Immortal Path Space

Chapter 314: Divide and Conquer

Within the Fellowship Alliance, there was a constant web of intrigue and scheming. The first unfortunate soul to fall victim to this was a cultivator from the Qiao Clan.

Half of his subordinates had been killed by Wang Hong, and during a raid, they were divided and conquered by two different teams.

With the Qiao Clan cultivator dead and his followers either killed or forced to submit, trust within the Fellowship Alliance vanished. Members became wary of each other, and they no longer acted as a united front.

Instead, they formed smaller raiding parties, though they still maintained their headquarters, keeping the semblance of the Fellowship Alliance intact.

As for Wang Hong, he hadn't returned to Azure Void City. With his Foundation Building cultivators, he remained hidden nearby.

Previously, he had sent seventy Qi Cultivation cultivators back to Azure Void City on a Flying Boat.

Now, with his Foundation Building followers, he discreetly landed the Flying Boat in an unpopulated area. Guided by the intelligence provided by Liu Changsheng, they slowly crept closer to the Fellowship Alliance.

He kept a close eye on the Fellowship Alliance, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Finally, these Treasure Hunters no longer acted as a united force in recent days.

Liu Changsheng and a few others quietly tailed one group of Treasure Hunters, leaving markers for Wang Hong along the way.

When it came to covert tracking, Liu Changsheng was a master, and few could rival his skills.

Wang Hong and his group discreetly followed behind, and the numbers on both sides were roughly equal. The Treasure Hunters had increased in number due to mergers with other groups.

At this moment, this group of Treasure Hunters was engaged in a fierce battle with a small sect.

The small sect had only five Foundation Building cultivators, and four of them had been conscripted, leaving only one Foundation Building mid-stage cultivator to defend their sect.

The battle had just begun, and the small sect relied on a Large Formation and the support of several hundred Qi Cultivation disciples to hold their ground, at least for the time being.

The small sect had emptied its treasury, bringing out all kinds of treasures. Rather than let the Treasure Hunters have them later, they chose to use them now.

From the start of the battle, talismans filled the sky, and when their spiritual energy ran low, they resorted to consuming Spirit Wine for a quick replenishment.

Some of the Qi Cultivation disciples even advanced in rank during the battle after using these spiritual objects, making it difficult for the thirty-plus Treasure Hunters to gain the upper hand.

Wang Hong and his group observed the battle from a distance, waiting for the opportune moment to intervene.

Luo Zhongjie watched for a while, shaking his head. "This small sect has numerous Qi Cultivation disciples and abundant resources, but they don't know how to utilize them properly. Failure is inevitable."

Having experienced countless battles, he had no respect for disorganized group fights.

"You're right! They are safe within their formation, no need for defense. If these hundreds of Qi Cultivation cultivators focused their attacks on one or two targets in each round, they could potentially eliminate a Foundation Building cultivator with each assault. If they did that consistently, it's hard to predict the outcome," agreed another one of Wang Hong's Foundation Building followers.Although there was a vast disparity in strength between the Foundation Building and Qi Cultivation cultivators, when their numbers were large enough and they leveraged their advantages effectively, they could swarm and overwhelm their opponents.

After an hour of battle between the two sides, the small sect had nearly depleted its supply of Spiritual Objects, and their fighters were showing signs of fatigue.

The Treasure Hunters had also been engaged in combat for an hour, and their Spiritual Power was running low.

At this moment, Wang Hong gave the order, and his group of over thirty individuals swiftly charged towards the battlefield.

When both sides saw another group joining the fray, they halted their fight, watching the newcomers with uncertainty, unsure whether they were allies or enemies.

Wang Hong's group stopped about a hundred yards away from the Treasure Hunters.

"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?" cautiously inquired the leader of the Treasure Hunters. He was even more nervous than the small sect members in their formation.

To him, these newcomers were strangers, and people like them typically had no friends.

Wang Hong and his group remained silent, as there was no point in conversing with the dead.

Luo Zhongjie and his team arranged themselves in battle formation. The foremost ten individuals summoned defensive Spiritual Weapons, responsible for the defense of the entire group of thirty-five.

Behind them, the other twenty individuals had already drawn their bows and aimed forward, ready to release their arrows upon command.

Cultivators holding Binding Spirit Ropes positioned themselves on the sides, prepared to entangle any enemies.

The opposing cultivators, upon seeing this group approach, wasted no time in summoning their Spiritual Weapons, understanding the intentions of their new arrivals.

Since the Divine Senses of Foundation Building cultivators extended only up to fifty yards, and they were currently a hundred yards apart, regular Spiritual Weapons wouldn't be able to reach their targets. Only long-range weapons like bows and arrows could be effective at this distance.

The Treasure Hunters, disregarding the sect members within the formation, summoned their Spiritual Weapons and rushed toward Wang Hong's group, hoping to close the gap quickly.

They were met with a barrage of arrows. Twenty arrows from Spiritual Weapons were simultaneously unleashed at the lead Treasure Hunter.

The lead Treasure Hunter, bearing the brunt of twenty powerful arrows, including several fired from high-quality Spiritual Weapon bows, had his spiritual shield shattered, and several arrows pierced through his chest.

He fell to the ground, resentful, and a fellow cultivator who rushed over casually plucked a Storage Bag from his body, then stepped over him to continue charging forward.

Several nearby cultivators, ignoring the ongoing battle, rushed to the fallen bodies, fighting over the Storage Bags.

Meanwhile, three of the Treasure Hunters in the group emitted miserable cries and clutched their heads, writhing on the ground.

These three appeared to have signed Blood Contracts with the fallen leader, and now, experiencing backlash in their Nascent Souls, they were left either dead or mentally incapacitated.

The remaining Treasure Hunters showed no sympathy. Instead, they too converged to seize the Storage Bags from the fallen individuals.

The relationships among Treasure Hunters were purely transactional, driven by mutual self-interest. Concepts like friendship and mutual aid were nonexistent.

The commotion of Treasure Hunters scrambling for Storage Bags provided more opportunities for Luo Zhongjie and his team to pick them off.

Each volley of arrows resulted in another fallen Treasure Hunter, sparking a new round of fights over the Storage Bags.

They were aware of the dangers, but they had conducted countless robberies, and each of them was essentially a walking treasure trove. They clung to the hope that, with so many people around, they might not be the next one to die and that they could snatch some loot and escape.

At this moment, a few more rational Treasure Hunters began to flee.

This was when the five Binding Spirit Ropes came into play, as they were used to intercept those attempting to escape.

Wang Hong and Little Peng refrained from engaging in the main battle. Their mission was to use their speed advantage to intercept any escaping Treasure Hunters, ensuring none of them slipped away and leaked information.

As for the sect members still huddled within the formation, seeing the Treasure Hunters being mercilessly slaughtered and the newcomers immediately eliminating several of them upon arrival, they felt a mix of anxiety and excitement. It was a sense of revenge finally being served.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]