Chapter 306: The Council of Nascent Souls
During the years when Wang Hong was deeply engrossed in refining tools, the battle between the Cultivation World and the Demon Clan continued to escalate, growing fiercer by the day.
The Human Clan found themselves caught in a two-front war, and their disadvantage became increasingly evident. They were running short on manpower.
At this point, most loose cultivators from various Cultivation Cities, except for those conscripted, had left the cities and gone into hiding in remote, untraceable locations.
Hoping to save the fate of the Cultivation World by sacrificing themselves and shedding blood was nothing more than a fool's dream.
While there was a loose cultivator alliance that could represent the entire loose cultivator community, it only held when there were benefits to be gained. When it came time to make sacrifices, most individuals couldn't be found anywhere.
The cultivators who remained in place at this moment were those with families and businesses, unable to flee.
Inside a grand and imposing hall, ten powerful cultivators were seated.
If a Golden Core cultivator were to rashly intrude at this moment, they would likely be terrified by the overwhelming aura these ten individuals exuded.
Remarkably, all ten of them were Nascent Soul cultivators, a sight rarely seen in ordinary times. Today, they had gathered to discuss the fate of the East Zhou Cultivation Realm in the face of the ongoing war between humans and demons.
"Ladies and gentlemen, given the current situation, the East Zhou Cultivation Realm finds itself trapped between two enemies. If this continues, our realm is in grave danger!" spoke a seemingly young cultivator.
"Yes! If we cannot come up with a solid plan, East Zhou may face destruction!"
"Every day, cultivators are dying, while the Demon Clan loses only cannon fodder, with a steady stream of reinforcements."
"Last year, I ventured into the Southern Region and tried to contact the Southern Region cultivators, hoping they would extend a helping hand in solidarity as fellow members of the Human Clan against the Demon Clan. Unfortunately, those Southern Region cultivators were short-sighted and only cared about their immediate safety. Not a single one was willing to help," lamented a cultivator with a youthful appearance and silver hair.
"Humph! Those deviants in the Southern Region no longer consider themselves part of the Human Clan. If East Zhou falls to the Demon Clan, they shouldn't expect to fare any better. The Demon Clan doesn't discriminate between those who practice evil or ghostly arts," angrily retorted a middle-aged woman.
Although the Southern Region Cultivation World was also part of the Human Clan, they practiced sinister Cultivation Techniques or ghostly arts, which had always been despised by East Zhou cultivators. There had been tension between the two sides for a long time.
Now that East Zhou was in trouble, expecting assistance from the Southern Region was nearly impossible.
"Getting reinforcements is unlikely, and the Southern Region is a lost cause. Seeking help elsewhere is also a long shot. We should focus on finding a way to save ourselves."
"I do have a risky idea. What do you all think?" asked a young man dressed in flowing white robes.
"Please share your idea, Fellow Daoist. Let us hear it and discuss it together," they all agreed. Their purpose in gathering today was to come up with a strategy.
"As you are all aware, considering the current situation, it is almost certain that the East Zhou Cultivation Realm is facing defeat. My idea is this: since defeat is inevitable, why not take a risk? As you know, the East Sea is vast, teeming with countless Demon Clan creatures that live in the sea. However, most of them are aquatic Demonic Beasts and cannot stay out of the water for extended periods.
So, these Demon Clan creatures are gradually advancing along rivers, expanding their territory. Although they come with great aggression, their progress cannot be too rapid, and it's unlikely they will quickly penetrate deep into East Zhou.
My idea is this: for the aquatic clans in the east, we should primarily focus on delaying their advance through a containment strategy. Then, we should gather our greatest strength and launch a lightning-fast assault on the Western Demon Tribe.
We aim to recapture Jin'an City and eliminate all Demon Clan members in the Boundary Mountain Range before they can react. After that, we should swiftly enter the West Zhou Demon Realm and try to slay one-third of the Demonic Beasts there, weakening their forces.
Once the West Zhou Demon Realm reacts, we can withdraw rapidly and take a defensive position in the Boundary Mountain Range to fend off the Western Demon Tribe's counterattack."
The young man in white proposed temporarily abandoning the eastern front and using a small number of cultivators as a distraction while concentrating the majority of their forces for a surprise attack on the Western Demon Tribe.
"Excellent! This plan is brilliant! What do you all think?" the youthful-looking old man with silver hair exclaimed, being the first to express support.
"This plan is indeed excellent! I also agree with it. If we can weaken the West Zhou Demon Realm first, half of our problem is solved," another cultivator voiced their support.
"Fellow Daoist's plan is indeed exceptional, but there is one concern. I believe Fellow Daoist is aware of the presence of Demon Clan infiltrators. If we mobilize all our forces, leaving our defenses vulnerable, might they take advantage of our weakness?" a middle-aged woman, while supportive, raised another issue.
"This is indeed troublesome, and it's something I hadn't considered before. Do any of you have suggestions to address this concern?" The white-robed young man was open about his limitations.
After thinking for a while, the group couldn't come up with a better solution. The number of Demon Clan infiltrators was substantial, and it would be challenging to identify them all quickly.
"In my opinion, we may have to sacrifice a small number of individuals."
One middle-aged person suggested, and everyone was aware that although there were many infiltrators, they were scattered throughout the entire East Zhou Cultivation Realm. Gathering them quickly was unlikely, and the dispersed forces posed no real threat to their major factions.
They only needed to activate the protective Large Formations, making it difficult for the Demon Clan to break through, regardless of how they attacked.
As a result, it was the smaller factions outside the city that would suffer the most, and those without any affiliations would have to rely on their luck.
The Cultivation World had always been cruel in this regard, with the weak unknowingly becoming cannon fodder for others. Wang Hong, in particular, had no knowledge of these matters.
At this moment, he was upstairs in the East Zhou Trading Company, handing a Storage Bag to Xu Lun.
Inside it were countless Spiritual Weapons he had crafted over the past few years to practice his skills, which he now intended for Xu Lun to sell.
He had no intention of keeping such unsightly Spiritual Weapons anymore. Xu Lun, looking at the hundreds of Spiritual Weapons in the Storage Bag, was utterly amazed.
He knew that Wang Hong had been learning refining tools, but he never expected his progress to be this rapid. Wang Hong was now proficient in crafting Spiritual Weapons.
"You can trade all of these for refining tool materials," Wang Hong instructed Xu Lun. The reason he had come out of his sect this time was that he needed more refining tool materials.
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