Free Web NovelChapter 410: Chapter 368: Victory or Defeat
At these words, Yang Jiye slapped his thigh, causing himself pain and grimacing: "Junior Brother Wang is right, I can no longer move, all the combat power here shall be commanded by Junior Brother Wang. Seize Qingli Mountain quickly!"
In the recent battle, the Shuangye Alliance also suffered losses, primarily due to the two enemy Foundation Establishment experts boarding the ship leading to casualties. Now, all the cultivators of the Shuangye Alliance here add up to just eighty people.
The group wasted no time, not even bothering to occupy the empty shell of Liuhua Valley, leaving Wu Yan to protect Yang Jiye in healing, while the other cultivators stopped the two precarious Divine Ships and boarded the Floating Battleship seized from the Xuanguang Sect, heading directly towards Qingli Mountain under Wang Yu’s lead.
Wu Yan hid Yang Jiye in the forest nearby to conceal their presence, quietly waiting for messages. Yang Jiye took another Spirit Pill and meditated to heal himself. Wu Yan walked a bit further, and heard the Primordial Pearl Spirit eagerly whispering: "Little Yan, you need to keep your distance from Wang Yu."
Wu Yan was taken aback: "Why is that?"
The words of the Pearl Spirit shocked her: "The aura around Wang Yu is off. He has both Death Qi and Vitality, shrouded and unpredictable, not to be considered alive anymore!"
"Furthermore, there is a powerful Evil Qi imprint on him. Whoever imprinted him must be of the same realm as his master."
The master mentioned by the Pearl Spirit is naturally the Jichuan Profound Monarch, and being of the same realm means they are Primordial Spirit Great Power!
Wu Yan bit her cherry lips; Sister Zhuling would never be mistaken. What exactly happened to Elder Wang during Foundation Establishment? If there’s indeed something suspicious, it must be reported to the Sect Leader in advance.
Meanwhile, Wang Yu led two Floating Battleships and nearly eighty Qi Cultivation Elite to Qingli Mountain, only to find a Grand Array already set up, with defenses tightly secured.
It turned out that Ning Songzhi and Xu Chengyun returned to Qingli Mountain quickly, joining forces with Wen Luhuan. Before falling into a coma, Xu Chengyun made the final arrangement, which was to hold strong and not retreat.
During the battle at Liuhua Valley earlier, Xuanguang Sect had one hundred and ten elite disciples; due to Xu Chengyun’s decisive action, after dispersing, eighty to ninety people managed to escape.
Now, over thirty have arrived at Qingli Mountain, joining the sixty elites led by Wen Luhuan on the mountain.
After arranging for Xu Chengyun to be sent away, there were Ning Songzhi, Wen Luhuan, two Foundation Establishment experts, ninety elite disciples, and three Floating Battleships left on Qingli Mountain.
Ning and Wen both knew that defending Qingli Mountain was their last line. If they couldn’t accomplish this, they’d surely face severe reprimand from Master Fengfeng. Therefore, they defended with supreme diligence. The anticipated collapse of Wang Yu’s battle spirit, striking swiftly, did not occur.
After some probing, they even suffered a minor setback. Wang Yu realized that with his current forces, capturing Qingli Mountain was impossible.
He could only sigh inwardly that Xuanguang Sect indeed lived up to being a Golden Core Major Sect; though they suffered minor defeat, they were still able to regroup, not to be underestimated.
Then Wang Yu led the army to retreat; if not for Ning Songzhi’s depleted spiritual power, the retreat might have been even harder.
Under the autumn night sky, the unsuccessful Wang Yu occupied Liuhua Valley, starting a standoff with the enemy forces on Qingli Mountain.
Thus, the battle over Qingli Mountain and Liuhua Valley came to an end. Understanding that no more could be gained, Master Fengfeng, after venting his anger, ordered the Xuanguang Sect army besieging Golden Dawn Peak to retreat.
Lu Qian watched the orderly and unhurried retreat of the troops outside Golden Dawn Peak, with the high-flying Spirit Talisman Sect banner, and could only abandon the thought of taking advantage of this to pursue them.
Nevertheless, upon returning to Kongming Mountain, the Spirit Talisman Sect received a secret message from Lu Qian.
In September of the three hundred seventy-first year of the Jia Shen calendar, this grand but anticlimactic battle concluded, and the undercurrents in Chongming County resumed.
The surrounding counties just got wind of the news and were preparing to watch the excitement and gather intel on illusion and reality, but to their confusion, the conflict had already subsided.
Regarding the outcome of this battle, Xuanguang Sect and Shuangye Alliance each claimed they were victorious.
Xuanguang Sect severely damaged two Divine Ships of the Shuangye Alliance, critically injured Yang Jiye, array-slashed over thirty Shuangye Alliance cultivators, and captured Qingli Mountain and its affiliated territories, placing a wedge between Shuangye Square and Golden Dawn Peak, Lingsha City.
Meanwhile, the Shuangye Alliance destroyed one Floating Battleship of Xuanguang Sect, captured two Floating Battleships, severely injured Sect Leader Xu Chengyun and Elder Wangg Hao, killed Foundation Establishment Mo Hua, and array-slashed nearly one hundred twenty Xuanguang Sect and affiliated sect disciples.
Looking at the results, which side truly won is open to interpretation.
In any case, Master Fengfeng’s expression was quite unpleasant.
After spending a great deal, they only acquired Qingli Mountain, leaving the hidden power of Yunshan Sect still an enigma.
Though it’s largely speculated through this battle that Lu Qian used a secret technique to severely wound and besieged Hee Yangchen; after the Liuhua Valley battlefield reached this point, only Wang Yu suddenly returned from Foundation Establishment. Yunshan Sect likely had no further tricks.
However, from another perspective, why was Guh Niqiang not forced out?
This remains as obscure as seeing flowers through the fog, with no clear-cut conclusion.
While there was an intention to assign blame, both commanders, Sect Leader Xu Chengyun and Elder Wangg Hao, were already seriously injured. Besides, they had done well, and these were unforeseen circumstances, not to be held accountable for the battle.
Ultimately, Master Fengfeng merely reprimanded verbally, symbolically reduced their salaries for a year, and bestowed rewards on Zhuang Qing and Ning Songzhi for their meritorious service.
Regardless, both the Shuangye Alliance and Lu Qian were better understood.
Next time in a comprehensive assault, Lu Qian, that little thief, won’t have another ace to play, right?
On Kongming Mountain, Zhuang Qing and Yinn Hongbo, having received the commendation list, politely saw off the envoy from Xuanguang Sect and entered the secluded chamber with solemn expressions.
Yinn Hongbo reviewed the list again, filled with Spirit Stones, Spirit Crystals, Spirit Pills, and Spiritual Artifacts—the quantity couldn’t be considered thin.
Yet the more Yinn Hongbo read, the more annoyed he became, eventually tossing the list onto the table with a cold snort.
"Xuanguang Sect, what a cunning calculation!"
Zhuang Qing’s face was also dark because the list didn’t contain what the Spirit Talisman Sect most desperately needed and desired.
Territorial lands and population.
Without enough land, without numerous mortals, sufficient Spirit Seeds can’t be birthed; how can the sect thrive?
The territories stingily granted by Xuanguang Sect were only half of their original size, and the yearly birth of Spirit Seeds shrank significantly—a mere drop in the bucket for the heavily hit, eager to revive and strengthen Spirit Talisman Sect.
Additionally, the war with the Shuangye Alliance would only increase, not decrease; the more cultivators killed, the fewer fresh blood there would be. With such a situation, will there still be a Spirit Talisman Sect a century from now?
"Xuanguang Sect intends to watch us naturally fade away and eventually fully assimilate us!"
