Chapter 140: A Grievous Mission, The Advance on Mad Dragon Fort
Chapter 140 – A Grievous Mission, The Advance on Mad Dragon Fort
Chen Changsheng studied the shifts in their expressions before turning his gaze toward Ye Hensheng.
“The boxing art you cultivate is peculiar; it demands the slow tempering of time to truly whet its edge,” he remarked coolly.
“You have only just glimpsed the truth of its essence. It is no shame to fall before the seasoned today.”
“Shall I forge a pretext to restore your rank as a leader?”
Ye Hensheng lowered his head, his voice steady. “I am grateful for your favor, Sir, but a loss is a loss. There is no room for equivocation.”
“Only the weak spin tapestries of excuses; the strong search for the rot in their own roots.”
“For this mission, I will march as a common soldier. I choose to join Brother Su’s cohort.”
“A reasonable choice,” Chen Changsheng replied. “Discuss the finer details amongst yourselves. I shall be waiting beyond the mountain gate.”
With that, Chen Changsheng rose and vanished from the pavilion.
The four remained in a heavy silence for a moment before they began to shrewdly weigh the fated paths of the coming slaughter.
In terms of raw numbers, Mad Dragon Fort held the advantage.
To dismantle such a force, a mere charge would not suffice; they required a strategy of absolute precision.
If they fell upon the enemy like a disorganized mob, even a victory would be a Pyrrhic one, paid for in too much disciple blood.
Chen Changsheng had intentionally refrained from offering a plan, leaving the burden of strategy entirely on the shoulders of Gongsun Huaiyu and her peers.
……
Half an hour dissolved into the past.
Over a thousand Purple Mansion disciples stood in a lethal, disciplined formation outside the mountain gate.
A handful had been seized by cowardice and retreated at the final hour, but Chen Changsheng spared them not a single glance.
One could not demand that every soul under heaven possess the hunger for the slaughter of the battlefield.
The alignment of these thousand-plus disciples was telling: the cohort led by Su Tian and Ye Hensheng had drawn sixty percent of the manpower.
Gongsun Huaiyu and Zi Ning split the remaining forty percent between them.
Furthermore, Su Tian’s ranks were saturated with the highest concentration of inner sect experts.
This outcome sat perfectly within Chen Changsheng’s expectations.
Zi Ning and Gongsun Huaiyu radiated a brilliance that was far too blinding; to follow them was to be swallowed by their shadows.
But Su Tian was different—powerful, yet not so overwhelming that he eclipsed those beneath him.
In his ranks, any disciple with sufficient marrow was guaranteed to carve out their own glory.
“One thousand and eighty disciples have assembled. We await the order, Holy Son!”
Zi Ning was the first to step forward, her face a mask of cold severity.
Chen Changsheng looked upon her and spoke with a detached calm. “Su Tian shall command the center. Gongsun Huaiyu and Zi Ning shall take the left and right wings.”
“Su Tian, you are to launch a frontal siege upon Mad Dragon Fort. Zi Ning, you will strike like a blade from the flank. Gongsun Huaiyu, you are the reserve; you will hold the line against any outside interference.”
“We obey the mandate!”
As the command echoed, the disciples took to the sky, a cloud of spiritual essence drifting toward the horizon where Mad Dragon Fort lay.
Chen Changsheng sat atop a massive Demon Beast, positioned at the very heart of the moving army.
……
Upon the back of the beast.
“Since the conclusion of the Heavenly Talent Assembly, the Kunlun Holy Land has severed all ties with Mad Dragon Fort,” a disciple reported.
“The Yaoguang Holy Land has followed suit.”
“By all logic, the Fort should be faltering, yet recent intelligence suggests otherwise.”
“The influence of Mad Dragon Fort is actually expanding. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion deduces that a shadow power is fueling them from the dark.”
The disciple finished his report and retreated with practiced obedience.
Zi Ning and the others frowned deeply as they pored over the maps of the Middle Heavens.
“To support the Fort while defying the pressure of the Purple Mansion… the power in the shadows is no trivial foe,” Zi Ning muttered.
“However, given the current friction in the Middle Heavens, they likely only dare to move in secret.”
“We need not fear them stepping onto the board openly—not yet.”
Ye Hensheng nodded, his expression grim. “That may be so, but there is another variable.”
“Mad Dragon Fort is situated at a treacherous junction where the borders of the three Holy Lands bleed into one another.”
“It is a vital node of the world’s spirit. Kunlun and Yaoguang will not simply watch as we seize such a prize.”
“If those two Holy Lands decide to muddy the waters, this campaign may end in a hollow retreat.”
At those words, every eye turned toward Chen Changsheng, who was leisurely stroking the fur of his hound.
He was the sovereign of this march; the grand strategy was his to dictate.
Chen Changsheng looked up, his gaze predatory. “In terms of sheer numbers, we possess no advantage in this assault.”
“To claim victory, we must strike with a swift, decisive finality.”
“The central army’s frontal assault is a mere feint. The true killing blow rests with Zi Ning’s two hundred blades.”
“You must bypass the secondary fortifications and strike directly at the heart of the Fort.”
“You are to tear the life from their center in the shortest possible window of time.”
“This is a path of nine deaths and a single sliver of life. The slightest tremor of your hand means the end of your cultivation path. Do you have the resolve?”
Zi Ning met his gaze with absolute iron. “I shall not fail your trust, Sir!”
Chen Changsheng nodded, then pointed to another section of the map.
“Su Tian, your feint is no less arduous.”
“Mad Dragon Fort will react to your presence with a frantic, desperate defense. You must draw out their hidden masters.”
“Simultaneously, you must shift your forces to the flanks without alerting their divine intent, completing a pincer movement.”
“The moment Zi Ning ruptures their heart, your feint must transform into a ruthless main assault.”
“You will devour Mad Dragon Fort from the outside in.”
Ye Hensheng, acting as Su Tian’s strategist, interjected.
“Sir, the terrain for a pincer movement requires us to pass through the territories of Gale Inn and Golden Light Cave.”
“Golden Light Cave belongs to Kunlun, and Gale Inn is a vassal of Yaoguang.”
“In such haste, they are unlikely to grant us passage.”
Chen Changsheng clicked his tongue, a cold edge entering his voice. “That is your burden to carry. Resolve it.”
“Negotiate with them or put them to the sword—I care not. But if that pincer movement is not formed within three hours, you will bring me your heads.”
“If I had to solve every obstacle for you, what use would I have for your lives?”
Su Tian and the others felt their blood run cold.
Zi Ning’s mission was a suicide run, but their own task was equally steeped in bone-chilling pressure.
Seeing the others receive their mandates, Gongsun Huaiyu stepped forward, unable to remain still.
“Sir, what of us?”
“We are not inferior to them. You cannot expect us to sit idly while the world burns.”
“How can I face my disciples if I lead them only to watch from the sidelines?”
Chen Changsheng pointed to a desolate, vital coordinate on the map.
“Your task is heavier than them both. Your cohort will entrench yourselves here.”
“This node is the throat of the region—the only path for retreat, and the perfect high ground for an ambush.”
“You will hold this position and provide support to the others as needed.”
“More importantly: if any outside forces attempt to intervene, you must hold them for three hours, regardless of their numbers.”
“If a single enemy passes through your line, bring me your head.”