Chapter 416. Thoroughly with those Mulberry Tree Roots, Tightly and Densely Tie Up (3)

Anhui, Hefei.

"..."

As he stared at the battle report in front of him, cold sweat ran down his back.

It's getting dangerous.

He didn't even have the energy to get angry. The situation was that bad. The Dark Heavens Association was being pushed to the edge.

The news about Avaricious Wolf and the Dark Heavens Association Lord...

Thinking of Zhou Xuchuan's absence, he hurriedly called in the Dark Heavens Northern Army.

However, who could have imagined what came next? Not only had Zhou Xuchuan suddenly appeared as if he had been waiting, but he had also raided the Dark Heavens Northern Army while even the North Sea Ice Palace showed up as reinforcements. This was the worst possible scenario.

On top of that, their noticeably reduced military force was also a problem.

Out of fifteen thousand, fourteen thousand were sent to the North and the South, but only a few survived.

Not only were the leaders of the Dark Heavens Southern Army lost, but their entire military force was practically destroyed. The allied Sixteen Stockades of the Red Forest were also destroyed.

The Northern Army’s casualties were no less horrifying. Out of seven thousand, only about two thousand five hundred had made it back.

A thousand people at headquarters, two thousand five hundred from the Northern Army, and one thousand five hundred who somehow escaped from the Southern Army. Even if we gather all our strength, we still only have about five thousand.

Their forces on the Northern Front attacking the Northern Upper Army had been swallowed up by the Underground Labyrinth, and none of them had survived.

In the case of the Southern Front, just like the Northern Front, there were those who had barely been able to escape.

To make matters worse, we lost Avaricious Wolf, and our own losses were too great compared to the enemy.

If they had been destroyed together, he wouldn't have felt this desperate.

The estimated strength of the Righteous and Evil Alliance Forces is about nine thousand.

In the case of the Northern Front, the Northern Lower Army suffered considerable damage from the loss of the Beggar Gang and the Ximen Family, but the Northern Upper Army was relatively unscathed. The two combined were about three thousand, and the Southern Front was able to retain a lot of its troops as it had achieved a complete victory.

Although about a thousand or so had betrayed them in the end, they still were able to fight well thanks to the appearance of the Domination God Monarch and the South Sea forces. The Dark Heavens Southern Army had quickly fled or surrendered, further reducing the casualties for the Alliance.

"..."

Blessed Existence pressed his fingers to his temples and raised his head.

"Yīqiè Wéixīn Zào (一切唯心造)."

His eyes were burning coldly and calmly.

"They say that everything in the world depends on your determination. The difference in military power is ultimately just a game of numbers. It's not that they have twice our numbers, it's that we just have half of theirs.[1]. The empty spot in the Seven Stars Division can be filled after the victory."

He had lost an arm. He had lost a subordinate. He had lost a comrade.

The association he had worked so hard to build called the Dark Heavens Association was about to collapse. It would only take the lightest touch to bring the whole thing crumbling down.

Still, even in a situation where no one could see a way forward, Blessed Existence’s will remained firm and sharp as the winter chill.

"Preparing for an emergency is something we always do. We assume the worst, and we devour our enemies without letting our guard down."

The Dark Heavens Association may be arrogant, but they did not let their guard down.

Whenever they found a sprout, they trampled it down with the future in mind, and they thoroughly excluded uncertain elements.

And they prepared again and again, thinking several steps ahead. Even if they were to succeed beyond what they expected, they didn't let their guards down until they actually succeeded.

That was the Dark Heavens Association, that was Blessed Existence.

"Zhou Xuchuan..."

Crack!!

***

"If there is a beginning, there is an end," the Martial Alliance Leader, Taiji Sword Yun Guang said.

"And that end is now," the Evil Valley Master continued.

"Dear fellow practitioners of the

gangho

, for the past several years, or even several decades, the Dark Heavens Association has been humiliating the

murim

, including the Righteous, Evil, and Demonic Paths. Starting with the Seven Swords War, they have been secretly instigating and causing many conflicts, including the Great War of Good and Blood, the Four Gates Rebellion, the Great War of Good and Demonic, and the Betrayal of the Three Mountain Sword Sects Alliance, all whilst hidden in the darkness."

"The Dark Heavens Association talks about revolution and reform, but their goal is, without a doubt, conquest. The Righteous and Evil Factions will never forgive this, and in order to stop the Dark Heavens Association's ambitions, we have decided to temporarily put aside our long-standing feud and join forces."

"This isn't just about the Central Plains. The Western Highlands, the South Sea, and even the North Sea have reached out to us for peace."

"Our allies had been invaders and enemies in the past. And they may be the same in the future. No, they definitely will be."

"However, not now."

"At least, not now."

The entire

murim

was focused on the words of the leaders of the two forces.

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"We were enemies before, and we will be enemies in the future. However, I want you all to know that we aren't enemies at this moment."

"We cannot understand each other, and we do not intend to understand each other. We are also not brothers."

If a true understanding was possible, they would have succeeded a long time ago.

People were different. Their opinions could never be more different.

If it was truly possible, they would have empathized with each other a long time ago.

"We may be comrades who stand back to back, but we are not sworn brothers who share a drink!"

"We may be friends who talk, but we are not disciple brothers and sisters who share beliefs and a will!"

Instead of drinking glasses, they raised their weapons high.

"No, we!"

RAH!!!

"We are martial artists!"

The martial artists were ready to fight right away, but both sides had suffered heavy losses in the fierce battles, so they took a short time to reorganize.

War didn't end in a day. They needed to move to the next battlefield, and they needed time to gather supplies.

Of course, they didn't remain idle. In the case of the Alliance for the

Murim

, they had finally driven the Dark Heavens Association to Hefei. Not wanting to give them a chance to escape, they built a siege around the city.

Around nine thousand troops from the Righteous and Evil Alliance, and roughly ten thousand when including the North Sea Ice Palace and the South Sea Alliance, surrounded Hefei.

After the siege was in place, there were some skirmishes as the enemy tried to break through or carve an escape route, but the damage on both sides was minimal.

And as time passed, the tenth month passed and the eleventh month came. When winter arrived, the two sides finished their preparations and faced each other near Hefei with tension.

The Alliance for the

Murim

, command barracks.

All the people inside the barracks were big names.

The five people sitting in front of the rectangular table stood out.

In front, the Martial Alliance Leader, Taiji Sword Yun Guang, and Evil Valley Master sat side by side as representatives of the Righteous and Evil Factions.

To their left and right sat Leng Yuefei and Wu Qu.

Finally, opposite the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Valley Master was Zhou Xuchuan.

The Seven Empyrean Overlords!

It was hard to see even one of them in a lifetime, but five of them were sitting here together, face to face.

"...That's it."

Wu Qu finished his long story.

"What..."

"Ha."

Evil Valley Master responded as if he couldn't fathom what was just said. Yun Guang couldn't help but sigh.

Zhou Xuchuan and Leng Yuefei had heard it before, so they weren't that surprised.

"Opposing Heaven... yes. It truly is opposing the heavens."

Evil Valley Master nodded his head in agreement.

"That's all for the report. I called you here, Alliance Leader and Valley Master, because we need your strength for the decisive battle."

This time, they felt that the decisive battle was drawing near, so they decided to join up with the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Valley Master.

As if to show that they were putting everything on the line for the decisive battle against the Dark Heavens Association, they mobilized everyone they could to participate in the battle.

They gathered all the low-level and high-level experts, including those who secluded themselves. They even hired additional wanderers and mercenaries from the Gold Will Sword Sect.

The only people left in Kaifeng, Hanam, which they had set up as their temporary headquarters, were the bare minimum of guards needed and the wounded.

The situation was no different in the Evil Valley. In addition, the North Sea Ice Palace, the South Sea Alliance, and the Benevolence Clinic also did the same.

Lastly, the leader of the Righteous and Evil Alliance, the Absolute Masters, the Empyrean Overlords, were also included in the force. However, in the case of the Martial Alliance Leader and the Evil Valley Master, they decided to lead from the center instead of the front lines for the sake of morale and command.

Surely, I never thought I would be sitting in this position...

Zhou Xuchuan looked around and was overcome with emotion. Before regressing, in his previous life, he had never attended a proper meeting, let alone been present in a meeting such as this when the end was nigh.

He had only ever followed orders as a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, and had no idea about the circumstances or the real reason behind the war.

The only time he had learned about such things was after becoming one of the Five High Elders of Mount Hua.

And even then, he had only been told a part, not the whole story.

But not now. At this crucial time in history, he was present at a meeting between the rulers of the Righteous and Evil Factions, and even the North Sea Ice Palace.

What a strange feeling.

While he was being called a hero, the title he had always dreamed of, he wasn't particularly happy. No, it was a feeling that he couldn't put into words.

"One person seems to be absent, does that matter?" Leng Yuefei asked curiously.

Zhou Xuchuan swallowed his discomfort when the Domination God Monarch was mentioned.

"The Domination God Monarch is currently on a mission."

The Heavenly Strategist Zhuge Xiang stepped forward and answered on his behalf. Thanks to the knowledge that the Sword God and the Domination God Monarch were the same person, he was able to help.

"As we all know about the unfortunate events that have happened, I hope you will all be generous and understand why we're keeping this confidential."

The entire leadership of the Righteous and Evil Alliance had been hit hard by betrayals and spies. It would be strange if they weren't careful.

"We understand."

In the past, they would have been furious and asked if they couldn't trust them even until the end, but it was different now. Considering their experience, they couldn't bring themselves to say anything even if it was a little uncomfortable. The damage caused by the disclosure of information had been great.

"Then, I would like to begin the general meeting. If your conversation about the Association Lord's Manifestation of One's Path is over, can I call in the others?" Zhuge Xiang asked, bringing over the wooden board where the map was posted.

"Of course."

Zhuge Xiang called in a messenger and summoned the key figures.

About an hour later, when the key figures filled the barracks, the strategy meeting began again.

"The Allied Forces are currently surrounding the Martial Alliance headquarters, the enemy's current base. The problematic Sixteen Stockades of the Red Forest lost a great deal of their forces, including their Stockade Boss, Hong Xialang, and retreated to their lairs after a crushing defeat two months ago. However, just in case, we deployed the South Sea Forces to the Yangtze River."

There is nothing worse than being caught from behind during a decisive battle. Knowing the terror of the Yangtze River, they thoroughly blocked that scenario.

"Those ridiculous thieves—no, if those pirate bastards were annihilated, then there's no need to go that far, right?"

"Even though they have lost their strength, one never knows. Remember who the enemy's soldiers are," Zhou Xuchuan, not Zhuge Xiang, answered.

Even if they had lost their strength, one could never be certain.

Their enemy was the Dark Heavens Association.

Even if it seemed excessive, they prepared for the 'what if' situation.

"And what about the supply routes on land?"

"I'm in charge of that, so don't worry," the sole merchant, the Merchant King Li Yicai, answered.

"For nearly two months, I used my connections and trade to monitor and block the places that could be used as supply routes. In addition, I personally managed the food and water of our troops in case they were poisoned, and I also had the Tang Family and the Four Poisons Gate inspect them. Just in case, I asked the Tactician Phoenix to triple-check."

Their actions proved that the reorganization efforts hadn't been for nothing.

"Mhm!"

Li Yicai was the Merchant King, and a war merchant at that. He was not only confident in this field, but also had a long history of success.

"If we just look at the details of the operation, it's perfect. Even though it seems flawless, I'm still worried."

Shen Daoyun frowned and voiced his concerns, as if he remembered what happened to him a while ago.

"That's good. Don't let go of that anxiety," Zhou Xuchuan warned.

All eyes turned to one person, Zhou Xuchuan.

Zhou Xuchuan closed his eyes for a moment. In the darkness, he saw a distant memory, a figure standing alone on the battlefield.

And when he opened his eyes, countless people were in front of him.

"If we're winning, think that there's a chance that we might lose. If we're perfect, doubt our perfection. Never let your guard down. The Dark Heavens Association will strike at that moment."

Gulp.

"There's no easier opportunity than the moment one is trapped by logic and assumes that the victory has been decided. If you have a strong opponent, cut off their neck, stab their heart. If you lack strength, it is okay to be cowardly, hide, attack their weaknesses, and borrow the strength of others."

Zhou Xuchuan's eyes glowed coldly.

I've prepared... and prepared some more.

He had been hiding from the Dark Heavens Association since childhood.

Even though he was strong, he hid as much as possible.

Realizing that he couldn't do it alone, he borrowed the strength of others.

Dark Heavens Association Lord, are you ready?

The time for the decisive battle had come.

1. Technically, "it's not that we number half of theirs, but that it's

only

that we number half of theirs. It's a hard distinction to make in English, as the language is ambiguous. ☜