Sect Master's Immortal Journey

Chapter 237: Vanishes without the Trace

Under the protection of nearly a hundred flying mounts, a fleet of over thirty airships majestically entered the territory of the Liu Family.

During the usual sand monster calamities, these creatures were rigid and straightforward. Once they detected human cultivators, they would relentlessly pursue them, fighting to the death and never retreating, nor taking the initiative to change their tactics. Only when their nests were under threat would they hurry back to defend them.

However, when Third Rank sand monsters appeared in the Endless Sea of Sand at the same time, all the sand monsters exhibited slightly more intelligence. They would retreat when the attack was unfavorable and evade their enemies when chased. Furthermore, they developed more means of hiding their nests.

The chaos caused by Third Rank sand monsters in the Flying Swan Sect resulted in the nearby sand monsters around Forest Spring Watch also becoming somewhat smarter.

The sand monster horde swept through the Liu Family's territory but did not fully assault the well-prepared Liu Family mountain gate. Instead, they probed a few times before turning to invade Forest Spring Watch's domain.

Upon entering Forest Spring Watch's territory, they were met with a fierce counterattack by the cultivators of Forest Spring Watch. Surprisingly, the sand monster horde promptly retreated and scattered in different directions.

The main force of Forest Spring Watch's cultivators aimed to penetrate deep into Liu Family's territory, eradicating the sand monsters entirely and destroying their nests. Of course, Forest Spring Watch's decision to make such a bold advance was made after careful consideration. Among the sand monsters they faced, there were no Third Rank sand monsters.

After Third Rank sand monsters appeared in the Endless Sea of Sand, all the sand monster hordes demonstrated increased intelligence, acting on instincts to seek advantages and avoid harm. However, this didn't mean the sand monsters truly possessed wisdom. Even a Third Rank sand monster couldn't employ schemes and tricks like humans, such as luring enemies in or pretending to be weak.

If the sand monster horde Forest Spring Watch encountered did indeed have Third Rank sand monsters, these creatures would have directly razed Liu Family's mountain gate, swiftly cleared the surrounding areas, and exterminated all human cultivation forces, including Forest Spring Watch. They would never retreat or scatter in different directions.

After years of enduring the rampage of sand monsters in the Endless Sea of Sand, the Cultivators of the region were familiar with various habits of these creatures.

Therefore, Forest Spring Watch and its allied sects dared to enter Liu Family's territory aggressively and pursue the scattered sand monster horde.

Not long after the Forest Spring Watch's forces entered Liu Family's territory, a cultivator hurriedly flew over from a distance.

This cultivator was Guang RuiDaoist, another mid-Foundation Building cultivator from Forest Spring Watch.

During the previous invasion of sand monsters into Forest Spring Watch's territory, he led the forces that repelled the attack.

After the battle, he sent his men to report to Forest Spring Watch's Sect Master, Guang HuiDaoist, and personally followed the retreating sand monster horde to track their movements.

Guang RuiDaoist got straight to the point without any pleasantries as he reported, "While I was tracking the sand monster horde, I encountered an ambush from four Second Rank sand monsters at the junction of Green Bamboo Mountain's territory and Liu Family's territory. Worried about being surrounded, I had no choice but to retreat first."

"After a while, when I returned to that location, the sand monster horde had disappeared without a trace."

Losing track of the sand monster horde was an unavoidable situation for Guang RuiDaoist. Second Rank sand monsters were much more formidable than Second Rank demonic beasts. Four Second Rank sand monsters were enough to threaten the life of a mid-Foundation Building cultivator like Guang RuiDaoist.The sand monster disappeared at the border between the Liu Family's territory and the Green Bamboo Mountain's territory. Could it have escaped into the Green Bamboo Mountain's territory?

The top priority in dealing with the sand monster is to destroy its nest. However, the nest is deeply buried underground, and Guang HuiDaoist currently has no clue about its location. It's essential to locate the sand monster's nest.

With no other choice, he leads a large army to first eliminate the sand monster population, weaken their strength, and then slowly search for their nest.

Guang RuiDaoist has lost track of the sand monster's whereabouts, and there's no effective method to quickly find the nest.

After some thought, Guang HuiDaoist decides to have Guang HongDaoist bring Zhao Jiudou to him.

A moment later, Guang HongDaoist arrives with Zhao Jiudou before Guang HuiDaoist.

Due to the urgency of the situation, Guang HuiDaoist gets straight to the point. "Brother Zhao, I need to trouble you with something."

"The sand monster disappeared at the border between the Liu Family's territory and the Green Bamboo Mountain's territory. It's highly likely that they have moved into the Green Bamboo Mountain's territory."

"Please go and inform the Green Bamboo Mountain about the situation. We will enter their territory later to search for the sand monster population."

Guang HuiDaoist must be cautious because there is a deep-seated animosity between Green Bamboo Mountain and Forest Spring Watch, and Green Bamboo Mountain is affiliated with the Flying Swan Sect. They can't directly intrude on their territory and need Zhao Jiudou, a disciple of the Flying Swan Sect, to communicate beforehand to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts.

Upon hearing Guang HuiDaoist's request, Zhao Jiudou wastes no time and immediately leaves on a flying vessel towards Green Bamboo Mountain.

Instead of directly leading the large army into the Green Bamboo Mountain's territory, Guang HuiDaoist takes a detour within the Liu Family's territory.

This approach allows Zhao Jiudou enough time to inform the Green Bamboo Mountain.

It also guards against the possibility that the sand monster population might still be lingering in the Liu Family's territory.

Following Guang HuiDaoist's orders, the army spreads out, covering a considerable area in the sky.

For two days, they search within the Liu Family's territory but find no trace of the sand monster population.

Finally, the entire army arrives near the entrance of Liu Family's mountain.

The Liu Family's mountain stands tall and majestic, the highest peak for thousands of miles around. Its height far exceeds that of Green Bamboo Mountain and Forest Spring Watch.

The lower half of the mountain exhibits a mix of yellow and green, but as one looks higher up, it turns completely white, covered in snow.

The sight of the snow-covered half of the mountain sends shivers down one's spine even from a distance.

Most of the Liu Family members reside on this mountain. However, due to the recent sand monster attacks, the mountain gate is sealed shut, with protective formations enveloping the area in an almost intangible glow.

At the foot of the mountain was a sizeable oasis, housing numerous commoners.

But during the sand monster invasion, the Liu Family only evacuated the close relatives of their cultivators and some other relatives. Distant relatives and regular commoners were left behind and abandoned.

After the sand monster horde passed, the oasis was reduced to ruins, with most of its inhabitants slaughtered.

Thanks to the formidable defense, the sand monster tried to attack the Liu Family mountain gate a few times but finding no weaknesses, they eventually retreated.

Seeing the approaching Forest Spring Watch army, the Liu Family didn't show any intention of opening the gate to welcome them. Instead, they fortified the gate's defenses, with one protective formation activating after another, clearly on high alert.

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