Senior Sisters, I Don’t Want To Work Hard Anymore

Chapter 17: Reinforcements

After half an hour, all disciples boarded the ship.

Driven by the large-scale spiritual energy array, the seven Tianzhou ships burst into dazzling light and rose into the sky, turning towards the southeast horizon.

Due to the effect of the spatial array, the interior space of the Tianzhou ships appeared much larger than it seemed from the outside. Each ship could accommodate tens of thousands of people for living, daily cultivation, and almost equivalent to the size of a small city.

There were more than 7,000 disciples participating in this expedition, over 400 elders of different levels, more than 200,000 Daoist puppets for combat, and a massive supply of logistical materials. They were personally led by Senior Sister Xue Bingxuan.

Inside the ship, in the spacious corridor, Qi Yalan, radiant and elegant, walked briskly with her head held high, and the disciples on duty along the way saluted one after another.

Xue Bingxuan's temporary residence was a separate courtyard, which was not only spacious but also well-equipped with areas such as alchemy rooms, study rooms, bedrooms, cultivation rooms, and reception halls. The layout and facilities were exquisite, and there was a large group of maidservants ready to be summoned at any time.

This was the privilege of being a core disciple of the sect, and Qi Yalan was no exception. Of course, Qin Muling did not have such privileges. The two beautiful senior sisters, for the sake of safety, reasonably allowed him to live in the same courtyard, making it convenient for them to guide his cultivation and check his progress.

As a result, those inner and outer disciples who wanted to find excuses to visit Qin Muling, explore his background, and make connections had to give up. After all, Senior Sister Xue Bingxuan had a high prestige in the sect, and those with insufficient status and position would not dare to disturb her casually.

In the conference hall, Xue Bingxuan was discussing the situation on the front lines with the elders, and Qin Muling was present, listening.

A huge magical projection sand table was placed in the center of the hall, showing an unfamiliar void landmass with a diameter of over 300,000 miles, with an overall dark red tone. The surface of the landmass had detailed and vivid terrain features, even showing some subtle details.

Qi Yalan quietly approached Qin Muling and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, silently using her divine sense to inform him about the origin of the Soul Demon Abyss battlefield.

Over ten thousand years ago, this void landmass was called "Linzhou" and was an important territory within the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's sphere of influence. It had a superior environment, abundant resources, and a dense population of mortals. Valuable resources were produced here every year.

The so-called Soul Demon Abyss was the core area located in the middle of this void landmass. On the surface, it appeared as if a vast mountain range suddenly collapsed under an unknown force, revealing a super crater with a diameter of over a thousand miles and a bottomless depth.

Many underground spaces were naturally formed in the underground of various void landmasses, and this was no exception. From the surface to several thousand miles below, there was a vast and dark underground world inhabited by some mysterious and savage races. Before the appearance of the crater, their living space was mostly limited to the dark underground, and only a few individuals were fortunate enough to escape to the surface.

Later, at some unknown time, the population of these underground races grew larger, and many individuals awakened their intelligence and power, beginning to master the path of cultivation. The situation gradually changed.

In order to find more resources and expand their living space, the strong individuals among the underground races launched attacks and embarked on arduous explorations in the underground world, paying countless costs. Finally, they found cracks leading to the surface world.

After that, it was simple. Groups of selected vanguard legions rushed up to the surface, and with their strong adaptability, they hunted and devoured all living beings they encountered, establishing strongholds and cities, and gradually expanding their influence.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The news of the appearance of the underground mysterious races on the surface reached the higher-ups of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Numerous experts arrived with precious treasures and launched a massive extermination campaign.

After an almost overwhelming battle, the heavily damaged underground races were completely driven back to the underground world, licking their wounds in their nests, waiting for the opportunity to return.

In this way, tens of thousands of years passed. The strength of the underground races gradually recovered, their population grew larger than before, and more powerful individuals were born.

Thousands of years ago, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace suddenly encountered a great disaster, resulting in heavy casualties among its elite members. Its overall strength was greatly diminished, making it unable to suppress the savage races in the underground world.

There is no need to elaborate on what happened afterwards. The passage reopened, and the underground races launched a massive invasion. The high-level members of the sect, who fought valiantly but were unable to win, eventually decided to abandon this territory and relocate the disciples and some mortals who remained here to other void landmasses.

"... This doesn't make sense, does it?"

Qin Muling turned to look at his third senior sister's flawless profile and asked with his divine sense, "Are there really individuals among them who are stronger than the elders? If not, how could the sect possibly lose?"

Qi Yalan sighed, "Your thinking is correct. The key issue lies in the fact that during those unforgettable years, the situation the sect faced was extremely dire. It wasn't just this territory; there were many places within our sphere of influence that were in trouble. We needed power to maintain order and put out fires everywhere, but we simply couldn't handle it all. That's why..."

Thousands of years ago, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, with its vast territory, was plagued by numerous problems. There were celestial catastrophes in the void, disturbances caused by demonic tribes, large-scale mysterious plagues ravaging various secular empires, and countless casualties among the living. There were also hostile sects taking advantage of the chaos to plunder... It seemed like every troublesome matter had converged.

However, this was not the most fatal issue. Despite the difficulties Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace faced during this troubled period, it still had a solid foundation accumulated over many years by the supersect. As long as it recuperated and dealt with things carefully, there would eventually be a day when it could overcome the crisis.

The problem was that at this critical time, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace ended up with a young and naive sect leader who had a saintly heart. She made one foolish decision after another, both internally and externally. Many decisions that could have been made better were ruined by her.

Apart from her cultivation level, this woman's mind and character were simply unsuitable for being the highest decision-maker of a supersect. She only obtained that position by chance, and as a result, it turned into a disaster for Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

During those dark years, even Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's staunch allies were chilled by the woman's constant foolish actions and chose to stand by and watch.

When the supreme elders hidden in the Grotto-Heaven secret realm could no longer bear it and took action to depose this naive and foolish sect leader, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace had already lost most of its foundation. Its sphere of influence was greatly reduced, and countless vassal forces broke away from its control and sought their own paths.

Now, Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace's stronghold on this void landmass consists of only a few cities on the outskirts, and even these are barely maintained. It is uncertain when they will be breached by those abnormal beings.

"... What sins did the elder disciples of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace commit in their past lives to end up with such a Supreme Grade sect leader?"

Qin Muling sighed. At first glance, this seemed somewhat unbelievable. How could such an idiotic and useless person become the highest authority figure in a superpower?

But when he thought about his past life, the super empire in the north that made the whole world tremble, which collapsed and disappeared in just a few years, wasn't it also because of a bizarre and mentally handicapped leader? It can be seen that the evolution and development of many things in the real world are fundamentally illogical.

"... How many hostile forces are plotting against us?"

Qin Muling fell silent for a moment and continued to communicate with his senior sister through divine sense. He didn't believe that things could be coincidental to such an exaggerated extent. Even if the Supreme Grade sect leader was a factor, there must be some superpowers behind the scenes secretly making moves, setting traps and obstacles for Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace.

"You're quite quick to react, little junior brother!"

Qi Yalan smiled faintly. "This matter is quite complicated. I'll explain it to you slowly when we have the chance. But for now, we must hurry over and repel the attacks from the underground races."

(To be continued tonight, from now on, there will be double updates every day, no more slacking off.)

(End of this chapter)