Chapter 88

Ambush upon Ambush

As a meeting was in full swing to plan a surprise operation, a man in black rushed in and delivered urgent news.

"An urgent message has arrived from Hong Jin, the leader of the Hong family. Six groups, totaling about 6,000 martial artists, are moving toward the Shanxi branch. They are approaching at an extremely fast speed, and their vanguard of 2,000 will arrive in a week at the earliest, or in ten days at the latest. What should we do?"

The expressions of the superiors did not change, but their hearts began to boil. What could be happening at this critical time? Since the other side had taken action, they could not remain idle. As the man in black finished speaking, Mo Xiang, who was sitting at the end of the long table, slowly spoke.

"What do you think, Strategist?"

Xue Wuji answered cautiously.

"According to the original plan, we should abandon the Shanxi branch. After all, it was only a decoy. However, the other side is moving too quickly. If these groups are elite martial artists, the Shanxi branch won't last long. If it falls too quickly, Zhang Rengel will notice."

Mo Xiang slowly nodded and said, "That makes sense. So what do you suggest?"

"We need to send a support team. We need to hold the Shanxi branch for a sufficient amount of time... The attack on the main headquarters will begin no later than 15 days from now. We must ensure that no one realizes the core of the Shanxi branch is empty before the attack begins."

As Mo Xiang listened to the strategist, Man Miaoxieng, Chen Tianyue, stroked his beard and firmly opposed the idea. Chen Tianyue, who had been responsible for the Wannegong, which once brought in more than half of the demonic sect's income, was a man of exceptional intellect. He was also an outstanding expert, ranking 10th in the demonic sect's hierarchy after joining Mo Xiang's forces by the sect leader's order.

"That won't work. To do so would require a significant amount of our forces, which we cannot recall when it's time to attack the main headquarters. It would be best to abandon the Shanxi branch according to the original plan."

"Hmm, that's true."

Mo Xiang's ambiguous response made Xue Wuji frown. Just as Xue Wuji was about to say something, the hot-tempered Tian Li Duxing spoke first, his voice tinged with anger.

"Now is not the time to abandon the Shanxi branch. If it falls, it could have an unknown impact on the morale of our subordinates. The demonic sect has been able to boast a thousand-year history because its main headquarters has never been defeated."

Tian Li Duxing's words were met with a rebuttal from Man Miaoxieng.

"That's because the main headquarters is a natural fortress. However, the Shanxi branch is nothing of the sort. It was just a decoy to lure in flies, wasn't it? The martial artists approaching are likely foolish orthodox sect members who have fallen for Zhang Rengel's trick.

Perhaps the orthodox sect has been provoked by Zhang Rengel's trick and has sent their elite forces. I don't think it's necessary to engage in a messy fight with the orthodox sect's elite before the major operation. The main headquarters' forces are immense. Dividing our forces would be disastrous."

As Man Miaoxieng spoke, Gulu Xue Mo, Yu Guanba, proposed a compromise.

"We don't necessarily need to engage in a direct confrontation, but it wouldn't be good to let them take it down too easily. With the experts from our branch, we can gather at least a thousand before the enemy arrives. Deploying them..."

However, before Yu Guanba could finish, Xue Wuji interrupted.

"That won't work. We can't use them because there might be Zhang Rengel's informants among them. That's why I issued the Golden Clan Order to all the demonic sect's branches, and I can't lift it. Even if the orthodox sect has sent their elite, they are just a group of leaderless rabble without a leader. If we use the branch's forces to stop them, Zhang Rengel will surely suspect where our main forces are."

After listening to the heated debate among his subordinates, Mo Xiang slowly raised his hand. They stopped arguing and looked at him, as the final decision ultimately rested with the leader.

About 100 li (approximately 40 kilometers) from the Shanxi branch, in a dilapidated temple, this was where the orthodox sect's leaders had gathered to destroy the Shanxi branch. They were elite warriors from various orthodox sects who had been deceived by false information spread by Zhang Rengel's side. Representatives from five sects had secretly moved to this location from their respective sects.

"Is this information accurate?"

A woman in a light blue robe stared at the map, which was so detailed that it seemed almost unbelievable. A man in a yellow robe rebutted her.

"Ha ha ha, Miss Li, you underestimate our sect's capabilities. This map was obtained with great effort by our sect."

"But isn't it too detailed? No matter how excellent our information-gathering abilities are, a map and information this precise... It could be a trap."

The man in the light blue robe shook his head.

"It's hard to conclude it's a trap just from that. If you look closely at the map, the exterior is strangely detailed. However, the interior, though seemingly detailed, lacks crucial information. The formation that separates the interior and exterior is designed to confuse people and prevent them from entering, not to kill.

Since it's not a killing formation, it seems advantageous for us to attack. However, it also means that if they attack from the inside, they can do so quickly without being hindered by the formation. I can confidently say that this formation is used only when there is an immense force inside. It's the optimal formation for the experts inside to launch a sudden attack at any time."

As the man in the light blue robe paused and scanned the room, another man in a light blue robe urged him on.

"Then?"

"According to the information, there are nearly 4,000 guards, servants, and maids living in the exterior. The watchtowers make it difficult to launch a surprise attack. The detailed structure of the fortifications suggests that this is more like a military camp than a martial arts sect. Don't you feel that? Each fortification can cooperate with others to launch arrows or iron maces from any direction. That means..."

The woman in the light blue robe, who had been listening to the man, exclaimed as if she had realized something.

"Ah! There are almost no experts among the guards on the perimeter."

"Exactly, Miss Li. This information might be a trap, as the interior is not detailed. However, if used well, it could deal a fatal blow to the enemy's perimeter defense. The problem is the level of the experts waiting inside after we break through the perimeter. According to the information, they are the demonic sect's elite. What level are they? Mr. Yan, who obtained this information?"

The man in the yellow robe, called Mr. Yan, answered cautiously.

"Calling them 'elite' is quite ambiguous. It could be the demonic sect's famous Zixingwanmadai, or in the worst case, the Yanwangdai. But the latter is almost impossible."

"If the Yanwangdai is here, this attack would be too reckless. If there's a possibility of the Yanwangdai, we should wait for Elder Shulao to arrive."

Everyone seemed to agree with the woman's words. The Yanwangdai, consisting of over 2,000 experts, was known as the demonic sect's top elite. While there were stronger forces above them, the Yanwangdai was the highest openly acknowledged force in the martial arts world. Therefore, the gathered leaders considered the Yanwangdai the worst-case scenario.

Seeing the mood becoming too somber, the man in the light blue robe tried to refocus the group.

"Let's think carefully. I don't believe the Yanwangdai is here. Han Zhongping, who leads the Yanwangdai, is an outstanding expert ranked 8th in the demonic sect. It's unlikely he would be tied up in a branch. The same goes for the 9th-ranked Sanmianrenma. If they are here, it would be a small detachment of the Zixingwanmadai. What do you think?"

"I agree with Mr. Lu. There's no need to be overly afraid. All the demonic sect's massacres in this area have been against small sects. This suggests that there isn't a strong force here. If there is, it's probably about 1,000 members of the Zixingwanmadai, which seems the most plausible."

The man in the white robe, with a handsome face, nodded in agreement with the man in the light blue robe.

"I agree with Mr. Zhang."

Seeing that many agreed with his opinion, Mr. Lu scanned the room and said,

"Let's conduct a reconnaissance battle. We'll decide based on the enemy's response. If their strength is unexpectedly strong, we'll quickly retreat and join Elder Shulao."