Chapter 72 - Arrival & The Grand Strategy (Part 2)
Su Ming stopped and turned to Lin Yao and Wang Tian. "Go to the area assigned for the disciples and make some friends. Do not wander around the camp unnecessarily."
"Yes, Master," Lin Yao said, bowing respectfully.
Wang Tian bowed silently, his hand remaining on his sword hilt as he and Lin Yao turned toward the designated campsite.
Su Ming, Elder Han, and a few other senior peak elders approached the entrance of the central pavilion. From another pathway, Ji Han, the personal student of Sect Master Jun Tianya, joined the group. He walked with his usual slow, cold stride, giving Su Ming a brief, formal nod.
The two of them, Su Ming and Ji Han, were the only young faces among the group of elders and sect leaders filing into the tent. Two massive stone pillars carved with defensive runes stood guard, and junior disciples pulled back the heavy linen curtain as they stepped inside.
The cool air of the tent washed over Su Ming, carrying the scent of parchment and spiritual ink. The war council of the southern borders was about to begin.
***
Inside the central command tent, the cool air smelled of parchment and spiritual ink. A massive mahogany table occupied the center of the pavilion, upon which lay a detailed, hand-painted leather map of the southern border kingdoms and the adjacent wilderness.
At the head of the table sat Mu Bairong, the Second Elder of the Spirit Beast Peak. He did not release his Nascent Soul pressure, yet his quiet presence kept the room silent as the council participants stood in organized ranks around the table.
The council was strictly limited to the campaign’s leadership. Aside from Mu Bairong, the ten Golden Core cultivators were representing the core strength of the Heavenly Cloud Sect’s expedition, three Golden Core elders representing the vassal sects—the Iron Sword Sect, Flowing Cloud Valley, and the Frost River Sect—and the two Army Commanders, General Lu of the Qi kingdom and General Wei of the Chu kingdom.
Looking around the room, the age distribution was stark. Su Ming stood quietly near the back, his youthful face contrasting with the weathered, lined faces of the older peak masters and elders. The only other young cultivator in the room was Ji Han, the personal student of Sect Master Jun Tianya. Ji Han stood with a rigid, cold posture representing the central peak, while the other Golden Core cultivators were senior elders who had spent centuries in seclusion.
Sitting at the lower end of the table, the two mortal generals sat with a heavy, solid stillness. Unlike the cultivators’ refined Qi, they possessed no spiritual cultivation, having instead pursued the path of body cultivation. Beside their chairs rested heavy steel spears. General Lu and General Wei had faced each other on the battlefield many times, trading spear strikes and testing each other’s martial intent in border skirmishes over the past decades. They held a begrudging respect as strong warriors, knowing the physical strain required to forge such power.
Now, due to the upcoming beast tide threatening to overrun both their countries, they had temporarily halted their conflict to coordinate their defenses under the sect’s supervision.
"The scouting reports are clear," Mu Bairong began, his deep voice carrying a natural resonance. "The beast activity is not a random occurrence. The wild beasts in the southern range are agitated, driven by a strange, chaotic energy in the mountains leaking from some spatial cracks. We are facing three distinct threats."
He tapped a finger on the leather map, pointing to the thick, mountainous line marking the boundary between the mortal realms and the wilderness.
"The primary threat is the central mountain pass. Our scouts have confirmed the presence of a newly awakened Demon King-stage beast—the Armoured Hell Behemoth King. If this beast breaks through the pass, the mortal cities behind it will be annihilated." Mu Bairong looked around the room, his gaze resting on the senior elders. "Therefore, I will lead the majority of our forces, along with the main defensive arrays of Black Tortoise Peak, to block the central passage. We must trap and contain the Behemoth King at all costs."
Elder Lie, a senior elder from Vermilion Flame Peak, stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Elder Mu, what of the side fronts? The vassal kingdoms are also facing heavy beast movements along their borders."
"They are," Mu Bairong replied, tapping two points to the east and west of the central pass. "The beast tide has split into two secondary branches. To the west, near the kingdom of Chu, a fire-attributed demon lord known as the Crimson Blood Hound has emerged. To the east, along the border of the Qi kingdom, scouting reports indicate a second demon lord-stage beast, the Abyss Earth Tyrant, is leading a stampede toward their fortress lines."
The vassal sect elders spoke with clear anxiety. Flowing Cloud Valley lay directly behind the Chu border, while the Iron Sword Sect’s outpost sat near the Qi canyons. If the side fronts fell, their foundations would be wiped out long before the main force could reinforce them.
"Silence," Mu Bairong said, his voice quiet but carrying a weight that instantly cut off the murmurs. "The division of forces is calculated to prevent such a breach. We will not leave the flanks undefended. But we must also look at the broader regional picture. After all, we are facing a Demon King Stage beast."
He gestured to the outer edges of the map. "I received a report from our outer intelligence that the Kingdom of Wu, further to the southwest, is also facing a massive beast tide."
"The Kingdom of Wu is under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect," one of the elders mentioned, shaking his head. "Whether they ask their sovereign sect for help or not is their own affair. It has nothing to do with our defense."
"They have not asked," Elder Mu added, a trace of amusement in his voice. "The rumors from the southwest are quite interesting. It is said they confidently refused aid from the Heavenly Phoenix Sect because of a newly appointed, rapidly rising youngstar cultivator who is commanding their forces. He has supposedly become the closest aide to the Princess of Wu, resolving their border crisis single-handedly."
Hearing this, Su Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’A new protagonist?’ he thought, a dry amusement rising. It made him wonder about Lin Fan, who had vanished completely without seeking revenge on the Wang family.
’This rising star in Wu is likely someone else. I took away Lin Fan’s main cheat when I took the orb and went to the Thunder Fire Secret Realm, and claimed the dragon soul, remains, and resources there. Without them, he shouldn’t be able to rise so rapidly... Right?’
Still, Su Ming noted the Kingdom of Wu as a place to avoid. Engaging with a desperate protagonist or a new rising star in another sect’s territory was a completely unnecessary thing, and he had no intention of getting involved with it.
"A single cultivator, no matter how talented, cannot alter the course of a beast tide of this scale," Ji Han said, his voice cold and expressionless. "They are under the Heavenly Phoenix Sect’s domain. We should focus on our own borders."
"Correct," Mu Bairong said, cutting off the discussion. "We have enough to worry about. We will divide our forces for the secondary fronts. Elder Lie will lead the west branch to reinforce the Chu front, with the Heavenly Dao Hall’s Golden Core disciple, Ji Han, assisting him. Your goal is to coordinate with General Wei’s garrison and the mortal army to keep the Crimson Blood Hound from breaching the walls. Once the demon lord is contained, you must immediately march to the central pass to reinforce the main front."
"My forces along the Chu walls are prepared," General Wei grunted, his rough voice cut with a cold edge as his calloused hand rested on his steel spear. "We have fortified the boundary, but my soldiers cannot hold if the Crimson Blood Hound breaches the vanguard."
"We will not fail, Elder Mu," Elder Lie said, his voice carrying the firm assurance of a veteran.
Mu Bairong then looked toward the other side of the table. "For the east branch, reinforcing the Qi front, I assign Elder Su and Elder Han. You will coordinate with General Lu’s garrison and his mortal army to intercept the Mutated Abyss Earth Tyrant. Like the west branch, once your task on the border side is complete, you must join the efforts of the main front. Understood?"
"Understood," Su Ming said quietly, offering a simple salute alongside Elder Han.
"The canyon pass is narrow, and the stampede is heavy," General Lu added, his raspy voice carrying a low rumble. "With Elder Su and Elder Han assisting my garrison, we will pin the Earth Tyrant down."
’The Qi front is further away from the main camp,’ Su Ming thought, his expression relaxed. ’That suits me. It will be easier to operate without the constant supervision of the Second Elder or the Sect Master’s personal student.’
"Prepare your resources," Mu Bairong commanded, rolling up the leather map. "We deploy to our respective sectors at dawn. Dismissed."
As the cultivators filed out of the tent, Su Ming met the gaze of Elder Mu. They walked out of the central pavilion together onto the gravel staging ground. Outside, the leaders began to select their forces.
Elder Lie quickly gathered the Vermilion Flame Peak disciples, including Zhao Kang, Zhang Yuexin.
Su Ming also spotted Guan Feng, the former Sunset Peak disciple who was now dressed in the silver-embroidered robes of an inner disciple of Sword Peak, joining Elder Lie’s west branch.