Chapter 1437: The Scheme Of The Northern Bank (II)

Li Jianglong's expression changed. He stepped forward quickly and asked with a frown, "Did he enter the formation immediately?"

"No. He is waiting outside the formation."

Li Jianglong relaxed slightly. He turned to look at the woman beside him. Li Quewan rested one hand lightly while the other turned a jade pendant. Her eyes were half closed.

After a moment, she said, "Let him in."

Li Jianglong assumed she had made her judgment through shamanic spell arts and nodded repeatedly. Soon, the white-robed youth with a severed arm stumbled in from outside the hall, collapsed to his knees, and cried, "The situation in the mountains is dire. Please send reinforcements from the family!"

He quickly recounted everything from beginning to end, from the chaos in the north to how he had escaped from the formation. He deliberately avoided mentioning the Merciful Ones, speaking only of the enemy's ferocity and the urgent need for reinforcements.

"If those points fall, the enemy will be able to advance unchecked. The next line of defense will be the river itself. The lord personally said that the Purple Mansion Realm cultivators of the north will not cross the river and that their main forces are at Mount Tangdao. We only need to hold off the rogue cultivators and devil cultivators coming south!"

Fei Chingyi was extremely agitated, his limbs trembling. Li Jianglong listened carefully, glanced over him, and asked, "You came alone?"

"My lord..." He began speaking nervously, but after only a few words, Li Jianglong sensed something off in his tone. He stood up abruptly, his expression turning fierce as he shouted, "What are you hiding?!"

Fei Chingyi dropped to his knees, pressing his forehead tightly to the ground, showing only the back of his head as he cried, "I... I lied... The situation was critical. There were many Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators from the family in the formation... I still had some strength left... but I had no time to care for them... I only saved myself..."

That was not a major matter. Li Jianglong helped him up and saw that he was overcome with emotion, unable even to open his eyes. He said, "You've worked hard, Protector Fei..."

Fei Chingyi said hoarsely, "What I mean is... with Purple Mansion Realm battles at Mount Xiaoshi and White River Stream, the situation is extremely dangerous. Even if the north calls for aid, we do not necessarily need to respond. We might be killed by the aftermath of Purple Mansion Realm combat on our way there. We should focus on holding the northern bank and prevent devil cultivators from harming the common people!

"I saw many devil cultivators moving south as I fled. The situation is urgent. I beg for a chance to atone with merit and fulfill my duty to protect the family!"

As long as Purple Mansion Realm cultivators do not cross the river, holding the northern bank will not be too difficult...

thought Li Jianglong.

Fei Chingyi had first raised the unlikely option of reinforcement, then returned with this compromise, making his words seem more credible. Li Jianglong considered it silently and replied, "I will make arrangements at once... Invite Protector An and Guest Elder Sun!"

Fei Chingyi kept his head lowered, saying nothing as tears streamed from his eyes.

Then Li Jianglong changed his tone and said sternly, "The northern bank must be held, but the north cannot be ignored. Maintaining formations and supplying mana, along with Qi Cultivation Realm and Embryonic Breathing Realm cultivators, are all necessary. Your thinking is not wrong. There are many devil cultivators around White River Stream.

“It is fine for a few of you to go as urgent reinforcements, but bringing a large group would draw too much attention. I will send Guest Elder Cui along with the family members to Mount Tangdao. They will go together with the people of Purple Smoke Gate for mutual support."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Fei Chingyi paid little attention to the rest...

Earlier, not seeing Li Jiangqian had left him a trace of relief. Yet Li Quewan and Li Jianglong had thought everything through. In the end, though they said they would send people to the northern bank, they were only dispatching two guest cultivators who might not even match him in battle!

However, he had never expected to bring out any of the Li Family's direct lineage, so he raised no objections. He continued counting silently, and just as the two guest cultivators stepped forward, a thunderous explosion suddenly rang out.

Boom!

Everyone looked up at once. Several streaks of black light rose in the north, accompanied by mournful cries. Fei Chingyi immediately grew agitated, fell to his knees before the two, and cried, "Is that the northern bank? My Fei clansmen are still there. I beg the two of you to save them!"

Before the two could say more, a streak of golden Dao light rose over the lake. The [Everbright Platform] shone brilliantly, blocking the surging black qi. Cui Jueyin had already made his move, and streams of light rose across the lake as cultivators from all directions rushed over.

Fei Chingyi seemed to have no time to think. He hurriedly rode the wind out, bringing An Siwei and another with him as they flew outside. Li Jianglong frowned sharply, anger rising on his face. When he turned his head, he saw Li Quewan's expression was icy cold.

The woman shook her head lightly and said quietly, "Let's watch for now."

Though Fei Chingyi had spoken earnestly, Li Quewan had used the Immortal Mirror to probe him. She found no trace of divine ability or mana on him, nor anything unusual over the lake. Only a few furtive devil cultivators seemed to be lurking around the lake's perimeter. Yet whenever she listened to him speak, she felt an inexplicable unease.

For others, such unease might simply be suspicion. But Li Quewan cultivated [Divine Singular Attunement] and possessed an instinct to evade death and prolong life. Though that instinct was not identical to unease, one could never rule out danger. This might very well be a matter of life and death!

Even if there is no scheme, these devil cultivators may be extremely strong. Rushing out could lead to casualties... We should still observe for a while... we cannot charge in blindly...

Li Jianglong agreed at once. He narrowed his eyes as he fell into thought. Li Quewan spoke again, "We cannot rely solely on his words. Let's wait for your brother. He is on the northern bank and understands the situation better. If he appears in the air, we will decide then."

After all, given Li Jiangqian's caution, he must have already investigated everything near the riverbank. If anything had suddenly appeared in the north or if there was something unusual about these devil cultivators, he would know best.

The skies above the northern bank had already turned into a chaotic battlefield. Though many Li Family cultivators had gone into the mountains, a large number of Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators had remained. Cui Jueyin immediately took the lead. Radiant Light flashed in his hand as his spell arts ignited, transforming into streams of bright fire that scattered across the sky like talismanic streaks.

Boom!

The bright fire possessed the power to expel evil and dispel demons. Thus, it blasted apart the patches of black light in an instant. A white ape leaped into the air, while a torrent of black water shot skyward from the other side. Chen Yang had made his own move.

There were four devil cultivators in the sky, all with formidable cultivation. Yet, they grew serious at the sight of Cui Jueyin. Two moved to hold him back, while another rode a surge of black qi, took out a gourd from his robes, and descended toward the ground, tossing a man and a beast to his companion.

As he landed, he raised the gourd high and unleashed a violent gale. It was like a giant hand descending from the heavens. All living beings on the ground were reduced to blood essence and sucked into the gourd. Blood splattered everywhere, and screams filled the air.

"You!" Fei Chingyi was truly enraged. He immediately drew his dharma artifact and rushed forward to stop him, shouting, "How dare you?!"

His words were sincere, and his eyes had gone slightly red. An Siwei and the others sighed inwardly and hurried to assist him. The opposing devil cultivator understood his intent and sneered with disdain, "

Heh

. What are you supposed to be... Fellow Daoist Zhao!"

At those words, a surge of black qi rose and formed into a sword-wielding youth clad in black armor. He looked imposing, with a profound cultivation. With a single swing of his sword, he forced the three of them to retreat.

The devil cultivator holding the gourd continued to raise his dharma artifact high, laughing loudly as he shouted, "Jiangnan is truly prosperous! End this quickly. Grab what we can and leave!"

The gourd seemed to be a dharma artifact designed specifically to absorb blood qi. It showed little outward mystery, yet it collected blood qi at astonishing speed. It emitted waves of red light that swept through the town, stripping rooftops and falling upon mortals, draining their bones and marrow before returning to the gourd.

Only Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators had managed to arrive in time. They dared not approach and could only cast spells from afar to block the red light. The devil cultivator grew angry at once, drew his sword, and cursed, "These ants dare to block my path!"

The screams below shook the heavens. Yet the black-armored youth with the sword was incredibly strong, fighting three opponents alone without falling behind. Occasionally he showed flaws, as if his sword art was of too low a grade and could not fully support his strength.

Fei Chingyi knew the man before him was acting, yet many members of the Fei Family had now been absorbed into that gourd. His eyes turned red, and sorrow filled his heart.

What can I do... I can barely preserve my own life... forget it... those closest to me are in the mountains. Let it be!

The moment this Zhao devil cultivator appeared, Cui Jueyin's expression shifted slightly, a trace of suspicion emerging in his heart,

Such profound cultivation and such powerful spell arts... though his dharma artifact and armor appear ordinary... is he truly a rogue cultivator?

But the battle had already begun. How could it be stopped at will? Held back by the opponent in the air, he could only transmit his voice secretly to the others,

These do not seem like rogue cultivators... be very careful!

Fei Chingyi's expression was filled with grief and anger as he transmitted to the others,

The lord has already said Purple Mansion Realm cultivators would not cross the river... what does it matter if they are not rogue cultivators... we must drive them back and protect the people of the northern bank!