“Everyone suffers at least one bad betrayal in their lifetime but that should not stop one from trusting another once again.”

When Qai tested the formation plate, right after he refined it, he was stunned at its display of ability.

The formation plate was actually a killing array that could produce 10 refined black-colored undying skeleton minions with the strength comparable to cultivators in the great circle of Qi Condensation stage.

The undying skeletons had glowing red eyes and had no other the ability than to mob their target with blood-colored tongues of flame.

‘Devil Dao cultivators sure have bizarre methods.’

Apparently, among the treasures he gained, nothing was of an Artefact grade which meant that their efficiency had each their own limits.

In this case, both the tongues of flames from the undying skeletons and the toxic poison produced by the banner, to Qi Condensation stage cultivators, would be extremely fatal; to Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, they may still be threateningly dangerous; but to Core Formation stage cultivators, definitely, they would just be treated as puny annoying tricks.

After 3 days, Qai finally emerged from his seclusion.

‘Seems like it would still take a while before Queen Ant returns.’

Qai’s predicament was that he felt more secure to head to the frontlines with the Ant colony lurking in the shadows. But since the Queen Ant was not around, he would have to rely on his own strength.

‘How troublesome.’

Of course, there were still two Ant Soldiers at his disposal but they were better off stationed at his shop. So he was not intent on taking them with him on the battlefield.

‘I still have the Eland with me though. I should be fine.’

Once again he dropped by the shop and left the Crag Brothers more of his instructions.

Thereafter, he looked for his senior brothers since it was the expected day for Elder Li and the rest of the Precious Tree Sect disciples to arrive.

And when he found Guan Yijiang and Lin Feng, they were already at the center of the camp.

When he approached, the two simply nodded to him as they looked on to the horizon.

Soon, several black dots appeared from a distance. And when the dots turned into silhouettes as they got near, the huge Spirit Beast Centipede at the center drew the attention of those in the camp.

An instant uproar boomed in the area.

And as soon as the news that the reinforcements arrived, the elders of the Scarlet Feather Sect came to receive their guests.

Qai and his 2 senior brothers approached as well. They had been waiting for them much earlier than everyone in the camp.

Of course, the higher ups of the Scarlet Feather Sect were the first to speak.

“Fellow Daoist Li, thank goodness you all arrived in time. Your help this time is truly huge for us.”

It was one of the renowned elders of the sect who said it.

“Fellow Daoist Duanmu, it's been a long time since I last you. I see that you've been well.”

“Haha, come come. Our Scarlet Feather Sect has already prepared a place for you and your disciples.”

The elder named Duanmu immediately instructed someone to lead the Precious Tree Sect disciples to other cabins and to assist them with whatever they would need.

“Fellow Daoist Li, I would have to invite you to our camp’s headquarters.”

There was seriousness in the elder's tone.

Elder Li clearly understood that time was of the essence and he could feel the troubles welling up in the hearts of the Scarlet Feather Sect elders so he could not but oblige with the request.

“Please lead the way, fellow Daoist.”

Meanwhile, when Ji Wuheng and the Mo disciples saw Qai, they hurried to greet him and told about a few things from their trip.

Qai, on the other hand, accompanied them towards their cabin. They were his original team.

Within the Precious Tree Sect, apart from Elder Li, Qai considered Ji Wuheng and the Mo disciples as the only persons worthy of his trust.

So when they arrived at the place, Qai did not hesitate to share them some of the medicinal pills and talismans he got earlier when they were ambushed to help his team members in the war.

“I got them from our spoils when we fought against some Broken Moon Sect disciples along the way.”

Qai also did not hide the fact that the war was backed by a mysterious Devil Dao sect and also told his fellow team members what to expect about the enemy's abilities.

“Brother Qai, we have already talked about it on our way here, but you should be the leader of this team. With you leading us, we feel that there is a better chance for all of us to survive.”

“That’s true, big brother Qai. We can only rely on you. Besides, you have experienced the might of the enemy already so you have a better understanding of our chances against them.”

Qai was surprised when he heard their words. But he did not refute that he already had some idea how to utilize everyone’s strengths.

“Alright, if you believe in me that much, then I can only do my best not to let everybody down.”

Qai then told them the few pieces of information that the Scarlet Feather Sect elders gave them last time.

Ordinarily, in a war between sects, Qi Condensation stage cultivators were only sent to fight in small skirmishes.

But the defensive assignments that the Scarlet Feather Sect arranged this time allowed Qi Condensation stage and Foundation Establishment stage cultivators to be lumped together.

That was because, along the undulating terrain of the battlefield, a hill for every mile would have a team stationed.

“That means we shouldn't be surprised if we encounter a group of Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in whichever station we shall be assigned.”

“What about Core Formation elites?”

“According to the Scarlet Feather Sect elders, Core Formation stage cultivators are the main reserves in this war. So unless the battle turned to be a large scale conflict right from the start, then we won't see any of our elders taking action.”

“Then that’s good to hear. But even then, we should ready for all contingencies. It is best that we pack ourselves with lots of escape talismans in case we find ourselves in deep trouble.”

From there, Qai gave each of the members of the team their main responsibilities.

“Sister Mo Shui, you shall be in charge of our logistics. Make sure that we don't run out of resources especially medicinal pills. I will introduce you to my two followers, they have put up a shop in a makeshift market near here. Let them know what you needed so they can purchase them for you.”

“What!? You have your own shop here!?”

Everyone in his team was stunned when they heard about the shop.

The region was precisely not under the jurisdiction of their sect, so it was beyond their imagination how could Qai properly establish a shop in there.

But Qai did not explain them a thing or two. After all, the shop was purely the product of the Crag Brothers’ competence and hard work—how they achieved it, Qai had no idea as well.

“Yes, I made some early preparations. Anyway, brother Ji Wuheng, you shall take care of our patrols and scouting. I will lend you my Spirit Beast Eland to help you in your task.”

“Haha, that’s great. I saw how fast your beast mount is. Come let me see it now.”

The Mo disciples’ eyes rolled when they heard how excited Ji Wuheng sounded.

“Brother Mo Chen, Sister Mo Yufei the two of you will be in charge of our Array formations. I have plenty of formation Flags with me. The two of you will just make sure all of them are properly maintained.”

“Rest assured, big brother Qai. You can count on us.”

After giving them their assignments, Qai then briefed the members of the team some other details that he felt were important to consider.

“That should be it, all that is left is for us to find to which place are we stationed.”