By the ti the Song Clan received news that Liuyun Marketplace had fallen, three days had already passed. Song Luhuai and the others, who had just returned to the clan, instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
Even Song Changsheng and the others who had made the decision to evacuate were stunned. They had only made that choice as a precaution, never imagining it would save the lives of dozens of clansn and preserve all their supplies.
In contrast, the other five families suffered heavy losses. The Li Clan and the Qiu Clan each lost a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator, all of their resources were plundered, and they suffered a devastating blow.
"What’s going on? Weren’t they supposed to have just crossed the border? How did they suddenly appear at Liuyun Marketplace?" Song Xianyun’s aged face was filled with relief. ’It was so close, so very close!’
Song Luyao’s expression remained unchanged as she said in a low voice, "If our scouts could spot them, then of course they could spot us too.
They deliberately exposed their main force to us, pulling a feint while sending a detachnt of Foundation Establishnt Cultivators to raid the Marketplace. We were tricked."
"Thankfully, we made it out unscathed. A true blessing amidst this misfortune," Song Luhuai said with lingering fear. ’If I had hesitated for even a mont to obey the clan’s orders back then, ten thousand deaths wouldn’t have been enough to atone for it.’
"What is that group doing now?"
"According to our scouts’ reports, they’re currently using Liuyun Marketplace as a base of operations and are trying to occupy the entire Liuyun Mountain Range. The Earth Fire Sect, led by Du Huating, has joined forces with the Li and Qiu Clans and has already engaged them."
Song Changsheng furrowed his brow slightly. "Do we know their exact strength?"
"Twelve Foundation Establishnt Cultivators and over three hundred Qi Cultivators. We can’t rule out the possibility of other Foundation Establishnt Cultivators in hiding."
Twelve Foundation Establishnt Cultivators.
In terms of numbers, the Six Great Influences of Ling Province had twice as many Foundation Establishnt Cultivators as they do.
Taken individually, however, only the Song Clan could barely hold their own against them. None of the other five families could manage it alone.
There are three Foundation Establishnt Influences in the Liuyun Mountain Range. Among them, the Earth Fire Sect has five. The Li Clan lost one cultivator in the Liuyun Mountain Range, leaving only Clan Leader Li Siyang to hold the fort. The Qiu Clan also lost one and now has three. That makes nine in total.
On the surface, the gap doesn’t seem that large. After all, they have the ho-turf advantage and a Guardian Array to rely on. It’s not as if they don’t have a fighting chance.
But the reality was completely different. If it were an offensive campaign, the three allied influences could naturally combine their forces to advance and retreat as one.
The problem is, they are now forced to defend, and they can only defend a single location. Otherwise, they will be picked off one by one. This ans two of the influences must abandon their territories and consolidate all their strength. Only then can they hope to block the enemy’s assault.
But who would be willing to do that?
Those territories are their roots. It’s easy to abandon them, but much harder to reclaim them. And even if they did get a chance to take them back, they would have been ravaged beyond recognition.
Therefore, Song Changsheng dared to predict that the entire Liuyun Mountain Range could fall in less than half a month.
Just then, a Clan Elder walked in and said, "Young Clan Leader, Grand Elder, we just received a ssage from Clan Leader Wang. He says the Yu Clan has already sent two Foundation Establishnt Cultivators to reinforce the Liuyun Mountain Range. He wants to know what our next move is."
"Sheng’er, what do you think?" Song Xianyun asked, looking at Song Changsheng.
Song Changsheng knew he was being tested. He didn’t answer directly, but instead turned to the Clan Elder. "Is there any news from the Earth Fire Sect?"
"We have not received any."
"I see. It seems the Earth Fire Sect has yet to face reality. I advise that we stay put for now and wait until they can no longer hold on," Song Changsheng said with a cold smile.
As the saying goes, let others handle their own problems. When the Lieyang Sect attacked the Song Clan, the clan had to pay an enormous price to secure their aid.
The tables had turned. Now it was their turn to pay the price.
Song Xianyun nodded in approval. "Well said. They’re the ones who should be anxious now. With our clan’s strength, we can easily defend the Moon Viewing Mountain Range."
"Even if they grit their teeth and hold out, we can just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. When both sides are grievously wounded, we can step in to clean up the ss."
"They aren’t that foolish. I’d wager that in less than a week, the Earth Fire Sect will be forced to accept reality."
——————
「Liuyun Mountain Range, Cliff Peak.」
Cliff Peak was originally the territory of a Qi Refining Family and possessed a Tier Two Spirit Vein. Now, it had beco the very front line where the four-influence alliance confronted their enemy.
Here, the four-influence alliance had gathered eight Foundation Establishnt Cultivators and nearly four hundred Qi Cultivators. One could say they had brought out all their elites.
Their enemies, anwhile, had amassed twelve Foundation Establishnt Cultivators and three hundred Qi Cultivators.
Since the fall of Liuyun Marketplace, the two sides had engaged in several probing skirmishes. The four-influence alliance, led by the Earth Fire Sect, had lost more battles than they won, and many of their mbers and disciples had fallen.
"This can’t go on. Cliff Peak only has a single Tier Two Spirit Vein. It has to power the Guardian Array and also support the cultivation of so many people. There’s simply not enough Spiritual Qi to go around. I still suggest we retreat to defend Baiyun Peak."
As another skirmish ended, Du Huating looked at the fallen Earth Fire Sect disciples lying in pools of their own blood and stated his opinion once more. He simply did not believe that Cliff Peak could hold.
Before anyone else could speak, Li Siyang grew agitated. Less than three hundred miles behind Cliff Peak lay the main base his Li Clan had operated for hundreds of years. Abandoning Cliff Peak ant abandoning his own territory!
He imdiately shot to his feet and said firmly, "Absolutely not."
The Qiu Clan Leader, Qiu Tianyang, also shook his head. "I also think it’s a bad idea."
’Are you kidding ?’ His Qiu Clan was less than a thousand miles from the Li Clan. If the Li Clan abandoned their territory, the Qiu Clan would be next.
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