Chapter 611: The Expedition (Patreon)

Immortal Path Space : Table of Content/Chapter List

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Accompanying the fleet this time was a formidable army of 30,000 soldiers, along with ten Nascent Soul Cultivators.

Although their mission this time was simply to retrieve someone, Wang Hong always believed that in the world of cultivation, one must possess martial strength as a prerequisite, regardless of the task at hand. Without sufficient martial power, nothing could be accomplished.

It was akin to this expedition. Even though he was going to assist, if he were too weak himself, the likely outcome would be the complete plunder of his fleet.

The Cultivation World was ruthless in this regard. Even with friends, he dared not place immense benefits in their hands without any precautions, as it could lead to a falling out.

After the two fleets converged on the small island, Wang Hong led them all towards the Hezhou mainland.

The hunting fleet that had previously ventured out to hunt savage beasts had already exceeded their hunting quotas long ago. Additionally, in the past six months of hunting, they had acquired a significant number of crystals from the savage beasts, providing them with extra income.

Most of the original 10,000 members of the hunting party were martial practitioners, and during these six months, they had used some of the crystals to enhance their cultivation. As a result, their strength had made significant strides.

Among this group, many had advanced to the third-tier of martial practitioners.

With this massive fleet under Wang Hong's command, they crossed the Desolate Spirit Sea and quietly approached the northern part of Hezhou.

Sea vessels couldn't dock, so they had to be stowed away, and any excess transport Flying Boats were also concealed. Everyone would travel to the Taihao Sect via Flying Boats.

Even though they had hidden most of the Flying Boats, a group of forty thousand people still appeared quite imposing.

Fortunately, the Northern Region was sparsely populated by Demonic Beasts and Human Clans, and they had taken a route through uninhabited areas, avoiding any unwanted attention.

On this particular day, Cultivators from the Taihao Sect noticed the sudden appearance of a formidable army, unlike anything they had ever witnessed before. Even the battle-loving sword cultivators of the Taihao Sect felt a bit tense upon seeing this force, sensing an overwhelming pressure.

While the number of individuals in this force was not substantial, their approach and style of action were entirely different from the Immortal Cultivators typically seen by the Taihao Sect.

When they remained still, tens of thousands of them did not emit the slightest sound, and when they moved, tens of thousands acted as one.

Besides being amazed by the discipline and organization of this force, another shocking aspect was its composition.

In most factions, the hierarchy of members resembled a pyramid, with the majority being Qi Cultivation Cultivators, accounting for over ninety percent. Foundation Building Cultivators, Golden Core Cultivators, and others followed, with numbers decreasing as the tiers advanced. In a group of tens of thousands, having two Golden Core Cultivators along with one thousand Foundation Building Cultivators would be considered an extremely luxurious lineup.

However, the force they currently observed completely overturned their previous understanding. The majority of individuals in this force were at the Foundation Building tier, with a disproportionately low number of Qi Cultivation tier individuals. If it weren't for the need for support and logistical personnel within the group, they suspected there might not have been any Qi Cultivation practitioners at all.

The resources required to support so many Foundation Building and Golden Core Cultivators were beyond their imagination.

The speculation of the Taihao Sect's Cultivators was accurate. In the present Great Chu Immortal Nation's military, all combat personnel were either at the Foundation Building tier or above, as second-tier martial practitioners. As for first-tier or Qi Cultivation practitioners, they had already been separated from the military and assigned to various locations for cultivating spirit fields or working in workshops.

The sight left not only Taihao Sect Disciples awestruck but also their two Nascent Soul ancestors, Zhou Yuan and Wang Yi, who had never encountered such a force before.

Initially, when Wang Hong promised to safely guide them through the Desolate Spirit Sea, Zhou Yuan had been skeptical. However, with no better options, he had decided to take the risk and trust Wang Hong this one time.

Now, after witnessing this force, he had complete faith. Only a force of this magnitude could safely navigate the Desolate Spirit Sea region.

Moreover, as a Nascent Soul Cultivator, Zhou Yuan had a keen eye and could discern that most of the people in this group were not Immortal Cultivators. Although they possessed the strength of Foundation Building or Golden Core, the aura they emitted was distinctly different from that of Immortal Cultivators.

Furthermore, it seemed that these individuals did not possess Spiritual Roots. Zhou Yuan couldn't fathom how Wang Hong had nurtured them to this level. Among the Human Clan, only a tiny minority had Spiritual Roots that allowed them to cultivate. If ordinary people could be cultivated to this degree, it would bring about a profound change in the Human Clan's strength.

Suppressing his excitement, Zhou Yuan personally went to greet Wang Hong outside the sect.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, you have truly shown yourself to be trustworthy, going through such trouble for the sake of Taihao Sect," Zhou Yuan expressed his gratitude with a bow. Wang Yi, representing Taihao Sect, also offered a formal bow.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need for such courtesy. We both belong to the Human Clan, and how could I stand by and watch your people suffer?" Wang Hong spoke with great righteousness, not mentioning anything about his desire to take his younger brother with him, making the rescue of Taihao Sect seem like a secondary benefit.

In this way, he had done a good deed and rendered substantial assistance without seeking excessive gratitude. It was a way to avoid unnecessary complications.

As a mature ruler, governing a nation, he might not like employing these subtle tactics, but he had to understand the intricacies of human relations, politics, and diplomacy. He could choose not to use them, but he had to understand them.

The conversation continued inside the sect, where Zhou Yuan and Wang Yi welcomed Wang Hong and the high-ranking officers of the army.

Upon seeing the group behind Wang Hong, both Zhou Yuan and Wang Yi were taken aback. Since Wang Hong's Nascent Soul Cultivators had kept a low profile, they had concealed their Nascent Soul auras until now.

Upon closer inspection, they were stunned. Goodness, there were actually twenty Nascent Soul Cultivators hidden within this group, even more than Taihao Sect's Golden Core Cultivators.

Once inside Taihao Sect, they assumed their respective roles, with Wang Hong being the guest of honor.

"I wonder, Fellow Daoist, how many people can you accommodate this time? I need to make some preparations in advance," Zhou Yuan asked cautiously, a difficult matter weighing on his mind.

Taihao Sect had over two hundred thousand people when counting all the Disciples and related personnel. How many Flying Boats would they need to carry such a population? He didn't dare hope that Wang Hong could take everyone, as that would be unrealistic.

This meant they would have to leave some people behind, a painful decision that someone would have to make for the greater good.

"I'm not sure how many people your sect has in total. It should be possible to accommodate everyone," Wang Hong recalled that Wang Yi had mentioned Taihao Sect having a little over two hundred thousand people. This time, he had prepared transportation for one million people.

"Taihao Sect has a total of two hundred and thirty thousand people, with around thirty to forty thousand being ordinary mortals."

"Two hundred and thirty thousand? No problem, we can carry them all."

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]

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Next Chapter >>Chapter 612: Compromise