HSSB314: The vexed Sacred Sun ClanUnder Yuan Zhengfeng"s lead, Broad Creed Mountain launched a full counterattack, regaining the land that they had lost.
Making use of Huang Guanglie having lost the Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler and also carrying injuries, Broad Creed Mountain expanded unforgivingly on their momentum, launching an offensive into the Fire Domain once more.
The way things played out felt rather familiar to the Sacred Sun Clan martial pract.i.tioners…
It seemed to have been this way back in the war of the Eastern Tang as well, going from winning to losing.
Not only did they lose all that they had won earlier, they even lost their own original belongings.
The familiar process, the familiar scene, played out once more…
It was such that even the vexed feeling of wanting to vomit blood was exactly the same, perhaps even being even greater.
After learning that in this battle, their Sacred Artifact, the Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler, had actually been lost, the entire Sacred Sun Clan was rendered speechless for a time.
The World Illuminating Peak no longer glowed brightly with sunlight, instead having the rare feeling of tragic, despondent clouds lying overhead.
The Grand Elder Pan Botai and the head of the Seven Reigning Suns, the World Illuminating Lord, had been lost beneath Broad Creed Mountain.
The Sunset Lord sat within the great hall, his face incomparably horrendous.
He too had gone to the Heaven Domain, having just happened to have remained suppressing the South Heaven Region rather than following them to Broad Creed Mountain.
Otherwise, it was hard to believe that in a situation where everyone other than Huang Guanglie had perished, he would have been able to survive.
However, even as he felt that slight sense of rejoice, the Sunset Lord also felt great embarra.s.sment and humiliation that could not be expressed in words.
In having attacked Broad Creed Mountain this time, the Sacred Sun Clan"s situation could already no longer be described as having departed in high spirits and returned in bitter defeat. It was truly as if they had smashed their heads into the stone of Broad Creed Mountain, skin bursting and blood spurting everywhere as they had nearly ended their own lives there.
Having departed in high spirits, full of confidence-it now seemed like it had been a complete joke.
The face of the clan"s current Chief, Huang Xu, was sunken as water as he gazed at the room before him.
After Huang Guanglie returned, he had entered the room to rest and moderate his condition, recovering from the injuries Yuan Zhengfeng had dealt him.
After recovering, if he met Yuan Zhengfeng and the Clear Qi Robe somewhere outside of Broad Creed Mountain, Huang Guanglie would still have the ability to do battle.
If Yuan Zhengfeng had rushed over to trample the World Illuminating Peak, the situation would be completely reversed. Even whilst injured, Huang Guanglie would still not fear him.
It was just that despite this, his uplifting momentum upon emerging seclusion whereby he had felt that he could sweep through the entire world had been terminated, being snapped right at the waist.
Having lost the Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler was even more so an unbearable pain.
After looking at the room for a while, Huang Xu retracted his gaze, swivelling his head over, his gaze sweeping past the group of higher echelon members of the Sacred Sun Clan.
His voice was low and heavy, “Defend and await reinforcements; be careful with every step. After my father has recovered, the Fire Domain will still be our Sacred Sun Clan"s, and the border where we face off will still be that between the Heaven and Fire Domains.”
The Sacred Sun Clan bigwigs present all nodded.
Huang Guanglie"s grandson and Huang Xu"s son, Huang Jie, stood at a backmost corner amongst them, without any sense of existing there whatsoever.
Huang Jie was calm and composed at this, just that a pondering expression appeared on his face.
Huang Xu glanced at Huang Jie, who had already completely regained normalcy at this moment.
When Huang Guanglie had just returned to the clan and precise news had arrived, the stunned expression that had abruptly surfaced on Huang Jie"s face brought back old memories.
Even as his father, Huang Jie extremely seldom saw Huang Jie like that. More precisely, he had already not seen it for a very long time.
Even when the Sacred Sun Clan had suffered a huge loss in the battle of the Eastern Tang previously, after learning of it, Huang Jie had simply appraised mildly, “Not careful enough in our actions, our plans having been seen through and countered by the other side.”
The others dispersed, Huang Xu"s gaze landing on Huang Jie.
Huang Jie ceased his pondering, raising his head and saying, “Yuan Zhengfeng leaving seclusion early need actually not be considered much. While it is unknown how exactly he managed to recover from his past injuries, it was still within the boundaries of our plan.”
Huang Xu nodded.
When they had made their projections previously, the worst case scenario was Yuan Zhengfeng emerging from seclusion even earlier than Huang Guanglie.
In that case, the Sacred Sun Clan would defend the World Illuminating Peak with all their might. With the Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler still present, it would not be so easy for Broad Creed Mountain and its other affiliated powers to trample over the Sacred Sun Clan.
What had transpired in the end was Huang Guanglie leaving seclusion a step earlier. In that case, even if Yuan Zhengfeng just managed to catch with him, emerging from seclusion earlier than expected, it would also not be important.
At the very most, it was just be that they would be unable to completely destroy Broad Creed Mountain. However, under the pressure of Huang Guanglie and the Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler, they would be able to force Yuan Zhengfeng and the Clear Qi Robe to remain in the Clear Qi Grand Formation. That way, the Sacred Sun Clan would be able to easily and relaxedly gobble up the Heaven Domain, strengthening themselves a step further.
In the long run, with the strong getting stronger, the victory would ultimately belong to the Sacred Sun Clan.
This was the real, immense advantage brought about by Huang Guanglie emerging successfully from secluded cultivation, his strength increasing a step further.
Pressuring others with force, they would just capitalise on the point that the other side was unable to stand against him head-on.
Huang Jie said, “The greatest unforeseen occurrence was that sudden, unexpected change in Broad Creed Mountain"s Clear Qi Grand Formation. I would almost believe that Broad Creed Mountain really was in cahoots with the Nine Underworlds.”
While they had framed Broad Creed Mountain in order to move their troops legitimately, Huang Xu and Huang Jie both knew how things truly were.
Of the current six great Sacred Grounds, if one were to find a side which hated the Decimating Abyss the most, it would probably be none other than Broad Creed Mountain.
Hearing his words, Huang Xu"s face immediately darkened, “Great Sun Heaven Measuring Ruler…”
Huang Jie said, “The current situation is generally equivalent to being slightly worse when Grand Master had yet to enter seclusion and Yuan Zhengfeng had yet to become a Martial Saint. The advantage of my Sacred Sun Clan against Broad Creed Mountain no longer exists, our levels of strength being even. Hmmm, following this battle at Broad Creed Mountain, perhaps we stand at a slight disadvantage.”
“However, as compared to the other four Sacred Grounds, the advantage of us two is even more immense.”
Huang Jie said, “What follows will be a critical period for our Sacred Sun Clan. We will have to watch over the entire situation.”
He momentarily paused slightly before saying, “It appears that our previous understanding towards Broad Creed Mountain was still insufficient.”
Huang Jie lowered his head, looking at the ground, “…Broad Creed Young Master Yan Zhaoge-he is worthy of us paying more attention to him, observing him more greatly and more carefully. I had always felt that we had appraised his worth highly enough before, but I feel now that we still undervalued him somewhat.”
“In this tribulation for Broad Creed Mountain, in the various changes outside of our plans, I feel that there always seemed to be this person"s shadow behind it. This person has deficiencies in his personality that are not small, possessing many points that we can make use of, but he always manages to perform shockingly beyond one"s predictions.”
Huang Xu said, “This second recurring year of yours; you were unable to commemorate it ah.”
Hearing his words, Huang Jie raised his head, a seldom seen smile visible on his face, “On the exact contrary, the first miscalculation in one"s life leaves an extremely deep and lasting impression.”
He swivelled his head towards the north in the direction of the Heaven Domain before he muttered to himself, “At the same time, it is also the first time that I want so strongly to kill another person, and still one at around the same age…”
……
In the Central Heaven Region of the Heaven Domain, on Broad Creed Mountain, Yan Zhaoge"s expression was calm as he looked at the Clear Qi Grand Formation circulating silently overhead.
After a while, he gazed towards the south, then towards the northeast, “Our enemy"s desire to destroy us never dies ah; as soon as the slightest chance arises, they lunge over like a shark who"s seen blood.”
Yan Zhaoge narrowed his eyes into slits, “All along, there has only been chasing thieves for a thousand days, never guarding against thieves for a thousand days.”
“Sacred Sun Clan, Heavenly Thunder Hall, you lot won"t think that it"ll end just like this?”