Chapter 399: Chapter 393: The Tottering Kylin Sanctuary_1
After the Huang Clan was executed along with their nine generations, it didn’t cause too much of a stir. This was not only because they deserved their punishment, but also because the other clans were now fearful. As a privileged class, they were greedy, but at the same time, they cherished their reputations.
In the following days, several clan officials resigned one after another. However, the resigned positions were not important, and the significant departments remained under clan control. Zhuge Liang approved all resignations and promoted officials with clean backgrounds.
On the surface, everything seemed calm. However, underneath, the Abyss Guard and the Hidden Guard were frantically searching for evidence of crimes committed by the clans. Every day, a large amount of incriminating evidence was sent to the imperial palace. Zhuge Liang, Xiao He, Guo Jia, and others were perfecting policies to divide the clans. They were merely waiting for an opportunity to strike at the clans’ weakest point.
Shifting focus from the Saint’s Court of the Qin Dynasty to the entire East Border, one would notice that the Kylin Sacred Place, once mighty for several eras, was now on the brink of collapse.
After Elder Wanlin commanded the troops to gather around the Kylin Dao Domain, the Qionghua Sacred Place, Qianyao Sacred Place, and Zixia Sacred Place annexed a massive amount of territory, completely besieging the Kylin Dao Domain.
However, it was no easy task for these three powers to conquer the Kylin Dao Domain. As the ancestral home of the Kylin Sacred Place, developed over several eras, its borders were fortified with thick walls and powerful Formations. Countless military camps were scattered like stars, forming an impregnable defense.
The three powers divided their forces and attacked for several days without success, instead suffering heavy losses. Forced by the circumstances, the three powers gathered outside Jiange Pass to discuss their strategy.
Jiange Pass was built amidst towering mountain ranges, majestic and soaring into the sky. Birds struggled to cross, and monkeys found it difficult to climb. Six Dragon Gold Formations defended it from above, while turbulent rapids flowed below.
For five eras, spanning a staggering 250,000,000 years, no one had ever conquered Jiange Pass.
An ancient road snaked down from the mountaintop, with nine bends for every hundred steps. The greatest danger lurked in the forests. To protect their home, the Kylin Sacred Place had bred ferocious beasts in the border foothills. These creatures appeared and disappeared like phantoms, bloodthirsty and killing with impunity.
To put it bluntly, Jiange Pass was a formidable chokepoint: one man guarding the pass could hold off ten thousand.
Three hundred miles from Jiange Pass, the three powers assembled. Their banners billowed like resilient grass on a vast prairie, and their innumerable tents dotted the landscape like flowers blooming on a boundless plain.
A dense Evil Qi surged skyward from the military camps, staining the white clouds blood-red and obscuring the heavens.
Within the encampment stood a colossal tent, a full thousand feet in size, richly embroidered with gold thread and opulent designs, exuding an aura of nobility.
The leaders of the three powers sat in three distinct groups, their separation clear. In the very center lay an exquisitely detailed sand table, perfectly mapping the terrain and topography of Jiange Pass.
"Everyone," Elder Rong of Qionghua Sacred Place began, approaching the sand table, "the mountains around Jiange Pass are all protected by Formations. Only the stone path leads to Jiange Pass. If we wish to attack it, we must advance along this path, reach the base of the pass, and destroy the core Formation!"
Ever since the Kylin Sacred Place had consolidated its forces, the Kylin Dao Domain had been completely sealed off, barring outsiders. To fully occupy the Kylin Sacred Place, they had no choice but to capture cities and destroy Formations along the way. The terrain of the Kylin Dao Domain, shaped by massive geographical alterations over ages, had become exceedingly complex, especially in the border regions, where each defensive pass was more formidable than the last. Jiange Pass was, relatively speaking, the easiest point to attack.
Furthermore, the Kylin Sacred Place arranged its Formations with cities as their core, radiating outward to cover the surrounding territory. Therefore, to destroy a Formation, they had to capture its central city.
"The stone path is very narrow, only allowing three people to walk abreast," the Water Bear Emperor of Qianyao Sacred Place said with a frown. "It’s a full hundred miles to Jiange Pass, and the forests are filled with ferocious beasts. Just reaching Jiange Pass would be an achievement, let alone capturing it!"
"Indeed! Who knows how many will die on the road to Jiange Pass!" Star Lord Kaiyang of Zixia Sacred Place lamented, his brow furrowed with worry.
The representatives of the three powers exchanged glances and began to simulate battle scenarios using the sand table. They tried numerous attack strategies, but all ended in failure.
"How about this," the Water Bear Emperor proposed after a moment, his fists clenching with a CRACK, "our three forces’ Great Emperor Realm Martial Artists attack simultaneously. Let’s see if we can destroy the Formation with overwhelming power."
The Formation at Jiange Pass was indeed powerful, capable of withstanding an attack from an Original-source Great Emperor Realm expert or multiple Ten-thousand-year Emperor Realm experts. However, their combined numbers were vast; sustained attacks could potentially destroy the great array.
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Please reconsider!" Shu Qingyun, Zheng Guiqiong, and Xiong Lie objected vehemently, their stance resolute.
"Seniors," Shu Qingyun urged, "the East Border suffered grievous losses in the Coldwater War. Another large-scale war between Emperors would be detrimental to the East Border!" As a native inhabitant of the East Border, he could not stand by and watch it fall into ruin. If such a war devastated the East Border and hindered the cultivation of future generations, they would be eternally culpable.
"Seniors, Jiange Pass is surrounded by powerful Formations. If Emperor Realm Martial Artists make a move, it will devastate tens of thousands of miles of the surrounding mountains. Please, think again!"
"The earth veins of the East Border are already fragile; they cannot withstand more large-scale destruction!" Zheng Guiqiong and Xiong Lie quickly added.
The Coldwater War had obliterated one Dao Domain and affected dozens more. If they used brute force to destroy the Jiange Pass Formation and inflicted irreparable damage on the earth veins of the surrounding Dao Domains, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Very well," the Water Bear Emperor conceded after a moment of thought, seeing their reasoning.
He didn’t care about the East Border’s environment, but he was concerned about the Karmic power that would be generated by damaging Heaven and Earth.
Shu Qingyun and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They continued to discuss strategies for assaulting Jiange Pass with their armies, eventually developing several new ideas.
By evening, they had devised a tactic that could breach Jiange Pass, though it was rather brutal.
The greatest danger in ascending Jiange Pass came from the wild beasts in the forest. However, if they could lure the beasts out with bait and then dispatch powerful warriors to hunt them, they could significantly reduce army casualties.
The only remaining problem was the bait.
"Use humans!" the Water Bear Emperor sneered. "Human flesh and blood are tempting not only to other races but also to the beasts reared by the Kylin Sacred Place. Besides, there are plenty of humans in the surrounding Dao Domains; we can just capture some."
Elder Rong and Star Lord Kaiyang frowned. They were extremely disgusted by the idea of using humans as bait.
"Do you have any other options?" the Water Bear Emperor asked coldly, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.
He understood human nature. Humans are both strong and weak, base and noble, often wavering between godhood and bestiality. Most remain mediocre, and the mediocre rarely reach the pinnacle of the world. He believed he would get a satisfactory outcome because Elder Rong and Star Lord Kaiyang did not belong to that sacred part of humanity; in the face of benefits, they would lean more toward their animal instincts.