novelraw Chapter 844: Traces
Chapter 844: Traces
Everyone minds their own business and pays no attention to others' troubles.
In the world of selfish cultivators, this situation is quite normal.
The cultivation forces that reluctantly joined the Dali Dynasty did not hold much loyalty to it.
Under the supervision of the Dali Dynasty, they were already tasked with guarding their respective territories and expelling troublesome cultivators, which consumed a considerable amount of their energy.
Forcing them to deplete their own strength to pursue and intercept these ferocious extraterritorial demons and Spirit Clans was quite burdensome for them.
In their eyes, this was not their responsibility at all.
Therefore, unless these extraterritorial demons and Spirit Clans attacked their sects directly, they would turn a blind eye and not bother dealing with them.
Especially after a large part of the Dali Dynasty's North Sweeping Grand Army was dispatched to reinforce other areas, the supervision over these local cultivation forces weakened. They became more reliant on themselves.
The commander-in-chief of the North Sweeping Grand Army, Zhang Wei, was not someone to be trifled with.
After sending people to annihilate the wandering Shui Ling, he immediately used thunderous measures to deal with several sects and families that didn't respond well.
He personally issued a strict order to all cultivation forces in the south of the Jiuqu League, requiring them to be on high alert, cooperate with each other, and not let any forces disturb the region.
Whenever an Extraterritorial Invader was detected, they were to gather the strength of nearby cultivation forces as quickly as possible and work together to eliminate the threat.
At the same time, they had to report the information to the North Sweeping Grand Army.
If they were not strong enough to handle the Extraterritorial Invader, they had to promptly request assistance from other reinforcements.
All cultivation forces in various regions had to fulfill their duties, and any negligence would be dealt with severely.
The families and sects that were dealt with became the unfortunate examples, warning the others with their lives and blood.
After Zhang Wei's rigorous measures, the cultivation forces in the vast southern region of the Jiuqu League immediately mobilized, strengthening their surveillance and defensive efforts.
In the northern part of the Jiuqu League, many cultivation forces had already withdrawn a significant number of cultivators stationed at the Yellow Lotus Holy Mountain.
After returning to their sects, these cultivators not only rested but also reinforced the defenses of their territories.
Though, until now, only small-scale demons and Spirit Clans had invaded the surrounding areas, causing some damage.
But the major cultivation forces in the Jiuqu League immediately found a new excuse to request the withdrawal of all cultivators from the frontlines at the Yellow Lotus Holy Mountain to guard their own territories and sects.
With the Dali Dynasty's North Sweeping Grand Army busy dealing with the Extraterritorial Invaders, they had no extra capacity for large-scale offensives.
After weighing the pros and cons, Jade Sword True Monarch agreed, in general, to the demands of these cultivation forces, allowing them to mostly withdraw the remaining cultivators stationed at the Yellow Lotus Holy Mountain.
Of course, Jade Sword Sect required them to symbolically retain a few cultivators on the frontlines.
This trivial request was not something they could refuse.
Afterward, as time passed, traces of the Extraterritorial Invaders appeared more frequently in various regions.
At this time, Jade Sword Sect once again issued a call to arms.
However, this time the call was not for all Jiuqu League members, only for those stronger cultivation forces that clearly had some extra capacity.
Unlike before, Jade Sword Sect didn't demand to mobilize all their main force cultivators, but only called upon a portion of them.
Jade Sword Sect would also send some of its cultivators to join forces with the summoned cultivators, forming a coalition to collectively combat the Extraterritorial Invaders within the Jiuqu League's territory.
As a Primordial Spirit sect with relatively light burdens, Taiyi Sect was also on the list of summoning.
When the call from Jade Sword Sect reached Taiyi Sect, Meng Zhang was busy with other matters.
In the Endless Sea of Sand, there appeared a small group of Earth Spirits.
Before they could cause any trouble, they were exterminated by patrolling Taiyi Sect cultivators.Apart from that, there are no other issues.
Over at Demon Wind Gobi, everything is calm and unaffected.
The Gold Core cultivators stationed in Mirage Secret Realm from Taiyi Sect closely monitored the surroundings but found no apparent spatial fluctuations.
Obviously, the extraterritorial demons and Spirit Clans couldn't directly teleport to Mirage Secret Realm or its nearby areas due to the spatial channel issue.
Meng Zhang didn't need to worry about trouble brewing within Taiyi Sect; his concern was solely external.
If the Extraterritorial Invader appeared around Taiyi Sect's territory and launched an attack, the current Barbarian Clan army they faced would become a significant problem.
The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan was not foolish; the reason they were currently at a standoff with Taiyi Sect was that they weren't certain of victory.
However, if Taiyi Sect dispersed its forces elsewhere, they would undoubtedly take advantage of the situation.
For this reason, Meng Zhang had to be prepared in advance.
If there were any signs of a large-scale attack by the Extraterritorial Invader, they would have to deal with the current Barbarian Clan army first.
Though Taiyi Sect currently held the advantage in top-tier combat power, the enemy was not weak.
To minimize their own casualties, Meng Zhang made some secret arrangements.
He had secretly met with True Monarch Grey Mountain twice, informing him of the current situation in the surrounding areas.
Facing the Extraterritorial Invader, both the Dali Dynasty and Jiuqu League had ceased hostilities. They might even temporarily unite against the external threat.
If that were to happen, True Monarch Grey Mountain would find himself in an awkward position.
True Monarch Grey Mountain was not completely ignorant of the outside world's news.
However, due to being stationed in the Barbarian Clan army camp and separated from the other cultivators of Grey Mountain School at the other end of Yuantu Great Prairie, his understanding of external information was somewhat limited.
Though True Monarch Grey Mountain could maintain some communication with the sect's disciples using secret techniques, the distance was too great, severely limiting the transmission of detailed messages.
As for the Dali Dynasty, they might have intentionally cut off all communication with True Monarch Grey Mountain after Grey Mountain School switched sides and joined the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan to avoid suspicion.
Limited by his current circumstances, True Monarch Grey Mountain had some deviation in his understanding of external news.
Meng Zhang deliberately exaggerated certain points to shake True Monarch Grey Mountain's determination.
If the Dali Dynasty and Jiuqu League truly united, it would be hard to predict the fate of the Extraterritorial Invader, and the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan in Yuantu Great Prairie would undoubtedly be unable to resist.
At that time, Grey Mountain School, being seen as Human Clan traitors, and True Monarch Grey Mountain might not be spared.
With his skilled words, Meng Zhang assured True Monarch Grey Mountain that if he chose to stand with Taiyi Sect, they would provide evidence of his loyalty.
They would prove that he had always been in the enemy's camp but not willingly serving the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan.
True Monarch Grey Mountain was genuinely swayed by Meng Zhang's words.
However, the disciples of Grey Mountain School were closely monitored by the other Barbarian Clan army and couldn't make any rash moves even if they had other intentions. True Monarch Grey Mountain was cautious and didn't dare to betray the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan hastily.