80: Chapter 80 Slaying the Fleeing and Raising the Flag, Thunder and Fire Collide with the Tide

Before the Black Army charged, a corner of Xuangui Island fell into chaos. It was the Outer Port.

Three hospital ships were still moored outside the second pillar. The lightly injured Cultivators had just been distributed medicine, while those heavily afflicted by corruption remained chained to the decks.

As the Black Tide bore down, the active line at the Outer Port swayed violently. Before the ship guards could retreat, several former subordinates of the Zhao family made their move.

They were no ordinary Loose Cultivators. One was in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Two were at Qi Refining Perfection.

They had all been under Commander Zhao Lingyue, in charge of ships and warehouses. Last night, their main orders were revoked, leaving them only with secondary tokens to follow commands.

At this moment, taking advantage of the chaos at the Outer Port, the three of them led a dozen trusted followers and bolted straight for the light boats.

"The Zhenhai Fortress is the only way to live!"

"Xuangui Island cannot be held!"

"Lu Changyuan wants to use us as padding for his military merits!"

As these shouts erupted, the already strained morale at the Outer Port instantly shattered. Some turned to look at the boats. Some instinctively retreated. Several Cultivators who had just disembarked from the hospital ships also panicked, dragging their injured legs as they crowded toward the light boats.

The purple light at the Outer Port's second pillar flickered erratically as the crowd surged against it. Li Heng heard the alarm bell from the Outer Port while at Northern Ridge, and his expression changed drastically.

"Deputy Envoy Lu, the Outer Port is in chaos!" Lu Hu immediately wanted to lead the cavalry to charge. Lu Changyuan raised a hand to stop him.

"The cavalry will not move."

"Your fifty riders are to watch the East Shoal."

"The Black Army is waiting for us to try and save the port."

Lu Hu gritted his teeth. "Then what about the Outer Port?"

Lu Changyuan drew the short blade at his waist. It was not Luo Qingcheng's jade sword. Nor was it a Golden Core trump card. It was merely a standard military short blade. "I will go."

He stepped off the high platform. The military token glowed in his palm. The five active lines trembled simultaneously.

At the Outer Port, the Foundation Establishment Early Stage officer who was attempting to seize a boat had just stepped onto the gangplank when a circle of purple light suddenly lit up on the stone pillar beneath his feet.

His expression shifted, and he tried to draw his sword to slash at the pillar. Lu Changyuan had already arrived.

The Purple Lightning Seahorse had not followed him. He was using the active lines connecting the Central Army to the Outer Port for a short-range leap. His speed was not as fast as a true movement technique, but it was fast enough.

The short blade left its sheath. The first strike severed the boat's mooring line. The light boat was dragged half a zhang away by the tide.

The second strike slashed toward the officer's sword-wielding hand. The officer roared, his Foundation Establishment aura exploding. "Do you dare to kill me?"

Lu Changyuan did not answer. He pressed down with the military token. Purple lightning from the Outer Port's active line flashed along the deck. The officer's movements stiffened.

The third strike fell. His head rolled into the sea. Blood instantly stained the side of the boat red.

The remaining two at Qi Refining Perfection turned pale. One of them even wanted to kneel. Lu Changyuan did not give him a chance to speak.

"Seizing boats and deserting the army."

"Causing chaos in the port during wartime."

"Execute."

The Outer Port garrison finally reacted. Two long forks thrust out simultaneously, pinning those two men firmly in front of the stone pillar. Lu Changyuan's short blade fell again. Two heads rolled together.

The sea breeze blew past. The Outer Port suddenly fell silent. Even those on the hospital ships dared not move.

Lu Changyuan stood in the blood and looked at the remaining dozen trusted followers. "Get the ropes."

No one moved. He said it again. "Get the ropes."

This time, the legless injured Cultivators reacted first, dragging a bundle of wet ropes from the side of the ship. The Outer Port garrison followed, stepping forward to bind the dozen men.

Lu Changyuan said, "Do not kill them."

"Tie them in front of the Old Turtle Head Stone to carry sand."

"If they survive the first wave, their crimes will be halved."

The crowd at the Outer Port was stunned. He had just killed three people, and now he was sparing a dozen. This was more sobering than executing them all. The leaders of the mutiny died. The followers would pay with their lives to mend the lines. The rules were clear. The chaos in their hearts was cut away.

Lu Changyuan bent down, smeared the blood of the dead officer onto the Outer Port's Formation Flag, and then inserted it back into the second pillar.

"The boats are still here."

"The injured can still retreat."

"Medicine will still be distributed."

"But whoever tries to seize a boat, dies first."

His voice carried across the Outer Port and was relayed by the military token back to the Central Army and Northern Ridge. Many people on the drill ground heard these words, and the panic on their faces slowly turned into a different kind of tension.

Chen Mo stood beside the Old Turtle Head Stone, his eyes bloodshot. He did not shout about fighting to the death. He simply pasted a newly drawn Evil-warding Talisman onto the surface of the stone.

Then he said to the Loose Cultivators behind him, "Did you hear that?"

"The boats are still here."

"We are guarding the line."

This sentence was more effective at stabilizing the Northern Ridge Loose Cultivator camp than a blood oath. It was not because they were not afraid of dying, but because they knew their retreat route had not been stolen by the commander. It was still there. It just wasn't allowed to be seized.

When Lu Changyuan returned to the Northern Ridge high platform, the Black Army had already pressed to within fifteen miles. The White Bone Armored General's blade was still raised. The Black Tide gathered into an arc before it.

Lu Hu saw the blood on Lu Changyuan's hem and grinned. "Commander, is the Outer Port stable?"

"For now." Lu Changyuan shook the blood off his short blade. "Only after holding the first wave will it be considered stable."

He walked to the front of the high platform. All five active lines of Xuangui Island trembled within the military token. Each section had its own problems. At Warehouse No. 3, the contaminated crates were still emitting Devilish Qi. The hospital ships at the Outer Port had not been cleared properly. The chaos on the Central Military Drill Ground had just been suppressed. The Northern Ridge talisman line was a temporary relocation. The East Shoal could only be patrolled by the cavalry. No part was intact, yet no part was completely severed.

Lu Changyuan looked at the garrison at the drill ground, the Outer Port, and Northern Ridge.

"I will not spout empty words about whether Xuangui Island can be held."

"You don't need to shout about dying in loyalty, either."

Many people looked up. He continued, "I will only say three things."

"First, within three days, medicine will be distributed by the line, the injured will retreat by the line, and merits will be recorded by the line."

"Second, whoever holds their pillar will have boats, medicine, and accounts."

"Third, before the formation breaks, I will not leave."

He raised his hand. A gash was cut into his palm by the short blade. Blood dripped onto the military token. The military token lit up with a layer of dark red.

It was not a Heavenly Dao oath, nor was it boasting. It was simply pressing his aura into the Xuangui Island formation register.

The five active lines trembled simultaneously. All the garrison soldiers saw it. Lu Changyuan's name was placed at the very front of the formation register. If the formation line suffered backlash, he would take it first. If the Formation Flag were broken, his position would be the brightest. This was more concrete than standing on the city wall and shouting.

Li Heng's voice turned hoarse. "Deputy Envoy Lu, you pressed the main seal into it?"

"A temporary main seal." Lu Changyuan said, "Withdraw after three days."

Li Heng's eyes grew hot, and he immediately lowered his head. "Understood."

Chen Mo knelt down. Not to beg for mercy, but to hold his talisman brush horizontally before him. "Northern Ridge Camp, defending the Old Turtle Head Stone."

The one-armed man followed, plunging his long fork into the reef. "Outer Port second pillar, we will not retreat."

Li Heng took a deep breath. "Formation Master team, reinforce the five active lines."

A Li family ship guard looked at them, then placed his trembling hands on the ship shield. "Ship protection team, guard the hospital ships."

The dozen Zhao family trusted followers who had been bound and sent to the Old Turtle Head Stone also arrived. Their hands were still tied. Lu Hu did not untie them. He just had someone fasten the rope ends to the sand-carrying wooden frame.

"Take one step, and if the rope breaks, your head breaks."

The dozen men turned pale, but no one dared to shout again. When the first Black Tide pressed in, one of them was shaken and fell to his knees, spilling half of the sandbag on his shoulder.

The Loose Cultivator from Northern Ridge nearby kicked him. "If you want to live, refill it!"

The man gritted his teeth, climbed up, and poured the Evil-Suppressing Sand back onto the outer circle of the Old Turtle Head Stone. Chen Mo saw it but did not stop him. He simply noted the positions of these few people beside the talisman line. Being a sinner meant being a sinner. But if they truly mended the line, it had to be recorded.

Outside the Outer Port's second pillar, the legless injured Cultivators, along with a few others who could still move, carried the ship shields one by one behind the pillars. They could not stand steadily, so they used ropes to tie their waists and abdomens to the wooden pillars.

A young ship protection Cultivator could not bear to watch. "You are injured so badly, retreat."

The legless Cultivator stared at the sea surface. "Retreat where?"

"There is only water behind the ships."

The ship protection Cultivator stopped speaking. He tore the Evil-warding Talisman he had received into two halves and pasted one half on the back of the legless Cultivator's shield.

On the Central Military Drill Ground, Li Heng's Formation Master team finally reported their positions.

"First pillar bright."

"Second pillar half-bright."

"Old Turtle Head Stone new line can draw lightning."

The voices were transmitted from each line into the military token. It was messy. It was chaotic. But there was an echo. The voices connected one by one. It was not neat. It was not earth-shattering. Some even spoke with trembling voices. But they had connected. This was what Lu Changyuan wanted. It was not for five thousand people to become death-defying soldiers overnight. It was that in every section of the line, someone was finally willing to report their position.

The Black Tide had already pressed to within ten miles. The White Bone Armored General finally swung its blade.

The first row of Black Armored Cultivators stepped on the waves and charged out simultaneously. Bone shields in front, long spears behind. Black fire connected from the spear tips, thrusting straight at the Northern Ridge's Old Turtle Head Stone.

Lu Changyuan raised his hand. "Northern Ridge first section, bright."

Chen Mo threw out three talismans. Purple light exploded from beneath the Old Turtle Head Stone. "Thunder-Fire Formation platform, release after three breaths."

Li Heng personally pressed down on the Formation Flag. "East Shoal, cavalry cut the flank."

Lu Hu flipped onto his horse. Fifty Sword Ray Cavalry charged out from the eastern shoal. The Purple Lightning Seahorses stepped on the waves in an arc. They still did not crash into the front. They only sliced into the flank of the first row of shield lines.

The Black Armored Army was much stronger than the sea beasts from last night. The first round of lightning threads fell, only shattering a dozen bone shields. The Black Armored Cultivators behind immediately filled the gaps.

The Northern Ridge Thunder-Fire Formation platform roared. Purple lightning and black fire collided in mid-air. The booming sound shook the entire Xuangui Island. A thin crack appeared on the surface of the Old Turtle Head Stone.

Chen Mo spat a mouthful of blood onto the talisman paper. His grandson stood up in the medicine shed, only to be held down tightly by a nearby injured Cultivator.

Outside the Outer Port's second pillar, the legless Cultivator on the hospital ship looked at the thunder and fire, grabbed a broken shield. "Those who can still lift a shield, get to the pillars!"

A few injured Cultivators who had just received medicine looked at each other, gritted their teeth, and dragged their injured legs toward the back of the Outer Port line. Not for Lu Changyuan. It was because they knew that if the Outer Port were broken, they would not survive either.

The Black Tide pressed in for the second time. This time, the White Bone Armored General did not look at the formation. It looked at Lu Changyuan on the high platform.

The Northern Ridge first section active line had already dimmed by thirty percent. The Evil-Suppressing Sand on the outer circle of the Old Turtle Head Stone had been stained gray-black by the Black Tide. Li Heng, accompanied by two Array Master, knelt before the stone, coughing blood while pushing the last slot of Spirit Stones into the formation eye.

Chen Mo's talisman brush broke. He replaced it with a piece of wood, dipped it in his own blood, and continued to mend the last half of the talisman pattern.

Lu Hu's fifty riders also lost three mounts. The Purple Lightning Seahorses sank into the shallow water after being grazed by black fire, with only the riders being dragged back to the East Shoal by their companions.

Lu Changyuan saw all these losses. He did not let anyone retreat. Retreating now would cause the five sections of the line that had just been connected to break all at once.

The dark red eyes pierced through the thunder and fire, pinning him like nails. Lu Changyuan also saw it. He did not retreat. The military token burned hot in his palm.

The five active lines lit up beneath his feet, and purple lightning crawled inch by inch along the broken stone veins of Xuangui Island.

Pitch-black Devilish Qi pressed down. Purple lightning met it. The two forces collided with a roar above the Northern Ridge. Xuangui Island shook violently.

On the distant sea surface, the White Bone Armored General slowly raised its blade. It finally stopped looking at the formation. Instead, it stared fixedly at Lu Changyuan himself.