NOVPUBChapter 775: Chapter 419: Victory of the First Stage_2 Chapter 775: Chapter 419: Victory of the First Stage_2 “`
With greater strength, came greater goals and assurances.
After discussing with Qin Xi and a few other strong cultivators, they decided to set off towards the Pingyang Mountain Range under the control of the Golden Sword Sect.
The reason for this was that the Pingyang Mountain Range was not considered the heartland of the Golden Sword Sect, and it was only separated by two mountain ranges from the territory controlled by the Zhenyang Sect’s Bluewater Mountain Range.
If there was any movement from the Golden Sword Sect, they could quickly retreat, avoiding the greater risk associated with being too far away.
Besides, the overall strength of the Pingyang Mountain Range was quite impressive, with relatively abundant cultivation resources, and the Foundation Establishing Families residing there were also very strong.
It could be said that among the surrounding mountain ranges, the Pingyang Mountain Range was quite a good place.
Therefore, adhering to the principle of safety, they sought to gain the maximum benefit possible.
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With this goal in mind, Li Xiuyuan and others took less than ten days to traverse two mountain ranges and arrive in the territory of the Pingyang Mountain Range.
As soon as they reached their destination, they immediately launched an attack on the nearest Foundation Establishing Family.
This family was not weak, and even though the Golden Sword Sect had conscripted two Foundation Establishment Clan Members to leave, there were still several Foundation Establishment Cultivators stationed within the family, and their Defensive Great Formation was also a Second Order Superior.
Theoretically, such a Foundation Establishing Family was strong enough.
However, facing the attack of more than forty cultivators, with five or six of them being at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, not to mention that Li Xiuyuan himself was at the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection level of cultivation.
Under such a crushing disparity in strength, the family’s Defensive Great Formation held for less than two days before they breached it directly.
What followed was a one-sided massacre, as well as a thorough looting of the family’s various treasures and properties.
In just two days, a Foundation Establishing Family composed of several hundred cultivators was easily wiped out by them.
Such scenes were simultaneously occurring in over ten mountain ranges under the Golden Sword Sect’s control, each one a one-sided massacre, just like a few months ago at the Bluewater Mountain Range.
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.
With Chen Jingtian’s actions, the forces in the more than ten mountain ranges under the Golden Sword Sect encountered a massacre by the Zhenyang Sect.
And this news, as time passed, completely spread throughout the territory under the Golden Sword Sect’s control.
Suddenly, the dozens of mountain ranges under the Golden Sword Sect’s control were in a state of panic, fearing Chen Jingtian would continue to penetrate deeper into their heartland.
At the Golden Sword Mountain Gate, as well as Song Hanchun, who was defending the Bluewater Market, they also received this shocking news.
Because of this, Song Hanchun was extremely annoyed and even couldn’t help cursing Chen Jingtian’s actions.
Not only him, but the Golden Core Cultivator responsible for defending the Golden Sword Mountain Gate was also furious, even secretly worried that Chen Jingtian would continue to advance into their heartland, thus threatening the Golden Sword Mountain Gate.
Little did they know, Chen Jingtian had not been rash, but instead continued to instruct his cultivators to attack the peripheral areas, with no intention of penetrating deeper.
Such prudent actions were like boiling a frog in warm water, leaving Song Hanchun very hesitant.
In his heart, he wanted to retreat and block Chen Jingtian’s advance, but also wanted to stay and defend the Bluewater Market, waiting for Zhao Hongsheng to return and cut off Chen Jingtian’s retreat path.
However, Chen Jingtian’s strategy was a double-edged one, whether Song Hanchun chose to retreat or to stronghold the market, he had plans for both scenarios.
Thus, Song Hanchun hesitated repeatedly, bearing immense pressure, and for this, he waited another half a month.
During his indecision, Chen Jingtian’s cultivators continued to attack and took over several more mountain ranges, already seizing control of all the mountain ranges bordering both the Golden Sword Sect and the Zhenyang Sect.
Over the course of a month, the Golden Sword Sect suffered heavy losses, with nearly a dozen mountain ranges falling, and hundreds of families, both large and small, being destroyed, with at least tens of thousands of cultivators killed or injured.
By now, the losses of the Golden Sword Sect had far exceeded those of the original Zhenyang Sect, even more than doubled.
And at this point, Song Hanchun was gnashing his teeth in anger, even though he still planned to fortify and not venture out, he could not ignore the cultivators under his command who opposed this. 𝚗ovp𝚞b.𝚌om
These people came from mountain ranges that were in imminent danger, or families that had already been obliterated by the Zhenyang Sect.
Seeing the indifferent Song Hanchun, at first, they feared the might of the Golden Core Cultivators and the Golden Sword Sect.
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But as the clan faced annihilation, and the clan members were almost completely killed or injured, Song Hanchun and the Golden Sword Sect made no move whatsoever.
Such inaction undoubtedly caused these people to completely lose their patience and confidence.
After all, with the clan gone, whether to fear the Golden Sword Sect and Golden Core Cultivators had lost all meaning.
Besides, a minority of dissenting opinions could not stir up trouble, but as the number of cultivators causing disturbances grew, these people gained the capital and confidence to rebel.
Consequently, faced with the will of more than half of his subordinates, under such pressure, Song Hanchun, even if unwilling to pay attention, had no choice but to make changes.
After all, without change, or if he ignored the situation, his cultivators might very well mutiny, and even if he forced them to fight, they likely would not display much combat power.
Therefore, he could only retreat to the territory of the Golden Sword Sect according to the will of the recruited cultivators.
And Song Hanchun’s action played right into Chen Jingtian’s hands.
As Song Hanchun led his forces in retreat, entering the Tiansuo Mountain Range under the control of the Golden Sword Sect, Chen Jingtian, who had been watching their every move, had followed them here.
Then, Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu joined forces, making their move at the first opportunity.
Facing the attack from Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu, Song Hanchun and Jin Weihe hastily prepared for battle.
Seemingly having anticipated this, their primary targets were the Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
The pair, free from concerns of their own, struck with ruthless efficiency.
For a while, even though Song Hanchun tried desperately to block them, he still couldn’t prevent the much stronger Chen Jingtian from inflicting heavy losses on his ranks, resulting in the death of more than two hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators and even more injured.
With the few hundred remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Cultivators scattering in a panicked flight, they were already frightened out of their wits.
However, these people were like dogs that had lost their homes, and in the vast surrounding area, many Zhenyang Sect cultivators formed groups to pursue and intercept them. If they encountered them while fleeing, they would likely face a situation of certain death.
Therefore, these fleeing Foundation Establishment Cultivators and Qi Refining Cultivators no longer required the attention of Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu.
Consequently, Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu immediately switched their focus, putting their efforts on Song Hanchun and Jin Weihe.
They understood that no matter how many Foundation Establishment Cultivators they killed, it wouldn’t significantly impact the outcome of the battle; the decisive factor was the Golden Core Cultivators.
However, killing a Golden Core Cultivator of the same rank was extremely difficult, and even with Chen Jingtian’s strength, it was hard to accomplish alone.
Having understood this, Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu joined forces, hoping to seize this rare opportunity to target Jin Weihe for elimination.
With such intent, Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu fought with wild abandon, using all of the treasures in their possession without reservation.
After a hard fight, Song Hanchun and his companion were indeed no match and had no choice but to flee the area.
But Chen Jingtian had planned for so long, expended so much effort for this, so how could he let them escape easily?
In the ensuing chase, Jin Weihe, unable to shake off or defeat his pursuers, was forced to self-destruct his Golden Core.
Because of this, both Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu were injured, with Lan Yu’s wounds particularly severe, almost resulting in his death at the frenzied hands of Jin Weihe.
After Song Hanchun escaped the pursuit, he returned with a few remaining cultivators to the Golden Sword Mountain Gate.
As for Chen Jingtian and Lan Yu, at that time both had sustained injuries, and although Chen Jingtian’s injuries were not considered severe, his strength had been somewhat affected.
If Zhao Hongsheng and others were to return to this area, their strength would not be advantageous, and with injuries, they’d certainly have to face the risk of being surrounded and attacked.
Furthermore, since their current targets had been achieved, and more than ten mountain ranges of the Golden Sword Sect had been captured, yielding a huge amount of resources,
overall, in these months of conflict, the Zhenyang Sect had undoubtedly taken the absolute upper hand and gained a significant reward, achieving a temporary victory in the first phase of the battle.
Under these circumstances, they could not stay in the territory of the Golden Sword Sect for too long; they needed to return quickly to Qingshui Market to heal and recuperate.
Being well aware of this, Chen Jingtian did not dare to delay and immediately gathered his cultivators, successfully retreating back to Qingshui Market.
