Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 492 Attacking the Camp and Seizing the Stronghold
Huayan Valley is located in the southwest of Xijiang County. It was originally the resource territory of the Murong family and was rich in second-grade high-quality Huayan ore. Now it has been taken over by the Beast Taming Sect and a camp has been formed, guarded by a thousand-strong team from the Beast Taming Sect.

"Sect Leader Song, I have long admired your name. Welcome to our sect, fellow Daoist." Zhao Botao, with a Foundation Establishment level seven cultivation, was the commander of this team. He looked to be in his forties and had a gentle and refined demeanor.

At this moment, he was leading five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Beast Taming Sect to wait outside the hall. Upon seeing Song Xian and his group arrive, he smiled and quickly went to greet them, bowing and paying his respects.

"I am acting on the orders of Senior Xu of your sect to lead two thousand cultivators from Bianxi City to await your command."

"We are all in the same boat, we are all in the same boat, fellow Daoists please come in."

The group filed into the inner room and took their seats.

The two sides first introduced the other Foundation Establishment cultivators from their respective sects, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got down to business.

Zhao Botao chuckled and said, "We have been waiting for your arrival for a long time. Uncle Xu had already made a plan to march on the Murong family's mountain gate after your arrival. We just didn't expect Fellow Daoist Song to personally lead the team. With the help of Sect Leader Song and all the fellow Daoists, taking down the Murong family's mountain gate is just around the corner."

"The two thousand cultivators in this city are at your sect's disposal. Fellow Daoist Zhao, please give us your instructions on what to do next."

"Uncle Xu instructed us to proceed directly to Mount Niu Meng upon your arrival. It is an important camp of the Murong family, reportedly guarded by about eight hundred men, including five Foundation Establishment cultivators, who have set up a second-tier high-grade formation. With our original forces, it would be very difficult to take this formation, and even if we managed to capture it, the casualties would be heavy. Now, with the assistance of Sect Leader Song and your two thousand cultivators, Mount Niu Meng is a piece of cake."

Song Xian nodded calmly: "When does Fellow Daoist Zhao plan to set off to advance on Niu Mang Mountain?"

"Now that Master Song and the brothers from Bianxi City have arrived, the attack on Niu Mang Mountain should proceed as quickly as possible. I intend to capture this position tomorrow. However, I fear that your troops are exhausted from the long journey and need rest. What is Master Song's opinion?"

"Senior Xu told us to obey Fellow Daoist Zhao's orders and do everything as Fellow Daoist Zhao said."

"Alright, let the brothers rest well today, and tomorrow we will march into Mount Gadfly..."

After that, Zhao Botao talked for a long time about the deployment and arrangement of the Murong family's troops.

Eight hundred li east of Mount Niu Meng lies the last camp of the Murong family in this direction. It is one of the two solid camps guarding the Murong family's mountain gate, with a large number of troops stationed there. The biggest obstacle to attacking Mount Niu Meng is the possibility of reinforcements from the Murong family's camp.

The group discussed their thoughts on various possible scenarios. After the meeting, Song Xian and the Foundation Establishment cultivators of Hunyuan Sect returned to the spirit ship.

"Zhao Botao wants us to be the vanguard to attack Mount Niu Meng, while they will be the rearguard to block any possible reinforcements from the Murong family. Isn't this blatantly using our sect as cannon fodder?"

Inside the cabin of the hearse, George Lam couldn't help but complain. He hadn't looked too good when they were discussing the plan to capture Mount Gadfly, but he didn't show it because Song Xian was there and he didn't want to vent in front of outsiders.

Back on the spirit ship, everyone else had dispersed, leaving only Song Xian, Hu Xiaobao, and him. He then spoke his grievances without restraint.

Song Xian said calmly, "Mount Niu Meng only has a few hundred cultivators from the Murong family. We don't need Zhao Botao and the others to help us. Our manpower is more than enough to attack this formation. We are new here, so we should do our part. Consider this first formation our gift to the Beast Taming Sect."

Lin Zixiang glanced at him, knowing that the reason he was so obedient to the Beast Taming Sect was to get the opportunity to go to their mountain gate to form his core. Therefore, he didn't say anything more about the topic, but instead asked a question.

"When the sect leader met Xu Xiansheng earlier, did he already agree to the conditions for Core Formation?"

When this question was raised, Hu Xiaobao, who had been silent all along, also looked at him.

"No."

Lin Zixiang frowned: "The Beast Taming Sect won't agree?"

"No, we didn't talk about that. Given the circumstances at the time, I'm not sure if he knew about it. Xu Yaoming's report was submitted to his sect's inner cabinet. Xu Xiansheng was in charge of the war outside and might not have received the report from his sect's inner cabinet about this matter. Besides, this wasn't something he could decide on his own; ultimately, it had to be decided by the Beast Taming Sect's leader. So I didn't bring it up."

Song Xian was actually quite worried that the Beast Taming Sect would eventually betray him, but since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to continue on.

We can't just send half of our two thousand-strong team back without getting a guarantee from the Beast Taming Sect; that would completely offend them.

Originally, he had asked the Beast Taming Sect for a favor, but they refused. So, he could only try to gain their approval by showing his sincerity.

"What if the Beast Taming Sect still doesn't agree in the end? Wouldn't all our hard work for them have been for nothing? I think it's better to confirm this matter first."

Song Xian glanced at him without saying a word. He knew Lin Zixiang's character well; he was protective of his own and lacked foresight.

In his view, it was wrong to mobilize so many disciples from various sects to fight for the Beast Taming Sect, but he did not object because it involved the Core Formation process.

Song Xian believed that the words were not directed at him or to vent his dissatisfaction, but that something just didn't feel right.

It felt like they were forcing him to confront the Beast Taming Sect, insisting on a clear explanation before they would put in any effort.

Even if he could meet the Beast Taming Sect Leader, he couldn't force Hong Haoran to give a clear answer; that would be turning into a coup.
Who is he? Can he force Hong Haoran to agree to this?

It can only be said that George Lam's approach to politics was too simplistic, lacking vision and strategic thinking.

He had been very radical in the matter of Fan Cheng, and Song Xian's later ambush and killing of Zhang Tianda was partly influenced by him. If it weren't for his confrontation in the council hall, which ended badly, he wouldn't have been in such a hurry to take action.

In the end, it almost triggered a major war between the two sects, resulting in a loss of more than two million spirit stones.

The sudden silence in the room made the atmosphere somewhat subtle. Hu Xiaobao sat upright, looking straight ahead.

George Lam also noticed that his mood was off, and he adjusted his posture somewhat awkwardly.

"Let's discuss the matter of using the Beast Taming Sect's spiritual vein to form our cores another day! Now that we're here, there's no point in thinking about anything else. Let's focus on what we have to do first. Only after we've accomplished this can we talk to the Beast Taming Sect. We're the ones who need the Beast Taming Sect's help right now. I'd rather the Beast Taming Sect betray me than I betray them." After a moment of silence, Song Xian spoke slowly.

Without waiting for Lin Zixiang's response, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, you guys go ahead! We'll be fighting the enemy tomorrow, so get some rest today."

The two responded and left the room.

.........

While the group was having a private conversation, thousands of miles away on Luoyun Mountain, in the back mountain temple, a figure shrouded in mist was sitting cross-legged, with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth swirling around him like tangible smoke.

The disciples of the Hunyuan Sect nearby were on high alert, and the entire mountain was under martial law.

Outside the mountain peak, Jiang Zichen stood with his hands behind his back, frowning. Yu Lian and Shen Fan were whispering to each other beside him.

Jiang Yuan stood beside Jiang Zichen, his fists clenched tightly.

From dusk till dawn, and then until the moon hangs high in the sky, the vortexes of spiritual energy in mid-air constantly devour each other, eventually dissipating into the void.

A spiritual pressure from a Foundation Establishment cultivator emanated from the dojo. At the same time, the seated figure slowly stood up. The swirling clouds dispersed, revealing the person's appearance. It was none other than Hua Yuan, Jiang Zichen's wife and Jiang Yuan's mother.

"Junior Brother Jiang, congratulations! Your wife has successfully established her foundation. You two are now the only couple in our sect besides the sect leader who have both achieved foundation establishment. It's truly enviable." Yu Lian said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work, Senior Brother Yu. I am deeply grateful for your personal protection."

"Hey! What protection or not? My sister-in-law has just completed her foundation-building, so of course I had to come and see. I'm just here to join in the fun. Seeing her success today makes me very happy. I'll come to your residence later to ask for a drink, and you mustn't be stingy with the good wine." While the two were talking, Jiang Yuan had already boarded his flying magic weapon and arrived at the dojo to embrace Hua Yuan. The group chatted and laughed, their voices filled with joy.

Several miles away, in front of a cave, a woman with a full head of white hair looked in the direction of the Taoist temple and sighed softly with a complicated expression.

Beside her, Lin Xingyu frowned, his face also filled with complicated emotions.

"You don't need to stay with me. Pick out some nice things from the manor to represent your father and me and go congratulate them!" The woman turned and slowly walked into the manor.

.........

The sky was clear and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

In mid-air, several spirit ships bearing the banners of the Beast Taming Sect sped toward the distant mountains.

On one of the spirit ships, Song Xian and Zhao Botao stood side by side at the bow. Behind them, a group of Hunyuan Sect and Yushou Sect cultivators lined up, looking ready for battle.

"Sect Leader Song, look, that's Mount Gadfly," Zhao Botao said, pointing to the winding, undulating mountains in the distance.

Looking down from above, the mountains resemble a giant serpent stretching for hundreds of miles. Standing on the spirit ship, one can vaguely see the magnificent colorful clouds covering one of the mountains, like a giant umbrella protecting the forest within. That is the location of the Murong family's cultivator camp.

Song Xian nodded without saying a word.

"We will proceed as we discussed yesterday. Your unit will lead the main attack, while our unit will provide support for Leader Song and your brothers. If the battle goes poorly, Leader Song can send someone to inform us, and then I will lead my brothers into the fray to provide support."

"I have only one request."

"Master Song, please speak."

"If the Murong family's reinforcements arrive, please, Fellow Daoist Zhao, and your brothers, you must stop them for us. Even if you cannot stop them from entering the formation to provide support, you must at least delay them for some time until our troops withdraw from the formation before we all leave together. If they manage to launch a pincer attack from both inside and outside, our troops will be trapped inside the formation and will suffer extremely heavy casualties."

"This is my duty, Fellow Daoist Song, please rest assured, I would never do such an unjust thing." Zhao Botao put away his smile and looked serious.

As soon as he finished speaking, a beam of crimson light shot into the sky from afar, transforming into dazzling rays of light that scattered in all directions.

Then, beams of crimson light rose up one after another, stretching all the way to the enemy camp in the far distance.

Before long, several spirit ships arrived at the front of the formation. At Zhao Botao's command, everyone jumped down and formed ranks.

Song Xian descended into the air and landed in front of the Bianxi City troops. After saying a few words to boost morale, he led everyone into the formation.

……

Meanwhile, inside Mount Niumang, in a spacious and bright main hall, several Foundation Establishment cultivators had gathered together. The leader was a thin old man at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, who looked to be over sixty years old.

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Wang, the lookout tower has spotted the Beast Taming Sect's spirit ship and has issued a red flare warning."

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Wang, it has now been confirmed that a total of five second-tier spirit ships from the Beast Taming Sect are heading towards headquarters."

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Wang, the enemy army has already assembled outside the formation, and it appears to number three to four thousand..."

As urgent reports continued to arrive, the expressions on the faces of those inside the hall grew increasingly grave.

"Three or four thousand people? Are you sure?" A middle-aged man below stared at the messenger with a grim expression.

"It's confirmed. They've all gathered on the east side of the formation, forming neat rows of a hundred men each."

"Three or four thousand men? That's four or five times the number of our main force. How can we defend with our meager strength?"

"A team of three or four thousand people should have at least fifteen Foundation Establishment cultivators, and possibly even thirty."

"Even if reinforcements arrive, they probably won't be a match for us, and with our small force, we can't hold out for long."

"I recommend an immediate evacuation."

"I agree."

"I agree."

The group reached a consensus in just a few words.

The Murong family cultivators were already in a bad position and their morale was very low in this battle against the Beast Taming Sect.

Although no one said it aloud, everyone knew that they were no match for the Beast Taming Sect in a head-on confrontation. However, they had no choice but to accept the order to stay here. They all hoped that the upper echelons of the Murong family could come up with a solution as soon as possible and reach a reconciliation with the Beast Taming Sect.

Upon hearing that the majority of the three to four thousand members of the Beast Taming Sect were already at the border, they had no will to fight. No one wanted to lose their lives for nothing, and they all wished they could escape from here as soon as possible.

The old man sitting in the main seat remained silent until the others finished speaking and their gazes focused on him, at which point he slowly asked, "Besides the east side of the formation, are there any enemy troops lying in ambush in the other directions?"

The reporting cultivator immediately replied, "We only see enemy troops on the east side of the formation, but no enemy troops guarding the surrounding area."

"You immediately lead a team to check the south, west, and north sides of the formation to confirm whether there are any ambushes around."

"Yes." The Murong family cultivators below immediately responded and left.

The moment he stepped out of the hall, another man hurried into the inner room.

"Reporting to Uncle-Master Wang, at least half of the enemy's cultivators have already charged into the formation."

Upon hearing this, the men's expressions changed again. They all stared at the old man expectantly, their eyes conveying a clear message: "Get out of here!"

"Understood. Order the formation flag team to activate the restriction immediately. Do not hold back, do not worry about consumption, use the strongest restriction attack to prevent the enemy from breaking the formation."

"Senior Brother Wang, holding out is not a solution. Let's retreat quickly while half of the enemy's forces are inside the formation!" A man urged immediately after the messenger left.

Others echoed his sentiments.

“Brothers, don’t panic. Half of the enemy’s forces are still guarding the outer perimeter. If we retreat now, they will surely pursue us. We need to make sure that the enemy forces attacking the formation are deeply embedded inside, and it would be best to lure the enemy forces outside into the formation to provide support as well, so that we can retreat at our own pace.”

"So now we not only cannot leave, but we must defend with all our might. We will wait until the enemy troops that have entered the formation have a bad attack and ask the enemy troops outside for help. Only after they have all entered the formation can we leave."

(End of this chapter)