Chapter 330. Confrontation at Guizhou (1)

"Urgent news!"

BOOM!

A messenger burst into the meeting room, shoving the doors open with force.

"Report."

If someone dared to interrupt a meeting like this, it had to be serious.

"Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Hubei, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and even Yunnan! All were attacked during supply transport!"

The expressions of the Martial Alliance leadership immediately hardened.

"In addition, within the Righteous Faction territory, many Martial Alliance members and small and medium-sized sects have betrayed and declared that they are of the Dark Heavens Association!"

"...!"

The leadership fell into an uproar.

"It's finally starting..."

Ha... that many of them?!

"Hmph!"

Zhou Xuchuan had told them that the Dark Heavens Association had been planting spies and luring away members of the Righteous Faction for years now.

After all, wasn't Tang Mingren, the Little Patriarch of the Tang Family and someone who was deeply involved in the Black Shadow Division, an executive of the Dark Heavens Association? Betrayal itself wasn't strange.

It was just that there were more of them than expected.

"This isn't the end," Zhuge Xiang said in a somewhat hopeless voice.

"Strategist, what do you mean?"

"As you all know, the most important things in war are supplies and information. In the latter, one or two pieces of information can change the situation. They'll continue to plant moles we're yet to suspect and keep leaking our intelligence."

"Those bastards!"

Peng Junping couldn't hold back and swore.

"What should we do now?" the new Martial Alliance Leader, Yun Guang, asked.

"We should start with the fire that's fallen on our feet."

"I agree. We should increase the number of troops escorting the transport of supplies, and we should also have the troops come from diverse backgrounds to prevent betrayal."

Hui Lu and Jingren Shitai each shared their opinions in turn.

"Weren't most of the traitors from the small and medium sects in the first place?" Wu Bai continued in a dissatisfied tone.

"What are you trying to say?"

Huang Gou frowned.

"Let's leave this only to those with solid backgrounds."

It was a roundabout way of saying that they should eliminate the small and medium-sized sects.

"Hahaha, how impressive!"

Huang Gou openly laughed and sneered.

"The fact that this incident happened was due to discrimination based on background, but you're saying we should discriminate against them again?"

"That's not what I meant. Elder Huang Gou, you're overreacting. I'm just saying that we should rule out any contingencies."

"Is that not the same thing?!" Huang Gou growled fiercely.

"How disappointing!"

Even Peng Junping, who wasn't on good terms with Huang Gou, took his side this time.

"Even if their backgrounds are unclear, are they not also part of the same Martial Alliance and are willing to assist us?! If we can't trust them, then who are we supposed to trust?!"

Peng Junping was so angry that he omitted the honorifics.

"It's been a long time since Peng Junping has spoken honestly."

Huang Gou snickered as if he agreed with Peng Junping's words.

"Enough!"

Bam!

Yun Guang slammed his palm on the desk.

"Just a while ago, we were worried about division among the ranks, so what are we supposed to do if

we

fight like this?! Do you plan on making

his

sacrifice seem like nothing?"

"..."

The atmosphere was tense enough for sparks to fly, but Yun Guang's words had made them completely disappear. All three of the elders kept their mouths shut.

Yun Guang took a deep breath and spoke to the Strategist.

"I want to hear your opinion, Strategist."

"It's just as Elder Huang Gou said. That's not a very good idea."

Wu Bai furrowed his eyebrows slightly, while Huang Gou smiled. Still, he didn't openly provoke the elder.

"The Dark Heavens Association is adept at infiltrating people's minds, exploiting their weaknesses, and deceiving them. Their specialty is instigation and divison, so if the escorts are biased towards a certain sect... the results will not be good."

"Then what do you think we should do, Strategist?"

"As Elder Jingren Shitai said, we should deploy people of various backgrounds to protect our supplies in order to minimize the damage of betrayal and increase our ability to respond."

"Namu Amitabha. I agree with your words."

Hui Lu nodded while rolling his prayer beads. The other elders also silently agreed.

"On another note, what do you think we should do about our diminished forces? What do you think about asking the North Sea Ice Palace for help?" Jingren Shitai suggested.

"I see! I didn't think of that!"

"North Sea Ice Palace!"

North Sea Ice Palace.

In the northern reaches of the

murim

frontier, there was a sea called the North Sea.

Unlike the South Sea, which enjoyed summer all year round, the North Sea was a barren land covered in snow and ice, with only winter throughout the four seasons.

While there were many sects in this barren land, the one with the absolute influence was the North Sea Ice Palace.

"If the North Sea Palace Master helped us, the results might be different."

The Palace Master of the North Sea Ice Palace was none other than the only woman among the Six Empyrean Overlords.

"It's not like I don't know how powerful the North Sea Ice Palace is, but..."

The reputation of the North Sea Ice Palace had been renowned for generations.

To survive in the bitter cold of the North Sea—where one could freeze to death just by staying outside for a few moments—strength was essential. Martial arts and cultivation were essential to survive in such terrain, making it difficult for anyone who wasn’t a martial artist to live there.

As a result, nine out of ten people within the North Sea were martial artists, and due to the properties of the North Sea, which was full of Frigid Yin Qi, their speed of cultivation and qi reserves were also profound.

Even surviving in the North Sea was difficult, which meant that even their ordinary warriors were at least in the Second Class, or even the First Class realm.

"Hasn't the North Sea Ice Palace invaded the Central Plains in the past? What if they stab us in the back?"

"I agree."

Because the North Sea was so barren, the people of the North Sea, including the North Sea Ice Palace, had once targeted the fertile lands of the Central Plains.

However, the result had been the defeat of the North Sea.

From the perspective of someone who cultivated an Ice Art, the warm climate of the Central Plains was actually an unfavorable environment.

Because they lacked the abundant Frigid Yin Qi, their recovery would slow, and as they weren't accustomed to the climate, it caused various problems.

After that, the North Sea Ice Palace retreated and lived in seclusion, only interacting with the Central Plains when they had to.

However, their reputation still stayed strong, and even after generations, the North Sea's strongest master, the North Sea Palace Master, was still known throughout the heavens.

"I was just about to bring them up, so this is timely. I already sent a letter requesting their support."

"What happened?"

"They declined. Said they were facing food shortages due to continuous heavy snowfall over the past few years."

The weather in the North Sea wasn't just cold.

In extreme cases, blizzards and storms raged year-round.

During such times, not only did people freeze to death—countless starved as well.

Whether it was the Dark Heavens Association or the Central Plains, the North Sea was currently facing a crisis of starvation. They had no time to worry about anything else.

"What if we borrow their experts in exchange for food?"

"Peng, think this through,” Huang Gou said, clicking his tongue in disapproval. “How can we afford that?”

The Martial Alliance, facing war, had no such luxury.

It would be the same after the war.

Since ancient times, war left nothing behind.

War only destroyed.

It destroyed people, food, and the environment.

Winning or losing was only a small issue.

"Thanks to the support of the Gold Will Merchants and the merchant companies of the lay disciples of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Martial Alliance, our starting point on supplies isn't bad. However, it's still not enough for us to take care of the North Sea Ice Palace."

Zhuge Xiang shook his head, dismissing the idea.

If they weren't able to get their help, he knew that their side wouldn't be able to make up for the damage they suffered after the Great War of Good and Blood and the Great War of Good and Demonic.

While martial artists all hated the deep connection between gold and cultivation, ironically, they were the ones who needed money more than anyone else.

Moreover, it was that 'gold' that was saving their lives.

"So does this mean we’ll have to fight with only half our original strength?" Huang Gou asked with a dark expression.

"This half is 'all' that we have."

The Martial Alliance's Strategist corrected the elder's words.

"They say the outcome of a battle depends on the mindset going in. If you begin a fight believing you’ll lose, then you’ve already lost."

Huang Gou couldn't raise his head in embarrassment at the words of the Knowledge Dragon, no, the Heavenly Strategist.

"Hope does not come from calculating whether good news is superior to bad news. Hope is simply the choice to act."

Zhuge Xiang smiled seriously yet gently.

"However, that doesn't mean we won't calculate the odds. In order to win more securely and minimize casualties, our strategist forces are working hard day and night. Although I may be young and my skills lacking compared to the experienced elders of the

murim

, won't you trust me a little?"

"Namu Amitabha. You're making this little monk embarrassed with your praise."

Hui Lu clasped his hands together and showed a look of respect.

"Here are a few things that I've deduced."

Zhuge Xiang took out a map and spread it out on the table.

"The Dark Heavens Association will try to destabilize both the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley—or, more accurately, the entire Righteous and Evil Alliance, with cunning words and actions from beginning to end, and plunder our supplies through our traitors. Then, they'll attack us in various ways during the chaos."

He spoke clearly, never raising his voice, and used a folded fan to point at a location on the map.

"If I had to choose a single place to attack us, it would be here, in Guizhou."

***

If one were to choose a place in the Central Plains where conflicts never ceased, Guizhou would be the obvious choice.

That was because the Martial Alliance and the Evil Valley, or rather, the Righteous Path and the Evil Path's spheres of influence have been equally divided there since ancient times.

Conflicts broke out several times a day, even during ceasefires and after wars had supposedly ended.

It put the word conflict in 'conflict zones,' and the history of its battles, which piled up over the years, grew worse and worse.

The sordid past could be described as a vortex of revenge and an unending chain of events.

Because of this, the famed Righteous Faction forces such as Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Ancient Families regularly sent their warriors there to gain practical experience.

Even the World's Best Merchants and the Gold Will Merchants had made a contract with Guizhou to be the premiere war merchants of the Martial Alliance and made a fortune.

"Hey! Over there, those hypocrite bastards are passing by!"

"What?"

"

Sniff, sniff

, what's that smell! Oh, that's the smell of your great beliefs, rotten to the core!"

"Where do these despicable bastards get the gall to open their mouths?!"

After the formation of the Righteous and Evil Alliance, most of their conflicts had disappeared.

Though they kept each other in check, they almost never fought openly.

Just like with the Treasury of the Three-Eyed Godly Thief, the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Valley Master had made an agreement and issued an order to refrain from fighting or provocation.

However, that order was not obeyed in Guizhou.

"Haa..."

A heavy sigh escaped from the mouth of Shen Daoyun, the head of the Martial Alliance's Kaiying Branch.

"Even if they told us not to fight... that's just a ridiculous..."

The resentment between the people of Guizhou ran deep.

Even as the

murim

was riled into an uproar due to the various incidents, Guizhou always stayed the same.

There was only ever fighting.

When one person killed another, three people would rise as their enemy, whether it was disciples, disciple brothers and sisters, or comrades.

When three people died, another nine enemies were created.

It was an endless chain of revenge and resentment that could not be broken no matter how hard one tried.

Since they fought nearly every other day, the hatred ran too deep.

Fortunately, the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Valley Master had declared punishments for anyone who disobeyed their orders, and the killings stopped for a while.

However, provocations continued, and violent fights still broke out from time to time.

"I mean, they say that if you endure in Guizhou and rack up achievements, you'll eventually be transferred to Anhui, but... What fate is this?!"

Shen Daoyun let out another complaint.

He hadn't been transferred out of Guizhou for over ten years. It wasn't because he was incompetent.

It was actually the opposite.

A few years ago, things had suddenly started to get noisy, and the Dark Heavens Association appeared and started to ravage the Central Plains.

Because of that, the Martial Alliance also got busy with various responsibilities, and promotions and transfers were delayed.

On top of it all, his replacement who had just recently arrived had gone to the battlefield during the handover and died after being hit by an errant sword. After that, there was no suitable successor, and the Martial Alliance was in disarray, so in the end, the capable and experienced man was left to suffer.

He had considered pretending to get an illness after everything that had happened, but had given up on the thought as he was worried about Guizhou.

"Ugh, my predecessor said that in Guizhou, you should be neither good nor bad, just average..."

His stomach was starting to hurt. The problem was that he had been too focused on promotion and worked too hard.

It was then.

"Branch Manager. We have a guest from the Martial Alliance."

"I'm also a member of the Martial Alliance, you idiot. Which branch?"

"Headquarters."

"Headquarters?"

Shen Daoyun, who had been looking for some digestive medicine, shot up in surprise.

Finally! Finally, I have a replacement!