Chapter 181: Three Years Later

He Song was somewhat puzzled about Wei Fan's frequent inquiries regarding the timing of their offensive after arriving at Lian Mountain Immortal City.

At the same time, he found the recent orders from the Golden Core True Lord to be somewhat unusual.

Aside from that, Meng Guan did not mention anything else in his letter.

However, after reading Meng Guan's account of these strange behaviors, He Song quickly formed a hypothesis.

Sending Foundation Establishment cultivators into the Seven Stars Sect's territory only to leave shortly after appearing would surely make the Seven Stars Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators feel as though they were facing an imminent full-scale attack from the Earth Sect.

However, if this behavior persisted for some time without any actual assault from the Earth Sect, the Seven Stars Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators would likely grow accustomed to it.

Their vigilance would naturally decrease, though not entirely.

In such a state, if the Earth Sect suddenly launched a full-scale offensive one day, it would catch the Seven Stars Sect completely off guard.

If only the Foundation Establishment cultivators moved together, they might still hold their ground.

But if a Golden Core True Lord intervened, the situation would change drastically.

Could it be that a Golden Core True Lord intended to take action and end this prolonged conflict?

Or perhaps both Golden Core True Lords would intervene?

Various speculations raced through He Song's mind as he gazed toward the direction of the Earth Sect's main gate, sensing that significant events were about to unfold.

Perhaps, he might truly return to the Earth Sect four years from now.

However, whether this would come to pass remained uncertain.

After much contemplation, He Song eventually shook his head and dismissed these thoughts.

Speculating endlessly was meaningless; it was better to wait patiently and see what would happen over the next four years.

If he could return to the Earth Sect, then he would go back.

If not, he would leave the Earth Sect's influence and seek refuge with another sect.

By now, he was already a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Wherever he went, he would undoubtedly be treated as an honored guest by the local sects or influential families.

After replying to Meng Guan's letter—informing him that he had no idea why Wei Fan was unusually eager for battle and urging him to keep an eye on Wei Fan—He Song quickly entered seclusion to begin practicing the Blood Escape Technique and the Divine Piercing Arrow.

By now, He Song was well aware of the latest developments in the ongoing war between the Earth Sect and the Seven Stars Sect.

Though it seemed hopeful that he might return to the sect, he dared not act rashly until the situation was fully resolved.

In the meantime, mastering the two techniques became his top priority.

The practice of the Blood Escape Technique was not particularly difficult.

After expanding the coverage of the Mist Veil Formation to encompass a vast area, ensuring that his practice would remain undetected, He Song began training earnestly.

Carefully following the technique's principles, he used Magical Power to activate the Blood Escape Technique, transforming his body into a Beam of Light that soared through the sky.

Initially, his flight path was limited to straight lines.

However, as he grew more familiar with the technique, his speed increased significantly, and he gained the ability to maneuver freely, altering his course mid-flight.

Simultaneously, his skill in using Magical Power to enhance the technique improved, causing the Beam of Light to accelerate further.

The amount of Magical Power consumed determined the speed of the Blood Escape Technique.

When fully activated, the technique drained Magical Power rapidly but offered unparalleled speed compared to ordinary escape methods.

As for using Blood Essence to activate the Blood Escape Technique, He Song had yet to attempt it.

A single trial would require years of recovery, and he was unwilling to do so unless his life was in immediate danger.

Additionally, while practicing the Blood Escape Technique, He Song discovered something interesting.

The color of the Beam of Light during flight varied depending on the cultivator's Magical Power attributes.

Unlike Spiritual Energy, Magical Power could be manipulated at will.

This meant that He Song could alter his Magical Power to mimic any elemental attribute—metal, wood, water, fire, or earth.

Realizing this, he immediately changed the color of his Beam of Light to a water-blue hue.

It wasn't because he favored the color but because it blended seamlessly with the sky, making him less conspicuous.

Perhaps this subtle camouflage would help him avoid unnecessary trouble.

Satisfied with his progress in mastering the Blood Escape Technique and achieving complete control over its speed, He Song nodded in approval.

He then turned his attention to practicing the Divine Piercing Arrow.

The Divine Piercing Arrow required a high level of proficiency in Divine Sense.

It was not about unleashing one's Divine Sense indiscriminately to attack an opponent's soul or Divine Sense—that approach lacked finesse and was something anyone could do.

Instead, the Divine Piercing Arrow involved concentrating one's Divine Sense into a condensed arrow-like form, which was then fired at the opponent to deliver a devastating blow to their soul or Divine Sense.

The impact was akin to a stone dropping into a pond, creating ripples that severely disrupted the target's Divine Sense or soul.

This disruption caused the opponent's Divine Sense to waver, leading to dizziness, confusion, and a sharp decline in combat effectiveness.

For weaker souls or Divine Senses, the result could be fatal, with victims bleeding from all seven orifices and perishing instantly.

Moreover, practicing the Divine Piercing Arrow placed stringent demands on the practitioner's Divine Sense.

Fortunately, He Song's Divine Sense was fifty percent stronger than that of an average cultivator at the same stage, allowing him to meet the requirements.

Time passed steadily as He Song continued practicing the Blood Escape Technique and the Divine Piercing Arrow within his secluded chamber.

In the blink of an eye, three years had elapsed.

During these three years, He Song prioritized mastering the Blood Escape Technique first.

As his primary means of escape, it was crucial to perfect this technique before moving on to the Divine Piercing Arrow.

Only after achieving complete mastery of the Blood Escape Technique, being able to use it effortlessly without compromising speed, did he shift his focus to the Divine Piercing Arrow.

The rationale was simple: if he were discovered by another Foundation Establishment cultivator before mastering the Blood Escape Technique, he would have no means of escape and would be at their mercy.

For his own safety, He Song knew which technique to prioritize.

The Blood Escape Technique proved relatively straightforward to learn.

Within a year and a half, He Song had mastered it completely, achieving effortless execution without any loss of speed.

Afterward, he devoted his attention to the Divine Piercing Arrow.

However, he soon realized that mastering this technique was far more challenging than the Blood Escape Technique.

Having no prior experience with Divine Sense attacks, his progress was slow.

Additionally, the Divine Piercing Arrow demanded precise control over one's Divine Sense.

Though He Song's Divine Sense met the requirements, his lack of prior training made the learning process arduous, often causing him to frown in frustration.

Fortunately, he was not overly concerned about the passage of time.

Even after a year and a half, despite not yet achieving mastery of the Divine Piercing Arrow, he remained undeterred.

The difficulty of the Divine Piercing Arrow exceeded his expectations.

Nevertheless, he persisted daily, striving to reach a level where he could execute it effortlessly without diminishing its power.

Though this goal still felt distant, he remained committed.

From the moment He Song broke through to Foundation Establishment until now, three full years had passed.

During this time, though he remained in seclusion practicing the Blood Escape Technique and the Divine Piercing Arrow, he stayed well-informed about external developments.

Three years ago, when He Song had first broken through, he exchanged messages with Meng Guan, speculating that the Earth Sect was planning a major move.

As expected, events unfolded as he anticipated.

A year ago—two years after He Song's breakthrough—the Earth Sect's True Lord Yan Mountain and True Lord Fa Xuan secretly took action.

After activating the sect's Defensive Formation to secure their retreat, the two True Lords launched a fierce assault on the Seven Stars Sect's defensive line.

The overwhelming strength of the Golden Core True Lords was on full display.

Though He Song did not witness the battle himself, Meng Guan and Wei Fan's accounts conveyed the sheer awe-inspiring power of the scene.

It was a level far beyond that of Foundation Establishment cultivators!

The Seven Stars Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators fell like wheat before a scythe, their blood staining the skies and filling the air with the clamor of battle.

In that assault, the Earth Sect emerged victorious.

Had the Seven Stars Sect's Sect Master, True Lord Tian Shu, not appeared in time to single-handedly restrain both True Lord Yan Mountain and True Lord Fa Xuan, the Seven Stars Sect's losses would have been even more severe.

Even so, True Lord Yan Mountain and True Lord Fa Xuan led the Earth Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivators in a relentless advance, pushing the front line from Lian Mountain Immortal City—the border between the two sects—all the way to the foot of the Seven Stars Sect's main gate.

True Lord Tian Shu, having sustained injuries while restraining the two opposing True Lords, retreated and activated the sect's Defensive Formation.

All Foundation Establishment cultivators withdrew behind the protective barrier, taking refuge within the Seven Stars Sect's main gate.

Seeing this, the Earth Sect's two True Lords refrained from launching a direct assault.

Instead, they began consolidating control over the Seven Stars Sect's territory.

Once the Seven Stars Sect was firmly entrenched behind their main gate, the Earth Sect deactivated their temporarily activated Defensive Formation.

The Defensive Formation was one of the strongest assets of nearly every sect.

Once activated, it consumed an astronomical amount of resources.

(End of Chapter)