Chapter 852: Retreat |
Jade Sword True Monarch had many interactions with Xiao Jiansheng and had some understanding of his temperament. This proud and arrogant genius from Holy Land Sect appeared friendly and easy-going on the surface but was actually quite conceited and narrow-minded.
Jade Sword True Monarch pondered for a long time but couldn't come up with a clear plan. He couldn't deceive Xiao Jiansheng, or else the latter would hate him and possibly hold a grudge against Jade Sword Sect. On the other hand, letting them attack Cloudmist Great Lake without doing anything was not an option either.
He had no choice but to summon the higher-ups of his sect to discuss this matter together.
Meanwhile, the flying boat fleet from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, led by Xiao Jiansheng and Bai Zhengyu True Monarch, had been advancing towards Cloudmist Great Lake and the boundary of the Jiuqu League. The fleet was moving swiftly, covering a considerable distance in a short time.
Xiao Jiansheng, despite urging Bai Zhengyu True Monarch to start the war, had some basic war experience. According to his original plan, the fleet would temporarily stop at the boundary and send out a small elite team to scout the area. Once they had a clear understanding, the main forces would proceed to engage with the extraterritorial demons and Spirit Clan.
However, to their great surprise, the Extraterritorial Invaders, who had been quietly hiding in Cloudmist Great Lake, suddenly launched a large-scale attack, rushing towards the cultivator army.
The flying boat fleet collided head-on with the Extraterritorial Invader's army, and an intense battle erupted immediately. The leader of the extraterritorial demons was White Flood Dragon King, Xiao Jiansheng's old rival, who was incredibly powerful and surpassed Xiao Jiansheng in combat strength. He commanded several Monster Kings and a large group of Demon Generals at his disposal.
The Spirit Clan also sent out numerous powerful tribes, including Shui Ling, Wood Spirit, Earth Spirit, and others, led by several Spirit Kings. Despite not reaching the depths of Cloudmist Great Lake, the area was filled with water networks and marshes, making it advantageous for the Spirit Clan to display their formidable combat power.
The extraterritorial demons and Spirit Clan that emerged from Cloudmist Great Lake were both extremely aggressive, seeming determined to tear apart every Human Clan Cultivator they encountered.
Honestly, the morale of this Human Clan cultivator army wasn't particularly high. The White Sun Valley sent this troop to obey Xiao Jiansheng's orders in an attempt to please the Purple Yang Holy Sect and curry favor with the World Traveler.
Even the affiliated sects of White Sun Valley and their own cultivators didn't show much interest in this battle. After being hit by the Dali Dynasty previously and having such a long time to rest away from conflicts, everyone had become somewhat complacent.
Now, facing such fierce opponents, they were finding it difficult to keep up with the pressure.
The extraterritorial demons and Human Clan Cultivators, just like the native creatures of the Grand Dust World, had their own heritage and were far superior in strength.Regardless of intelligence or combat power, these extraterritorial demons surpass the native creatures of the Grand Dust World. The Spirit Clan is an extremely rare race in the Grand Dust World, and many cultivators have no experience in fighting them.
The cooperation between the demons and the Spirit Clan brought out formidable combat power.
While Xiao Jiansheng led the Human Clan cultivator army to battle the Extraterritorial Invaders, Jade Sword Sect finally made a decision. They couldn't remain idle when Xiao Jiansheng attacked Cloudmist Great Lake.
If anything happened to Xiao Jiansheng, Jade Sword Sect would undoubtedly face the wrath of the Purple Yang Holy Sect, leading to a great catastrophe.
Jade Sword True Monarch didn't have time to gather the various cultivation forces of the Jiuqu League. Instead, he led an elite team from Jade Sword Sect to personally support Xiao Jiansheng.
The war between Xiao Jiansheng's cultivator army and the Extraterritorial Invaders started suddenly and ended quickly.
Xiao Jiansheng, who came from the Holy Land Sect, had hidden a few trump cards, just like White Flood Dragon King, who had an extraordinary background and also had hidden killer moves.
Without hesitation, White Flood Dragon King seized the opportunity and unleashed his hidden trump card. It was a Fifth Rank demonic great power, a big Monster King among the demons, and he used a talisman crafted from one of his own scales.
After the talisman was activated, it turned into a flame that directly burned through all of Xiao Jiansheng's defenses. If he didn't have life-saving treasures bestowed by the elders of his sect, he would have been severely injured or even killed.
Even though he managed to save his life, Xiao Jiansheng was still heavily wounded.
Faced with the high-spirited White Flood Dragon King, Xiao Jiansheng could only sigh helplessly and choose to retreat.
Xiao Jiansheng didn't retreat alone but led the entire army to withdraw.
The cultivator army, which already had low morale, quickly left the battlefield and moved away from Cloudmist Great Lake.
The combined army of demons and Spirit Clan pursued for a while but then chose to retreat voluntarily.
During the retreat, Xiao Jiansheng's forces encountered Jade Sword True Monarch, who came to reinforce them, with good intentions. However, to Xiao Jiansheng, it seemed like a mockery, arriving at this moment.
Xiao Jiansheng thought that Jade Sword True Monarch had come to laugh at his failure.
Feeling a mix of shame and anger, Xiao Jiansheng didn't linger and simply instructed Bai Zhengyu True Monarch before leaving immediately.
Accepting his defeat, Xiao Jiansheng didn't want to be laughed at and only wanted to leave as quickly as possible. He didn't want to stay even a moment longer in this damned place, the Jiuqu League.
He intended to return to his sect, report all the circumstances, and then listen to the orders of the sect's high-level and decide the next course of action.
Since Xiao Jiansheng had left, Bai Zhengyu True Monarch had no intention of staying long in the Jiuqu League either. Although the previous battle didn't last long, the cultivator army under his command suffered significant casualties.
After a brief rest, Bai Zhengyu True Monarch disregarded Jade Sword True Monarch's desperate attempts to keep him and led the reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle on their journey back.
Jade Sword True Monarch also felt extremely wronged. How did they lose two major reinforcements for no apparent reason?
With Xiao Jiansheng gone, their side was now at a disadvantage compared to the Dali Dynasty's North Sweeping Grand Army in terms of top-tier power.
Without reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle, relying solely on the cultivator army of the Jiuqu League would not be enough to withstand the North Sweeping Grand Army of the Dali Dynasty.
Although both sides were currently in a temporary truce, maintaining peace, Jade Sword True Monarch knew that in the event of another war, he wouldn't be the one in control.
The extraterritorial demons, Spirit Clan, and Barbarian Clan were unpredictable, and he didn't know when they might launch another attack.
Suddenly, Jade Sword True Monarch felt that the situation in the Jiuqu League had never been so dire.
Meanwhile, at the Taiyi Sect camp, Meng Zhang, who was recovering from injuries, received an unwelcome guest.
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