the world of many low-level cultivators.

Now that they lost a good portion of them and allowed the ship to suffer huge damages internally, no matter how strong those Martial Sages were, they couldn’t take over the task of maintaining the flight of the ship the whole time. It greatly affected the workings of the ship.

As the giant flying structure wobbled in mid air, it was no longer able to fly as fast as before. The runes on the body of the ship also dimmed greatly and the entire structure started to sink. Even though it still maintained flight, it was no longer as high or fast as before. It quickly lagged behind the other flying ship.

Fortunately, the cultivators on board managed to prevent it from crashing. Due to the limited number of experts on board, they couldn’t spare their forces to take part in the city.

On the other flying ship, Yuancang Ming and the others eventually noticed what happened and sent backup over to the other ship. As they were unable to send too many low-level experts over to control the ship, the help they could provide was limited.

The flying ships that were flying towards the core region of the Yanlin City lost their imposing momentum just like that. They slowed down before hovering about a safe distance away.

If we lose another flying ship...

Of the 4 flying ships the Azure Flame World had, 2 were already destroyed. If they lost another, the losses would be too much to bear. With the deaths of so many Martial Ancestors and Martial Sages, their will to continue fighting might be completely destroyed. At that moment, it was already wavering.

...

The core region of the Yanlin City resembled a lonely island as the world crumbled around it.

With the flying ships no longer advancing, Shang Xia, who had his eyes closed while recovering, finally opened them. He got to his feet and said, “The situation here no longer requires this junior’s presence. I shall take my leave first. All of you should enter the Holy Land soon...”

After he spoke, he nodded his head once in their direction before turning to leave.

From the time Shang Xia entered the core region of the Yanlin City to the time he returned to the Holy Land, less than an hour passed. However, the situation the experts of the Azure Ascension World faced already experienced a huge change.

After he left, other Martial Dipper Realm experts also started to return to the Holy Land. Huang JInghan, Lu Wuzi, and the other peak-tier experts remained outside till the end.

Their gazes were fixed in the direction where Shang Xia left. Jiu Du eventually broke the silence, “Are any of you confident of maintaining the core region of the city while allowing the rest of the city to be destroyed?”

His question was naturally directed to the other 3.

Yifeng didn’t seem bothered and he admitted casually, “This daddy here only knows how to kill and fight. Why the hell will I bother with such weird skills?”

Huang Jinghan was a lot more honest and he shook his head while answering the question directly. “I can’t do it.”

Lu Wuzi growled at the side, “The kid’s skills seem really new. It’s of a completely different style from all of us. Even though his skills seem very specialized, I’m afraid he won’t be any weaker than any of us in a real fight.”

Jiu Du sighed in response. “Once we return, our Azure Ascension World will most definitely be able to complete its ascension to a Spirit World. Kou Chongxue will receive the greatest benefit, and we don’t know if he will be able to enter the Sixth Order. With Shang Xia’s abilities, the Tongyou Institution will grow even stronger. Even if they don’t immediately transform their Tongyou Paradise to an Elysium, they will still possess the power of one.”

Everyone fell silent when he was done speaking. A multitude of thoughts flashed through their minds. A moment later, Lu Wuzi turned to stare outside the city. He discovered that the flying ships hadn’t moved. A long sigh finally left his lips. “The situation isn’t looking too great for all of us...”

...

In the Yanlin Holy Land, Shang Xia quickly made his reappearance. When he returned to where the Stellar Cauldron was, the rank five Lightning Bird was already standing on his shoulders. With a smile on his face, he nodded at Kou Chongxue before entering the Stellar Cauldron.

Kou Chongxue was more than capable of sensing what happened outside.

By the time Shang Xia returned, almost every single Martial Extermination Realm cultivator of the Azure Ascension World had already entered the cauldron. Their presence made the space left in the cauldron not occupied by world origin seem a little cramped, but that was it. There were still 20 or so Martial Dipper Realm experts who had to enter the cauldron in a short while.

The space might be cramped, but the moment they entered the cauldron, they would no longer have to worry about not being able to absorb enough energy to recover. With how dense world origin was in the cauldron, it was extremely useful when it came to healing their physical injuries or their depleted inner qi.

After Kou Chongxue regained control of the Stellar Cauldron, he didn’t forget to continue sucking world origin from the Azure Flame World after starting the Spatial Transfer.

From what Shang Xia could tell after returning to the cauldron, the cauldron was filled close to 85 percent of the way.

Even though the speed at which Kou Chongxue absorbed world origin was far from Shang Xia, it wasn’t exactly too slow. After all, his attention had been used to construct the spatial tunnel to get them out.

When Shang Xia returned, he quickly went over to where Liu Qinglan was. She was still in a coma, and almost every Martial Extermination Realm cultivator of the institution stood beside her.

Of the 6 Martial Extermination Realm experts sent by the institution, it was fortunate that no one died. Most of the credit for their survival had to be given to Shang Xia who provided them with a ton of protective treasures before they entered the Celestial Remains.

Even so, they didn’t seem to be in the best of state at the moment. With the exception of Liu Qinglan who suffered the most, and might or might not be able to grow stronger with her damaged foundations, the others also suffered varying degrees of injuries. Dou Zhong and Tian Mengzi had heavy injuries on their bodies, and Yan Ming also seemed to be depleted of inner qi. Only Sun Haiwei looked a little better off. Other than a trace of lethargy, she seemed to have already advanced her cultivation. The only thing Shang Xia couldn’t tell right away was if she was at the large completion stage of the Martial Extermination Realm or if she had already comprehended her martial intent.

Eventually, Chu Jia returned to the Holy Land along with the other Formation Grandmasters. The space inside the cauldron became even more cramped.

Arriving beside Shang Xia and the others, she examined Liu Qinglan before turning to Shang Xia. “Oh right, Lu Wuzi, Huang Jinghan, Jiu Du, and Yifeng are the only ones left outside now.”

Nodding, Shang Xia turned into a streak of light before rushing out of the cauldron. He went to Kou Chongxue and asked, “Do you need my help?”

Kou Chognxue knew that Shang Xia’s true intention was to observe the entire process of the Spatial Transfer in order to build on whatever he had learned, but he shook his head in the end. “Even after the transfer begins, we will need some time before returning to the Azure Ascension World. You need to recover as much as you can and maintain yourself at your peak state.”

Pausing slightly, Kou Chongxue turned to look in the direction of the entrance of the Holy Land before muttering, “If my instincts aren’t wrong, a huge battle might be waiting for us when we return.”

Shang Xia glanced at the entrance of the Holy Land before muttering, “Do you think the Spirit Abundance World will come again?”

“They won’t let us return so easily...” Kou Chongxue mumbled while nodding his head.

Shang Xia still wanted to ask, but he swallowed his words suddenly. He saw Lu Wuzi and the rest returning to the Holy Land.

“Oh? I wonder what you’re discussing? From the looks on your faces, it seems interesting!” Jiu Du chuckled in amusement.

The smile on Kou Chongxue’s face didn’t fade. “This old man was telling the kid that the Spirit Abundance World will most likely take the chance where we’re here to attack. Moreover, they won’t let us return so easily...”

They seemed to have already spoken to each other earlier and Lu Wuzi asked, “Patriarch Kou, do you have an idea of what to do?”

“What other ideas can I have? I can only hope that the 4 seniors managed to protect the Star Observatory!” Kou Chongxue laughed.

Strange looks were seen in their eyes as they glanced at each other silently.

...

On the floating ships outside the city, Yuancang Ming’s subordinate quickly relayed the news of what happened to the other ship. By the time he turned to look at the core region of the Yanlin City, a desolate light flashed in his eyes.

He could hear their intentions clearly from the report. The many powers who answered his call to arms paid a massive price. The losses they suffered on the other flying ship seemed to have crossed whatever they could accept and they were no longer willing to risk everything to fight the Outsiders.

According to the report, the other flying ship was barely keeping itself in the air. They reported that it was no longer suitable to be used in battle but Yuancang Ming knew that the conclusion was only reached after the experts of the various factions stationed on the other ship were no longer willing to fight.

With the battle dragging out for such a long time, reports from the other continents have already been pouring in.

Other than the first time the world origin and heaven and earth spiritual qi in the Azure Flame World dipped, the other continents didn’t feel much of a difference as the battle dragged on. In other words, only the Southern Yanlin Continent was hit by the subsequent decrease. The other continents weren’t too affected, and they felt that they shouldn’t be too affected in the short term.

Since that was the case, the various powers no longer saw a need to go all out to get rid of the Outsiders!

After all, their homes weren’t the ones on fire!

Moreover, they had a suspicion that the Outsiders were planning to leave.

...

The pillar of light that appeared from the city earlier seemed to have stored enough energy. A spatial tunnel was created after the vortex finally faded away, and a loud blast could be heard the next moment. A giant bronze cauldron rose into the air and slammed into the spatial tunnel. Another vortex of energy formed after the cauldron was gone, but it didn’t take long before the heavenly screen and everything else returned to their previous calm.

“Did those Outsiders...”

“... They left?!”

“They left!”

As though to confirm their suspicions, the core region of the Yanlin City started to crumble the next moment. Whatever was left of the city started to sink into the water below.

“Oh no! The entrance to the Yanlin Holy Land...”

Dozens of light streaks appeared above the flying ships and gathered in the direction of the sunken island. The other flying ship that seemed to be wobbling earlier was surprisingly floating stably in the air even after several Martial Sages left.

One of the experts of the Cangming Clan ran over hastily and cried, “Clan leader, should we look for the entrance to the Yanlin Holy Land?!”

Sweeping his gaze across the sea below, Yuancang Ming turned back and growled, “Bring those 2 over...”

A moment later, 2 Martial Extermination Realm experts who had their cultivation sealed were brought over to Yuancang Ming.