Chapter 613: 609: Overwhelming
Mi Jin quickly calculated that the seven families had assigned a total of forty-eight Martial Ancestors, forming sixteen teams. Furthermore, with the addition of the two top Martial Ancestor elders and two Martial Ancestors who had returned from the northern part of North Mountain already healed from their injuries, the total support sent to North Mountain this time numbered fifty-six.
Moreover, these Martial Ancestors were the best among the seven major families. Regardless of spiritual power or combat strength, they were far stronger than the original group that was first dispatched.
Mi Jin could practically imagine the despair of the Tang Clan warriors when such a powerful force appeared on the front lines.
…
The early morning of the seventh of December
Although Mi Hu and his men had been repelled, Tang Luo still hadn’t left the Skyreach Terrace. He found it to be perhaps the only place in North Mountain that could provide him a God’s-eye view. He was amazed at how far he could see from here and thus was reluctant to leave.
After all, he had already organized all of the martial arts techniques of the people of Star Pavilion, and thought Du Sha, who had recovered, would be best suited for the job of daily teaching.
Most of his time was spent watching the western and southern fronts, as well as the occasional disturbances from the flying beasts to the east of North Mountain.
As the chief defender of North Mountain, he did not feel much pressure. After all, being a lookout tower with a panoramic view, nothing could sneak up on North Mountain without his notice.
After the snow had stopped, winter air smelled exceptionally fresh. Tang Luo sat in the Skyreach Terrace examining the battlefield with a laid-back manner. After he had submitted that intelligence report about the battlefield, the Martial Ancestors at the frontline attacked the Mi Clan’s stronghold in the north during the surprise attack last night.
The defenders of the northern stronghold had not expected the Tang Clan to go on an offensive. By the time they realized the situation, Tang Clan’s top Martial Ancestors were already upon them. The Great Elder, Tang Siyuan, the Second Elder, Tang Hongjun, and the commander of the God Martial Army, Tang Yi, were like three spears, easily breaching the defensive lines, and sending the Mi Clan defenders into a rout. During the volley attacks, the warriors marked by Tang Luo were critically wounded.
After capturing the northern stronghold, the Tang Clan warriors did not linger. They seized the supplies, captured many prisoners, and completely destroyed all the buildings in the stronghold. The operation was swift and neat. Tang Luo was then left in a pleasant mood. It was a rare victory for them since the start of the war. With the Mi Clan’s forces pressing towards both sides of North Mountain, the Tang Clan’s warriors rarely had such a fruitful outcome due to their limited troops. The fact that they had severely injured over twenty of the Mi Clan’s Martial Ancestors gave the frontline defenders a sigh of relief.
Tang Luo watched the scene vividly. Ever since the start of the war, his father, Tang Sen, was never away from his armor and continued to bear the brunt of intense attacks on the most dangerous battlefield that could hardly be endured by warriors of the Fierce Realm.
Once the Spirit Art techniques that could usually withstand the attacks became useless after Cao Xiong’s emergence. Hou Qingyuan, whose ability turned the ground into a quagmire, was like a bane to Tang Sen. What was once as solid as a rock due to Cao Xiong’s stare turned into mud.
Thankfully, apart from the golden rock battle body technique, Tang Sen’s close combat ability enhanced by the dual power bloodline had almost reached the apex of the Fierce Realm. It was often seen that he pursued an entire team of warriors in the Fierce Realm.
The situation had slowly improved. As soon as the family’s Martial Ancestors thoroughly understood several secret techniques, they should be able to have the upper hand over the Mi Clan’s united forces.
A hopeful Tang Luo naturally expected such a scenario, until he saw several small dots rising from the Beast Valley of South Ridge.
From the direction of their flight, Tang Luo was certain that they were reinforcements heading to assist the front line. The discovery turned the Chief Defender’s face pale. He quickly issued an order to the Wind Media person guarding under the Skyreach Terrace, “Inform the Clan Chief right away. The reinforcements from the Mi Clan have set off and are already on their way. Fifty-eight Martial Ancestors, including several top-ranked ones, are among them. Our current defenses on the southwest ridge will not be able to hold against them. If they launch their attack from the east ridge, they can reach deep into North Mountain within an hour. We must ask for reinforcements from the Ancestral Hall immediately!”
Most of the Tang Clan’s martial forces were concentrated in the Martial Hall, but the true essence was actually concealed within the Ancestral Hall.
The elders who had retired from their positions in the Elder Hall and Ancestral Hall were all living in the Ancestral Hall, enjoying their twilight years. Some wished to achieve the position of Grandmaster before the end of their lives, and others had given up the martial path, indulging themselves in various crafts and arts.
Regardless of their current status or age, all of them were once the true backbone of the Tang Clan. Even though they had relinquished their positions for the sake of the younger generation and the overall situation, their desire for the well-being of the Clan would never change.
With all the Martial Ancestors of the Martial Hall practically out on a mission, Tang Luo could only think of asking for help from the Ancestral Hall. At the same time, anger welled up in his heart.
“Where the hell is Dark Thunder Hall? Since the start of the war, where have all the Martial Ancestors of Dark Thunder Hall gone? Has the entire branch disappeared?” An irate Tang Luo sent a message to Cai Buchu, who was yet to leave: “After informing the Clan Chief, tell the Left Hall Master, Tang Zuo, to come to the Skyreach Terrace and see me!”
He still remembered how boastful Tang Zuo was just a couple of years ago when he returned from his journey. Back then, he had recruited nine top Martial Ancestors under his command. The Dark Thunder Hall’s influence skyrocketed as they took on many key tasks related to sieges and city expansion, leaving the whole clan in envy.
However, now that the family needed their power the most, Tang Luo was incensed at the sight of them nowhere to be found.
The young Wind Media person, after receiving Tang Luo’s command, manipulated the beast token again. His mount, the Cloud Piercing Beast, streaked into the sky towards the Cloud Chasing Peak. His speed was astonishingly fast.
In just a few moments, Cai Buchu had already reached the Cloud Chasing Peak. Holding Tang Luo’s token, he directly stormed into the office of the Clan Chief and the Zong Zheng, delivering Tang Luo’s urgent report to both of them, who were working there.
Although he expected the Clan Chief Tang Zhi to be shocked by the news, to his surprise, Tang Zhi just calmly turned to the Zong Zheng and said, “It seems that our enemies can’t wait any longer. I wonder what benefits Mi Jin has promised to make the seven clans exhaust their bottom line.”
“This man has always been like this, using his power to pressure others. However, with tens of Martial Ancestors approaching aggressively, we should act accordingly.” Zong Zheng, Tang Zu, was not flustered either. He stood up and said, “I’ll go to the Shrine to ask for protection first. Stabilizing the front line is our priority.”
“Thank you for your efforts, Zong Zheng.” Clan Chief Tang Zhi nodded to Tang Zu with a smile. After watching the old man leave the conference hall, he turned to Cai Buchu and said, “Before you return to pass on my response to the Chief Defender, take my token and go to our Clan Academy. Inform Dean Tang Kuan to start preparations for the evacuation of the various clans from North Mountain.”
When Cai Buchu heard Tang Zhi’s command, his body shuddered. After receiving the token, he turned around and ran towards the Clan Academy. But as soon as he stepped out of the door, he couldn’t stop his tears from flowing.