Translator: CinderTL
Twenty miles ahead, not a single Believer remained.
Xuan Zhu watched the rain of swords fall from the Void, completing the purge, his form frozen for a long moment.
Finally...
He exhaled weakly.
"Impressive!"
When he had watched the Apex Divine Spirit escape his grasp and had only slain six Divine Spirits since the start of the war—less than a quarter of Li Chunjun's total—he could still delude himself that he wasn't skilled in direct combat against powerful opponents. His Mystical Powers were more suited to large-scale, team-based warfare.
But now, witnessing Li Chunjun's single strike that annihilated over a thousand Servitors and cleared a twenty-mile radius...
He finally understood the gap.
He couldn't compare!
He had come to the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield solely to hone his skills in preparation for becoming a Prodigy of the Eternal Light Hall in two and a half years.
But Li Chunjun before him was undoubtedly already at the Sage-level.
In Xuan Zhu's eyes, Li Chunjun was likely among the top Prodigies.
He might even have a chance to secure a spot on the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List.
While Xuan Zhu could be called a genius, he still fell short compared to such a peerless talent.
Once Xuan Zhu accepted his inferiority, he felt completely relaxed.
His internal mental conflict vanished instantly.
At that moment, the battlefield, which had been frozen for nearly a breath, erupted with a deafening roar.
Countless streams of Divine Sense surged through every Servitor and Divine Spirit.
"Sword Prodigy! Sword Prodigy! It's the Nascent Soul Sword Master!"
"I recognize him! He's known as the Crimson Void Sword Demon. He once slew a Divine Spirit Envoy under our master's command. His fearsome reputation precedes him. We have no chance of standing against him!"
"Retreat! Fall back! The situation is lost. Our Divine Spirits have already been routed. We cannot sacrifice ourselves in vain! We must preserve our strength to serve our master another day!"
The remaining one or two thousand Servitors exchanged Divine Sense frantically, none daring to face Li Chunjun's sword.
Amidst heated debate and desperate pleas, they scattered in all directions.
Servitors further away, witnessing the retreat and Li Chunjun's single-sword massacre of over a thousand Servitors, were seized by terror. They lost all courage to continue fighting.
Immediately, the nearly ten thousand remaining Servitors began a full-scale rout.
Such an opportunity was naturally not to be missed by the Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators of the Human Race.
"Kill! Slaughter them all!"
"These are all free Merit Points! Don't let a single one escape!"
"The time to wipe away our shame has come! Let these brainless fools witness the fury of the Human Race's Core Formation cultivators!"
Amidst the surging exchange of Divine Sense information, a grand counterattack officially commenced.
The tables had turned.
Every Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivator of the Human Race joined the counterattack.
Sword light and streams of arcane arts illuminated the battlefield, spanning hundreds of miles.
The occasional collision of Nascent Soul-level Mystical Powers unleashed shockwaves that rippled for hundreds of miles.
If these shockwaves were unleashed in the outside world, they would likely pulverize skyscrapers and houses into dust.
Even buildings forty or fifty miles away from the point of impact would suffer damage.
Ordinary people caught in the blast would be swept away by the still-powerful air currents, their bodies shattered.
But the weakest combatants on the battlefield were Core Formation cultivators, possessing not only robust physiques but also Magical Artifacts and True Qi for protection. Unless they happened to be within ten miles of a direct collision between Nascent Soul or Divine Spirit Mystical Powers, they were generally unaffected.
However, Divine Spirits rarely found opportunities to clash directly with Nascent Souls anymore.
Almost every Divine Spirit was firmly locked down by Li Chunjun's Divine Sense.
At this moment, the Scarlet Sky Sword had re-condensed within his body.
The Sword Qi within this High-Grade Spirit Treasure-level flying sword had been completely exhausted.
Yet, the abundant Essence, Qi, and Spirit derived from his Level 30 Life Essence continuously refined more Sword Qi within him.
Compared to Core Formation cultivators, or even Nascent Soul cultivators of the same realm, his Qi could truly be called boundless.
As the flying sword entered his body, the Sword Qi refined from Essence Qi continuously replenished the Scarlet Sky Sword. In an instant, the sword reappeared in his hand, its blade now shimmering with flowing light.
He glanced at the battlefield, where the Core Formation cultivators were fully engaged, and at the thousands of Servitors he had just annihilated with a single strike, a hint of regret in his eyes.
"Servitors, Core Formation cultivators... they're not giving any experience points now..."
Without the diminishing effect, or even if the diminishing effect had ceased to apply after his Life Level reached 7, an Apex Kin would have granted him 60 to 80 experience points at least, while a Greater Kin would have yielded over 30.
After this wave of over a thousand Servitors were annihilated, Li Chunjun's experience points should have increased by at least 20,000.
This represented one-fifth of the progress needed to reach the peak of the Nascent Soul stage at level 30.
Unfortunately...
There were no more.
Moreover, as his Life Level continued to rise, the experience points granted by Nascent Souls and Divine Spirits would gradually diminish at levels 31, 32, and 33.
But by then, he would likely possess the strength to contend with Primordial Spirits, perhaps even slay them.
So there was no need to worry.
"And even though I didn't gain any experience, my Merit Points increased by over two thousand, nearly equivalent to killing two Apex Divine Spirits."
Li Chunjun adjusted his mindset.
Lost in thought, his Flying Sword continued its relentless pursuit, swiftly catching up to Divine Spirits and slaying them one by one.
With the Human Race's Nascent Soul True Lords now holding a numerical advantage, many of them, though unable to immediately subdue the scattered Divine Spirits, could easily entangle them for a moment.
As long as they could hold them back for a few breaths, Li Chunjun's Flying Sword would swiftly arrive to finish the job.
In the end, this group of nearly a hundred Divine Spirits was completely annihilated by the combined efforts of the Nascent Soul True Lords, all slain on the spot.
Even the ten thousand-strong Servitor horde suffered heavy losses, with over half their numbers wiped out.
Only because their numbers were too vast, their escape too scattered and chaotic, did the Human Race fail to capture them all.
Nevertheless, the total tally of ninety-four Divine Spirits and over seven thousand Servitors killed still represented the most glorious victory since the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield had opened.
As soon as the battle ended, thirty-two Nascent Soul True Lords from the Human Race swiftly flew toward Li Chunjun.
"Wu Gang of the Dragon Spring Sect pays respects to Sword Prodigy Li. Thank you for your invaluable assistance," said the Perfected Great Lord of Late Nascent Soul Stage at the front, bowing deeply.
The other Nascent Soul True Lords followed suit, bowing and greeting him: "Greetings, Sword Prodigy."
Respect shone in every pair of eyes.
This reverence stemmed not only from gratitude for Li Chunjun's aid but also from awe at his display of invincible power.
On the Two Worlds Mountain Battlefield, Sage-level prodigies generally represented the pinnacle of talent. Li Chunjun, in particular, was widely considered among the top tier even among such prodigies.
It was no exaggeration to call him "Invincible on Two Realms Mountain."
"No need to be so polite," Li Chunjun replied.
Xuan Zhu, Zhao Yu Pan, and the others, who had followed close behind, glanced sideways when Wu Gang announced his sect's affiliation.
The Dragon Spring Sect.
Like the Myriad Phenomena Sect, it was a major power with a Void Refining cultivator at its core.
In the Azure Sea Domain, it was an undisputed Overlord, its influence radiating across thousands of Lesser Worlds.
However, unlike the Myriad Phenomena Sect, which boasted Chu Ci, a Sage-level Nascent Soul prodigy, the Dragon Spring Sect seemed to lack any young talents who had made a name for themselves in the Azure Sea.
Li Chunjun knew nothing about the Azure Sea Domain, nor had he heard of the Dragon Spring Sect. He showed no reaction to Wu Gang's self-introduction, instead cutting straight to the point: "What's the situation here now?"
Wu Gang wasn't surprised by Li Chunjun's calm demeanor.
A Nascent Soul Sword Master of this caliber would be sought after by even the Overlord powers of the Profound Yellow Great World, let alone the Dragon Spring Sect. A touch of aloofness was only natural.
"The situation is dire," Wu Gang said gravely. "Based on our current observations, the Divine Race has deployed around eight hundred Divine Spirits on Continent 6. However, judging from their unusual behavior, we boldly estimate that another hundred to two hundred Divine Spirits are hiding in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike. In contrast, while our reinforcements arrived promptly, we still have fewer than five hundred Nascent Soul True Lords."
He glanced at the thirty-odd Nascent Soul cultivators who had arrived with Li Chunjun, Xuan Zhu, and the others. "We should have surpassed five hundred now. And the enemy Divine Spirits suffered heavy losses in this battle, leaving them with only about eight or nine hundred remaining."
"Five hundred against nine hundred?"
Xuan Zhu and Zhao Yu Pan's hearts sank.
The situation was indeed dire.
But...
"Considering you held out for so long against nearly a thousand Divine Spirits with fewer than five hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, that's no small feat," Xuan Zhu said.
"Holding out... isn't quite the right term," Wu Gang said with a wry smile. "I suspect those Divine Spirits are playing a 'surround and relieve' strategy, so they haven't been in any hurry to wipe us out."
"How's the Dao Prodigy doing?"
"He has array formation experts with him who've set up a Fifth-Tier Grand Formation. Leveraging its power, along with over a hundred Nascent Soul cultivators, they've pinned down at least three hundred Divine Spirits from the Divine Race."
Wu Gang paused, his voice growing somber. "But that formation won't hold much longer. At best, it'll last three to five days; at worst, eight or nine. Once it's broken, we won't have much time left."
He turned his gaze to Li Chunjun.
Now was the time for the "Sword Prodigy" to boost morale, especially after his recent triumph leading everyone to a glorious victory.
"Don't worry," Li Chunjun said calmly.
Li Chunjun said calmly, "Chu Ci is holding back three hundred Divine Spirits. We just routed nearly a hundred more. That leaves us with only six hundred Divine Spirits to truly deal with, while we can mobilize as many as four hundred Nascent Soul True Lords."
He declared with conviction, "Four hundred against six hundred—the advantage is ours!"
Despite the obvious numerical disadvantage, Li Chunjun insisted the advantage lay with them...
Yet not one of the sixty-plus Nascent Soul True Lords present found anything amiss.
After all, they stood before a Sword Prodigy!
For a Sage-level genius like him, winning against overwhelming odds was the norm.
Moreover, the recent scene of Li Chunjun leading thirty-odd Nascent Soul True Lords to crush nearly a hundred Divine Spirits was still fresh in their minds.
Thus, everyone was brimming with confidence in him.
"Sword Prodigy Li, please give the order. What should we do next?"
"Indeed, if Sword Prodigy Li says the advantage is ours, then it must be so. With the advantage, we should press our victory!"
"We are ready to follow Sword Prodigy Li's command."
One Nascent Soul True Lord after another spoke up.
This included not only the thirty-odd led by Wu Gang, but also those who had just arrived from Continent 84 alongside them.
"Then let's attack."
Li Chunjun looked at Wu Gang. "The Divine Race's Divine Spirits are using the tactic of 'surround and ambush reinforcements.' This kind of interception strategy isn't limited to just this location, is it?"
"Indeed, it's not. In three hours, Continent 101 will overlap with Continent 6, another large continent. They'll undoubtedly gather their forces there, waiting in ambush."
"Let's go to that overlapping point!"
Li Chunjun waved his hand. "Move out!"
(End of the Chapter)
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