219: Chapter 219 The Battle of Hongshan County

In the battle of Hongshi County, Sect Leader Master Heisha of the Corpse Puppet Sect was injured and fled, while Deputy Sect Leader Master Xueku and three Golden Core Elders fell one after another. The Golden-Armored Corpse Puppets were completely wiped out, fewer than one in ten Silver-Armored Corpse Puppets survived, and the Bronze-Armored Corpse Puppets suffered countless losses.

When the news of victory was sent back to the Tianxuan Sect garrison in Hongshan Prefecture, the upper management heavily praised the battle results of Hongshi County.

Slaying four Golden Core demonic Cultivators and six Golden Core corpse refiners in a small-scale battlefield was a rare feat across the entire northern front battlefield of Tianxuan Prefecture.

The Tianxuan Sect quickly issued generous rewards, military contribution points were distributed in full, and various Medicinal Pills, Spirit Stones, Spiritual Artifacts, and Talisman Materials were continuously transported to Hongshi County.

After this battle, the Corpse Puppet Sect suffered heavy damage to its Origin Qi and was no longer capable of launching a decent offensive against Hongshi County.

For more than half a year thereafter, Hongshi County did not suffer a single large-scale attack by demonic Cultivators.

That red mountain pass, which had repeatedly suffered impacts from the corpse tide, finally fell silent. Only the mountain wind carrying the scent of scorched earth swept across the charred mountain ridge, resembling the earth silently licking its wounds.

However, the various defense zones of Hongshi County did not slack off because of this.

Wang Daoyuan and Liu Jiang, who had returned after recovering from injuries, gathered the persons in charge of various families immediately after the battle to redeploy.

Orderly instructions were issued one after another. In the eyes of Li Changqing, this batch of Foundation Establishment Disciples from the Tianxuan Sect truly had extraordinary qualities — both Wang Daoyuan and Liu Jiang were inner Sect elites of the Tianxuan Sect, and if placed in an ordinary Foundation Establishment Family, they would be enough to serve as the Clan Leader.

Now, the two of them cooperated seamlessly, forging the defense system of Hongshi County like an iron bucket.

During this peaceful half-year, Li Changqing did not waste a single day.

He carved up his daily time very meticulously: Cultivating for an hour in the early morning, then entering the quiet room for Talisman Making, continuing to Cultivate for two hours in the afternoon, and using the remaining time to study Formations, teach clan members, and handle clan affairs.

Under such regular Cultivation, the Foundation Establishment Peak spiritual power within his body became increasingly pure day by day, growing closer and closer to a Breakthrough to the Golden Core realm.

In terms of Talisman Making, Master Xuanyue of the Tianxuan Sect allocated another one hundred sets of Tier 3 Low Grade Talisman Making Materials. This time, he successfully made a total of seventy-two Tier 3 Talismans and handed over thirty-five of them.

Added to the more than forty sheets he had stored previously, his personal reserve of Tier 3 Talismans had exceeded eighty sheets.

If this number were to spread, it would be enough to make any Foundation Establishment Cultivator's heart skip a beat. Even the vast majority of Golden Core Late Stage or higher Cultivators would find it difficult to produce so many Tier 3 Talismans.

After the battle at Eagle Beak Mountain, Li Xuanji's Cultivation Bottleneck actually loosened somewhat, and in the third month after the battle, he successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment Peak.

When the news was sent back to the Li Family garrison, everyone up and down the clan was thrilled.

Li Xuanji himself remained as calm as usual, only sitting opposite Li Changqing to drink tea during the shift change and saying: "Between life and death, some things are indeed more useful than years of bitter Cultivation."

During this period, Clan Leader Li Huaming devoted all his energy to studying Formations.

His experience in the Righteous-Demonic War made him deeply realize that high-tier Formations played an irreplaceable role on the battlefield.

He repeatedly practiced the ways of setting up and breaking Formations in the county defense zone. Although his Cultivation did not break through, his attainments in Formations improved significantly.

The Mortals in Hongshi County gradually returned to normal life after the war, and the tranquility on the front line continued until the late spring of the third year of the Righteous-Demonic War.

In the past year or so, Hongshi County only broke out in a few small-scale battles. The largest-scale one was merely a tentative attack by hundreds of Bronze-Armored Corpse Puppets, which were easily repelled by the defenders of Chimang Ridge.

The Demonic Path seemed to have given up on breaking through from the direction of Hongshi County.

However, the overall war situation in Tianxuan Prefecture did not improve due to the victory in this corner of Hongshi County; instead, it became increasingly severe.

Every month, Li Changqing could obtain the battle situation bulletins issued by the Tianxuan Sect from Wang Daoyuan's hands.

He carefully read every bulletin, outlining the changes in the entire Tianxuan Prefecture front line in his mind.

In the southern part of Tianxuan Prefecture, after the fall of the three prefectures of Bailu, Cangwu, and Qingshi, the Demonic Path forces used this as a Foundation to continuously infiltrate the surrounding areas.

Demonic Cultivators from Qingshi Prefecture crossed their own prefecture in an attempt to develop toward the central region, but were intercepted by Golden Core Cultivators urgently dispatched by the Tianxuan Sect on the north bank of the Dragon Stone River. The two sides repeatedly fought over the riverbanks, and battles big and small never ceased.

In the eastern part of Tianxuan Prefecture, the Eagle Sha Hall, an affiliated Sect of the Corpse Refining Sect, launched a fierce attack on Longyuan Prefecture. After months of fierce fighting, the prefecture city fell, and most of its subordinate counties were reduced to ruins. A large number of Mortals were slaughtered and refined into corpses by demonic Cultivators, making this place the fourth prefecture city in Tianxuan Prefecture to be occupied by the Demonic Path.

The overall war situation in the western part of Tianxuan Prefecture was relatively stable, but the tentative attacks by the Demonic Path never stopped, and all prefectures bore immense defensive pressure.

Hongshan Prefecture had become one of the most stable defense lines in the north of Tianxuan Prefecture.

As the largest local force, the Hongshan Sect, combined with the Cultivators stationed by the Tianxuan Sect, firmly guarded the five large passes on the northern line.

However, intelligence showed that the Corpse Refining Sect's military forces on the northern line were gradually increasing, especially in the frontal direction of Hongshan Prefecture. Both the quantity and quality of demonic Cultivators were steadily improving.

Wang Daoyuan once confided privately to Li Changqing: "The peace in Hongshi County for more than a year was bought at the price of the Corpse Puppet Sect's near annihilation. However, viewed from a larger battlefield, this is merely the calm before the storm. Hongshan Prefecture will sooner or later usher in a major battle, and by then, these small passes in Hongshi County might also be dragged into it."

Li Changqing silently engraved these words in his heart.

Facts proved to be just as Wang Daoyuan had expected.

On this day, an expedited dispatch order from the Hongshan Prefecture city slammed into Hongshi County like a thunderbolt.

The frontal battlefield of Hongshan Prefecture was tight on war affairs, and the prefecture city sounded the alarm, urgently dispatching two Golden Core Cultivators, Master Qingming and Master Xuanyue, to provide support.

The persons in charge of various forces were urgently summoned to the Hongshi County council hall.

Master Xuanyue unfolded the dispatch order, swept his gaze across everyone, and slowly spoke: "An urgent report came from the direction of Hongshan Prefecture city. The Demonic Path has gathered heavy troops at the front of the prefecture city. This is a real battle; Senior Brother Qingming and I need to go support them. After the two of us leave, Hongshi County will be fully in charge of by Liu Jiang and Wang Daoyuan, and everyone else must obey arrangements and cooperate in actions."

As soon as these words were spoken, the council hall fell into stagnation. Both Golden Core Cultivators going to support the prefecture city meant that the defense capability of Hongshi County would drop to its lowest.

Master Xuanyue took in everyone's reactions at a glance. After a moment of silence, he continued: "After Senior Brother Qingming and I leave, you all do not need to worry excessively — at this time, the demonic Cultivators of Hongshan Prefecture are all gathering toward the prefecture city."

"After the meeting, each Foundation Establishment Cultivator can receive one Tier 3 Low Grade Talisman for unexpected needs."

His gaze turned to Liu Jiang and Wang Daoyuan: "Liu Jiang, Wang Daoyuan."

"Disciple is here." The two stepped forward at the same time.

"The defense of Hongshi County is fully coordinated by the two of you. All deployments, rewards and punishments, and war dispositions can be handled at your convenience. If you encounter insoluble problems, do not stubbornly hold on. Immediately activate the communication Formation altar designed and erected by this Revered Master in the county city, and this Revered Master will naturally receive the news."

"Disciple obeys the order." Wang Daoyuan bowed in response, and Liu Jiang also nodded.

Master Xuanyue finally glanced at everyone one last time, met Master Qingming's eyes for a split second, and the figures of the two rose from the ground at the same time. Two streaks of escape light, one cyan and one grey, pierced the sky like shooting stars, tearing through the air toward the direction of Hongshan Prefecture city, and vanished into the northern clouds in an instant.

In the council hall, Liu Jiang took the lead to speak: "Everyone, although Revered Master and Senior Martial Uncle are temporarily leaving, the defense of Hongshi County will not slack off because of this."

"Starting today, all deployments will proceed as usual. All defense zones must report three times a day without delay. Junior Brother Wang and I will be stationed permanently in the two places of Chimang Ridge and the county city, patrolling in rotation. If there are any abnormal movements, transmit messages directly."

Everyone acknowledged the order and dispersed.