Living In Another World With A Farm Chapter 8369: Demon robe (1)

Zhao Hai surveyed the assembled crowd with a composed expression and commanded, "Clean up the battlefield as fast as you can! Hurry!" The disciples responded instantly, moving with haste to clear the area. Zhao Hai’s hand suddenly shimmered with a brilliant white light. With a flick of his wrist, the massive sword ascended from the earth, transforming into a giant. This giant entity formed a hand seal and bellowed, "Zhe!" Following the shout, the giant pressed its palms firmly against the ground.

As the giant’s seal struck the earth, glowing runes erupted from various locations across Blood-eye Island. Zhao Hai monitored the runes closely, gesturing with his hand to shift their positions as they drifted through the air. He then projected his voice: "Those who have finished clearing the battlefield, go to those runes immediately and dig holes beneath them. Each pit must be ten meters deep. Move!"

The disciples complied at once, locating the runes and excavating the ground. Rather than digging by hand, they utilized spells to easily carve thirty-foot-deep pits before placing the runes inside. Zhao Hai adjusted the runes' positions one final time with a wave of his hand. He then produced several Dharma artifacts, situating them within the formation’s eye and infusing them with dark spirit.

By this time, the remaining disciples of the Blood Slaughter Sect had arrived on the scene. Once the formation was fully established, Zhao Hai assigned its management to a subordinate. He stationed one thousand disciples to hold Blood-eye Island while the rest of the force followed him. Their objective was to strike the next target immediately. They aimed to seize several more islands while the 13 Family Alliance’s main army was still preoccupied with Blood Treasure Island.

Zhao Hai left such a significant garrison behind because the 13 Family Alliance was still unaware that Blood-eye Island had fallen. This allowed his forces to utilize the island’s teleportation array to infiltrate and conquer neighboring territories.

Executing his plan, Zhao Hai led his group through the teleportation formation to another island. Upon arrival, he summoned the giant to seal the island’s perimeter before launching the assault. Since Pan Qianlong had diverted most of his manpower to attack Blood Treasure Island, the defenses here were incredibly sparse. Furthermore, because Zhao Hai’s team emerged directly from the island's own teleportation array, the protective formation was rendered entirely useless.

After securing one island, Zhao Hai moved instantly to the next. Since the existing protective formations remained functional, he didn't need to waste time rebuilding them, which accelerated their progress significantly. In a single night, they successfully captured five islands.

While Pan Qianlong and his forces were still focused on Blood Treasure Island, Zhao Hai remained patient. He organized the Blood Slaughter Sect cultivators to rest in shifts, leading only the elite units to continue the offensive. As one group grew weary, they were replaced by fresh troops. Operating in this manner, Zhao Hai and his men spent another day seizing five additional islands.

Capturing ten islands within twenty-four hours was a staggering feat. Recognizing the need for a brief pause, Zhao Hai began systematically upgrading the arrays on each conquered island. Meanwhile, Pan Qianlong finally sensed that something was wrong. He ordered the 13 Family cultivators to contact every island under their jurisdiction, only to discover that ten of them were unresponsive.

This revelation left Pan Qianlong shaken. He immediately dispatched scouts to investigate the silenced islands, confirming they had been seized by the Blood Slaughter Sect. Stunned by the speed of the loss, he realized he could no longer keep the situation quiet and reported the crisis to his superiors. Fearing further losses, he abandoned the assault on Blood Treasure Island and retreated with his men to Blood Mountain Island, placing all remaining territories on high alert and requesting urgent reinforcements.

Pan Qianlong’s retreat played right into Zhao Hai’s hands. Rather than pursuing, Zhao Hai focused on reinforcing the arrays on the captured islands. After several days of work, the modifications were complete, and he prepared to resume the offensive.

Blood Mountain Island was named for the towering peak that dominated its landscape. It stood as one of the largest territories in the Blood Slaughter Sect’s Western Defense line, second only to Blood Bone Island. Currently, it served as the primary base for the 13 Family Alliance’s forces.

Pan Qianlong stood near the island's teleportation array, staring out at the landscape in silence. Eventually, the formation erupted in white light, and a man appeared. He seemed to be in his forties, dressed in scholar’s robes with a well-groomed, three-pointed beard. He was handsome, with piercing eyes, and he fanned himself gracefully with a folding fan. Clad in sky-blue robes, he possessed the refined air of a Young Master.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Pan Qianlong bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother. Please, step inside." He gestured politely for the man to follow. It was clear that Pan Qianlong held this Senior Brother in high esteem, given that he had come to the teleportation array to welcome him personally.

The scholar smiled and replied in a resonant voice, "Junior Brother, you’re too kind. Let us head in together." They walked toward a small hall on the island. Once they were seated, attendants served spirit tea before withdrawing.

Taking a sip of the tea, the scholar remarked with a smile, "Junior Brother, I’ve heard that the Blood Slaughter Sect’s counterattack has been quite fierce lately. Can you fill me in on the details?" Since he had been sent specifically for this crisis, he skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Pan Qianlong nodded and recounted the details of the Blood Slaughter Sect's recent movements. He concluded by saying, "Senior Brother, that is the situation. I am currently out of ideas, which is why I’ve asked the Sect for assistance. I hope the Sect can coordinate with the others to send more reinforcements." Pan Qianlong’s respect for his Senior Brother was immense. Although the man’s cultivation had not reached the level of an Island Lord and he might not surpass Pan Qianlong in raw strength, he was a brilliant strategist—a true think tank for the Corpse Demon Sect. Known as the Demonic Robe Scholar, he wasn't particularly famous in the wider world, but within the Corpse Demon Sect, he was a highly regarded Elder.

His title came from his sky-blue attire. While it appeared elegant, it was woven from a rare material called blue poisonous silk, harvested from spiders that inhabited corpses. The silk was naturally sky-blue but saturated with lethal corpse poison. These robes were not only high-level Dharma artifacts but also served as a potent poisonous weapon. This garment was the source of his reputation.

However, while outsiders focused on his robes, they overlooked his greatest asset: his intellect. Within the Corpse Demon Sect, he was renowned for his cunning and resourcefulness. This was why the Sect had dispatched him to assist Pan Qianlong.

The Demonic Robe Scholar bore the unusual surname Yi, and his full name was Yi Xuanming. After listening to the report, Yi Xuanming frowned. "I see. So, Zhao Hai openly claimed their retreat was merely preparation for this counterattack? Did he specify what those preparations involved?"

Pan Qianlong shook his head. "No, he didn't elaborate. However, their assault this time was incredibly aggressive. They also utilized a massive number of puppets. While the individual combat power of these puppets isn't overwhelming, their sheer numbers are problematic."

Yi Xuanming spoke gravely, "The fact that they seized ten islands in one go, including Blood Treasure Island, is truly unexpected. Wasn't Blood Treasure Island protected by a robust island-protecting formation? How did it fall so quickly? Do you know how they bypassed the defense?"

Pan Qianlong shook his head again. "I honestly don't know. When they hit Blood-eye Island, all our focus was there. Blood Treasure Island sent a message saying they spotted enemies, and then—silence. Shortly after, the Blood Slaughter Sect retreated, and we realized we had lost contact with Blood Treasure Island. The whole process took less than four hours. I cannot fathom how they dismantled that defense array in such a short window."

Yi Xuanming’s frown deepened. "It appears the Blood Slaughter Sect has someone exceptionally skilled in formations. That is the only way they could have breached the protective array of Blood Treasure Island so fast. Also, you mentioned that the defense on Blood Stone Island was surprisingly difficult to break during your attack, correct?"

Pan Qianlong nodded. "Exactly. Normally, that island's formation isn't hard to crack. We even knew its specific weaknesses and targeted them. That tactic always worked before, but this time, it failed. We attacked for a long time without making any progress. Then, they surged out of the island to fight back. Because it was our first encounter with their puppets, some of our people panicked and fled, forcing us to retreat. I didn't expect them to launch their own offensive the very next day."

Yi Xuanming said in a low tone, "If that’s the case, it is very likely that the Blood Slaughter Sect’s long retreat was a calculated move. They must have realized that the flaws in their island defenses had been compromised. They likely spent those two months modifying every defensive array across their islands. They only began the counterattack once those upgrades were finished. If my theory is correct, this enemy will be extremely difficult to handle."

Hearing this, Pan Qianlong asked in confusion, "Oh? What do you mean by that, Senior Brother?" He didn't quite grasp Yi Xuanming's concern. Even if the enemy had updated their formations, surely they could still be fought or defended against?