Chapter 713: Two Days

In just a brief moment.

“Divine Emperor,” Palace Master Beixuan, Emperor Wu Qiu, and Emperor Jiemie swiftly teleported out of the cave-ship via a formation and appeared before Blood Blade.

Blood Blade nodded.

Immediately, the surrounding area blurred into a chaotic haze, impossible to perceive.

“Blood Blade is being quite cautious,” the Yuanchu Master chuckled.

“He must have his own plans. His methods far surpass ours,” the Abyss Progenitor added with a smile. Blood Blade was the undisputed pinnacle of the cultivator universe in direct combat, artifact forging, and formations—three paths all mastered to the Sovereign level. Though Qing Jun shared some of his brilliance, excelling in three paths as well, Qing Jun was more combat-oriented, lacking in artifact forging and formations.

“Whoosh.”

The surroundings cleared.

Blood Blade commanded, “Go.”

“Yes.”

Palace Master Beixuan, Emperor Wu Qiu, and Emperor Jiemie acknowledged the order and swiftly returned to the cave-ship.

“Blood Blade, you’re too cautious. Guarding against the Ancestral Mother Cult’s spies is one thing, but even us?” Island Master of Time and Space shook his head.

Niro, the Bloody Sovereign, chimed in, “Exactly! Why guard against us? By the way, what’s your plan against the Ancestral Mother Cult? No matter how I think about it, victory seems impossible.”

“To us, it may seem impossible, but Blood Blade might have a way,” Lady Qianhe said with a smile.

“What way? I’m merely skilled in formations, so I’ll rely on them to fight once more,” Blood Blade replied, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding Sovereigns, including Niro, his expression calm. “The Ancestral Mother Cult’s Protectors are far weaker in the mysteries of laws. My formations should prove somewhat effective.”

Qing Jun, Pang Yi, the Hellfire Sovereign, and others nodded in agreement.

Everyone vaguely guessed that the most effective and straightforward method now was powerful formations—something Blood Blade excelled in and could personally craft.

—

Meanwhile, in the vast hall of the Ancestral Mother Cult’s domain.

Numerous Cult Leaders observed two scenes projected in midair: one showed their Protectors swiftly advancing, while the other depicted the cultivator universe’s Reverends communicating via sound transmission.

“What exactly did Blood Blade discuss with Palace Master Beixuan, Emperor Wu Qiu, and Emperor Jiemie earlier?”

“So secretive?”

The Cult Leaders were deeply concerned.

Soon, the Tusk Cult Leader spoke, “Cult Leader Nikko has sent word—Blood Blade likely provided formations to those three. Though the intel may have some inaccuracies.”

“Formations?” The others nodded slightly, somewhat relieved. This fell within their expectations.

—

The Protectors and Reverends of both universes clashed.

The first skirmish had been somewhat reckless.

From the second battle onward, the cultivator Reverends fought differently—more cunningly. With Palace Master Beixuan’s terrifying formations, they launched ambush after ambush! These formations, personally crafted by Blood Blade, targeted the Protectors’ weaknesses, isolating and eliminating them one by one…

Of course, the Ancestral Mother Cult retaliated.

Three berserk Saint Protectors could shatter formations with sheer force! Despite their inferiority in law comprehension, their raw power matched that of Sovereigns.

For Palace Master Beixuan, holding off three Saint Protectors with formations alone was an immense challenge.

Yet, through repeated ambushes and shifting formations, the cultivators steadily gained ground.

—

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

“Whoosh.”

On a towering mountain, a group of cultivator Reverends rested.

Dongbo Xueying sat on a boulder, observing his companions—Fire Devil Reverend, Bamboo Mountain Mansion Lord, Hellfire Commander, and others—and sighed, “Two days, over a hundred battles! Most of our Reverends have died at least once, some over ten times.”

Thankfully, they could recover through their true bodies. As for soul-splitting injuries, time acceleration allowed rapid healing.

Normally, they maintained a hundredfold time acceleration. But now, in this critical moment, they spared no expense, burning vast amounts of divine crystals to boost it to ten thousandfold, ensuring swift soul recovery. Blood Blade and the Abyss Progenitor generously supplied divine crystals—no one hesitated now.

Of course—

Some remained unscathed, like the indestructible Emperor Wu Qiu, Water Demon King, White Monarch, and Dongbo Xueying.

Others, like the Ascetic, Hellfire Commander, Fire Devil Reverend, and Bamboo Mountain Mansion Lord, had perished multiple times. Fire Devil Reverend, whose true body had been imprisoned in the Lakeheart Island’s Destruction Cave, was finally freed when Sovereign Pang Yi personally intervened, leveraging his higher status in the Destruction Corps to secure his release.

“That venomous-tailed Saint Protector is ruthless,” Dongbo Xueying muttered, unconsciously touching his chest. In all his battles, his only injury came from her—a sudden, lightning-fast tail strike that pierced his armor. Only by shifting into the Void World did he mitigate the damage.

The Ascetic and Hellfire Commander had fallen to her lethal strikes. Her ambushes were too swift, too sudden, and her tail’s venomous power was terrifying—even Emperor Jiemie dared not face it head-on.

“Though we’ve died many times, we can recover. But for the Ancestral Mother Cult, each death is a permanent loss,” Dongbo Xueying mused, sensing victory on the horizon.

After two days and hundreds of battles, only nineteen elite Protectors remained—the rest had either perished or been withdrawn.

Under Blood Blade’s formations, the Protectors were frequently trapped, isolated, and systematically eliminated.

“Master’s formations are formidable, yet the Ancestral Mother Cult has only revealed two powerful treasures so far,” Dongbo Xueying frowned.

One was the emerald crystal embedded in the venomous-tailed woman’s forehead, which shattered a formation with a single strike—though the crystal visibly diminished afterward. The other was the staff-wielding giant, who unleashed a torrent from his mouth to tear through another formation.

Beyond these two displays, the Protectors endured losses without resorting to desperate measures.

“They’re waiting,” Dongbo Xueying realized.

“Whoosh—”

A massive formation shadow appeared in the sky as Palace Master Beixuan, Emperor Wu Qiu, and Emperor Jiemie arrived.

All Reverends looked up. They knew the trio had just consulted Blood Blade—standard procedure after each battle.

“Prepare for the next move,” Palace Master Beixuan said with a smile. With fewer Protectors remaining, hope for victory grew.

“This time—” Emperor Jiemie began, then froze, his expression darkening as he turned.

Dongbo Xueying, the Phoenix, Water Demon King, and all present Reverends snapped their gazes toward a distant explosion of terrifying aura.

“Go, now!” Emperor Jiemie shouted urgently.

With a roar, the Phoenix enveloped the Reverends in her domain and teleported them toward the source.