Chapter 2170 – Retreat
Sledgehammer Campsite.
The atmosphere in the campsite was heavy.
Since the screen of light which revealed the battle in the Springs had shattered, the atmosphere in the campsite had fallen quite silent.
All the Dao Servants revealed various expressions as they pondered on the things that weighed down on their minds.
They’d seen numerous nine colored divine lotuses cover the Springs before the screen of light shattered, and that undoubtedly proved that the first ancestor of the Dao Defiants had shown herself.
The 1st Dao Servant, the Heavenly Wrath Daolord, had even frankly said that the main body of the Dao Defiants’ first ancestor had been destroyed a long time ago, and only a strand of her consciousness remained. Moreover, it wasn’t a match for the joint forces of the Time, Light, and Lightning Daolords.
However, they’d been waiting for so long yet hadn’t seen any signs of those 3 Dao Servants returning with the Spirit of Samsara, so they couldn’t help but feel surprised and bewildered.
Could something unexpected have occurred in the Springs?
No one knew the answer to that question.
Even the Heavenly Wrath Daolord was unable to observe everything that was going on within the Springs anymore.
Actually, this was quite unusual. Because if only a strand of the first ancestor of the Dao Defiants’ consciousness was left, then why was she able to stop the 1st Dao Servant from observing the situation at the Springs?
However, the 1st Dao Servant didn’t explain the reason so the other Dao Servants found it inadvisable to ask.
But along with the passage of time, the atmosphere had imperceptibly become more and more heavy.
Even if it was the 5th, 11th, and 13th Dao Servants who were against the cooperation with the Sovereign Sect, they still couldn’t avoid feeling a trace of worry right now.
They merely disagreed with the Time Daolord’s group, and such disagreements weren’t sufficient for them to shed all pretenses and fight each other.
Coupled with the face that they’d been cultivating together since the moment they were born, all of them were like brothers to each other. Their relationship had endured the tests and tempering of boundless years, and it had become indestructible a very long time ago. It was absolutely not something that mere conflict could destroy and make them into complete enemies.
So, it was very normal for the 5th Dao Servant and the others to feel worried when the Time Daolord’s group hadn’t returned until now.
Bang!
Suddenly, the originally tightly closed door of the palace within the campsite had suddenly been opened, and then a practically ethereal and mighty figure walked out from within the palace.
This figure seemed as if it was condensed from ethereal light, and it was utterly impossible to discern the appearance of the figure. However, his imposing aura was formidable to the point it was horrifying, and every single move he made was filled with a dignified aura that made it seem like he could judge the universe.
He was the 1st Dao Servant, the Heavenly Wrath Daolord!
The energy he possessed was the energy of judgment in the Order of the Heaven Dao!
The hearts of all the Dao Servants here shook when they saw the 1st Dao Servant show himself at a time like this, and they acutely noticed that the situation seemed to be quite unusual.
Sure enough, the 1st Dao Servant spoke in a low voice upon showing himself. “Everyone, prepare yourselves for battle. This might be the most dangerous battle we’ve ever encountered.” His aged voice carried a wisp of a surging aura of slaughter.
What!?
The pupils of all the other Dao Servants constricted slightly.
“Dark purgatory, Void, and Battle Spirit. I know the three of you have been against the cooperation with the Sovereign Sect, and I don’t blame you for it. But all of you must abandon all ill feelings and fight with us.” The 1st Dao Servant swept his gaze towards the 5th, 11th, and 13th Dao Servants as he spoke in a low voice, and it carried an indisputable tone like he was giving an order.
The 5th Dao Servant and the others fell silent before they nodded in unison. They were able to discern that the 1st Dao Servant wasn’t joking.
The 1st Dao Servant’s expression seemed to ease up a little when he saw this, and then he shot his gaze towards the 6th, 7th, and 8th Dao Servants and said, “The three of you have been constantly maintaining a neutral position, and it’s time to make a clear decision now.”
The 6th Dao Servant, the Five Element Daolord, and the 8th Dao Servant, the Blood Abyss Daolord, nodded. “We will naturally not stand by idly if the situation is that severe.”
Only the 7th Dao Servant, the Bramble Daolord, remained silent for a long time before he said, “I want to know the reason.”
The 1st Dao Servant seemed to understand the 7th Dao Servant’s character very well, and he wasn’t infuriated by this.
He pondered for a short while before he shot his gaze towards all of them, and he knew he wasn’t able to conceal it any longer. So, he took a deep breath and spoke slowly. “Time, Light, and Lightning… are gone.”
His aged voice was heavy and carried boundless sorrow.
In an instant, the surroundings fell into deathly silence.
The hearts of all the Dao Servants shook, and they were unable to control the shock that surged within their hearts. How could this have happened? How can anyone in this world kill Dao Servants like us?
Impossible!Even the first ancestor of the Dao Defiants is absolutely unable to accomplish that by relying solely on the Spirit of Samsara!But….
Heavenly Wrath will clearly not make jokes about something like this. So, if Time and the others are really dead, then who killed them?
These emotions surged like tempestuous waves and whistled through their hearts. It caused their expressions to change indeterminately while revealing shock and sorrow.
“Do you know who the culprit is?” The 7th Dao Servant spoke coldly. At this moment, his face that was indifferent like a rock had a wisp of extremely cold killing intent on it.
“We’ll know the answer very soon.” The 1st Dao Servant spoke slowly.
“No matter who it was, that person must pay the price!” The 7th Dao Servant spoke with resolve and killing intent that threw the surroundings into disorder.
The other Dao Servants revealed killing intent as well. Because the deaths of the Time Daolord and the others had caused them to be overwhelmed with sorrow, and they were unable to accept this at all.
They’d been residing on Godrank Mountain for countless years. They’d experienced storms together, worshipped the Heaven Dao together, protected Godrank Mountain together….
Never had they imagined that their companions would suddenly leave them one day, and it was even 3 at once!
At this moment, they finally realized why the 1st Dao Servant had said that it might be the most dangerous battle they’d ever encountered.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Dao Servants had been killed in succession by the enemy, and that itself was sufficient to prove how severe the situation was.
“Notify the others within the campsite to leave immediately or bear the consequences!” The 1st Dao Servant seemed to have thought of something and suddenly gave an order.
…
There was a total of 13 campsites, and all of them had passageways which led to the Springs of Sin. Besides Sledgehammer Campsite, there were some participants from the Divine Dao Protector Clans residing in the other campsites.
Because of the unexpected events that had occurred on the 1st battlefront, all the participants including Suiren Kuanglan had retreated from the battlefield and returned to the campsite.
However, they didn’t leave Godrank Mountain just like that. Because according to the experiences of their seniors who’d participated in the battles of the past, the Battle of Dao Protectors hadn’t come to an end yet and would continue for around 3 to 6 months at least.
At one of the campsites, Daolord Xu Tuo suddenly frowned and stood up swiftly. He said, “This is not good. Unusual circumstances seem to have appeared.”
Leng Xinghun and Dao Wushuang’s hearts shook as they said, “What happened?”
Xu Tuo’s muddy eyes flickered indeterminately, and then he spoke with a grim expression. “Those Dao Servants asked us to immediately leave Godrank Mountain. Even though they didn’t provide a reason for the order, it’s very unusual. Could the mission to seize the Spirit of Samsara have failed.
Leng Xinghun and Dao Wushuang immediately seemed quite surprised and bewildered. According to their knowledge, a total of 3 Dao Servants had headed over to seize the Spirit of Samsara, and the situation would really be severe if they’d failed.
“Let’s go ask for the specifics of the situation. The mission to seize the Spirit of Samsara carries great implications, and it’s something the Sect Master is determined to obtain. No accidents will be tolerated at all.” Xu Tuo took a deep breath and decided.
…
At another campsite.
“So many days have passed. I wonder if that fellow, Chen Xi, is dead yet?”
“Haha! Isn’t that question a little too simple. He went to the Sacred Ocean of Blood by himself. So he clearly went to give his life away.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple. What if he advanced into the Daolord Realm?”
“Nonsense! If it was so easy to advance into the Daolord Realm, then we would have traversed that threshold a long time ago. How could a Savior like him possibly attain it before us?”
“Just say that kid really did advance into the Daolord Realm. Don’t forget that he’s a Savior, so how could those old geezers of the Dao Defiant Clans who reside within the Springs possibly just watch without doing anything as he left?”
All the experts from the Divine Dao Protector Clans were in discussion. Surprisingly, their main topic of discussion was Chen Xi, but all of them felt that it was clearly impossible for Chen Xi to return alive.
“There’s no need to guess anymore. That kid will be treated as a heretic and sentenced to death even if he’s able to return alive!” Suddenly, an icy cold voice resounded. The others who were in discussion instantly closed their mouths and revealed a wisp of fear on their faces.
Because it was Suiren Kuanglan who spoke those words!
However, his countenance wasn’t just unsightly at this moment, and there was a wisp of gloominess on his forehead which couldn’t be eliminated. He’d been like that since he returned from the campsite, and his expression would become rather unsightly when he heard the others discuss Chen Xi.
All of the others understood the reason, so they didn’t dare touch on that sore spot of Suiren Kuanglan’s.
However, Suiren Kuanglan seemed to be acting unusually today. Because he hadn’t left after he stopped their discussions, and he stood there and seemed to be lost in thought as he said, “What sort of punishment do you think those traitors, Tang Xiao’xiao, Xia Ruoyuan, and Jin Yunsheng should suffer if they return?”
Clamorous noise instantly resounded amongst them. Some said that the three of them should be annihilated on the spot, some said they should be imprisoned and not allowed to ever die a natural death.
However, there were also some who hesitated. Tang Xiao’xiao and Xia Ruoyuan possessed extraordinary identities, so even if Tang Xiao’xiao and Xia Ruoyuan were traitors, they weren’t qualified to declare their punishment or guilt.
Suiren Kuanglan suddenly said, “In my opinion, they can avoid death but not suffering. The most suitable punishment would be to cripple their cultivations to make an example of them.”
The eyelids of the others twitched. That’s even more tormenting than killing them!
Right at this moment, a heavy and dignified voice suddenly resounded in the sky. “There’s a change in the situation. The Battle of Dao Protectors has concluded. Leave Godrank Mountain immediately or suffer the consequences!”
Clamorous noise resounded as this announcement had caught them off guard. What exactly has happened? Why has the battle been concluded in advance?
Many of them acutely noticed the meaning behind those words. Even though they were puzzled, they instinctively flashed off and left right away.
That was an order from the Dao Servants, so they knew that it was absolutely not wrong!
There were also some that were very unwilling to leave. For example, Suiren Kuanglan was still waiting to confirm if Chen Xi had perished, and he was waiting to punish those three traitors, Tang Xiao’xiao, Xia Ruoyuan, and Jin Yunsheng. So, how could he possibly be willing to leave right now?
In an instant, Suiren Kuanglan’s expression became extremely unsightly. Should I leave or stay?
Right at this moment, his gaze swept inadvertently towards the sky, and he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear in the sky extremely far away from him.
Suiren Kuanglan’s pupils suddenly dilated while his heart twitched fiercely. That fellow is actually still alive? How could this be? Why has this happened?