Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 1403 - Scouting

In addition to the blood fiends, the group marched on and returned to the cave half a day later. Upon seeing their return, Bu Wenxing, who had been patrolling, rushed over.

"Senior Brother, you've made your breakthrough to the Earth Immortal Realm?!" Bu Wenxing exclaimed in shock.

Since Sun Xiao made his breakthrough to the Earth Immortal Realm, this meant that he had fulfilled his vow by hunting one million blood fiends. Even after they came to the Celestial Immortal Star, Sun Xiao hadn't stopped hunting blood fiends.

"Yeah," Sun Xiao replied.

When everyone emerged from the cave, nearly a thousand cultivators stood in the open. Some were called out by their companions when Liu Wuxie and Sun Xiao had gone out to search for more cultivators.

"Everyone, please quiet down!" Liu Wuxie called out.

Though there were close to a thousand people, not a single one had reached the Earth Immortal Realm. However, with the addition of the four Earth Immortals Liu Wuxie brought back, the group quickly became the center of attention. With these powerful allies, they had a much better chance at returning home.

"This is the chief disciple of the Heavenly Dragon Sect's sect master, Sun Xiao. I believe everyone has heard of his name before. We gathered everyone here on purpose—to save the captives and return to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain," Liu Wuxie said, pushing his senior brother to the front.

As the only cultivator at the second-level Earth Immortal Realm, Sun Xiao naturally became the leader. Liu Wuxie, then, would focus on strategizing.

Exclamations of awe erupted from the crowd upon learning of Sun Xiao's identity. Though some hadn't seen him in person, no one had failed to hear of him. Those who had come to the Blood Fiend Battlefield had certainly heard of Sun Xiao's vow to hunt one million blood fiends.

Sun Xiao raised his hands to calm the crowd.

"We're here with the same goal. Since everyone has chosen to work with me, I expect everyone to follow my requests, even if it means charging ahead. If anyone regrets it now, you're welcome to leave," he said, releasing his aura at the second-level Earth Immortal Realm. The pressure was overwhelming for all who felt it.

Since they had gathered here, they needed to trust each other without hesitation. If anyone faltered in battle, Sun Xiao wouldn't show mercy.

Everyone exchanged looks and chose to trust him. For most, the name "Sun Xiao" alone was enough to earn their faith. Everyone knew his character throughout the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, and no one believed he would use them as disposable pawns.

"Senior Brother, we believe you!" shouted the disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, voicing their support for Sun Xiao.

There were a few skeptics, but none dared to leave. The astral beasts on this planet alone could easily kill them, let alone the members of the loulan race. They knew they only had a chance at survival by staying.

Though Sun Xiao would not use them as disposable pawns, he needed to lay down the rules for everyone beforehand.

With someone stepping up to lead, more people began to express their support for Sun Xiao.

"I will divide everyone into several squads starting now. Each squad will have around two hundred people. This will ensure we can advance and retreat in an orderly manner," Sun Xiao said as he began organizing everyone. His goal was to break up the existing cliques, especially those who had come here as groups.

Bu Wenxing had already gathered everyone's details and handed the list to Sun Xiao, revealing their backgrounds and identities for Sun Xiao's review.

Sun Xiao then proceeded with the division, separating everyone into five squads based on the list. Shi Yuan would lead the first squad, made of two hundred and ten experts.

Sun Xiao deliberately assigned Elder Li and other experts from the Grand Unity Sect to the second squad.

The second squad was led by the blood fiends' leader, with the rest of the blood fiends scattered across the other squads. Luan Xiuwen led the third squad and assigned his companions to the blood fiends' squad. The fourth was under Yu Zhuang, who had also made his breakthrough to the Earth Immortal Realm after arriving on the Celestial Immortal Star.

Sun Xiao personally led the fifth squad.

Each squad had about two hundred people, ensuring roughly equal strength among the five squads.

Though some were dissatisfied with the arrangements, no one dared to voice their objections. They all understood why Sun Xiao split the groups—it was to prevent private factions from forming within the group.

Liu Wuxie offered to join Shi Yuan's squad; Sun Xiao assigned Bu Wenxing to Luan Xiuwen's squad for surveillance; Guan Jinpeng to Yu Zhuang's squad for the same purpose; and Xiao Yuesheng to the squad led by the blood fiends' leader. This way, each squad had someone to keep an eye on them.

Once Sun Xiao arranged the squads, they would take turns guarding the perimeter. A separate area was set up inside the cave for the group's experts to discuss their next steps.

"Sun Xiao, what should we do next? Are we going just to guard here?" Yu Zhuang asked. Since they had agreed to cooperate, he didn't want to sit idly by.

"Junior Brother, you can share your thoughts now," Sun Xiao said, turning to look at Liu Wuxie. Since Liu Wuxie had proposed rallying everyone, he definitely had a whole plan in mind.

Everyone seated around the table was an expert, the weakest of them at the Quasi-Earth Immortal Realm. Only Liu Wuxie stood out with his cultivation at the seventh-level Primal Origin Realm.

However, no one dared to underestimate him, especially with an Earth Immortal under his command. In terms of combat strength, he was no weaker than experts at the Earth Immortal Realm.

"We'll have to wait until we're in Loulan City to finalize the plan. I plan to scout the Tata Prison tonight," Liu Wuxie said. He wasn't sure about the prison's layout yet, but he knew the Loulan race would station heavy guards throughout the place. Thus, he needed to learn more before devising a plan.

"Okay. I'll go with you tonight," Sun Xiao said.

"No need. Senior Brother, you can stay here. Let Elder Shi accompany me," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. Liu Wuxie's senior brother had to stay in the main camp to ensure someone would lead the group if the Loulan race captured them.

If the loulan race were to capture both him and his senior brother, this temporary alliance would instantly fall apart.

Liu Wuxie had also considered his ulterior motive. If the enemy were to capture them, the Grand Unity Sect would surely try to rescue them, but if the Loulan race captured Luan Xiuwen and Yu Zhuang, the Grand Unity Sect wouldn't offer help.

It seemed simple, but Liu Wuxie had carefully thought through all the implications.

Sun Xiao cast a meaningful gaze at his junior brother, impressed by the meticulousness of his thoughts. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Since that's the case, be careful," Sun Xiao said. He wasn't worried about Liu Wuxie's safety—Gong Gong's strength matched his own. If Gong Gong couldn't deal with the loulan race, even Sun Xiao would be useless in that situation.

When the afternoon arrrived, Liu Wuxie and Shi Yuan left the camp and headed straight for Loulan City.

Liu Wuxie relied on the Great Spatial Mythical Art for travel. Though his speed wasn't on par with cultivators at the Earth Immortal Realm, it was still faster than those at the Void Realm.

Aside from scouting the area around Tata Prison, Liu Wuxie also planned to assess the entire city's layout and find a way for them to leave.

When night fell, the three red suns sank into darkness. This place had to have been an astral domain, but for some unknown reason, it collapsed, leaving only the Celestial Immortal Star. This was why the three suns had merged.

Liu Wuxie and Shi Yuan didn't exchange words. Shi Yuan couldn't be bothered to talk, and Liu Wuxie had no interest in engaging him either. They changed into black clothes and merged into the darkness. As an Earth Immortal, Shi Yuan moved silently through the shadows.

Liu Wuxie had been to the Tata Prison before, so he knew the way. It only took them fifteen minutes before the triangular building appeared before them.

"This is the Tata Prison?" Shi Yuan asked. Even though he was reluctant, he knew that he had to suppress his murderous intent now.

"The captured humans are held beneath this building. If we want to rescue them and bring them up, it'll take at least five minutes. That's if we're quick, and the members of the loulan race will be here in less than ten minutes. This is troublesome," Liu Wuxie murmured, frowning.

Though he couldn't see through the triangular building with Ghost Eye, he focused on the ground far below. As his vision extended down and pierced the earth, he saw that the underground was hollow, just as he had expected. The captured humans were held there as well.

Shi Yuan frowned. Though he disliked Liu Wuxie, he had to admire his ability to analyze situations.

If they failed to plan their rescue properly, the members of the loulan race would arrive in minutes and slaughter the group they had gathered in no time.

Liu Wuxie could see the entire underground area before him, but there were a few spots his Ghost Eye couldn't penetrate. He also noticed a large group of the loulan race and Blackwind Beasts in the distant buildings.

"What now? Are we not going to rescue them?" Shi Yuan asked. He had waited for a long time, and his patience was wearing thin as he couldn't see anything unusual about the triangular building.

"We will, but we need a well-formulated plan. Let's check other places first," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head. He had never wavered from his goal to rescue the prisoners.

He knew that even if he gave up, his senior brother would still push forward. Many Heavenly Dragon Sect disciples were captured, and they had fought alongside Sun Xiao.

Liu Wuxie couldn't bring himself to abandon them, not to mention his senior brother. If they gave up and returned to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, they would forever bear the shame of not saving their comrades.

Liu Wuxie vanished and ventured deeper into Loulan City.

Shi Yuan had no choice but to follow him.

As they shuttled through the buildings, Liu Wuxie used Ghost Eye to map Loulan City's terrain. They covered thousands of miles in just a few hours, narrowly avoiding detection by the loulan race.

Liu Wuxie crouched beneath a roof, his gaze fixed on the distance. With only two hours left until dawn, they would have to leave soon if they couldn't find anything useful.

Shi Yuan followed behind Liu Wuxie, frustrated. They had spent the entire night wandering through the city, and he had no idea what Liu Wuxie was planning.

"Elder Shi, look at the giant gate over there," Liu Wuxie said, activating Ghost Eye to see far into the distance, even in the darkness.

Following Liu Wuxie's gaze, Shi Yuan looked at the giant gate. With his Earth Immortal Realm cultivation, darkness was no hindrance to his vision.

"What's so special about it?" Shi Yuan asked. The gate didn't seem special to him.

"Look at the buildings behind the gate. Don't they look familiar to you?" Liu Wuxie asked.

Shi Yuan squinted, and then he frowned upon realizing that Liu Wuxie was right. He recalled seeing those buildings before.