Xue Li and Xue Ying had been minding their own territory with their cubs when Yunxi's voice transmission arrived. Yunxi promised to refine a restorative elixir to help Xue Ying recover the cultivation she had lost during childbirth, in exchange for asking Xue Li to lend a paw.
Xue Li already knew the Misty Snow Domain had a new master. From now on, the snow wolf pack would live under another's sky. Even if Ran Xi offered no reward, he would not refuse. Still, since the new master handled matters with propriety, Xue Li brought his mate Xue Ying out of the space.
Xue Li was a true fifth rank Wolf King. Xue Ying's cultivation had dipped, not her battle sense. As soon as the pair emerged, their claws flashed, and they arranged space traps around the metal core of the Hong Energy Shield.
"Ran Xi Zūnzhě, we husband and wife will guard this place. Rest easy."
"Much obliged."
Yunxi cupped her hands, then vanished with Xun Kun into the air. The two split left and right, shot through Huaxian Gate's mountain gate, and began harvesting evil cultivators.
The battle lines across the Central Region shifted in an instant. Those Divine Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators whom Yunxi had evacuated regrouped in pairs and trios, trading information in hushed urgency.
Haoran Sect's force was led by Hao Yan Zūnzhě. Having received word from Hao Hui and Hao Qing, she had already mustered every Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation cultivator who could fight and sped toward Huaxian Gate.
By the time they arrived, Huaxian Gate had fallen. Even Huaxian City lay in enemy hands. Low-level cultivators had died in droves. As the battlefield's epicenter, Huaxian Gate had seen nearly all cultivators below Golden Core perish. The survivors scattered in all directions crying for aid.
Fortunately, once the disaster broke, Divine Transformation experts from the other four regions reacted swiftly, arriving at top speed. Ming Hong, Ming Xian, Hao Hui, Hao Qing, Lin Lang, Zhu Ye, and Xian Feng plunged into the fray to help Huaxian Gate's cultivators besiege the Divine Transformation evil cultivators.
Only Xian Yao, still injured, could relay messages and beg support from other sects and clans in the Central Region. Even with reinforcements, they could not reverse the tide.
More and more Divine Transformation evil cultivators kept pouring in. Two fists cannot beat a hundred hands. At last, an Ancestor in closed life-and-death seclusion at Huaxian Gate self-destructed, temporarily destroying the enemy's transport channel and halting the influx. It bought precious breaths and allowed the Divine Transformation cultivators of the other four regions to arrive.
The respite was short. The channel to the upper realm was repaired. This time, not only Divine Transformation, but also Nascent Soul evil cultivators were transmitted down. In response, more high-level righteous cultivators flooded into the Central Region.
To avoid harming innocents, each region dispatched people to help the Central Region's sects and clans withdraw. With too few hands to guard low-level disciples and small sects, they had to concede territory.
That concession only emboldened the enemy. Evil cultivators rampaged across the Central Region, forcibly corrupting cultivators and seizing gifted bodies as new vessels. The Central Region became an entire battlefield.
Their methods were insidious. In the lower realm they were even more unscrupulous, and in a short time they tied up the Weiyu Realm's peak combat power.
The four regions could only send support selectively, keeping enough high ranks to defend their own gates. No one dared a full commitment, lest the enemy feint east and strike west, and their homes be stolen while they aided the Central Region.
Thus the front congealed into stalemate and tug of war. The Weiyu Realm's high ranks held to one principle: never let the evil cultivators step beyond the Central Region.
By now they had learned how the upper realm's evil cultivators had entered: by exploiting the independent passage Huaxian Gate had constructed. It let them launch a surprise invasion.
The earlier theft of the Shanhe Scroll had been a probe from the upper realm. Huaxian Gate failed to take it seriously or to destroy the passage completely, sowing the seeds of today's calamity.
For reasons unknown, once the passage was first repaired, the upper realm stopped sending Divine Transformation down. Hao Yan guessed upper realm forces had found trouble, delaying the invaders' steps.
Relief did not last. The passage channeled again, this time pouring Golden Core evil cultivators into the Weiyu Realm. Each region sent its Golden Core cultivators to the front for a new round of battle.
The Ancestors of every region were anxious. At this rate the Weiyu Realm would be bled dry. More and more cultivators would be dragged into war. Fighting passively meant heavy losses and dancing to the enemy's tune. Given time, the realm would fall.
So the four regions reached a tacit accord: the enemy must not leave the Central Region. They began selecting a strike team to infiltrate Huaxian Gate and destroy the passage utterly, buying time to eradicate the invaders.
At that critical moment of selection, Yunxi's group of four returned via the underworld and were deposited in the enemy's nest. That allowed them to pivot the battle with maximum speed.
From Haoran Sect disciples, Hao Yan learned they had been pulled from combat by Ran Xi Zūnzhě herself. She understood Ran Xi had truly returned. A prior message from Yu Ling had seemed doubtful. Now, a faint smile touched her phoenix eyes.
Lin Lang Zūnzhě, one of the first high ranks into the field, had been wounded and was holding the rear to recuperate. After receiving Xun Kun's message, she checked her disciple's soul lamp, found it stable, and immediately ordered Zhu Ye on the front line to stall the enemy at all costs. Reinforcements had arrived.
Master Yun Yi led the Eastern Region. On receiving Yun Chen's transmission, he intoned a Buddha name and amplified the Buddhist Chant, muddling the evil cultivators' minds and pinning their breakout.
The Northern Region was led by Han Yan and Han Ying. Han Ying's message from Han Lian told them she was safe and had returned. In a good mood, Han Yan took a swig of spirit wine and personally smashed into the enemy line, leaving Han Ying helplessly exasperated. She sent a message to far-off Han Xiao: Han Lian had come back safe and was in the Central Region, striving to turn the tide.
As the shield rose, more and more righteous cultivators were ferried out of the battlefield. They discovered the evil cultivators chasing them could not cross the barrier. A collective breath eased from their chests.
The next instant, the cultivators outside the barrier saw evil cultivators attacking the dome suddenly drop without warning, life snuffed in a blink. Startled, they drew back, guard up.
Only Divine Transformation cultivators saw them: two figures, one red and one black, threading the battlefield. Wherever they passed, evil cultivators fell. A heartbeat later, purple or black flames rose on the corpses and burned them to ash.
At that moment, Han Lian and Yun Chen Fózǐ were fighting together against an Out-of-Body evil cultivator guarding the passage.