Pei Zi Yun understood that the efficiency of a strategy didn’t matter. In fact, in any society, the most efficient method would always end up being subdued and monopolized by someone else after a weakness was exploited.
If a person didn’t understand this, and insisted that using the most efficient method was the best, he was missing out on something important.
Somewhere in the forest, Pei Zi Yun reached into the folds of his robes and pulled out the communication talisman. He wanted to report this matter to his sect. As he whipped it out, he pressed down hard on the middle, and a buzzing sound could be heard.
This time, the lighting didn’t successfully conjure a shadow. Instead, a loud cracking sound could be heard as the entire talisman split into two and fell apart.
‘Communication networks interrupted?’ Pei Zi Yun was stumped. He was only too familiar with this from the memories of the original owner. But seeing it happen right now made him jump up in fright all the same.
‘Even the sect’s entire communication have been blocked off. That means that Dark Altar Sect arrived at Free Cloud Sect, and blood has been spilled. This is years too early!’ Pei Zi Yun couldn’t help but punch the tree in frustration.
"Boom!"
At this point, a Plum Blossom appeared before his eyes as it grew bigger rapidly before transforming into an information interface. It bore with it faint light perception as numerous words appeared on the screen.
"Mission : Rescue Free Cloud Sect, become the Sect Leader!"
‘Has it really gotten to this stage?’ Pei Zi Yun didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. He understood the system very well, and the missions which were issued came as a result of the original owner’s experience.
‘Looks like they weren’t just testing the waters, instead they really launched a huge offensive.’
"Dark Altar Sect seemed like they were still in their planning stages earlier, but looks like they were not fooling around about attacking the entire sect."
Underground basement
A map was unfolded on the table.
"I think we can attack him here." Someone pointed at the approximate location of Pei Zi Yun and spoke out.
Hearing these words, Elder Xu paused and considered for a moment. At this point, a lantern beside them was extinguished. The man who was speaking raised his voice, "Oh no. Pei Zi Yun is coming. Jian An has been killed."
Elder Xu stood up, his face bore a severe look as he looked at the map and instructed, "Send word out to the Senior Elder. Find out if Jian An’s soul has been led away. Find out how he was killed. He was just freshly murdered, and the Senior Elder should be able to work with him."
"This isn’t within a city, and thus the response from the authorities won’t be as quick as our response."
"Also, fire the flares at the point where Jian An was murdered and gather there. I want five men to a group and we shall form three groups. Go in triangle formation and close down on the area. Find out who was it who killed Jian An." Elder Xu gave out the orders methodically.
Everyone present knew that the commands issued weren’t to find out who was the culprit responsible for Jian An’s death. Instead, it’s to use the lives of his men to pin point Pei Zi Yun’s exact location. He was using these men as bait.
Hearing Elder Xu’s words, someone pulled out a talisman to send out instructions. With a blade in the other hand, he pushed through the door and exited. Another person then retrieved the flare to send out the signal.
After some time, a Daoist hurriedly came over and fell to his knees, "Elder something happened. An entire group of patrol has been killed. Senior brother Jian An has also been killed in the same area."
Just as Elder Xu was about to reply, an Elder approached him, "Elder Xu, Senior Elder received some answers. It was Pei Zi Yun who killed Jian An. Jian An tried to stall for time, but Pei Zi Yun saw through his tactics and killed him almost instantly."
Recalling the soul of a recently departed person was a rather quick process. The Senior Elder was just several hundred meters away from where Jian An died. Summoning his soul to interrogate him took only several minutes, hence the replies came quickly.
"What a vile creature. Jian An’s sword techniques was one of the best among the swordsmen. And yet he was killed so easily. Damn it!"
"This person is very bold, strong and fortunate. His sword techniques are really extraordinary as well. He really deserves the nickname, Sword Saint."
"What’s most vexing about the entire pursuit is that he still has some weapon or treasure on him. Even after using his Fate Lantern and searching the area thoroughly twice, he still managed to kill our men. In fact, he killed one of our strongest swordsmen. Everyone has to be careful from here."
"What? Elder Xu, what do you mean? Could it be that this person has been spying on our position and know of our every move?"
Elder Xu took several steps and cleared his throat. "His divine power shouldn’t be able to let him do that. Pei Zi Yun is just a mere Yin Master. He has just opened the gates of heaven. In fact, he was expelled from the sect domains for a year because he killed Song Zhi."
"It’s only been a short while, how much could his divine power improve? Or could it be that Free Cloud Sect managed to evade our communication blockade and found a way to inform him of our actions. Or it could also be that he could feel the position of his Fate Lantern."
"I trust our Senior Elder’s screen which disrupt all their communication. Him being able to sense the position of his Fate Lantern is more probable."
"That’s right. Free Cloud Sect’s disciples are all trapped on their mountain, and have no way of coming down. This person couldn’t have received any help from his sect. Once we kill him, we can trap his soul and interrogate him to find out his secrets."
Elder Xu then spoke out coldly, "Him being able to kill Jian An like that shows that his sword techniques are excellent. It’s been said that no techniques could rival his. Seems like that’s true. The only way we can take him down is to surround him and kill him with numbers."
Elder Xu spoke out before issuing another order, "Use your communication talismans to talk to each other and close in on him. Pei Zi Yun must be nearby, and hasn’t left. Send the rest of the men now. Once we discover his location, stall him. The rest of the swordsmen and us, Yin Masters, will surround him. We have to kill him by surrounding him and attacking together."
"We must not give him a chance to strike out and break through our men." Elder Xu spoke out loudly.
"Yes!" Everyone around acknowledged.
Earthen Altar
Although the earthen altar was small, it followed strict rules when it was built. It was three levels tall, filled with inscriptions and emitting a bright ray of light. If it was being concealed in the past, it was now out in the open in all its glory.
The Senior Elder sat atop a boulder and glanced far across as he asked softly, "Have we given a heads up to all the government offices within the counties?"
"We’ve given them a heads up using King Lu’s name. Even if the Crown Prince’s men find out about this, they would know that it’s not worth acting just for a mere Free Cloud Sect."
"Besides, the magistrate is not a man of the Crown Prince. Don’t worry, as long as the Emperor does not issue a decree himself, or unless the Crown Prince shows up personally, we would be able to completely take them down within ten days." An Elder spoke out.
"Oh, how is it going with Pei Zi Yun?"
"Elder Xu is leading the troops. He took a great number of people along with him. The most important thing is that he’s extremely good with curses and spells. Now that he has obtained Pei Zi Yun’s Fate Lantern, he should be able to kill Pei Zi Yun without too much difficulties."
"Even if he doesn’t kill Pei Zi Yun, they just have to keep up the attack and trap him there for three days. By then, their fates would already be sealed. With such a strong force accompanying him, and with the odds swinging to us, if Elder Xu is unable to contain him for just three days, he should give up on his position."
"What about the situation with the underworld?"
"With the current standings between our sect and King Lu, we’ve already given word to all who might interfere. You don’t have to worry that any problems would arise from the spiritual realm when it comes to our sect and the dynasty. You also don’t have to worry that there would be a problem with the Yin and Yang. A living person would be able to enter the Underworld and investigate should the need arise, but nobody from the Underworld would be able to interfere in matters of the living. If not, the previous deceased Emperor might interfere with the present stage of the dynasty."
"What about the screen which we used to disrupt activities on Free Cloud Sect?" The Senior Elder asked expressionlessly.
"We used several spells to create the screen in order to prevent them from communicating with anyone outside Free Cloud Sect. I presume they must’ve found out about it by now. But at this point, our plans to kill them and overthrow their sect are already out in the open. They’re just trapped on their own mountain now."
"Have we managed to establish a communication channel with our Patriarchs?"
"It’s already been done. All that’s left is to complete the rites." As he spoke, the Senior Elder’s face turned severe.
"Looks like all the preparations have already been made. Whether we succeed or fail is all dependent on our fates then." The Senior Elder stood up and interrupted the Elder before he could speak. "We still have to respect the will of heaven."
"Besides, it’s not good to fight over Paradise. You and I both know this."
"With the tile from King Lu, it’s not going to be difficult to break into Free Cloud Sect’s Paradise since the backlash would be received by King Lu. In fact, the current dynasty inherited a great deal of fortunes and wealth from the previous dynasty. Being a new dynasty, the rewards of merit were extremely high. If this was a dynasty which was older than fifty years, nobody would be willing to do anything for them anymore." The Elder laughed as he gazed far across in the direction of Free Cloud Sect.
Free Cloud Sect
It had been raining consecutively for several days without a single clear day. The entire walkway of the monastery was flooded with rainwater. The rainwater had accumulated over the past few days and was gradually trickling down to the foot of the mountain.
In the midst of the torrential rain, a devastating piece of news was being spread throughout the entire sect, "Our sect domain has been surrounded. Anyone who descends the mountain will be killed."
The evening of that same day, the Sect Leader had just finished his dinner and was lying down, resting. Someone then burst through the door, "Sect Leader, Elder Zhao has returned!"
The Sect Leader propped himself up in shock as he asked, "Where is he?"
"He’s sustained some injuries and is being treated now. He’s also having some food."
The Sect Leader was about to rush out when he paused to think for several moments. At this point the rain was getting heavier. He looked out and noticed that everything was dark and hazy. The raindrops pelted down incessantly across the trees and everything else beneath. Although it was rain in summer, it could still cause one to catch a chill.
The Sect Leader didn’t speak and his expression fell. A sort of inauspicious feeling overwhelmed him.
After some time, Zhao Ning came over to find the Sect Leader. Although he had changed his clothes and taken a shower, he still looked dreadful. He had a deep gash on the left side of his forehead, and his footsteps were unsteady. The minute he walked through the door, he bowed to the Sect Leader.
"Why are you still being polite at such a time! What’s the situation like?" The Sect Leader gazed out and noticed that the rain was still increasing in intensity.
"I have a small piece of good news."
"We still have a small chance at survival. I led a group of six people down. Two died but the other four managed to escape. They’ve managed to successfully board a boat out of here. They would get help and return as soon as possible"
"The bad news is that the officials and even the magistrate can’t be relied on. Or at least, they won’t be able to help us. Besides, our enemy at this point is Dark Altar Sect. Although their history is only slightly longer than us, their might and influence is very strong."
"In attempting to escape, we’ve already revealed our hand, and they’ve seen how we managed to escape. It would be virtually impossible to do that again."
When the Sect Leader heard this, he didn’t speak for a long time. After several moments passed, he finally spoke, "Looks like we have to wait for death."
"Even if several disciples managed to go out and re-establish a new sect domain elsewhere, even if we have another island somewhere, once we lose our Paradise, we are nothing but mere rogue cultivators." Zhao Ning watched the rain outside and spoke plainly, "Sect Leader, as Daoists, we don’t have any other options."
"Life and death are all dependent on the will of heaven."
"What about Pei Zi Yun?" The pair remained silent as the Sect Leader asked.
"The screen prevented us from communicating, and we haven’t been able to reach him. The last time someone spoke to him, he was rushing back and was merely several hundred kilometers away." Zhao Ning replied after thinking for some time.
"Actually, I don’t wish for him to come back and save us. Although I have some animosity and hatred for him, I have to admit that he’s the best talent and genius I’ve ever seen in these few hundred years of our sect’s existence."
Being a genius was innate, but being talented was trained. Zhao Ning understood this. He then heard the Sect Leader continue, "If we really do fail, and lose our Paradise, the only person who could revive our sect from the ashes would be Pei Zi Yun."
At this critical juncture of life and death, the Sect Leader managed to get rid of his intense hatred and speak the truth. Zhao NIng listened to him and swallowed whatever words he wanted to speak and heard the Sect Leader give a long sigh.
Elder Xu chased after Pei Zi Yun that very night. The next day at dawn, he arrived at Mei Shan town.
"Elder Xu, we’ve already checked it out properly. Our target is hiding in the mountains." One of the men beside Elder Xu spoke out as he pointed towards the dark and barely visible mountains ahead. "Elder Xu, that’s Mei Shan mountain. Although it isn’t big, there aren’t any proper roads with rocks and boulders everywhere. Wild grass and trees cover the entire mountain as well."
"I’ve done my research on this Pei Zi Yun. Based on what I found out, he’s extremely sly and crafty. He will use the environment to his advantage. His purpose in leading us to Mei Shan mountain must be to repeat what he did to King Lu’s eunuch, blowing us up."
"Since he’s already entered the mountain, why not we set some fires around to force him out." One of the Daoists asked.
Hearing this, Elder Xu paused in consideration, "Razing down an entire mountain would cause too much movement. Even though we have King Lu supporting us, we won’t be able to cover up something as serious as burning down an entire mountain. We have the support of the imperial court but we shouldn’t act too rashly."
"Besides, if we start burning, we might give this person a chance to escape amidst all the chaos. We should only use that as a last resort."
"Elder Xu, what should we do now?" A Daoist then asked.
"What’s around this area?"
"Because of the Mei Shan mountain, this place is called Mei Shan town. Although it was called a town, it’s much smaller with only two hundred households."
Elder Xu looked icily towards the mountain before eyeing the town, "Is there anywhere to stay in for the night?"
"Elder Xu, there’s an inn with seven or eight rooms. Though, If you’re looking for a resting place for the night, there’s also a temple up ahead. I’ve already taken a look at it, and it was probably built by the citizens here. We can stay there!"
"We’re at war!" Elder Xu looked at the streets, his expression was unclear. "How could I stay at an inn? Let’s put up with the temple!"
Everyone around heard the command and led him towards the temple. As they walked across the town, people could be seen going about their daily routines.
Everyone else were having their meals as Elder Xu asked, "What’s the situation with the Fate Lantern?"
"It shows that this person has entered Mei Shan mountain, and isn’t running anymore. It’s clear that he’s planning a counter attack, and is using the rough landscape of the mountains to launch an offensive."
"What a devious and cunning person." Elder Xu laughed out. "But he’s going to be undone by his own cleverness."
"After placing a curse upon the Fate Lantern, I need time and distance in order for it to be effective. Now that he’s staying put and thinking of attacking us, it gives me a chance to strike."
He then ordered, "When you’ve finished eating, surround the mountain. Teams of five, and distribute these communication talismans around. At the same time, use the whistles and form up in the triangle formation."
"Elder Xu, most of these men don’t have Dao arts. If we allow them to use the talisman, it might damage their lifespans." A Daoist stepped forward and voiced his concern.
When Elder Xu heard this words, he glared at him, "Kindness doesn’t command an army. Whenever we go to war, lives would be lost. If you wish to be so kind, why not you go in their places?"
The Daoist’s face turned pale as he hurriedly replied, "Elder, I don’t dare to."
Elder Xu then turned back and commanded coldly, "As for swordsmen, we shall divide you into groups of two. The seven of you, split into three groups. The last remaining person shall stay here."
Everyone present shouted out loudly in acknowledgement, "Yes, Elder Xu."
The few Daoist swordsman then dashed towards the mountain.
Elder Xu then spoke out once more, "Today will be the day he loses his life. I didn’t expect him to be so daring, to think of mounting an attack against us at such a crucial point, although it’s going to be futile. It’s just a pity that Jian An was killed by this person."
"What Elder Xu means to say is that this person is fearless. But even such a person would find it hard to survive when he meets us, Dark Altar Sect." The remaining Daoist swordsman spoke out.
Hearing him speak, everyone around smiled as Elder Xu waved a hand, "All of you be alert. We haven’t even killed him yet but all of you are already so relaxed. We must not let him escape."
"Elder Xu, this Pei Zi Yun’s fighting skills are very strong, and we must not underestimate him in order to prevent him from escaping. Now that we have the time and distance to properly allow the curse to sink in, we shouldn’t delay any further." A Daoist on his left spoke out.
Elder Xu nodded his head in agreement, "Indeed we shouldn’t delay any further. He’s already a Yin Master and might even have a special weapon. Normal spells wouldn’t be able to do much to the Fate Lantern. But I have a demonic curse which can be placed on the lantern and cause him to hallucinate. He would find it hard to differentiate between illusions and reality. But I will not be able to hold the curse by myself for long. I would need all of you to help."
"Of course."
Elder Xu stretched out a hand to retrieve a cursed bone and knocked it on a surface. The cursed bone instantly burst into green flames, as it became more intense by the second. At the peak of the flames, it transformed into black mass of dark energy. Many faces could be seen within the black energy, as they struggled.
Elder Xu used the cursed bone to touch the flame within the Fate Lantern. Instantly, the flame started taking on a green tinge as part of the bone melted into the flame of the lantern.
Elder Xu’s face started sweating. The minute the pair of Daoist saw that, they knew that he was facing a strong amount of resistance. They both placed their hands over his to assist him.
"Boom" The green flames expanded many times.
Mei Shan Mountain, Forested Area
The five blades wielding men were searching within the forests. All of them bore a look of anger on their faces as they clutched onto their blades tightly. Although they were fresh, it was clear that they had undergone rigorous training of some sort. Their movements were precise and calculated. Each of them was strong and muscular, and extremely agile as well.
Although it was late in the night, the men were all extremely active and alert. Their eyes glimmered as they scanned the area for any sign of movements.
At this point, a shadow appeared right behind the group of men. One of them seemed to notice a movement behind and turned around, but didn’t see anything.
He then heaved a sigh of relief as he turned back to the front and resumed his search. All of a sudden, a hand appeared and grabbed him by the neck. Just as he was about to struggle, he felt something cold on his neck, as though something was dripping down.
The shadow then allowed the dead man to drop soundlessly before chasing after the rest of them.
"Cheng An, have you seen anything?" One of the men in front asked. When he turned around to check if his partner was behind him, a chill ran down his spine. Someone he didn’t recognize was standing right in front of him. He wanted to scream out.
A hand pressed against his mouth, preventing him from screaming out. A blade then sank into his flesh and through his heart, as a soft "pu" sound could be heard.
He then gently eased the body down onto the ground. At this point the group leader felt something wasn’t right, as the footsteps behind him seemed to have been reduced. He then heard something rustle as he turned around. He froze in fear before regaining his senses several seconds later as he shouted out, "Someone’s behind, formation!"
When he finished shouting, he turned around and saw Pei Zi Yun charging towards his men. With deft and stealthy strides, he charged towards two men. The pair of men in front of their team leader froze in fear, and wanted to run for their lives.
Pei Zi Yun’s shadow moved fluidly before appearing once again. With a flash of his blade, he felled the pair of knife wielding men effortlessly as blood splashed all around.
The leader hurriedly placed the whistle within his mouth as he retrieved the flare. In the next moment, the gleam of the blade could be seen again as a sword plunged into the chest of the team leader, and exited from his back.
Large mouthfuls of blood foamed up from his mouth as the talisman beside him burned up.
"Damn it!" Pei Zi Yun wasn’t fast enough to stop the talisman from burning, and giving away his current location. Instantly, his shadow darted straight back into the forested away. About three hundred meters away, a pair of swordsmen were alerted of his presence with the enchanted compasses in their possession.
They both looked at each other and one of them blew viciously on his whistle before they chased after him. Following the sound of the whistle everyone else started swarming towards it. They acted like a net, trying to catch Pei Zi Yun.
‘Even if you wish to keep your nets, you have to make sure that your nets are able to contain the fish. Even if your nets managed to wrap around the fishes, but couldn’t contain them, what’s the point?’
‘With my current strength, unless all pursuers are extremely proficient swordsmen, they wouldn’t be able to contain me.’
‘Since all these men are quite weak, I can kill them one by one easily. Once I’ve killed all these unworthy fighters, I can make my way back to the sect.’ Pei Zi Yun understood his plan and wasn’t very worried. With a deft leap, he disappeared into the dark of the night.
At this point a group of five men moved along quickly. Their speed were in sync with each other. All of a sudden, one of them screamed out as it was hoisted up into the air. With a loud thud, something stabbed into him as he groaned in pain before his body fell to the ground limp.
The remaining four of them paused in shock.
The sky was dark, and neither of them saw what happened. One of them approached and shouted, "It’s a trap!"
Before his words could even be heard, he let out a painful scream, as if he had just been struck by something as powerful as lightning, ‘Throwing weapons!’
The three of them were frightened out of their wits as they scrambled to flee in different directions. One of them blew on the whistle. After several blasts of the whistle, another thud could be heard. With a gleam of the sword, the blade ran through his right chest, causing his entire torso to split open and he fell down with a crash.
‘Idiot, such threats can’t even be compared to the last time I was surrounded by the eunuchs on the mountain.’
‘Because the Imperial Court had such frightening numbers. Every time tens of them die, more would spring out in their stead. No matter how skilled I am in dealing with the huge numbers, I could keep going on for days and months and wouldn’t be able to kill them all completely. If I didn’t take drastic measures I would’ve been surrounded and died.’
‘Although your skills are slightly stronger than soldiers, to someone like me with Dao techniques and sword skills of the ‘Master’ Realm, you’re nothing more than a few foot soldiers.’
What were successful military strategies? Using a large force to overcome a smaller force, or a stronger army to overcome a weaker army. Since Pei Zi Yun was a skilled military strategist and not someone competing in a fair competition, this wasn't a question of fairness. He would use whatever advantage he could find to overcome his enemies. Besides, using so many men against just him was already unfair towards him.
Pei Zi Yun maintained an expressionless face as he turned his body and counter attacked. Instantly, he heard a pair of anguished cries as two men fell to the ground and died. Pei Zi Yun looked down at his robes and saw some blood. Although the group of men had seen two of their fellow fighters die, they still pressed on and charged towards Pei Zi Yun. Seeing that they were coming for him, his shadow moved in a blur as he dashed back into the dense forests.
Several critters were croaking within the lush forests. There were some other sounds coming a distance away, and was rather indistinct. An entire fresh group of fighters were coursing through the forests. A torch in one hand and a blade in the other, they occasionally slashed across at the grass in order to get a better view.
The group leader felt something amiss as he raised his head and looked far across, "Eh? The ninth group hasn't responded?"
The group leader had a wary look on his face as he gazed around. His heart was fluttering within his chest. Everything was silent around him. A fighter then stepped forward, "Yes, leader. They haven't responded."
The leader then handed his whistle to this fighter and commanded, "Something probably happened up ahead. Blow on the whistle again, and see if you can get a response from them."
Just as the leader spoke out, he retrieved the flare gun from his robes and took several steps into the pitch black forest. Swear beads were forming on his forehead. Everything was still.
The leader drew his blade and asked coldly, "Who's there?"
The five fighters with him drew their blades simultaneously as well. Just then, a fighter not from their group appeared from beyond the darkness. He seemed to have many wounds on his body as he called out to them, "Hurry, shoot out the flare gun. Pei Zi Yun has attacked us."
"What?" The leader then clutched onto the flare gun nervously and raised it above his head. Just before he could fire it, he was stabbed by that same wounded fighter.
"Pu!" The fighter twisted the blade, which had embedded itself deep within his chest. He gave a loud groan as he fell to the ground. With his dying breath, he still instructed the rest of his men, "Quick, blow on the whistle."
The fighters behind realized that Pei Zi Yun had disguised himself as one of them and killed their leader. A fighter then blew hard on his whistle. Just then, Pei Zi Yun pointed at him, causing his whole body to go rigid. Pei Zi Yun then moved like lightning as he charged towards him and killed him.
"Kill him!" A pair of fighters rushed from both sides, aiming at him. One of the fighters then picked up the whistle from the man whose body had turned rigid and was about to blow on it.
Pei Zi Yun’s vision turned merciless as the gleam of his sword spun one an entire circle. The sound of his sword colliding with a pair of bodies could be heard as their shadows interlocked with one another. In the next moment, a pair of screams rang out, causing those around to go weak from fear as their scalps went numb.
The pair of fighters trembled as blood fell into the air while they crashed to the ground.
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