The enemy had sent out two detachments of troops, both of which had been completely annihilated. However, they then refused to engage further, turning the battle into a slow war of attrition. When he saw the prolonged standoff in the valley, Li Zhouwei had no desire to waste time there. Instead, he led a group of cultivators and quietly circled around the battlefield through the mountains to arrive behind the pass.
This maneuver was only possible with the guidance of the Dili Family. Li Zhouwei ordered Chen Yang and Dili Youjie to hold Moonlight Valley while he laid an ambush along the road with his forces for two days. Timing everything precisely, he consumed a Talisman pill and successfully advanced to the sixth stage of the Embryonic Breathing Realm.
"The Mount Yue reinforcements are truly pathetic," said Li Zhouwei.
The mountain paths were treacherous, so he had only brought five hundred elite troops and waited a few days to stabilize his cultivation. Yet, it had taken a full five days for the so-called reinforcements to finally appear. They also looked like a chaotic, disorderly rabble.
Only that minor general seemed somewhat competent. Li Zhouwei indeed lacked a capable Mount Yue warrior from the royal court under his command. Unfortunately, this one could not be taken in.
As Li Zhouwei fell into thought for a few moments, his men had already extracted the necessary information from the survivors. Dili Youjie knelt and reported, "My King, Xian Du is in Chongwu Town."
Li Zhouwei urged his horse forward as he gradually increased his speed. Dili Youjie rejoiced and said excitedly, "My King! Why not advance immediately and capture the ruler of Northern Mount Yue?"
As his five hundred elite troops gathered around him, Li Zhouwei did not head straight for Chongwu Town. Instead, he spread out his map and murmured, "Xian Du must think that I’ve broken through the pass and am marching north with my army. If he flees in haste, he will either go east or west..."
He calculated Xian Du’s forces to be around five thousand strong across the six towns, while his own main army had yet to arrive. Holding the six towns was feasible. He chuckled and asked Dili Youjie beside him, "Will he defend or flee?"
Dili Youjie hesitated; he was unsure how to respond. Li Zhouwei sheathed his halberd, turned his horse around, and spoke, "If he abandons the six towns, Northern Mount Yue will be gutted from within. Since there’s been no word from Mount Wu, it would be suicide! Xian Du is no fool; he will defend! After all, we don’t really have five thousand troops storming through the pass. If he retreats, he might attempt to strike back. But if he holds, he cannot take the six towns. First, we seize Moonlight Valley, then we plan our next move. Take Chong Dui’s banner, cleanse it with the Purifying Spell and move south."
Li Zhouwei set a rapid pace until Moonlight Valley came into view. Stowing his halberd in his storage pouch, he paused beneath the pass. His five hundred troops took a brief rest before silently slipping back up the mountain.
The battle at the pass raged fiercely, yet the defending general remained vigilant. The rear was also well-guarded. The moment the troops moved toward them, a guard hailed them, "Are you reinforcements? Which unit?"
Dili Youjie quickly stepped forward, speaking in a Mount Yue accent, "Chong Dui, sent by the king to reinforce!"
The guard replied, "I do not recognize you, sir. General Sidu has set strict rules, he must verify you guys in person. Please wait."
Dili Youjie glanced at Li Zhouwei, who nodded. Without hesitation, Dili Youjie drew his blade and cleaved the man down in one strike. He raised the Grand Concord of Radiance’s banner, and sent the troops roaring forward to storm the archer platforms.
Li Zhouwei drew his halberd, a crimson glow spreading across its surface. He shattered the stronghold gate with a single strike. Mount Yue soldiers fell like cut wheat before his charge. His troops tore through them like tigers among a flock of sheep as he continued pressing the assault.
Moonlight Valley’s forces had been handling the southern assault with ease, but after days of being besieged, their troops were exhausted and their mounts weary. Now, instead of reinforcements, an enemy force had struck from the rear. They were thrown into disarray by the sudden assault.
Chen Yang seized the moment and launched a fierce offensive, triggering a chain reaction. Though the defending general was highly capable, his exhausted troops could no longer hold the defensive line, which collapsed.
————
Xian Du hurriedly gathered his troops, reorganizing the six towns and setting everything in place. Now that he had erected several layers of fortifications, he finally felt a moment of relief. He inquired repeatedly, but there was still no news from the south.
None of the scouts he had sent out returned, leaving him as blind as a man groping in the dark. Xian Du had no choice but to wait. It was only when his elite troops arrived that he finally realized, I’ve fallen for the Grand Concord of Radiance’s trick! He must have snuck through the mountain paths!
Xian Du was filled with regret. It wasn’t that he was foolish. The mountain roads were difficult to traverse; only one or two hundred troops could have passed through in just a single day. How many cultivators could a small family possibly have? Yet, they had managed to completely defeat Chong Dui!
His thoughts whirled and suddenly, a spark of joy flickered in his heart. The real problem is the lack of news! The Grand Concord of Radiance went to great lengths to eliminate my scouts, which means something must be happening in Moonlight Valley. It hasn’t fallen yet!
Gritting his teeth, Xian Du immediately ordered, "Mobilize the entire army! We must strike Moonlight Valley while their troops are still exhausted and can’t secure their position!"
He grabbed his spear, mounted his tiger-like beast and charged forward like the wind. His army marched steadily out of the town. Xian Du’s heart was filled with urgency, as he pushed his troops to their limits.
Along the way, they intercepted a few detachments from the Grand Concord Family, which had no doubt been the ones to kill his scouts. Their leader was highly skilled, which explained why none of his scouts had escaped. But when the detachments saw the approaching army, they fled at once.
Xian Du’s doubts were partially alleviated when he spotted Moonlight Valley. He could see flames raging in the valley, with about two hundred warriors battling fiercely beneath the stronghold. They were undoubtedly elite soldiers, but their movements had grown sluggish. They were clearly exhausted from prolonged combat.
"Hahaha! Just as I thought! No wonder they went to such lengths to eliminate my scouts!" said Xian Du.
The defenses were teetering on the edge of collapse, but Xian Du had arrived at the perfect moment. His heart swelled with joy.
"Good! I knew it! This is the strongest pass in the nation, guarded by General Sidu, who’s at the peak of the Embryonic Breathing Realm. How could it fall so easily?" exclaimed Xian Du.
Overjoyed, Xian Du urgently led his forces forward, his army surging ahead as he roared, "Reinforcements have arrived! Reinforcements have arrived!"
His troops echoed his cry in exhilaration, their voices shaking the heavens. Xian Du charged into the battlefield and pincering the enemy soldiers between his forces and the defensive line. The hundred or so enemy soldiers were forced to turn around and defend, while cheers erupted from the defenders atop the stronghold.
But just as Xian Du was cutting down foes, a deafening battle cry erupted behind him. Thousands of enemy soldiers scythed through his flanks, splitting his army in two. Shadows filled the stronghold above, as arrows rained down and banners with a glaring inscription unfurled. It was the Grand Concord of Radiance!
Xian Du felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss in an instant. He yanked his reins as he turned to look back at the army charging out from the forest. On a hill opposite him, a young warrior was seated atop a black warhorse. His armor and halberd gleamed with a cold light as he gazed at Xian Du from afar. A faint, indistinct smile appeared on his face.
Xian Du felt as though he were being watched by a wolf or a tiger. His hair stood on end and cold sweat dripped down his back as he muttered, "Grand Concord of Radiance!"