Chapter 1340: Displaying Divine Powers

Chapter 1340: Chapter 1340: Displaying Divine Powers

"The people of the White Deer Institute have such cruel hearts!" After listening to Long Jin’s account, Pei Yan looked towards the battlefield below and spoke with sarcasm.

Long Jin didn’t mind and casually replied, "Such things are commonplace in sect conflicts. Even more brutal methods have been recorded within my clan."

Pei Yan shook his head with a light laugh, "That’s not what I meant. In the clash between armies, there’s no question of cruelty. I’m saying the White Deer Institute is ruthless even to its own disciples."

"Ah, you mean cutting off their own retreat?" Long Jin paused for a moment before understanding Pei Yan’s meaning.

Looking at the disciples of the White Deer Institute, who had also been driven into a frenzy, Pei Yan sighed, "Yes! No matter how many core disciples there are, a sect is mostly made up of external disciples. I’ve heard from several elders that although these individuals might have their cultivation abolished, if they don’t have deep entanglements with the White Deer Institute, there’s still hope for survival. But the Institute, for its higher-ups’ benefit, cuts off this hope, binding everyone to the same fate — either they all make it ashore, or they all sink together."

"Hahaha, what options do they have? In a sect like the White Deer Institute, there are nearly two thousand elite inner sect disciples. Add to that the direct disciples of each Vegetarian Leader and other ranks, and the numbers are over a hundred. Preserving this power is their only chance to talk about rising again. But to relocate so many people to another plane requires opening a large space passage, which takes time, and this time can only be bought with these external disciples’ lives." Jin He Xuan coldly laughed aside and sighed.

As the three talked, Pei Yan’s gaze swept over the scene, suddenly noticing several places beyond the White Deer Institute’s battlefield also rising with signals of flames. Pei Yan frowned at this sight, "What’s happening in those places?"

"Oh! Those are the sub-institutes of the White Deer Institute. Besides its main institute, the White Deer Institute has thirteen sizable sub-institutes around its main building. Additionally, various affiliated academies are scattered across the Daoist Realm. This time, the subjugation of these sub-institutes is also on the list. Some nearer sub-institute disciples have hurried overnight to merge with the main institute members, but others haven’t come due to distance or hesitance from their institute heads, and the battles happening there should be those academies being besieged."

Following Pei Yan’s gaze, Long Jin recounted the news he had heard from other sect leaders, then helplessly said, "These sub-institutes are no match for the main institute. I reckon they will soon be wiped out!"

"Oh!" Pei Yan nodded thoughtfully, then looked toward the elders from various sects who had gathered with their sect leaders. With the release of Celestial Sword Manor, the top experts of the New Immortal Palace’s Five Mansions were assembled, yet their demeanor didn’t suggest an intention to act. Pei Yan was puzzled, "Are we just watching now?"

"In normal times, a large army attacking a fortress would need to assemble siege magical artifacts here to break through the major sect’s defensive array, but with so many top-notch Heavenly Dao figures here today, I suppose that step can be skipped."

"So what are we waiting for now?" After Jin He Xuan spoke, Pei Yan surveyed the army below. Sure enough, he couldn’t see the devices typically arranged during the Demon Race Legion’s sieges, puzzled.

"Perhaps they’re waiting for the Six Guards Army to be fully assembled before launching a grand assault to seize it in one fell swoop!" Jin He Xuan turned his head to see the continuous arrival of the Six Guards Army and speculated.

No matter the reason, Pei Yan didn’t care. Unlike Jin He Xuan and others who came purely as spectators, Pei Yan’s interest in the battle was limited. He had two objectives: first, to follow Lin Ruxue’s instructions to gather as much useful information as possible when clearing the battlefield; second, to see if he could encounter Jue Liunian and personally seek revenge for his servant, also giving Dalles an explanation.

With such a spectator mindset, Pei Yan watched the life-and-death struggle in the mountain path with interest. He didn’t know whether Jin He Xuan’s speculation was correct or if the sects were preparing for an attack, but when the Right Weiwei soldiers’ attack was repelled again, they didn’t organize another round of assault like before. Instead, under the leadership of their Brigade Commanders, they meticulously retreated in a coordinated defense, taking injured comrades and even their own bodies with them. Despite creating vulnerabilities in their defense, and amidst a chaotic exchange where those responsible for dragging bodies were attacked and fell, they didn’t stop. Subsequent comrades stepped in to carry fallen companions and corpses, continuing the retreat.

In this regard, this army was superior to most legions Pei Yan had seen in the Hell Plane, notably due to the Demon Race Legion elite suffering significant losses against the Blood Shura.

As Pei Yan began evaluating the military strength between Daoist, Hell, and Blood Shura planes in his mind, the Right Weiwei army had completed their retreat from the battlefield center. Yet the disciples of the White Deer Institute showed no joy; they even seemed unwilling for the Right Weiwei to just leave. Desperately on the walls, they unleashed spells attempting to slow the enemy’s retreat, knowing that after this departure, they would face even more terrifying foes.

As expected, the battlefield’s silence didn’t last long before the sect leaders acted. To Pei Yan’s surprise, the first to step out wasn’t Hongjun Sword Furnace, who held the deepest grudge against the White Deer Institute, but Mo Sect’s Tian Feiming and Feng Tianhe. The two stood with hands clasped before the White Deer Institute gates, and without any visible action, swiftly gathered black spheres beneath their feet. After they pointed toward the White Deer Institute gate, the black spheres swiftly moved towards the target.

Disciples and the Array Protection Elder on the walls were extremely tense watching this. Though those two black spheres seemed unremarkable, they were released by two Heavenly Dao titans, not to be underestimated. Instantly, spells leapt off the walls to strike at the black shadows. But Tian Feiming and Feng Tianhe, after doing this, as if completing their mission, didn’t concern themselves with the black shadows or continue attacking, turning to return to their army.

Having watched everything from beginning to end, Pei Yan observed the black shadows spew yellow earthy light under attack. They didn’t resist but swiftly burrowed underground, vanishing in the blink of an eye, leaving spells erupting over the surface in chaotic explosions.

"Living things?" Pei Yan frowned. Could the Mo Sect control beasts? With doubt, he replayed the scene in slow motion, enlarging it through his mental AI, finally uncovering the mystery.