"I wonder how things are going at the frontlines..."
After wrapping up his work for the day, Li Ye stepped out of the spiritual field, lost in thought.
It had been nearly two months since the attack on Purple Profound Sect Master, followed by the rediscovery of Cai Siwei's whereabouts two days later. Purple Profound Sect's pursuit ended in an ambush and then came the massive invasion from Yue Kingdom's Feiyu Sect.
Countless disciples and elders from the sect had been conscripted to the frontlines.
Nearly every day, Li Ye would hear various war reports casualty counts, victories and losses, news of powerful talents emerging from the enemy ranks, or which cultivator had made a name for themselves on the battlefield...
Cai Siwei, once a disciple of the Purple Profound Sect and now an elder of the Feiyu Sect, was also exceptionally active and stood out with his remarkable performance.
Despite being a thorn in the side of many elders and disciples of the Purple Profound Sect, he continued to fight with overwhelming strength often taking on multiple opponents alone without faltering.
The influx of news was almost overwhelming.
Powerhouses like Elder Ji Qing had long since departed for the frontlines to hold the line.
As for Li Ye, a spiritual farmer disciple, Elder Ji had helped shield him from being drafted, citing the need to tend the spiritual fields.
Typically, spiritual farmers were exempt from the first wave of deployments in every sect. Only when the situation turned truly dire would they be pulled from their duties and sent to war.
But in Li Ye's case, it all depended on the elder backing him.
Thankfully, Elder Ji had always treated him well.
Now, with the Blood Grain Rice nearing harvest and the Sunfire Flowers close to blooming, Elder Ji was still away at the frontlines. It looked like this round of harvest would fall to the supervision of the sect attendants.
"But with the momentum Feiyu Sect and Yue Kingdom are showing rumor has it that even one of their Nascent Soul ancestors personally stepped into battle although our Purple Profound Sect Master rushed to meet them and managed to hold his ground..."
"Since then, the Nascent Soul ancestor has ceased interfering, but somehow, the enemy's offensive has only grown fiercer…"
This kind of sign could mean many things.
"If this keeps up, I'll probably be drafted to the battlefield soon..."
Li Ye sighed quietly. "Before that happens, I need to finish harvesting the Blood Grain Rice…"
"I've already consumed about 400 strands of Blood Grain Rice essence almost enough to push Elephant Armor Force to a breakthrough. My body's full of latent vitality; I'm only one step away."
"But regular blood-replenishing pills and medicinal baths are no longer effective…"
"I'll have to try refining a few high-concentration pills using large amounts of pure Blood Grain Rice essence."
Whoosh
Misty vapor surged as the formation array's barrier suddenly activated.
A dim orange-red light streaked into the palace, triggering a cascade of defensive formations behind it.
"It's Elder Ji back… Wait, why does his aura feel so weak?"
Li Ye's heart sank as he watched from afar.
Even someone as powerful as Elder Ji had returned seriously wounded. Something major must have gone wrong at the frontlines.
This might have been a crushing defeat possibly triggering a chain of collapses across the battlefield!
Li Ye immediately packed up and headed toward the main hall.
And sure enough
He was stopped by attendant Tongzi Xiangyang, who informed him that Elder Ji was in seclusion to recover from his injuries and was not to be disturbed.
Seeing the shock on Li Ye's face, Xiangyang hesitated for a moment, then added:
"The Qi Clan betrayed our sect. During a joint battle against Feiyu Sect, they suddenly turned on us and attacked the elder alongside the enemy cultivators…"
"Though the elder relied on his formidable physique to slay the Qi Clan's Foundation Establishment cultivator and break through the encirclement…"
"He still suffered serious injuries and had no choice but to retreat with his squad. Similar betrayals occurred at other strategic points several local clans turned on us, causing our forces to collapse in multiple areas. Another region has now fallen to the enemy!"
Trouble.
That word immediately flashed through Li Ye's mind.
This was no longer just about lost territory.
The betrayal from those clans hadn't only resulted in the death of Foundation Establishment elders and heavy casualties among Qi Refining disciples it had also shattered the already fragile trust between Purple Profound Sect and the many clans in Huan Kingdom.
No one could say for sure whether another clan might backstab them next.
Even under the pressure of the Yue Kingdom's invasion, both the Purple Profound Sect and the remaining clans and minor sects were forced to unite.
They all knew the Yue Kingdom aimed to seize their land and resources. In the end, they would be robbed no matter what.
Maybe the first few to surrender to Feiyu Sect could keep their foundations, but who could guarantee later defectors wouldn't just be swallowed up afterward?
If any faction wanted to preserve its core heritage, the only real path forward was to repel the Yue Kingdom coalition.
Small clans and minor sects would now need to prove their loyalty to Purple Profound Sect, while Purple Profound, having suffered heavy losses, would need to pacify the rest and rally them.
But even so, the seed of distrust had already been planted and it would eventually sprout within Huan Kingdom's alliance.
Still, those problems remained hidden beneath the surface.
For now, the ones in the most awkward position were the disciples within Purple Profound Sect who came from various cultivation clans.
In the past, those disciples often enjoyed special treatment thanks to their family background.
But now, they found themselves alienated neither fully trusted nor fully integrated.
And as fate would have it, Li Ye was one of them!
"With heavy losses on the frontlines, the sect desperately needs reinforcements. We'll probably be the next ones drafted..."
A sense of urgency surged in his heart. After thanking Tongzi Xiangyang, Li Ye headed straight for Old Luo's residence.
He needed more detailed intel and perhaps a few connections. If he was going to fight on the frontlines, he at least wanted to secure a plot of spiritual land to make the most of it!
....
Two Days Later
"Hah! Incredible just doing it so blatantly now, huh?"
Li Ye looked at the sect's official decree in his hands, his expression quite a spectacle of mixed emotions.
Purple Profound Sect had openly published the roster and directly delivered the deployment orders to them.
Scanning the list of those being sent to the battlefield, he noticed that aside from a few disciples with no backing in the sect, the vast majority were from various cultivation clans.
And the areas they were being assigned to? All of them were hotspots where the fighting was at its fiercest.
They were being used as cannon fodder!
"Well, at least there are still a few days to prepare. That might just be enough time for us to harvest the four mu of Blood Grain Rice…"
Li Ye's expression held a glimmer of anticipation.
He had previously asked Old Luo about spiritual farmland assignments in war zones, but the old man could only shake his head and say that, at times like this, there were no such options.
And with Elder Ji Qing still in seclusion, Li Ye had no way to seek his help either.
If he wouldn't have a chance to farm again for a while, then this upcoming harvest was going to be critical!
With that in mind, he stopped wasting time and headed straight for the spiritual fields in the back mountains.
Another Two Days Passed
Tongzi Xiangyang arrived at the rear mountain and looked toward the fields with a complicated gaze, watching Li Ye, who was hard at work, bent over among the crops.
This guy was about to be sent off to war, yet he was still spending most of his time toiling in the fields every day...
What was he thinking?
No matter how diligent he was, with the elder still in seclusion, even if he made a stellar impression, there was no way he'd be kept back this time. What good would all this effort do now?
That was what Xiangyang thought, but as he kept watching, he suddenly noticed a genuine, joyful smile appear on Li Ye's face and he froze.
Smiling… at a time like this?
Could it be… this guy enjoyed working in the fields?
[You have successfully matured a Tier-1 spiritual plant: Blood Grain Rice. Experience +0.5...]
[...]
[Tier-1 spiritual plant Blood Grain Rice fully matured. You have received Blood Grain Rice Essence (5%)...]
[...]
Golden rice stalks swayed before Li Ye, and as the system messages scrolled across his vision, his smile grew even wider.
A bountiful harvest!
He had made it just in time!
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