"This is more like it."
Ye Changji glanced around and reluctantly nodded, saying, "We will take on this matter and immediately dispatch people to investigate the surroundings, but..."
"If the opposing party is no longer within the jurisdiction of Sanhe City, then we are powerless, and these Spiritual Objects will not be returned!"
"Who knows if youâll make a genuine effort or just take it lightly? If you handle it perfunctorily, wouldnât we be giving away so many Spiritual Objects for nothing?" The burly Earth Immortal frowned discontentedly.
"Ha! Sanhe City has always treated others with sincerity. If you, Fellow Daoist, donât believe it, feel free to take the Spiritual Objects and leave immediately." Ye Changji would not indulge them.
Even if their strength had greatly decreased due to repeated conscription, he still feared nothing, even when they were at their strongest.
"You!"
"Haha, Tong is not deliberately reckless by nature, and we hope Ye will forgive this. With your esteemed reputation, we naturally trust you."
The elder hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, smiling, "Then we entrust this matter to Ye, and weâll not disturb you further."
"Ha!"
Ye Changji let out a cold laugh, sitting on the chair with no intention of seeing them off. The duoâs act was simply too clumsy.
However, the news they brought was indeed worth noting!
"The invading forces... have you left, or are you hiding somewhere?" Ye Changjiâs eyes instinctively squinted, concealing the myriad thoughts churning within them.
As the burly man and elder walked out of the city gates, their faces returned to normal; they had merely played a scene to remind the opposing side to take heed.
That afternoon, a reward for finding the invading forces appeared in Sanhe City; anyone with clues would receive a decent reward.
However, the city, crowded with Loose Cultivators, saw few accepting this task.
After all, everyone knew that the more plentiful the rewards, the more dangerous the task. During the war, with uncertain outcomes, why take risks? Better to live another day!
Especially after the news of the obliteration of Shahu Soul Valley spread, even fewer Loose Cultivators wanted to take on this task.
"Have they become so cowardly?" Ye Changji frowned upon hearing the news and ordered his subordinates to handle it, not wanting to tarnish their reputation.
Meanwhile, the Li family had no idea people outside were searching for them. After distributing the harvested Spiritual Objects, they each went to recuperate.
"Jiu, the commotion we caused this time was too large; the next actions may not be so convenient," Da Qing said worriedly.
This attack on Shahu Soul Valley was quickly successful primarily because it caught them by surprise; they didnât expect an invading force to exist.
After this incident, other forces will certainly be on guard, and might even form temporary alliances for mutual protection.
When the Li family tries to obliterate Earth Immortal forces again, they might face several alliances!
"I understand; right now, external hearts must be anxious, and inspections are thorough. Itâll take some time before we can act,"
Li Zhirui nodded, agreeing with Da Qing, saying, "But when the time comes, we wonât move against the human race, instead targeting a less powerful Devil Race faction, one relatively distant, to let them think weâve already left, thus relaxing their vigilance."
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly had a moment of enlightenment; indeed, this tactic of striking east and west was quite clever!
"However, this method can only be used once."
Li Zhirui regrettably said, "When they react, this hiding place will also be exposed, so then we canât return here; weâll have to find a new location."
After all, theyâre not fools. Theyâd soon link the incidents near Three Rivers Mountain with the likely answer.
While they might not dig three feet deep, theyâd surely maintain strict surveillance on the mountain range, making it difficult to move inch by inch.
Three Rivers Mountainâs unique environment, which shields these plans, has spared them considerable trouble; theyâll likely never find such an ideal place again.
Da Qing and the others hadnât anticipated that Li Zhirui had already planned the subsequent steps, and if no accidents occurred, they merely had to follow the steps and wouldnât need to expend extra effort thinking it through.
"I wonder what the situation is like on the southern battlefield, who holds the advantage..."
Meanwhile, in the battlefield that the Li family was concerned about, lives fellâunwilling Cultivators, fearful Demon Cultivators, and angry Devil Race members.
However, all of them were corpses!
Their outcomes were comparatively better, as at least their bodies were relatively whole, unlike the scattered chunks of flesh and bones, making it impossible to distinguish whom they belonged to when alive.
In successive battles, over a million lives were lost; these bodies and flesh raised the ground significantly, polluting rivers and land, making vegetation more luxuriant.
Among those million fallen lives were over a dozen Heavenly Immortals, hundreds of Earth Immortals, and several thousand Human Immortals. As for those with lower cultivation? Their numbers were so vast that they couldnât be tallied in time.
Yet, even so, countless lives still warred on the battlefield; one by one, beings fell, never to rise again.
Nobody knows how long this war will last; everyoneâs mind and spirit are stretched to the limit, either fighting for life or relying on sheer willpower to hold.