After a moment of silence, madness erupted.
"ANCESTOR!"
"How could this happen..."
The battlefield was once again filled with cries of grief and disbelief. Among all, the Feng Clansmen were the most devastated. But the demonic beasts did not grant them even a second to mourn. The moment they lost focus, the beasts seized the opportunity to strike, slaughtering cultivators caught in their grief.
However, it didn't last long. A voice, sharp as a blade and heavy with authority, snapped them out of their stupor.
"Wake up! Focus on the enemy in front of you!" Wu Sheng roared, his tone cutting through the chaos like lightning.
"The dead will not rise again no matter how long you mourn. If you truly seek revenge, then channel your hatred into your sword, kill them!"
"Yes! Ancestor wouldn't want us to cower like this…"
"We will carry your legacy!"
"We still have other Foundation Establishment Cultivators!"
The momentum was restored. Their rage became fuel, their grief a blade. They surged forward like a tidal wave of vengeance, slaughtering the beasts with reckless fervor.
But the demonic beasts were not fools. Seeing their prey regaining spirit, the beast tide began to pull back, slowly retreating into the depths of the Nightmare Forest.
Wu Sheng stood amidst the blood and corpses, his eyes grim. "Looks like the casualties will continue to mount."
"I didn't expect the beasts to be this cunning," Ji Wuqing muttered, his expression equally solemn.
"We need to reorganize the front lines and decide who will take Feng Taishan's place in the next engagement." His voice was composed, but within, he was gleeful.
'The Feng Family is finished. If the market doesn't intervene, I can move in and seize their entire estate.'
"Let's return and assess the damage," Ji Wuqing said. "We need a full report on both sides' casualties."
.....
In a quiet hall, four individuals sat around a low table. Among them were the familiar Foundation Establishment cultivators, and one new face, a man with youthful features, clad in an azure robe, radiating scholarly calm.
Li Changxuan, Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
"I didn't know the Li Family had another cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. You hid this well, Old Li," Wu Sheng said with a light chuckle.
Not everyone shared the mood.
"Hmph. If you had revealed this earlier, Feng Taishan might still be alive," Mu Renlong said bitterly.
Though the Mu and Feng Families weren't close, they had formed an alliance for control over the mine. Now that Feng Taishan was dead, the balance of power had shifted and not in Mu Renlong's favor.
The both the Li, however, remained calm, merely offering polite smiles in response. After a few moments, a subtle pressure descended upon the hall gentle, yet filled with overwhelming dominance.
The doors opened.
Ji Wuqing entered, leading four figures into the hall.
But unlike before, Ji Wuqing did not sit at the main chair. That seat was now occupied by a man with a youthful face, long jet black hair was bound by a simple jade pin, and his azure robes bore the cloud-and-sword emblem of the Cloud Sword Sect, their fabric flowing like mist over water.
"This is the Supreme Elder of my sect, Azure Cloud True Person." Ji Wuqing announced with reverence.
The aura that radiated from him was vast and boundless, akin to a sea of swords sheathed in stillness. It was not aggressive but neither was it benign.
It carried the unspoken warning of overwhelming power, like standing beneath a storm-filled sky, knowing lightning could fall at any moment.
"We greet True Person!" everyone stood up and bowed deeply, for none were foolish enough to disrespect a Core Formation cultivator.
Ji Wuqing gestured toward the other three. "These are my fellow disciples..."
Su Ruyan, Direct Disciple of Cloud Sword Sect.
Bai Zhanjian, Direct Disciple of Cloud Sword Sect.
Ye Liehai, Elder of the Sword Peak.
"We greet the honored Daoists of the Cloud Sword Sect," the cultivators intoned respectfully.
"Enough with formalities. Report the situation." Azure Cloud True Person said, his voice like still thunder.
Ji Wuqing nodded and began a detailed account, from the outbreak of the beast tide to the death of Feng Taishan.
When the report ended, a heavy silence filled the hall.
"The casualties is quite a lot but not unbearable, as for the Feng Taishan sacrifice..." Azure Cloud True Person thought for a moment.
Suddenly, Su Ruyan's voice rang out, cold and scornful. "There's no need for compensation for such incompetence. He couldn't even win a one-on-one battle."
"Junior Sister Su," Bai Zhanjian said calmly, though pressure laced his voice, "Do not interrupt when Master is speaking."
Su Ruyan shuddered and lowered her head. "My apologies..."
Bai Zhanjian let out a soft sigh. "Even though she interrupted Master, I agree. Someone that weak would only be a burden in future battles."
Azure Cloud True Person looked at the local cultivators. "What do you all think?"
Mu Renlong was the first to respond. "I believe it's the Li Family's fault. If they had revealed the existence of another Foundation Establishment cultivator, Feng Taishan might have lived."
Li Zhenghai remained calm and composed. He neither argued nor defended himself.
Wu Sheng sneered. "You're blaming others for your own incompetence? Feng Taishan died because he was weak. If he had been as strong as me, he would've sensed the second wolf in hiding."
At last, under Azure Cloud True Person's gaze, Li Zhenghai spoke, firm and steady.
"The market only ordered us to conscript 200 Qi Refining cultivators. There was no mandate for Foundation Establishment cultivators."
He glanced at Li Changxuan and continued, "Even if I had revealed his existence earlier, do you really think he would've been sent to the frontline? Li Changxuan is a Second Rank Talisman Master, his value far surpasses Feng Taishan's. Even two of Feng Taishan wouldn't equal him."
Silence fell.
Azure Cloud True Person nodded. "It's true. In our sect, Second Rank Talisman Masters are never placed on the front. They ensure we never run out of talismans, they're strategic assets."
"In this case, the Li Family holds no blame. Feng Taishan's weakness and overly defensive strategy endangered the battlefield. Therefore, no reward will be given, and as for punishment..."
He paused before continuing. "For the sake of his noble sacrifice, I will not punish the Feng Family. Let his death be honored."
Mu Renlong's face turned ashen. He knew once the beast tide ended, the Feng Family would be devoured by vultures like the Crimson Blade Gang.
'I'm sorry, Old Feng… That's the best I can do for you.'
Meanwhile, Wu Sheng was grinning inside.
"Now," Azure Cloud True Person said, "let us plan our counterstrike."
"There are eight Second Order Demonic Beasts left," Ji Wuqing said. "Since two Mid-Stage ones were slain, we can assume they will likely sent At least one Second Order High Stage Demonic Beast. As for the Quasi Third Order Demonic Beast..."
He glanced at Azure Cloud True Person.
"Leave that to me," the Core Formation cultivator said calmly. "The rest are yours to handle." His gaze fall onto the Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the hall
"We heed True Person's command!" all of them responded in unison.
"Good." His gaze swept over them like a sword unsheathed. "Now let us plan how to drive them back."
.....