A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 303 - 263: Advancing on Golden Dawn Peak

The members of the Shuangye Alliance were all greatly shocked. Now it’s only an hour away from Golden Dawn Peak, and it’s already lost?

The enemy’s advance was so fast! They didn’t stay at Mingsha Bay for long and immediately launched an attack!

Ning Songzhi made it clear earlier that there was originally only one mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Shahe Gang with dozens of disciples on Golden Dawn Peak, just for alerting and transmitting messages, so abandoning it was quite normal.

It seems the commander of the auxiliary forces from Sanshan County is extraordinary, at least decisive in action and adept at seizing battle opportunities.

After issuing orders, the Imperial Decree also communicated the intelligence obtained now.

Even though the Xuanguang Sect’s combat strength is somewhat lacking in native warfare, their reconnaissance work has not slackened, and intelligence is still quite smooth. After a night, the enemy situation is finally clear, no longer relying solely on blind guessing.

Sanshan County has deployed one Golden Core cultivator, twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, two thousand Qi Cultivation elites, and eighteen Floating Battleships in total. Based on the total number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, the county still retains four Foundation Establishment cultivators to guard the region.

Split into two paths, one path breaks in from the direction of Kong Family Castle as the main force, now consisting of one Golden Core cultivator, fourteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, fourteen hundred Qi Cultivation elites, and fourteen Floating Battleships. The other path attacks from Mingsha Bay as the auxiliary force, consisting of six Foundation Establishment cultivators, six hundred Qi Cultivation elites, and four Floating Battleships.

The cultivators of the Shahe Gang originally stationed at Golden Dawn Peak said they were attacked by four Foundation Establishment cultivators and three Floating Battleships. However, now this auxiliary force has occupied both Mingsha Bay and Golden Dawn Peak, and whether the troops at these two locations have been redistributed is still unclear.

"Order the intelligence team to focus on detecting enemy intelligence coming from the direction of Mingsha Bay, using the Thousand-Mile Mirror for real-time reporting."

"Command Kongming Mountain to strengthen alert and defense. Whether the enemy troops that broke through Golden Dawn Peak choose to stop and defend or continue to invade is yet unknown."

It still takes time to reach Golden Dawn Peak. If the troops there are bent on ravaging the county without pause, moving forward continuously, no one knows what their next target might be.

The most agile and terrifying aspect of cultivator warfare is that cultivators can fly!

Being able to fly means they can traverse all rivers and mountains, with no need to confront formidable passes and dangers, no need for distinct marching routes, and eliminating the notion of one man guarding a pass against ten thousand. You guard the pass here, but I can circle around to attack your rear.

Theoretically, as long as scouts don’t discover them, this auxiliary force can bypass all major mountain gates swiftly and directly attack Mingjian Mountain of the Xuanguang Sect using a serpentine approach.

Thinking of this, Lu Qian couldn’t help but feel a headache.

But Wang Yu bowed and said, "Sect Leader, worry not. I rather think the enemy will inevitably choose to defend Golden Dawn Peak and will not advance further."

"Both sides are riddled with scouts, and we are well aware of the combat strength composition of Sanshan County; the same is true for them regarding us. They can naturally estimate, besides the great army along the Fucang Mountain line, there is also our Yunshan Sect’s contingent stationed in Chongming County."

"If they divide their forces further, they can be easily devoured by our sect, so naturally they won’t advance further."

Lu Qian couldn’t help but ask, "What if they don’t divide forces but rather scatter, transforming into banditry to raid various places directly?"

Wang Yu smiled faintly, "Then we’ll also invade Sanshan County, repaying teeth for teeth."

Lu Qian realized suddenly; indeed, the deterrent and apprehension between forces, rather than terrain, stops the enemy’s advance. He himself was perplexed in this situation, seeing things less clearly than Senior Brother Wang.

No wonder so many wise rulers and distinguished generals in ancient times required strategists to assist and clarify things.

Currently, the urgent task is to ascertain how this auxiliary force redeployed its troops after capturing Golden Dawn Peak, and the situation of the garrisons at both places. Only then can targeted offensives be launched.

Although reasoning dictates the enemy would emphasize defense at Mingsha Bay, it’s essential to guard against them doing the opposite.

"What Senior Brother Wang said is reasonable. In that case, let us first probe the illusion and reality of Golden Dawn Peak!"

The Yunshan Sect never fears battles between Foundation Establishment cultivators; the key is the enemy has six hundred Qi Cultivation elites, while we only have one hundred and sixty.

How to win while minimizing losses to our disciples, this is the biggest challenge.

Historically, to use the weak to defeat the strong relies on intelligence, hidden cards, and using one’s strengths to attack the enemy’s weaknesses.

After Lu Qian discussed with the others briefly, a Flying Spiritual Artifact separated from the Divine Ship and headed south.

Around noon, the cultivators on Golden Dawn Peak were bustling, moving through the building complex at the peak.

They were the Sanshan County cultivators who had occupied this location since just over an hour ago.

Golden Dawn Peak towers into the clouds, with steep and precipitous terrain; slopes rise and fall almost like cliffs, only the summit is flat. Under the governance of generations of the Spirit Talisman Sect, the summit has been completely leveled, with vast buildings constructed.

The Spirit Vein here is second-level high-rank, coupled with the precipitous and isolated terrain from the outside world, making it a tranquil and peaceful cultivation paradise.

Unfortunately, its owners have not put in effort, leading to frequent changes in ownership. First, it was the Spirit Talisman Sect, then the Shahe Gang, and now transformed into Sanshan County’s possession, changing hands multiple times in just a few days.

After easily occupying this site, the Sanshan County cultivators redeployed forces and set up the Mountain Protection Grand Array, establishing lookout points, readying themselves to welcome the enemy.

According to the local commander, Chongming County won’t stand idle. Furthermore, based on Chongming County’s sect and troop distribution, the subsequent likely challenge comes from a Foundation Establishment Sect called the Yunshan Sect, so care must be taken.

The commander is wise and shrewd; since he made this judgment, there’s a high likelihood he’s right. Caution should be exercised.

At that moment, the disciple responsible for peak vigilance saw amid the dense forest below, a figure rising rapidly towards Golden Dawn Peak!

It’s an enemy Foundation Establishment cultivator! He promptly issued an alert signal.

In the next instant, a massive hexagonal prism ascended, a blue light shield tightly enveloping Golden Dawn Peak.

That figure was precisely Lu Qian, who, sweeping with his Divine Sense, was moved in his heart.

This is the Six Harmonies Array, a legacy of the Zhou Family, and even the fragmented legacy scroll of the Six Harmonies Array has been deeply perused by Lu Qian, who knows its characteristics thoroughly.

The greatest feature of this grand array is its "hardness," unlike other arrays that primarily trap or kill the enemy. The Six Harmonies Grand Array’s main objective is to repel the enemy outside.

Relying on layer upon layer of hard array barriers, it directly blocks the enemy and their assaults outside the array, preventing entry. Meanwhile, these array barriers are one-way; they don’t permit entry from outside to inside, but movement from inside to outside is possible.

Therefore, those within the array can seize the opportunity to attack the enemy forces blocked outside. It can be said this is an array very suitable for steadfast defense.

Various nodes of the Six Harmonies Grand Array flashed through Lu Qian’s mind; he flew to the front of the array, maintaining a safe distance, and loudly shouted: "I am Lu Qian, Sect Leader of the Yunshan Sect! Who dares to fight me?"

The garrison troops inside the array exchanged glances, and numerous gazes converged on the commander.

A cultivator hesitantly remarked, "This Yunshan Sect Leader, is he a rare flower?"