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The leaders and stewards of the Martial Hall, as well as the elders remaining on North Mountain, all gathered. The crystal stones illuminated the great hall, yet every face remained deeply somber.

No one spoke. Whether they were elders or leaders, everyone kept their eyes lowered to the ground of the hall, as if they were in a daze or waiting.

“Please say something. It’s rare that we’re all gathered here. Do you all intend to let silence waste our precious time?” Great Elder Tang Siyuan, looking at the despondent faces, finally couldn’t help but break the silence.

The awakened elders raised their heads, glancing at each other, at a loss for words. The several leaders of the Martial Hall also raised their heads, glancing at Tang Sen and Tang Zhi, wanting to speak yet sighing heavily before falling silent once again.

By now, almost all of the clanspeople of North Mountain had been evacuated. Only the warriors stayed behind in Xiangyun Valley in a move to control the battlefield and delay the advancing Mi Clan army so as to buy more time for their clanspeople.

However, this was indeed a frustrating situation for the Tang Clan. There were several opportunities for the defenders to break through the besieging troops, but these opportunities had been wasted time and time again.

The Mi Clan army had already surrounded the Xiangyun Valley, leaving the defenders with very little time and opportunities. Yet, Tang Zhi still insisted that they wait patiently.

As Fierce Realm warriors holding the Xuanji Jade, the elders and leaders could leave at any time. However, the large group of Transcending Mortals nurtured by the Tang Clan over the years would be left behind.

If the Mi Clan army were to decimate these Transcending Mortals, the Tang Clan would need at least thirty years to recover. The current passive situation was all due to the order to defend the Xiangyun Valley.

The commanding officers of the Martial Hall were not unwilling to speak, but they didn’t know what to say. Thus, silence was all that remained.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

Those who do not break in silence are doomed to perish in it. Tang Yi, commander of the Shenwu Army, stood up and said to Tang Zhi, who sat at the forefront, “The Mi Clan has us completely surrounded in Xiangyun Valley, and the severely wounded martial warriors are healing and returning to reinforcement. Now is our last chance for a breakout. Are you still not going to give the order?”

Tang Yi’s words reeked of heartbreak. Each Shenwu Army warrior was a promising rookie selected directly from the Martial Hall and brought up under his watchful eye, from the freshest recruits to the seasoned veterans.

Yet since being given this inexplicable defensive mission, a large number of Shenwu Army soldiers had been lost every day. The total losses in these few short days exceeded those of decades past.

The Martial Ancestors of the Mi Clan no longer had any respect, conducting sneak attacks on the defenders as Fierce Realm warriors, specifically targeting the young Transcending Mortals.

At times, Tang Yi would rather the spirit arts were directed at him instead, rather than helplessly watching his juniors lose their lives in front of him.

Chief Tang Zhi glanced at Tang Yi and gave the same answer he had given countless times before, “It’s not time yet.”

A sense of desolation added to the gloomy faces of everyone in the hall; nobody wanted to speak out because every single time, they were confronted with the same answer. It was enough to numb anyone.

However, this time, the Shenwu Army commander couldn’t stand it any longer.

“Until when!?” Bellowed an enraged Tang Yi, his face red with anger, “Until every single Shenwu Army soldier is dead? Until the main array of the Martial Hall is destroyed?”

The accumulated frustrations of these past few days welled up inside Tang Yi, finally bursting forth that evening, “We’ve already lost. Even though North Mountain is our homeland, if we are no match for our opponents, the only option is to retreat! But as long as we retain our strength, with all the secret techniques and methods obtained from the Minor Spiritual Realm, we can regain our glory within ten years. At most, within a hundred years, we can come back to Xiling, and give the Mi Clan their just desserts. Why place such importance on temporary gains or losses? Is a piece of land more valuable than the people on it!!?”

No one could mistake the implications of Tang Yi’s furious questioning.

With the family’s defeat and loss of their land, the clansfolk needed an outlet for their emotions. And for this significant strategic mistake, no one else but the clan chief could be held responsible.

After all, during wartime, all branches and divisions of the family are under the control of the clan chief, and so, when issues arise, naturally, the clan chief is held responsible.

In Tang Yi’s eyes, already convinced of defeat, Tang Zhi’s insistence on not abandoning North Mountain and continuing to defend Xiangyun Valley at the cost of the Martial Hall’s soldiers was because he was unwilling to admit defeat, more importantly, his attachment to this piece of land.

Unable to comprehend Tang Zhi’s actions, the Shenwu Army commander ultimately attributed it to the most commonplace reason, assuming that Chief Tang Zhi had left the Martial Hall in this dangerous situation, hoping for a miracle to happen, just so he could avoid bearing the consequences.

Everyone present were highly ranked individuals. Although Tang Yi spoke indirectly, his underlying meaning was clear to all. At first, no one would have thought of this, but at this point, they could think of no other reason.

Yet, out of trust for Tang Zhi, the leaders of the Martial Hall did not immediately believe this, but the look they cast Tang Zhi was tinged with doubt.

No one had anticipated that after Tang Yi finished speaking, the situation could become so complicated, which made Tang Siyuan, who had initially suggested everyone to speak, especially uncomfortable. He coldly confronted Tang Yi, “Commander Yi, the decision to maintain our position was a resolution agreed upon by the elders and the elder group. Do you understand!”

As one of the few people who truly understood Tang Zhi’s plan, Tang Siyuan had to defend Tang Zhi’s reputation at this point. This wasn’t about personal relationships but was for the sake of avoiding further problems within the Tang Clan.

But, since Tang Yi had decided to see this through, he didn’t care who he was dealing with. “Since the Great Elder says that the defensive stand was a decision made by both the clan chief and the elder group, considering that all three leaders of the Martial Hall are here, please tell us what we are defending and how long we need to hold out for!”

The Martial Hall had three leaders in total, commanding a large number of Transcending Mortals. At this moment, all three stood together in question.

“Three days.” Tang Zhi’s sudden response brought silence to the great hall, capturing the undivided attention of the three leaders of the Martial Hall, “The last three days.”

“Please relay this order to our soldiers, so they know we are stationing here to buy time for our clanspeople to retreat. For every day we hold our position, our clanspeople can travel thirty miles further. When they are safe a hundred miles from here, we charge out!”

This was the first time Tang Zhi had given such a clear order to the three leaders. Despite their disbelief of it being the reason behind their stationed defense these days, they were willing to believe him since Tang Zhi had given a clear timeline.

“Alright!” Exclaimed the Shenwu Army leader Tang Yi with excitement, “The final three days, regardless of the situation after these three days, this commanding officer will lead the Shenwu Army in a charge outwards, letting no one question that they weren’t warned!”