Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8364 - 341-repel the enemy (1)

The moment these individuals drew their blades, their true colors were laid bare. The weapons they brandished were renowned treasures belonging to various other Sects, making their origins obvious at a glance. Despite this, they continued their charade, masquerading as members of the Alliance of the 13 families. Even if interrogated now, they would stubbornly insist on their false affiliation and refuse to reveal their actual identities. Having anticipated this, Zhao Hai remained entirely unfazed.

Observing their frantic reactions, Zhao Hai let a faint smile play across his lips. With a casual wave of his hand, the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples behind him reacted instantly, slapping their storage bags. In an eye-blinking moment, hundreds of thousands of puppets materialized, their sheer numbers blotting out the sky in a dense, metallic cloud.

The sight of this massive puppet army caused the faces of the 13 Family Alliance members to pale. They had never imagined the Blood Slaughter Sect possessed such a vast mechanical force. Stricken by shock, the enemy forces stood frozen, unsure of how to counter such a spectacle.

Zhao Hai signaled again, and the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples commanded the puppets to surge forward. This sudden movement finally snapped the 13 families' cultivators out of their daze. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Pan Qianlong barked out, "Prepare for battle! Stay alert, everyone!" He quickly performed a hand seal, causing the massive scimitar beneath his feet to shrink until it was a three-foot blade in his grip. With a fierce swing, he unleashed a crescent-shaped blade of black Qi that tore through the air toward an oncoming puppet.

The saber Qi slammed into the puppet, causing it to stall before erupting in a violent explosion. Since the blast occurred at a distance, Pan Qianlong remained unharmed. However, the rest of the puppet horde pressed on relentlessly. Being mindless constructs, they lacked the capacity for fear; even if the entire front line was obliterated, not a single puppet would falter or retreat.

The remaining cultivators of the 13 Family Alliance joined the fray, shattering many puppets in the opening exchange. Yet, their efforts seemed futile as even more constructs swarmed them. These puppets shifted into the forms of massive broadswords, hacking down with immense force. Their strikes were not only swift but carried devastating power. Constructed from high-quality materials, they were incredibly sharp, and several careless or weaker cultivators were cut down instantly.

Upon reaching the enemy ranks, the puppets reverted to humanoids. They began to spin with terrifying velocity, delivering a continuous and overwhelming barrage of strikes. This relentless style of combat proved difficult to parry, and many more cultivators fell beneath the mechanical onslaught.

Zhao Hai and his commanders did not remain idle. While directing the puppet maneuvers, they also focused on harvesting spirits. Zhao Hai had issued strict commands to secure every soul on the battlefield without exception. Naturally, this order did not apply to their own fallen comrades, as the Sect found it distasteful to use such soul-collection methods on their own brothers.

Though the disciples were puzzled by Zhao Hai’s specific focus, they were well-versed in the collection of Dark Souls and followed his lead without protest. Zhao Hai even designated specific units to focus solely on reaping the Dark Souls from the chaotic battlefield.

Pan Qianlong was too preoccupied to notice the soul harvesting, but he could sense the tide of battle turning against them. While an individual puppet might not be a match for a high-level cultivator, their sheer volume was suffocating. Hundreds of thousands of fearless machines were closing in, many of them self-destructing upon impact. This suicidal tactic was horrifying, and a significant portion of the 13 Family Alliance was being wiped out by these explosions.

Faced with this mechanical legion, Pan Qianlong was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected the Blood Slaughter Sect to employ such a ruthless strategy. He had to admit it was effective; no one wanted to waste their Qi fighting iron shells that felt no pain. Even if they destroyed the puppets, the actual disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect remained unharmed and fresh for battle. This realization made his heart sink.

The thought of retreat began to take root in Pan Qianlong’s mind. It was their only option. The Blood Slaughter Sect’s numbers were currently equal to theirs, yet the enemy disciples hadn't even joined the fight yet. They were suffering heavy losses against mere puppets. If they exhausted themselves now, they would be slaughtered once the actual cultivators moved in. He needed to find a way to evacuate his disciples before escape became impossible.

Zhao Hai remained stationary, silently observing the carnage. He kept a close eye on his own disciples, noting the excitement on their faces. They were clearly invigorated. After a long period of strategic retreats, this counterattack was a massive morale boost. Seeing the enemy being crushed by puppets before they even had to draw their own weapons filled them with joy.

The enemy force, originally nearly 100,000 strong, had already lost about 10,000 men. Surrounded by a sea of puppets, the enemy's morale began to crumble. In the rear, some cultivators from the 13 families began to desert. Zhao Hai noticed that those fleeing were the actual members of the 13 Family Alliance, while those staying were often from subsidiary or coerced Sects. This confirmed that the Alliance was fractured and that many were likely forced into this campaign against their will.

This lacked surprise; while the 13 Family Alliance was arrogant, they weren't entirely suicidal. They knew that even a weakened Blood Slaughter Sect was a tiger that could still kill. Pressing the attack was a gamble many weren't willing to take.

Of course, there were exceptions like the Fang clan, whose arrogance blinded them to the danger. Regardless, it was clear that the 13 Family Alliance and the seven major Sects were not a unified front.

The coalition was a mess of competing interests, with various small and medium Sects trying to profit without taking risks. Knowing his enemies were divided and self-serving, Zhao Hai felt confident in his ability to dismantle this disorganized force.

As the desertions in the back increased, a full-scale rout began. By the time Pan Qianlong realized the extent of the cowardice, the situation was unsalvageable. "Everyone, fall back!" he roared. His scimitar dissolved into a black mist that emitted a haunting wail, momentarily engulfing the surrounding puppets.

When the puppets within the mist self-destructed, his expression darkened further. With a cold snort, he condensed the mist into a giant curved blade, slicing through the mechanical ranks in a single sweep. Taking advantage of the opening, he took flight and vanished into the distance. Following his lead, the rest of the 13 Family Alliance attempted to break away.

The Art-Refining realm cultivators had the means to escape relatively easily. However, those in the Art-Essence realm found themselves trapped by the puppets. Lacking powerful trump cards to clear the area and possessing slower flight speeds, their retreat turned into a desperate struggle for survival.

Zhao Hai made no move to pursue the leaders. Instead, he commanded in a deep voice, "Intensify the pressure! Ignore the ones who have already fled; we will deal with them another day. Focus on those still here—do not let a single one escape!" The disciples roared in affirmation, redoubling their efforts.

When the dust settled, only about 70,000 enemy cultivators had managed to flee. Nearly 30,000 had been left behind, their lives extinguished and their souls harvested. Their storage rings were looted, and the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples were given a peculiar task: to gather every scrap of broken magic weapons and destroyed puppets from the field.

Though the disciples found the order to collect trash strange, they obeyed without question. Any lingering doubts they had about Zhao Hai’s leadership had been incinerated in the heat of this victory. They now knew he wasn't a coward; his retreats were merely the prelude to a crushing strike.

Following the triumph, Zhao Hai led his forces back to Blood Stone Island to recuperate. He had deployed roughly 100,000 troops—nearly the entire strength of the Western defense line. While they were currently outnumbered by the 500,000 troops the 13 Family Alliance had stationed nearby, the enemy's internal discord was a weakness the Blood Slaughter Sect intended to exploit, even if reinforcements from their own side were scarce.