Chapter 685: Chapter Six Hundred Eighty-One: Seizing a Victory to Press the Attack

The South Ridge is the ancestral land of the Mi Clan. Almost every peak has secret caves, filled with gold, silver, and treasures, rife with Spiritual Instruments.

This drove the impoverished Fierce Realm Alliance ecstatic on the spot. The treasures in just one secret vault could match the earnings of some families over decades.

As chests of wealth were carried onto the ship, the self-important patriarchs of the allied clans all had their eyes wide open, never taking their stares off the Tang Clan warriors ferrying the goods. It was as if they believed the moment their gaze strayed from the chests, the treasures would be swiped away.

Everyone calculated what they could get, how much they could exchange for supplies. After this battle, the perspective of the Fierce Realm Alliance was truly broadened.

They had always believed that a warrior of the Fierce Realm just needed proper cultivation. But now they realized that supplemental resources were equally critical.

Not to mention body forging elixirs, or the Spiritual Food they ate daily, there were also post-battle needs like medicinal elixirs, Spirit Armor, Xuanji Jade, and intelligence. All of them required money.

Everyone had always heard that war was a fight for resources. But this realization hadn’t been clear until they partook in the New Alliance’s battle. Compared to this, their previous battles felt like child’s play.

They also contrasted the gap in strength between the Tang Clan in Xiling and other major urban clans. Their previous notion that the power amongst major city clans was roughly equal had long vanished. At this moment they wished to cling onto the Tang Clan’s coattails, hitch a ride to glory.

However, after annihilating the Mi Clan, the Tang Clan didn’t relax. The Clan Leader along with all the elders and Sect Heads were vehemently debating in the Martial Hall Grand Chamber.

“The Mi Clan must have held back. The top martial ancestors of Mi Clan were nowhere to be seen during the battle, particularly Supreme Leader Mi Yang whose whereabouts were unknown.”

“Also the outstanding younger generations of the Mi Clan haven’t been seen. It seems like they were taken away by Mi Jin at some point.”

“Not only the Mi Clan, many powerhouses from the seven notable clans were also absent. Wan Qianyi of the Wan Clan and Bai Qiju of the Bai Clan were not seen during the final battle.”

Tang Zhi watched everyone as they argued passionately without uttering a word. He merely listened quietly, speaking only when the cacophony subsided, “I understand what you are saying. However, I do not believe that these remnants of defeated soldiers could pose any threat to my clan. With the secret methods and resources from the Han Family treasury, the strength of my clan is catching up to the sect. What we need to do now is how to unify the banks of Lingjiang in the shortest possible time, and take control of the remaining six major cities.”

There are ten major cities on both the upper and lower banks of Lingjiang. However, one of them, Zangtong was destroyed when Longjiang changed its course. Three other cities; Xiling, Clear Water and Shen Ping were wiped out due to the low terrain. Hence, only six major cities remain on both ends of Lingjiang. The Tang Clan, eager to conquer these six cities, are now considering how to distribute their military power and claim these six cities before the spring harvest.

As a clan leader, it is his duty to constantly seek benefits for the clan. However, this aggressive approach left everyone in the grand chamber gasping for breath.

“Clan Leader, we have just calmed down the South Ridge, and whether it is warriors or martial ancestors, they are all exhausted. Moreover, there are four clan members who are stranded outside. We should first recall these members, then seize the six cities.”

“Yes, Clan Leader, besides, launching an attack on other cities now would be inappropriate and unjustifiable and could spark a joint vendetta from all the clans in the cities. This will cause significant obstacles to our unification of Lingjiang. So I also believe we should first recall our clan members, recuperate for a while and wait for Wind Media to infiltrate the cities before launching an attack!”

Matters have degrees of importance and urgency, and there has to be an order. To these elders, a steady approach is more appealing than a hasty advance. Especially given that the Mi Clan, the Tang Clan’s long-time rival, has fallen, they believe that the other clans of Lingjiang are no match for Tang. It doesn’t matter whether they attack earlier or later, it’s better to allow the clan martial ancestors to rest and first bring the clanspeople back.

It’s fair to say that this conservative mindset is usually sound, but Tang Zhi has chosen to disregard it because he has seen more than that.

The news of the Tang Clan Alliance’s downfall of South Ridge would be completely spread throughout the western Longzhou within a month at most. All the cities and clans won’t care about what the alliance is or what it stands for. They would only feel threatened by the emergence of a ferocious tiger in Xiling who wants to devour everything.

Moreover, two families in Xiling already have quite a reputation, especially among the wealthy clans in the major cities along the banks of the Lingjiang River. Every one of them fears the Tang and Mi families like a scourge. Knowing that the Tang Clan has mustered an alliance and leveraged the power from heaven and earth to bring down South Ridge, they will surely feel threatened.

By the time they make a move, just like they said, the cities of Lingjiang will band together in adversity, joining forces to resist the invasion of the New Alliance.

When face with combined forces of a city, even the Tang Clan with its strength will not be able to easily take it down. As soon as there are casualties, the cost to conquer the next city would be greater and greater, resulting in a loss that outweighs the gain.

Therefore, before the summer harvest, the Tang Clan must, at least, take Lanshan City. Because within the Lingjiang region that spans three thousand li, only Aran has the fertile Spirit Field and Spirit Spring suitable for cultivation. If they don’t make a move quickly, the millennium-grade divine herbs and treasure grass in the Minor Spiritual Realm would only be wasted in Tang Luo’s belly!

It was because of such concerns that, despite the opposition from the elders, Tang Zhi still chose to make the move now and attack various cities along Lingjiang.

Although Mi Clan was annihilated, the western part of Longzhou was still in chaos, so the wartime regulations were still in effect. The powers of the Clan Leaders were so great that they could veto with a single vote. Even though seven elders were reluctant to rally the troops for another war, they had to give in to Tang Zhi’s determination.

However, Tang Zhi’s obstinacy did cause dissatisfaction from the second elder, Tang Hongjun. Because in his view, going to war now was not a good thing for the Tang Clan at all: “Even if we were to fight, we should first set the strategic objectives and gather intelligence. We are currently in the dark about the situation in each city. Longzhou is in such a mess now that the distribution of power in each city along Lingjiang is already chaotic. Without new information, does the Clan Leader intend to send our warriors to their deaths?!”

“The second elder need not worry about that. I have already sent Ming as a representative along with Wind Media and resources to infiltrate each city.” Tang Zhi confidently clapped his hands, and a servant who had been waiting at the side brought in a stack of secret briefings and distributed them to each elder.

“What you are seeing now is the distribution of noble families in Lanshan City. After expelling Cui Ying, Lanshan City fell into chaos. The a few wealthy families in Lanshan City tasted the benefits of a joint operation and began to oppress the foreign clans who had taken refuge in Aran Mountain. The lesser clans retaliated by forming an alliance against the wealthy family alliance. Now, Lanshan City may appear calm on the surface, but major battles break out daily. Now is the best time to strike!”