The Enemy at the Gates

The entire military camp was immersed in the euphoria of a great victory, and the disciples of the Lizhai camp felt that the Foundation Establishment spiritual treasure was already theirs for the taking.

Therefore, even on this battlefield strewn with corpses, where the thick aura of Blood Qi, almost solidified, still lingered, it could not dispel the joy between his brows.

Unfortunately, not all disciples of Ingenious Craftsman Fort were able to enjoy the joy of this victory.

Lu Bing exhausted his spiritual energy and died on the way to the front. If the cultivators below the camp had retreated a moment earlier, he might have also tasted the sweetness of victory.

He spent half his life seeking the path to immortality, only to receive this result. No one knows if Lu Bing will regret it.

He died here silently, like a dried-up corpse. No one seemed to feel sorrow for him; it was as if his presence or absence made no difference to the world.

The disciple from Li Village stepped directly over Lu Bing's withered body, hurriedly approached Yuan Jin, straightened his clothes and composed himself, and bowed deeply, saying, "Wang Wu, a disciple of Li Village from Left Forest Stockade, thanks Fellow Daoist Yuan for your protection."

Wang Wu's pristine white robes contrasted sharply with the blood and gore on the ground, creating a striking image that made Yuan Jin almost unable to open his eyes. Displeased, Yuan Jin ignored Wang Wu and instead focused on the injuries of his subordinates.

Although the battle was a great victory, there were casualties among the patrolmen, with a total of five dead and four seriously wounded.

Those who die in battle receive standard compensation, while those seriously wounded receive essential treatment, and if they are lucky, they may survive and receive their own compensation.

To be fair, the casualties in this military camp were not small, but Yuan Jin did not see a trace of sorrow on Wang Wu's face.

"Are those who cultivate the Puppet Path really so heartless? Are they truly so ruthless and heartless that they've cultivated themselves into wooden puppets with stone hearts?" Yuan Jin felt a pang of emotion, but he had nothing more to say to the disciples of Lizhai and went straight to rest.

After listening to Yuan Jin's instructions, Shao Wei led the patrolmen to clean up the battlefield.

The valuable items were not only the Storage Bag still hanging on the corpses, but also the dozen or twenty prisoners who were too slow or too cowardly.

Most of these people are from humble families recruited by the Changning Sect. It's good that they were captured this time, as the Chongming Sect still has a Cangcui Stone mine that was Acting Sima Gun and is waiting to be developed, and urgently needs mining slaves.

Sending it back to Tanggu County would be just right.

After spending some time with Shao Wei, Wang Wu was lamenting that the latter was such a miser, having worked so hard without getting a single penny in return. He had barely sat down to rest when the crooked-mouthed, squinty-eyed Second Feng Household Brother came looking for him again.

With his men, whose armor was still stained with blood, he intimidated Wang Wu into opening the armory's storehouse and taking whatever he could find without any scruples. Although the latter was displeased, he could only swallow his anger and remain silent.

Fortunately, just as Yuan Jin had said, this patrol team only rested for one day. After instructing Wang Wu to arrange for someone to take care of the wounded soldiers and carry the coffins, they indeed broke camp and left the next morning.

Unfortunately, Wang Wu, along with all the remaining combat-capable cultivators in his military camp, were incorporated into Yuan Jin's forces. Now, with both sides combined, Yuan Jin still had about sixty men at his disposal.

It was only then that Wang Wu realized that Yuan Jin had come specifically to recruit their troops, not as he had assumed, to provide assistance while passing through on his march.

This is quite a large undertaking; it means that the military camp, which Ingenious Craftsman Fort painstakingly built with considerable manpower and resources, has been temporarily abandoned by the Chongming Sect.

Wang Wu didn't know whether he would send someone else to guard the area after the current group of people left.

However, the news that the cobbled-together forces were utterly defeated at Left Forest Stockade last night must have already reached the ears of the Foundation Establishment of the Changning Sect, and they certainly wouldn't sit idly by and wait for their doom.

Wang Wu followed the patrol team for three more days, breaking through six vassal teams of varying sizes belonging to the Changning Sect along the way, and eliminating at least a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators.

On the fourth day, Wang Wu finally arrived at the foot of Old Ox Mountain, the heart of the Changning Sect, with Yuan Jin.

Even though this speed was not slow, a thousand cultivators had already gathered at the foot of the mountain. The scene was quite large, with banners covering the sky and fluttering in the wind.

Not only were all the members of the New Cloud Alliance present, but their respective vassals also gathered here.

Wang Wu's sect Ingenious Craftsman Fort, was also present, along with his fellow disciples from other military camps. They had all returned to the command of their sect elders and did not appear as miserable as Wang Wu and his group.

Among all the sects, the Book and Sword Gate has the largest troop.

Over the years, their power has expanded considerably under the guise of the Immortal Dynasty. Coupled with good Chongming Sect, they have produced three Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in just a few years.

Now, there are six Foundation Establishment True Cultivator still alive. Considering the nearly thousand-year history since the founding of the sect, the Book and Sword Gate has never been so prosperous.

Even in Cloud Horn Prefecture today, apart from the prefectural government and the Han City Yue Household, it is hard to name any other force that can rival the Book and Sword Gate in terms of prosperity.

However, in the eyes of Wang Wu, who was new to the area, the most eye-catching person among his many Foundation Establishment was not Ye Zhen, the leader of the Book and Sword Gate.

The Daoist Black Shoes had that ability; despite his plain and unadorned clothes, he was impossible to ignore, truly like a sharp sword whose brilliance could not be concealed.

Despite Ye Zhen the only Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator in the New Cloud Alliance, he was far less dazzling than the Daoist Black Shoes beside him.

In the following days, the New Cloud Alliance did not rush to attack the formation as Wang Wu had expected.

Instead, the main force remained stationary, while one Foundation Establishment cultivator was selected in turn to lead a team, sending out various units under their command to wipe out the vassal forces under the jurisdiction of the Changning Sect. During this process, they used all their skills, regardless of methods or means, to lure, kill, or drive away those who could be lured.

Less than half a month later, under the direct threat of the army, nearly half of the forces, large and small, that originally belonged to the Changning Sect were forced to change their allegiance and betray their master to survive.

Under these circumstances, Dai Fu Changning Sect, who was trapped in the formation, had been looking very grim lately. He had never imagined that a single miscalculation would lead his side into such a passive situation.

The person in charge of this matter in the New Cloud Alliance is no ordinary person. Their actions were so swift that the Changning Sect didn't even have time to react before they were besieged by enemy troops.

"If only I had listened to Chen Ye and acted quickly, we wouldn't be in this situation, being taken advantage of by the New Cloud Alliance."

Dai Fu's regret was not without reason. As the saying goes, "Eating one bell of the enemy is equivalent to eating twenty bells of my own." He could see that the number of the various factions of the New Cloud Alliance outside the formation was increasing, and their military formation was becoming thicker and thicker, thanks to their methods of recruiting and luring out traitors.

This also means that the forces that should have been gathered and integrated by their own side have been seized by the New Cloud Alliance. Thinking of this, the Foundation True Cultivator Foundation Establishment Changning Sect became somewhat restless.

Anyone with eyes to see can see that, with one side gaining at the expense of the other, if the New Cloud Alliance's purge shows no signs of stopping and they manage to gather enough resources and manpower, then the Changning Sect will definitely have a hard time holding out.

It's hard to say whether the New Cloud Alliance will win the battle in the end, as they have been paving the way with the blood and flesh of the Changning Sect's vassal cultivators from beginning to end, and in the end, they will hardly lose any of their own disciples.

Therefore, starting from the tenth day after Wang Wu arrived at the Old Ox Mountain, Dai Fu gathered eight Foundation Establishment, including Chen Ye, and selected four hundred elites to challenge the Clear Cloud Alliance members who were surrounding the formation.

Compared to the Changning Sect, which had already lost three Foundation Establishment cultivators in a short period of time, the New Cloud Alliance had more cultivators, totaling thirteen.

However, judging from the data on paper alone, there are too many new Foundation Establishment on the New Cloud Alliance's side. In addition to Kang Dabao and Jiang Qing, there are also three Foundation Establishment from the Book and Sword Gate who are all juniors who have formed their Dao Foundation in the last one or two decades.

Generally speaking, the strength of such Foundation Establishment cultivator is similar to that of Ma Wensheng, whose Qi and Blood are declining.

In contrast, the Changning Sect is facing a talent gap, with its members mostly having reached the Foundation Establishment over many years. Not only are their cultivation and spiritual power superior, but they have also long since completed the conversion of their Cultivation Method and the nurturing of their Spirit Artifact, so their strength should naturally be significantly greater than that of newly promoted Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In retrospect, the New Cloud Alliance didn't necessarily gain a significant advantage. That's why the various factions of the Changning Sect didn't have any disagreements and were willing to join forces to send troops.

As Dai Fu rode on the back of the enormous Snow-Feathered Night Owl, he watched as the Foundation Establishment, including Chen Ye and Ge Qinglan, finally put aside their differences and united as one. Yet, under such circumstances, they were at a loss as to whether to be happy or sad.

Unlike Dai Fu, who had mixed feelings, Sect Leader Kang Da of the New Cloud Alliance who was in charge of planning the battle, was overjoyed. After nearly half a month, he finally managed to force the cultivators of the Changning Sect out.

Old Ox Mountain was once the mountain gate used by the False Core sect. Its original mountain-guarding formation, the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Formation, was of the Second-Tier Supreme-Grade, and could even be said to have touched the threshold of the Third Tier formation.

Although the Eight Desolate Fire Dragon Formation left behind by the fake alchemist was later scattered and lost due to the unworthy descendants, it was already incomplete and its grade had dropped to the middle grade of the second rank.

However, Dai Fu Chen Ye and his ilk were not mediocre after all. As soon as they settled in Old Ox Mountain, they invited several Second Tier array masters to repair the array.

Although the Eight Desolations Fire Dragon Formation has not yet regained its former power, it has been repaired back to the Second-Tier Upper-Grade.

Even though the various factions of the New Cloud Alliance had the upper hand, it would be nothing short of a pipe dream to easily break through this great formation guarded by nearly a thousand cultivators without a powerful weapon like Second Tier formation-breaking Formation-Breaking Pearl.

Being able to force the cultivators in the formation to come out and fight is certainly a great thing for the New Cloud Alliance, which has the advantage in numbers.

The Daoist Black Shoes thought the same thing. As soon as Dai Fu led the Foundation Establishment of the Changning Sect to appear, the former suddenly perked up.

After all, regardless of whether Acting Sima Gun's words of revenge were true or false, Dai Fu's head was worth at least the price of a Mountain-Viewing Cave entrance token.

To be honest, the reason why these two thousand cultivators are gathered here to fight to the death is largely because of that token.

Seeing that the Daoist Black Shoes had moved so quickly, Dai Fu was not afraid. He slapped the Snow-Feathered Night Owl beneath his seat and went to meet him.

In his view, the latter was just a junior who had just Foundation Establishment. Even though he was Golden Leaf Foundation Establishment and had some impressive achievements, having killed many fellow Foundation Establishment, none of the cultivators who died at his hands were even worth mentioning.

But I am different. This Snow-Feathered Night Owl alone is the sect's guardian spirit beast, having served three generations of sect leaders of the True Spirit Gate for over four hundred years.

Dai Fu once single-handedly wiped out a Foundation Establishment sect with a hundred members, relying solely on the Snow-Feathered Night Owl.

In terms of strength, Snow-Feathered Night Owl is a formidable opponent for those below the False Core.

The True Spirit Gate once relied on its prestige to solidify its position as a first-rate power below the Northern Mountain and Southern Ox Sects; now, Dai Fu also relied on it to squeeze out Ge Qinglan, whose strength was similar to his own, and was publicly elected as the leader of the Changning Sect.

Furthermore, Dai Fu himself was no mediocre fighter, so he didn't think that Daoist Black Shoes was much stronger than him, especially with Snow-Feathered Night Owl as his support. In his mind, even if he lost, he probably wouldn't lose too badly, and he should be able to retreat calmly.

With this mindset, Dai Fu fearlessly rode the Snow-Feathered Night Owl straight toward the Daoist Black Shoes. When the Daoist Black Shoes got close, he gently tugged at the Snow-Feathered Night Owl's feathers, changed direction, and led the piercing-eyed Daoist Black Shoes away.

Judging from Dai Fu's demeanor, he is truly confident in himself. The reason he lured the Daoist Black Shoes elsewhere was probably because he planned to defeat the latter and leave no one to come to his rescue, thus achieving his goal completely.

It seemed that Dai Fu had given prior instructions, and with his departure, the Changning Sect's troops were handed over to Chen Ye for command.

Because Dai Fu lacked the ability to resolve the rift between the three families of the Changning Sect, these four hundred-odd people remained in the same formation as the various families of the New Cloud Alliance opposite them, each forming their own ranks and acting independently.

Although the Hundred Corpse Array of the Ge Household disciples, the Iron Scale Cavalry of the True Spirit Gate disciples, and the clan soldiers of the Lin Household's direct lineage were all formidable, they were clearly distinct and did not communicate with each other. As such, there was no tacit understanding between them.

Chen Ye's instructions were very simple: they abandoned their advantageous terrain and risked going into battle. Regardless of victory or defeat, they could not afford to drag it out. This was because the enemy outnumbered them, and a prolonged battle would be disadvantageous for them; they had no choice but to end the war quickly.

Ideally, we would kill one or two newly established Foundation Establishment like Jiang Qing and Kang Dabao, break through one or two teams, shatter the enemy's morale, and then win the battle in one fell swoop.

Although the probability is pitifully low, it's not entirely out of the question. In Chen Ye's view, even if they can't achieve a complete victory in one battle, it would be good to be able to kill one or two Foundation Establishment cultivators and bring them back.

Therefore, this initial charge needed to be full of momentum. Over a hundred Iron Scale Cavalry, as the trump card of the Changning Sect, were the first to be deployed by Chen Ye, heading towards Hemu Dao, where the formation was the thinnest.

The idea of "the best against the worst" is not bad, but Ye Zhen is genuinely determined to secure his position as the leader of the New Cloud Alliance, given the impressive scale of the alliance's formation.

In that case, they should naturally take some responsibility.

Ye Zhen personally led five Foundation Establishment disciples and nearly two hundred Qi Refinement disciples to meet the attack. At the cost of more than ten disciples, they finally managed to stop the powerful charge of more than one hundred Iron Scale Cavalry led by three Foundation Establishment disciples.

Although the Book and Sword Gate Sect had an advantage in the number of Foundation Establishment and Qi Refinement, the True Spirit Gate Sect actually gained a slight advantage in terms of the number of disciples directly lost in this charge.

Knowing the dangers, Han Sect Leader Han Hemu Dao, and Li Mingyuan enshrined master, led their disciples to join forces with the Jade Moon Shan Household and the Zi Maple Valley to fight against the Hundred Corpse Formation of the Ge Household.

That old woman Ge Qinglan is truly formidable. She is a powerful late-stage cultivator herself, and besides her Second-Tier Upper-Grade natal spirit zombie, she also has three or four Foundation Establishment Early Stage corpses with different methods and Sha Qi aura that she can use.

Furthermore, the Feng Prefecture Ge Household were far more ruthless in their methods of conquest than the younger generation of the Jade Moon Shan Household and the Zi Maple Valley. Not to mention the cultivators of Hemu Dao who had not yet gotten on the right track, they were even less of a match for them.

In this way, three families fought against one family. The number of cultivators from these families was several times that of the Feng Prefecture Ge Household, but they were subtly suppressed by the Hundred Corpse Formation and could hardly make any progress.

Now only the Lin Lineage soldiers and the Chongming Sect remain, which suits Kang Dabao's wishes perfectly.

Compared to the two families mentioned above, the blood feud between the True Spirit Gate and the Lin Household and the Chongming Sect is much stronger. Especially the latter, everyone believes that Han Yundao must have died at their hands, so when enemies meet again, their eyes are truly filled with hatred.

Despite their envy, they couldn't let it cloud their judgment Sect Leader Kang Da still refused to send his own disciples into battle, leaving them only under the care of Nanny Sun, who had them grouped together with various minor vassals as reserves.

The patrolmen brought by Yuan Jin were grouped together with the guards of Green Lotus Courtyard and the disciples of Ingenious Craftsman Fort, forming three teams.

Lin Kunxue, the head of the Lin Household, had an extremely serious expression. The two Foundation Establishment experts from the Chongming Sect were both quite renowned. Back when Clear Cloud Alliance was still in existence, Mo Wen from Ingenious Craftsman Fort had dealt with them several times and knew that they were not easy to deal with.

On the other hand, their side only had two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"This battle is unlikely to be won!" Lin Kunxue sighed. Even before the battle had begun, he was already regretting his earlier decision to agree to Dai Fu's plan to go out and meet the enemy.

For now, we can only try to hold out by relying on the united will of the Lin Household family members. We'll see if there's any progress on the battlefield between Dai Fu and the Daoist Black Shoes, hoping for a turning point.

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