Chapter 259: Counterattack And Scheming
Su Yan’s words stunned the few people present. Yuan Hong asked, “The reasoning is sound, but Dan Qiao Realm Martial Artists have powerful divine sense, and ordinary martial artists cannot approach them. If they deliberately hide, or if they are already in the camp, even knowing their location makes it difficult to act.”
Finding news of a lone Dan Qiao Realm Martial Artist is no small challenge.
Su Yan, however, smiled. “I have my own methods.”
He teased them a bit. Only Long Qiushui looked thoughtful, as if recalling his former fierce insect.
Long Qiushui asked, “How do we cooperate with you?”
“Normally dispatch disciples to attack and seize territories.”
……
After the group reached an agreement, over the next few days, Long Qiushui and the other two truly issued orders to the Mountain Guard and inner and outer disciples, forming small teams to begin assaulting the Demonic Path disciples outside the Hundred Peaks Barrier.
Especially targeting those resource sites being plundered by Demonic Path disciples, they reclaimed them through surprise attacks and occupations.
For a time, martial artists from both sides outside Cold Shadow Peak hunted each other, vying for resources like a meat grinder, continuously depleting each other’s power.
Outside Ma Wang Town, Three Flames Divine Palace disciples gathered outside the town.
With full manpower, there were fully three hundred people, led by several True Intent Realm Fourth Stage martial artists.
Among them, one person wore gray-black long robes, with indifferent eyes and a slight mustache, a cloth belt around his waist, holding a silver-bright curved saber.
“If the Ma Family were still around, Ma Wang Town would have fallen into our hands long ago.”
Cen Yanyang gazed distantly at Ma Wang Town, seeing its city gate tightly shut and the city wall full of martial artists.
The white-robed woman beside him twirled her long sword into a sword flower, gripping it before her, and said indifferently, “No use dwelling on ifs. This time, find a way to take Ma Wang Town, retrieve the Yaksha Secret Medicine left by the Ma Family—that would be a great merit.”
The Yaksha Secret Medicine was left by Hundred Caves Witch Sect people for the Ma Family to research. After years of experiments, it had become a relatively mature cultivation technique.
It only required consuming some ordinary people to produce monsters comparable to martial artists—batch-producing combat monsters, which force wouldn’t want?
“Beast King Sect has probably been destroyed long ago.”
Cen Yanyang replied indifferently, but his gaze remained fixed on Ma Wang Town.
Some wanted the secret medicine, but he wanted the gold and silver, origin stones, and spirit herbs filling the city.
The resources of a small town, plus over a thousand living souls and flesh and blood, might just allow him to condense his Greed, Anger, Ignorance Three Beasts True Intent.
“Attack!”
After Cen Yanyang and Yan Yingyue spoke, they wasted no more time waiting, waving their hands as the three hundred martial artists behind them quickly advanced toward Ma Wang Town.
They had besieged Ma Wang Town for several days already, seizing many surrounding spirit fields.
What remained unmoved were things like spiritual veins and spirit ores—only by taking Ma Wang Town could they plunder better.
“Attack!”
Seeing the martial artists approaching, Ma Wang Town erupted in alarm bells.
Their bowstrings had long been taut; now with the Demonic Path attacking the city, they naturally launched an offensive like a reflex.
Instantly, arrows rained down, targeting the martial artists charging toward the city base.
“Small matter.”
Cen Yanyang charged at the forefront. Greed and Anger Beasts dispersed left and right, transforming into several-zhang-long forms.
Divine Union!
True Intent Divine Union merged with his figure, then charged straight for the city wall.
On the city wall, the various great families’ family heads saw this and immediately ordered their subordinates to focus fire.
Nearly hundreds of arrows shot straight at Cen Yanyang’s Anger Beast form.
The Anger Beast opened its maw wide, rolling black smoke swirling around, roaring once to shatter all the arrows.
His figure leaped, borrowing force from the ground, reaching the wall top in just two or three moves.
“Demonic Path thieves, how dare you be so rampant.”
The Zhao Family Patriarch from the city flew in to attack, transforming into a barbaric bull charging straight ahead.
After the Ma Family in the city was exterminated, the Zhao Family undoubtedly became the top force here.
“Boom!”
The Anger Beast collided with the barbaric bull, unleashing true essence shockwaves that sent several disciples flying off the city wall.
Cen Yanyang sneered, “Even Divine Union Realm has disparities.”
His curved saber slashed, a beam of light instantly targeting the Zhao Family Patriarch, forcing him to retreat while leaving a bloody gash on his flesh.
“All hands on deck.”
All True Intent Realm Martial Artists on the city wall rushed to aid, but before they could act, True Intent Realm Martial Artists from the Demonic Path disciples successively climbed the wall.
Instantly, killing filled the air, with lives lost nonstop.
Compared to these family forces, the Demonic Path disciples’ methods were more ruthless and sharper.
For a time, the Demonic Path disciples gained the upper hand on the city wall.
The two groups fought fiercely, but the city gate was quietly held.
Large numbers of Demonic Path disciples slaughtered in through the main gate, their ferocious appearance suggesting a city massacre.
“Whoosh!”
Suddenly, a long spear struck, nailing directly into the gate, piercing several Demonic Path disciples at the city gate.
Urgent hoofbeats sounded as a team of black scaled leopards appeared like a black tide on the horizon, entering everyone’s view.
Bai Yun charged in with a team of inner and outer disciples, heading straight for Ma Wang Town.
Sha Yu Tiger and Rhinoceros Tiger split left and right to attack, instantly killing two Demonic Path Martial Artists.
Mountain Guard disciples charged into the formation, and with inner and outer disciples all having contracted beasts, they routed the Demonic Path disciples in an instant.
“They really dare to come out?!”
Yan Yingyue frowned, her eyes flashing with ferocity.
The city gate was already taken, and now these Beast King Sect disciples came to interfere—truly detestable.
She decapitated her opponent with one strike, leaped down, and thrust her long sword at Bai Yun.
Though Bai Yun was only at Condensing Momentum Stage peak, her long spear created layered tiger shadows. In this battle formation, she had already killed over a dozen Demonic Path Martial Artists.
Now she had blocked the city gate, turning the tide.
Yan Yingyue struck at the vital point, heading straight for this key target to kill the woman.
Bai Yun exchanged a fierce blow, raising her spear to block. Amid the clanging, the spear bent like a bow.
She retreated two steps. Yan Yingyue gained the advantage, her Anger Beast coiling like a snake, merging into her form and charging at Bai Yun.
Bai Yun’s eyes were icy cold as she gripped her long spear tightly, constantly countering.
In this short time, they exchanged forty or fifty moves. Though Bai Yun was suppressed, Yan Yingyue couldn’t take her down for the moment.
Damn it, this woman has incredibly strong combat instincts.
Yan Yingyue cursed inwardly. At this point, the Beast King Sect disciples’ advantage grew clearer. A Fourth Stage minor commander from the Mountain Guard was already clashing with Cen Yanyang, shattering wall bricks and stones.
She could only deal with the woman before her herself, so her long sword erupted with fierce light, about to strike.
Suddenly, one red and one white tiger shadow assaulted, pouncing right before her.
“Hundred Tigers Breaking the Army Seal!”
The two tigers entangled, instantly suppressing Yan Yingyue. Bai Yun seized the moment, striking with one blow to shatter her directly.
With the leader defeated, the battle instantly reversed.
After Cen Yanyang was also slain, the remaining Demonic Path Martial Artists scattered like birds and beasts, trying to flee.
Beast King Sect disciples pursued for ten li, killing over two hundred.
Beast King Sect achieved a great victory.
Not just at Ma Wang Town—Bai Shan Town, Liang Shui Town, second-order spirit ore factories…
Almost instantly, places that had been captured by Demonic Path Martial Artists or were about to be attacked were suddenly assaulted by emerging Beast King Sect disciples, slaying many of their disciples.
In just three or four days, Three Flames Divine Palace, Hundred Caves Witch Sect, and Sacred Weapon Path lost nearly a thousand people.
When they reacted and tried to gather martial artists to counterattack, either the Beast King Sect disciples had already withdrawn,
or in key towns like Ma Wang Town and Bai Shan Town, Beast King Sect had directly sent Mountain Guard disciples to garrison—few in number, but at least three hundred.
Mountain Guard disciples all had Mountain Felling Beast battle formations. Even if unable to form massive formations for attacking cities,
in small areas, the power they unleashed couldn’t be resisted by just one or two True Intent Realm Fourth Stage disciples.
“In such a short time, all the places we took are lost. If the sect’s Dharma Aspect Elders question us, none of us can escape.”
At this moment on Feng Yan Mountain, Three Flames Divine Palace’s Zeng Yue, Sacred Weapon Path’s Yao Qingqing, Hundred Caves Witch Sect’s Shi Ze, along with Mad Blade Sect’s Wen Jichuan, Bishan Sect’s Xiao Weizhi—five Dan Qiao True Persons gathered with angry faces.
Feng Yan Mountain had biting cold winds, but the camp tents below numbered over a thousand. Nine Nether Boats and flying vulture beasts were in the valley below, well tended.
This was the Demonic Sects’ forward base for attacking Cold Shadow Peak, occupying the easily defensible Feng Yan Mountain.
They continuously sent small forces to erode Cold Shadow Peak’s sphere of influence—one part to plunder resources, the other to deplete Cold Shadow Peak’s living forces until trapping them in Cold Shadow Peak City and grinding them down.
Six Dan Qiao Realm True Persons could barely strong-attack, but with schemes to lure people out, siege battle was absolutely feasible.
However, they were now in a dilemma.
“Caught off guard by them.”
Shi Ze’s face was grim. He said, “The aiding Dan Qiao Realm True Persons number more than one, or Long Qiushui and the others wouldn’t have such boldness.”
Yao Qingqing’s eyes flickered. “They know our movements like the back of their hand. The previous baited news we spread has now become our trouble.”
The Mad Blade Sect elder frowned slightly. “We five can’t take down small towns like Ma Wang Town and Bai Shan Town directly?”
“And then what?”
Zeng Yue sneered coldly. “If our movements are exposed individually, we’ll be siege battled the moment we show up.”
Scattering required risk, but without scattering, lost territories would overwhelm even Dan Qiao Realm with divided attention.
Zeng Yue could even imagine that some strongholds definitely hid Dan Qiao Realm True Persons or methods to contact them.
Yao Qingqing narrowed her eyes slightly. “I do have a method.”
The group looked at her, eyes showing varied expressions.
Yao Qingqing said, “My brother once refined a fourth-order spirit tool at Sword Hanging Peak, turning that place into a malevolent energy gathering ground, condensing malevolent energy in the earth vein. Malevolent energy breaking formations is a sharp weapon.”
“True Person Yao can mobilize this earth vein malevolent energy, that’s true. Does Fellow Daoist Yao also have such a divine ability?”
Breaking the formation here certainly didn’t refer to ordinary formations, but Cold Shadow Peak’s guardian formation, the Hundred Peaks Barrier Mountain Guard Formation.
If this formation fully activated, with the earth vein as core plus vast spiritual veins’ spiritual energy, even Dharma Aspect Realm Martial Artists would struggle to take it quickly.
Without breaking the Hundred Peaks Barrier, the mountain range’s qi linked as one—even Golden Body Realm couldn’t breach it.
Even now, though partially severed, it remained hard to deal with.
“My brother gave me an incantation that can perfectly fuse malevolent energy into my Weeping Blood Sword True Intent, but I need fellow daoists to help channel the malevolent energy.”
The group sneered inwardly—this woman was no good either, clearly wanting to borrow their power to temper her True Intent for further progress.
If Yao Qingqing refined it herself, just suppressing the malevolent energy would be a huge issue; successful refinement would take years—how could it compare to now?
Yao Qingqing said no more, waiting for their response.
“Not impossible.”
Zeng Yue narrowed his eyes slightly. He said, “If you can break the two mountain protecting formations, we’re willing to contribute.”
Shi Ze said, “Ugly words first—if the city is breached, I get first pick of the goods inside.”
Yao Qingqing cursed inwardly: ‘Greedy bastard.’
But she smiled on the surface. “No problem for me, but anything above third-order, we probably can’t dispose of ourselves.”
Shi Ze nodded. “Naturally.”
The Mad Blade Sect and Bishan Sect Dan Qiao True Persons nodded in turn, their conditions similar—one seeking an attack spirit tool, the other a third-order spirit tool.
After agreeing, suddenly Mad Blade Sect elder Wen Jichuan said, “How many days for Fellow Daoist Yao to refine?”
“Fastest one month, slowest three.”
Ji Wenchuan shook his head. “Sounds troublesome. Though it’s a stalemate, if we stay absent without other moves, Long Qiushui and the others will suspect other arrangements.”
The group frowned. Many knew of Sword Hanging Peak’s perilous land, and the commotion it caused back then was huge.
If something went wrong, it would indeed arouse suspicion.
“What does Fellow Daoist Ji think?”
Ji Wenchuan said coldly, “They’re so arrogant—why not split forces? Fellow Daoist Yao refines malevolent energy at Sword Hanging Peak, aided by Fellow Daoist Shi and Fellow Daoist Zeng. I and Fellow Daoist Xiao take Nine Nether Boats, flying vulture beasts, and disciples to raid the Profound Ice Gold Mine Vein, drawing their attention.”
Repair the plank road openly, pass Chen Cang secretly.
Ji Wenchuan considered himself a Second Heaven Great Accomplishment Dan Qiao Realm Martial Artist, and Xiao Weizhi was no slouch.
Together, unless four Dan Qiao Realm set an ambush, they couldn’t be easily killed.
Moreover, this proposal seemed to help everyone but hid selfish motives.
Nine Nether Boats and flying vulture beasts were war machines nurtured by major forces like Three Flames Divine Palace and Hundred Caves Witch Sect.
Among the thousands of disciples in this camp, most belonged to the three sects.
Though Ji Wenchuan and Xiao Weizhi were drawing attention, they undoubtedly planned to plunder massively and fill their own pockets during this time.
The three saw through it but didn’t call it out.
Zeng Yue said leisurely, “If so, Cold Shadow Peak falls under our command.”
His words carried layers— you take outside resources, but inside can’t be prioritized otherwise.
Ji Wenchuan nodded indifferently. “Mad Blade Sect always follows the three sects’ lead.”
The three sects were stronger; even without this, entering Cold Shadow Peak City, could Mad Blade Sect and Bishan Sect claim the lion’s share?
Absolutely impossible.
A pie drawn ever so big was no match for one in the belly.
The three exchanged glances and nodded:
“Then it’s settled.”
