Wooo-!!
The setting sun was like blood, staining the sky. A long horn call echoed across the land, and the atmosphere was bleak and murderous!
Outside Qiao Town, at Lin Changge's command, three thousand armored guards and numerous members of the Lin Household assembled!
"May the swords at our waists be drawn to strike down Zichuan."
"This battle... shall forge the foundation of our Lin Household! It shall mark the beginning of our rise!"
"I, Lin Changge, will lead the charge! I will not stop until we have fought our way into Zichuan City and slaughtered every last remnant of the Zhao Household!"
"If I, Lin Changge, should fall, do not grieve, and do not stop. Keep charging, and take Zichuan City!!"
At the very front of the armored guards, Lin Changge donned his armor and drew his longsword, his voice deep and resolute!!
In this battle, with the ancestor taking action, victory for the Lin Household was assured. Yet Lin Changge... still chose to place himself in danger!
He would use this battle to forge a conviction in the members and vassals of the Lin Household, a sense that they belonged to it!!
For a lineage to endure through the ages, standing unshaken at the very pinnacle, strength alone was not enough. It also needed sufficient unity within!
He wanted the Lin Household to be like those top-tier powers... so that whenever its members and vassals ventured out and spoke of the Lin Household, they would be proud of it!!
That was the soul of a lineage!
Through this battle, he also wanted to show the many young juniors of the Lin Household what conflict between powers meant, and what cruel reality was.
The significance of this battle was no longer simply taking Zichuan City... just as Lin Changge wanted, he would forge the true foundation of the Lin Household!
Of course, people were bound to bleed and die in the course of this battle... all of that was unavoidable.
Only through a baptism of death and blood could a power reach its true height of prosperity!!
"Move out!"
Riding a horned beast, Lin Changge charged out at the very front!
Behind him, the three thousand armored guards and numerous Lin Household members also formed up and set off along the muddy road to fight their way to Zichuan City!
At the rear of the column were the supply wagons and logistics personnel.
The giant vicious tiger Lin Xiye had subdued earlier remained in Qiao Town.
It had already broken through to the early skin refining realm, officially joining the ranks of the Demon Beasts!
Lin Xiye had also given it the antidote, completely neutralizing the Spirit Severing Powder in its body.
It had now entered into a Spirit Beast Contract with Lin Xiye and become his spirit pet.
With the Lin Household deploying most of its forces to take up residence in Zichuan City... it was best suited to stand guard over Qiao Town!!
Within a thousand li of Zichuan City, neither the immortal cultivation powers nor the ordinary powers dared provoke the Lin Household.
But those mountain bandits, roving brigands, and desperadoes cared about nothing.
If Qiao Town's defenses were too weak, they might well plunder it and flee far away as soon as they had their spoils...
"Roar!!"
Watching the Lin Household's departing column, the giant vicious tiger let out a roar. It was sending the Lin Household off to battle, and also announcing to the surrounding area... that even if all of Qiao Town's guards had gone, it was still there!!
It had been quite intelligent to begin with. After breaking through to the early skin refining realm, apart from being unable to speak human words, its intelligence was almost no different from that of an ordinary man.
The tiger's roar shook the mountains and rivers, seemingly capable of tearing the twilight apart. Insects and birds scattered in fright, and all beasts went into hiding!!
"Guard Qiao Town well. This is your reward!"
"If you do well, there will be a generous reward when I return!!"
At that moment, Lin Xiye suddenly appeared behind the giant vicious tiger.
Patting it on the head, Lin Xiye took out a Spirit Stone fragment and placed it in its mouth.
With the Spirit Stone fragment in its jaws, the giant vicious tiger, which had looked so majestic only a moment ago, immediately lay down on the ground. It was like a great, docile black cat, letting Lin Xiye stroke it.
Obedience and eagerness to please appeared in its eyes as it wagged its tail at Lin Xiye.
One Spirit Stone fragment was enough for it to take another step forward and break through to the middle skin refining realm!
Moreover, Lin Xiye had promised that as long as it guarded Qiao Town well, he would reward it again when he returned...
If it obtained another one or two Spirit Stone fragments, it might even reach skin refining perfection within half a year!
After giving the giant vicious tiger a few more instructions, Lin Xiye's body instantly turned into a series of afterimages and vanished into the fading twilight.
Lin Xiye valued the giant vicious tiger quite highly, and he was willing to expend resources to help it grow stronger.
For after entering into a Spirit Beast Contract, the giant vicious tiger was destined never to betray him in this lifetime.
When a spirit beast acknowledged a master and entered into a Spirit Beast Contract... it formed a bond of cause and effect with that master!
If the master died, the spirit beast would perish as well!!
After leaving Qiao Town, Lin Xiye took one day to reach Zichuan City.
However, rather than fight his way into Zichuan City alone, Lin Xiye casually carved out a cave abode in a mountain range and began patiently waiting for the Lin Household's forces to arrive.
Lin Xiye wanted to use this battle to temper the household members and forge the Lin Household's foundation... and Lin Xiye, as the ancestor, would naturally help bring that about.
Although doing so would inevitably cause the Lin Household some casualties,
the Lin Household had developed in peace for a hundred years, and it truly needed to fight a battle against an outside force!!
Across the vast land, every top-tier power had to undergo a baptism of blood before it could rise!
Sitting cross-legged in the cave abode he had carved out for temporary use, Lin Xiye took out a Spirit Stone fragment and resumed cultivating.
It would take the Lin Household's forces at least three days to reach Zichuan City.
During that time, Lin Xiye intended to raise his cultivation further!
In three days, even if he could not break through to the late organ refining realm, he could still make some progress in strength.
On the path of immortal cultivation, every second counted. Only thus... could one witness the Great Dao and strive for immortality!!
The sun and moon alternated, and time passed!
As Lin Xiye entered a state of cultivation and the Lin Household's forces steadily drew closer to Zichuan City, two thousand li away from the city, a walled city stood in silence on a mountainside, its walls ten zhang thick!
(Note: one zhang ≈ 3.333 meters)
Beneath a sky filled with starlight, the city seemed like a primordial vicious beast, radiating a terrifying, soul-gripping presence!!
This city was the Song Household's seat-Thousand Rocks City!
After receiving the Zhao Household's plea for help, the Song Household patriarch did not delay. He summoned all the household's senior members that very night to discuss the matter.
The Zhao Household's ancestor had indeed done him a favor in the past, and besides... the terms the Zhao Household had offered were extremely tempting!
As long as the Song Household was willing to step in, the Zhao Household would submit to it and hand over all the resources it had accumulated!
In addition, all the territory the Zhao Household had once controlled in Purple Mansion City could be ceded to the Song Household as well!!
Although accepting these terms might embroil the Song Household in a struggle between powers,
the Song Household had never feared trouble throughout its long history!
With such a tempting piece of fat delivered right to his mouth, the Song Household patriarch naturally wanted to swallow it!
But as for the specific course of action and whether to intervene... even as patriarch, he had to summon the senior members for a vote!
There were many factions within the Song Household.
Even the Song Household patriarch could not act as he pleased!
Many major matters concerning the entire lineage had to be discussed and put to a vote by the various factions before a decision could be made!