Chapter 00208: Total Annihilation
# Total Annihilation
Chapter 208
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 208: Total Annihilation
"Disciples of Purple Mist Valley, follow me, Gu Mo, and defend our sect. We will never allow outsiders to trample on our dignity and bully our sect."
As he spoke, Gu Mo drew out his weapon, the Triangular Trident.
"Crack!" In just a short time, the protective formation of Purple Mist Valley had been shattered by the powerful experts of Nine Tones Sect.
Although Purple Mist Valley had a strong presence, its protective formation was nothing to boast about.
It was barely a low-level fifth-grade formation.
With thousands of people attacking the formation simultaneously, including a Soul Formation realm expert, it was impressive that it had held out for this long.
Before Gu Mo and the disciples of Purple Mist Valley could even reach the sect, the forces of Nine Tones Sect had already broken through.
This was simply too much.
If they had just been shouting outside the sect, there might have been room for negotiation.
But now, Nine Tones Sect had broken through the formation and invaded Purple Mist Valley.
This was an attempt to annihilate the sect.
If they didn't destroy the sect, Nine Tones Sect would have no place in the cultivation world.
The disciples of Purple Mist Valley were furious, itching to charge forward and fight Nine Tones Sect to the death.
After all, the enemy had invaded their home.
But Gu Mo was filled with dread.
According to the news brought by Liu Yinzhu, Ding Huan had said that Nine Tones Sect would break through the formation and invade Purple Mist Valley to annihilate the sect.
Gu Mo was speechless.
If he were to die, this might be possible.
But as long as he, Gu Mo, was alive, Nine Tones Sect would never be able to annihilate Purple Mist Valley.
Since they couldn't annihilate Purple Mist Valley, Nine Tones Sect shouldn't have been able to break through the formation and invade.
They should have been content with a standoff, trying to gain control of the Purple Garden Mountain Range.
But now, it was clear that he had been wrong, and Ding Huan had been right.
At this moment, Gu Mo regretted not listening to Ding Huan's advice to set up a killing formation within the sect.
If he had listened, Nine Tones Sect would have walked right into a death trap.
How had Ding Huan known about this seemingly illogical move?
Gu Mo had initially wanted to lead the charge, but then he remembered Ding Huan's words, relayed by Liu Yinzhu.
"Don't strike first. Wait for the enemy to charge, then unleash your full power."
Thinking of this, Gu Mo forcibly suppressed his anger and held back from charging forward.
Just as Gu Mo thought the enemy would charge first, something even more unexpected happened.
Not only did Nine Tones Sect not charge, but each of their disciples pulled out a cylindrical object.
When activated, a thick smoke filled the area for miles around.
What was the meaning of this?
As the smoke drifted over, Gu Mo's heart sank.
He understood.
The smoke released by the enemy was the same poison he had been afflicted with.
Nine Tones Sect was truly despicable, resorting to such a vile tactic to wipe out Purple Mist Valley.
This poison was something even he couldn't resist, let alone the disciples and elders.
The fact that Nine Tones Sect dared to release the poison so openly meant they must have taken an antidote beforehand.
There was no time to wait.
They had to strike now.
Killing one enemy would be breaking even, killing two would be a profit.
Wait, no...
Gu Mo suddenly realized what was happening and roared in anger:
"Chang Qi, Hao Wudao, are you openly challenging the rules of the cultivation world? You are the sect leader and the grand elder. By invading Purple Mist Valley like this, do you think the cultivation world will tolerate the existence of Nine Tones Sect?"
Gu Mo finally understood the meaning of the incense.
The ingredients of that incense must have been an antidote.
Ding Huan had told them to burn the incense before the battle, so they would inhale the antidote first.
Now, Nine Tones Sect thought they were poisoned and would charge in without caution, thinking Purple Mist Valley was no longer a threat.
But with the antidote, Purple Mist Valley could turn the tables.
"Haha, Gu Mo, you old fool, I didn't expect you to still be alive. Disciples of Nine Tones Sect, Purple Mist Valley has seized our Purple Garden Mountain Range. Let's annihilate them!"
Hao Wudao laughed heartily.
He had long wanted to destroy Purple Mist Valley, and today he finally had the chance.
Over eight thousand disciples of Nine Tones Sect surged forward.
Gu Mo shouted, "Disciples of Purple Mist Valley, fight with all your might! Kill them all!"
Anyone with a basic understanding of battle formations would know that a chaotic melee of nearly twenty thousand people was the most foolish way to fight.
There was no order, no organization, just everyone fighting on their own, with no coordinated effort.
But both Nine Tones Sect and Purple Mist Valley were filled with cultivators who sought immortality.
Who had time to learn about military tactics?
Besides, in the eyes of Nine Tones Sect, Purple Mist Valley's disciples were already poisoned.
This was just a matter of cutting down helpless enemies.
What need was there for formations or tactics?
At this moment, every disciple of Nine Tones Sect was eager to take as many heads as possible while Purple Mist Valley was weakened.
If Ding Huan had been here, he would have cursed Gu Mo for being an idiot.
If he had led this battle, he could have ensured the complete annihilation of Nine Tones Sect's forces.
Knowing that a battle was imminent, he had even warned Gu Mo that Nine Tones Sect would invade Purple Mist Valley.
Yet Gu Mo had failed to set up a battle formation.
With a proper formation and the pre-set killing formation, couldn't ten thousand people annihilate eight thousand?
It was understandable for Nine Tones Sect to charge in without formation, as they thought Purple Mist Valley was poisoned.
But for Gu Mo to let his disciples charge in without formation was simply baffling.
"Ah!"
With the first scream, the battlefield was soon filled with blood and falling bodies.
Gu Mo watched as the unprepared disciples of Nine Tones Sect charged into the midst of Purple Mist Valley's disciples, only to be cut down.
He felt a surge of satisfaction.
He was grateful that he had listened to Liu Yinzhu's suggestion to burn the incense.
Originally, he hadn't planned to burn the incense, but Liu Yinzhu had repeatedly insisted that Ding Huan wouldn't act without reason.
Recalling how Gong Hua had gone missing after seeking out Ding Huan, Gu Mo had finally agreed to burn the incense and had all the participating disciples witness its burning in the sect hall.
Otherwise, this would have been the end of Purple Mist Valley.
How could a group of poisoned disciples possibly fight back?
"They're not poisoned..."
Sect Leader Chang Qi of Nine Tones Sect finally realized.
Nine Tones Sect had suffered heavy losses in the first wave.
Without Chang Qi's reminder, all the disciples of Nine Tones Sect quickly realized what was happening.
By now, they had lost nearly two thousand disciples in the first attack.
"Gu Mo, you old fool, let's see where you can run to now."
Hao Wudao was also furious.
He hadn't expected Gu Mo to turn the tables on him.
Now, he attacked without holding back.
Despite his name, "Wudao" (No Blade), at least five different blades surrounded him.
Gu Mo's Triangular Trident sent out waves of trident shadows, enveloping Hao Wudao:
"So it was you who ambushed me last time, you despicable scoundrel."
Hao Wudao didn't respond.
The five blades formed a blade formation, not only trapping Gu Mo's trident shadows but also preventing Gu Mo from breaking free.
Gu Mo knew that Hao Wudao was the only Soul Formation expert in Nine Tones Sect.
Once he was engaged with Hao Wudao, he wouldn't be able to support the others in the sect.
But out of the corner of his eye, he saw that after the initial losses, Nine Tones Sect had regained their footing.
True Dan elders of Purple Mist Valley were being slaughtered by Chang Qi, and the elder he had placed his hopes on, Dong Lishang, was nowhere to be seen.
Clearly, Dong Lishang had fled after the battle began.
This filled Gu Mo with sorrow.
For Dong Lishang and Gong Hua, he had offended his savior, Ding Huan.
What a bitter irony this was.
Not only had Dong Lishang fled, but several other True Dan elders had also escaped with him.
Purple Mist Valley had more disciples than Nine Tones Sect, but so what?
In a battle like this, without a strategy to leverage their numbers, the outcome would depend on the strength of the top experts.
What angered Gu Mo even more was Elder He, a Soul Formation elder who consumed a large amount of the sect's resources every year.
Yet, when the sect was on the brink of destruction, he still hadn't shown up.
In a life-and-death battle like this, anyone who hadn't fled beforehand had no chance of escaping now.
The disciples of Purple Mist Valley understood this too.
Each of them fought with all their might.
Even if they died, they would take an enemy with them.
The numbers of Purple Mist Valley's disciples dwindled rapidly, but so did those of Nine Tones Sect.
Gu Mo's strength wasn't inferior to Hao Wudao's, but he had just recovered from a serious injury and was worried about the other elders and disciples of Purple Mist Valley.
This put him at a slight disadvantage against Hao Wudao.
When he saw Liu Yinzhu about to be killed by Chang Qi, he could no longer hold back.
He charged at Chang Qi and slapped him on the head.
Chang Qi was only a True Dan sect leader.
Facing a Soul Formation expert like Gu Mo, he didn't stand a chance.
He didn't even have time to react.
With just one slap, Chang Qi's head was smashed to pieces.
"Pfft!" A burst of blood erupted from Gu Mo's body.
This reckless attack had left him severely injured.
Hao Wudao was even more furious than Gu Mo.
After landing a heavy blow, he charged at Gu Mo like a madman.
Gu Mo had killed Chang Qi, the sect leader of Nine Tones Sect.
At this moment, Hao Wudao only regretted not preventing Gu Mo from killing Chang Qi.
"Crack!" Another blade from Hao Wudao slashed across Gu Mo's waist, nearly cutting him in half.
Having lost the initiative, Gu Mo was repeatedly struck with heavy blows.
Even so, Gu Mo didn't fall.
Blood spurted from his mouth, but instead of retreating, he turned and grabbed Hao Wudao, unleashing a torrent of violent true energy.
Hao Wudao's bones cracked, and his dantian was crushed by Gu Mo's hand.
"Boom!" Gu Mo was kicked away by Hao Wudao.
Hao Wudao spat out a mouthful of blood, also severely injured.
"Gu Mo, I'm going to devour you!" Hao Wudao's eyes were bloodshot with rage.
With his dantian shattered, his future was gone.
"Sect Leader!" Liu Yinzhu, who had been saved, immediately rushed to Gu Mo's side.
"Quick, escape. Find Ding Huan, take him with you..."
Gu Mo managed to say these few words before his head slumped.
Liu Yinzhu didn't dare to stay a moment longer.
Purple Mist Valley was clearly on the verge of total annihilation.
She picked up Gu Mo and used a forbidden technique to escape.
Hao Wudao wasn't about to let Liu Yinzhu and Gu Mo get away.
Seeing them flee, he immediately gave chase.
But with his severe injuries, his speed was only on par with Liu Yinzhu's.
(That's all for today's update.
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(End of Chapter)