"How is this possible?!" Zuo Chuan’s thoughts seemed to stall for an instant.

Twelve layers of defensive arrays are destroyed. Even the weakest among them has reached level 6. With such formidable defenses, even if they are struck head-on by the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique, they should never have collapsed so easily, unless the enemy mobilized more than a hundred third-tier great spell cultivators to act in unison. But how could that be possible?!

Even if the Sea Guardian Institute and the Sword-Wielding Institute were combined, the total number of third-tier great spell cultivators wouldn't reach one hundred. We had already conducted reconnaissance, and the enemy’s spell cultivators numbered only a little over thirty. Even if some had hidden methods and practiced both sword and spell cultivations, even if we were to assume they have fifty great spell cultivators in total, that'd still be only half a hundred.

And the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique we have perceived is on a scale equivalent to only a little over thirty people acting together. The more people involved in casting a combined spell, the longer the preparation time will be. Yet they have completed the Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique in under twenty minutes. It clearly can't be the result of a hundred people acting together!

"The arrays are broken!"

"This is bad! Fight the enemy!"

"Flying swords incoming!"

Waves of panicked shouts jolted Zuo Chuan out of his disbelief.

"Watch out! Everyone, defend against the flying swords!" Zuo Chuan shouted as he rose into the air.

Whether he was willing to accept it or not, the facts were before him. What he truly had to do now was to exhaust every effort to preserve the lives of everyone aboard the Sky Patrol Warship.

As he rose up, he issued orders to his aide. "Contact the Heavenly Palace cultivators! Call for reinforcements from nearby battle teams!"

"Yes!" The aide immediately activated his psychic thought.

But just as their psychic thought flared and they attempted to establish resonance with their Heavenly Palace cultivators, an overwhelmingly powerful wave of psychic thought swept across the battlefield, scattering all of their psychic thought in an instant.

At the same time, more than twenty sword cultivators led by Tang Fenghua, who had deliberately conserved part of their strength, charged in ferociously. They tore through the scant resistance from sword cultivators like it was a rotten log being smashed apart, and shot straight toward the primordial psyche cultivators.

"Nine Cauldrons Sect! How dare you! Are you trying to start an all-out war with our Great Sun Sword Sect?!" Zuo Chuan let out an enraged roar and immediately activated an emergency defensive array aboard the Sky Patrol Warship, one that was designed to protect only a limited number of critical departments. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Heh!" Tang Fenghua’s expression was icy.

An all-out war?! If the Nine Cauldrons Sect was really weak, then the threat of war might have been a problem. But as long as the Nine Cauldrons Sect continues to demonstrate sufficient strength, the threat of war will be nonexistent. Tang Fenghua thought.

As Tang Fenghua looked at the array that had been hurriedly activated, he was about to act when Yaoguang’s newest instructions arrived with impeccable timing through his psychic consciousness. At once, three of the more than twenty flying swords broke away. Swift as lightning, they traced the energy fluctuations released when the array activated and struck with extreme precision at its most critical node, destroying it right away.

This kind of pinpoint strike finally made Zuo Chuan realize something. "An array caster!"

There's an array caster within the Sea Guardian Institute, and it has to be an array grandmaster! Wait... not even an array grandmaster should be this skilled. After all, the twelve defensive arrays on this Sky Patrol Warship not only spanned multiple layers but also encompassed several different types. Even an array art grandmaster couldn't be proficient in every kind of level 6 array! There's only one real possibility...

On top of having an array grandmaster, they must also have long since uncovered the distribution of arrays aboard the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship and carried out targeted research on those arrays in advance. That's the only possible explanation to how a single Yin-Yang Disintegration Technique could simultaneously destroy all twelve defensive arrays on the Spring Rain!

And just as he grasped this so-called truth, more than a dozen of the flying swords had already pierced through layer after layer of defenses and plunged into the ranks of the primordial psyche cultivators.

The frailty of primordial psyche cultivators was laid bare before Yaoguang’s eyes. Facing the incoming sword strikes, not a single one of them could block even a single one.

Where the sword light passed, blood sprayed like from a fountain! All twelve primordial psyche cultivators aboard the Sky Patrol Warship were wiped out in an instant!

"No!" Zuo Chuan let out a howl of anguish, one almost identical to that of Song You, the sect master of the Xuanming Sect.

He unleashed everything he had, sword strikes tearing through the sky as he tried to cut down the flying swords rampaging through the crowd. But under Yaoguang’s guidance, Tang Fenghua’s life-bound flying sword had already rushed forward to meet him.

Tang Fenghua’s life-bound flying sword was an improved Purple Firmament Type 15 model, a true fourth-generation flying sword, even more advanced than Zuo Chuan’s. More importantly, there were three great sword cultivators providing support from the flanks.

With all four acting together, Zuo Chuan found it impossible to resist. His life-bound flying sword was quickly cleaved with two deep notches. And while the four surrounded and hunted him, the remaining sword cultivators unleashed surging sword qi.

Although the Spring Rain’s sword cultivators would occasionally fight back with desperate resolve, most of them were already out of energy. Coupled with Yaoguang’s continuous psychic thought interference, the combat power they could muster was now inferior even to that of spell cultivators.

As for the spell cultivators, with the descent of the second spell jointly unleashed by the Sea Guardian Institute’s thirty-six spell cultivators, the Annihilation Purple Light, those spell cultivators who lacked array protection were swiftly wiped out as well.

Although the results couldn't be described as a one-sided slaughter, it was still a situation in which one side completely suppressed the other. Especially after the primordial psyche cultivators were killed, and with the Sea Guardian Institute holding an absolute advantage in primordial psyche cultivators and dominating the battlefield, Zuo Chuan could not even send out a call for reinforcements.

"Sea Guardian Institute!" Zuo Chuan charged left and right, grief and fury in his heart reaching their peak.

The Sea Guardian Institute, although inferior to the Sword-Wielding Institute in the quality of its sword cultivators and spell cultivators, surpassed the Sword-Wielding Institute and even all the elite battle institutes of the Great Sun Sword Sect by an entire level when it came to psyche cultivators.

Judging purely by the strength of its psyche cultivators, it could even be called the number-one institute on the Heavenly Star Continent. Even if making a conservative estimate, they had to have at least a handful of fifth-tier primordial psyche cultivators.

Furthermore, this battle institute was actually equipped with an array grandmaster... Such a figure was supposed to be a treasure kept deep in the rear, protected by all of the sect! Sending an array grandmaster to the front lines was absolutely reckless and a complete waste! Yet the Sea Guardian Institute had done exactly that.

And it was precisely because of this bizarre personnel assignment that the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship had suffered such a crushing defeat! Sensing his own power growing weaker and weaker, Zuo Chuan already understood what awaited him.

Looking toward the distance, where the Sea Guardian Institute’s chief had yet to appear even now, he finally realized why the Infinite Star Palace had been willing to pay such a heavy price for him.

Unfortunately, I no longer have the strength to complete the task assigned to me. No! I might not be able to finish it, but at the very least, others have to. I need to give them a chance! With that thought, Zuo Chuan let out a roar filled with unwillingness and resolve. "The sect will avenge me!"

He ignited the last of his true origin and raised his sword to the heavens. A violent sword light surged skyward, as if it were about to pierce through heaven and earth and soar straight into the nine heavens.

That radiance carried his resolute will. It could both inform the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Heavenly Palace cultivators of his location and warn them, making them aware of the threat posed by the Sea Guardian Institute!

But the moment that sword light shot into the sky, Yaoguang instantly contacted Murong Hui through the Void Psychic World. Murong Hui, who was already engaged in a psychic-thought confrontation with the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Heavenly Palace cultivators, made a massive show of activity after receiving Yaoguang’s message, as if he were about to unleash a major move.

Of course, Murong Hui handled the spectacle, while the actual strike came from Yaoguang. With the two working together, the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Heavenly Palace cultivators were forced straight back, to the point that they never clearly saw the brilliant light that flashed across the East Sea.

Within that sword light, Tang Fenghua’s life-bound flying sword tore through Zuo Chuan’s body like lightning. The other great sword cultivators also swiftly finished clearing out the remaining Great Sun Sword Sect cultivators aboard the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship.

Very soon, the great sword cultivators led by Wang Feng landed steadily on the warship. Every face was filled with joy, as well as disbelief. "T-This is it? We won?"

Their Sea Guardian Institute had not only crushed a Sky Patrol Warship head-on and annihilated all the experts aboard, but it had also captured the Sky Patrol Warship! And it was a second-generation Sky Patrol Warship, more advanced than the one they had purchased from the Thousand-Beast Sect!

"A Sky Patrol Warship!" After landing on the vessel, Tang Fenghua’s eyes overflowed with uncontainable joy.

Capturing a Sky Patrol Warship, something equivalent to a mobile fortress, was a feat no less than destroying an entire sect. And they had accomplished it with the strength of a single institute? Who would believe that?!

"The Sea Guardian Institute, which isn’t even considered an elite battle institute, not only crushed a Sky Patrol Warship but even captured it? That’s just absurd!" Some of the great sword cultivators could not help but shout excitedly.

"I know everyone has expended a great deal, and your mental state is extremely strained, but please hold on a little longer. I’ll guide you. Let’s get this Sky Patrol Warship moving at once!" Yaoguang’s psychic thought rang out instantly in everyone’s minds.

"Not at all! The expenditure isn’t heavy at all! If we can bring this Sky Patrol Warship back, I’d gladly exhaust myself to death!"

"That’s right, Chief. My mental state is great. Command us as you like. We’re not tired!"

"A Sky Patrol Warship! I never thought I, Yue Zhanlong, would live to see such a day. Chief, please use us however you wish!"

One great sword cultivator after another responded enthusiastically. Although the true origin within their bodies was indeed nearly depleted, nobody showed any trace of the mental exhaustion Yaoguang had mentioned. Instead, each of them was brimming with vigor, without the slightest trace of fatigue.

"Perfect!" Yaoguang did not hesitate. He rapidly issued orders for Tang Fenghua to activate the Sky Patrol Warship’s own concealment array.

At the same time, he instructed Wang Feng and the others to start up the warship. As for himself, he directly deployed the information-restricted zone, erasing the warship from the information layer altogether.

Amidst rumbling sounds, the Sky Patrol Warship started moving again and set course for the Nine Cauldrons Sect. Not long after the warship was captured and began heading back, the Great Sun Sword Sect’s Heavenly Palace cultivators seemed to realize the weight of the situation and concentrated all their strength to break through the Nine Cauldrons Sect’s interference in the region.

To that end, they even sought assistance from the Infinite Star Palace. However, by the time the Infinite Star Palace’s reinforcements arrived more than ten minutes later, the battle had long since ended, and even the Spring Rain Sky Patrol Warship was nowhere to be found. It was as if it had never existed at all.