Chapter 91

Struggle and Strategy

The bodies of thousands of fighters were scattered everywhere. The sky, dyed a fiery red, seemed to weep blood tears for their fallen. A man, with an indifferent gaze, watched as birds, having feasted on the corpses, flapped their wings and flew back to their nests at dusk. In the light of the setting sun, the man’s eyes appeared bloodshot. He was the one who had led the two-day fierce battle to victory in the worst of circumstances.

"Today is the day."

The once crisp blue robe, now torn and stained with dark blood, had turned almost black, but he paid it little mind. Yoonhee, who had been smiling at the broad, reliable back of the man, turned her gaze to the main base of the righteous sects in the distance and responded to his muttered words.

"Yes, today it is."

But no matter how hard she tried to appear lively, she could not hide the exhaustion radiating from her entire body. The man momentarily forgot what he was going to say and looked proudly at Yoonhee and the three subordinate warriors standing behind him. Though they were in terrible condition, in his eyes, they looked the bravest and most trustworthy in the world.

"You've all done a great job. Even I, the old fox, didn't think we could hold out against the leader of the Shu Army for so long."

"The leader of the Shu Army tried to minimize casualties, which is why it turned out this way."

The leader of the Shu Army had gained considerable information about the enemy thanks to the young scouts. According to his knowledge, these young men were individually very skilled, but they were all wiped out in an instant. This indicated that a significant number of elite forces of the demonic sect were stationed at the Shaanxi Branch Tower.

Therefore, based on the statements of the few young men who managed to escape and the information obtained from the sects that had spies in the Shaanxi Branch Tower, the leader of the Shu Army made thorough preparations to minimize casualties and secure a sure victory.

However, he delayed too long. By the time he had fully equipped his troops with shields and armor to protect them from the enemy's arrows, four days had already passed. Despite working day and night, they could only produce about 2,000 shields and armors using the few available forges, which took that much time. During this period, the leader of the Shu Army took thorough measures to prevent the demonic forces gathered at the Shaanxi Branch Tower from escaping. He thought he could prey on the target in front of him with minimal cost.

The experienced leader of the Shu Army did not rush in the battle at the Shaanxi Branch Tower. He needed a certain victory. First, he surrounded the outskirts of the Shaanxi Branch Tower with over 1,500 experts and then launched an attack with 3,000 experts. To avoid the mistake of advancing too deeply and being surrounded, as the young scouts had, he steadily maintained a retreat route while systematically collapsing each stronghold.

As a result, it took a day and a half to completely occupy the outer section of the branch tower, but that was not important. He was not particularly pressed for time. The only thing that mattered to him was when the reinforcements from the main headquarters of the demonic sect would arrive. If they arrived, he could be surrounded and annihilated by the demonic reinforcements.

Thanks to the slow and steady pressure from the leader of the Shu Army, Tian Zhen'e was able to complete his assigned mission. The fact that thousands of guards defending the outer section had either died or surrendered, and that over 40 experts of the Yanwang Team had been killed, with almost all of them suffering various injuries, was not important to him. The only thing that mattered was the thrill of completing the almost impossible task of preventing the Shaanxi Branch Tower from falling before the attack on the main headquarters.

Tian Zhen'e slowly raised his head and looked up at the darkening night sky. Such a night was not suitable for sending messenger birds. The spies would not be able to report the retreat of the Muxiang forces from the Shaanxi Branch Tower to the main headquarters until around noon the next day. That was why he had been fighting hard to defend this place until now.

"Let's retreat!"

In response to Tian Zhen'e's emotionless voice, Yoonhee and the three team leaders quickly responded.

"Yes!"

The three team leaders flew to the areas where their subordinates were stationed to lead them. In less than a quarter of an hour, the warriors of the Yanwang Team began to escape from the Shaanxi Branch Tower through the secret passages as they had been trained.

"Lord Sect Leader."

"No, you can't go in now. Please wait a moment."

Woken by the urgent voice of Elder Ge Wu Xiang and the voices of the guards trying to stop him, Zhang Renjie sat up. Next to him, Han Yingying, the granddaughter of the former sect leader Han Zhongji, was almost naked and asleep. Zhang Renjie pulled the blanket over her and slowly got up, opening the door with a slightly irritated voice.

"What is it?"

Seeing the sect leader appear, Ge Wu Xiang spoke urgently.

"I have found some unusual points, so I have come to see you at this late hour."

Since it was very rare for Ge Wu Xiang to be so flustered, the sect leader suppressed his anger and said,

"Speak."

Ge Wu Xiang, regardless of the sect leader's mood, clearly explained the purpose of his visit, which was to report on some inconsistencies in the information he had gathered through the intelligence department. The Shaanxi Branch Tower was nearly 3,000 li (about 1,200 kilometers) away, so it took a long time for the information to arrive, and it took even longer to compile and analyze it. That was why Ge Wu Xiang had come to visit the sect leader at such a late hour.

"Yes, about the Shaanxi Branch Tower. The Tianlang Team and the Yanwang Team are stationed there. You know their combat strength well. The branch tower is fundamentally divided into the inner and outer sections, with the Baiying Huanhun Formation (魄影還混陣) at the boundary.

The advantage of the Baiying Huanhun Formation is that it can immediately deploy the powerful forces inside to the outside. However, strangely, Muxiang has been hesitant to deploy its main forces. The Shaanxi Branch Tower is not so weak that the leader of the Shu Army can attack for days. At the very least, they should be fighting on equal or superior terms.

If they were to deploy all their strength, they could finish off the leader of the Shu Army and his 5,000 experts in one evening. So why is Muxiang only defending and hesitating to engage in a full-scale battle?"

Since the topic piqued the sect leader's interest, his tone became much softer.

"Hmm, your question is valid. Why is that? Tell me your thoughts."

"Yes, there are a few possibilities I can consider."

"What are they?"

"One possibility is that they are waiting for an opportunity. A full-scale battle would cause too much damage, so they are waiting for the right moment to strike when the enemy is complacent."

Zhang Renjie nodded and said,

"Good. That makes sense. And?"

"Another possibility is that their main forces are not there, which is why they cannot repel the attack."

Zhang Renjie's expression was now becoming somewhat troubled, as he understood the significance of what Ge Wu Xiang was saying.

"No main forces?"

"Yes, it's possible that the main forces have been withdrawn somewhere. The Tianlang Team and the Yanwang Team together only number 3,000. And since they are all highly skilled, it's a perfect number to move without being detected."

Now the sect leader was completely free from his irritation and was listening intently to Ge Wu Xiang.

"If that's the case, what is their target?"

"The most likely target is to launch a surprise attack on the rear of the righteous sects and quickly conclude the battle. The Wu Lin Alliance has deployed experts to various places, leaving their base almost empty. With that level of strength, they could easily secure a victory. However, this possibility is low. It would be very effective if the righteous sects had a central figure to coordinate their actions, but that is not the case.

Another possible scenario is that they are planning to launch surprise attacks on a few core sects of the righteous sects to annihilate them. The experts of the sects whose headquarters are attacked will naturally withdraw from the forces led by the leader of the Shu Army, leaving only the Western Gate Family led by the leader of the Shu Army.

There is also the possibility that they will attack the Western Gate Family, which has been stripped of its elite forces, to annihilate it. If that happens, will the leader of the Shu Army continue to attack the Shaanxi Branch Tower? Or will he lead his elite forces to the Western Gate Family?"

Zhang Renjie slowly nodded and said,

"Your reasoning is sound. In any case, the leader of the Shu Army will be caught off guard, and Muxiang will strike the retreating righteous forces without waiting for the right moment."

"If that happens, Muxiang can defeat the leader of the Shu Army without much bloodshed. This is not a favorable development for us."

"Good. Is that all you want to say?"

"No, there is another possibility. In fact, I came to report this."

"What is it?"

"Perhaps they are planning to leave some subordinates behind and launch a surprise attack on the main headquarters..."

Zhang Renjie fell into deep thought at Ge Wu Xiang's words. However, compared to the first opinion, the second one seemed less realistic. Zhang Renjie suddenly became irritated when Ge Wu Xiang mentioned something that seemed too unlikely. But since Ge Wu Xiang was an elder, and although he would eventually have to be eliminated, he was still needed for now, Zhang Renjie suppressed his irritation and spoke as gently as he could.

"I think the possibility of that happening is low. The battle between Muxiang and the righteous sects has only been going on for two days. Even if Muxiang is only defending, it is unlikely that he has withdrawn his main forces to attack the main headquarters, leaving his base behind. The Shaanxi Branch Tower is Muxiang's base. Losing the Shaanxi Branch Tower would be like losing his face.

Your imaginative thinking is good, but there's no need to push it to the worst-case scenario. Has any sect ever fought while leaving their base empty?

The distance between the Shaanxi Branch Tower and the main headquarters is nearly 3,000 li. If Muxiang's forces had started moving, your intelligence department would have noticed. They wouldn't just fight casually; they would be fully prepared to attack the main headquarters. They would have all kinds of equipment and weapons, and it would be impossible for such a large group to move 3,000 li without leaving any traces."

Zhang Renjie's words made Ge Wu Xiang's face pale. If they were caught by a surprise attack from Muxiang, it would be his responsibility. If Muxiang's large force had moved 3,000 li without being noticed, it would mean that the intelligence department was not functioning properly. However, Ge Wu Xiang, determined to prevent the main headquarters from being attacked for the sake of the sect, even if he would be blamed later, persisted.

"Still, it would be better to be prepared just in case."

"Good. To acknowledge your diligence, I will take it into consideration. In the morning, tell Elders Xiao Wumian and Ye Zhen that I want to see them."

Ge Wu Xiang was not in a good mood because the sect leader seemed to dismiss his thoughts as mere imagination. However, he was satisfied that the sect leader would strengthen the defenses to prepare for a possible surprise attack by Muxiang. He also believed that the possibility of the main headquarters being attacked was low.

Although the intelligence capabilities of the demonic sect were inferior, Ge Wu Xiang was proud that his intelligence department was second only to the Wu Ying Sect, the strongest among the righteous sects, and superior to the Kai Fang.

"Yes, Lord Sect Leader. Thank you for considering my humble words. Good night."

"You too, get some rest."

After sending Ge Wu Xiang away, Zhang Renjie lay down next to Han Yingying and gently pulled her into his arms. Now that she was used to living with him, Han Yingying snuggled into his embrace in her sleep. Feeling her soft body, Zhang Renjie's irritation subsided somewhat, and he soon fell into a deep sleep. However, his sleep did not last long.