Chapter 1975: 1456: Slaughter (2)

Capítulo 1975: Chapter 1456: Slaughter (2)

Squelch—

The sound of blood vessels being slit and blood spurting out echoed one after another; just a moment ago, the banquet was lively and bustling, but in the blink of an eye, it was awash in blood, corpses strewn across the floor.

Since the Li family had few people, they weren’t able to slaughter all the Water Devils at once.

But even so, those Water Devils who temporarily clung to life had still fallen into a dazed state of chaos, oblivious to what was happening outside.

The sudden change made the awake Yinghua Sect cultivators unable to react in time.

Very quickly, though, they understood that other cultivators had seized the chance to sneak in and wipe out the Water Devils in one go.

As for whether their own lives were saved… no one could say for sure.

After all, with the great tribulation erupting, all living creatures are scrambling to resolve their own karma. And here they are, powerless, stuck in the Sea Clan’s nest—if they’re killed, their deaths can easily be blamed on those Water Devils already dead!

So they didn’t cry out for help, instead anxiously awaiting their own looming fate.

The hidden Li family members also began to argue about whether they should just deal with these Loose Cultivators as well.

“If we kill them now, no one will know it was us—and our karma will be cleared, with some leftover to take back to the clan, easing the family’s pressure a bit.”

The relatives who wanted to spare them didn’t spout lofty ideals—besides a handful of cultivators and a few disciples from powerful factions, hardly anyone truly clings to notions of good versus evil—so he too approached the issue from the angle of benefit.

“But if we let them live and put them to work for the clan, making them vassals in the future, the value they’ll bring is clearly far greater!”

“That’s too long-term—no one knows what changes might happen later, and will they really be willing to serve the clan?”

Another clansman shook his head to himself. “Don’t think they’re that simple.”

That relative fell silent, unable to say anything.

But in the end, the decision fell to Li Xiuting. After pondering for a while, he ultimately chose to spare them.

Though those relatives who advocated for killing the Yinghua Sect Loose Cultivators were somewhat dissatisfied, they didn’t protest publicly.

Li Xiuting’s reason for sparing them wasn’t the long-term interest some relatives put forward, but rather that the Sea Clan’s ambush tactics were becoming increasingly sophisticated; even those skilled in Pupil Skill might fail to notice them. The family needed a batch of cultivators to test the waters firsthand!

If their own clansmen went to probe and encountered danger, the odds of survival would be grim, so it’s best to use outsiders.

This group of Loose Cultivators was a perfect choice.

Li Xiuting revealed himself, looked at the anxious faces of the Loose Cultivators, and slowly spoke: “I can offer you a chance to survive, but you must agree to one condition.”

“Just tell us directly, Li,” Jiang Ying forced himself to stay calm.

“You must serve as our vanguard, personally scouting ahead to check for traps and ambushes.”

The Loose Cultivators’ expressions changed. Nice words, but it all boiled down to making them cannon fodder sent to die.

But if they refused, they’d never see the sun come up tomorrow.

Li Xiuting added, “Of course, we won’t keep you forever. Once you’ve scouted for us twenty times, you’ll be allowed to leave.”

“Twenty times is a bit much, isn’t it?” They knew that agreeing was their only hope of surviving this place, but Jiang Ying still bit the bullet to haggle with Li Xiuting, hoping to cut the number down.

But seeing no one from the Li family answer, only a certain relative replied, “With hundreds of lives at stake, isn’t that worth the price?”

“…Fine.” Jiang Ying was speechless and could only agree in the end.

Due to the tribulation, the Tribulation Evil Energy suffused heaven and earth, badly interfering with the effect of Dao Oaths, so they could only use other methods to ensure these Loose Cultivators didn’t regret or turn traitor.

And that method was to hand over their very lives and assets to the Li family members!

If there were any other way, they would never have agreed to this.

Once the matter was settled, Li Xiuting led his clansmen to clean up the battlefield and gather the spoils, then departed with the several hundred Yinghua Sect disciples, seeking out the next Sea Clan Water Devil gathering site.

He planned, once everyone in the clan had resolved their karma, to return to the family, rotate in a new batch of relatives, and continue to plunge into the battle and slaughter!

His reasons: to hone himself, and to gain merit, so that when the tribulation ends, his cultivation might break through.

As for danger? If you still want to cultivate and pursue higher realms, what isn’t dangerous?!

…

The sea breeze carried salty humidity, bringing the distinctive scent of the ocean as it swept past.

The first time you see the sea, it might seem grand and magnificent, but as time goes by, it feels monotonous and ever more dull.

A group of several hundred spent more than half a month scouring the East Sea, occasionally coming across a lone Water Devil, but never finding any small Sea Clan settlement.

In a way, their luck was good—wandering aimlessly for so long in the sea territory and somehow never encountering a Water Devil at Earth Immortal Realm or higher.

What they didn’t know was that, right now, the Earth Immortal and Heavenly Immortal Rank Water Devils had already been convened, preparing to lead ten million Water Devils to invade the edge of the East Continent, hoping to break into the mainland and occupy some fresh inland waters.

Seizing inland waters had long been the Sea Clan’s obsession.

Back to the matter at hand!

“Fifteenth Uncle! About two hundred li ahead, there’s a Water Devil settlement, but given the distance, I can’t yet determine their strength or whether there are traps nearby.”

After they cautiously moved ahead another few dozen li, his cultivation in Pupil Skill finally let him see the surroundings clearly.

“There are three Human Immortal Water Devils here; the Sea Clan has about eight thousand members, their strength is considerable.”

After a while, he spoke up with his findings, “Other than that, I haven’t detected any traps or ambushes nearby.”

“Jiang Ying, thank you for your trouble,” Li Xiuting suddenly said.

Jiang Ying nodded, having agreed already, with no reason to regret it—plus, his life was still in their hands.

When the group set out again, the Loose Cultivators were shocked to find that the Li family cultivators, previously ahead, had suddenly vanished!

“What’s going on…” Jiang Ying instantly released his Divine Sense to search, but couldn’t sense them at all, quickly recalling how they’d infiltrated the Water Devil’s territory earlier.

‘No wonder they’re a Heavenly Immortal Power—such exquisite Secret Technique,’ he couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.

“Rest assured, everyone, we’ll remain hidden and follow you, and if anything goes wrong, we’ll intervene at once,” Li Xiuting’s voice immediately drew the group’s attention.

The Yinghua Sect and other cultivators had no right to protest, so they just obediently and cautiously headed toward the Water Devil settlement.

And no sooner had they entered the alert zone than the Water Devils spotted them, and a swarm charged out, launching an immediate attack without a word.

Jiang Ying and the others certainly wouldn’t take a beating; they retaliated at once.

“Fifteenth Uncle, should we step in to help?”

Li Xiuting shook his head. “No need to rush; with things as they are, they can handle it.”

Indeed, as he said, these Yinghua Sect disciples were far from weak. Faced with the situation, they coped with relative ease.

They even teamed up with neighboring cultivators to form a small battle formation, better protecting themselves while striking at the Water Devils.