A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 313 - 273: Reinforcements

"What did you say?" The Sect Leader of the Liyuan Sect nearly thought he had misheard and immediately became furious.

Yuchi Hui braced himself and said, "Master, with the current comparison of combat strength, even if we hold firm here, we might still fail. Since that’s the case, it’s better not to defend at all. Deploy all the forces here back to the main force to strengthen it, and defeat the Chongming County army in one fell swoop. By then, what we’ve lost can naturally be regained."

"Foolish!" The Sect Leader of the Liyuan Sect scolded angrily, "If we let the Yunshan Sect take over Mingsha Bay and they break into our county, killing and looting, wouldn’t it disrupt the army’s morale? Besides, if you can redeploy forces to Kong Family Castle, can’t the Yunshan Sect follow us? What’s the difference from now?"

"Moreover, Mingsha Bay was seized by the Supreme Elder in a sudden strike. If you withdraw without a fight now, what position does that leave the Supreme Elder in? Do you no longer care about your future?"

"You must remember, I recommended you to win battles and accumulate military merits, not to lose cities and territories!"

These words left Yuchi Hui ashamed and unable to lift his head.

The Sect Leader of the Liyuan Sect softened his tone, "Your defeat this time was entirely due to poor intelligence, which led to repeated misjudgments. You can’t be blamed. But now, the Yunshan Sect’s combat strength is evident, and the Array-Breaking Cone is an ancient relic, something they can’t possibly have more of."

"You are my senior disciple, the senior brother of the Liyuan Sect’s people. How can you easily speak of giving up? Now that the intelligence is clear, your wisdom and military strategy far exceed that of ordinary people. If you hold firm to the array, you can surely withstand for some time. No more talk of retreat!"

"As for seeking aid, I am aware of it and will come up with a solution."

Yuchi Hui took a deep breath, "I will obey Master’s orders."

The communication was cut off, leaving Yuchi Hui with a heavy heart but no recourse.

He understood his master’s intentions now.

For the sake of the overall situation of this great battle and for his own future, he could not make a move to retreat. He could only hold firm here.

No matter the final result, as long as he could cause significant damage to the Yunshan Sect, rendering them unable to participate in the main force battle or invade Sanshan County, he would have done his duty.

With a little peace of mind, perhaps support would come?

With this thought, Yuchi Hui stood up, "You all heard the Sect Leader Master’s orders just now; holding firm and waiting for help is the only way. Now, stay alert, prepare the array formation, and ready the supplies!"

At this moment, news also reached the Xuanguang Sect’s Grand Array that the Yunshan Sect had recaptured Golden Dawn Peak and was advancing towards Mingsha Bay.

It wasn’t that the Yunshan Sect’s envoy was so swift, but rather earlier, Ning Songzhi, ordered by Master Fengfeng to bring the Thousand-Mile Mirror and command Lu Qian to complete his deployment, discovered surprisingly that Golden Dawn Peak had already been reclaimed by the Yunshan Sect.

He learned of this from ten cultivators on guard duty, then hurriedly sent a message to the Xuanguang Sect while continuing to advance towards Mingsha Bay to catch up with Lu Qian.

The captain responsible for overseeing Golden Dawn Peak was also quick-witted. He clearly remembered the previous command from the Sect Leader, adding fuel to the fire with tales of battle achievements and exaggerated reports of severe losses.

In short, the Spirit Stones were depleted; the cultivators’ combat strength was exhausted, and various treasured Spiritual Artifacts and Magical Artifacts were expended. Without support from the Xuanguang Sect, not only would the Yunshan Sect fail to take Mingsha Bay, but even Golden Dawn Peak would be difficult to hold.

Ning Songzhi, already on good terms with the Yunshan Sect, colored the story further and communicated it to the Xuanguang Sect.

At this moment, Master Fengfeng was preoccupied with detoxifying and healing, having instructed not to disturb him unless Sanshan County was making a major move.

Thus, this matter was handled by several elders of the Xuanguang Sect collectively.

Hearing the Yunshan Sect had won, Hee Yangchen, naturally very pleased, had just finished his healing. Though his face was still pale, it was now filled with joy as he shouted, "We must support them! Although we can’t spare any cultivators, we’re well-equipped with other resources. Issue orders to allocate fifty thousand Spirit Stones and five High-Tier Spiritual Artifacts—"

The Fifth Elder interrupted with a displeased expression, "Elder Hee, even favoritism has its limits. Does this victory report even sound reasonable? Array Slash killed two Foundation Establishment enemies, heavily injured the enemy commander, completely annihilated three hundred Qi Cultivation elites, and two Floating Battleships..."

"Let’s not even talk about the amount of exaggeration. The Yunshan Sect claims to have suffered heavy losses, but if that’s true, how are they now attacking Mingsha Bay? They must think we’re fools!"

Hee Yangchen snorted, "Regardless, the fact that Golden Dawn Peak has been recaptured is true. If they are pushing north to attack Mingsha Bay, it’s a boon. It could at least keep that auxiliary force busy, preventing them from interfering with the main battlefield. The pressure on the main battlefield is already overwhelming. Even if the Supreme Elder were present right now, he would surely agree to aid them!"

The Fifth Elder shook his head, "I believe we should confirm the Yunshan Sect’s situation first..."

Hee Yangchen angrily retorted, "Military affairs are urgent, as urgent as a fire! Even if it’s not aid, shouldn’t you reward such a great victory? If your obstruction negatively impacts the battle situation, and Zhenren gets furious, how many heads do you have to take responsibility?"

"Don’t forget, Mingsha Bay and Golden Dawn Peak were lost on your watch!"

These words immediately left the Fifth Elder’s face dark, speechless, and his eyes almost bulged out of his head.

Behind him, Han Wen looked pale and disoriented, seemingly lost in thought.

At this moment, the Second Elder spoke up, "Alright, alright, with the enemy at the gates, let’s not damage our unity. In my view, we should acknowledge the Yunshan Sect for their aid-worthy and reward-worthy actions, but we cannot immediately allocate so many resources as we are not that wealthy here either. Let’s first send part of it for immediate relief and then double the reward after victory."

With him mediating, the three elders of the Xuanguang Sect debated for a while before finally deciding to allocate thirty thousand Spirit Stones, three High-Tier Spiritual Artifacts, and a large batch of Talismans and Elixirs to the Yunshan Sect.

With the order issued, they contacted Ning Songzhi again. At this moment, rushing northwards and nearing Mingsha Bay, Ning Songzhi used several Communication Talismans to connect with Lu Qian and finally confirmed Lu Qian’s position, discovering the Yunshan Sect’s Floating Battleship behind a small mountain.

At this time, the Yunshan Sect’s two ordinary Floating Battleships had also arrived for a meeting. Lu Qian was preparing to mobilize his forces when he received Ning Songzhi’s message.

After much traveling, Ning Songzhi finally met Lu Qian. Handing over the Thousand-Mile Mirror while observing the four Floating Battleships and the spirited, battle-ready cultivators of the Shuangye Alliance, he smiled, "Sect Leader Lu didn’t tell the truth. The Yunshan Sect has achieved a great victory."

Lu Qian also smiled, "What are you saying, Fellow Daoist Ning? Although we won, the cost was enormous, forcing us to seek support from the Xuanguang Sect. There’s a common folk saying, ’a cannon shot costs a thousand pieces of gold,’ and for us, a Spiritual Power Cannon shot costs ten thousand Spirit Stones."

"Moreover, these two Divine Ships of mine have a special design, making them extremely costly. After the battle of Golden Dawn Peak, it’s estimated that two to three thousand Spirit Stones have been consumed."

Although Lu Qian’s words were somewhat exaggerated, they were not untrue.

Each full-power shot from a Spiritual Power Cannon requires ten Spirit Stones. The four Floating Battleships have a total of two hundred and sixty Spiritual Power Cannons. With the consumption of the Flying Array and Defensive Array...

Even if not three thousand, one thousand seven or eight hundred would certainly have been used.

Ning Songzhi nodded, "Rest assured, Sect Leader Lu. I have just received a message that the support is already on the way, including thirty thousand Spirit Stones, three High-Tier Spiritual Artifacts, and a large batch of Talismans and Elixirs, enough to sustain the next battle."

"Moreover, as long as Sect Leader Lu can return victorious, the Supreme Elder will surely grant further rewards."

Lu Qian shook his head internally. Additional rewards? Perhaps not. As long as Master Fengfeng doesn’t go back on his word, allowing all the land we’ve conquered to belong to the Yunshan Sect, that would be sufficient.

Thinking of this, Lu Qian chuckled lightly, "Thank you, thank you. However, this batch of support won’t make it in time."

Ning Songzhi was startled, "Why? When does Sect Leader Lu plan to attack?"

Lu Qian gently waved his arm, "Right now!"