The flight east was grim. Li Yu and Jian Xuan flew at speeds that blurred the landscape and in the distance the cluster of purple rifts pulsed like a malevolent infection.

What they saw below confirmed the urgency of Theron's orders. A massive westward migration was underway. Large transport ships, glowing faintly with defensive formations crawled across the land and sky.

They were packed with mortals clutching meager belongings and their faces were pale with fear. Cultivators on spiritual beasts or flying swords acted as escorts, their expressions tense and constantly scanning the eastern horizon. Entire towns laid abandoned and empty. It was clear that there was an immediate and rushed evacuation.

Li Yu noted the relative order amidst the panic. Supply depots were being systematically emptied and moved west. Stations had been established along the retreat routes. They were marked by signal flares and garrison troops directing the flow of refugees.

"They were prepared for something like this," Li Yu observed. "Probably not for the Xylarri specifically but a large-scale disaster requiring mass evacuation. The defensive lines Theron mentioned... they must be pre-established contingencies."

"Pragmatic," Jian Xuan agreed, his usual cheerfulness replaced by a focused intensity. "Even in peacetime, this continent feels constantly poised for war. Having fallback positions makes sense. But plans mean little if the tide washes over you before you can reach the shore. We must hasten."

Their spiritual senses picked it up simultaneously. It was directly ahead and was a chaotic maelstrom of energy signatures clashing violently. The distinct corrupting purple aura of the Xylarri pulsed strongly, mixed with the fading Qi signatures of human cultivators.

They accelerated forward in a hurry. The scene before them was a desperate struggle.

A convoy of nearly fifty large transport ships laden with mortals was attempting to cross a wide, open plain. Protecting their retreat was a dwindling contingent of perhaps two hundred allied cultivators. They were desperately trying to hold back a tide of five hundred Xylarri swarming them from the east.

True to the righteous nature of many of the cultivators from the alliance, they were fighting with all their might trying to protect the civilians. The cultivators formed a fighting screen, their techniques flashing, trying to keep the Xylarri away from the vulnerable slow-moving ships.

Li Yu saw the Xylarri clearly now as he approached: the pale, vaguely humanoid figures with smooth ovoid heads dotted with clusters of black unblinking eyes. Then the other type, the skittering insectoid forms with gaping vertical maws and scythe-like claws.

They seemed to be relentless. Consuming and destroying everything in their path like the hunger of a swarm. Their corrupting purple aura passively tearing apart and devouring the Qi from the defenders' techniques.

It seemed like their purple aura broke down qi techniques, slowly eating at their very essence. It was unsure where the qi went but it was possible that it was destroyed or being absorbed. The allied cultivators fought bravely but it was a losing battle.

Sword lights shattered against pale skin, elemental techniques were partially absorbed and cultivators were being dragged down. For every Xylarri that fell, its corpse was quickly drained by its kin leaving only grey dust. The defensive wall was buckling and mere moments away from being overrun. That would doom the ships and the thousands of mortals aboard.

"Commander Little Crab!" Jian Xuan's voice rang out, sharp and focused. "The Crab God demands a worthy offering! Let us deliver it!"

He didn't wait for an answer. "Praise the God Crab, his mighty claw!" His voice boomed, less a prayer and more a battle cry as he dove and aimed at the thickest concentration of Xylarri threatening the rear ships.

His sword became a blur of lethal golden light, weaving intricate and deadly patterns. His movements were fluid, precise, each hum translating into a decapitating strike or a limb-severing arc. Even with their tough resistance, they still fell dead like anyone else.

He carved a path through the Xylarri drones, relieving the pressure on that section of the convoy's defense. His face was grimly set, the seriousness of the slaughter reflected even in his zealous eyes. For all his good fun and joyous nature, he knew when to be serious. He was here to save lives and every death of the enemy meant more spared on his own side.

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Li Yu also plunged downwards the moment Jian Xuan did. The Star-Crusher staff appearing in his hand. He targeted a large six-limbed insectoid Xylarri that had just latched onto the side of a transport ship. Its claws were tearing at the defensive array.

The creature screeched at him with its scythe-like claws slashing. Li Yu blocked with his staff, feeling the jarring impact. It was indeed strong, much stronger than what its frame would let on. He spun and using the staff's momentum brought the heavy end crashing down on the creature's head.

CRUNCH!

Even the Xylarri's resilience had limits against his monstrous strength. The chitinous plating cracked, purple ichor spurted and the creature collapsed. Li Yu finished it with a decisive blow.

The moment the Xylarri died, Li Yu felt it – the familiar hungry pull of his martial spirit, the koi that started his cultivation journey. A torrent of chaotic energy flowed into him – fragments of earth, wood and several other types of Qi. They were all overlaid with the intrinsic corrupting purple energy from these creatures.

His martial spirit filtering all the different kinds of Qi. The miscellaneous Qi types were rapidly broken down, purified and converted into his own powerful Koi Qi by his Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art. The energy actively nourished his ocean of Qi. It was pushing his 9th Stage Core Formation cultivation base subtly but undeniably forward.

That wasn’t all, the purple energy that was the signature of these creatures remained. It was isolated, inert and floating atop his ocean of Qi just like the void and life Qi. It pulsed faintly with an aura of pure destruction. It seems like it was a higher form of energy, like his void and life Qi that refused to be mixed together.

It was seemingly harmless and contained there. He couldn’t use it, at least not currently and it wasn’t harmful to him. His Martial Spirit could safely process the Xylarri's energy, whatever it was, turning their energy into his own cultivation progress.

A new thought struck him. Could he actively draw energy from them while they still lived? His Koi allowed it with aquatic beasts. He had failed against the conscious demon. But these Xylarri felt different.

He spotted another Xylarri drone, humanoid this time. It was fighting with an allied cultivator. It seemed like it was locking the cultivator in place with some sort of technique and was slowly draining their energy.

Li Yu moved and he smashed the creature away to save the cultivator's life. He then used his superior strength to grapple it, pinning its thin limbs down. The creature struggled but was much too weak to get out of Li Yu’s gasp.

Ignoring the immediate danger, Li Yu focused his will and activated his martial spirit. The Koi latched onto the purple energy pulsing from the creature..

He felt... a connection!

Unlike the demon's resisting Qi, the Xylarri's energy felt chaotic and almost eager to flow. A stream of the mixed corrupting energy began to pour into him, directly into his meridians and into his ocean of Qi like before.

It worked! He could actively drain them while they were alive, just like the aquatic beasts, directly fueling his own advancement and reserves.

The realization struck him like an explosion. The implications were amazing and world changing. Against these specific enemies, this plague that consumed life force... he could turn their own nature against them.

He could drain them from a distance and weaken them. All of this while simultaneously replenishing his energy and actively increasing his cultivation level. This wasn't just an advantage; it was a conceptual counter. He had hoped he could have done the same against the demons but this was just as amazing.

As Li Yu continued to move to save more people around him, a sound ripped from Li Yu's throat, startlingly loud amidst the chaos of battle. It was a laugh. A wild, uninhibited laugh that was echoing across the desperate battlefield. It was filled with the sheer unexpected joy of discovering such an advantage in the face of annihilation. It was a jarring sound against the backdrop of screams and dying struggles.

The nearby allied cultivators didn’t have time to look over at him but his laugh was horrifying. It filled them with more dread than Jian Xuan’s endless chanting. The Xylarri drone Li Yu had left behind seemed to momentarily pause its struggles and was almost lifeless.

Only one person seemed to understand the emotion, if not the reason.

"AHAHAHA! YES! REJOICE IN BATTLE, Commander Little Crab!" Jian Xuan's voice roared back, his own laughter tinged with the grim satisfaction of slaughter as he effortlessly cut down another wave of Xylarri drones.

"The enemy is bountiful! The challenge is glorious! The crab god smiles upon these people! They will not die here today! Let us offer him more carnage! Today he will feast upon our enemies!” Jian Xuan continued to roar.

Jian Xuan attributed Li Yu's laughter to the thrill of the fight, the joy of unleashing power – the same emotions fueling his own 'Singing Blade'. But their shared unhinged laughter that was cutting through the sounds of death was perhaps the most unnerving sound on the battlefield. The only thing they could take from it was it was the death of their enemies and not them.

Li Yu’s manic laughter subsided as he continued to fight. It was now replaced by a cold predatory smile.

This desperate war had just become a lot more interesting. And for him, personally, potentially a lot more profitable in terms of power gain. He had been struggling to find ways to advance further and now he had another resource he could tap into. He continued his fight, his movements now carrying a new terrifying efficiency.

“I must kill and annihilate even faster. People are dying constantly against these creatures further east.” Li Yu thought to himself as he forced himself to become a whirlwind of destruction.