"We won!"

"The result has been decided!"

"The total number of great cultivators in the Xuanming Sect was just over one thousand. They might have hidden some forces, but it definitely did not exceed twelve hundred. Among those great cultivators, only a little over three hundred were third-tier. Almost all of them were in the East Sea, and they were basically wiped out by us in two consecutive battles. The Xuanming Sect can no longer pose a threat in the East Sea!"

Within the Void Psychic World, everyone learnt the outcomes of the two great battles at the first possible moment.

After Yaoguang had guided the sword cultivators to pursue and exterminate the Xuanming Sect’s remaining forces, Lou Yuyu finally freed part of his mind. Facing everyone, he spoke with heartfelt conviction, "We did not fail! 166 great cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect marched out of the Nine Heavens Domain. In just two battles, we achieved complete victory, slaying a total of 307 great cultivators of the Xuanming Sect! On our side, one person was severely injured, and sixteen suffered minor injuries."

Although everyone present had already mentally prepared, when these figures were announced, the scene fell completely silent for several seconds. Not a single ripple of psychic consciousness stirred.

One severely injured, sixteen lightly injured, but not a single casualty. What did that mean? It meant that in a battle of 166 versus 307, the Nine Cauldrons Sect had achieved an outstanding record of 307 to zero.

Even "outstanding" was probably not enough to describe it. Such a result could only be called legendary. A truly legendary battle record. For a moment, everyone’s gaze once again fell upon Li Qingshan. They all understood clearly that this victory had been made possible because of the Dharma Form spirit treasure provided by Sect Master Li Qingshan.

Had it not been for that Dharma Form spirit treasure sealing off all transmission from the Xuanming Sect, and even altering and falsifying many of their commands, the Xuanming Sect would have never suffered so badly, not even if every one of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's cultivators had been equipped with third-generation treasured artifacts.

At best, they might have defeated these great cultivators of the Xuanming Sect in the end, but the price paid by their own side would certainly have reached at least thirty, and in the worst case, even sixty great cultivators.

Li Qingshan glanced toward the location where he sensed Yaoguang. After a long moment, he smiled and turned back to the others. "Why are you all looking at me? Such a record was achieved entirely due to the elders and protectors of the sect fighting to the death! They are the true heroes of our Nine Cauldrons Sect!"

Only then did everyone withdraw their gazes from him. In the end, He Xifeng spoke first with emotion. "I never imagined that when facing a force like the Xuanming Sect, our Nine Cauldrons Sect could unleash such astonishing combat power. With this, we can rightfully say that a single battle institute is enough to annihilate a mid-tier faction."

"This is the threshold of a top-tier immortal sect," Zhou Lijian said with a sigh. "Judging from these results, we are no longer inferior to the Six Great Immortal Sects."

A battle institute was a combat unit ranked above squads of four, platoons of twelve, and companies of thirty-six cultivators. A single battle institute usually consisted of about a hundred great cultivators. Some even reached 150 or 200. The most elite Sword-Wielding Institute of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, as well as the Sea Guardian Institute under Yaoguang’s command, were both units of this level.

"This battle was somewhat special," Li Qingshan said, "but I believe that as time goes on, and as the sect continues to grow, such situations will occur more and more frequently. One day, it will become the norm for a single battle institute to suppress an entire sect. Only then will our Nine Cauldrons Sect truly have restored its former glory and brilliance, and once again stand at the pinnacle of the world."

After saying that, he swept his gaze across everyone present. "We have achieved an unprecedented and resounding victory, but victory on the battlefield is only the beginning. Next, it is time to take advantage of the impact of this victory and reclaim what belongs to our Nine Cauldrons Sect."

"Mhmm, at the same time, while the remaining members of the Xuanming Sect have yet to react, we should eliminate and drive them out as much as possible to weaken their strength, so that we do not leave a snake alive to bite us again," Lou Yuyu said

Li Qingshan nodded. The Great Cangwu World was, after all, a world of immortal cultivation. Its political struggles were far less complex than those worlds dominated by mortals, such as the Yaoguang World. In the immortal cultivation world, no matter how intricate political maneuvering became, it always boiled down to a single core principle. Weaken the opponent and strengthen oneself. This was the very foundation upon which every sect stood. Since such an opportunity had presented itself, they naturally intended to weaken the Xuanming Sect to the greatest extent possible.

***

At the Xuanming Sect’s main headquarters...

After receiving news that the Nine Cauldrons Sect had marched out of the Nine Heavens Domain, Sect Master Song You had already been fully alert, maintaining constant contact with Song Xuan, Lyu Ming, and the others on the front lines.

In addition, he frequently contacted other sects in the East Sea, especially the Great Sun Sword Sect, making it clear that, as established beneficiaries of the East Sea, they should stand united. The Great Sun Sword Sect was more than happy to let the Xuanming Sect charge ahead, and its words were naturally pleasant to hear.

Empty promises of all kinds were made one after another. They even stated with great conviction that the Great Sun Sword Sect stood shoulder to shoulder with the Xuanming Sect and would resolutely defend their legitimate rights and interests in the East Sea's islands.

Of course, Song You understood that these words were only worth hearing, not believing. Anyone who truly trusted them would not even realize they had been sold off while still counting money for someone else.

Still, from these attitudes, he could judge that as long as the Xuanming Sect could blunt the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s momentum, the Great Sun Sword Sect, the Great Yue Dynasty, the Ancient Immortal Sect, and the Star Sea Sect would not stand idly by. This conclusion had allowed him to relax slightly.

But now, that hard-won sense of relief was destroyed. Because he had lost contact with Grand Elder Song Xuan a short while earlier. Even Lyu Ming could no longer be reached. This filled him with an ominous premonition.

He had already issued orders for the deputy hall master of the Warfare Hall stationed in the rear to gather cultivators skilled in sword flight and rush to Fangyuan Island to investigate. No matter the outcome, he had to know immediately!

"Sect Master, bad news!" Just as Song You waited anxiously for news, a psychic thought suddenly rushed in. It was the lamp keeper of the Eternal Lamp Hall.

The lamp keeper’s voice already carried a trace of panic. "Sect Master, just now... the life flames of several elders were extinguished at the same time—No, they are still going out. A large number of life flames belonging to elders, protectors, and true disciples are rapidly extinguishing—No! No! No!"

By the end, his transmission had turned into a terrified cry.

"Damn it!" Song You immediately activated his psychic consciousness and extended it toward the Eternal Lamp Hall. He even left his office area, rising on his sword and flying straight toward the Eternal Lamp Hall.

Amid the lamp keeper’s fear-filled voice, he quickly crossed the distance between the administrative area and the Eternal Light Hall.

Inside the Eternal Lamp Hall, the great cultivators led by Song Xuan had already been almost completely wiped out. Only sixteen soul lamps still burned with life flames.

"H-How many?" Staring at the vast stretch of extinguished soul lamps before him, Song You felt his voice tremble uncontrollably.

"It’s... 130 lamps..." The lamp keeper replied in a dry, hoarse voice.

Hearing that number, even though Song You himself was a fourth-tier spell cultivator who had already established his Dao Foundation, his body still swayed violently, and he nearly lost his footing. A full 130 great cultivators of the Xuanming Sect, more than one-tenth of their total great cultivators, were gone just like that!

The cultivators sent to the East Sea had all been elites! They could not be measured by raw numbers alone! The fall of these 130 great cultivators did not merely mean that the Xuanming Sect had lost over one-tenth of its great cultivators. It meant that the sect’s overall great-cultivator combat strength had dropped by at least thirty percent!

"Nine Cauldrons Sect!" Song You ground out the words through clenched teeth. But just as he finished saying them, another life flame flickered violently before extinguishing altogether.

"It’s not over yet?" Song You’s eyes widened.

The moment that life flame went out, six more followed in rapid succession. This nightmarish scene for the Xuanming Sect caused several lamp keepers to tremble where they stood.

With a sharp flicker, at the very top level, one of the lamps swayed, its life flame fluttered, and then went dark. The instant that flame was extinguished, the entire Eternal Light Hall fell deathly silent. Every lamp keeper stared blankly at the identity represented by that lamp, unable to utter a single word.

"Song... Xuan!" Song You muttered.

The grand elder, Song Xuan, has actually fallen? Song You’s body shook violently, and he staggered back three steps in a row.

"Sect Master..." The lamp keepers hurried forward, trying to support him.

But Song You waved them off, ignoring everything around him. Because he had already realized that the one he had lost contact with was not only Song Xuan. There was also Lyu Ming!

As this thought surfaced, he immediately issued an order. "Quick! Mobilize everyone in the Heavenly Palace Hall. No matter the cost, establish contact with Lyu Ming. I need to know their exact situation!"

Right after that, he turned to a trusted disciple beside him and gave another command. "Contact the person in charge of the Heavenly Star Continent for the Infinite Star Palace, Deputy Hall Master Lei Meng. We need his help!"

"Yes." The disciple acknowledged the order and quickly moved to carry it out.

Before long, a communication request came through from Lei Meng, the deputy hall master of the Infinite Star Palace’s Warfare Hall. "What is it? Lately, our manpower has been redeployed to the Black Flame Continent. We can’t offer you much assistance."

Despite being only a deputy hall master, Lei Meng's attitude toward Song You was far from courteous. There was even a trace of impatience in his tone. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Song You paid no attention to Lei Meng’s attitude and spoke politely. "Just now, our Xuanming Sect suffered severe losses. In addition, we have lost contact with over 160 great cultivators stationed in the East Sea. There is a very high chance that we have been interfered with and sealed off by Heavenly Palace cultivators from the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Therefore, I hope to receive Deputy Hall Master Lei Meng's assistance and temporarily borrow the power of the Infinite Star Palace’s Heavenly Palace Hall to help us break through this blockade."

"The Nine Cauldrons Sect mobilized Heavenly Palace cultivators?" Lei Meng raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like they’re making quite a big move."

"Yes. This time, the Nine Cauldrons Sect acted with great fanfare. In their clash with our Xuanming Sect, they caused us devastating losses. That alone shows they must be relying on some hidden method. It is precisely because of that secret method that they dared to act so boldly," Song You said rapidly. "Therefore, I sincerely request the support of your sect’s Heavenly Palace Hall, so we can determine exactly what the Nine Cauldrons Sect is relying on to dare to play such tricks!"