Chapter 430: Escape
Now that Guangqing State had fallen, not to mention the lost Spiritual Objects, the Li family had suffered the loss of at least several hundred clan members, among them dozens were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and only a few dozen had managed to escape.
Given that there were still so many clan members in Yunping State, and considering that the Devil Beasts had not yet continued their journey southward, it would be more prudent to abandon this territory now and preserve the lives of the clan members.
After all, Wanxian Island was not lacking in Spirit Veins, and the lost Spiritual Objects, which were not particularly precious, could be replanted in the future. However, cultivating a clan member took at least twenty years, and if they were Foundation Establishment cultivators, it would be impossible without fifty years.
Furthermore, with only a few hundred family cultivators in Yunping State, even if they risked their lives, it was impossible to defend this territory from the brutal Devil Beasts.
"Clan Leader, if those Devil Beasts attack Wanxian Island, what should we do?" An Elder suddenly spoke out, making the atmosphere in the great hall even tenser.
"Don't worry, with the Clan Protection Array's shelter, we will be safe," Li Shiqing answered the question, providing everyone with a reassurance.
In Li Shiqing's cloudy eyes, besides the burning anger, there was a deeper sense of helplessness and sorrow that came from the inability to resist.
He was aware that even if the Li family survived this catastrophe, their strength would be severely reduced, and the hit to the family's prestige was even greater, affecting every clan member deeply!
They might become dispirited and the entire family might fall into decline, or this anger might fuel their motivation to advance, accelerating their growth.
Li Shiqing did not know which path the clan members would ultimately choose, but he knew that since Shen Leishan had made their move, they would not be satisfied until the Li family was deeply wounded, if not destroyed.
At the very least, the two states lost to the Devil Beasts' maws would end up in unknown hands.
"Everyone return and calm the clan members, let them not be anxious or panic, the family will definitely get through this ordeal safely!" Li Shiqing gathered his scattered thoughts and softly comforted everyone.
——
"Cough cough!" Lan Jiao covered his heart and with difficulty coughed up two mouthfuls of dark red blood, his eyes no longer held the previous confidence and killing intent but were now filled with intense fear and dread.
He couldn't understand why Li Zhixuan, this female cultivator, was so powerful, nor could he comprehend why she was so desperate in combat, resembling a fearless Stone Clamp Black Crab that, despite being injured, still struck at him with her sword.
What frightened him most was that even though Li Zhixuan was already covered in wounds, her strength did not wane but instead her killing intent surged and grew increasingly frenzied and terrifying, with the Sword Qi almost piercing his vital points several times. If not for the life-saving Spiritual Objects given by his parents, he would have likely fallen into the sea and become a massive whale carcass by now.
"Damn cultivators, who tricked me into coming here to die. You better not let me find out who you are, otherwise, I'll have you exposed!" Lan Jiao roared furiously within his heart.
He knew that the human race should not collude with the Devil Race; however, he was not afraid of the consequences of disclosing this after the fact, because the Devil Race had no such rules, and even encouraged collaboration with the human race.
In the future, not only could they work together to trap and kill a wave of cultivators for their blood feast, but they could also threaten and secretly subjugate that member of the human race.
This kind of tactic was what allowed the Devil Race to plant spies and undercover agents within the human race.
Unfortunately, as time went by, they had learned enough lessons and gained enough experience, so even now when a human sought to collaborate with them, they would be careful to conceal their identities.
And this time, the Elder from Shen Leishan did not reveal his identity at all, nor did he give the Monohorn Behemoth clan any leverage to catch him.
——
"You dare to be distracted while fighting me?" A voice as cold as an abyss suddenly emerged at Lan Jiao's side, scaring him so much that he shivered, and then he quickly summoned his Life-bound Magic Treasure, an enormous club crafted from the horn on his head.
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And the expected Sword Qi did not appear, or rather, it did not appear beside him; instead, it came directly from behind and stabbed towards Lan Jiao's heart.
Clang!
A clear and pleasant collision sounded on the battlefield, but neither Li Zhixuan nor Lan Jiao felt any joy.
Lan Jiao because the life-saving Spiritual Object in his hand was now down to the last one. If it was used up, then the next fatal move could no longer be blocked.
Li Zhixuan, on the other hand, regretted that she still hadn't been able to kill him.
Actually, neither of them had expected the fight to reach this point; at the beginning, both had thought they could quickly kill the other.
But now...
Li Zhixuan sighed in her heart. She desperately wanted to kill him, but the opponent's ability to save himself was too strong. Although on the surface, it seemed as if there was nothing serious, with her aura fierce and murderous intent raging, in reality, she too was at the end of her rope and couldn't hold on much longer.
Lan Jiao, on the other hand, had been scared out of his wits and dared not to entangle with Li Zhixuan any further. He never expected that she would fight so desperately and wondered how much strength she had left now.
"I'll remember this debt. One day I'll seek you, and the Li family, for repayment!" Lan Jiao dropped a fierce threat and then fled into the Boundless Sea; within a few breaths, his presence was completely gone.
And this was the most difficult aspect of hunting Water Devils at sea; the prey was right in front of you, yet you could only watch them escape.
But for Li Zhixuan, Lan Jiao's escape was even better, as she had next to nothing left inside her. If a half an hour passed, she would be exposed!
"Ooooh!"
"Lady Xuan won! She defeated that third-order Water Devil!"
The clanspeople, who had been watching the battlefield from the island chain, suddenly let out a cheer because they knew once the Water Devil controlling the beast tide fled, the low-order Water Devils would soon be in disarray and flight.
Therefore, the Loose Cultivators, who had seemed a bit dispirited, suddenly became energized as if they had taken a powerful restorative pill, and they began to slaughter the low-order Water Devils nearby with renewed vigor.
"Phew!"
After returning to the island chain, Li Zhixuan signaled a Foundation Establishment Cultivator and said, "You fly back to the clan now and tell the Clan Leader the news of the beast tide's retreat. Once the Water Devils have fully withdrawn, we'll head back."
Then, seeing the eagerness in their eyes, she added, "You can also go out and kill some Water Devils, but be mindful of safety."
Even though the current beast tide wasn't as dangerous as before, with so many Water Devils, even a Golden Core Cultivator couldn't withstand the overwhelming attacks.
"Useless! Such a useless creature! To be defeated by an early-stage Golden Core woman Cultivator!"
"But who is she? Why haven't I seen any information about her in the Sect's archives before?"
Within the crowd, an ordinary-looking Cultivator watched Li Zhixuan, as if to imprint her face deeply in his mind.
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