Chapter 82

Tactics

"Crush this place."

At Moxiang's sudden command, his subordinates could not hide their confusion. Moxiang pointed to a spot on the map with his Moxiong Sword. Everyone stared in shock for a moment before Qianlidxing finally gathered his wits and spoke cautiously.

"Sir... that is the Taizheng Gate. If you attack them, the Wu Lin Alliance will not sit idly by. Especially Han Gu, the master of Taizheng Gate, is a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect. Perhaps you should reconsider..."

Moxiang chuckled and looked at Xue Wuzhi.

"Let the strategist explain."

"Yes, the reason we are attacking Taizheng Gate this time is to deceive the headquarters. Zhang Jingjie, who has recently ascended to the position of leader, has proposed an alliance with Bonta. The deputy leader has accepted his proposal."

As the subordinates murmured in surprise, Moxiang lightly tapped the table.

"Speak only after you have heard everything."

When everyone fell silent, Xue Wuzhi continued.

"Zhang Jingjie's message goes like this: 'I have already dealt with the leaders who persecuted the deputy leader, such as the former leader Han Zhongji and the Wu Lin Alliance leader Yu Qingxue. Why don't we join hands and unify the Wu Lin? There are no more enemies to avenge. Why should we shed blood among ourselves? If we fight each other, it will only benefit the Blood Sect and the righteous sects. Let's unify the Wu Lin and divide the Central Plains, with the Yangtze River as the boundary.'"

After hearing this, Qianlidxing stepped forward.

"Does the deputy leader intend to ally with Zhang Jingjie?"

Shaken by Qianlidxing's words, Moxiang shook his head.

"No. We will only pretend to ally with him. To deceive Zhang Jingjie, Bonta will pretend to clash with the Wu Lin Alliance. For this, we have chosen Taizheng Gate. Once we destroy Taizheng Gate and start a conflict with the righteous sects, we will have a reason to confront Zhang Jingjie. We will say, 'We have fulfilled our part of the deal, so why are you sitting still?' Then Zhang Jingjie will also take action. Of course, since all the branches of our sect have been absorbed by me, the forces Zhang Jingjie can send out will be the best. This will make it easier for us to attack the headquarters, won't it?"

After hearing Moxiang's explanation, Qianlidxing nodded in understanding.

"Hmm, it's a good strategy. However, once the war with the Wu Lin Alliance begins, it will be difficult to withdraw our forces. A war with the Wu Lin Alliance is already a tough challenge for the Devil Sect alone, and it would be even more difficult to start a war with two unreliable alliances."

Moxiang nodded in agreement.

"It is indeed a challenge. But there is one thing you haven't considered. After the war with the Wu Lin Alliance, we will withdraw our forces to attack the headquarters. From where will we withdraw them?"

Qianlidxing answered simply, as it was a straightforward question.

"From the battlefield with the Wu Lin Alliance."

"Where is that battlefield?"

"That would be important strongholds or occupied sects..."

"No. I didn't say we would occupy them. We will only destroy them. We have nothing to protect. The place we are attacking now is just a decoy. Do any of us have families? We have no roots for them to cut. Of course, we can't keep this up forever. It's very dangerous not to cultivate new experts to succeed us. But there is an advantage to this. We will wander like Puningcao, destroying the sects of our enemies. In the process, we will also be attacked here. We will protect this place until the right time, and when the opportunity comes, Bonta will use all its strength to destroy the headquarters. It doesn't matter if this place becomes a wasteland. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Qianlidxing!"

"Yes."

"I want to entrust this mission to you. What is your opinion?"

Qianlidxing answered confidently.

"Leave it to me. How many subordinates will I take?"

"I will give you two hundred-man units of the Tianlang Corps. Is that enough?"

The Tianlang Corps originally consisted of ten hundred-man units, but four were destroyed in a conflict with Moxiang, leaving only six. Thus, giving two hundred-man units meant providing one-third of the current Tianlang Corps' strength. However, even this was enough to crush any ordinary sect in an instant. Therefore, Qianlidxing answered confidently.

"Yes! It's more than enough."

"It doesn't matter if you don't completely annihilate the enemy, but there must be no casualties on our side. If you have the strength left, don't completely destroy them. They need to spread the news. Do you understand?"

"I will keep it in mind."

"Leave immediately."

"Understood!"

After Qianlidxing's Iron Camp saluted and left, Moxiang called out to the chief elder.

"Yezhigao, Chief Elder!"

"Yes."

"I will also give you two hundred-man units of the Tianlang Corps. Will you destroy Daming Gate for me?"

"Yes, should I leave now?"

"Yes."

"I will do as you command."

As the chief elder left, Moxiang called out to Xue Wuzhi.

"Strategist!"

"Yes."

"Even if all the forces of the Tianlang Corps leave, will there be no problem with Bonta's defenses?"

"Yes, don't worry. The Wu Lin Alliance will not notice Bonta's actions for some time. They will only strengthen their surveillance of the Devil Sect. The more sects we destroy, the weaker Zhang Jingjie's position will become."

"Hongzhen, leader of the Hongzhen Sect!"

"Yes."

"Since most of our main forces are away, focus on gathering information about the Blood Sect, which is the biggest variable."

"I will keep it in mind."

"Also, I will take the remaining two hundred-man units of the Tianlang Corps to Denglong Gate. Let everyone know. It will probably take about ten days, so the strategist should handle the minor matters in my absence."

"Understood."

Four days later, Moxiang stood in a place where he could see Denglong Gate in the distance. He had left his guards behind, ostensibly because of their poor lightness skills, but in reality, it was for a different reason. This battle involved massacring an innocent sect, and it was inevitable that those who had not drunk the Devil Sect's water would rebel. Therefore, he had left them behind in the Shanxi branch. The sun was gradually setting on the other side of the mountain, and as it got lower, the red blood-like color in the west grew darker.

"This sect is larger than I expected."

The black-clad warrior standing beside Moxiang quickly replied.

"Yes, there are about 800 people who can wield swords. But the capable ones are few. Most are family members, servants, or hired hands. Should we start now? We can finish before it gets dark."

"No, let's start at night. Since we are here to launch a surprise attack, why would we attack in broad daylight? At night, we can pretend not to notice the women and children hiding. If we do it in the daytime, they might have a chance to escape. Have everyone rest for a while and start the attack when it gets dark. Tell them to suppress their killing intent and pretend not to notice those who are hiding."

"Understood!"

The black-clad warrior quickly disappeared, and Moxiang sat down, watching the setting sun in the west while drinking wine from his pocket. In fact, he didn't need to come here to destroy such a small sect. Sending one hundred-man unit of the Tianlang Corps would have been enough. But he came here because he wanted to see the outside world after a long time, and more importantly, to get away from the nagging of Mahua.

Having a subordinate who can speak frankly about things others dare not say is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a good thing, as it helps understand the subordinates' thoughts better. For someone in Moxiang's high position, especially as the leader of the Devil Sect, it was difficult to hear the detailed grievances of his subordinates. However, Moxiang received these grievances well through Mahua, the chief elder, and the strategist, with Mahua occupying a high position in the communication channel. Mahua, as a guard and a "housekeeper," spoke freely about things that the chief elder and the strategist found difficult to mention.

Moxiang recalled Mahua's face, with her eyes wide open and scolding, and chuckled.

"Maybe I'm digging my own grave. At first, it was worth listening to, but now it's getting tiring."

Moxiang watched the children playing and the men and women working in the buildings of Denglong Gate below, lost in thought.

"Do I really need to take revenge by slaughtering people who have nothing to do with me? Who will avenge those who die by my hands today? How many will I kill today? Should I just abandon everything and go into the mountains to practice my sword skills? I also want to meet Senior Xue Mo once..."

While Moxiang was lost in thought, the sun set completely, and darkness fell. As he took the last sip of his wine, a loud bell rang from the direction of Denglong Gate.

"It seems to have started."

At the same time, Moxiang's figure shot towards Denglong Gate.

In the light of the torches, it was hard to tell if the splattered red was blood or just black water. The warriors of Denglong Gate were almost defenseless against the unknown number of black-clad attackers and were massacred. Women fled with their children, and those who were captured and dragged to the wide training ground included both men and women. Some warriors, realizing the situation was hopeless, fled into the darkness.

"Is this all of them?"

Moxiang looked at the more than a hundred men, women, and children who were captured and brought to the center of the training ground. The black-clad warrior beside him quickly replied.

"Yes, how should we deal with them?"

"Hmm, we are in a hurry, so kill them all."

Moxiang deliberately spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear, and the black-clad warrior immediately carried out the order, exuding a killing aura.

"Understood! Kill them all!"

A few black-clad warriors rushed in and swung their swords indiscriminately. Soon, the ground was covered with bodies that could hardly be called human. At that moment, a sharp whistle cut through the night sky. The black-clad warriors, hearing the whistle, began to act as planned, showing signs of panic. If anyone saw them, they would think they were panicking or trembling in fear of a powerful enemy approaching. One of the black-clad warriors shouted to Moxiang.

"It seems urgent. There are many people hiding here. Quick, give the order!"

"Damn! We have to leave even if we leave traces. Set the place on fire."

"Understood!"

They threw the torches into the rooms and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Inside the rooms, women and children were likely hiding under the covers, and the fire would probably consume them. Moxiang and his group did not need to kill all the remaining members of Denglong Gate, so after a brief performance, they quickly left.

The Wu Lin was already in turmoil due to the rebellion of Zhen Tianwang, and the reappearance of the Blood Sect alongside Zhen Tianwang was causing shock. The discovery of the tomb of the great hero Gu Hui added to the tension, and the Wu Lin Alliance leader's disappearance left no one to mediate the various incidents related to the tomb. The Wu Lin was on the brink of a large-scale bloodbath over the tomb of Gu Hui. This time, the Devil Sect, or what seemed to be the Devil Sect, was causing chaos, and three righteous sects had been destroyed.

"Have you identified the culprit?"

The middle-aged man politely answered the clear voice from behind.

"The problem is that the culprit is too obvious."

"Too obvious? What do you mean?"

The middle-aged man began to explain the conclusions he had drawn from his investigation.

"The data on