The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army, und
The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army, under the command of Barbarian King Tuller Bear, quickly retreated backward. Meng Zhang and Book Mountain True Monarch closely monitored Barbarian King Tuller Bear and True Monarch Grey Mountain, while the cultivator army of Taiyi Sect pursued from behind without giving up.
Both sides continued this chase and retreat, one after the other, slowly moving away from the Endless Sea of Sand. Instead of retreating along their previous route, the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army took a detour, planning to leave the Endless Sea of Sand from another direction. Along the way, they didn't cause trouble to the strongholds and oases they encountered, solely focusing on hurrying towards their destination.
As the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army was about to leave the Endless Sea of Sand, unrest started to brew within the ranks of the Taiyi Sect's army. Among them was Fire Cloud Sect's Sect Master, Daoist Master Firecloud. Ever since Daoist Master Firecloud pledged allegiance to Meng Zhang, he had considered himself a vassal of the Taiyi Sect. Follow current novels on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
This time, Fire Cloud Sect accompanied Taiyi Sect to support the Endless Sea of Sand, and Daoist Master Firecloud dutifully led the main force of the Fire Cloud Sect cultivators along. Before this great battle, even though they weren't yet official members of the Hanhai Alliance, Daoist Master Firecloud voluntarily integrated all of Fire Cloud Sect's cultivators into the Hanhai Alliance's army.
By giving up their semi-independent status and willingly placing themselves under the Hanhai Alliance, it seemed like a good decision, and the Taiyi Sect's higher-ups did not oppose it. During the subsequent battle, Fire Cloud Sect's cultivators followed orders and performed admirably.
Now, Daoist Master Firecloud requested an audience with Meng Zhang. Meng Zhang granted him this favor and met him in person. Upon meeting Meng Zhang, Daoist Master Firecloud immediately prostrated himself and sought Meng Zhang's assistance.
It turned out that based on the route of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army's retreat, they were heading straight towards the territory of the Fire Cloud Sect after leaving the Endless Sea of Sand. Although the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army was temporarily pushed back by the Taiyi Sect's forces, their main strength was intact, and their combat capabilities remained formidable.
If they entered the Fire Cloud Sect's territory, it would undoubtedly bring about a catastrophic disaster. Even during Fire Cloud Sect's peak, they would have been unable to contend with this Barbarian Clan's army, let alone the present circumstances.
By leading Taiyi Sect to support the Endless Sea of Sand and repelling the Barbarian Clan's army to expel them, Meng Zhang had already fulfilled their obligation to the Jade Sword Sect.
The most crucial issue was that Meng Zhang had relied on the Empty City Strategy to frighten away the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army. If Barbarian King Shali Eagle were to regain his strength, Taiyi Sect would once again be at a disadvantage in terms of top-tier combat power.
Now, Daoist Master Firecloud was kneeling before Meng Zhang, earnestly requesting assistance to save the Fire Cloud Sect, putting Meng Zhang in a difficult position. It's not that Meng Zhang was soft-hearted, but Taiyi Sect, as the object of Fire Cloud Sect's loyalty, controlled a significant number of vassal forces.
From an obligation perspective, Taiyi Sect had to protect these vassals. If they couldn't provide protection, why would others willingly become vassals and pledge loyalty?Taiyi Sect currently dominates the vast territories of the Endless Sea of Sand and the Demon Wind Gobi, and through the organization of the Hanhai Alliance, it has gathered numerous cultivation forces. As a regional hegemon and leader of many cultivation forces, Taiyi Sect has several obligations to fulfill. Now that Daoist Master Firecloud has come seeking help, Meng Zhang cannot ignore his request. If news of such negligence spreads, it would be challenging to maintain authority.
Despite the internal situation, on the surface, Taiyi Sect, as a righteous sect, must strictly abide by its obligations and protect its vassals. This is not just a facade for show, but a deliberate approach cultivated by Meng Zhang.
As Meng Zhang contemplated, it was impossible for the Taiyi Sect cultivator army to catch up with the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army and engage them in battle. Protecting Fire Cloud Sect was a matter of face, but it wasn't worth sacrificing Taiyi Sect's lives. However, allowing the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army to rampage through Fire Cloud Sect's territory and plunder at will was also not an option.
Meng Zhang sent Daoist Master Firecloud away, comforting him and assuring him that Taiyi Sect would not sit idly by, but asked him not to worry excessively. Then, Meng Zhang gathered several clever and resourceful high-ranking members of the sect to discuss the matter and seek their opinions.
Most of the high-ranking members agreed that they should help Fire Cloud Sect and not let their territory fall completely into the hands of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. However, there were no clear-cut solutions. After all, Taiyi Sect's strength was not superior to the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army. Their only advantage was the scare tactic of Meng Zhang's Empty City Strategy. If they were to engage in a real battle, Taiyi Sect had no assurance of victory.
After much deliberation, they decided that Taiyi Sect should not engage in a direct battle with the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army. Instead, they would apply pressure to force the enemy to retreat. This way, Taiyi Sect's main force would be tied down, and a major battle could break out at any time.
Meng Zhang wasn't entirely satisfied with this plan. However, Extreme Sword Spirit General's words made him suddenly understand. If Taiyi Sect drove the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army away from the Endless Sea of Sand too early, they would free up their hands. Despite focusing on the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army during this period, Taiyi Sect still received occasional messages through various channels.
Especially after formally forming an alliance with the Dark Alliance branch, information from the Dark Alliance significantly strengthened Meng Zhang's intelligence network. Since the North Sweeping Grand Army of the Dali Dynasty had been reorganized by Grand Marshal Zhang Wei, they had started a new round of attacks. The main force confrontation had not yet begun, but the skirmishes at the frontlines were already extremely fierce, with countless casualties.
Jade Sword Sect was under immense pressure and desperately trying to gather its cultivators and exploit their full potential. If Taiyi Sect freed up their hands now, they would undoubtedly be forcefully conscripted by Jade Sword Sect to once again confront the Dali Dynasty's army on the frontline. The memories of their recent bloody battle with the Dali Dynasty were still fresh, and no one was willing to step back into that meat grinder-like battlefield.
Continuing to entangle with the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's army, raising a bandit to harm oneself, seemed like a reasonable way to avoid being conscripted by Jade Sword Sect.
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