This matter had long transcended a mere dispute over control of the South Seventy-Six Islands region. It now involved the very reputation of the Yinsha Sect as a paramount, top-tier grand sect in this world. Ouyang Mi immediately led a massive army to offer support, a gesture that not only thrilled Zhang Heng but also led Lei Dong and the others to regard Commander Ouyang as an upright man who deeply cherished his subordinates.

After Ouyang Mi personally inquired about the detailed sequence of events, he promptly sent several more Ghost Messenger letters back to the sect headquarters. Only then did he lead the four warships, charging mightily toward the South Seventy-Six Islands to settle matters first. In Ouyang Mi's estimation, even if the Tianyin Palace sincerely intended to protect Ning Xiao, they likely wouldn't arrive in time for a quick intervention.

Three medium ships and one large vessel—four warships in total. At full thrust, they covered eighty to ninety thousand li in a mere three days, descending upon Xiaozhou Island in a spectacular, overwhelming display. Accompanying them were Han Wu and seven or eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, twenty-six Battle Hall soldiers, three captains, and one Vice Commander—who was also a Golden Core stage cultivator.

The massive warship, the Hades, stretched seventy to eighty zhang long, an undisputed behemoth of the skies, armed with five formidable Netherworld Main Cannons capable of striking terror into the heart of any observer. As they passed a garrisoned fortress city on a large island, they unleashed a full salvo from the eight main cannons—the Hades's five and the three medium ships' cannons. A single coordinated blast pulverized the fortress's protective Mountain Guarding Array and its restrictive barrier into dust.

Before the offensive even fully commenced, several Foundation Establishment cultivators within the fortress city announced their surrender. It was perhaps more accurate to say they had never entertained the notion of opposing the Yinsha Sect. Han Wu immediately commanded his subordinates to accept their submission. When an overwhelming army bears down, surrender is the easiest path. Once incorporated into the ranks, any subsequent defiance would be branded as outright treason.

Han Wu, meanwhile, continued with the Third Legion, soaring toward Xiaozhou City. From the garrison city, it took less than half an hour to reach the airspace above Xiaozhou City. Unlike the pressure exerted by a single medium warship, the congregation of four warships was impossible to ignore. Especially the Hades; its immense bulk loomed like a mobile fortress suspended in the heavens.

In truth, everyone knew the perpetrator, Ning Xiao, certainly wouldn't dare remain in Xiaozhou City awaiting death after allowing the Yinsha Sect forces to escape his grasp. By this time, he had surely fled with a contingent of his most trusted subordinates, vanishing without a trace. Before Ouyang Mi could even issue the order to bombard the city, its restrictions voluntarily dissolved.

Han Wu was again tasked with incorporating the population. Riding this wave of success, Han Wu managed to rally many of the looser family clans, and even passing rogue cultivators, into his fold. Whether willing or unwilling, anyone possessing even minor strength was brought under Han Wu's banner, leveraging the sheer might of the Yinsha Sect. Even those hesitant now would eventually submit willingly once they experienced the benefits or other mitigating factors after choosing allegiance over annihilation. If genuine loyalty never materialized, Han Wu didn't particularly care; the priority was to secure them first and vet them later.

Of course, there were a few cultivators who were either exceptionally reckless or held a deep-seated disdain for the Yinsha Sect, attempting to flee amidst the chaos. However, the battle squads under the three legions were not raised on weakness. After all, if these individuals escaped, they could easily bolster the enemy forces.

Especially Zhang Heng's First Squad; having suffered a near-catastrophic defeat in Xiaozhou City, they were simmering with pent-up fury. As a group of more than a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators bolted toward the coast, the Netherworld Number Nine gave immediate chase. The moment the escapees scattered, Zhang Heng’s squad members immediately disembarked from the Netherworld Number Nine to pursue them individually.

Lei Dong, wreathed in a chilling shroud of dark energy, relentlessly chased two male Foundation Establishment cultivators. Although they had initially held a lead of several li, Lei Dong's Malefic Ghost Shroud was now vastly superior. Having absorbed five Golden Core beast souls, it possessed the speed of a standard peak-grade flying spirit artifact. In contrast, the two fleeing cultivators utilized mid-grade flying artifacts. How could they possibly outrun Lei Dong?

In merely a few dozen breaths, Lei Dong closed the distance to within several dozen zhang. The two cultivators panicked, exchanged a desperate glance, and split their escape routes. Lei Dong snorted coldly, summoning two Ghost Guards. These spectral entities bolted after one of the men. Though slower than Lei Dong himself, Ghost Guards specialized in speed; an Eighth-Level Ghost Guard could often match or even surpass the speed of a typical late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He himself cut a wide arc, pursuing the other. The initial gap of tens of zhang vanished in less than ten breaths thanks to Lei Dong’s current Malefic Ghost Shroud. Lei Dong intercepted the cultivator, flashing ahead to block his path. Summoning his final Ghost Guard, he stood with his hands behind his back, sneering at the stopped, pale-faced, middle-aged Foundation Establishment cultivator: "Run, you can run some more."

This cultivator was only at the third layer of Foundation Establishment, yet he had compelling reasons to flee: he was a disciple of an Upper-Tier Sect with close ties to the Tianyin Palace. Had he remained in Xiaozhou City, the Yinsha Sect would have certainly purged him as a matter of opportunity. He was deeply regretful, cursing his own greed for not leaving a day sooner. When many others were frantically selling off assets anticipating the Yinsha Sect's assault, he relied on his connections with Tianyin Palace, believing the Yinsha Sect’s counterattack would be at least a month away, by which time the Tianyin Palace fleet would have arrived. Even if not, he could acquire assets at rock-bottom prices and retreat before the Yinsha Sect struck, minimizing his losses—a calculated gamble on wealth sought through danger. It must be admitted that many cultivators remaining in the city held similar calculations.

"Ah~" Faced with the unfathomable might of Lei Dong, clad in battle armor and radiating commanding power, the cultivator nearly collapsed. He erupted backward in a desperate attempt to flee, simultaneously hurling a small blue dart. The arrowhead was eerily sharp, radiating a bone-chilling cold, streaking forward like a verdant ray, clearly possessing considerable power.

"Hmph. Does a firefly dare try to outshine the moon?" Lei Dong unleashed his Scarlet Refining Flying Sword, transforming it into a ribbon of fiery sword light that met the dart head-on. Upon collision, a burst of elemental opposition erupted—ice and fire battling, blue and red intertwining—spreading outward in a shockwave that made Lei Dong's cloak snap violently even seven or eight zhang away. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of surprise; that little blue dart was quite potent, actually managing to counter his explosively launched Scarlet Refining Sword.

However, once the dart exploded, it was gone; it must have been the man’s ultimate life-saving trump card. Seeing the dart rendered utterly useless, the middle-aged cultivator grew even more frantic, increasing his retreat speed. But now, having received Lei Dong’s command, the Phantom Ghost Guard transformed into a faint shadow, shrieking faintly as it closed in on the man.

Lei Dong didn't even need to see the result; this man stood no chance against an Eighth-Level Ghost Guard. He lazily watched the guard overtake the fleeing cultivator, utilize an Invisibility Spell to slip behind him, and then pierce forward with twin blades glowing blackly. Everything concluded with effortless finality. Having utilized his Ghost Servants for some time, Lei Dong was beginning to grasp their strengths and weaknesses.

When facing powerful individuals whose personal strength vastly outmatched his own, especially those possessing numerous potent spirit artifacts, the Ghost Guards struggled, barely managing to prevail only through numerical superiority. However, when he himself was surrounded by several lower-tiered opponents, he faced no fear of encirclement. Each Ghost Guard could easily handle one target simultaneously.

Furthermore, low-level cultivators attempting the tactic of scattering and fleeing in his presence were merely ensuring their own demise. Lei Dong conceded that he possessed an almost absurd number of summoned entities, exaggeratingly powerful ones. Splitting his forces for pursuit was his specialty.

Having dispatched the two Foundation Establishment cultivators he pursued with ease, collecting their spoils and vital souls, Lei Dong returned to Xiaozhou City. The city was now a scene of disarray and chaos, yet Ouyang Mi, usually reserved and scholarly, displayed absolute ruthlessness. He dispatched his subordinates to round up every cultivator in the city, ordering immediate execution for any sign of resistance.

In less than half an hour, the few hundred remaining cultivators were gathered in the main square, silent and cowed. Finally, the busy Han Wu stepped forward to consolidate the captives. Every local resident of the South Seventy-Six Islands, and every rootless rogue cultivator, was forced to join Han Wu's forces. As for those belonging to established sects—if they were hostile to the Yinsha Sect and closely allied with Tianyin Palace—they were summarily executed. The rest were required to temporarily join Han Wu’s ranks until the conclusion of this war, whereupon they could leave.

It was not merely Xiaozhou City that was to be conquered; Ouyang Mi had no intention of sparing a single island within the Seventy-Six Chain. The four warships deployed separately, sweeping across the entire Seventy-Six Islands region with swift, thunderous efficiency. They first demonstrated overwhelming military might: those who submitted were compelled to join Han Wu; those who resisted were executed outright, perfectly adhering to Ouyang Mi’s strategy.

A river of blood flowed in that short period. The two to three thousand local cultivators, plus an equal number of rogue cultivators who hadn't managed to flee the Seventy-Six Islands area, saw over thirteen hundred killed in just a few days. This total included more than fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators and one Golden Core cultivator. The Yinsha Sect made no move to suppress this casualty count; instead, they immediately publicized this martial achievement to the outside world.

It seemed an age had passed since the Cultivation World had witnessed such a mass slaughter of cultivators. This bloody tally shocked the world, drawing universal attention to this sudden, brutal campaign. ...RA