Chapter 1359: Spoils of War

Chapter 1359: Chapter 1359: Spoils of War

Descending from the clouds, Pei Yan strolled across the battlefield. The White Deer Institute had long lost its ancient elegance from a millennium-old academy. The crumbling city walls were engulfed in flames, and the buildings continued to collapse amidst the blaze, revealing countless incomplete corpses. At least seventy percent of the responsibility for this tragic scene before him lay with Pei Yan, yet he felt no guilt as he leisurely wandered through the ruins, searching for his desired spoils of war.

"Ah! This is it!" Bending down to remove a pair of silken gloves from the hand of a Heavenly Dao Elder, Pei Yan examined the item closely. After probing it with his spiritual energy, he confirmed that it was indeed the Divine Artifact used to link the grand web of the defensive array earlier. Both inside and out, Pei Yan marveled at the artifact’s resilience, having sustained minimal damage even amidst such attacks. The previous issue with the defensive array was due to the user’s lack of spiritual energy, which eventually led to exhaustion and the artifact’s failure. Looking down again at the Heavenly Dao Elder, Pei Yan sighed, shaking his head. Although this person couldn’t withstand his relentless bombardment, escaping should’ve been possible. Unfortunately, he depleted his spiritual energy controlling the array, leaving him unable to flee from subsequent assaults. Ah, he, like Shan Cai Chen, must have died feeling utterly frustrated.

Pei Yan naturally slipped the gloves onto his own hands, considering them his well-earned reward after contributing to the battle, without needing to report to anyone. However, Pei Yan did have a pinch of conscience; taking such a valuable item required some compensation, even if it belonged to a deceased enemy. With this thought, Pei Yan waved over an Embroidered Robe Envoy gathering near the mountain top, gesturing to the White Deer Institute elder beside him and said, "Go! Find two people to carry him away. After checking for any issues, bury him according to your customs in a location with good feng shui."

"Mr. Pei, this person is a traitor; with his strength, he likely has remnants of his soul still intact. According to regulations, such individuals are to be obliterated, their souls shattered, suffering endless torment till they vanish," the Embroidered Robe Envoy responded hesitantly upon receiving Pei Yan’s order.

"Oh!" Pei Yan nodded in awe, saying, "I thought that was just Xuanji’s angry words! Who would’ve guessed it turned out to be true? Your Daoist Plane truly knows how to address matters thoroughly, sparing no root, even more ruthlessly than us! Hmm, since it’s your rule, I’ll not talk back. Feel free to obliterate souls, and inform your commander that I said so."

"Yes!"

Watching the Embroidered Robe Envoy act upon his instructions, Pei Yan continued forward. Every few steps, he saw the Divine Artifact—a brush-like tool—and not far from it, a slightly damaged and dim chessboard. Near these two Divine Artifacts stood guards from Embroidered Robe Envoy, tasked with watching over these artifacts. Their allocation would be determined post-battle after inspections by elders from various sects, but only Pei Yan, an outsider with audacity, dared to ignore the envoy’s stares and take whatever he desired.

As for these two Divine Artifacts, Pei Yan showed little interest. Although they appeared far superior to the gloves he picked up, Pei Yan neither could draw talismans nor understood the chess formations, making them useless to him. Out of curiosity, he crouched to examine their usage, suddenly sensing a crisis behind him. Instinctively, he rolled forward and steadied himself, rapidly charging ahead with spiritual energy.

Just as Pei Yan launched forward, he heard sorrowful dragon roars and phoenix cries from the sky behind him, quickly replaced by a thunderous explosion. Immediately, Pei Yan felt the spiritual energy across heaven and earth tremble violently, while the ground beneath surged like waves. A wave of bloody, deathly, and corrupt aura swept in from behind. Pei Yan remained composed, knowing that evading such impact was a breeze with his power. With his supersonic speed, he soared into the clouds, swiftly escaping the range of the blast. Once regaining his composure, he looked back and couldn’t help but gasp in shock.

Upon the explosion’s occurrence, Pei Yan suspected what transpired, and the sight confirmed his speculation. The three controlled Divine Beasts, witnessing the impending fall of White Deer Institute, were detonated by their controller, destroying their talismans and inner cores, choosing to go down with their enemies. The self-destruction of these three top-tier Heavenly Dao beasts, along with the remaining Supreme Elder from the White Deer Institute, resulted in a wave comparable to Pei Yan’s artillery attack. The sky was consumed by a bloody and corrupt deathly aura, enveloping the entire White Deer Institute. Occasionally, cries and calls for help pierced through the smoke, suggesting considerable damage inflicted upon the Six Guards and Embroidered Robe Envoy.

It was unclear how the elders engaged against them fared. Concerned, Pei Yan drifted over the smoke towards the battlefield, soon encountering Feng Tianhe, among others, rushing towards him. They were clearly too preoccupied to converse, merely nodding before passing by. Pei Yan turned to see four top Heavenly Dao elders from Mo Sect and Clear Wind Talisman Transformation Sect jointly casting spells to disperse the poisonous fumes and prepare for rescue.

During this interlude, Liu Xuanji and his group approached Pei Yan, who, noticing a few missing members from their ranks, pondered aloud, "Uh, what exactly happened here? Where are the two seniors from the Infinite Thunder Sect and Elder Jin? Don’t tell me they..."

"After dealing with Shan Cai Chen, my senior brother and I went to support other battle zones. We originally had a numerical advantage, and once involved, White Deer Institute could no longer hold out. At wit’s end, three malignant creatures were detonated in their inner cores by their secret controller. A White Deer Institute Elder also chose the same method, but we were prepared and sustained minimal impact. Brother Situ and Brother Jin, being too close, chose to redirect most of the damage to prevent harm to the army below, thus incurring internal injuries. With the crisis here resolved, Sect Leader Murong and Sect Leader Chu returned with them to the Immortal Palace for healing," explained Liu Xuanji after tidying up his windswept hair.

"Oh! So that’s what happened!" Pei Yan nodded. Just as he was about to speak again, a sudden gust swept across the flat ground, brought forth by the spells of the four elders ahead. Feeling the tempest rushing past him, Pei Yan noticed that the thick bloody mist hovering above the battlefield was dissipated by the strong wind in no time. He realized that every place touched by the mist rapidly deteriorated—flowers, grass, trees withered and decayed, emitting a lingering pungent odor.