Chapter 108: The First Joint Mission

The Withering Valley stretched before them like a wound in the earth. What had once been the most fertile land in the eastern provinces now resembled a desert of cracked mud and dying trees. The smell of decay hung heavy in the air.

Liu Yun stood beside Grand Master Wei at the valley's edge. Behind them, cultivators from both the Qilin Hui and Righteous Alliance prepared for their first joint operation. The tension between the two groups was almost as thick as the corruption they had come to cleanse.

"The damage is worse than our scouts reported," Wei observed grimly. His white robes seemed to glow against the desolate landscape. "The life force drain extends at least fifty miles in every direction."

Mei Shengcao knelt and pressed her palms to the barren soil. Her face went pale as she felt the extent of the corruption. "The plants aren't just dying," she reported. "Their life essence is being actively consumed by something beneath the ground."

Elder Xu stepped forward with a formation compass in her hands. The device's needles spun wildly before pointing toward the valley's center. "Major ley line convergence point," she announced. "Five earth veins meet directly below that hill."

Liu Yun could see the hill she meant. It rose from the valley floor like a massive burial mound. Dark energy writhed around its peak in visible streams. The Earth Shattering Sword hummed with unease at the sight.

"The corruption is feeding on the natural energy flows," Jiang Tao realized. He consulted his temporal instruments and frowned. "It's growing stronger by the hour. If we don't act soon, it will spread to the neighboring provinces."

Grand Master Wei turned to address both groups. "Alliance doctrine calls for systematic purification using the Seven Star Cleansing Formation. We establish perimeter barriers, then work inward in controlled stages."

"That will take weeks," Lin Fei protested. "People are dying while we work systematically."

"Hasty action caused this crisis in the first place," Elder Xu replied sharply. "Proper methodology prevents further mistakes."

Echo Prime Zhu materialized from shadow beside the arguing cultivators. "The corruption has a source," he reported. "Something artificial buried deep beneath the hill. It pulses with the same energy signature as the chaos formations we destroyed."

Liu Yun felt understanding dawn. "The Chaos Sect had other operations. When we transformed their main ritual, the backup sites activated automatically."

"Failsafe mechanisms," Wei nodded grimly. "Crude but effective. If they couldn't achieve transcendence through chaos, they would at least ensure maximum destruction."

The revelation changed everything. This wasn't just cosmic imbalance from their victory at the mountain. This was deliberate sabotage by their defeated enemies.

"We need to reach the source quickly," Liu Yun decided. "Every moment we delay gives it more time to spread."

"Agreed," Wei said. "But charging directly into the corruption will kill anyone who attempts it. The life drain is too powerful."

Mei Shengcao stood up from her examination of the soil. "I can create a path," she said quietly. "If I sacrifice some of my own life force, I can establish a corridor of living energy through the dead zone."

"Absolutely not," Liu Yun said immediately. "We don't trade lives for victory."

"Then how do you propose we reach the source?" Elder Xu demanded.

Liu Yun looked between the two groups of cultivators. Alliance members stood in perfect formation, their white robes gleaming with protective formations. Qilin Hui members moved more freely, their different colored robes creating a rainbow of spiritual energy.

"Combined approach," he said suddenly. "Alliance barriers to contain the corruption. Qilin Hui harmony to transform it as we advance."

Grand Master Wei raised an eyebrow. "Explain."

"Your systematic methods create stable zones," Liu Yun continued. "Our transformation techniques turn corruption into neutral energy within those zones. Instead of fighting through the dead area, we gradually convert it back to living land."

"That's..." Elder Xu paused, clearly struggling with the concept. "That's actually tactically sound."

"It will require perfect coordination," Wei warned. "Any mismatch between barrier placement and transformation timing could cause catastrophic feedback."

Lin Fei stepped forward. "The Water Mirror can provide real-time communication between all team members. Everyone stays connected."

"And I can monitor temporal flow to ensure proper timing," Jiang Tao added.

Wei considered the proposal carefully. It violated Alliance doctrine in several ways. But it also offered their best chance of success within the available time frame.

"Very well," he decided. "But we proceed exactly as planned. No improvisation. No individual heroics."

The joint formation moved into the valley with careful precision. Alliance cultivators established the first barrier line fifty meters from the corruption edge. Their white spiritual energy created a wall of pure force that held back the spreading decay.

Within the protected zone, Qilin Hui members began their transformation work. Mei Shengcao coaxed new life from the cleansed soil. Echo Prime Zhu purified shadow-tainted areas with twilight energy. The other members worked in harmony to restore natural balance.

The process was slow but effective. Meter by meter, they pushed back the corruption. Dead trees straightened and grew new leaves. Cracked earth sealed itself and sprouted grass. The smell of decay gave way to the fresh scent of growing things.

But as they approached the central hill, the corruption fought back. Tendrils of dark energy lashed out at their barriers. The Alliance cultivators strained to maintain their formations as the attacks intensified.

"The source knows we're coming," Lin Fei reported through the Water Mirror connection. "It's concentrating its power to stop us."

"Maintain formation discipline," Wei commanded. "Do not break ranks under any circumstances."

That's when the first surprise attack hit. The corruption didn't just lash out blindly. It began mimicking their own techniques. Alliance barrier formations appeared around them, but these were twisted inversions that trapped rather than protected.

"It's learning from us," Jiang Tao realized with horror. "The artificial intelligence in the buried device is adapting to our methods."

Several Alliance cultivators found themselves sealed inside corrupted barriers. The inversions began draining their life force just like the original corruption. Panic started to spread through the ranks.

"Hold positions!" Wei shouted. But his own certainty was beginning to crack.

That's when Liu Yun made a decision that would define their partnership. Instead of taking command or abandoning the plan, he stepped up beside Grand Master Wei.

"Your barriers are perfect," he told the Alliance leader. "But they need harmony to become truly effective. Trust us to work within your system."

Wei looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Do it."

The Seven Harmonies moved into their formation within the Alliance's structured ranks. Instead of replacing the systematic approach, they enhanced it. Their harmony made the barriers stronger. Their transformation techniques made the purification faster.

The corrupted inversions shattered against barriers reinforced with harmonic resonance. The artificial intelligence found itself unable to adapt to techniques that combined order and flexibility in perfect balance.

"It's working," Elder Xu announced with something like wonder in her voice. "The combination is more effective than either approach alone."

They reached the central hill just as the sun began to set. The buried corruption source pulsed frantically beneath their feet, sensing its approaching destruction. But now it faced enemies who had learned to work together despite their differences.

"Final phase," Wei declared. "Alliance holds the perimeter. Qilin Hui goes deep."

Liu Yun nodded and drew the Earth Shattering Sword. The blade sang with seven-fold harmony, but now it was supported by the structured power of a dozen Alliance formations.

"Let's finish this," he said.

The real battle for the Withering Valley was about to begin.