Chapter 600: Chapter Five Hundred Ninety-Six: Drawing
December 4th, severe cold.
The once lush forests were now covered by heavy snow, transforming the once bird-filled woods into a silent panorama. The landscape was blanketed by a pervasive whiteness, even the trickling streams in the valley had frozen from their source. Icicles hung from every cliff, signifying the coldest ti of the year.
Tang Luo had left enough food for the civilians of Red Cloud Mountain, but he still wasn’t sure whether they could survive the winter. Construction of Unparalleled City, east of here, had halted because of the heavy snow. The people who used to wander around Red Cloud Mountain collecting firewood and hunting small animals were now nowhere to be seen, everyone retreated into the caves, huddling up against the cold.
Not only the civilians, but even North Mountain seed a lot quieter. Except for the still heated battlegrounds to the west and the south, the rest of the world seed to have taken a pause.
Oh, right, there was also that small coalition that kept fighting despite repeated losses.
Tang Luo looked helplessly at the Fierce Realm warriors buried in the distant snow, crawling forward. Even though the mink robe on him was tightly wrapped, the cold was still chilling to the bone.
The small coalition led by Mi Hu had started to doubt their lives as they had suffered significant losses over the past four days since the Skyreach Platform was built. They lost two Luan Birds in an ambush by the Great Elder Tang Siyuan. Then, they stumbled into a trap set by a Tang Clan Martial Ancestors squadron. After a round of combined attacks, the remaining sixteen Luan Birds were killed on the spot. Three injured Mi Clan Martial Ancestors escaped using their Xuanji Jade. The remaining fourteen fought a rearguard action but managed to break out eventually.
From then on, the Eighteen Feathered Cavalry beca the Fifteen Sky Sovereigns. The Tang Clan, believing they had achieved a major victory, had no ti to celebrate before Mi Hu returned with the remaining fourteen Martial Ancestors. With the Luan Birds out of the way, the Mi Clan Martial Ancestors finally displayed their true strength. Under the leadership of six top-ranking Martial Ancestors, they forced the besieging Tang Clan Martial Ancestors into retreat.
Although the Tang clan had a nurical advantage, apart from the Great Elder Tang Siyuan and Deputy Chief Tang Zhen, everyone else was at a disadvantage when confronting the six top-ranking Mi Clan Martial Ancestors, despite receiving power-enhancing secret techniques.
At the end of the battle, four mbers of the Mi Hu coalition were injured and used the Xuanji Jade to flee. Five of Tang Clan’s Martial Ancestors were injured. Mi Hu, well aware that he was deep in Tang Clan territory, refrained from pursuing his advantage. Instead, he withdrew before being surrounded. During the withdrawal, one more Martial Ancestor was heavily injured by the Great Elder and had to escape.
The small coalition that threatened North Mountain now only consisted of eleven mbers, but this small force made Tang Luo not dare to let his guard down.
If the six top-ranking Martial Ancestors got within ten miles of North Mountain, they could cause massive damage. After losing their mounts, the strategic goal of this coalition had changed accordingly.
Tang Luo had noticed that Mi Hu was now focusing all his energy on penetrating North Mountain, causing a chaos, and escaping with the use of the Xuanji Jade. From the way he was leading the remaining ten n to silently crawl forward in the snow, it was clear that he wanted to utilize the snow as a cover to launch a final attack.
However, at this crawling speed, it might take these eleven n several days to get close to North Mountain, not to ntion that Tang Luo had already set up an ambush along their path.
To put it straightforwardly, while Mi Hu thought he was silently approaching North Mountain, every action of his was under Tang Luo’s watchful eye.
Mourning for the little coalition for a second, Tang Luo turned his attention to the southwestern battlefield. He was drawing on a map, trying to illustrate a face as accurately as possible. Despite his limited artistic skills, he was doing his best to highlight the distinctive features of his target and supplenting them with a written description.
After all, it must be too challenging for others to identify the target based on his sketch. Once he had marked the target’s alcoholic nose properly, Tang Luo ordered his subordinate Cai Buchu: “Please invite the Commander of the Divine Martial Army and the Second Elder to Skyreach Platform for discussing!”
The battle had gone on until now, destroying several mountains in the outer southwestern region. The soldiers on the battlefield had been continuously replaced. Apart from his father Tang Sen, who had participated in the entire battle, all the leaders of the Mi Clan and their allied forces, including Mi Hai and Mi Yang, had been rotated out.
Right now, the Sect Head Tang Zu and Third Elder Tang Zhenghao were relieving Tang Yi and Tang Hongjun. Therefore, it was a good ti for Tang Luo to share so critical information with them.
In a short while, the Commander of the Divine Martial Army, Tang Yi, and the Second Elder, Tang Hongjun, arrived at Skyreach Platform.
“Greetings to the Second Elder and Commander Yi. Please, have a seat,” Tang Luo greeted them with a bow, leading them to sit down under the canopy in the center of Skyreach Platform.
“Major Luo, what business do you have with this commander?” the Divine Martial Army’s Commander Tang Yi asked solemnly as soon as he sat down.
This was only because Tang Luo was now the Commander of North Mountain. Otherwise, Tang Yi would not even bother to et him. As a straightforward warrior, he only wanted to return to the battlefield as soon as possible, once he had recovered from his injuries.
As the leader of an army that was among the most elite forces in the Martial Hall, Tang Yi was accustod to leading from the front. Even though Tang Luo was now a star of hope for the entire clan, Tang Yi had no interest in making connections with him. He did not bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
“I have invited both of you here today to inform you about so intelligence related to the main battlefield,” Tang Luo, who appreciated Tang Yi’s straightforwardness, replied directly.
However, Tang Luo had underestimated Tang Yi’s plainspoken ways. After hearing his words, Tang Yi knitted his eyebrows and retorted, “If it is intelligence related to the main battlefield, why don’t you share it with the Sect Head and the Chief Justice instead of us, who have just been relieved from duty?”
These words were undoubtedly offensive, and Tang Luo’s face imdiately darkened. But before he could respond, Second Elder Tang Hongjun sternly said, “Commander Yi, Major Luo is now the Chief of Defense for the clan. Since you have now been relieved from the frontlines, he is your superior. The clan made the decision to demote Tang Zhen. Are you dissatisfied with the clan’s decision by treating Major Luo this way?”
Tang Yi, who had been stern a mont ago, turned red in the face. He was at a loss for words.
Tang Luo, however, understood why Tang Yi was upset with him right from the start after hearing the Second Elder’s words. It turned out that Tang Yi was being resentful on behalf of his ntor, Tang Zhen.
Indeed, familial relations were intricate. One never knew when one would offend soone. Tang Luo looked helplessly at the Second Elder and said, “Second Elder, there is no need to be angry. I believe that Commander Yi didn’t an to be disrespectful.” He then turned to Tang Yi and spoke, “Whether you believe it or not, I have no interest in the position of Chief of Defense. You don’t need to feel indignant for Tang Zhen.”
“I’ve invited both of you here today because I noticed a critical weakness in the Mi Clan alliance on the front lines.”
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