Chapter 602: Chapter 598: Resentment of the Late Minister

As leaders who have commanded the Southwest battlefield, they could not engage in a battle as passionately as average Martial Ancestors. Besides focusing on the battlefield situation, they had to pay attention to supporting their own members. Often, the reason they ended up with broken armors and injuries was due to the burden of their comrades rather than the capabilities of their opponents.

In the first batch of portraits that Tang Luo provided, they saw the active fighters on the battlefield, and in this second batch, the impression left on both of them was of broken armors or situations of fleeing using the Xuanji Jade.

Actually, apart from top-tier Martial Ancestors, Fierce Realm warriors mainly rely on aura sensing to distinguish between strong and weak, but this is not very accurate because it fluctuates greatly.

Some Fierce Realm warriors with abundant vitality may not possess high levels of cultivation, but their momentum can be as intimidating as a ferocious tiger; some Fierce Realm warriors with powerful spirits exhibit astonishing momentum as soon as they become Martial Ancestors, which can’t be taken lightly.

Precisely because of the differences in vitality and spirit, the momentum of Fierce Realm warriors can vary vastly, making it impossible for anyone to judge their respective strengths without a real matchup.

Although aura cannot fully gauge the strength of a Fierce Realm warrior, the amount of Spiritual Power can determine a warrior’s limit.

Even Tang Sen, in the battlefield, mostly engages in close combat ambush and fights with his Golden Rock Battle Body. Even though his proficiency in Sky-picking Hand can be ranked in the top three among the active Martial Ancestors of the Tang Clan, it is rare to see him using Sky-picking Hand to defend against enemies, let alone using the spiritually draining Extreme Mang Finger.

High skill does not equate to high power, for all Spirit Arts require the stimulus of Spiritual Power. With Tang Sen’s less than forty thousand units of Spiritual Power, his Extreme Mang, when drained of Spiritual Power, might not even match an effortless strike from the Great Elder.

This is the limitation Spiritual Power places on warriors. Despite Tang Sen’s strength, other people, as seen in Tang Luo’s portraits, are active fighters on the battlefield. However, their lack of Spiritual Power has caused them to be far less resilient and enduring than other Martial Ancestors.

After all, Tang Sen, equipped with the Thick Earth Fierce Kirin Armor, can resist the Spirit Arts of peer warriors using his physical body while recovering his breath. Other Fierce Realm warriors, on the other hand, can only rely on defensive techniques and spiritual armors to fend off attacks and would be catastrophically injured and forced to flee if they made a single misstep.

Moreover, as the Martial Ancestors of both the Tang and Mi clans have to reserve some of their Spiritual Power to activate the Xuanji Jade, these Fierce Realm warriors, with their inherently weaker Spiritual Power, have an even shorter sustainable combat duration.

“No wonder!” The second elder holds up a portrait and sighs to Tang Luo, “This man is Mi Jianxing, the Mi Clan’s genius from twenty-five years ago. He created a method of attacking and defending simultaneously using his sword and shield—a near-Dao technique. However, after awing in every battle, he would start to hide and duck, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Initially, I thought it was Mi Jianxing’s tactical style. But after being reminded by Sect Head Luo, I realized it was due to his lack of Spiritual Power. While his sword-shield dance is surprisingly powerful, it does consume a ton of Spiritual Power. If we can concentrate fire during his recovery period after performing the sword-shield dance, I believe we should be able to succeed!”

“And this one!” Tang Yi, the commander of the God Martial Army, excitedly slaps a portrait onto the ground, “As long as we can kill this cold-blooded archer, our casualties will be reduced to at least twenty percent!”

Nothing is more bothersome in a battle than unexpected joint attacks and sudden arrows flying out, a powerful archer would be a nightmare to the enemy on the battlefield. Mi Ling is precisely such a presence.

Armed with a short bow Spiritual Instrument, he always knows when to shoot you at your worst moment. Even though each shot may not be fatal, it has a huge impact on the overall rhythm. The outcomes of masters’ battles are often determined by a thin line; a lot of Tang Clan’s Martial Ancestors are forced to flee after their armors are broken by opponents mostly due to the existence of Mi Clan archers. It is as if a Tang Clan warrior attacks others with Extreme Mang out of the blue.

Now that they know Mi Ling is at the low standard of an initial-stage Fierce Realm warrior, Tang Yi is naturally exuberant and eager to implement some plans in his head immediately.

A thin stack of portraits brings them great joy. Their expressions become brighter, feeling that they have found a way to turn around the battle situation.

Watching the changes in their expressions, Tang Luo feels excited, not in vain for spending these days observing the battlefield and drawing portraits one by one.

Snowflakes flutter like goose feathers outside his umbrella, but the atmosphere underneath is hot enough to warm this freezing winter.

…

West of Yuling, Parliament Hall

The forty or so Martial Ancestors of the Mi Clan United Army sit on their chairs, meditating to get themselves into the best state for the fight – their last effort before the battle.

Seated at the head is the Sect Head of the Mi Clan, Mi Hai, followed by the Mi Clan’s Great Elder Mi Yang, and the Patriarch of the Cao Family, Cao Xiong.

The Western battlefield happens to be where Sect Head Tang Sen is stationed. As a warrior capable of launching an attack on Yuling alone, Mi Hai has specially asked Cao Xiong to guard Yuling.

Being the patriarch of the current generation of the Cao Family, Cao Xiong, who has completed the cultivation of his Sovereign Body, possesses the ability to turn land into marsh, making him the perfect counter to Tang Sen’s Golden Rock Battle Body. After all, even with the aid of Spiritual Power, stone cannot transform into genuine refined iron.

To other warriors, the unbreakable Golden Rock is no different from ordinary earth and stone in Cao Xiong’s eyes. If it were not for the disparity in their physical strength which left him afraid of being heavily injured when Tang Sen approached him, Cao Xiong alone could prevent Tang Sen’s Golden Rock Battle Body from materializing.

However, as defenders now, with Cao Xiong guarding Yuling, Tang Sen has repeatedly returned empty-handed and has only been able to take a passive defensive stance. Because of the significant contributions made by Cao Xiong and his family to the Western battlefield, Mi Hai has arranged him to be seated at the second seat in the parliament hall, on par with the Great Elder Mi Yang. This shows the great trust and regard the proud Mi Clan put in an outsider.

“Patriarch Cao, once we have everyone, we will attack West Foothill. I still require Patriarch Cao to spearhead our army. If Tang Sen transforms into a giant, please provide backup immediately,” said Mi Hai, seated at the head position with a big smile on his face. There was no hint of tension despite the imminent battle.

Cao Xiong also responded with an easy smile, “Sect Head can rest assured. As long as Tang Sen dares to deploy his Golden Rock Battle Body, I will turn it into a puddle of mud!”

Ever since his only son Cao Yi was killed by Xu Lao Ying, Cao Xiong has harbored hatred for the Tang Clan. If it weren’t for the Tang Clan’s marital ties with the Xu Clan, Xu Lao Ying wouldn’t have come to Longzhou Xiling. If he hadn’t come to Xiling, his only son, who had cultivated the Sovereign Body, wouldn’t have been killed. Therefore, it was because of the Tang Clan that his son was dead!

Unable to resent the noble Xu Clan, it was only natural that Cao Xiong directed his hatred to the Tang Clan. That’s why, when choosing sides, he unhesitatingly sided with the Mi Clan and was the first Patriarch to respond to the Joint Army’s call to arms.