The current state of the Blood Refinement World is just as Lu Ye predicted. The Nine Provinces cultivator army employed the Heaven's Augury Pillar for teleportation, spreading like fairies scattering flowers within the Blood Refinement World, catching the Blood Race off guard across various regions.

During the extermination of the Blood Race, many Nine Provinces cultivators also received tasks to gather Spirit Rice and protect human congregations. These two tasks could actually be completed simultaneously, as gathering Spirit Rice required finding the gathering points of the human race in this realm.

Of course, relatively speaking, protecting humans required a certain amount of time, and until the Nine Provinces fully controlled the Blood Refinement World, constant guarding was needed.

The cultivators from the Nine Provinces did not reject this task, as it was ingrained in their philosophy that protecting mortals was a cultivator's duty, and everyone would contribute their efforts as much as they could.

So, even without such tasks, once Nine Provinces cultivators realized that the fleeing Blood Race might harm human villages, they would independently arrange for personnel to guard and stay put.

Now, with tasks directly issued by Heaven's Augury and additional battle merit to gain, it serves as compensation for the cultivators carrying out such tasks.

A large amount of Spirit Rice was collected and, via the Heaven's Augury Pillars scattered across, sent back to the Nine Provinces.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Lu Ye had already left the Sacred Island and was traveling across various locations in the Blood Refinement World.

Thanks to the convenient communication among Nine Provinces cultivators, everyone now knew that once traces of the Sacred Seed were discovered, they should instantly send out a message, and before long, Lu Yiye would descend like a divine weapon to resolve it.

Previously, some Nine Provinces cultivators of the Divine Sea Realm didn't believe in such things and gathered a group to try and besiege the Sacred Seed. After a fierce battle, they couldn't defeat the Sacred Seed and instead suffered significant losses themselves. They then realized that Sacred Seeds could not be dealt with just by numbers; special methods were required.

And Lu Yiye from the Righteous Blood Sect was the Nine Provinces' ace against the Sacred Seed!

When this news spread widely, Lu Ye's true self and doppelganger became extremely busy, either in the act of slaying the Sacred Seed or on the way to slay the Sacred Seed.

Fortunately, the number of Sacred Seeds in the Blood Refinement World was ultimately limited, so this busyness wouldn't last long.

Amidst his hectic schedule, his cultivation broke through to the Divine Sea Level 6.

Ever since he ascended to the Divine Sea Level 5, he practiced tirelessly, but the distance to Level 6 was still considerable. Even though the Blood Refinement World didn't have the cultivation environment of the Nine Provinces, nor could he use the gold-hued spirit fortune stick, during the refinement of Sacred Blood, he gained more than just an enhancement in saintliness. Each drop of Sacred Blood contained tremendously powerful energy, and refining Sacred Blood was also a form of cultivation for him.

Thus, advancing to Level 6 was only natural.

With the enhancement of one level's cultivation, his strength increased, making it even easier to handle the Sacred Seed.

While the Nine Provinces cultivators were striking out separately, the Blood Race was gathering steadily.

Their communication wasn't as convenient as the Nine Provinces cultivators, but they still weren't foolish. After initially being caught off guard by the Nine Provinces cultivators and losing several strongholds, those Blood Race members who escaped were spreading the news about these attacks.

Although they weren't entirely clear about what was happening, it was evident that a human force was slaughtering Blood Race members all around, and this human force was unprecedentedly strong, forcing the remaining Blood Race members to cluster together, hoping for resistance.

Thus, Blood Race members from various Grotto Heaven Blessed Lands flocked to the strongest Blood Race locations near their territories, especially those Sacred Lands where Sacred Seeds were present, attracting numerous Blood Race members without much prompting.

This unusual situation was quickly probed by the Nine Provinces cultivators, and the message was promptly spread.

Having no other choice, the Nine Provinces had to gather small-scale forces, with cultivators from various sects converging for a purpose to engage back-and-forth battles with the Blood Race.

However, such stalemates usually didn't last long, as with the transmission of information, more and more Nine Provinces sects joined until a Blood Race group became completely overwhelmed.

After each battle, they scattered to find new targets, and upon identifying a sufficiently strong target, they sent out messages summoning allies, which was normal procedure for Nine Provinces cultivators, but for the Blood Race, it was quite distressing.

Even if they could temporarily gain the upper hand, the Nine Provinces side could quickly rally enough personnel to reverse the situation.

In various parts of the Blood Refinement World, it was typically this kind of situation.

Especially noteworthy was that as time went on, this scenario would worsen.

Because in the Southern Territory, there were nine elite battalions from the Nine Provinces splitting and swiftly moving north, annihilating all manner of apparitions along the way.

Actually, after the previous battle, in the southern region of the Blood Refinement World, most Blood Race members with any strength were nearly wiped out, and those remaining at various strongholds were few in number, unable to withstand the teams divided by the nine elite battalions.

Once the elite forces of the nine battalions swept from south to north across the entire Blood Refinement World, it would mark a grand victory for the Nine Provinces' expedition in the Blood Refinement World... or perhaps it wouldn't even need to wait until that day.

Boulder Sacred Land, a prominent presence on the Yunluo Plain, its master Boulder Saintly Venerable was an exceedingly seasoned existence among the Blood Race Saintly Venerables, having been renowned for over a thousand years.

The millennia of management, even during normal times, the power within the Sacred Land is not to be underestimated, not to mention the recent influx of Blood Race members from all directions.

Currently, the power of Boulder Sacred Land has surged more than threefold compared to normal times, and with the Boulder Saintly Venerable overseeing here, one can say this is indeed a tough nut to crack.

Tough as it may be, it must be cracked; it's unreasonable for so many Blood Race members to gather here while Nine Provinces cultivators turn a blind eye. These are all battle merits.

Moreover, on this expedition of Nine Provinces cultivators to the Blood Refinement World, the way to acquire battle merits is not limited to just killing enemies; conquering Blood Race strongholds also yields battle merits, with the amount differing based on the cultivator's contribution.

So since the beginning of the war, almost every cultivator from Nine Provinces has been reaping rich rewards, and this is not yet the end.

It is unimaginable what rewards cultivators might achieve upon achieving victory in the expedition.

The only foreseeable outcome is that after this expedition, the overall power of the Nine Provinces cultivation world will inevitably rise substantially.

At this moment, numerous Nine Provinces cultivators are gathered in a specific direction of Boulder Sacred Land, a group of Divine Sea Realm cultivators discussing and waiting together.

The cultivators gathered here come from eight sects, all hunting within tens of thousands of miles around here. They heard news of a big catch here and rushed over eagerly.

The strength of the eight sects varies; there are 1st grade, 2nd grade, and also 3rd grade. As for sects below 3rd grade, they generally do not act alone as they lack Divine Sea Realm cultivators; they often rely on their superior sect and act together with superior sect cultivators.

Therefore, the apparent forces gathered here belong to eight sects, but the actual number far exceeds eight sects.

In terms of overall strength comparison, the Nine Provinces camp has an absolute advantage here, but even so, everyone dares not act rashly, mainly due to the fear of the Boulder Saintly Venerable.

On the Nine Provinces cultivator side, the leaders are three Divine Sea Level 9 cultivators.

Khu Cha of Qingwei Sect, Yun Lietian of Shocking Lightning Heights, and Leng Meishuang of Baihuang Pavilion. Among the trio, Leng Meishuang is a tall, cold-faced lady, exuding an air of 'do not approach'.

Among cultivators, female cultivators are somewhat less than male cultivators, and even fewer attain Level 9 realm. Although Leng Meishuang seems quite young, she possesses Level 9 cultivation, indicating her high talent.

As for Khu Cha, it's not a name; rather, it seems like a moniker. No one knows what he is actually called anymore, smiling with a beaming expression, contrasting sharply with the icy Leng Meishuang.

In comparison, Yun Lietian is much more normal, a standard beefy guy with an imposing demeanor.

Waiting is taxing, especially with so many Nine Provinces cultivators gathered; Boulder Sacred Land can't possibly remain unaware. Therefore, an attack must be initiated promptly; otherwise, they might face the enemy's attack and be forced into defensive positions.

"Still not here?" Yun Lietian waits impatiently.

Khu Cha shrugs: "Messages require relay; it's impossible to get a definite reply. We only know they're on the way, but it's unclear how long they will take."

"Almost here." Leng Meishuang, who has been silent, suddenly speaks.

Khu Cha and Yun Lietian ask puzzled: "How do you know?"

Leng Meishuang looks at them like they're fools: "Of course, I asked through communication."

The two are amazed, and Khu Cha asks: "You have Lu Yiye's mark exchange? When did that happen?"

Leng Meishuang replies: "Exchanged during the Bingzhou victory celebration banquet."

Indeed, some exchanged marks with Lu Yiye back then, albeit not many; thus, the two never expected Leng Meishuang, the ice mountain beauty, to be among them.

The two then stare at her with expressions of unanticipated surprise towards Leng Meishuang.

Leng Meishuang furrows her brows: "Being part of the Haotian Alliance, our sect has some ties with Righteous Blood Sect. As the most outstanding rising star of his generation, what's wrong with me exchanging marks with him?"

Khu Cha hurries to respond: "No problem, no problem. It's still Fellow Daoist Leng with foresight."

Had he known today it would be necessary to rely on Lu Yiye, he would have exchanged marks back then, saving time-consuming relays for messages now and avoiding untimely feedback.

Determined, upon meeting Lu Yiye, the first thing to do is to exchange marks instead of anything else.

"Here they come." Yun Lietian suddenly glances towards a certain direction. Everyone looks over, indeed seeing two streaks of light rapidly approaching from that direction, precisely from the direction of the nearby Heaven's Augury Pillar.