Chapter 348. To Die for a Cause (1)

As soon as it was decided that they were going to retreat, the Martial Alliance hurriedly got ready for it. The Dark Heavens Army was stationed a day, or perhaps just half a day away. There was no time for trial and error.

After hearing a brief explanation about the operation, they minimized the questions and proceeded in a hurry.

"While we would like to join the Evil Valley in Jiangxi or Zhejiang, that's impossible because the Yangtze River is in the way. Thus, we retreat to Hubei and Henan."

If one went west from Anhui, one would reach Hubei. If one went northwest, one would reach Henan.

Fortunately, the Shaolin Temple was located in Henan, while the Wudang Sect and the Zhuge Family were located in Hubei, so there was no need to worry about their safety.

"We'll be splitting the five thousand troops into four. About two thousand will stay behind to buy time at the headquarters, while three thousand will be divided into three groups of one thousand before retreating."

"Is this to speed up our retreat?"

"Exactly, and it's to force the enemy to split up during their pursuit."

A large army was strong, but its movements were limited. Just advancing would take a considerable amount of time, so the Martial Alliance had the advantage when it came to retreating.

"We just have to retreat successfully, and we won't have any problems afterward, but...

"The process itself is ridiculously difficult. I'm already having a headache just thinking about how we should stop that massive army." Wu Bai kneaded his temples as if he were having a headache.

"Don't be afraid!"

Peng Junping showed his usual baseless confidence.

"This is the center of the Righteous Faction

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, the Martial Alliance Headquarters. What could be out there for us to fear? It's not like we're going to engage in an all-out war. A mere retreat shouldn't be that difficult."

"

Whew!

It must be nice to be so optimistic!" Huang Gou sighed.

"What, this bastard?!" The veins on Peng Junping's forehead stood out.

"Namu Amitabha. While things aren't as simple as Elder Peng said, I think it's unnecessary to worry from the beginning," Hui Lu said, stepping in to mediate when the mood was worsening.

"I also agree," Jingren Shitai said, helping Hui Lu. "Since the Martial Alliance Leader and the Juvenile Fist Emperor are at the headquarters, I think this battle is more than manageable even with the difference in numbers."

Jingren Shitai wasn't just mediating; she sincerely believed in Hui Lu.

Yes, the Martial Alliance was outnumbered, but their morale wasn't low.

The Righteous Faction's

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always had a small number of people, so being surrounded by a larger number was a familiar experience. They were also at their headquarters, so they weren't scared due to the many masters and experts.

Moreover, the Taiji Sword and the Juvenile Fist Emperor of the Six Empyrean Overlords were present. Their morale couldn't be said to be extraordinarily high, but it definitely wasn't low.

"In addition, we have our nature formation. If we utilize it well, it can be of great help."

The headquarters of Hefei was like an old fortress. Over the years, there had been many wars like the Great War of Good and Evil, but there were only a few times when the headquarters succumbed to the fight.

Thanks to their many years of experience, the people from headquarters made use of many defensive facilities and a considerable number of formations.

"It's been said since ancient times that going too far is worse than not going far enough. While worrying too much has its issues, being too prideful is also not allowed."

Zhuge Xiang's words were engraved in the hearts of the higher-ups.

"The Dark Heavens Association Lord's cultivation is still unclear, but I heard that... he's a monster who subdued the Heavenly Demon by force. The Sword God has warned us about him several times before, so please keep that in mind."

Gulp.

Someone gulped nervously. If someone else had said that, they would have thought that it was just an exaggerated rumor from the

gangho

, but since the Sword God was the one who had said it, they couldn't take it lightly.

When they heard that even the Heavenly Demon wasn't actually the Dark Heavens Association Lord but just an executive, they doubted their ears.

To think that the Dark Heavens Association Lord had an Empyrean Overlord as a subordinate?! They couldn't believe it, so when told that it

really

was the truth, their jaws dropped in shock.

"If the Dark Heavens Association Lord appears, the only ones who can stop him are the Alliance Leader and the Juvenile Fist Emperor. Please don't get involved; just observe, Elders. It doesn't matter even if it's an emergency."

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Understood."

"I'll leave the minute details to everyone's judgement. Then, I'll see all of you after the successful retreat."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Martial Alliance guards locked the gates in each direction, preparing for the siege by placing obstacles in the marching army's path.

"As you commanded, Strategist, the preparations for the nature formation have been completed," Huang Gou reported.

"Thank you. Then, I would like to ask you to retreat from here."

The first retreat was for the three thousand soldiers, and the person in charge was Huang Gou.

As expected of someone from the Beggar Gang, he was quick on his feet. He was well-versed in the surrounding environment and the road, making him the natural choice to be the person in charge.

He was also very discerning and quick-witted, so he was a perfect fit for the role.

He helped prepare the Martial Alliance's nature formation before the retreat.

Now, it was time to leave.

"The enemy is approaching, so I hope you'll retreat as soon as possible through the passage in the bamboo forest."

"Understood."

Their retreat route was the hideout of the former Martial Alliance Leader, Nangong Weiwu. Since it was surrounded by a nature formation, it was possible for them to evade the enemy's pursuit.

The passage was only open to the higher-ups of the Martial Alliance, so it was the perfect route for a retreat.

Zhuge Xiang turned around and looked straight ahead.

The Martial Alliance's group of experts was waiting for the Strategist's orders.

"As I told you before, when the headquarters' gate is broken and the enemy has entered, we'll activate the Eight War Formation Seals."

Eight War Formation Seals!

This was a nature formation that was apparently created by Zhuge Liang, the ancestor of the Zhuge Family and the former strategist and Imperial Chancellor of Shu Han.[1]

In fact, it wasn't truly a nature formation but a formation technique. However, it was studied and eventually developed to become a nature formation method over the generations.

The Eight War Formation Seals was as difficult to control as it was powerful, and it cost a thousand gold coins to create, so there were only two places in the entire

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where one could find it—the Zhuge Family and the Martial Alliance Headquarters in Hefei—the center of the Righteous Faction

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.

"Once the eight gates are broken and the enemy has entered, they'll find themselves in random places. Even if they try to go back, they'll end up getting lost because the locations of the gates will keep changing."

The Martial Alliance headquarters had eight gates, including its main gate.

The original architectural design was created with the Eight War Formation Seals in mind. This was evidence of the Eight War Formation Seals' incredible power.

Since it was famous for being difficult to erect and use, there were only a small number of formation masters who could properly draw out the power of the Eight War Formation Seal within the Zhuge Family.

One of those masters was the Heavenly Strategist, Zhuge Xiang. There was a reason he ascended to the rank of Strategist at such a young age, not even thirty, and was admired as a genius since he was young.

"In the meantime, we must deal with the enemies for as long as possible."

"I will keep that in mind."

Yun Guang nodded.

BOOM!

The Eight Gates shook violently.

"They're breaching us!" the guard warrior warned.

Tension filled the faces of the two thousand warriors.

Crack!!

"They're breaking through!"

BOOM!

The eight gates collapsed almost simultaneously.

Wood and iron pieces flew as the Seven Stars Division soldiers dressed in black uniforms rushed in.

"RAH!!!!" they roared.

It was like a swarm of ants. The broken gates seemed to be vomiting people out.

"Get over the wall!"

A group of Seven Stars Division soldiers vaulted over the wall.

"Agh!!"

The moment they climbed up the wall, they were pierced by a spearhead from below.

"A-a mechanism?"

"They're mechanisms!"

The enemies wouldn't possibly enter the gates alone. Otherwise, they would be stupid. Of course, the Martial Alliance had prepared a countermeasure for that.

The mechanisms...

It's a good thing that they were revived.

As the center of the Righteous Faction

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, the headquarters had various security devices. It was a technology that was abandoned in modern times, but it was used often in the past, even though it never really became mainstream.

After all, hadn't that robber, the Three-Eyed Godly Thief, used them three hundred years ago? However, the art of mechanisms had been neglected since then, so it had seen little use and was left to rust.

If Shengji hadn't taken care of them during his earlier visit to the Martial Alliance, we wouldn't have been able to use them. Thank you, Shengji.

It was fortunate that they managed to make use of them again. Moreover, they only had to replace a few broken parts.

Of course, repairing it wasn't something that anyone could do. Since they were installed by a mechanism master at the time, they would have just stayed unused and dormant had it not been for Zhuge Shengji.

"P-poison!"

"Cough!"

It wasn't just the spears. When the enemies inadvertently leaned on the wall, hidden arrows laced with poison flew through the air, making a beeline for them. A poisonous cloud of smoke also wafted up to block the enemies.

Truthfully, had they erected a siege wall, the headquarters would have become no different from an impregnable fortress.

"W-why are we coming out here?"

"Aren't you the Hundred Man Commander from the other gate? Why are you coming out of here?"

The situation at the eight gates was just as chaotic.

Some passed through the south gate only to find the northwest gate in front of them. The changing passageways were not fixed, so even though each person came from the same place, they found themselves at completely different places.

The formation and the command system were in confusion and disarray, making it a complete mess. The confusion became even greater when the comrades with whom they had been working together for weeks at the shortest and years at the longest were abruptly replaced by someone else.

"Now is the time! Strike!"

The attack began with Peng Junping at the vanguard.

"

Ahhhh!

"

"

Argh!

"

While the Dark Heavens Army was in chaos, the masters deployed at each of the eight gates displayed their martial skill. As expected from the elites of the Righteous Faction, none of them were ordinary.

"Qián, hold. Duì and Xùn, move. Lí and Zhèn, cross over... shift the Life Gate to North-Northwest and then swap with the Death Gate."[2]

Zhuge Xiang stood in the center and gave orders. His pupils moved up, down, left, and right to check every part of the battlefield, stopping only for the briefest moment.

He was muttering something that was impossible to decipher. He wasn't taking overall command—no, he was adjusting the Eight War Formation Seals. Making use of the Eight War Formation Seals wouldn't just end upon activating them.

If one wanted to keep changing the locations of the Eight Gates, the objects that made up the formation had to be moved like chess pieces.

Zhuge Xiang took a posture that only the soldiers and a few warriors could see with the folded fan in his hand, and it became a signal for them.

When those of the strategist corps positioned near the Eight Gates saw his signal, they relayed it to the warriors and moved the objects to change their location.

How impressive!

I had no idea that someone could actually operate the Eight War Formation Seals in such a perfect way!

In order to operate the Eight War Formation Seals, one had to be from the Zhuge Family to maintain secrecy. Thus, most of the current strategist corps was from the Zhuge Family's collateral branches, and they knew just how difficult it was to operate the Eight War Formation Seals.

He's taking into account the time it will take for us to understand and respond to his orders. He's also calculating the movement of the warriors and gives orders accordingly.

Has there ever been this many people capable of using the Eight War Formation Seals in this way? He truly is the Knowledge Dragon—no, the Heavenly Strategist!

For a Righteous Faction member, Zhuge Xiang had a flexible way of thinking that was neither arrogant nor conceited. He easily admitted and reflected on his mistakes, and even at this very moment, he was devising a strategy.

Everyone boasted of his social skills, including his skills with manipulating information, but Zhuge Xiang was also good at navigating politics, which meant his administrative work was fearsome.

His cultivation was also impressive. He was fearless, yet he never abused his power. His personality went without saying; he also stayed away from alcohol and women. Even scarier was that he wasn't even thirty and was still growing.

Today, even among all his accolades, he was showing off his command skills while displaying the nature formation methods that were taught to him when he was young.

"So this is the true Eight War Formation Seals...!"

The elders were also astonished by the power that seemed capable of shaking the heavens.

Isn't this what it means to find the Manifestation of One's Path?

Yun Guang gulped in surprise.

He wasn't wrong. The Manifestation of One's Path had the effect of ignoring the laws of physics to express a person's will in the form of martial arts.

The Eight War Formation Seals was the same. It was a Confucian art rather than a martial art, but it went beyond the extreme and ignored the laws of physics to display a mysterious power.

The Manifestation of One's Path of Zhuge Liang—no, the Zhuge Family.

Eight War Formation Seals, Space...

1. Reference to Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms period. ☜

2. Some of the Eight Trigrams. In order, Heaven, Lake, Wind, Fire, Thunder. ☜