novelIn Profound Stream Sect Territory!
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The Profound Stream Sect was located on the Heavencraft Continent, and bordered the Pill Stream Sect. Because of the years of warfare, the Heavencraft Continent was in a very sorry state. Magical combat had left the land riddled with craters, and the explosions of spell formations left the spiritual power of the region in chaos. The entire place was a very dangerous location.
Earlier on, the Profound Stream Sect had managed to gain the upper hand over the Pill Stream Sect, and had even absorbed more than half of the other sect. However, because of the alliance between the Spirit Stream Sect and the Blood Stream Sect, the tide of the war had turned. At this point, internal conflict wracked the Profound Stream Sect.
That was especially true of the portion of the sect that had once belonged to the Pill Stream Sect. In despair over the imminent destruction of their sect, they had defected. But now they hoped to become an auxiliary member of the Spirit Stream and Blood Stream Sects, and as such, were resisting the Profound Stream Sect!
Numerous mountains were in a state of collapse. Rivers had vanished off the face of the earth. Entire mountain ranges were gone. Countless cultivators and even entire clans were now nothing more than corpses and bones strewn about on smoking battlefields.
Even the sky had been affected; it was now choked with smoke and ash. Then the Spirit Stream Sect and the Blood Stream Sect arrived, and the sky filled with blood clouds and dazzling white light. These two sects were only in the initial stages of joining forces, and even with Bai Xiaochun connecting them, it was still a very difficult process. After all, they had been enemies for many years, and the distrust between them was still very intense.
Without the eruption of this war, the act of combining their sects would have been nothing more than a joke. Eventually, things would have fallen apart. However, with this war, they had a chance to truly unite.
Fighting against a common enemy gave the disciples of the two sects a chance to slowly get used to each other....
The Profound Stream Sect hadn't really been prepared for a joint assault by the Blood Stream and Spirit Stream Sects. What was happening was truly a nightmare. Before they even had time to smooth things out with the recently-absorbed factions of the Pill Stream Sect, two new enemies had arrived, like razor-sharp blades slashing at the exposed back of the Profound Stream Sect!
In a few short months, the Profound Stream Sect suffered heavy losses. More than sixty percent of the Heavencraft Continent had already been occupied, and 17 of their temple headquarters had been sacked!
Unlike most sects, the Profound Stream Sect didn't have just one headquarters. They had a total of 29, spread out like a net throughout the Heavencraft Continent. That was how they maintained their power on the continent.
The initial invasion was now over, and every day, minor battles were fought all over the continent. Booms rang out everywhere, and the land quaked violently.
Faced with the combined assault of the Spirit Stream Sect and the Blood Stream Sect, the Profound Stream Sect could hardly even defend itself. They could only hide in their various temple headquarters and make their final stand.
During the course of the fighting, one Chosen after another gained valuable battle experience. They were like swords being sharpened into deadly weapons.
Ghostfang, Shangguan Tianyou, Zhou Xinqi, Gongsun Yun, Hou Yunfei... Lu Tianlei, Song Que, Xu Xiaoshan, Jia Lie, Master God-Diviner, and numerous other cultivators all made names for themselves on the battlefield.
Although Xuemei had not been present for the fight with the Spirit Stream Sect, she was there on the Heavencraft Continent. Considering that she was at the peak of Earthstring Foundation Establishment, she had power that could shake the world.
There was another person who made an unexpected name on the battlefield, taking down numerous enemies. Even other members of the sect came to fear her. She was none other than Gongsun Wan'er!
Not a single cultivator in the same stage as her could match her in combat. She even won some battles against prime elders of the Profound Stream Sect, striking awe into the hearts of the Blood Stream Sect and the Spirit Stream Sect alike.
There were also Chosen of the Profound Stream Sect who made names for themselves. Nine-Isles was one of them. He was much more mature than he had been years ago in the Fallen Sword Abyss. Considering how bitter the fighting was, his name became an inspiration to many Profound Stream Sect disciples.
There were Chosen from the Pill Stream Sect as well. One of them was named Lin Mu, who cultivated the Primeval Medicinal Daoseed Incantation. He had long since betrayed the Pill Stream Sect, though, and had been accepted as an apprentice by Patriarch Nine-Heavens of the Profound Stream Sect.
He and Nine-Isles were the shining stars of the Profound Stream Sect, whose glory in battle dazzled anyone who saw them.
Among the bedraggled remnants of the actual Pill Stream Sect was a young woman named Chen Manyao, whose skill with poison exceeded even the late Fang Lin's, and whose abilities with illusion forms surpassed Zhao Rou's. She even managed to have a protracted battle with a prime elder, and performed other great services for her sect in battle.
The Chosen were like stars glittering in the night sky, each one of whom had their own chance to shine in battle. However, there was one star that was only just now teleporting onto the battlefield.
Everyone knew the name of that star; it was a name that couldn't be forgotten or overlooked. It was none other than Bai Xiaochun!
Although he had yet to make a showing in the fighting itself, although he hadn't fought brilliantly in battle, although he hadn't killed numerous enemies or shed rivers of blood, he was a dazzling star that could not be compared to. His accomplishments were such that anyone who heard of them was completely shaken.
The blood master of Middle Peak and Blood Lord of the Blood Stream Sect!
Legacy echelon cultivator and junior patriarch of the Spirit Stream Sect!
He had single-handedly stopped a huge war between two sects. He alone connected those two sects and convinced them to join forces. In fact, it was he alone who had unleashed the war of destruction upon the Profound Stream Sect.
Everyone had heard of him, and he existed in a spot above all other Chosen. While the other Chosen were still vying to make their name, he existed in a lofty position. The wave of his hand could completely change the tide of the war.
Everyone who heard his story was completely shaken. Nine-Isles roared in rage, his hatred for Bai Xiaochun burning bright and hot. As for Lin Mu, he went into secluded meditation for a few days after hearing the stories. When he emerged, he said that he had prepared a huge surprise for Bai Xiaochun!
Although Bai Xiaochun hadn't been present for any of the fighting so far, his name still rang loud and clear in the ears of everyone on the battlefield. Somewhere on the border of the Heavencraft Continent, in a location that had already been taken over by the Blood Stream Sect and Spirit Stream Sect, in one of the former temple headquarters of the Profound Stream Sect, the glittering light of a teleportation rose up into the sky.
The cultivators stationed on duty by the teleportation portal looked at the light with vigilant eyes, ready to instantly attack if the wrong person appeared.
Among the group were Beihan Lie, Master God-Diviner, and Jia Lie. Considering that the three of them were grouped together separately from the other cultivators, it was obvious that they had a higher position. Given the levels of their cultivation bases, as well as their reputation, they should have been on the front lines of battle. However, after receiving grievous injuries in the fighting, all three had been reassigned to this location.
None of them really liked each other, and it wasn't limited to Beihan Lie disliking the Blood Stream Sect cultivators. Master God-Diviner and Jia Lie also had a bit of a rivalry between them. Of course, such situations were common among frontline veterans.
As the light of teleportation grew more intense, the eyes of the three cultivators glittered brightly. Master God-Diviner was already performing a divination. Beihan Lie's eyes shone with cold light, whereas Jia Lie's eyes were narrowed, and the fluctuations of the great circle of Foundation Establishment rolled off of him. Despite having been injured fairly seriously, he still commanded shocking power.
Although people frequently teleported into this particular portal, the cultivators who guarded the area always reacted in this way. A month before, a group of Profound Stream Sect cultivators had managed to teleport into the middle of Blood Stream Sect territory and launch a surprise attack.
As the light began to fade away, they realized that it was only a single individual who had teleported in. As his features became visible, the eyes of the surrounding cultivators went wide.
"Sect Uncle Bai!!"
"Blood Master Nightcrypt!!"
Everyone was crying out in shock. Jia Lie began to shake, Master God-Diviner's jaw dropped, and Beihan Lie let out a cold harrumph.
After materializing, Bai Xiaochun stepped out of the teleportation portal and then looked around as the cultivators from the two sects offered formal greetings.
"Greetings, Junior Patriarch!"
"Greetings, Blood Lord!"
At first, Bai Xiaochun looked a bit apprehensive. Glancing up into the blood-colored sky, he inhaled, and detected the stench of blood in the air, confirming that he was indeed on the battlefield. Finally, he breathed a sigh of relief. At long last, he felt free again, as if he had finally extricated himself from a nightmare.
Taking a deep breath, and putting a somber expression onto his face, he looked around at the surrounding cultivators, his eyes flashing like lightning.
"What's the situation with the war?!" he asked. His energy surged, and the surrounding disciples of the two sects looked at him with eyes that burned with zeal. Then, they began to report what had occurred recently in the fighting.
Bai Xiaochun listened as they spoke, and soon had a basic understanding of the situation. It was at that point that a bright beam of light suddenly shot in their direction. It was one of the prime elders of the Spirit Stream Sect; he moved with such incredible speed that, within the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Bai Xiaochun. Bai Xiaochun had seen this particular prime elder before.
"The patriarchs have issued orders. Junior Patriarch Bai Xiaochun is to lead a contingent of cultivators to sweep previously conquered territory and root out any stragglers from the Profound Stream Sect. Any other matters which come up along the way can be handled as you see fit, as long as you don't waste any time!"
Bai Xiaochun immediately understood that he was being given a relatively safe and easy mission, not an assignment to the front lines of battle.
Obviously, most clans in the conquered territories would be friendly, and any stragglers from the Profound Stream Sect would be weak and unimportant. Clearly, this mission had been specifically created just for him.
Although Bai Xiaochun felt very appreciative, his expression was solemn and respectful, and his eyes shone with intense light as he said, "I'm afraid I can't comply!"
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