A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu Transmigrates into a Book, the Dao Ancestor of Rein

Chapter 316 The situation reverses

"Sect Master, what message did you show Venerable Zhiyang on the jade slip just now? Why did it cause him to lose his composure like that?"

The dignified great cultivator actually showed signs of unease.

Han Li smiled and tossed the jade slip out.

Everyone took a look and immediately stared at each other in disbelief.

The Mulan people contacted them? Were they trying to win them over?
How come they didn't know about this?
This…

Han Li simply smiled faintly.

...

More than four months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Upon receiving the news, Tianjing Zhenren and Yan Xuanhao led all three thousand Foundation Establishment disciples of Xuantian Sect back.

Afterwards, it was unanimously decided that Yan Xuanhao would stay and guard the mountain gate.

The Xuantian Sect dispatched seven people: Han Li, Man Hu Zi, Qing Yi, Gan Ru Shuang, Yuan Yao, Yan Li, and Tianjing.

Such sincerity is something that no one in the south can find fault with.

As for those in the Foundation Establishment stage? Only a few hundred people were mobilized.

And it was arranged for them to go to the front lines to broaden their horizons.

When everyone arrived at the Nine Nations Alliance, the overall battle situation had subtly changed again over the previous few months.

The Nine Nations Alliance gradually stabilized its decline and launched a counterattack after reinforcements arrived one after another.

...

The State of Yu, Tiancheng.

The current headquarters of the Ten Major Divisions of Mulan.

The atmosphere in the main hall, where dozens of people had gathered in the inner city, was extremely solemn and serious.

"What's going on? Why did the reinforcements from Tiannan arrive so quickly? According to estimates from a few years ago, the Tiannan people's reaction shouldn't have been this fast. Large-scale reinforcements from both the righteous and demonic paths shouldn't have arrived for at least a year. How come, in just two or three months, seventy to eighty thousand reinforcements with at least Foundation Establishment stage cultivation have arrived in succession along the Pan Kingdom, Beiliang Kingdom, and Xu Kingdom? How accurate were the intelligence given by our spies? Has Mulan's nearly thousand-year-long plan come to an end?"

An elderly man with white eyebrows and a white beard spoke in a deep voice.

The crowd below frowned, lost in thought.

Where exactly did things go wrong on our end?

Initially, relying on their advantages of surprise, thorough preparation, and more concentrated forces, they advanced rapidly with blitzkrieg tactics, winning every battle and catching the Nine Kingdoms Alliance completely off guard. In just two or three months, they conquered the entire Fengyuan Kingdom and Yu Kingdom, and later took over the entire Yanggu Kingdom, as well as most of the territories of Beiliang Kingdom, Tianya Kingdom, and Pan Kingdom.

Incidentally, it dealt a heavy blow to the fighting strength of the Nine Nations Alliance.

They killed more than a dozen Nascent Soul stage monsters.

During their conquests, they annihilated countless Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators from Tiannan.

They secured a textbook victory.

But recently, the situation has become increasingly unfavorable.

They seemed to have been dragged into the quagmire of war by the people of Tiannan.

Initially, their vanguard consisted of two Yuanhou Divine Masters, more than seventy Nascent Soul cultivators, and more than two thousand Core Formation cultivators.

Following closely behind the vanguard was a central army consisting of nearly 200,000 Foundation Establishment stage mages, 1,000 Core Formation stage masters, and more than 30 Nascent Soul stage grand masters.

The vanguard advanced fearlessly.

The central army, with its main force in command, occupied various mining sites and medicinal herb gardens.

And clear out and control the fortresses one by one.

Everything proceeded according to plan, and the progress of the strategy was even three points faster than originally planned.

However, in the last half month, the situation has changed drastically.

For some reason, one small battlefield after another suffered setbacks, and the larger battlefields also failed to yield any further gains.

This immediately made the tribesmen at the front lines realize that something was wrong.

Greatly alarmed, they quickly sought information from spies and informants.

They were shocked when they found out.

original.

In just a few months, the righteous and demonic sects that were close to the Nine Kingdoms Alliance successively arranged for reinforcements to arrive.

The Tiannan reinforcements, which were originally estimated to take a year to reach the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, arrived in just three months.

Similar reinforcements from the south have been arriving in succession recently.

In a short period of time, the Nine Nations Alliance, which had been suffering repeated defeats at their hands, not only stabilized its position but also launched a counter-offensive in some areas.

This made everyone very anxious.

"Master Zhu, could it be that the Tiannan people had anticipated our surprise attack on the Nine Kingdoms Alliance and thus orchestrated this trap?"

"Yes, Master Zhu, could it be that those cunning Tiannan people deliberately trapped our elite troops in this Nine Kingdoms Alliance territory?"

Master Mulan made this speculation repeatedly.

The others, after being reminded like this, mostly seemed to be thinking about it, while some suddenly realized what was going on.

“It’s definitely not a deliberate scheme by Tiannan. Wei Wuyai would never abandon the Yu Kingdom, which Huayi Sect has been cultivating for over a thousand years. Even if Wei Wuyai had the courage, the other sects of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance would absolutely not agree.”

The old man above shook his head.

"If it wasn't done on purpose, then it doesn't make sense."

The various forces of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance were utterly defeated and lost all their territory, leaving them in a sorry state like stray dogs. At one point, the combined military strength they could muster was less than half of what they had achieved.

It's incredible that they were able to turn the tide under these circumstances.

They just couldn't understand it no matter how hard they tried.

This is also the time.

A Confucian scholar walked in from outside the hall.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Mu Lan and the other Nascent Soul cultivators bowed respectfully.

"We pay our respects to Master Zhong!"

This person was another highly respected Yuanhou Divine Master of the Mulan people.

"Ah."

The scholar nodded slightly.

In a single step, he covered several dozen feet and in the blink of an eye, he was standing alongside the priest of prayer on the high platform of the main hall.

Then he looked at his comrade in front of him:

"It has been clearly investigated that it was not a conspiracy by the Tiannan people, but rather that the Tiannan people used a large flying boat capable of carrying hundreds of people at a time to quickly transport people using the escape techniques of the Core Formation stage."

"Large magic boats? Even if the people of Tiannan have such manned magic boats, how many can they prepare in advance? The transfer of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of cultivators is not so simple."

Master Zhu frowned, still somewhat puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Master Zhong sighed softly:
"The people of Tiannan prepared not just a few or a dozen ships, but more than two hundred. Each ship can carry five hundred people at full capacity, and the only cost for travel is spirit stones, without the need for cultivators to waste their mana. If a high-level cultivator's mana is added, the flight speed can be even faster. The reinforcements from all sides of Tiannan that have appeared on the battlefield of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance are quickly transported by these flying ships."

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyebrows twitched repeatedly.

"Since so many large flying vehicles exist in Tiannan, why weren't they mentioned in the previous intelligence?"

"It was mentioned, but we didn't pay much attention to it."

The scholar shook his head. "Why?"

The priest was puzzled.

How could such a huge oversight go unnoticed?
The Confucian scholar then patiently explained:
"It's not the fault of those below; it's just that we were too short-sighted. Initially, these large magical ships weren't tools for war mobilization, but rather commercial cargo ships. They were built on a large scale in recent years by the newly rising Xuantian Sect..."

"In commercial applications, its speed is only comparable to the escape techniques of the mid-to-late Foundation Establishment stage. Who knew that it could be fully activated with a large number of mid-grade spirit stones and the mana of high-level cultivators, thereby reaching the speed of the Core Formation stage."

A Heavenly Moon Divine Ship, continuously propelled by five Core Formation stage cultivators in shifts, and aided by some mid-grade spirit stones, can achieve a speed comparable to that of ordinary Core Formation stage cultivators using escape techniques.

With a Nascent Soul stage pilot, the speed can be even greater.

Only the sect that built the Heavenly Moon Divine Ship and the high-ranking cultivators of the Xuan Tian Sect knew this.

Most Nascent Soul cultivators in the Southern Heavenly Realm are unaware of this.

The sudden appearance of over two hundred Tianyue Divine Ships carrying troops caught not only the Mulan people off guard, but also many other forces in Tiannan off guard.

"Is that so?"

The priest sighed deeply.

It's true that man proposes, God disposes.

They had calculated that while the righteous and demonic factions of Tiannan would readily support the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, it would definitely not be so quick.

They also accurately predicted the reaction of the Northern Heavenly Alliance.

However, it took even longer for reinforcements from that side to arrive.

In contrast, the rear guard of Mulan only needs another six months or so to gradually enter Fengyuan and Yu.

Originally, those few months were the difference between fighter jets.

In today's context, this has become a rather "fatal" weakness.

Based on the current situation, reinforcements from all sides in Tiannan will arrive successively over the next five to six months. At the very least, the force will quickly exceed 300,000 Foundation Establishment stage troops, 3,000 to 4,000 Core Formation stage troops, and over 200 Nascent Soul stage troops.

As for the Mulan side, it would take at least eight months for their Foundation Establishment stage troops to reach 300,000.

And what's worse now is that the fortresses and defenses they've built up with so much manpower and resources on the existing front may not be able to hold onto them.

Not only could they not hold onto the defense line they had already captured, but they also found it difficult to withdraw the hundreds of thousands of troops that they had stationed in various locations.

Once they retreat, with their inferior forces, they are highly likely to be discovered by the astute high command of Tiannan, who will then pursue and kill them.

"How to do?"

The great masters of Mulan were filled with anxiety.

Nearly 200,000 Foundation Establishment stage mages are all elites from the ten major tribes.

If too many are lost, there's no point in fighting any more battles.

"Your Grand Masters will be divided into ten groups, assisted by a thousand other masters, to unleash the wide-ranging 'Ten Thousand Miles of Red Dust,' stirring up as much yellow sand as possible for a feigned attack, while in reality covering the rear and buying time for the army to retreat. Afterwards, this old man and Master Zhong will hold off the three great cultivators of Tiannan, helping you to evacuate."

After pondering for a while, the priest said in a deep voice.

This is also the only option for the Ten Departments to escape unscathed.

It is said that retreating is a strategic advance.

This time, the Mulan people used an advance-as-retreat tactic.

"Alright, before the reinforcements from the Heavenly Alliance and the subsequent reinforcements from both the righteous and demonic paths arrive, let's abandon the Pan and Xu Kingdoms and retreat to Yanggu Kingdom with a slightly inferior force. Then we'll set up defenses along the Yanggu, Yu, and Beiliang Kingdoms lines. We must secure our gains before the rear guard arrives."

"clear."

After the tribal leaders from the grasslands had left, only the Clerk, the Middle Clerk, and Master Yue, the "First Female Cultivator of Mulan," also known as the "Holy Maiden of Mulan," remained in the main hall. When only the three of them were left, the Clerk slammed his fist on the table in front of him.

"Damn it, how could things go wrong on such a small detail?"

Master Zhong sighed and gave a wry smile.

Master Yue, on the other hand, became interested in someone from the Xuantian Sect.

...

at the same time.

The joint command headquarters of the four major forces in Tiannan.

It's a completely different scene now.

Tianshui City, the second largest cultivation city in southern China, encompassing over 300 miles of spiritual mountains, serves as the current headquarters of the Southern Allied Forces and gathers cultivators from all over the south. It is second only to Tiantian City, which was built over many years by the Huayi Sect and the Beiye Sect.

On top of the city wall.

As Wei Wuyai and the other old monsters of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance arrived in rapid succession, exceeding expectations, their tense nerves slowly relaxed, and the frown that had been etched on their faces for months was replaced by a sense of ease and a smile.

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"These flying magic boats that Fellow Daoist Han previously looked down upon are actually the key to turning the tide of the battle? This is truly..."

"A mere magical artifact, a flying boat, has such wondrous uses? What a blunder, what a blunder."

"Back then, I even laughed at him for being unwise..."

"Who wasn't? I laughed the loudest back then."

“Oh dear, I was not laughing at Fellow Daoist Han.”

"I owe this favor a lot."

"Once reinforcements arrive, it'll be time for a large-scale counter-offensive! Not only must we reclaim our lost territory, but we must also teach the Mulan people a lesson they won't forget..."

Everyone exchanged knowing glances, creating a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere.

It was in this atmosphere that Han Li and his group arrived.

It quickly gained attention and popularity.

　In the original novel, the arrival of reinforcements from both the righteous and demonic paths takes place more than a year later.

　　The calculation begins from the time the Nanlonghou squad sent the message:
　　The journey to Cangkun Cave was delayed for a few days.

　　Han Li mingled with the mortal cavalry and retreated back to the grassland border, which took three to five days.

　　I met Lei Wanhe a few days later.

　　The journey to the Yanyue Sect in the Northern Liang Kingdom to abduct the bride took place more than half a month later.

　　He returned to Khotan City a month later.

　　More than half a month later, at Huanglong Mountain.

　　He was hunted down by Master Mulan Zhong for half a year.

　　(During this period, the main force of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance retreated to the Northern Liang Kingdom and established Tianyi Stone City to resist step by step. The retreat would take time, and even with Foundation Establishment and travel, it would take at least several months.)
　　When Han Li returned to Tianyi Stone City, Lü Luo expressed his concern by saying, "Junior Brother Han, you haven't shown your face for more than half a year." In the original novel, "more than half a year" usually refers to eighty or ninety months.

　　To summarize, it took the fastest reinforcements from both the righteous and demonic paths to reach the Northern Liang defense line of the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, which took almost a year.

　　In addition, the original text clearly states that the reinforcements are from both the righteous and demonic paths, without mentioning the Heavenly Alliance.

　　At that time, the Luo Yun Sect had seven Core Formation cultivators at its base, including Song Yu, and only a few hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators, including Sun Huo, who had arrived in Tian Tian City a few years earlier. The number of Core Formation cultivators was about half of the current number of Core Formation cultivators in the Luo Yun Sect, but there were definitely more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

　　The decisive battle between the two sides took place more than three months later.

　　The Mulan army had reached its peak strength and preemptively proposed a decisive battle.

　　In Tiannan, theoretically, there are still some reinforcements from the Heavenly Dao Alliance on their way.

　　The fact that the Luo Yun Sect only dispatched the early Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, numbering just over two hundred, speaks volumes. Of course, there's also the possibility that everyone was trying to conserve their strength.

　　The basis for designing the "Tianyue Shenzhou" storyline lies here.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)