Free Web NovelChapter 222: The Prey
Above the Nine Heavens Domain, the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Vajra Sky Patrol Warship swiftly flew through the skies, concealed by both cloud cover and its own optical invisibility system.
However, a thousand-meter-class Sky Patrol Warship traveling at Mach 10 within the atmosphere inevitably produced disturbances, and those could not be completely masked, no matter how well it concealed itself. Because of this, before the warship even entered the Nine Heavens Domain, Yaoguang had already locked onto it.
He had even used himself as bait, subtly guiding the warship’s flight path. If things continued along this trajectory, although it would be able to rendezvous with the disguised Chu Guang within the Nine Heavens Domain, it would inevitably pass through Longxiang City.
Longxiang City was not the capital of the Nine Heavens Domain. Although its defenses had been significantly strengthened due to the Purple Firmament Institute, in the eyes of the Great Sun Sword Sect, it would instinctively be regarded as a non-priority city. Naturally, they would not expect the danger awaiting them there.
***
The captain of the warship, Wu Xinxuan, remained in close contact with Chi Songzi and Bai Shi. "According to our understanding, the Origin World must be under the personal control of Li Qingshan, the sect master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Our agents have informed us that he is currently leading the Sword-Wielding Institute at full speed toward our location, intending to intercept us. However... judging by the distance, he will not make it in time."
Bai Shi spoke confidently. "In half an hour, we will rendezvous with the target and withdraw from the Nine Heavens Domain, returning to the East Sea. By the time Li Qingshan and the Sword-Wielding Institute catch up, we will have already crossed most of the East Sea's islands, and we'll be nearing our sect’s territory. If Li Qingshan dares to pursue us, we will mobilize forces from our homeland until we have several times their strength. Even with the Origin World in his hands, he will not be able to reverse the situation."
"Indeed," Chi Songzi said with a smile. "Killing Li Qingshan may be troublesome, but seizing that spirit treasure and crippling, or even destroying, the Sword-Wielding Institute is far from a fantasy."
After a pause, he added, "Of course, that would be the best-case scenario. Once Li Qingshan realizes we are close to our homeland, he may not pursue us at all."
"Not necessarily," Wu Xinxuan replied. "A talent like the chief of the Purple Firmament Institute is someone any sect would be desperate to protect. It would not be surprising if Li Qingshan sacrificed the entire Sword-Wielding Institute to try to reclaim him from us. So make sure all preparations are in place."
Chi Songzi nodded. "Rest assured. As long as you retrieve the target safely, this operation will be considered a complete success. Anything beyond that is a bonus."
"Understood!" Wu Xinxuan inclined his head slightly as he started thinking about the current situation.
He already knew that the Divine Might Institute and the Azure Edge Institute stationed within the Nine Heavens Domain had been drawn away by the Divine Wind Institute, Divine Wood Institute, and Divine Mountain Institute, which had appeared along the borders. The only real forces he needed to confront were the guards around Yaoguang.
There were fewer than twenty great cultivators led by Tang Fenghua and Bai Lu. Of course, the Sea Guardian Institute required special attention as well. But in his view, given how quickly they would strike, the Nine Cauldrons Sect could not possibly respond in time. With that thought, the Sky Patrol Warship seemed to accelerate even further.
Yet at that moment, Wu Xinxuan sensed something and suddenly said, "Something is wrong. Our agents have not sent their confirmation signals for some time, yet their information signatures are still present..."
He abruptly turned toward Bai Shi, a strange look in his eyes. "Hall Master Bai, I need your assistance. Can you suppress the Heavenly Palace cultivators of the Nine Cauldrons Sect for me?"
"Of course," Bai Shi replied with a slight nod. "Leave it to me."
That perfectly normal response instantly caused Wu Xinxuan’s expression to darken. It was not their prearranged signal. Their communications had been interfered with! The Origin World was not in the hands of Sect Master Li Qingshan, but in Yaoguang’s.
"The Nine Cauldrons Sect values Yaoguang so highly that they have entrusted such a high-grade spirit treasure to him. And the Eternal Lamp Hall has not issued any warning. That most likely means its communications have been blocked as well..." His heart sank as he said that. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
At this moment, he had only two choices. The first was to retreat immediately and flee the territory of the Nine Cauldrons Sect. The second was to trust the agents’ earlier reports and press forward, even at the cost of their lives, to complete the mission.
The hesitation lasted only an instant before the captain of the Vajra made his decision. If the Origin World is truly in Yaoguang’s hands, then our plan has no chance of success. And if the Eternal Lamp Hall communications have also been interfered with, there is a high chance that we're walking straight into a massive trap.
With that thought, he made a decisive order. "Retreat! Turn the warship around and withdraw to the East Sea! Activate sword light, pierce the clouds, and display Alert No. 3 to the Heavenly Palace cultivators of our Great Sun Sword Sect. Have them make the necessary preparations!"
Though his officers were somewhat confused, they executed the captain’s orders without hesitation.
"Yes!" Acknowledgments rang out as the entire warship burst into activity.
Suddenly, brilliant streams of light flared upward from below. In a city beneath them, arrays activated as nearly a hundred sword cultivators gathered their strength, forming sword arrays. Empowered by the arrays, they unleashed streak after streak of sword light that tore through the sky. Their target was the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship!
It is indeed the worst possible outcome... Wu Xinxuan sighed inwardly, but his powerful psychic thought spread instantly throughout the entire warship. "Prepare defenses!"
Light flowed across the massive vessel as numerous defensive arrays activated at full capacity. Sword cultivators aboard the ship, guided by primordial psyche cultivators and empowered by the ship’s arrays, intercepted the incoming sword lights. But there were too many.
Even with the Vajra’s sword cultivators fighting at full strength, they could only watch as hundreds of sword lights slammed into the hull, forcing every defensive array to operate at its limits.
After the brilliant storm subsided, all defensive arrays remained intact. Yet Wu Xinxuan’s heart sank further. He understood that the round of attacks had never been intended to breach the Vajra’s defenses. It had been meant to force the warship’s arrays to operate at full power.
This means the enemy was observing us and analyzing the warship’s arrays, preparing to deliver a fatal strike at a critical moment and destroy us all in one blow. We have become the prey. He thought.
"Captain, it’s the arrays! They are relying on the arrays of the city below to boost their attack power..." the adjutant cried out in alarm.
The gloom in Wu Xinxuan’s heart was quickly replaced by resolve. He did not believe that anyone could destroy the numerous defensive arrays of the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship in such a short time.
"Full speed retreat! Get out of the coverage range of the city’s arrays!" Wu Xinxuan’s psychic thought spread throughout the warship.
The massive Sky Patrol Warship shifted course and sped away. Behind them, another dense wave of sword light pierced the void, carrying overwhelming force as it bombarded the warship’s arrays.
Wu Xinxuan noticed immediately that the impact points of this wave were completely different from those of the previous one. Furthermore, under the impact of these sword lights, almost every defensive array was revealed, without a single blind spot.
Damn it. When we return, we must upgrade the Sky Patrol Warship. We need to install interference and confounding arrays. Otherwise, if the enemy really possesses an all-rounder array grandmaster who also controls a Dharma Form spirit treasure like the Origin World, our Sky Patrol Warships will become nothing more than a target. Wu Xinxuan felt anxiety rising within him, yet he could do nothing.
He also understood that all of the Sky Patrol Warship’s arrays were interconnected. Adding or removing even a single array could disrupt the operation of the entire vessel. Until those issues were resolved, the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Sky Patrol Warships would likely struggle to threaten the Nine Cauldrons Sect again.
This was the terror of dual cultivation. As long as someone mastered one additional discipline, their weight and importance would increase exponentially.
A new round of sword rain descended with a rumble.
Wu Xinxuan asked his adjutant grimly, "How long until we leave the range of that city’s arrays?"
"Three minutes! In just three minutes, their attack power will be greatly reduced."
"Three minutes..." Wu Xinxuan calculated quickly.
From the moment they realized they had fallen into a trap to when they had begun retreating, less than ten minutes had passed. Even adding three more minutes, it would only be a little more than a dozen. With such rapid reaction time, even if the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s spell cultivators attempted to cast the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique to dismantle the warship’s arrays, there wouldn't be enough time.
As he thought that, the primordial psyche cultivator who had endured the tempering of Purple Firmament Divine Lightning and now held the position of captain let out a slight breath of relief. Unfortunately, he did not understand the extent of the power that could be unleashed when the Psyche King trait was used to integrate the strength of multiple spell cultivators.
Especially now, with the support of Longxiang City’s arrays and with Yaoguang having reached the Dharma Form Realm. Before they could escape the attack range of Longxiang City’s arrays, eighty-one sword cultivators of the Sea Guardian Institute appeared almost simultaneously around the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship.
The moment Wu Xinxuan saw them, he seemed to realize something and roared, "Focus everything on defense! Overdrive all defensive arrays!"
Even as he issued the order, at the far end of the sky, the radiance of Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique tore through the void. It crossed the distance between them and Longxiang City and struck the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship with extreme precision.
In an instant, all arrays shook violently and flickered, then dimmed. They were corroded and dismantled.
The scene filled Wu Xinxuan’s eyes with disbelief and despair. "How is this possible..."
In the next moment, a powerful psychic thought exploded above the warship. "Abandon ship. Break out of the encirclement!"
The psychic command snapped Wu Xinxuan partially back to his senses. Then he realized something was wrong. That was not his order!
"Don't believe it! That is enemy psychic-thought interference... I order you, initiate the self-destruction sequence! No matter what, the Vajra must not fall into their hands—"
He tried to project his psychic thought, but halfway through, he realized it was futile. His psychic thought was completely suppressed, and he couldn't release it. With no other choice, he shouted aloud.
His cry was instantly drowned out by explosions. He could only watch as cultivators who believed they had received orders rose into the air, only to be hunted down one by one by the Sea Guardian Institute sword cultivators waiting outside in sword arrays.
"No!" Wu Xinxuan let out a grief-stricken roar.
He finally understood the despair once experienced by Zuo Chuan, the captain of the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship.
As one Sea Guardian Institute sword cultivator after another descended onto the Vajra Sky Patrol Warship, the battle ended as swiftly as expected.
