Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8368 - 345-under attack (1)

A collective grin spread across the faces of everyone present as they listened to Zhao Hai. This recent counterstrike had been a resounding victory, allowing them to seize Blood Treasure Island in a single sweep. This conquest was undeniably a massive boon for their side; moving forward, they would hold the strategic initiative whether they chose to stay on the defensive or launch new offensives.

Zhao Hai observed them and offered a smile. "Alright, that’s enough of that. Let’s discuss our upcoming strategy." As soon as he spoke, the atmosphere turned grave. The group looked at Zhao Hai in silence, their eyes filled with newfound respect. By capturing Blood Treasure Island in a single counter-maneuver, he had proven himself to be a formidable commander with profound strength, far from a simple man.

Surveying the crowd, Zhao Hai continued, "While Blood Treasure Island is ours, the enemy is likely already aware of its fall. We have two immediate objectives. First, we must hold this island at all costs. Second, while the enemy is preoccupied with trying to reclaim it, we will strike their other territories and seize more islands in one swift motion."

Zhao Hai paused briefly before adding, "Assemble every disciple proficient in setting up magic formations. Furthermore, the elite disciples who accompanied me in the assault on Blood Treasure Island are not to be dismissed. They will remain organized as a specialized unit under my personal command, serving as the vanguard of our counterattack. Now, go and make the necessary preparations."

The group responded with a thunderous acknowledgement and scrambled to follow their orders. Since the ten thousand elite disciples were already gathered, they were easily reorganized. Simultaneously, the formation experts were brought together. Zhao Hai personally led this team to begin the reconstruction of Blood Treasure Island’s defensive array.

No sooner had they begun their work than the 13 Family Alliance’s army arrived. Initially, the Alliance was oblivious to the fact that the island had fallen. They had previously received a distress signal from Blood Treasure Island reporting an enemy presence, but when no further updates followed, they assumed the local garrison had handled the threat. Their attention had been focused on the Blood Slaughter Sect’s initial feint toward Blood Eye Island.

When the Blood Slaughter Sect’s forces reached Blood Treasure Island, the Alliance commanders initially assumed the sect had simply retreated back to Blood Stone Island. However, Pan Qianlong was a capable leader. He attempted to contact the island to assess the situation, but his efforts were met with silence. This lack of communication filled him with a sense of dread. He immediately prepared a scouting party, only to discover that the teleportation formation on Blood Treasure Island had been disabled.

Pan Qianlong instantly realized the Blood Slaughter Sect had pulled a fast one. He mobilized 100,000 troops and used portable teleportation formations to reach the vicinity of Blood Treasure Island. Upon arrival, they saw the island’s defensive formation had been completely altered. Originally, the island was protected by a translucent shield—a temporary measure since they hadn't held the island long enough to install something more permanent. They were intimately familiar with that array, but now, the island was shrouded in a dense red mist. It was clearly no longer their formation.

The sight made Pan Qianlong’s head throb with anxiety. He knew the situation was dire; Blood Treasure Island had likely been seized by the Blood Slaughter Sect. He sent urgent orders to Blood Eye Island for reinforcements while commanding his 100,000 troops to launch a full-scale assault on the island.

Pan Qianlong wouldn't have been nearly as distressed if it were only Blood Eye Island at stake, as it was a minor territory that could be easily retaken. However, Blood Treasure Island was different. It was one of the five major pillars of the Western Defense Line and the second-largest island they had conquered. More importantly, the island housed 30,000 guards and vast resources. If the Blood Slaughter Sect secured these assets, the strength of the Western Defense Line would be crippled—a disaster for the Alliance.

Driven by this urgency, Pan Qianlong was resolved to reclaim the island regardless of the cost. He threw everything into the attack, ignoring the possibility that the Blood Slaughter Sect might be targeting other islands. To him, no other location was as vital as Blood Treasure Island.

To retake the island, the Alliance first had to shatter the defensive formation. This proved to be an arduous task. The core of the island's defense was a massive sword that had been modified and nurtured by Laura and her team, making it a formidable weapon. This sword-based formation was incredibly difficult to pierce, especially since it could autonomously engage enemies, allowing Zhao Hai to focus elsewhere.

During the initial conquest, Zhao Hai had appeared to possess the sword himself. In reality, the weapon contained a dark spirit that obeyed his every whim. When Zhao Hai chose to manifest his presence through the sword, the spirit retreated into a magic formation to let him take the lead. Even when he wasn't directly controlling it, the spirit could manage the sword's various magic formations. Thus, while the 13 Family Alliance hammered away at the defenses, the dark spirit held the line. This freed Zhao Hai to continue supervising the disciples as they reinforced the island’s permanent arrays.

The thick red mist prevented those outside from seeing the island's interior, but the defenders had a perfectly clear view of their attackers. The mist acted as a one-way illusion array, concealing the Blood Slaughter Sect's activities while exposing the enemy's every move.

Seeing the massive Alliance force attacking, the Blood Slaughter Sect disciples grew tense and went on high alert. Zhao Hai noticed their anxiety and gave a cold snort. "Focus on your tasks. Pay them no mind." Though his voice was calm, it resonated clearly in everyone’s ears.

Startled by his composure, the disciples exchanged glances before returning to their work. Even those who lacked the skill to set up arrays contributed by rebuilding structures or performing the necessary excavations for the new formation's foundation.

Thanks to their collective effort, the new defensive array was completed ahead of schedule. Zhao Hai integrated Yin souls into the system and placed a crucial artifact at the formation’s core: the Fang clan’s Carefree Blanket.

Once the Carefree Blanket was successfully converted into a formation eye, Zhao Hai delegated control of the defenses to Yan Bei. He then gathered his 10,000 elite disciples back into the giant sword, preparing for a new strike. His next target was Blood Eye Island—the very place they had previously used as a distraction.

Blood Eye Island was a minor target. Its loss wouldn't trigger the same level of desperation from the Alliance, and Pan Qianlong couldn't afford to divert his main force away from Blood Treasure Island to save it. Zhao Hai planned to exploit this; while Pan Qianlong was fixated on the major island, Zhao Hai intended to systematically pick off several smaller ones.

Pan Qianlong was becoming increasingly frustrated. He noticed the island's formation changing again. While it had been purely defensive before, it now felt more complex, containing formations within formations and radiating a sharp, offensive intent. It was an unsettling development.

Despite his unease, he had to keep attacking. Although he commanded the Western Defense Line, his authority was nothing compared to Zhao Hai’s. Zhao Hai held a direct mandate from his Sect Master, granting him absolute power. Pan Qianlong, conversely, was just an officer who would face severe punishment from his superiors for losing a major asset like Blood Treasure Island.

He was trapped. He knew Zhao Hai might be striking elsewhere to draw him away, but he couldn't leave. He had to reclaim Blood Treasure Island. Unless a location as vital as Blood Mountain Island was threatened, he refused to pull back his troops.

This tunnel vision provided Zhao Hai with the perfect opening. Just as Pan Qianlong felt the shift in the island's energy, Zhao Hai and his elite force had already departed. They raced toward Blood Eye Island. Despite the massive size of the sword, the specialized formations Zhao Hai used allowed it to travel without issue.

Moments later, they arrived at the outskirts of Blood Eye Island. This time, Zhao Hai didn't bother hiding in the Blood Sea. He appeared openly, swinging the massive sword against the island’s protective shield. Array runes flared along the blade as it struck, instantly shattering the island’s defenses.

The barrier at Blood Eye Island was nowhere near as robust as the one at Blood Treasure Island. It collapsed under a single blow. The sword then opened, allowing the cultivators inside to pour out. Having done this once before, the elite disciples knew exactly what to do. They charged in without a word. Meanwhile, the sword reverted to its magic formation state to lock down the island, preventing any distress signals from escaping before the garrison was overwhelmed.

A slaughter ensued. Curiously, the disciples didn't experience the same sensation they had during the first battle, which left some feeling slightly disappointed. However, they soon made a startling discovery: the rate at which they could absorb and refine killing intent had significantly increased. For the cultivators of the Blood Slaughter Sect, this was an unexpected and highly welcome gift.