After a mont of Exit Divinity, Ye Moquan gave a bitter smile and finally set down the Ink Pen in his hand.
His expression gradually returned to calm, but as he looked at the pen and paper on the table before him, his gaze was complex.
「Later, two people ca to see him.」
They were a middle-aged scholar and a young student—Ye Moquan’s descendants, the father and son Ye Wei and Ye Feishan.
"Father, there has been no news of Second Sister," Ye Wei said softly.
The Ye Clan’s ancestral land in Jinzhou had been completely destroyed. Fortunately, the younger clan mbers had been evacuated in advance, so casualties were limited. On the contrary, several locations outside the ancestral land were breached, leading to significant losses, including the deaths of so Ye Clan elders from the Upper Three Heavens. Among them, the one with the highest cultivation and most central to the clan was Ye Moquan’s daughter and Ye Wei’s sister, Ye Han.
When the distant invocation of the Wuyou Tribulation failed to connect with the heavenly light, Ye Moquan knew there were problems at Tianle Mountain. With the Magic Ceremony broken and the backlash from the connected energy, Ye Han’s situation was likely dire, and her chances of breaking through and escaping were...
"Keep looking, but keep it low-key," Ye Moquan instructed after a long sigh. "Our clan will need a long period of recuperation. All young clan mbers must be cautious in their words and deeds."
Ye Wei and Ye Feishan bowed their heads and replied, "Yes."
With Ye Moquan of the Ninth Heavenly Layer and the clan’s treasured Star-Chess Seal, the Jinzhou Ye Clan still had a foundation. However, Ye Moquan was currently gravely injured, and the ancestral land’s Cultural Pulse had been severed. The Jinzhou Ye Clan had its vitality severely damaged, leaving them in a worse situation than the Youzhou Lin Clan had faced earlier.
The North Sect Lin Clan could still rebuild on the sa site and attempt to reconnect with the Vein of Culture and Spiritful Essence. The Ye Clan, for now, however, could not return to Jinzhou. Several events compounded their problems: the sudden change at Xuantian Temple, the demonic chaos in Guanlong, and trouble in southern Zezhou. Seizing this opportunity, the Tang Imperial Court stepped in. Consequently, the Ye Clan, having lost the battle in Jinzhou, was forced to concede.
In the San Jin Territory, almost every family, large and small, and officials from various places had intricate connections with the Jinzhou Ye Clan. The Imperial Court was also considering the demonic chaos in Guanzhong, located in the Northern Lands. Even if they didn’t imdiately reshuffle the cards in the San Jin Territory to avoid widespread conflict, the Ye Clan’s control over the area would still plumt.
In the decisive battle against Xu Yuanzhen, Ye Moquan’s defeat was not a re misstep; it resulted in the loss of the entire Jinzhou Ye Clan ancestral land and its Cultural Pulse. While his personal reputation was a secondary concern, the Ye Clan’s prestige would inevitably be hit hard.
If Ye Moquan and the Ye Clan were given ti to stay in Jinzhou and continue managing the San Jin Territory, they could surely regain their footing and rally their people. After all, the clan had not suffered heavy casualties among its younger generation. Their situation could have resembled the current Youzhou Lin Clan’s. Due to an unspoken agreent, Prince Zhao’s Mansion had turned a blind eye to the earlier breach of the Lin Clan’s ancestral land. While they perford due diligence on the surface, they didn’t truly seize the opportunity to pressure the Youzhou Lin Clan. This allowed the Lin Clan to remain a powerful force in Youzhou.
However, the Imperial Court would not give the Ye Clan a similar opportunity in Jinzhou. If the Ye Clan could avoid becoming like Jiangzhou in the south in a short period, they could at least console their ancestors.
"One day, we will return to our holand, and I will personally apologize before the spirits of our forefathers," Ye Moquan said. "But the urgent task at hand is the survival of our clan. As long as the family’s heritage continues, there will be a day of Zhong Guang."
Ye Wei responded, "Through the ages, our clan has also seen rises and falls. I won’t let this unsettle my composure."
The old man slowly nodded.
Ye Feishan said softly, "Neither the Four Seasons Military Ritual nor the Wuyou Tribulation strategy played their intended roles, and then there was the Crushed Pill Core..."
The turning point of the battle occurred when Ye Moquan used the Crushed Pill Core. Not only did it fail to dislodge Xu Yuanzhen’s Liheng Halberd, but Ye Moquan was also wounded by Xu Yuanzhen’s retaliatory Crushed Pill Core. From then on, it was one step too slow, always behind, falling into a disadvantage from which he couldn’t recover.
The Jinzhou Ye Clan’s preparations for this battle were anything but inadequate. But the way events unfolded was completely contrary to their expectations. It was as if they had missed every step, plunging into an abyss.
"If the Crushed Pill Core issue could potentially be due to Lin Yuwei and others leaking information, what about the other aspects?" Ye Wei furrowed his brows. "Surely not everyone involved leaked information?"
One leak could be attributed to a person’s error, but leaks everywhere were unfathomable. With multiple events progressing simultaneously and responsibilities divided, where various people were each in charge of their own duties, even Ye Wei and Ye Feishan only knew parts of Ye Moquan’s arrangents. Only Ye Moquan himself understood the whole picture.
"Those with high cultivation can have sudden inspirations, resonate with heaven and earth, connect with nature, and obtain a bit of divination’s wonder," Ye Moquan nodded slightly. As a Ninth Heavenly Layer Great Confucian, he was more than familiar with this aspect. "But if there really is soone who can deduce with such precision, their cultivation strength must be incredibly high," Ye Moquan said. "Against such an opponent, there’s no need for us to sche; we can simply submit."
Ye Wei and Ye Feishan frowned, unable to solve the puzzle.
Ye Moquan concluded, "In the days ahead, we’ll withdraw, settle down, and observe carefully." He instructed Ye Wei, "Nevertheless, we should still thoroughly investigate our own ranks in secret, just to be safe."
Ye Wei and his son both agreed.
"Father, on the western side in Guanlong, the Pure Yang Palace has been breached. Master Huang and so others from the Pure Yang Palace have retreated to the old capital. Afterward, the Snow Bear and so Great Demons approached the old capital, while the Gray Wolf and another group of Great Demons are currently rampaging in Guanzhong." Ye Wei brought up news from other areas: "However, the Mount Shu Sect and the Jingxiang Fang Clan have already moved north into Guanzhong, and a detachnt from the Divine Strategy Army in the Capital City has also set out."
The Great Tang Dynasty initially established its capital as Chang’an in Guanzhong at the nation’s founding. Later, due to changes in the Spiritual Qi of the Mountain and River Ley Lines and the need to oversee the shifting dragon veins and national fortune, the capital was relocated. This occurred during the reign of the third Tang Emperor—the father of Zhang Qilong and Zhang Wantong—who moved the capital to the current Zhongzhou, establishing Luoyang as the new Capital City.
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