Chapter 117 - 116: The Nine Swords Alliance’s Counterattack
On the Youning Border, at Qifeng Mountain, lay the Nine Swords Alliance.
The predecessor of the Nine Swords Alliance was Cyan Blade Manor, which was just a manor of no significant size.
Ever since Zuo Tianyuan established the Nine Swords Alliance, Cyan Blade Manor had been continuously expanding. Now, the entirety of Qifeng Mountain was covered in a vast complex of fortresses.
Zuo Feiyu emerged from his seclusion chamber, his aura sharp and chilling.
He had just successfully opened his Sea of Reincarnation, and a hint of joy still lingered on his face.
After being severely injured in his last battle with Chen Yuan, Zuo Feiyu had hardly left the Nine Swords Alliance.
For Zuo Feiyu, the defeat in that battle was a monstrous humiliation.
His ambitions were sky-high, and he had always believed he was in no way inferior to the young prodigies from top-tier factions.
Yet he had suffered such a miserable defeat at the hands of an Independent Martial Artist.
He had been suppressed in both strength and tactics; if not for Wu Youqing’s intervention, he would have even been killed by Chen Yuan.
However, this defeat also taught Zuo Feiyu a lesson.
While schemes and tactics were important, in the Jianghu, strength was the true foundation.
So, after recovering from his injuries, he did not go out to recruit more Jianghu experts. Instead, he focused wholeheartedly on breaking through in seclusion, finally succeeding in opening his Sea of Reincarnation.
"Young Master, the Alliance Leader wishes to see you," a servant said as he approached.
Zuo Feiyu nodded and headed straight for Zuo Tianyuan’s study.
Pushing the door open, he saw Zuo Tianyuan holding a letter, his expression unreadable.
Zuo Tianyuan had strong, righteous features. Though only in his forties, he was already a Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Primordial Pill Realm.
Despite his origins as a Loose Cultivator, he possessed a unique understanding of the Sword Dao, one that was not inferior to the sword masters from top-tier factions.
"Father, I’ve successfully opened my Sea of Reincarnation!"
A look of delight was on Zuo Feiyu’s face.
But Zuo Tianyuan merely gave a slight nod, not praising his son as he usually would have.
"Old Wu is dead."
The joy on Zuo Feiyu’s face froze instantly.
"Uncle Wu is dead? Wasn’t he at Flying Horse Pavilion helping the Xu Family take over the Guan Family? How could he have died? What happened?"
Zuo Tianyuan handed the letter to Zuo Feiyu, his face devoid of emotion. "Do you remember the Chen Tian who severely wounded you?
He has since joined Zhenwu Hall and is thriving there. With his Sea of Reincarnation Realm strength, he became an Inspector and now controls Kaiping Prefecture.
He was involved in the Xu Family affair, joining forces with the Guan Family to annihilate the Xus. Old Wu was also killed by him.
In this matter, not only did our Nine Swords Alliance fail to acquire Flying Horse Pavilion and Celestial Star Ranch, but we also lost a great expert of the Condensing Truth Realm."
Zuo Tianyuan slowly closed his eyes.
Wu Youqing was a veteran of the Nine Swords Alliance who had followed him for over twenty years. He never imagined he would die at the hands of a junior.
"Chen Tian!? How is that possible!?"
Zuo Feiyu stared intently at the letter, his face a mask of disbelief.
While he had been in seclusion breaking through, that Chen Tian not only joined Zhenwu Hall but had also been promoted to Inspector and was even capable of killing Uncle Wu.
’On what grounds has he achieved so much?’
In that moment, alongside the hatred in his heart, a surge of jealousy also welled up within Zuo Feiyu.
He prided himself on being extraordinary, yet he had been struck down so harshly by the same person twice.
"Nothing in this world is impossible. The Jianghu is teeming with prodigies and geniuses as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river. Don’t be too arrogant or think too highly of yourself."
Zuo Feiyu took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Father, this can’t be the end of it!
That Chen Tian is my enemy, and now he has killed Uncle Wu. The enmity between us is irreconcilable!"
"So what? He is now an Inspector of Zhenwu Hall. Are you suggesting we should openly assassinate an Inspector?"
Zuo Tianyuan said gravely, "Don’t forget, our Nine Swords Alliance is developing in a precarious position. We absolutely cannot afford to openly provoke Zhenwu Hall at this time."
Zuo Feiyu nodded, but a moment later, he suddenly said, "Father, let’s send Bo Gudun of the Chi Shu Tribe. That brute has taken so much money and so many resources from us; we can’t just support him for nothing.
Kaiping Prefecture is already close to the Western Grassland. Raids and plunder by Grassland Tribes are common. Even if they can’t kill that Chen Tian, they must make him suffer a crippling blow!"
Zuo Tianyuan pondered for a moment before nodding. "Very well. You go contact Bo Gudun."
Five hundred years ago, at the founding of the Great Xia, the Golden Horde was completely shattered. Although the current Hacha and Lin Khanate is nominally the only nation on the Grassland, many Grassland Tribes still refuse to submit to its rule.
The Chi Shu Tribe’s Bo Gudun, whom Zuo Feiyu mentioned, was the leader of one such tribe that defied the Hacha and Lin Khanate and roamed the Grassland.
The reason Bo Gudun defied the Hacha and Lin Khanate was his noble birth. His ancestor was one of the thirty-six princes enfeoffed by the Golden Horde, which is why Bo Gudun is also known as the Young Prince.
A year ago, the Chi Shu Tribe clashed with the Hacha and Lin Khanate. The entire tribe was scattered, and Bo Gudun’s father and older brother were executed by the Khanate.
As the Little Prince, Bo Gudun could only lead a portion of his tribe’s elite to migrate to the grasslands near the Great Xia’s territory.
When Zuo Feiyu went to Flying Horse Pavilion a year ago, he happened to meet Bo Gudun, befriended him, and even offered to provide him with wealth and resources for survival.
His thinking at the time was that if the Nine Swords Alliance ever had a chance to take control of Ning Province, Bo Gudun would serve as a surprise contingent from the direction of the Grassland.
But now, because of Chen Yuan, he was preparing to deploy this surprise contingent ahead of schedule.
Grassland Martial Artists also cultivated the Martial Dao, but their style was cruder compared to that of the Central Plains, focusing primarily on Body Refining.
Furthermore, the Chi Shu Tribe also had a Great Witch Priest, an existence comparable to someone in the Condensing Truth Realm.
With such a force launching a surprise attack on Kaiping Prefecture, he refused to believe that Chen Tian could possibly withstand it!
...
「Inside Kaiping Prefecture.」
Chen Yuan had entrusted all matters within Kaiping Prefecture to Lu Li, Yang Zhicai, and Cui Guan.
Lu Li was in charge of internal affairs. Yang Zhicai, who was familiar with all matters big and small in Kaiping Prefecture, handled external affairs. Cui Guan was responsible for enforcement and elimination.
Chen Yuan had never bothered with such miscellaneous tasks, but in his subordinates’ eyes, this was a sign of Lord Chen’s trust and willingness to delegate authority. As a result, each of them worked with immense enthusiasm.
At this moment, a small mountain of various Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines was piled up in front of Chen Yuan.
The Xu Family’s accumulation of several hundred years had now all become Chen Yuan’s prize.
It wasn’t just the Xu Family; Guan Zhenshan also brought out eighty percent of his Spiritual Medicines and gave them to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan had only asked for half, but out of gratitude for saving his life, Guan Zhenshan directly offered eighty percent.
Besides, the Guan Family had few members; they couldn’t use up so many Elixirs even if they kept them.
In addition to the Elixirs from the Guan and Xu Families, a considerable amount of Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines had also been sent by other factions within Kaiping Prefecture.
In all his years in the Jianghu, this was arguably the first time Chen Yuan had ever been so wealthy.
There were so many Elixirs and Spiritual Medicines that even with his Inner Vision God Observation Method, he couldn’t possibly absorb them all at once.
After half a month of continuous seclusion, the medicinal energy within the chamber had become incredibly dense. An ordinary Martial Artist would be knocked head over heels just by walking in.
This was only possible for Chen Yuan. For anyone else, such potent medicinal energy would likely backfire, causing their foundation to become unstable.
A massive amount of medicinal energy flowed into his Sea of Reincarnation, circulating with the vortex of Qi before spreading to his limbs and bones.
The True Qi in Chen Yuan’s body surged like the roaring call of a whale, rising wave after wave. The Qi vortex in his Sea of Reincarnation spun rapidly, and with a muffled BANG, a great surge of power instantly burst forth from it.
His Sea of Reincarnation was once again expanded to its limit, and the Qi vortex within now spun like a tempest.
Chen Yuan opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
After reaching the Sea Realm Middle Stage with the help of the Supreme Mahasari last time, Chen Yuan had now used a massive amount of Elixirs to frantically assault his Sea of Reincarnation, breaking through to the Sea Realm Late Stage.
Having broken through two minor realms in such a short period, Chen Yuan couldn’t advance any further, no matter how many more Elixirs he had. To do so would affect the foundation of his cultivation.
Chen Yuan’s breakthrough speed was already fast enough. Sometimes, blindly pursuing speed would only lead to instability.
Of course, there was another way to quickly stabilize one’s foundation: continuously experiencing life-and-death battles.
To adapt to his new strength and solidify his foundation in the heat of intense combat.
Chen Yuan had used two-thirds of the accumulated Elixirs. He put the rest away to be used after his foundation was solidified.
Afterward, Chen Yuan remained in seclusion for a few more days to adapt to his new strength.
Just then, a series of urgent knocks came from outside, followed by Cui Guan’s voice.
"My lord, an urgent report from Military Advisor Liu!"
Chen Yuan pushed the door open to see Cui Guan’s expression was somewhat grave.
"What happened?"
Cui Guan said in a low voice, "Broken Army Guard Captain Jiang Xibai was leading over a hundred Po Jun Guard on patrol in the Western Grassland when they ran into the Chi Shu Tribe and were besieged.
Military Advisor Liu hopes that you, Lord Chen, can mobilize all available forces to rescue the Po Jun Guard. At the very least, you must save Jiang Xibai.
Headquarters is also sending reinforcements, but they are too far to arrive in time. Lord Chen, you are the closest person to Jiang Xibai.
Military Advisor Liu also said that Jiang Xibai is the adopted son of the late ’Breaking Army Divine General’ Xie Wenyan, and Lady Yun treats him like a nephew.
As long as you can save Jiang Xibai, Lady Yun will be very grateful to you."
Chen Yuan rubbed his head. ’That’s a lot of information to take in.’
Although Yun Zhaolan was Grand Commandant Chao Hongtu’s wife, she was also one of the founders of the Celestial Martial Alliance.
That’s why within Zhenwu Hall, no one ever referred to Yun Zhaolan as the Grand Commandant’s Wife; instead, they called her Lady Yun.
Xie Wenyan was dead, yet the Po Jun Guard he left behind had not been merged into the Celestial Martial Guard or taken over by the Grand Commandant. Instead, they were taken over by Yun Zhaolan, which was strange in itself.
And Jiang Xibai was Xie Wenyan’s adopted son, also treated like a nephew by Yun Zhaolan.
’It seems the relationship between Xie Wenyan and Yun Zhaolan back then was quite unusual.’
’Liu Suifeng wants me to rescue Jiang Xibai with all my strength... Is he trying to curry favor with Yun Zhaolan? To earn a favor from her?’
Just then, a thought struck Chen Yuan, and he asked, "This Chi Shu Tribe you mentioned, is it currently led by the Little Prince, Bo Gudun?"
Cui Guan nodded.
Chen Yuan immediately said in a grave tone, "Have Yang Zhicai immediately summon all the White Tiger Guards in Kaiping Prefecture and prepare for a rescue mission.
At the same time, have Lu Li contact Guan Zhenshan and tell him to bring his men from Celestial Star Ranch to assist."
’I really do have to put everything into rescuing this Jiang Xibai.’
It wasn’t just because of Liu Suifeng’s order, but also because it seemed Jiang Xibai had taken a bullet for him.
Chen Yuan was certain that the Chi Shu Tribe’s Little Prince, Bo Gudun, had been sent by the Nine Swords Alliance to cause trouble for him!