The land of the Nine Provinces had grown increasingly turbulent since the upheaval at Mount Dayan six years ago. Six months earlier, the Xingyi Sect had issued a proclamation throughout the realm, cleansing the atmosphere across the Nine Provinces. Just as everyone thought matters could finally come to an end, war erupted once more in You and Liang.
The Celestial God Palace naturally lacked the Innate Elite Cavalry of the Xingyi Sect, but Wu Hou had also brought back a cauldron of Essence of the Northern Sea. The Celestial God Palace had accumulated quite a few experts among its Demon Beasts over the centuries. With the Essence of the Northern Sea, it could still assemble an army of over ten thousand first-rate martial artists.
The Moni Temple also possessed a cauldron of Essence of the Northern Sea, but it had intended to develop gradually and had never expected any faction to challenge its position. Moreover, the Celestial God Palace's army had seen countless battles, while the Moni Temple's forces were accustomed to peace. Thus, when war erupted so suddenly, the Moni Temple suffered a crushing disadvantage in terms of military strength.
On the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Celestial God Palace dispatched its forces in winter. Armies advanced simultaneously from You and Yan, as well as from the great prairie, making a direct assault on the three commanderies of Liang Province.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the northern prairie army of the Celestial God Palace broke through Li Feng Commandery City in Liang Province. The Moni Temple suffered nearly two hundred thousand casualties, while the Celestial God Palace lost fewer than ten thousand men.
On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, the Celestial God Palace's army breached Tiangu Pass. The three