199: Chapter 199 Garrison Mission

His voice was deep and clear as he slowly announced the formation of the teams.

An incense stick's time later, all the teams were finalized, and the hundred members of the Li Family were assigned to the Xuanyuan Valley team.

At noon on the day the reorganization was completed, three giant flying boats lifted off simultaneously, piercing through the clouds and heading grandly toward Hongshan Prefecture in the north.

Li Changqing stood on the deck of the giant Xuanyuan Valley flying boat, his gaze sweeping over the rapidly receding mountains and rivers below. His expression was calm, but he was silently deducing things in his heart.

Hongshan Prefecture was located to the north of Tianxuan Prefecture, and the strongest force within the county was the Hongshan Sect, which possessed nine Golden Core Cultivators.

Hongshan Prefecture had many mountains and few plains, with perilous terrain, and its area was more than twice that of Huangfeng Prefecture.

This time, the Huangfeng Prefecture allied forces marched north to help the native Cultivators of Hongshan Prefecture take over part of the defense zones, supplement combat power, and strengthen defenses.

On the flying boat, Li Changqing was looking at the details of the Righteous-Demonic War and strategic deployment issued by the three Sects to various forces.

This document was extremely detailed. First, it stated that a total of twenty-three counties along the perimeter of Tianxuan Prefecture needed strengthened defense. In addition to support from Cultivators within the Tianxuan Sect, every county close to the border could also receive partial support from five to six inner-circle county cities of Tianxuan Prefecture.

Besides Huangfeng Prefecture, those supporting Hongshan Prefecture this time also included Cultivators from four other counties: Qingshi County, Yushan County, Qingyang County, and Nanjiang County.

There was also a detailed description of the rules of the Righteous-Demonic War: Juxing Domain governed one hundred and thirty-six prefectures, and each prefecture had a fixed Demonic Path opponent in the early stage. Among them, sixty-eight prefectures were the attacking side, venturing deep into the Jiuyou Domain to fight; the remaining sixty-eight prefectures were the defending side, welcoming the attacks of the Demonic Path.

Each prefecture fought alone. Tianxuan Prefecture was a defending side, and its mission for the first twenty-five years was defense; the Corpse Refining Sect's mission for the first twenty-five years was to attack Tianxuan Prefecture.

The Righteous Path Sects along the Juxing Domain were not allowed to block the Corpse Refining Sect from heading to the border of Tianxuan Prefecture, and before breaking through Tianxuan Prefecture, the Corpse Refining Sect was also not allowed to attack the Righteous Path territory in other regions.

This was a rule set by the Soul Transformation Divine Venerables of the two domains. All Nascent Soul Cultivators of the two domains had signed a Divine Soul contract, and every Cultivator at or above the Nascent Soul stage was a referee of this battle.

If the Corpse Refining Sect conquered more than seventy percent of Tianxuan Prefecture's territory within twenty-five years, the first round would be considered a victory for the Corpse Refining Sect. It would have the right to attack the remaining territory of Tianxuan Prefecture or help surrounding Demonic Path Cultivators attack Righteous Path territory and plunder immortal cultivation resources.

If the Corpse Refining Sect failed to conquer more than seventy percent of Tianxuan Prefecture's territory within twenty-five years, it must immediately abandon the attack, leave behind all valuables, and return to the Jiuyou Domain for even more cruel internal slaughter.

Tianxuan Prefecture, if successful in its defense, could choose to help surrounding Righteous Path Cultivators attack the Demonic Path or choose to organize expeditions to fight in the Demonic Domain.

Li Changqing turned the last page and tapped his fingertips lightly twice on the four words "twenty-five years".

He had read this time node three times repeatedly.

The "Demonic Tribulation Rules" between Juxing Domain and Jiuyou Domain were not impregnable. As long as they held out for twenty-five years without letting the Demonic Path occupy more than seventy percent of the territory, the materials did not force Cultivators to continue fighting after success. In other words, they could choose to rest and recuperate, welcoming a chance to catch their breath.

On the thirtieth day of the voyage, at dusk, rolling ochre-red ridges slowly emerged on the horizon ahead, lying horizontally across the earth like a burning Dragon under the setting sun.

Hongshan Prefecture had arrived.

The three giant flying boats lowered their altitude, passing closely along the ridges.

Li Changqing noticed that the surface of the ochre-red rocks was covered with dense Restriction runes. Some were dim and blurry due to their age, while others were still glowing faintly, obviously operating continuously.

The further north they went, the denser the Restrictions and the brighter the spiritual light.

The flying boats finally landed outside the city gates of Hongshan Prefecture.

The subsequent arrangement exceeded the expectations of everyone from the three Sects of Huangfeng Prefecture.

The one responsible for receiving and assigning defenses was not a Cultivator of the Hongshan Sect, but a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator sent by the Tianxuan Sect, followed by more than ten Foundation Establishment Disciples, each wearing the standard green robes of the Tianxuan Sect, with deep, steady auras and cold expressions.

That person acted neatly and decisively, completely ignoring the team sequences previously divided by the three Sects of Huangfeng Prefecture. He directly took out the roster of participating teams reported by Huangfeng Prefecture to the Tianxuan Sect, calling out names power by power and assigning defense zones one by one.

Li Changqing watched the whole process quietly from the side, feeling a secret sense of awe in his heart.

Even though Immortal Master Xuanjie of Xuanyuan Valley was a Peak Golden Core Cultivator, and Master Xuyun of the Spirit Beast Sect possessed the Foundation of a False Nascent Soul, in front of the Tianxuan Sect, they still had no room for bargaining whatsoever.

The Tianxuan Sect had Nascent Soul Cultivators holding down the fort—more than one—and this was the Foundation of their right to speak.

The previous reorganization and division by the three Sects were nothing more than a draft in the eyes of the Tianxuan Sect, which could be overthrown and redone at any time.

"Li Family, one hundred people."

When the Tianxuan Sect Golden Core Cultivator read out the name of the Li Family, his gaze paused on the roster for a moment, and then he raised his brush to draw a line. "Merge and group with the Yuan Family of Yuanze County, Huangfeng Prefecture, and jointly garrison Hongshi County. Defense details will be issued later."

Li Changqing stepped forward and bowed to accept the order.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of another team not far away, where a middle-aged Cultivator dressed in dark cyan robes was also bowing at the same time—that must be the person in charge of the Yuan Family.

Li Changqing had heard of the Yuan Family of Yuanze County. According to the latest news, there were four Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the clan, and this time two Foundation Establishment Cultivators had answered the call.

After the crowd from the Tianxuan Sect left, the various forces gradually dispersed to collect supplies and defense zone maps.

Li Changqing had a brief meeting with the person in charge of the Yuan Family—Yuan Xiuyuan.

The two exchanged names and the general situation of their respective teams. Both were polite and mild, but they also reserved some room for scrutiny and probing.

Hongshi County was not a peaceful place. The two families joining hands to defend the territory meant they would share life and death; this trust needed to be slowly forged in the flames of war, and it could not be rushed.

When Li Changqing returned to the temporary camp of the Li Family, twilight had already mostly settled.

Clan Leader Li Huaming began directing the clansmen to check the newly received supply materials: Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Formation Flags, Talismans, and spare armor. They piled up into half a tent altogether.

Li Xuanji was squatting in a corner, turning through the defense zone map scroll of Hongshi County by the light of a spiritual candle. His skinny fingers moved inch by inch across the map, with an expression as focused as if he were comprehending some profound technique.

"Hongshi County." Li Changqing squatted down beside him, his gaze falling on the unfurled map scroll. "Is the situation severe?"

Li Xuanji raised his eyes to look at him, then lowered his head to point at a few annotations on the map:

"It borders Red Python Ridge to the north, faces the Falling Star River to the south, and has mountain paths on both the east and west sides leading to neighboring counties. The entire county has a circumference of more than three hundred miles, with many hills and few plains. Villages and towns are scattered, and the total population is over three million. There is a Foundation Establishment force within the county, possessing a total of six Foundation Establishment Cultivators and five hundred Qi Refining Cultivators. Its strength is quite decent for a county level."

"When are we setting off?" Li Xuanji asked Li Changqing.

"We will set off at the Mao hour tomorrow morning." Li Changqing looked at the map scroll and said, "The last batch of supplies will arrive tonight. Tomorrow morning, the two families will merge forces and set off. In about half a month, the Corpse Refining Sect will invade on schedule."

Li Xuanji nodded, fell silent for a moment, and suddenly said softly: "Yuan Xiuyuan is a Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. I have seen him a few times before, and his strength is quite alright. The key is that this person is a Second-Rank High Grade Artifact Refiner, making him a rather good ally."