Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!

Chapter 1312: Chapter 986: Sucking You Dry 2

After drinking several bowls of spirit tea and casually chatting about the current situation over the wilderness, the clone estimated that the time was about right, cleared his throat, and said slightly helplessly: "The Sixth Elder believes that we are too cautious; it’s difficult to deploy because the Dark Riders are stationed outside, so..."

The two squad leaders couldn’t help but feel displeased upon hearing this. The Three Protectors were absolutely considerate and properly arranged for subordinates. From previously sending an immortal ship intentionally to pick up tribulation crossing disciples, it could be seen that he had been thoroughly dedicated to developing and strengthening the Leisure Sect over the years.

Unfortunately, the Sixth Elder clearly had no interest in this. His attitude towards the sect members was like cats and dogs: live if you can, die if you cannot, no one should interfere with his hobby of seeking pleasure.

"Lord Protector, you know it’s not easy for us to cultivate all the way! We’ve contributed so much merit to the sect, and we’ve been exhausting our minds to do our utmost. Now we’ve been unable to contact the other two squad leaders for a long time, and even if we’re thought as cowardly, we need to find out what’s happening."

"Indeed, the Sixth Elder, being a high-level cultivator, probably doesn’t understand the hardships we low-tier cultivators face. We can only rely on you now, and we implore you to help us out, considering our constant diligence."

Previously, the Three Protectors had revealed a strategy, but they were afraid the other party would find it troublesome and leave it unchecked, so they hurriedly stood up and pleaded earnestly.

The clone pressed the air in the void with his hand, comforting: "Don’t be anxious, squad leaders, I have a plan for this matter. If you’re not opposed, you may stay on my immortal ship for one or two days. I’ve dispatched spies to investigate the Demon Realm Alliance, and it won’t be long before news arrives."

Finally, relieved, the two squad leaders expressed their thanks in unison.

The clone, seeing this, ordered singers and dancers to be summoned, and opened a banquet for entertainment. Within, female cultivators played music and danced for joy, while delicious food and fragrant spiritual wine were served, and three people laughed and chatted jovially inside the immortal ship.

Jiang Yuan watched as his physical strength bar was filled by the clone, and after remotely enjoying the song and dance for a moment, Zhao Wenyu finally opened the seal.

"Buzz～"

The spatial fluctuation, a light gate slowly opened.

Impatient evil cultivators surged forward upon seeing this, while Jiang Yuan took advantage of the chaos to quickly change attire and blended into a black wall team beside him.

"Why are you in such a hurry! The array inside the Holy Land hasn’t been activated yet, so rushing in is pointless!" The Dark Rider captain, seeing this, was somewhat annoyed, secretly cursing Zhao Wenyu as useless, but he could only vent his displeasure on the noisy, low-realm disciples.

After scolding a few words, all quieted down like chickens, retreating a distance to continue waiting.

Finally able to enter through the gate, Zhao Wenyu, holding the ten thousand essence given by the Dark Rider captain, was first to step through the light gate.

The scenery ahead suddenly changed——outside it was a desolate and poisonous miasma and volcanic arid, choking air, but inside it was a lush, vibrant forest.

The space at the entrance was a spacious lawn, where the most crucial shelter array was located.

He needed to activate it and inject ten thousand essence, then proceed to activate the tribulation crossing arrays distributed in the forest, not too far nor too close.

"No wonder Ugly Slave died; damn it, he made activating the array so complicated. Ha! Isn’t it just to show off one’s capabilities and make others unable to take over, showing his indispensability? Well, he won’t survive..." Muttering, Zhao Wenyu tried several more times, finally using the skills taught by his master to activate the grand array.

As he poured essence into the transparent glazed bottle, he couldn’t help but click his tongue, having never seen such an amount of essence in his life.

No wonder Ugly Slave entered and exited the Holy Land alone, and that an official sect array master brought no guards, all for the convenience of filling his pockets!

Seeing countless essence pouring into the array, Zhao Wenyu instantly realized—the exact amount of essence consumed by the array had no specific data at all.

After all, the required amount differs each time people come to the Holy Land for tribulation crossing; who can constantly monitor calculations? As long as it’s not foolishly split half-and-half, taking two to three tenths would go unnoticed!

When handing him this glazed bottle, the Dark Rider captain said it contained ten thousand essence.

This thing can’t be counted piece by piece, and during the handover, the Dark Riders might have secretly taken a portion!

"What a pity, so many Dark Riders are watching at the door, totally unable to tamper." Zhao Wenyu was practically drooling with greed.

As an array master, he dared not publicly use arrays to harm others but lacked combat ability, struggling for essence required great effort. Now, easily accessing such essence, he didn’t hesitate to decide: when the array needs replenishment due to exhaustion, he must find an excuse to come alone.

Then take one to two thousand essence, which can be freely consumed and refined; wouldn’t his realm soar rapidly?

Later, he finally finished and called the Dark Rider captain to indicate people could come in.

Part of the Dark Riders entered first, their captain assigning members as per the Three Protector’s instructions, ensuring a 360-degree guard with no blind spots in the small world.

Jiang Yuan walked in the mid-rear section, assigned to the forest near two tribulation crossing arrays.

The so-called Divine Wood Forest, in the system identification, is a forest formed by ordinary trees with a cold and beautiful aura. The tall and straight trees quickly hid the demon cultivators dispersed among them.

"It seems larger than Immortal Peak inside, all targets are spread out, capturing over three hundred evil cultivators separately is not easy." He furrowed his brow, watching two evil cultivators tinged with a faint glow fly towards them, landing in the empty array area, preparing to release their breath and trigger a thunder tribulation.

Aside from glancing curiously when initially close, once they entered the tribulation crossing array, the two evil cultivators had no time for other matters, focusing fully on awaiting their thunder tribulation.

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and hid near some tall trees that obstructed view.

Clicked to use the clone arm ring, it was like pressing the copy-paste key, and swoosh-swoosh-swoosh, seven identical black-robed clones appeared.

"Later we all will use cultivation techniques, so I’ll give you two years, then another two years..." Jiang Yuan watching as eight clones were summoned at once, leaving his arm ring empty, his physical strength bar dropping sharply, he hurriedly chose to consume lifespan to extend the clone’s existence time.

Otherwise, using it once would require a three-day cooldown, too delaying.

"Start with the Dark Riders; I’ll take over the west side to swallow and capture each one!"

"I’ll go to the south side!"

"Including the main body, a total of eight people, just right for eight directions, swift and decisive!"

"We can use the Soul-Devouring Demon Skill, but can’t throw targets into the instance, so after extracting lifespan, use the disposable capture net immediately."

"The main body must promptly handle the prisoners inside the Seven-Layered Glazed Treasure Tower, as it can’t hold too many at once..."

...

Looking at so many identical selves, Jiang Yuan found it novel, while the clones completed their plan in a few words. Upon his command, seven shadows swiftly dispersed.

The clones had the same body and clothing, without special restrictions, each could take items from the system storage bag. Had their heads not displayed time bars like hit points, Jiang Yuan worried there might be one wanting to replace him.

Having seen many cloning novels and movies before, facing so many "selves" inevitably gave him the creeps.

The clones fully synchronized his thoughts, expressing they preferred being arm rings more comfortably, to avoid working 24/7 like him. The chatter relieved Jiang Yuan’s anxiety over using excess clones for the first time.

"Some fellow cultivators have already started their tribulation; why are you still running around?" A Dark Rider saw a companion swiftly approach, suspecting nothing, unfamiliar, and complained: "Could you be lost? Hurry to your designated location, lest the captain notice and scold."

Clone #3 deliberately lowered his voice: "The captain asked me to tell you..."

"Crack!"

A bolt of lightning struck down fiercely from the rolling clouds, the dim sky whirled with wind, drowning out the rest of the words.

The other misunderstood as a new instruction, stepped forward, "What did you just say? I didn’t hear..."

He didn’t finish speaking, as Clone #3 caught him and clicked to use Soul-Devouring Demon Skill!

[Lifespan +40 years]

[Lifespan +45 years]

[Lifespan +39 years]

......

The clones replicated the seventh level Soul-Devouring Demon Skill; though using it consumed much time bars, it was highly efficient.

Jiang Yuan himself had just captured a target, as system hints quickly flashed across his vision—eight of "himself" acted simultaneously, absorbing in turn for rain from all directions, nothing wasted!