At this moment, Wang Yuan rose to his feet, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked beneath the shadow of the locust tree. He gazed at the withered vines creeping over the courtyard wall and pondered for a long while.
"This is the truly terrifying part of the Northern Frontier's battle-hardened iron cavalry."
"They were not merely reckless brutes who knew how to charge head-on."
"In that battle, Xiao Jin appeared to have broken the formation through sheer force, but in truth, he had already calculated the alliance's weakness: its divided hearts."
"One blow scattered them. After that, it was like tearing down a fence—just pull out the stakes one by one."
Zhou Cheng asked in a deep voice, "Then, Dao Child, how should we respond?"
"Kaoshan Sect has suffered severe losses. Sect Master Situ fled into the deep mountains and has yet to return, while Prefecture City has only Elder Zhang and several thousand disciples left behind."
"If Xiao Jin turns his blade toward Qinghe Prefecture City, we..."
Wang Yuan raised a hand to interrupt him, his expression calm.
"Xiao Jin will not come to Qinghe Prefecture City for now. What he will do next is take advantage of the six major forces fleeing in all directions before they have gained a firm foothold, and devour the nearest and weakest groups first."
"Although Kaoshan Sect's main force has been damaged, the deep forests and old woods have complex terrain, and Situ Lie is familiar with the local mountain paths. We are not the primary target."
"The Li Family and Cao Family have retreated toward the southwestern plains. With no natural defenses to hold, they will be the first to suffer."
He turned back to Zhou Cheng.
"Send my message to Elder Zhang Xuan. Have him contact Sect Master