Only when he truly plunged into the beast tide did Lu Li realize that even the Foundation Establishment Stage was far from enough.
When he was young, all he could do was watch his father join the ranks resisting the beast tide.
After that, he never returned.
“It’s a good thing Liu Qingxi can calculate the future. This is just a small wave.” Lu Li slashed out with another sword strike, her blue skirt fluttering.
In the darkness, it was like an orchid blooming.
Then sword qi surged.
The spirit guns roared, and dozens of blazing mysterious lights vaporized the leading beasts in an instant.
The beasts of the tide felt no fear—in fact, their minds contained only a single desire: to eat.
Under normal circumstances, the first wave alone would have wounded dozens of demon soldiers.
But today, amid such a fierce assault from Blackstone City, the hundreds of beasts in the front instantly turned into steaming blood mist.
It was also the first time in Blackstone City’s history that the first wave of the beast tide had been repelled without a scratch.
The city walls were filled with heavy breathing.
The lesser demons gripping their Nine Spirit Guns hadn’t even realized what they had accomplished.
Until the last frenzied beast’s corpse slid down, its blood staining the ground.
A thought slowly arose in their hearts.
The beast tide was not unstoppable.
“Lie Shan, Lie Shi, take charge of the front defense.” Liu Qingxi’s voice transmitted through the jade disk into everyone’s minds.
“Jiao San, I’ve redirected Blackstone City’s water for you. Use a water screen to control the tide’s speed.”
“Yes!” The bewilderment brought on by the sudden victory was quickly dispersed by clear orders.
“As expected of the Heavenly Deduction Sect’s Saintess… Though she’s not good on the frontlines, she’s flawless when it comes to troop deployment.” Lu Li watched as the previously disorganized Blackstone City army gradually moved to different positions, preparing for the next battle.
“When the Flood Dragon clan uses the water screen for crowd control, the Rabbit clan should use bows and magical artifacts against the enemy. There will be… Fox clan sword cultivators assisting you.” As Liu Qingxi spoke, the Rabbit clan also circulated their True Qi and True Yuan, readying themselves at all times.
The beast tide was ferocious, but the great wave was equally towering.
A three-zhang-long water dragon surged out from beneath Blackstone City, directly engulfing the second wave of the beast tide.
Beasts roaming the continent—if they had intelligence, they could still break free.
But once they lost their wits, they could only thrash about randomly.
Magical artifacts boomed, spirit guns roared.
Amid countless mysterious lights, those beasts shattered again in the radiance.
But the Rabbit clan was not suited for frontal combat. Even with Lu Li’s Bewitch Heart, Enchanting Sound, and Fragrance Holds’ encouragement, instinct still bred fear when beasts charged at them.
“Ah…” A young Rabbit clan member, seeing a Wolf clan beast much larger than itself break free from the water screen, trembled as he drew his bow, but all his arrows struck the water screen instead.
As one side collapsed, the other Rabbit clan members began to shake as well.
It became hard to hit the enemy with arrows.
“Sword to Bamboo Transformation.” Liu Qingyun’s voice came from above.
“Pfft!” Green bamboo flew, and dozens of bamboo leaves, like sharp blades, sliced through a boar’s body and pierced a wolf’s skull.
He and the other sword cultivators hovered high in the air, blocking the frenzied beasts that struggled out of the water screen.
“Don’t be afraid. Just attack normally.”
“Mm…” The Rabbit clan, seeing Liu Qingyun and some Blackstone City sword cultivators arrive, felt much more at ease.
“Don’t be afraid.” Liu Qingyun gazed at Lu Li, who was fighting at the front, while Lie Shan and Lie Shi, wielding large blades, sent sprays of blood mist flying with each strike.
“The Celestial Fox Saintess is fighting at the front just like you, and…”
“Buddha’s Light Illumination.” Yuan He’s voice rang out in turn, a faint light barrier covering everyone’s body surface.
“It can block one Qi Refining Stage attack. If the barrier breaks, come back to me!”
“Yes!” With double protection, the previously timid Rabbit clan picked up their longbows again.
“Next, the Snake and Scale clans are responsible for setting ambushes underground.” As Liu Qingxi’s voice described this, the originally flat Miasma Plain suddenly erupted with many underground depressions.
That was the result of detonating spirit stones.
Within these depressions were the poison pools set up by the Snake and Scale clans.
Although these frenzied beasts had no reason, their instinctive thrashing from pain still occurred.
However, no matter how they struggled, they were corroded by venom and completely pierced by spears.
“Sparrow clan, please spread out nine li to the north, west, and east to check for any other beast tide situations.” Liu Qingxi issued another order.
The moon was sharp as a blade.
Moonlight was like sword radiance.
Just like the three fighting beneath the moon.
“Hah…” Lu Li exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, but at this moment, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth swiftly surged into her body.
The more she fought on the battlefield, the more the power of the Divine Charm Spirit Root and Heavenly Law Love Entanglement was unleashed.
As long as she controlled her consumption to nine drops of True Yuan per use, she could instantly replenish it in one breath.
Furthermore, her cultivation could even grow continuously amid this slaughter.
‘Meridians can be repaired too, but divine sense consumption really can’t be replenished for now… Wait, it can be replenished, but it requires True Yuan.’
Lu Li slashed out with another sword, yet her mind was turbulent with thoughts.
Previously, when she used the Charm Spiritual Root to summon wind and rain, she consumed a great deal of True Yuan.
If she asked the heavens to restore her divine sense, it might be possible.
But amid battle, her True Yuan would likely not be able to keep up, and she would be drained dry.
Lu Li pondered, but the long sword in her hand bloomed like a flower.
At the same time, her left hand pointed and lifted, her five fingers dancing like peach blossoms.
But wherever the peach blossoms landed, demon beast bodies burst apart.
Blood sprayed, but under the moonlight, it splattered across Lu Li’s cheeks and clothes like falling petals.
For a moment, Lie Shan and Lie Shi were both entranced as they looked at Lu Li’s figure.
There was fear.
And also infatuation.
Blue skirt like water, red petals scattering.
Moonlight poured down, nine tails swayed, the long sword shook the moonbeams.
“Mountain Breaker.” Lu Li struck out with another sword.
After slaying the last demon beast, Lu Li felt the True Yuan filling the four hundred and eight acupoints in her body.
This time, she exhaled a mouthful of excess spiritual qi.
As she was now, she couldn’t refine her spine to enter the Seeing Dragon Realm.
Although her True Yuan was vast, her divine sense had run dry.
‘Also, battle has its benefits. The natural influx of heaven and earth spiritual qi has dissolved quite a bit of the Primordial Yin Qi in my body.’
Lu Li flicked her long sword, scattering blood onto the ground. ‘Father… today, at least, I am no longer standing at the back watching.’
She sighed.
Lu Li gathered the chaotic thoughts in her heart.
Because the next plan was what truly mattered.
As she stepped on the light gauze to return, Lie Shan and Lie Shi followed slowly behind her with reverence.
In this battle at Blackstone City, everyone had seen Lu Li charging at the very front.
And her dashing figure—claws rending the air, long sword slashing.
“This battle has been hard on everyone.” Lu Li watched some Qi Refining stage yao race members tending to the wounded.
“According to the Six Techniques of the Heavenly Fox, merits are awarded for killing enemies, defending the city, treating injuries, providing supplies, using artifacts, and reconnaissance.”
“Yao race brothers and sisters who fought in formation—you are grouped in fives, in teams of ten, based on the Formation Merit Register…” As Lu Li spoke, Liu Qingxi also instructed the Sparrow clan and the Snake and Scale clans to tally the battlefield.
During the tally, the Tiger clan and Flood Dragon clan also supervised, even inviting some ordinary yao race members to watch from the side.
When Lu Li returned to Blackstone City, she was greeted by waves of cheers.
Because the other major clans had truly carried out rewards according to merit.
A small Qi Refining stage yao picked up a Nine Spirit Gun from a comrade’s corpse.
He had originally been tasked with carrying spirit stones, but at the breach in the city wall, he fired nine shots in a row without missing, killing nine frenzied beasts.
A Foundation Establishment stage yao cultivator exhausted his divine sense to help Jiao San maintain the water screen.
They all received due rewards.
The injured also received the most thorough treatment.
Of course, all the funding came from the treasures previously plundered by Lang Ya and the Wolf Commander.
After leaving these trivial matters to Liu Qingyun and Yuan He, Lu Li returned to the Celestial Fox clan’s residence.
In the center of the hall stood Liu Qingxi, equally haggard.
As the Saintess of the Heavenly Deduction Sect, her derivation calculations could compute the entire battlefield.
At the same time, she performed new deductions based on the collected information.
But the consumption of divine sense and True Yuan was also enormous.
“This time, most of the credit for the Blackstone City defense battle goes to you.” Lu Li sat on a chair, gazing at Liu Qingxi.
“Thank you. You’ve been a Saintess for so many years—these are indeed areas where I lack knowledge.”
“But it also takes someone to tie all that knowledge together.” Liu Qingxi smiled wearily, taking a pill from her storage ring.
“What’s next?”
“The Heavenly Furnace Plan. We can begin it.” Lu Li closed her eyes.
“But before that, I want to rest a bit.”
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