Journey of True Cultivation-Chapter 86: Blade Over City Walls

"...Yeah," he answered after a pause. "The spiritual tea was indeed a good idea. A calm moment before battle."

But even as he said this, a quiet unease stirred in the back of his mind. Had he really lost track of time? Had the night passed so quickly without him noticing?

Before he could dwell on it, Li Yun was already on his feet, smiling again.

Yuan stood as well and looked around the ruined house.

Was it... more ruined than before?

He blinked, puzzled for a moment. But then he pushed the thought aside and followed Li Yun as they left the building together, stepping out into the rising light of dawn.

They calmly walked back toward the entrance of the ruined village. Along the way, they passed by many fellow disciples and juniors, all heading in the same direction. They even encountered familiar faces like Di Zuo and Roan, who fell in step and walked alongside them.

Eventually, they arrived at the village entrance, where a large crowd of disciples had already gathered. The atmosphere was solemn, the tension palpable. Everyone was searching for their place, and it didn't take long for Yuan and Li Yun's group to spot their assigned formation.

Most of the Outer Sect disciples were already assembled, standing ready in their respective small teams.

Li Yun took his position at the front row, Yuan standing directly behind him. Behind them, the other Inner Sect disciples and the rows of Outer Sect disciples formed up in disciplined silence, waiting for orders.

They did not have to wait long.

Soon, the generals arrived.

One of them was Yi Lao, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

The other general, however, was someone new. Unlike Yi Lao, this one was a woman. She had short blond hair and wore a dark green robe adorned with elegant floral patterns. Though Yuan wasn't close enough to see her face clearly, even from a distance her figure stood out, she radiated an aura of beauty that was striking, the kind that would stir envy in other women and admiration from men.

The army of disciples had already fallen into complete silence. Only the whispering wind stirred, until Yi Lao's voice cut through the still air.

"Today, we march to conquer Lake Blue City! This conquest will mark the first true battle in our war against the Crystal River Region. The city before us is no mere village, it is a stronghold of the Blue Family!"

His voice grew louder, sharper.

"The battlefield will be fierce. This time, we face trained cultivators, not scattered tribes or frightened defenders. So be ready, juniors!"

He raised a hand high and shouted.

"Glory to the Sect!"

"GLORY TO THE SECT!" the disciples roared back in unison, their voices echoing across the ruined land like a battle cry.

With that, Yi Lao and the female general turned and began to walk toward Lake Blue City. The vast army of disciples marched behind them, their footsteps falling into rhythm.

The sound of their march thundered across the land, loud enough to be heard from miles away.

Even the defenders of Lake Blue City could hear it coming.

The march didn't take long, only about an hour passed before the disciples reached the outer wall of the city.

And there, the true war would begin.

Not only did the towering city walls greet them, standing before those walls were the cultivators of Lake Blue City, already battle-ready. Their eyes burned with resolve, and not a hint of fear could be seen among them.

Without a single word spoken, one of the defenders, a fearless cultivator, suddenly dashed forward, his sword aimed directly at the advancing disciples of the Howling Wind Sect, intent on drawing first blood.

His action ignited the others. Following his lead, the rest of the city's cultivators charged forward with fierce momentum.

But the disciples of the Howling Wind Sect only sneered in arrogant silence before unleashing a merciless counterattack, slaughtering the rushing defenders without hesitation.

Yuan and Li Yun's team, positioned on the left side of the front line, were among the first to clash with the enemy. Yuan had already activated the circulation of his spiritual blood, letting the red aura settle within his body, ready to heal any injuries he might suffer.

With a single slash, Yuan cut down three of the Lake Blue City cultivators in an instant. Most of them were only at the Mortal Awakening or Blood Purification stages, though the latter was more common here than in the tribal battles he had faced before.

This difference alone spoke volumes about the strength gap between a mere tribe and a fortified city.

But to Yuan, it made little difference.

Whether Mortal Awakened or Blood Purification, even Meridian Awakening stage cultivators posed no real threat to him. Only Bone Forging stage opponents were worth his attention, but alas, none had stepped forward to face him.

Numbers meant nothing at this level. As long as the enemies didn't form any kind of blood runic formation, there was little they could do to challenge him.

Yuan carved his way through their ranks with ease, killing many and saving several members of Li Yun's team along the way. But not everyone.

He made sure not to save everyone, after all, if no one died under his watch, it would draw unnecessary attention to him.

Many died. Many survived.

To Yuan, this war wasn't truly dangerous. For him, it was nothing more than an extended training session, a live battlefield to hone his sword techniques.

And today, in the midst of battle, he finally succeeded in mastering the last technique in his current arsenal: the Thunder Strike Technique.

With that now fully mastered, alongside his other techniques, Yuan's efficiency in killing soared. His movements became sharper, faster, and more lethal.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

When the final defenders of Lake Blue City fell and the city was conquered through sheer slaughter, Yuan stood among the corpses, his blade soaked in blood, calmly searching the bodies for anything of value.