Chapter 510 - 213: The Oncoming Attack
The years in the Great Wilderness pass without measure and vanish in the blink of an eye.
Three years later.
Since Shen Can visited the Jishan Bo Division, there have been major changes there.
The Jishan Bo Division, where the clan members once gathered together, began to emulate the Blazing Flame by splitting the clan into hundreds of small settlements scattered around the clan land.
Faced with the possible emergence of the Divine Treasure Tribulation, if the speculation holds true that several major Bo Divisions are secretly colluding, then the strength and numbers of the attackers would far surpass those of the Blazing Flame and Jishan Divisions.
In the Great Wilderness, all major Bo Divisions live together, a tradition passed down through the ages. Previously, with the threat of Xiaoyang, Jishan naturally followed this tradition, gathering all clansmen in one place.
But having everyone, regardless of strength, age, young or old, all together satisfies the value of a Divine Treasure Realm Martial Artist’s strike and conveniently allows them to be wiped out in one fell swoop.
After much consideration, Lord Jishan thought it best to scatter the clan members like the Blazing Flame Bo Division did.
Each settlement contains only a portion of the people—neither too many nor too few—just enough for self-preservation and to escape the notice of Divine Treasure Realm Martial Artists who might strike from the shadows.
Even if one, two, or even ten settlements were destroyed, it wouldn’t inflict critical damage on the entire clan division.
This is evident from the previously destroyed Bo Divisions; why haven’t any Upper-class Tribes been wiped out? It’s because Upper-class Tribes have limited resources, not worth the effort.
After scattering the clan members, the only two Divine Treasure Martial Artists in the Jishan Bo Division cannot keep watch over every settlement; to defend every spot is to create vulnerabilities at every spot.
Therefore, Lord Jishan’s strategy is not to defend.
Once the settlements were arranged, the combat strength of each settlement only needed to handle daily hazards.
As the clan leader, he would remain in the clan land; if numerous Divine Treasure experts descended upon the Jishan clan land, they would fight if possible and flee if not.
From years of battling Xiaoyang, Lord Jishan learned an important lesson: as long as he is alive, Jishan remains Jishan.
Even if some clan members are lost, as long as he is there, Jishan can rise anew.
If he were gone, the only surviving Divine Treasure elders wouldn’t have many years left. Without cultivating a new generation of Divine Treasures in time, Jishan might entirely decline.
In times of crisis, knowing what to keep and what to sacrifice is crucial.
Of course, for so many years, no such unwarranted annihilation of a Bo Division has occurred in the Ji Land, and it might not happen this time either.
But in times of peace, it’s important not to slack in preparations.
...
Blazing Flame Ancestral Temple.
Ayu returned from the clan hall, holding the clan book in hand.
"Ancestral Temple Keeper, the clan book sent by the Jishan Bo Division."
Shen Can took the clan book and glanced at it. The letter from Lord Jishan said that the Jishan Bo Division had finished relocating their clansmen.
This method of relocation was exactly what he suggested to Lord Jishan during his visit three years ago.
The Divine Treasure Tribulation was shrouded in too much mystery for anyone to discern what it truly was.
The previously destroyed Bo Divisions shared the common trait of having considerable clan power and abundant clan treasures; destroying such a Bo Division could satisfy the cultivation needs of Divine Treasure Realm Martial Artists.
Once dispersed, the resources were divided into hundreds of portions, so Divine Treasure Realm Martial Artists would need to consider whether it’s worth their effort to act.
A group of sufficiently powerful Divine Treasures originally came for the resources.
It’s an easy choice between targeting a Bo Division where all clan members and resources are concentrated or targeting one where clansmen are scattered like stars across thousands of miles.
Of course, no matter how dispersed, all clansmen still surrounded the ancestral temple at the center.
The letter also noted that the Jishan Ancestral Temple would enter a hidden phase, making it impossible for intruders to find it.
As for the clan’s treasure house.
With the ancestral temple hidden, naturally, the treasure house would be hidden even deeper.
Hiding even the ancestral temple wasn’t Shen Can’s suggestion; it was Lord Jishan’s extrapolation based on his advice.
Shen Can didn’t expect Lord Jishan to be so thoroughly cautious.
It was like saying, "Want to mess with me? You won’t be able to find me."
With no Divine Treasure, no treasure house, only hundreds of ordinary clan members scattered, even if external Divine Treasures wiped out a few settlements, it wouldn’t inflict much damage on Jishan.
Though it might seem cold-blooded to say, why abandon your own clansmen like this?
Shen Can, however, understood Lord Jishan, who currently wanted more than anything to cultivate a successor; the rest he could follow his heart on.
After putting down the clan book, Shen Can got up to stretch his legs.
After returning from Jishan, he also prepared responses for the potential danger.
At this time, both the clan land’s ancestral temple and the River Valley Ancestral Temple were bustling with thousands of wizards crafting witch arrays.
After considering it, since it’s hard to increase the number of Divine Treasure Martial Artists within the clan, using arrays for defense is the most effective tactic.
Based on discussions with Lord Jishan, in the so-called Divine Treasure Tribulation, the ones able to make Divine Treasure Martial Artists disappear and utterly annihilate a Bo Division can only be Divine Treasures, and they would need to be quite powerful at that.
Under such circumstances, anything less than Quasi-Divine Realm and above wouldn’t matter.
Shen Can even speculated that they might have employed arrays; otherwise, it doesn’t make sense how they could so thoroughly wipe out a Bo Division.
No matter how small, a Bo Division would have at least a million or two people, while larger ones could have three to four million clan members. No matter how mighty a Divine Treasure, it couldn’t annihilate everyone so thoroughly.