Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8383: Locking on _1

Yan Bei gazed at the landmass before him, his expression radiating pure joy. This territory, known as Blood Attraction Island, was relatively small. However, capturing it meant that only 80 islands remained under enemy control. This was undeniably fantastic news for their side, marking another significant step toward reclaiming the Western Defense Line.

The 13-Family Alliance cultivators stationed here were much like those on previous islands. They attempted to fight back, but their struggles were futile against the relentless onslaught of the puppets. Truthfully, no one had anticipated that these seemingly fragile constructs would possess such overwhelming combat effectiveness at the start of the campaign.

Individually, a puppet’s strength only reached the Dharma-using realm. In a one-on-one duel against a cultivator of the same level, the puppet would certainly fall. However, when amassed in great numbers, they transformed into a terrifying force of destruction, particularly through their self-detonation tactics.

When nearly a million puppets suddenly swarmed the battlefield, the enemy realized the impossibility of slaughtering them all. Upon discovering that these machines would even self-destruct, the defenders' morale crumbled. Most cultivators who had yet to reach the Dharma cultivation realm found such an assault unbearable, leading them to either perish or flee in terror.

The scene on Blood Luring Island followed the same pattern. Despite their resistance, the defenders were helpless. As the puppet legion surged forward, the opposition vanished. Those who stayed to fight were cut down, while many others chose to escape. Honestly, this method of warfare had become quite monotonous. While it felt novel and exhilarating initially, the repetition eventually made the process feel very dull.

Nevertheless, there was no alternative. At the very least, utilizing these puppets had drastically minimized their own losses. Since the counter-offensive began, their total casualties had not even reached 5,000. Reclaiming over 400 islands with fewer than 5,000 casualties was nothing short of a miracle.

Eventually, all resistance on Blood Guiding Island ceased. Yan Bei and his companions breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately dispatched a message to Zhao Hai, requesting him to take control of the island and establish a guard. Only then would the island truly be secured and officially reclaimed.

Shortly after the message was sent, the teleportation formation on Blood Guiding Island erupted in white light. Zhao Hai arrived, accompanied by a small retinue. Yan Bei stepped forward to greet them. He wasn't rushing to strike the next target, as Zhao Hai had previously advised him to moderate the speed of the offensive. Even though the puppets did the heavy lifting and never grew weary, Yan Bei followed Zhao Hai’s counsel and maintained a steady pace.

Flying toward Zhao Hai with a grin, Yan Bei said, "Little Hai, you've arrived at the perfect time. I was just planning to let the men rest before the next push. When do you want to start?" Their close relationship was common knowledge; in the entire Western Defense Line, only Yan Bei dared to speak to Zhao Hai so casually. Although Yan Bei led the conquest of most islands, everyone understood that without Zhao Hai’s meticulous preparations, such victories would be impossible. Consequently, Zhao Hai’s reputation remained unshakable even after he stepped back from the front lines.

Zhao Hai smiled at Yan Bei, then lowered his voice, saying, "Act immediately and gather everyone. I have something to say to the group." While Zhao Hai kept a smile on his face, Yan Bei—who knew him intimately—detected an unusual tone in his voice. This sparked a sense of unease in Yan Bei, making him instantly alert. He nodded and moved quickly to assemble the troops.

Before long, the group was gathered. Yan Bei noticed that Zhao Hai had positioned himself directly above the formation created by the bronze statue. He wasn't sure if this was intentional, but he suspected Zhao Hai was doing it to provide a layer of protection for everyone. This suggested that a massive danger still lurked on the island.

Suddenly, Zhao Hai let out a thunderous shout, "Lin!" As he spoke, a magical formation manifested in his palms. The moment it formed, a vast cloud of blood enveloped the disciples. Simultaneously, the massive bronze man leaped from the ground, its hands weaving a magical seal.

At that moment, a terrifying aura surged from the distance, heading straight for their location. The Blood Massacre Sect disciples, who had been confused, were struck with horror upon sensing this energy. They recognized immediately that such an aura could only belong to an Island Lord.

The bronze man stood firm, its hands locked in the Acalanatha seal. The disciples felt their mental states stabilize instantly. Zhao Hai then commanded, "Everyone, activate your portable teleportation formations and return to the nearest island. Move now!"

The disciples immediately grasped his intent. The blood cloud Zhao Hai created wasn't meant for combat enhancement, but to stabilize the local spiritual energy fluctuations. This allowed them to use their portable arrays despite the chaos. He was forcing an evacuation because an Island Lord level expert was an opponent they simply could not face yet.

While 100,000 cultivators might technically be a match for an Island Lord, they likely couldn't kill him. The expert could easily retreat after inflicting devastating casualties, a scenario they had to avoid at all costs.

The group activated their formations, vanishing in flashes of white light. Soon, only Zhao Hai remained, standing his ground. Even Yan Bei had departed, knowing he would be a liability if he stayed. His priority was to report the situation to the Sect. He maintained faith that Zhao Hai, aided by the bronze statue, would find a way to escape.

Just as the last figures faded, a furious roar echoed through the air. "Boy, you dare!" A massive beam of black light plummeted toward the site. The teleportation process wasn't quite complete; if interrupted now, the remaining disciples would be trapped.

However, the bronze man shifted its seal and roared, "Soldiers!" Its hands transitioned into the Great Vajra Wheel Seal as it struck outward. An energy wave composed of countless arrays surged from the statue’s palms to collide with the black light.

With a thunderous boom, the array-shield neutralized the black light before dissipating. Simultaneously, five figures manifested three hundred feet away from the bronze man. They stared at the construct and Zhao Hai in astonishment. All five radiated a crushing pressure, marking them clearly as Island Lord level experts. They glared at Zhao Hai with burning resentment.

Zhao Hai looked at them and smiled, cupping his fists. "Zhao Hai greets the five seniors. You are all at the Dharma Condensation stage. Per our standing agreements, you shouldn't be here. This confuses me. I wonder if you have an explanation?"

Though his words were polite, they contained hidden thorns. He was openly challenging them, which darkened their expressions. As Island Lord level experts held in high esteem by their sects, being questioned by a mere Profound Qi realm disciple was an insult. Yet, because Zhao Hai was technically correct, they found themselves at a loss for words.

Zhao Hai continued to smile. "Do you have nothing to say, seniors? I suspect the news of your arrival has already reached my Sect’s Elders. I wonder how they will respond? Are you prepared for that?" His calm demeanor made the five experts tremble. They knew the Blood Massacre Sect was filled with lunatics. Even if the sect didn't launch a full-scale war against their organizations, they would certainly hunt down these five individuals. They were already beginning to regret accepting this mission.

But they were trapped in a corner. By appearing here, they had already provoked the Blood Massacre Sect. If they failed their mission now, they would also offend their own leaders. Deciding it was better to follow through, the five moved to surround Zhao Hai from all sides. Their auras locked onto him; at this range, they were confident he couldn't use a teleportation array before they could stop him.

Had they attacked in unison earlier, the disciples might not have escaped. However, they had underestimated Zhao Hai. Only one had attacked initially with a single blade light, which the bronze statue easily intercepted, allowing the others to flee. This was a humiliating failure they refused to repeat. They fixed their gaze on Zhao Hai. No matter how powerful the bronze statue was, it could only protect him from one or two directions. It couldn't stop all five of them at once. This time, Zhao Hai would not escape.