Prelude to the Great Battle

The Sect Leader Kang Da, hadn't seen such a grand spectacle in a long time.

This time, the state government issued a decree to conscript a large number of cultivators from various counties. According to Kang Dabao's estimation, there were at least six hundred people, not counting the elite troops directly under the commander's command.

I've heard that these are the Imperial Guards that the Earl of Nan'an brought from the surrounding counties of the capital before he took office. Every one of them is at the Late Qi Refinement of Qi Refining, with impeccable backgrounds, superior family Higher Vehicle, extraordinary Cultivation Method, and powerful Law Artifact.

Aside from being far too clean and lacking the bloody aura of those who frequently kill, these imperial guards were virtually flawless.

Sima Fei and a fake Sima surnamed Gun stood on the command platform and gave some words of encouragement. They were the only two Foundation Establishment cultivators on the state court's side in this battle.

This also demonstrates the state court's lack of control over the Foundation Establishment forces within Cloud Horn Prefecture.

Therefore, relatively weak but prestigious Foundation Establishment sects like the Five Aspects Sect became excellent targets for the state court to establish its authority.

Slicing flesh with a dull knife, gradually eroding it, befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, using others' strength against them—these are tactics that those few guests from the capital have mastered to an art form over the years.

Those sects in Cloud Horn Prefecture who were physically in Cao Cao's camp but had their hearts in Han's camp, as long as their strength had not yet reached a level that made the prefectural court wary, had been thoroughly dealt with by them under various pretexts.

"Victory!" After speaking, Sima Fei held the brass hand halberd and swung it with his arm.

"Victory!!" Acting Sima Gun shouted at the top of his lungs, leading his personal guards.

"Victory!" The militia from the thirteen counties reluctantly cheered, their leaders leading the way in a sparse manner.

"Not bad." Sima Fei nodded, quite satisfied. The hard work of the past two years had not been in vain; at least the morale of these local militiamen had visibly improved.

"Move out!" With Sima Fei's command, five enormous creatures that had been circling in the air landed on the open ground next to the army formation.

"Mystic Falcon." This was the first time Kang Dabao had ever seen such a giant spirit bird, which was recorded in the Chongming Sect's books.

According to the writings of the first sect leader, Patriarch Zhang, this giant bird with scaly eyes, sharp claws, and a sharp beak was of great use when quelling the rebellion.

Not only is it a pack animal capable of carrying hundreds of people in swift flight, but it also possesses considerable combat strength, making it a rare and precious spirit bird, with few among cultivators in the Late Qi Refinement stage capable of defeating it.

During the Pingrong, there were hundreds of these flying beasts stationed in Pingrong County alone, but they are now very rare in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Only a few large sects and clans keep some, and their numbers are very small.

Kang Dabao led the group onto the back of the Mystic Falcon and felt quite good. The gray feathers on its back, though light and dense, were soft yet resilient, and felt like thick banana leaves to the touch.

"I wonder if my Chongming Sect will be able to get a Mystic Falcon to raise in the future."

Following the local militia of Pingrong County was a contingent from Tanggu County, which was slightly smaller, numbering only about thirty men.

This is not because the cultivation world in Tanggu County is more decadent than that in Pingrong County, but because Tanggu County has many local Foundation Establishment forces, making it less convenient for the state to exploit them compared to Pingrong County.

It is said that Huo Bing of Cloud Horn Prefecture, also had his clan in Tanggu County. However, despite being summoned by Sima Fei, only thirty people from Tanggu County came to the county, which is quite intriguing.

There was an acquaintance in the group from Tanggu County: Kuai Wu, the head of the Kuai Household who had led the way last time.

It seems that the Kuai Household's backing in Tanggu County is not very reliable. There were only thirty people in Tanggu County, and even he, the head of the family, couldn't escape.

However, the sacred site of Dantong Cliff, which he acquired from Fire Saber Stronghold, suited him quite well.

In the past two years, Kuai Wu's cultivation has improved considerably; he broke through to the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining even faster than Sect Leader Kang Da.

It wasn't appropriate to speak privately within the formation, Kuai Wu led his fire-man to the other side and sat down. He nodded slightly to Kang Dabao as a greeting, then settled down in his own formation to meditate.

Finally, the team from Jin County came up, consisting of only ten people. The old man leading the team had a red face and a long beard, and he looked quite impressive.

Although his cultivation level was only at the Qi Refinement Fourth Layer Refining, he was already one of the most skilled people in the Jin County team.

"No wonder a pack of five First-Tier Superior-Grade Purple Flame Wolf Wolves could wreak havoc in Jin County back then. The cultivators of Jin County have it tough."

From then on, the people from Pingrong County, Tanggu County, and Jin County, along with about twenty independent Rogue Cultivator recruited directly by the state government, formed a force of one hundred.

The general leading the team was not chosen from among the officials in charge of the teams from these counties; instead, Sima Fei selected one from his own elite force.

The newcomer was tall and burly, introduced himself as surnamed Xu, and said nothing more. He had the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer of Qi Refining and had an unapproachable appearance.

Seeing his appearance, Kang Dabao simply greeted the supervising officer, exchanged a few words with the leaders of the other two counties, and then sat back down in the ranks to pretend to doze off.

The charioteer, dressed in a yellow brocade robe, activated a wind-avoiding array. A hemispherical, transparent spiritual shield rose up, a type of array that could protect cultivators with low cultivation levels from the harm of strong winds.

This is very important to Kang Dabao and his rabble, and it is also a common formation on the backs of many large spirit birds.

Two hours later, as the massive body of the Mystic Falcon landed steadily, Xu Bai was the first to stand up, jump onto the ground, and wave to greet them.

The group assembled at the foot of a low hill; it took quite a bit of effort for the several hundred people to get into formation.

Sima Fei, looking displeased, whispered something to Acting Sima Gun, then beckoned to the ranks, and several officers gathered around.

"I think the Foundation Establishment of the Five Aspects Sect is called something like that?" With the supervising officer absent, someone who couldn't keep their mouth shut started shouting in the ranks.

"Gu Ye, I saw him in Xuanwei City a few years ago. He had a good relationship with the Niu Household, and one of his apprentices even married into the family a few years ago."

"No wonder, that Niu Household to establish his authority. I wonder if his apprentice is good-looking or not, hehe, I saw quite a few pretty girls in the Niu Household's exile procession last time."

"You're only good for spouting nonsense now. A few years ago, if you'd dared to look at someone more than twice, the Niu Household would have dragged you out and skinned you alive in the street."

"Shut up, all of you!" Kang Dabao shouted into the ranks when he saw General Xu return from above. He didn't want this fellow to give him an excuse to punish him.

"Listen carefully, this time we'll be the vanguard," Xu said with a happy expression after returning from Sima Fei's place.

An uproar erupted in the group of about a hundred people. Their team was only ranked in the lower middle class, and they never expected to be chosen as the vanguard.

Even Kang Dabao couldn't understand it. Just as he was about to ask, the general surnamed Xu said with a stern face, "How dare you! Making a scene in the army, are you all planning a rebellion?!"

"This is a top-notch job that I risked my life to get for you from Sima! Humph, you don't know what's good for you!" Xu, the general, stomped his foot, causing the solid road to collapse and create a deep pit, suppressing the clamor of the cultivators.

Kang Dabao could see clearly that this grumpy-faced Centurion Xu was plotting to use other people's lives to advance his own career.

"How come there are so many corrupt officials in this world who don't value other people's lives?"

Since General Xu has volunteered, Sima Fei is probably happy to oblige. Sending weaker troops to probe first and using stronger troops to charge into the enemy lines are both legitimate military tactics, and neither option is inherently superior.

This ragtag group, hastily assembled from local militia from three counties and a bunch of Rogue Cultivators, was utterly defeated by the Five Aspects Sect's forces, but it had little impact on the overall battle situation.

They're just a bunch of cannon fodder; they won't hurt morale much.

Upon hearing the news from the man surnamed Xu, Sect Leader Kang Da began to sweat profusely.

"Damn it, be the vanguard? That's too dangerous. A hundred people fighting in a melee, with my meager skills, I might be dead in the blink of an eye."

Xu Bai had no time to pay attention to his subordinates' thoughts. He had finally managed to get the vanguard position from several competitors and was full of ambition. He didn't care about these peasants.

"A bunch of ungrateful fools. With a young master from a martial arts Aristocratic Clan leading the way, pacifying this small sect in the countryside is a piece of cake. What are you panicking about?"

The clamor of the rabble grew louder and louder, which made General Xu even more displeased. However, he still did not comfort his soldiers, but only cursed them in his heart.

Among the Rogue Cultivator was a man with a bulbous nose who was unlucky enough to shout a little too loudly. He was dragged out by a man surnamed Xu and whipped several times, leaving him with torn and bleeding skin.

Xu, the general, did know his limits and held back his whip. Otherwise, those few lashes would have likely killed the bald-nosed rogue Rogue Cultivator on the spot.

Taking advantage of the momentum from making an example of someone, the man surnamed Xu seized the opportunity to bring up the rewards offered on the battlefield.

The state court's reward this time was indeed quite generous, and Sect Leader Kang Da could see that clearly. However, there were always some people in the group who were willing to risk their lives for Spirit Stone, and their eyes lit up with excitement. They also influenced the people around them, and they started to get all worked up and pant heavily.

Using both kindness and severity is one of the most effective methods of leading troops throughout history. General Xu was not entirely incompetent; after a series of maneuvers, he finally managed to boost the morale of his troops. He then seized the opportunity to lead his men to the front lines, breaking away from the main force and taking the lead.

The army was led by a group of Rogue Cultivator, with the Pingrong County troops in the middle, and the troops from Tanggu County and Jin County forming the rear guard.

General Xu rode a magnificent Yellow-Maned Colt of the First-Tier Superior-Grade, carrying the banner on his back, bringing up the rear.

Kang Dabao followed suit, placing Wu Fire at the front, followed by Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding in order, with himself at the very back of the line. This made it convenient for him to give orders and also made it easy for Dianzi to make a quick getaway.

Although the Five Aspects Sect currently only has one Foundation Establishment alive, its founding ancestor was a highly accomplished cultivator who was only one step away from the Golden Core True Cultivator.

At its peak, the Five Aspects Sect had no fewer than twenty Foundation Establishment True Cultivator over a thousand Qi Refinement disciples. Its founding patriarch claimed that his Daoist methods transcended the Five Phases, and based on this, he widely recruited disciples in this southern barbarian land. To this day, its lineage has lasted for over a thousand years.

To be honest, all the cultivation forces in Guo County, whether near or far, can be traced back to it.

The power of the state court in Cloud Horn Prefecture is far from being so great that it can be settled with a single proclamation. This time, not only did Sima Fei gather local militia, but the Five Aspects Sect also used Spirit Stone to bribe or win over old ties, and as usual, they gathered a considerable number of cultivators to come and help.

Xu, the general, confidently led a group of weak soldiers away from the main formation. At the same time, a group of men from the Five Aspects Sect broke away from their ranks and went straight to meet them.

Both sides arrayed their troops in a grand manner, choosing a flat area to form battle lines, the atmosphere so intense it was almost explosive.

Just then, a small red-collared falcon glided through the clouds, feeling the warm current brushing against its wings. Its gaze toward the crowd below was somewhat intense, as if it were waiting for the grand feast to begin.

Thank you to Brother Dingdangmao for the 500-point reward, and thank you to Brother Buzhiguitudefeng for the 100-point reward.

Thank you to the three gentlemen, Yixiangweike, Kaibukandianle, and Shuidaobuxing for their monthly tickets.

Thank you for reading, subscribing, voting, and commenting.

Thank you everyone!