Chapter 352. The Fall of the Headquarters (2)

The

murim

was shaken by some news.

“Hefei has fallen!”

The Martial Alliance’s headquarters had collapsed. That alone was enough to shock the people.

“The Dark Heavens Association’s flag has been raised at the Martial Alliance headquarters!”

“What? Is that really true?”

“I mean, doesn't that mean that the Martial Alliance lost the war?”

The Martial Alliance headquarters had always been perceived as an impregnable fortress in the minds of the people.

Since its establishment in Hefei, there had only been a few instances where the Martial Alliance had been forced to retreat, so such a perception was natural.

Moreover, in those rare cases, the headquarters was always quickly recaptured. There had never been a case where it fell completely into enemy hands like this.

The aftermath was significant for martial artists, especially those of the Righteous Faction.

The news spread so rapidly and with such weight that people began saying the Martial Alliance had been completely destroyed.

“That’s only a rumor!”

“It’s the work of the Dark Heavens Association!”

When the Righteous Faction

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began to experience difficulties due to ominous rumors, the Righteous and Evil Alliance quickly took action to resolve the situation.

“Yes, the Martial Alliance's headquarters was taken, but we weren't completely destroyed. The Dark Heavens Association is exaggerating their victory to shake the morale of our troops. Do not be fooled.”

“Whew, that’s fortunate!”

“But isn’t it still true that the headquarters was captured and defeated? This is shocking.”

The martial artists had different reactions.

Some were relieved, others disappointed, and some simply frustrated.

Then, before the confusion over the defeat had fully subsided, another piece of bad news shook the Righteous and Evil Alliance.

“The Juvenile Fist Emperor of the Six Empyrean Overlords is dead!”

“That geezer was already so old, it wouldn’t have been strange if he died at any time, right?”

“You fool, if that was the case, would things have gotten this crazed? He didn’t die peacefully of old age. He died at the hands of the Dark Heavens Association Lord!”

“What?!”

The news marked the death of the Juvenile Fist Emperor of the Six Empyrean Overlords.

As a hero of the previous generation and a warrior who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, it was only natural that his death would become a hot topic.

“The former Strategist, Zhuge Zhonghao as well...”

“Just what the hell happened?”

It did not take long for the full story to come out.

The fall of the headquarters had been too massive in scale for there not to be witnesses. The public quickly learned the truth.

“Oh my, I didn’t expect that to happen...”

“This is truly a pity.”

The Righteous Faction mourned the sacrifice of Jing Bai and Zhuge Zhonghao.

“What will become of the Righteous Faction’s future?”

“This is no different than a complete defeat, isn’t it?”

The fall of the headquarters was bad enough, but now with the death of the Juvenile Fist Emperor, the morale of the Martial Alliance plummeted.

Although it was fortunate that most of the retreating force, which included the Martial Alliance’s core, had survived, that news did little to help.

In the end, the headquarters had fallen, and one of the Six Empyrean Overlords had been lost.

The damage was far too great.

“What a strange feeling.”

The Evil Valley Master frowned at the fall of the Martial Alliance headquarters.

“I used to worry about how to destroy the troublesome headquarters, but now I’m lamenting...”

Yes, the Martial Alliance was grieving the fall of the Martial Alliance, but the Evil Valley also felt bitter.

The blow had affected not only the Righteous Faction, but the morale of the Evil Faction as well.

As the Evil Faction was one that pursued benefit rather than righteousness or virtue, some even suggested joining the Dark Heavens Association now, whispering from behind the scenes.

After the Four Gates Rebellion, all spies had been purged, but now those weeds were starting to grow again.

“The future of the Righteous and Evil is dark...”

***

Hunan, Changsha.

We've taken a loss.

Zhou Xuchuan let out a deep sigh.

It was about five days ago. The moment the detachment heard the news of Hefei’s attack in Guizhou, their hearts sank.

And at the same time, they realized what the enemy’s intentions were.

Guizhou had been a trap.

I had a feeling that the Dark Heavens Army here wasn't the main force.

It was natural to feel that way, as no other executives other than Destructive Soldier were present.

Moreover, the Dark Heavens Association’s strength was smaller than expected.

But to think they really were just bait...

It had just been a way to buy time to gather in Hefei.

But now, it was too late to realize that.

As soon as he heard the news, Zhou Xuchuan had rushed back toward Hefei, but the attack had already taken place.

Even if he had moved at full speed, he would not have made it in time. The distance between Guizhou and Anhui was too great.

The problem was that it hadn’t taken long for the Dark Heavens Association to take down the Martial Alliance.

It had been a

Sù Zhàn Sù Jué

, a Lightning War. There was nothing he could have done physically.

In the end, he heard of the Martial Alliance’s defeat while still crossing Hunan, before even reaching Anhui, let alone Hefei.

“...”

The mood of the special force led by Zhou Xuchuan was grim. Zhuge Xiuluan, in particular, was overcome with guilt.

“I'm sorry... If I had just told everyone to return to headquarters sooner...”

Although the leader of the special force was Duan Lihua, Zhuge Xiuluan was the one to decide the destination and actions. Because of that, she felt responsible.

“It's okay. It's not your fault, little sister.”

Duan Lihua smiled bitterly and comforted Zhuge Xiuluan.

“It’s just as she said.”

Tang Hui agreed with Duan Lihua’s words.

“After the clash in Guizhou, we had to take time to clean up. Even if we had returned right away, we would have been exhausted. Besides, the distance to Hefei is just too far. We wouldn’t have made it in time. And even if we did, we would have been too tired to fight properly.”

Zhou Xuchuan felt the same.

Guizhou and Anhui were far apart. Unless they had retreated during the fight with the Guizhou Army, they wouldn’t have been able to arrive on time.

“You too, it's the same.”

Tang Hui glanced at Zhou Xuchuan, perhaps out of concern.

Next time, I won’t be taken for a fool this easily.

However, Zhou Xuchuan wasn’t that sad.

He was angry, but he couldn’t stay enraged forever. After blaming himself briefly, he thought about what to do next.

Juvenile Fist Emperor...

The Juvenile Fist Emperor, Jing Bai’s death.

Zhou Xuchuan also had mixed feelings about Jing Bai’s death.

Honestly, he didn't like the old man. If someone had asked whether he disliked him, he would have said yes without hesitation.

He had thought the old man—or rather, the child—was just a stubborn fool who never considered the consequences or those around him.

But after hearing about how he died, his thoughts changed.

You were trying to take responsibility, right? Juvenile Fist Emperor... no, Jing Bai.

That was what ran through Zhou Xuchuan’s mind.

***

The Martial Alliance had lost its headquarters, but thanks to the sacrifices of Jing Bai and Zhuge Zhonghao, they were able to retreat relatively safely.

However, that didn't mean they hadn't taken any damage.

Out of the three thousand members who initially formed the retreating party, more than a thousand had been killed.

This was due to the relentless pursuit by Blessed Existence and Avaricious Wolf.

In Huang Gou’s case, he narrowly escaped death when he ran into Tang Mingren.

If the main force had not caught up in time, his corpse would already be buried somewhere in Hefei.

Still, with the Martial Alliance Leader joining them, they managed to break through the encirclement using his strength.

Afterwards, the scattered forces regrouped in regions such as Henan, Shandong, and Hubei, with support from Righteous Faction allies in each region.

Around this time, a new name was added to the Six Empyrean Overlords.

The Dark Heavens Association Lord.

It was only natural, since he had defeated the former Empyrean Overlord, the Juvenile Fist Emperor, in direct combat.

In truth, many had already believed he should have been a part of the Six Empyrean Overlords.

However, because he had never shown his full strength in battle before, his capabilities had remained unclear.

Now, with this incident, his strength had been confirmed, and he took over the Juvenile Fist Emperor’s position.

“This is a big issue.”

The next thing the Martial Alliance had to do after safely completing their retreat was to first establish a headquarters again, even if it was only temporarily.

The location they decided on was Kaifeng (開封) in Henan.

Henan had been home to the Greatest Peak, the Shaolin Temple, since ancient times, so it was one of the regions with excellent security.

Moreover, although not as many as Hefei, there were still quite a few Righteous Faction forces, making it a perfect fit.

“What about the Dark Heavens Association?”

“It seems that they are trying to settle down in the former headquarters. They haven't left Hefei since that day.”

“What a disgrace!”

The faces of the elders all turned bright red.

Not only had the center and highest organization of the Righteous Faction collapsed, but they had also lost their home. Their blood boiled.

“Calm down. Maybe this is an opportunity,” Zhuge Xiang said calmly.

“Opportunity?”

For a moment, the elders thought that Zhuge Xiang was left unable to make objective judgments after losing his grandfather.

But his next words made them realise that they had been the ones who were not thinking clearly.

“Anhui is surrounded by Shandong to the north, Henan to the northwest, Hubei to the west, Jiangxi to the south, Zhejiang to the southeast, and Jiangsu to the northeast.”

“Ah!”

Wu Bai exclaimed.

“They’re surrounded!” Jingren Shitai said with excitement.

“That’s right.”

Shandong had the Gold Will Merchants, and Hebei was above it, meaning that they could receive support from the Peng Family. In Henan, there was the Shaolin Temple, in Hubei, there was Wudang Sect and Zhuge Family, and Jiangxi and Zhejiang were the territories of the Evil Valley.

While there may not have been any famed Righteous Faction sects in Jiangsu, there were still many small and medium-sized sects of the Righteous Faction there.

In other words, it meant that the Dark Heavens Association was directly in the middle of the Righteous Faction forces.

“The loss of the headquarters was a big blow to us, but we can also use this crisis as an opportunity.”

Zhuge Xiang’s eyes shone with a cold light.

Grandfather...

Befitting a Strategist, Zhuge Xiang was a stoic man, but he wasn't without emotions. In particular, his relationship with his grandfather was special to him.

He had been taught by the man since he was young, and even now, as a Strategist of the Martial Alliance, he still regarded him as a teacher.

If talking about anger, yes, he was angry. If he said that his grandfather’s death hadn't affected him, it would be a lie.

However, Zhuge Xiang was someone who separated public duty from personal feelings more than anyone. Especially as a Strategist, he understood the danger of letting emotions cloud his judgment.

If a soldier misjudged, he would die alone, but if a strategist misjudged, the army would be destroyed. Knowing that, he suppressed his emotions as much as he could.

“If we do that, wouldn’t it be better to recapture it immediately before they finish reorganizing?” Kong Chau asked.

“Impossible.”

Wu Bai, not Zhuge Xiang, answered immediately.

“Why? Yes, the main force of the Martial Alliance is exhausted, but aren’t the other forces still intact?”

The fall of the headquarters was shocking, but the actual damage to the forces was not severe.

The morale that plummeted was a bit of an issue, but the forces of Evil Valley and the Righteous Faction were still generally strong.

“Have you forgotten why we fled north?”

“Ah!”

“The Nine Water Gangs!”

That was right.

The Yangtze River flowing under Hefei was the problem.

“It’s as Elder Wu Bai said. That’s why I said it ‘might’ be an opportunity.”

The Dark Heavens Association could go anywhere using the Yangtze River.

Moreover, the Nine Water Gangs completely controlled the Yangtze River, so it was really a headache.

“Ugh.”

“Those bandits are such a problem...”

That group was more troublesome than the elders had imagined.

“First, since neither side has completed their reorganization, I believe we should observe the full situation before making a move. We also need to hear from the Evil Valley Master and the Sword God in Hubei.”

“Whew!”

Sighs escaped from several mouths.