"It was an array formation." The Void Refinement cultivator beside him sent a solemn voice transmission to Zhou Chengli.
"The people of Azure Cloud premeditated this. There are corpses of both the Wu tribe and Bi Shihu's tiger-wolf army in the city.
They managed to lure both the Wu tribe and Bi Shihu's grand army into the city."
This cultivator pointed at the military and civilians of Highsun City who had newly returned to the city.
"I went to inquire. Most people kept their mouths shut about this great battle, but I still managed to get some information..."
As the intelligence reached his ears, Zhou Chengli's expression changed.
The battle of Highsun City was a trap!
The people of the Azure Cloud Li Clan had long prepared escape tunnels to lure the Wu tribe and Bi Shihu into the city.
Subsequently, the Golden Toad Divine Palace arrived, and a two-hundred-thousand-strong grand army completely surrounded Highsun City.
What followed was an absolute massacre.
The people of Azure Cloud used an array formation to trap Highsun City.
Even the Wu tribe cultivators and those on Bi Shihu's side didn't dare to fight back within the city.
Then, the Void Refinement experts of the Azure Cloud Li Clan and Highsun City pulled them into Void Refinement Spaces one by one to fight.
Using the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years, the Azure Cloud Army began a frenzied bombardment of Highsun City.
The "Spear Forest Array Tactics" was used three times—those were the three long spears slung across their backs.
After that, the Azure Cloud Army drew their longbows, firing nine volleys of arrows.
Following that came talismans, artifacts, and even poisonous powder developed by the "Ghost Eye Sect" of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Even then, it was the Spirit Puppets of the Azure Cloud Prefecture's Artifact Sect that paved the way.
This wasn't a battle; it was a display of the Azure Cloud Prefecture's foundation to the world.
Every single soldier in the Azure Cloud Army was a miniature reflection of the Azure Cloud Prefecture itself.
"They trained their army for hundreds of years." The corner of the Void Refinement cultivator's mouth twitched beside Zhou Chengli.
"Perhaps the Azure Cloud Army truly is the most powerful immortal army on the entire Deston Prefecture battlefield.
Over these past few decades, these bastards actually only followed behind Bi Shihu to pick up cheap victories, not revealing their true strength until Highsun City!"
"And the people of the Li Clan..."
The two suddenly looked up.
In the cloudy sky, experts emerged from the void one after another. They were the Void Refinement cultivators returning from their pursuit battles outside.
"Motherfucker," muttered the Void Refinement cultivator of the Imperial Protectors Guard.
Space trembled.
City Lord Feng Tu of Highsun City appeared, bringing along two scar-covered Void Refinement cultivators, alongside the five members of the Li Clan.
The Old Drunkard, tears welling up in his eyes, instantly flew into the cloudy sky.
Hiding behind Li Yunbing, he pointed viciously at Zhou Chengli and the others. "They were bullying me!"
.......
"Li Yunbing, Li Tianqi, Li Changyao, Li Xinnian... mid-stage Void Refinement..."
After the several members of the Li Clan returned, it was time to celebrate their victory.
The Azure Cloud cultivators gathering the spoils of war—this was their celebration.
Thirty percent of the spoils belonged to them and was recorded on the register, while the remaining seventy percent was handed over to the military armory.
On the general's platform built from Spiritual power amidst the ruins, Zhou Chengli watched the members of the Azure Cloud Li Clan, his eyes darting back and forth, his expression mostly filled with bewilderment.
His heart was full of disbelief, especially regarding Li Changyao and Li Tianqi; he found it even harder to believe.
These two had stayed in Highsun City for decades.
Although they had rarely shown themselves over the past thirty years, they were previously only at the peak of the Divinity Transformation realm!
Zhou Chengli quickly thought of several possibilities in his mind: a Void Refinement cultivator passing on their cultivation, miraculous pills, special Dharma Treasures, or... they were faking it.
And the last one clearly became the most optimal choice.
Passing on cultivation by a Void Refinement cultivator didn't even need to be mentioned; its conditions were overly complex.
Miraculous Pills? How could pills above Grade 4 be so easily concocted?
Those capable of concocting such pills had extremely low success rates, often requiring the right time, the right place, and the right people.
Without exception, they were the precious treasures of major factions, making it exceedingly difficult to beg for even a single pill.
As for special Dharma Treasures or Spiritual Treasures capable of forging a Void Refinement expert out of thin air, they were incredibly rare.
"They were hiding it."
From the various possibilities, Zhou Chengli selected the most incorrect answer.
His expression turned a bit stranger, only feeling that the Li Clan members had bitterly deceived everyone in the world.
"There are four Void Refinement experts here, plus Li Yunlin, some of the older generation of the Li Clan, and the Li Clan's guest elders. Hiss..."
Zhou Chengli only felt a chill run up from the soles of his feet.
A single clan with over a dozen Void Refinement experts... even a Body Integration realm cultivator would have to weigh how to treat the Li Clan.
The Azure Cloud Li Clan was already comparable to hidden factions that had existed for tens of thousands of years.
At this thought, the corner of Zhou Chengli's mouth twitched.
He secretly cursed himself for learning from that bastard Ba Siyu to weigh the pros and cons.
Look at what Ba Siyu's weighing had resulted in; he had nearly weighed Highsun City and Deston Prefecture into oblivion.
"Wait, no. Over a dozen Void Refinement experts... two guest elders from the Azure Cloud Prefecture came here, as well as Li Yunlin."
Zhou Chengli's heart skipped a beat.
"Why have they laid hidden until now? With such strength, coupled with their actions over the years, how could they fail to see through Ba Siyu's character?
Even if they had killed Yun Manlou and Bi Shihu right in front of Ba Siyu's face, Ba Siyu would have only blamed them on the surface."
"The people of the Azure Cloud Li Clan have always been decisive.
Over these years, Ba Siyu and Yun Manlou have frequently suppressed the Li Clan. How could they possibly endure until today to reveal their true strength?"
"In such a great battle, fighting Venerable Elder Yuanliang and Bi Shihu—neither of whom are easy to deal with—the Li Clan should logically gather all their experts to annihilate them.
That would be the most secure method. If they weren't so cautious and calculating, how could they have remained hidden for decades?
To split up and act separately... they must be plotting something else."
"Where are... the rest of the Li Clan members?!!"
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