And so, year after year, the three Imperial Majesties of the immortal race repeatedly released information, sometimes claiming they would attack an Archeldritch tribe, other times announcing they would annihilate a high-tier tribe.
On the eldritch race's side, they remained unchanging in the face of these constant provocations, making no alterations to their plans, seemingly allowing the immortal race to attack at will.
The eldritch race received their seventh message from their spies. The immortal race planned to attack the Huo Ning Tribe, one of the high-tier eldritch tribes second only to the four Archeldritch tribes, guarded by several High Eldritches.
This time, the immortal race was serious.
Imperial Majesty Lei Fu led three Heavenly Masters, thirty-two High Immortals, and nearly seven hundred Earth Immortals in a lightning-fast assault, swiftly breaching the Huo Ning Tribe.
The battle at Huo Ning Tribe was incredibly brutal.
The eldritch race, having received the distress call from the Huo Ning Tribe immediately, quickly mobilized nearly a hundred High Eldritches along the Heavenly Pillar Mountain line. Led by three Eldritch Deities, they invaded the First Heaven of the Immortal Realm.
Fierce battles erupted simultaneously at two locations.
On the immortal race’s side, the mana bodies of several High Immortals perished, with just one High Immortal and over ten Earth Immortals truly dying.
Within Heavenly Pillar Mountain, the First Heaven of the Immortal Realm was utterly destroyed by the eldritch army, but the immortal race was prepared, having gathered a large number of elite immortal cultivators and retreating to the Fourth Heaven, thus suffering relatively minor losses.
Overall, the eldritch race suffered greater losses in this battle.
Afterward, the immortal race repeated their tactics, conducting several more probes, each time spreading the news openly.
Over time, the vigilant eldritch race gradually relaxed their guard.
On the twelfth probe, Imperial Majesty Lei Fu led numerous Heavenly Masters and High Immortals in a surprise attack on the Wood Archeldritch tribe.
For the first time in history, the immortal race had struck an Archeldritch tribe, a truly momentous event. It was a blatant provocation against the entire eldritch race.
In this battle, both sides fought with earth-shattering intensity!
As a result, the eldritch side lost six High Eldritches, with countless mana bodies of High Eldritches and Earth Eldritches perishing.
The well-prepared immortal side lost only two High Immortals. Many mana bodies of High Immortals also fell.
Though not exactly defeated, this battle truly sent the entire eldritch race into high alert, making them realize that continuing with their original strategy would only lead to greater losses.
Thus, they made comprehensive adjustments to their war strategy against the immortal race.
"All Archeldritch tribes are to mobilize their Earth Eldritches and High Eldritches.”
“Station over two hundred High Eldritches to garrison along the Heavenly Pillar Mountain line. If the immortal race's main force dares to leave Heavenly Pillar Mountain to attack Archeldritch tribes or other high-tier eldritch tribes, immediately attack Heavenly Pillar Mountain upon receiving the news." Orders were sent down from the highest echelons of Eldritch Deities and veteran elders.
"The vanguard will be personally led by Eldritch Deity Zhu Jiu."
"We don't aim to annihilate the immortal race, just destroying a dozen or so Heavens will be worth it." The eldritch race's tactics were simple and brutal, yet extremely straightforward.
Two words— exchanging homes!
If they actively searched for the immortal race's main force? The sheer size of the land made it too difficult, especially with their Creation Divine Artifacts concealing their auras and blocking communication.
But Heavenly Pillar Mountain couldn't run away.
"Even if an Archeldritch tribe is breached, the immortal race can't occupy the spirit veins of the land; ultimately, they will return to us."
"However, the foundation for the immortal race's growth and expansion is the Thirty-Three Heavens. If we destroy the lower eighteen Heavens, it will take them a long time to rebuild their home, and the rate at which they produce immortals will sharply decrease."
"This way, we won't lose out." The highest echelons of the four Archeldritch tribes were prepared to bear any cost.
A battle of foundations! It was a test of who could endure longer.
The brutal war between the two great powers escalated and hatred accumulated, approaching the brink of another great decisive battle.
As spring arrived, the earth stirred from its slumber, and all of nature rejuvenated. Within the Earth Archeldritch Tribe's territory, a tapestry of spring's vitality unfurled.
The tribe was vast, divided into many regions. Just tens of thousands of li from the Archeldritch Hall, there stood an enormous hall complex named Cloudhill Hall. This was Wu Yuan's residence.
The Snake Ancestor and Eldritch Deities had designated Wu Yuan as the Eighth Veteran Elder, and the other seven peak-stage High Eldritch veteran elders also knew this.
But to prevent information leaks, this news was kept secret from the nearly hundred ordinary High Eldritches and over a thousand Earth Eldritches in the tribe.
Wu Yuan's residence was located close to the Archeldritch Hall, so in case of an attack, the group of High Eldritches around the Archeldritch Hall could provide support immediately.
Eldritch Deity Hou Tu secretly guarded him, living in an inconspicuous temple a thousand li away.
A thousand li? For beings at the Eldritch Deity level, he was practically beside him.
On top of that, the Snake Ancestor had left its original lake, relocating to a cave underground not far from Cloudhill Hall, all to guard against an attack on Wu Yuan.
It could be said that the highest echelons of the Earth Archeldritch tribe had done everything possible to protect Wu Yuan.
Within the hall complex was a massive lake, beside which was a stretch of grassland.
"Hou Quan, have you understood this move yet?" Wu Yuan lay leisurely on the grass, watching a burly young man practicing saber techniques not far away.
The saber techniques flowed continuously, blade rays slicing through the air, yet not causing too much disturbance, somewhat embodying the heaviness of the earth.
"I can understand your guidance, but when I actually perform it, it's just slightly off, just by a little bit." The burly young man slowly sheathed his saber.
He came to Wu Yuan's side and grabbed a wine jug, drinking from it.
"You’ve reached the limit of your bloodline power’s potential. You can only depend on yourself now. Ponder more, think more, practice more," Wu Yuan said with a faint smile. "Practice the saber strike ten million times, and the technique will naturally manifest."
This burly young man was none other than Hou Quan from the Hou Cheng Tribe, an Archeldritch bloodline bearer Wu Yuan encountered when he first arrived in this world.
Decades ago, when Wu Yuan first heard the news of the Hou Cheng Tribe's destruction, he thought Hou Quan, Hou Ming, Eldritch General Hou She, Earth Eldritch Hou Cheng, and the others had all perished.
That was, until forty years ago.
At the Archeldritch tribe, Wu Yuan bumped into Hou Quan, who had become an Eldritch General. He learned that when the tribe was destroyed, Hou Quan had just left the tribe on a new mission, thus avoiding the calamity.
Later, he was brought to the Archeldritch tribe by the High Eldritches who rushed to their rescue.
Feeling somewhat responsible, Wu Yuan tutored Hou Quan multiple times, and over time, they developed a strong friendship.
"Mm. I need to work harder," Hou Quan nodded. "Even if I can't catch up to you, Hou Feng, I must strive to become an Earth Eldritch.
Only by becoming an Earth Eldritch will I qualify to join the fight at Heavenly Pillar Mountain." A glimmer of hatred flashed in Hou Quan's eyes.
Wu Yuan sighed inwardly.
He had once confided in Hou Quan, telling him that it was because of himself that the Hou Cheng Tribe met with catastrophe.
But Hou Quan didn't blame Wu Yuan, and even felt somewhat grateful for Wu Yuan's guidance. His hatred was solely directed at the immortal race.
He had even once said, "What's the point of hating you? You didn't do anything wrong. The immortal race is at fault. If they wanted to destroy our eldritch race, even without you, disaster would have befallen the Hou Cheng Tribe sooner or later."
This response left Wu Yuan quite emotional.
"Hou Feng, I heard that more Earth Eldritches from our tribe have fallen at Heavenly Pillar Mountain," Hou Quan suddenly said.
"Yes, I heard about that," Wu Yuan nodded.
Under normal circumstances, whether High Eldritches and Earth Eldritches, or High Immortals and Earth Immortals, they wouldn’t perish easily. Most of them sent their ether bodies or mana bodies to battle, while their true selves remained safely behind.
However, over the past eighty years, the eldritch race and immortal race had fought too fiercely.
Moreover, the cultivation system in this world was imperfect, resulting in relatively weak ether bodies and mana bodies, so many chose to fight with their true bodies.
In life-and-death battles, many powerhouses naturally fell.
Earth Eldritches already held rather high statuses. After all, across the four Archeldritch tribes and numerous high-tier eldritch tribes of the entire eldritch race, the number of Earth Eldritches had never exceeded ten thousand, with the Earth Archeldritch tribe having only about a thousand of them in their ranks.
It's been eighty years since I arrived in this world. I'm already 170 years old, and it's been fifty years since I advanced to the Elysian Field phase. Although I have no divine crystal elixir, I managed to cultivate straight to the ninth-stage Elysian Field phase in one shot ten years ago thanks to the special environment provided by the Archeldritch tribe. Wu Yuan lay leisurely on the grass, feeling the gentle breeze. It was quite pleasant.
Though inferior to the divine crystal elixir, the environment in the Archeldritch tribe was still highly suitable for mana cultivation. The resources provided by the Snake Ancestor seemed limitless.
It had allowed Wu Yuan to reach the ninth-stage Elysian Field phase in just a few decades.