Chapter 257: Still
Although Zhao Jiudou was detestable, the sand monster's nest was right here, and they were facing a formidable enemy. There was no time to waste on him. Little did the people present know that Zhao Jiudou had been killed in a sneak attack by Meng Zhang long ago.
Over ten Foundation Building cultivators had gathered this time, possessing formidable strength. There was no need to discuss any battle plans; they didn't even have to call upon the Refining Qi cultivators. All they needed was to join forces and push forward together.
Thus, Daoist Guang Hui took the lead, leading the group directly towards the sand monster's nest below. The sand monster army had suffered significant losses during the previous disastrous battle, almost annihilating them. Even if the nest desperately tried to produce more sand monsters, it wouldn't be able to generate too many within such a short time.
The numerous Foundation Building cultivators pressed forward, easily crushing every sand monster that stood in their way. The nest resisted fiercely, attempting to obstruct the advancement of human cultivators. The sand monsters that roamed outside the nest also hurried back to join the battle in protecting their nest.
Unfortunately, the main force of Second Rank sand monsters was scant, and the number of First Rank sand monsters used as cannon fodder was severely inadequate. The smaller sand monsters, which were slightly more numerous, didn't even qualify as cannon fodder.
The battle's outcome was predictable – the human cultivators emerged victorious; it was only a matter of time. After an arduous fight that lasted through the night and well into the next morning, by noon on the second day, the human cultivators had reached the core of the sand monster's nest.
All the sand monsters inside the nest were annihilated, with barely any escapees. The colossal cocoon-like entity was blasted into pieces by the united efforts of the cultivators. As for the precious Spirit Source Beads inside, most of them had been consumed during the last-ditch effort to produce more sand monsters.
Even Forest Spring Watch cultivator, despite giving his all, failed to seize more than a few of these Spirit Source Beads. Of course, Forest Spring Watch would never share such spoils with their subordinate sects, and other sects didn't dare to harbor any illusions of getting their hands on them.
With the destruction of the sand monster's nest, the chaotic situation caused by the sand monsters near Forest Spring Watch was finally coming to an end. The vast majority of sand monsters had been wiped out, and with the nest destroyed, there would be no new sand monsters born.
Even if there were the occasional one or two roaming sand monsters outside, they posed no real threat.
After destroying the sand monster's nest, Guang HuiDaoist didn't become complacent; he continued to command the cultivator army to search the surrounding areas. While usually one area had only one sand monster nest, they still needed to search thoroughly and confirm to be completely at ease.
During the search, they found a few wandering sand monsters that had left their nests and took the opportunity to eliminate them. Sand monsters relied on their nests for existence, and when their nests were under attack, they would desperately rush back to defend them.
However, a small portion of sand monsters couldn't make it back to the nest in time due to various reasons such as being too far away, and by the time they returned, their nests had already been destroyed. These sand monsters became wanderers, losing their commands and merely wandering in the desert, following their instincts.
These wandering sand monsters posed a threat to lower-level cultivators passing through, so any capable cultivators they encountered would effortlessly clean them up.
After some time had passed, Forest Spring Watch finally commanded the various sects to complete the cleanup of the entire original Twin Success Valley territory.
Although the process was a bit convoluted, the outcome was favorable. Forest Spring Watch emerged victorious in the end.
After the war, it was time for rewards and recognition of merit. Forest Spring Watch, for the first time, called upon its vassal sects to join the battle, and various sects responded enthusiastically, giving their all.
Each sect paid a certain price in casualties, but the Golden Blade Sect's expedition suffered the most significant losses, with all members of the team led by Ruan Dadao perishing.
In response, Forest Spring Watch needed to show appreciation to its vassals, so Guang HuiDaoist announced the exemption of all vassal sects from supplying resources for three years.
As the new dominant power in the region, Forest Spring Watch needed to consolidate its position and win the support of its vassals. Therefore, its actions were milder compared to Twin Success Valley, with moderate annual demands for contributions. The sudden exemption of three years' worth of supplies came as an unexpected windfall for the vassal sects.
Nonetheless, compared to the losses suffered by the sects, especially the Golden Blade Sect, the exemption was not substantial. Dealing with internal affairs, Guang HuiDaoist, as the Sect Master of Forest Spring Watch, sent a message to Flying Swan Sect, accusing Zhao Jiudou of his actions.
Flying Swan Sect, currently engaged in a tough battle against the sand monster army, would likely not tolerate Zhao Jiudou's disruptive actions at this critical moment.
Surprisingly, Flying Swan Sect quickly sent a reply stating that Zhao Jiudou's soul lamp in their sect had been extinguished, indicating that he had already perished.
People were skeptical of Flying Swan Sect's explanation. Some believed that Zhao Jiudou might have had bad luck: despite framing Lin Bailin, he had fallen into the sand monster siege and met his demise. Human Cultivators who died at the hands of sand monsters generally left no complete corpses, as they were torn apart and devoured.
However, most people leaned toward the view that this was just an excuse made by Flying Swan Sect to protect Zhao Jiudou, allowing him to escape and hide somewhere.
Despite feeling indignant, Forest Spring Watch was no match for the powerful Flying Swan Sect, so they had to swallow their grievances and set the matter aside for now.
The other sects had no interest in getting involved, as the victim was not one of their own, so they preferred to watch from the sidelines quietly.
Meng Zhang specifically instructed Deep Earth Spirit General to keep the matter to himself and not to disclose it to others.
After completely suppressing the sand monster chaos, Forest Spring Watch led the various sects' teams and returned home.
Overall, Forest Spring Watch emerged as the clear winner this time. Seizing the opportunity to annihilate the sand monster army, they quietly took control of all the territories belonging to Liu Family.
Surprisingly, Flying Swan Sect seemed indifferent to the matter, perhaps because they felt they were not in the wrong regarding Zhao Jiudou.
Shortly after Meng Zhang returned to Taiyi Sect with his disciples, significant events unfolded in the nearby area.
Ruan Dadao, the Sect Master of Golden Blade Sect, had led all the elite members of the sect into battle, but the entire force was wiped out, and even Ruan Dadao himself couldn't escape his tragic fate.
The remaining disciples in the Golden Blade Sect were already a motley crew with mediocre aptitude and average cultivation bases. Upon receiving news of Ruan Dadao's death, internal strife broke out among them as they vied for control of the sect.
The situation escalated into a bloody internal war, with the Golden Blade Sect descending into complete chaos. Some even colluded with loose cultivators and set traps within the sect to eliminate all opposing factions.
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