NOVEL WEB Chapter 352: Counterattack
Xue Feng's pale complexion regained its color almost instantly after swallowing Tan Wei's pill. On the stump where his arm had been severed, a new one began to regenerate at a pace visible to the naked eye, the flesh knitting together with astonishing speed. In less than two minutes, he was completely healed.
Feng Fan was genuinely impressed. To restore someone at the Transcending Tribulation stage to peak condition in under two minutes could only mean one thing: Tan Wei's Alchemy Dao had already reached tier 9, on par with Feng Fan's own mastery in the Dao of Arrays.
Once he had calmed his mind and steadied his breath, Xue Feng turned to Feng Fan, his face troubled. After a moment of hesitation, he flew forward and bowed deeply. "Senior Feng, I sincerely apologize for my earlier actions!"
He dared not blame Feng Fan for his heavy-handedness. Even under mind control, he held himself accountable. Feng Fan simply waved his hand in response.
"We don't have time to waste. Xue Feng, summon every soldier you can. We're striking the cultists' headquarters."
Time was not on their side. Feng Fan had to destroy the source of the tainted spiritual qi before the immortal dagger shattered. If he couldn't resolve the situation in less than seven days, he would be forced to retreat and abandon the entire Seven Planets Region.
The Four Demon Venerables had schemed against him and his wives. If he didn't strike back, Feng Fan knew he would never find the peace of mind needed to cultivate. They said a gentleman could wait ten years for vengeance, but Feng Fan was no gentleman.
Xue Feng retrieved a jade token from his space ring and infused it with his consciousness. "Attention, all soldiers of Green—"
"Wait!" Feng Fan interrupted sharply, causing Xue Feng to halt mid-sentence.
Deactivating the communication token, Xue Feng turned to him with a puzzled expression. "Senior Feng, is something wrong?"
"Don't reveal our plan to everyone," Feng Fan said calmly but firmly. "Those here have already been freed from the tainted spiritual qi's influence, but we can't say the same for others stationed elsewhere. Just tell them to gather here. I'll personally cleanse them before we make our move."
Though Feng Fan didn't spell it out, Xue Feng immediately understood. If word of their strategy reached anyone still corrupted, the cultists would be alerted, and striking them down would become far more difficult.
Xue Feng nodded and carried out Feng Fan's instructions, informing all soldiers to gather at their current fortress urgently. Green was a vast planet, but every cultivator stationed here was at least in the Return To Void realm, making the distance between fortresses effectively meaningless. In less than ten minutes, over ten million cultivators filled the skies.
Feng Fan was truly impressed. Back in Red Pole, not even one percent of this force would be needed to raze an entire planet. Yet here, this immense army was only enough to hold the cultists at bay and maintain a fragile stalemate.
It was a sobering reminder of the Four Demon Venerables' strength and influence in the Mortal Realm despite having already stepped into the Immortal Realm.
"Xue Feng, you better have a good reason for summoning so many cultivators here," said a stern voice. The speaker was a gaunt man with sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, dressed in plain blue linen robes that hung loosely over his thin frame. "Even as one of the top commanders, depending on your explanation, this could be considered treason."
Xue Feng didn't respond. Instead, he glanced at Feng Fan, who gave a subtle shake of his head. Feng Fan activated his spiritual qi vision, sweeping his gaze across the vast sea of cultivators surrounding them. Then, without hesitation, he activated the immortal dagger.
To his surprise, most of the gathered cultivators were untouched by the dark spiritual qi. 'Of course,' he thought. 'That corruption shouldn't exist in the Mortal Realm to begin with. The Heavenly Laws must have imposed limits, preventing the Four Demon Venerables from injecting enough of it to control everyone.'
Just like before, the tainted qi was drawn out of a few thousand cultivators, spiraling toward the black dagger before vanishing within it. Those nearest to Feng Fan stared at him with widened eyes, stunned by what they had just witnessed.
"Li Qing," Xue Feng said, addressing the man who had spoken to him earlier. "The cultists summoned something unholy from the Immortal Realm. It infected many of our comrades, bending their will. Senior Feng has found a way to purge the corruption, but we must strike now, before the source spreads further."
Li Qing's expression turned grim. He had seen enough to understand the truth. As one of the high-ranking defenders of the Seven Planets Region, he was well aware of Feng Fan's presence here to bolster their defensive formations.
"Senior Feng," he said solemnly, "what is your plan?"
Feng Fan didn't respond immediately. Instead, he focused his consciousness on the black dagger, using the tainted spiritual qi stored within to resonate with its source. This method was something Lai Hu had left behind, a hidden key meant to guide them to the heart of the corruption before time ran out.
After a moment, Feng Fan opened his eyes and spoke, his tone steady. "I've located the source of the tainted spiritual qi. We have no choice. We must strike now."
Without waiting for further discussion, he took to the skies, flying directly toward the origin point.
He didn't mention that the black dagger was the only artifact capable of suppressing the taint, nor that it was nearing its limit and would shatter in less than seven days. This knowledge was something that the less people knew, the better.
The other leaders hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. But Feng Fan's reputation as a tier 9 Array Master, combined with Xue Feng's standing among the top commanders, was enough to rally them. One by one, they followed.