Chapter 548
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Chapter 548: Crossing the River Dragon
Qing State, southern bank of the Qing River
Lin Jiang decided to fight against the Demon Human. He asked Lin Huasheng to gather skilled fighters from Qing State. He insisted that only those who were at least Innate Martial Artists or Martial Saints must join the battle.
During Lin Jiang’s absence of about ten years, Qing State had improved its strength and gained another Martial Saint. However, in this recent battle, two fighters were lost, leaving only fifteen Martial Saints in Qing State.
Lin Jiang was upset to learn that the people of Zhonghang Sect, who had been hiding in Bing State, refused to show him respect. Despite Lin Huasheng’s attempts to persuade them to come out, they ignored him, which made Lin Jiang angry.
Fighting against the Demon Human was a crucial matter for the entire human race. Personally, Lin Jiang had done them a great favor. If it weren’t for him offering them the chance to wake up from their slumber, they would have perished long ago. Lin Jiang felt offended by their lack of gratitude.
Led by Lin Huasheng, the two men hurried to Bing State. The environment was still the same as it was thousands of years ago, a vast swamp.
The people of Zhonghang Sect were hidden within the large swamp. Without a guide, ordinary people would never find them.
Only a few hundred people lived in their secluded place. Many of the revived disciples of Zhonghang Sect had not married, as they had spent their whole lives studying martial arts. Some had lost interest in marriage due to the tragedies that befell their families during the apocalypse.
Among the few hundred people, there were three awakened cultivators, led by a man named Feng Mingjie. Feng Mingjie was a descendant of the revered ancestor of Zhonghang Sect, Feng Zhang, and held great prestige within the sect during the era of cultivation.
"I’m sorry, Ancestor Lin, normally I would obey your request when you come to invite me personally, but this time, I don’t wish to go."
After learning about Lin Jiang’s request, Feng Mingjie still refused to help.
"You can’t just say you don’t want to go."
"Ancestor Lin, Lin Huasheng respects you because you are the ancestor of the Lin family, but you are not a senior of my Zhonghang Sect. If Ancestor Cao Ying personally asks me, I will obey, but not you."
When Feng Mingjie faced Lin Jiang’s questions, he shared his thoughts. He already knew about the strength of the Demon Human, as Lin Huasheng had told him before. Knowing this, he had even less desire to go. What good would come out of such a dangerous mission?
Besides, Lin Jiang is not a senior of the Zhonghang Sect. While Lin Jiang has a close relationship with Cao Ying, he is not a member of the Zhonghang Sect.
"Feng Mingjie, you won’t give face even when I reason with you, right?"
"Ancestor Lin, why force us? We disciples of the Zhonghang Sect seek peace and seclusion here, without causing any trouble to others."
"Fine, as you wish, Lin Huasheng."
"I’m here."
"We are going to Qing State to awaken the remaining sleeping cultivators of Zhonghang Sect, especially those from the Feng family. I remember there were hundreds of sleeping people from the Feng family. There should still be a lot of them. Let’s see if they are willing."
"Lin Jiang, do you dare?"
Feng Mingjie’s face turned pale. They are becoming more and more hopeless about reality because disciples of Zhonghang Sect have been hiding here for hundreds of years, with no sign of spiritual energy recovery. If all the disciples of Zhonghang Sect are awakened, wouldn’t this crush all their hopes?
"Why not dare? Tell me, why not dare? Who set up the hiding place in Qing State? Who collected the treasures inside? If it weren’t for Cao Ying’s sake, would you all have a share? Lin family, Five Elements Sect, Wangxian Sect, how many people have I given up for you? And this is how you repay me?"
"Lin Jiang, if you dare to touch them, I will fight you to the end."
"Haha, you really grew up spoiled, didn’t you? During the invasion of the demon tribe in Yun State, you were in logistics, right? I remember, I was the one fighting on the battlefield. Are you threatening me?"
Lin Jiang chuckled coldly. He was not afraid of being threatened. Right now, Lin Jiang had plenty of ability to act tough.
Feng Mingjie was furious and ready to challenge Lin Jiang, but the other two people from Zhonghang Sect immediately stopped him, speaking kind words. If they were to fight, Zhonghang Sect would definitely lose out.
"Ancestor Lin, we are willing to follow you into battle. Out of respect for Ancestor Cao Ying, please don’t disturb the disciples of our Zhonghang Sect. The people inside are all innocent."
"Come, out of respect for Cao Ying, I will spare you this time. Gather all your skilled warriors at the south bank of Qing River, none shall be left behind. Follow me to battle."
"Furthermore, I will be upfront with you. If any of you show signs of cowardice, fear, fleeing from battle, or plotting against us in secret, not a single disciple from Zhonghang Sect will be spared. Instead of awakening your conscience, all will be eliminated."
Lin Jiang said a few words before turning and walking away, leaving the members of Zhonghang Sect with mixed expressions.
"Sixth Patriarch, things have turned sour. What if they truly engage in sabotage from behind?"
"Do you think what I just said was true, or was I just trying to scare them?"
"Sixth Patriarch, I wasn’t referring to that. What if it becomes critical…"
"Don’t worry, I’ve got my eye on them."
With a wry smile, Lin Jiang thought to himself that things had been going well, but now they had escalated to this point, so he couldn’t blame himself for being cautious around these people.
······
After the big battle on the river that day, the commotion on the north bank where the Demon Humans are settled down quite a bit. Even though there were small fights happening, both sides chose to heal their wounds. In that battle, both sides suffered heavy losses.
After Lin Jiang’s encouragement, most of the experts from Qing State gathered on this side. Only a few people were left guarding the mountain gates from the three families. There were over a thousand warriors who were at the level of Martial Saints or higher.
On the Zhonghang Sect’s side, as agreed, they also arrived. They couldn’t afford not to come. To Lin Jiang’s surprise, they had four Martial Saints and nearly a hundred warriors who were at the level of Martial Saints or higher. Their strength was impressive, considering their numbers, which indicated a high level of quality.
In this battle, there’s not much strategy involved. One thousand two hundred and fifteen people will be divided into five teams. The Martial Saints will form two teams. First, they will hide on the north bank, then led by Lin Huasheng, they will advance deep into the north bank to locate the Demon Human Martial Saints for combat. If they can’t find them, they will engage in combat immediately, primarily to disrupt the war potential of the Demon Humans, by any means necessary.
By doing this, they hope to lure out the Demon Human Martial Saints. Once the Demon Human Martial Saints appear, they will head towards the riverbank on the north bank. One team of Martial Saints will then launch a surprise attack, while other warriors will stop the Demon Human army to prevent them from surrounding them with their forces. The battle will begin, and the remaining team members will start commanding the warships for support…"
Lin Jiang explained the tactics for the upcoming battle, which were straightforward and aimed at targeting the high-ranking Demon Humans to weaken them. The best scenario would be to eliminate all the Martial Saints of the Demon Humans on the north bank.
Afterwards, Lin Jiang organized the group. He assigned Feng Mingjie to the first team led by Lin Huasheng, while the rest of the Zhonghang Sect members were placed in Lin Jiang’s team. If anyone tried anything sneaky, Lin Jiang had a chance to deal with them. Of course, the likelihood of anyone trying something was low since they were surrounded by Lin Huasheng and others.
Once the plan was set, they didn’t leave immediately. They waited for a dark and windy night before all the experts started their mission. Before they set off, they made sure to clear out any spies from the Demon Humans in the Qing River. This had been an ongoing task, but it was stricter tonight.
"Let’s go"
Lin Jiang gave the order. A group of skilled warriors swam across the river holding long ropes on their backs. They quietly lurked on the other side of Qing River. They pulled up the ropes so the rest of the people could cross the river by holding onto the ropes and staying quiet.
By the time Lin Jiang crossed the river, most people had already reached the northern bank. Those who had crossed first had already taken control of various routes on the northern bank.
"I’ll go first."
Lin Huasheng said to Lin Jiang and left with nine Martial Saints. In total, there were twenty Martial Saints, with ten people in each group.
The regular warriors left in teams and secretly hid at the designated location. After years of exploration and infiltration of the northern bank, they were familiar with the area along the riverbanks. They hid in the nearby forests.
The night passed quickly, and the northern bank remained quiet. Lin Jiang even saw ordinary Demon Humans going out to work. Demon Humans lived in primitive tribes, focusing on hunting and gathering rather than farming. It depended on the form of the Demon Human; if it had a beast body and human head, there was no chance.
By midday, Lin Jiang heard the horns of the Demon Humans. Soon, the Demon Human Tribe in front of them started to panic. The Demon Humans who had gone out were hurrying back to the tribe. Before long, fully armed Demon Humans appeared, following the increasingly intense horns.
After about two hours, Lin Jiang finally saw Lin Huasheng and the others, being chased by a large group of Demon Humans. Arrows rained down on them, and Demon Humans surrounded them from all sides, bravely charging towards them. Even if it meant death, they wanted to stop them for a moment.
"Only seven people left."
After looking at everyone, Lin Jiang’s face turned serious. Ten Martial Saints went in, but only seven were seen. Lin Jiang hoped they had scattered, not been slain.
"Get ready."
With a wave of his hand, Lin Jiang picked up a custom-made strong bow, pulled the string back, and aimed at one of the Martial Saints.
