Chapter 1301: Stacked Despair

Chapter 1301: Chapter 1301: Stacked Despair

Ba Xia was one of the dragon-subspecies; Long Jin, the daughter of the Dragon Race Leader, seeing her own clansmen being controlled and forced into infighting, naturally burned with extreme rage. And things at the scene were indeed as she said—after more than ten elders successively released their Lifebound Spirit Beasts, although in terms of bloodline and cultivation realm they were weaker than the enemy, they relied on the Beast Tamers’ spell control and the advantage in numbers to actually fight to a standstill. That Heaven-Devouring Python was even finding it hard to parry, being beaten back step by step, and the Beast Taming Institute’s formation pushed quite a distance further out of the valley.

Seeing that after attacking for so long they still could not achieve the result they wanted, a trace of anxiety appeared on the faces of those watching the battle. Jin He Xuan, seeing this, no longer delayed. He raised a hand toward the sky, and the two figures concealed outside the valley, receiving the signal, revealed their true forms and swept down into the valley from the air. Wherever they passed, heaven and earth changed color; the originally clear night sky instantly became shrouded in dark clouds. Amid thunder, a fine drizzle slowly floated down from above.

Yue Zhixiang, who had been full of confidence at the start of this first great battle, lost his earlier drive in less than half an hour. Even though his master was doing his utmost to fight in front and shield them, quite a few junior brothers still fell while attempting to break through outward, and he himself was swept up in the great battle, wounded and in a wretched state. Having witnessed so many strange Spirit Beasts tonight, he had thought that no matter what else happened, he would no longer be surprised. Yet when he saw those two figures arriving wreathed in wind and thunder, he halted his attempt to break out, his knees suddenly going weak as he knelt to the ground, murmuring, "Dragons! How can there be dragons here!"

Unlike Ba Xia, which was merely one type among the dragon-subspecies, the two figures appearing in the sky were genuine true dragons. Are there dragons in the Daoist Plane? Naturally there are. Back when the great migration of Spirit Beasts occurred, for various reasons and at Lin Ruxue’s request, a portion of the Dragon Race and other high-grade Spirit Beasts remained in the Daoist Plane. As an exchange, Lin Ruxue delineated special zones for these Spirit Beasts alone, allowing them to reproduce freely while forbidding outsiders from hunting them at will as before. In the Daoist Plane there are still some sects that have the Dragon Race and other high-grade divine beasts sitting in town; for example, White Deer Institute has such beings—this was an achievement accomplished by the Beast Taming Institute’s superintendent from two generations ago. Moreover, these divine beasts are not like the Spirit Beasts they currently manipulate, to be ordered around as one pleases. Their status is as lofty as that of Guest Minister elders, and they are not beings that ordinary Disciples like them can easily see.

Today, Yue Zhixiang not only saw a Bi Fang, but also saw true dragons—and in pairs at that! Yet at this moment, there was not the slightest trace of excitement in his heart; it was filled entirely with fear and despair.

"Senior Brother Leng, this must mean the Dragon Realm has discovered something! Back when Master handed that thing over, I already felt it was wrong. It has to be that thing that exposed our existence!" Elder Han, seeing the two true dragons charging through the sky, veins bulging on his forehead, turned to Leng Shuyi and roared.

"Senior Brother, make up your mind! Now is the time to fight to the death! If we let them complete the encirclement, or more reinforcements arrive, we will never again have a chance to break out of here!" Elder Qiao urged on the divine beast under him to resist desperately, while still taking the time to add his voice.

"But once we use the Secret Technique, the sect’s secret will be exposed!" Leng Shuyi, caught between advance and retreat, spoke in difficulty.

Seeing his own senior brother still so indecisive, Elder Xiu flew into a rage and shouted, "Senior Brother Leng! Do you still not understand? The sect’s secret has already been exposed; that’s the only reason they would deploy such power to encircle and wipe us out! I suspect the reason the Main Institute has been so slow to send word is also related to this. And we’re still hesitating here, missing our chance. Your death and mine matters little, but what about this group of Disciples? Our lineage has survived to this day precisely so that the inheritance will not be cut off, that one day we might rise again. These seedlings we have painstakingly nurtured for so many years—can you really bear to watch them all be buried here?" ℯℯ𝑙.

Elder Xiu’s words struck Leng Shuyi’s chest like a heavy hammer. Yes! If all his Disciples were to die, what meaning would there be in him guarding this secret? Although there were still many doubts in his heart about this attack, seeing his Disciples fall one by one and then looking at the despair on the faces of the living, Leng Shuyi let out a long sigh, the hesitation on his face gradually fading. His expression hardened as he steeled himself and ordered, "Use the Secret Technique—end this quickly!"

The elders who had long been waiting for this command were already a step ahead, dropping down to the ground. Under the wide-eyed gaze of the Disciples, these elders did not drive their own Lifebound Spirit Beasts to engage the enemy. Instead, they shuttled between their still-living Spirit Beasts and the Disciples’ Lifebound Spirit Beasts, sticking Talisman after Talisman onto the Spirit Beasts’ bodies, muttering incantations as they cut their fingers and used the fresh blood at their fingertips to draw all sorts of runes on the Spirit Beasts’ skin.

"Now, apply the Secret Technique I taught you to the Spirit Beasts under your control!" Leng Shuyi looked at his Disciples and spoke with finality.

Hearing this order, the hearts of Yue Zhixiang and the other Disciples, which had been dead still, stirred back to life. Yes! Is this not precisely the moment of last resort their master had spoken of? Perhaps, by relying on the Institute’s Secret Technique, they could carve out a bloody path in this desperate situation and escape with their lives.

Thinking this, the Direct Disciples no longer hesitated. They immediately followed their master’s instructions, circulating the bloodline that had been linked to their Lifebound Spirit Beasts when the contract was signed, in accordance with the Secret Technique their master had taught. Yet, contrary to everyone’s expectations, this time the Spirit Beasts’ reaction was not like when they had previously practiced this Secret Technique in the sect, temporarily breaking through their own realms and surging in power. Instead, they began to grow restless and uneasy, producing an intense resistance to their masters’ control. Yue Zhixiang and the others merely assumed this was psychological terror in their own Spirit Beasts caused by facing powerful enemies and the pressure of bloodlines, so they did not take it to heart and continued to single-mindedly施展 the Secret Technique.

But when the Secret Technique was driven to its final stage, they were shocked to discover that all the Spirit Beasts they controlled, including their Lifebound Spirit Beasts, were trembling uncontrollably. From the weakest to the strongest, they let out a succession of mournful cries before their bodies split open with countless wounds, great spurts of blood gushing outwards and flowing toward the Spirit Beasts beneath their several masters.

The ordinary Spirit Beasts controlled by spell were one thing, but when their own Lifebound Spirit Beasts showed the same condition, Yue Zhixiang, whose bloodline was linked to them, could clearly feel the terror, unwillingness, and even fury the Spirit Beasts were transmitting to him. Yet all these emotions ultimately dissolved into despair. When his Lifebound Spirit Beast’s body exploded and it died, the backlash struck Yue Zhixiang so hard he could no longer hold on. He spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. Raising his head to look at the master he had always trusted, his eyes filled with confusion as he trembled and murmured, "Why?"

Looking at the Direct Disciples lying on the ground, bleeding from their seven orifices and unable to rise, Leng Shuyi felt as though his heart were being torn apart. He glanced back at Yue Shuyi and could only let out a long sigh, saying helplessly, "Do not hate your master! Your master only wishes to let everyone live on!"