Chapter 600: Preserving Strength

A mere Sea Transformation realm cultivator being so powerful—this was something Deng Sheng could not comprehend.

In his view, someone like Shangguan Lingyun was already the pinnacle of monstrous talent.

An existence even more monstrous than him was beyond his understanding.

The higher the realm, the harder it is to fight across levels.

At the Soul Sea realm, the gap between each minor stage is enormous.

Shangguan Lingyun, only at Soul Sea seventh level, was already hailed as the strongest below Divine Travel—that was already incredibly heaven-defying.

A brat at the Sea Transformation realm being this powerful—what was going on?

"Lord Shangguan, what should we do now?" Deng Sheng couldn't help asking.

Boundless Sect had sent a young man whose strength was comparable to Shangguan Lingyun's—this was indeed troublesome.

Shangguan Lingyun merely said calmly, "Wait."

Deng Sheng was taken aback. "Wait?"

Shangguan Lingyun's gaze pierced through the central army tent toward Redlight City. "It seems the war is about to escalate."

…

"Young Master Ye, do you have any way to save Redlight City?" As soon as they sat down in the city lord's mansion, Su Hu began to ask.

These past days, Su Hu had been like an ant on a hot pan; only he could understand the torment in his heart.

He had been cautious and on edge, daily hoping the alliance would relieve Redlight City's crisis.

But he never expected the alliance to send only five people.

Ye Yuan, as if reading Su Hu's thoughts, smiled and said, "City Lord, I deeply empathize with your efforts these days. However, although Redlight City is important, it is also a bottomless pit. Are the people inside the city human, while those outside are not?"

Su Hu was stunned. "Young Master Ye, what do you mean?"

"The Wildwind Realm army has besieged Redlight City for so long—why haven't they attacked?"

"Of course, because we have a fifth-order grand formation protecting us!" Su Hu answered without thinking.

He increasingly felt Ye Yuan was unreliable; such an obvious question needed asking?

Ye Yuan shook his head. "Although the fifth-order grand formation is powerful, it is not invincible. This Mystic Crystal Iron Chain Formation is primarily defensive, and with only fourth-order array masters presiding over it, you cannot fully unleash its power. Even if Divine Travel realm experts don't join the battle, with the five armies concentrating their attacks on the formation daily, how long can your spirit crystals last?"

No matter how powerful the formation, it consumes spiritual energy.

Though Redlight City was large, without reinforcements, how many spirit crystals could it afford to consume?

Maintaining such a massive formation, especially under heavy external attack, consumed a terrifying amount of spirit crystals each day.

But why hadn't the Wildwind Realm army done so?

Su Hu's heart skipped a beat, feeling as if he had fallen into a trap.

"Although the martial world respects the strong, and sufficient strength can ignore everything, in such a war, the disparity in strength is not so outrageous that strategy becomes useless. The tactic of besieging the city to ambush reinforcements is highly effective here!"

Ye Yuan's words gradually shattered Su Hu's psychological defenses.

Boundless Sect, with its numerous sects, had never experienced such large-scale martial warfare.

But Wildwind Realm was different; its martial artists had absolute loyalty, much like soldiers in the mortal world.

Coupled with the fact that Wildwind Realm martial artists were inherently stronger, Boundless Sect's collapse was only to be expected.

And Redlight City was merely a blade of grass on Wildwind Realm's path, easily uprooted at any time.

The Wildwind Realm army sought greater gains!

Once the alliance sent a large force to reinforce Redlight City, they would face a fatal blow!

This was one reason Ye Yuan had brought so few people.

Redlight City was important, but if countless martial artists died to rescue it, the cost would outweigh the benefit.

"It's even possible that the martial artists from the previous cities were deliberately released by Wildwind Realm to drive them to Redlight City, creating the current siege!" Ye Yuan's gaze was profound as he looked into the distance, as if trying to see who was orchestrating this war.

Su Hu gasped, finding his back drenched in cold sweat.

If what Ye Yuan said was true, the entire Boundless Sect was being toyed with!

The mastermind behind this was terrifying!

The more Su Hu thought about it, the more plausible Ye Yuan's words seemed. But he himself could never have thought of it.

At this moment, Su Hu no longer doubted Ye Yuan; instead, he felt a sense of admiration.

This young man was not only powerful but also had an extraordinary vision!

Even the ancestors of the alliance probably hadn't thought of this, had they?

It took Su Hu a long time to calm his shock, and when he looked at Ye Yuan again, his gaze had changed.

"Then... Young Master Ye, what should we do now? Are we to let all the martial artists in the city die here?" Su Hu asked for advice.

Ye Yuan smiled. "If the alliance intended to abandon Redlight City, I wouldn't have come. Since I'm here, I naturally plan to lead you all out safely!"

Su Hu was also a clever man, but being caught up in the situation, he couldn't see many things clearly.

Hearing Ye Yuan's words, he immediately grasped his meaning and said in surprise, "Young Master Ye means... we break out? No, no! You don't know how strong the Wildwind Realm martial artists are; we are no match for them! Once we break out, even if we escape, few of us will survive."

"Hah, you fool! Brother Ye has been to the Central Royal City of Wildwind Realm—do you think he understands Wildwind Realm martial artists?"

Qin Yan had been furious earlier and found no outlet. Now seizing the topic, he struck back without hesitation.

Though they were now attendants, their inherent pride remained.

They respected Ye Yuan, but that didn't mean they would respect a mere Soul Sea realm city lord.

Sure enough, when Su Hu heard that Ye Yuan had been to the Central Royal City of Wildwind Realm, his expression changed instantly.

"Young... Young Master Ye, have you truly been to the Central Royal City?" Su Hu asked in astonishment.

As the war progressed, Boundless Sect martial artists had learned something about Wildwind Realm.

The Central Royal City was one of them, for it was too famous!

Thinking that Ye Yuan had been to the Central Royal City and returned safely, how could Su Hu not be shocked?

Ye Yuan smiled and nodded. "Wildwind Realm martial artists are not invincible. When we entered, didn't we rout them? As long as we are strong enough, why fear them?"

Su Hu's face changed several times before he finally sighed. "Young Master Ye, is there no other way?"

Ye Yuan shook his head. "Wildwind Realm's goal is to kill, so our best response now is to deny them that kill! If we preserve our strength now, there will always be a day for a counterattack."