The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 767 - 426 Reverse of Battle Situation
Currently, both sides are in a ceasefire period, yet the first command from Zhuo Erxiu is to order the disciples of Guangcheng Palace to sneak into the Ba Snake Mountain Range and capture over a dozen demons, then behead them and send the heads back to the Hidden Stream.
This blatant provocation immediately ignited the rage of everyone in the Hidden Stream from top to bottom.
The stationed site of Guangcheng Palace is, however, two thousand li away from the Ba Snake Mountain Range and is situated on a vast and flat plain of the Red Cloud Plateau. At night, one can admire the magnificent beauty of "stars draped across the expansive plains". Such a location serves two purposes: it fears not the sudden attacks by the Divine Soldiers of the Hidden Stream and, with hardly any vegetation, not even dense shrubs around, it renders many plant-controlling demons powerless.
The previous few attacks led by the Jiu Mo lineage were like waves crashing against rocks, completely disintegrating upon impact. Although the demon soldiers of the Hidden Stream were brave, this sect had been without war for thousands of years, and eventually, the price had to be paid for their negligence.
When the news from the frontlines reached her, Ning Xiaoxian was in the Immortal Plant Garden planting the first sapling of Spiritual Tea. She had always regarded it as a cash cow, but she felt it was a waste to cultivate it with the Spiritual Power of the soil. Now, with the backing of the Hidden Stream and a ceasefire agreement with Miluo, there was no reason not to exploit the economic value of the Spiritual Tea. The Pill Masters also watched on the side, clicking their tongues in wonder: "So the Garden Director had such treasures up her sleeve."
Elder He, wise with age, was even more aware of what the emergence of Spiritual Tea meant. Although the Ba Snake Mountain Range produced various Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, these items required time to age, and even with the Power of Growth from the Ba Snake to hasten their maturity, it would take much longer to grow them big enough to sell for good money. Spiritual Tea, on the other hand, was an economic crop with a short maturation period, high efficacy, and wide applicability. Almost every cultivator had a need for it, and its market prospects were nothing short of astounding.
A few years ago, he had vaguely heard news about the emergence of Spiritual Tea in the southern part of the Southern Continent but had paid no heed to it, hanging high and dry. The Hidden Stream also did not delve deeper into it, only aware that Fengtian Prefecture had also gotten involved in the scramble. Now, it seemed that the final winner was this seemingly solitary little vine demon beside them.
The Immortal Plant Garden only grows valuable plants, so Elder He had already arranged for people to select another high mountain outside the garden to clear and cultivate the Spiritual Tea. With Lin Wei taking action, the reclamation process was incredibly fast. At one command, trees, shrubs, and forest lands would all make way. In just about an hour, hundreds of acres of land had been cleared.
As everyone was standing around watching the excitement, a battle report came from the frontlines. The news of the Demon Army’s frequent defeats immediately placed a heavy burden in everyone’s heart.
In the God Demon Prison, Changtian said, "You also understand why Guangcheng Palace is reinforcing troops here?"
"I understand. It’s probably using the news of Li Jianming’s disappearance as an excuse to hold the Hidden Stream accountable and incidentally reignite the war here," she sighed quietly, "Either to collect the souls of the fallen in battle or to take revenge for their own avatars. It seems that at least the True Body of Yin Jiu You has infiltrated the upper echelons of Guangcheng Palace; otherwise, if the Nangong Sect Leader were still alive, he would never make such a decision."
"Exactly," Changtian said, "The Hidden Stream has been comfortable for far too long, not experiencing a decent battle for tens of thousands of years. It’s good to take this opportunity to forge them thoroughly with Yin Jiu You’s hand. The battle between the Hidden Stream and the Northwest Alliance in the Red Cloud Plateau is simply laughable. What kind of strategic territory is that, and what is there to attack? Those idiots under Jiu Mo’s command, just for the sake of venting their anger, have wasted a massive number of soldiers’ lives there. If this were in Ancient Times, they would be dragged away for execution."
She couldn’t help but say, "After so many defeats, the Hidden Stream has lost more than two thousand demon soldiers. Doesn’t that hurt you?"
"The previous skirmishes were just feeding the Hidden Stream’s arrogance," he responded indifferently, "The battles to come are where the truth will out. Meekness does not command an army. As long as it can be truly reforged into the Divine Army it was thirty thousand years ago, even if only a hundred thousand are left, I would be very satisfied."
As if to prove his point, over the next two months, the Hidden Stream faced more losses than victories. The battlefield in the Red Cloud Plateau had practically turned into a meat grinder, with both sides throwing in a large number of forces in continuous bloody battles. In the most devastating battle, the Hidden Stream lost the lives of over six thousand demon soldiers. However, with the individual combat strength of the demon soldiers being so formidable, the Northwest Alliance also suffered heavily, with casualties exceeding ten thousand. Strictly speaking, neither side gained any advantage, but for the Hidden Stream, to have so many of its subordinates’ lives taken by the Northwest Alliance was an immense disgrace.
