Chapter 256: Stacking Stones to Seek the Buddha, Borne by a Snow Mountain Lion (6,000 words-please vote, and happy holidays, everyone!)
As the two drew close to the White Jade Forest, they felt all the more keenly how vast the forest was, and how small a person was.
Beside this White Jade Forest, a great warship lay moored in the Golden Sands River. A flag flew high on its mast, fluttering in the wind. Embroidered with the image of Emei's Golden Summit, it stood out brilliantly in the sunlight.
This was the Western Sichuan Sword Pavilion's temporary base for its assault on the White Jade Forest.
Since this was a protracted war, the Sword Pavilion's Xuan Cultivators had to take turns fighting. Those relieved needed somewhere safe to heal, recover their energy, hone their swords, and rest. Returning to the Sword Pavilion every time would waste too much time.
Streaks of Escape Light occasionally rose and fell around the warship, traveling between it and the forest of immense mountains.
"How many people are here? And how many Demon Monks are in those mountains?"
Cheng Xinzhan asked.
Wu Mei answered,
"There aren't many people now. Around fifty stay aboard the ship, and another fifty or so search the mountains. At the beginning, we had as many as four or five hundred attacking the mountains at once.
"As for the demon fiends, there were over a thousand at first. Now there are a little over two hundred, but those two hundred-odd are hidden deep inside the stone mountains and refuse to come out.
"That's the problem now. Since they won't come out, we can only go inside and search one mountain at a time. That's why it's taken so long. Once we encounter them, it's close-quarters fighting, so we have to be