Chapter 596: Meat at Our Lips

“Mmm... mmm...” Jin Wuguang let out muffled groans. Blood choked from his nose and mouth as agitation overwhelmed him.

“Dog! You dog! Niu Youdao, you'll die a miserable death...” Cao Yuer screamed in despair as she was dragged away, nearly mad with grief.

Neither Sect Leader had imagined Niu Youdao would use such a vicious method.

He meant to destroy Zhenling Academy and Feihua Pavilion completely.

Their dignified Sect Leaders would be hung from the city walls, together with other surviving senior members of the sects. Would the disciples of Zhenling Academy and Feihua Pavilion come to rescue them or not?

Rescue them?

With what?

Almost all the experts in both sects had already been lost. Could a group of young disciples with mediocre cultivation really rescue anyone? With the lives of their Sect Leaders and seniors held in the enemy's hands, they would be afraid to make any reckless move. How could they rescue them? Run over merely to die?

Find outside experts to help?

Niu Youdao was not an ordinary cultivator. He was a cultivator capable of influencing real secular power. The implications were too great. Anyone without a comparable background would not lightly involve himself in such an affair.

More importantly, an operation on this scale had already failed. Even Zong Yuan, the expert ranked seventh on the Golden Core Ranking, had died here. Who would still dare intervene casually?

And if they did not attempt a rescue?

The cultivation world differed from the secular realm. Sects placed enormous importance on master-disciple lineage, inheritance, and succession. Those were the foundations of the cultivation world.

The consequences of refusing to save them were easy to imagine.

From then on, disciples of Zhenling Academy and Feihua Pavilion would never again be able to hold up their heads in the cultivation world. They would lose the confidence needed to compete with others. The tree would fall and the monkeys scatter, each seeking his own future. Once they dispersed, none would even have the face to call himself a disciple of Feihua Pavilion or Zhenling Academy.

The two sects would vanish like smoke.

That was more painful to the two Sect Leaders than killing them outright.

The accumulated efforts of generations of predecessors would be destroyed in their hands.

Originally, even if the two Sect Leaders died, so long as their sects still had people left, there would remain a chance to rebuild one day.

What Niu Youdao intended now was to destroy the foundation that held the two sects together, tear both sects apart completely, and erase their names from the cultivation world.

How could Cao Yuer and Jin Wuguang not be frantic?

At first, some of the cultivators present had not understood the true purpose behind Niu Youdao's decision.

One after another, they soon realized it.

They were cultivators themselves, after all.

“Make them shut up. Treat them properly and don't let them die easily!”

Seeing Cao Yuer curse without pause and damn Niu Youdao to a miserable death over and over, Xia Hua waved a hand and shouted.

The disciples below immediately sealed Cao Yuer's voice.

Unable to make a sound, Cao Yuer threw back her head and wailed silently, tears mixing with the blood and grime on her face as she stared into the heavens.

Her heart was bleeding.

The three Sect Leaders on Niu Youdao's side, however, felt deeply satisfied.

This was exactly how it should be.

Nothing short of annihilating both sects could wash away their hatred. It would also give an accounting to the disciples of their own sects, both dead and living.

The three sects therefore approved wholeheartedly and cooperated without hesitation.

Regardless of whether the attackers had originally come for Niu Youdao, Maolu Villa was an area defended by their three sects. If Feihua Pavilion and Zhenling Academy were destroyed because of this battle, the reputation of all three sects would rise sharply in the cultivation world.

This was an achievement they could truly point to.

The people of Dachan Mountain likewise had no objection.

Privately, they even approved.

Eliminating these two sects that had never stopped coveting Nanzhou would save them from endless interference in the future.

It was simply that the method was a little too ruthless.

This was uprooting the grass by the roots, harsher than straightforward killing.

Huang Lie said mildly, “Little brother, if you hang them from the city walls, everyone knows perfectly well they were acting for the imperial court. Will the court rescue them or not? You're slapping the court across the face.”

Niu Youdao asked coldly, “Is Sect Leader Huang speaking on behalf of the imperial court?”

There it was again.

That tone was drifting back toward the accusation of collusion from inside and outside.

Huang Lie waved a hand. “That's not what I mean. What if the court finds some excuse and orders you to hand them over? Will you openly defy an imperial decree?”

Niu Youdao said, “If they ask for the prisoners, must I give them over? They came to kill me in my own home, and I'm supposed to deliver them safely back afterward? If the court still wants to preserve its face, it would be best not to open its mouth. The real slap in the face is still to come.”

Huang Lie smiled faintly and said no more.

Fine. Make trouble.

If you enjoy fighting with the imperial court, then slowly fight to your heart's content.

Just don't blame Dachan Mountain for standing aside and watching coldly.

The others from Dachan Mountain all had their own thoughts as well.

Guan Fangyi, watching from the side, knew better.

Niu Youdao rarely chose to confront people head-on.

This time, however, he had clearly made up his mind to smash directly into the imperial court once.

Shang Shuqing listened with a melancholy expression.

She rarely took part in Niu Youdao's affairs. This was the first time she had personally witnessed how cold and ruthless he could be within the cultivation world.

Yet she also understood the principle that mercy cannot command an army.

The flower-robed man remained an observer too.

He had no desire to interfere.

He only wanted to see how this junior, who had risen so rapidly in only a few short years, handled matters.

The black-clad masked men who had gone down the mountain to collect the bodies of their companions now returned.

They also carried back Zong Yuan's shattered remains.

A man with status received different treatment even after death. His corpse had not been disposed of casually.

“Who is this?” Xia Hua asked.

Guan Fangyi said, “The expert ranked seventh on the Golden Core Ranking. One of the men who attacked the villa.”

“Seventh...” Xia Hua's expression changed drastically. “He's Zong Yuan?”

Fei Changliu and Zheng Jiuxiao were likewise shocked.

Zong Yuan had died here too?

They had been busy fighting earlier and had not noticed the battle between Zong Yuan and the flower-robed man.

Guan Fangyi nodded with a sigh.

The three Sect Leaders turned toward Niu Youdao together.

Today had given them an entirely new understanding of the strength at Niu Youdao's disposal.

Even Zong Yuan had been killed.

Xia Hua asked, “Should we hang his body from the city walls as well, to frighten people?”

The flower-robed man spoke coldly. “If you hang his corpse from the city walls, a great many people will take offense at you, and every one of them will be someone you cannot afford to provoke. Not everyone can be humiliated at will. I advise you not to create trouble for yourselves.”

Niu Youdao gave a slight nod. “Find a proper place and bury him.”

Xia Hua also knew she had misspoken and quickly ordered disciples to carry Zong Yuan's body away for burial.

...

After all the confusion and cleanup, the sun had already become a setting sun.

Weary birds returned to the forest.

A group of people stood outside Maolu Villa's gate bathed in the evening glow while messengers came and went, reporting the situation.

The casualty figures had finally been compiled.

The three sects had suffered heavily. Nearly three thousand disciples had been killed or wounded.

The garrison had suffered even worse losses. Facing an assault by more than ten thousand cultivators, nearly seven thousand soldiers had been killed or wounded.

And this was despite the fact that the troops had barely entered close combat at all.

Yuan Gang had seen the situation turning bad and ordered the garrison to withdraw in time. Otherwise the casualties would have been even more severe, and Feihua Pavilion and Zhenling Academy might have shattered them in a single rush.

The losses suffered by Zhenling Academy and Feihua Pavilion were even more disastrous.

After the corpses were counted, more than nine thousand dead were found. Most had fallen beneath the storm of arrows. In the end, only a little over two hundred members of the two sects had escaped, while several hundred wounded had been captured alive.

The final numbers made one thing clear.

They had won the battle, but judging purely by casualties, they had hardly come away cheaply.

The facts also proved that Feihua Pavilion and Zhenling Academy were indeed much stronger than the three sects on this side.

Without tens of thousands of soldiers using long-range weapons to support them and wear down the enemy's strength on a massive scale, Niu Youdao's side could never have stopped the assault of those two sects.

From a certain perspective, the imperial court's plan this time had possessed an overwhelming chance of success.

After losing so many people, Niu Youdao slowly let out a breath and looked toward the three Sect Leaders.

“There is no question that the imperial court was behind this. Gentlemen, tell me what we should do. Swallow the humiliation in silence, or repay tooth for tooth?”

Guan Fangyi's heart sank.

She knew Niu Youdao had already decided to confront the court directly this time.

For him to say such a thing meant he plainly had no intention of letting the matter end here.

The three Sect Leaders exchanged glances.

The other side had not exactly escaped unharmed either.

If they did not stop here, what else were they supposed to do?

Repay tooth for tooth?

They were no match for the imperial court.

Xia Hua touched her injured shoulder, deliberately drawing Niu Youdao's attention to it, and tentatively asked, “Master Dao, what do you want to do?”

Both hands resting on his sword, Niu Youdao lifted his chin slightly and gave a cold laugh. “They've already attacked our doorstep. How can we make no sound in return? Since they enjoy fighting, then we'll accompany them.”

“If we don't hit the imperial court hard enough this time to make them feel the pain, they'll keep treating us like soft persimmons they can squeeze however they please. Monkey!”

Yuan Gang stepped forward. “Master Dao.”

Niu Youdao's ten fingers tapped lightly atop the sword hilt. “Xue Xiao has quite some nerve. The prisoner I sent over had never even been judged by the court, yet he dared release him.”

“Send word to His Highness immediately. Provoke trouble along the Dingzhou border and manufacture a pretext to send troops. The men and baggage trains returning from Jinzhou are not to disperse. Reassemble them immediately, change direction, and march on Dingzhou. Attack Xue Xiao's forces, and hit them hard. I want them to see the spirit of Nanzhou's army!”

“Tell His Highness to open his appetite and eat as much as he can while the chance lasts. Miss this opportunity and it won't come again. However much territory he can swallow, let him swallow it freely. Anything he manages to take will be his. I will not easily spit it back out again!”

The instant those words left his mouth, everyone went pale with shock.

Even the flower-robed man was visibly surprised.

Was Niu Youdao ordering Nanzhou to declare war on the Yan court?

Shang Shuqing stared in astonishment.

Yin'er was still happily eating her food.

She did not understand what anyone was talking about anyway.

The Dachan Mountain group could no longer hold their composure.

They had only just gotten their footing in Nanzhou when one disaster after another struck. The imperial court had only recently frightened them badly enough that their nerves had not even settled, and now this madman intended to seek trouble himself and start a war with the court?

What kind of joke was this?

If you want to go mad, don't drag us down with you!

Yuan Gang merely nodded.

Without wasting a word, he turned and went to carry out the order.

Huang Lie's face turned black. Through clenched teeth, he asked, “Little brother, are you joking?”

Niu Youdao turned his head toward him. “The blood the imperial court spilled here hasn't even dried yet. Do I look as though I'm joking?”

Anger rose visibly across Huang Lie's face.

He very much wanted to say: if you want to fight, go fight. Dachan Mountain is not accompanying you.

Without Dachan Mountain's cultivators protecting the army, let's see how you intend to fight.

But when he met Niu Youdao's cold, killing gaze, his heart tightened.

His eyes instinctively swept across the black-clad masked men nearby and the flower-robed man.

Guan Fangyi's mouth twitched.

Now she understood.

Only now did she finally understand.

So this was where that accusation of “collusion from inside and outside” had been waiting.

No wonder Niu Youdao had kept bringing it up openly and indirectly, reminding Dachan Mountain again and again.

At this moment, the pressure on Dachan Mountain was enormous.

One wrong move, and that accusation would be placed squarely on their heads.

The words already at Huang Lie's lips were swallowed back down.

He said heavily, “Little brother, you should understand that although Nanzhou can be considered strong in soldiers and horses, trying to oppose the imperial court with the strength of a single province is like a mantis raising its arms before a chariot. We'd be wildly overestimating ourselves. Have you considered the consequences?”

Niu Youdao replied, “What consequences are there to consider? The imperial court first gathered a large force in Beizhou to confront Han, then gathered another force to defend against Song. There aren't many troops left inside Great Yan that can still be mobilized.”

“Dingzhou has also had a substantial number of soldiers and cultivators transferred away. Its defenses are weak. This is exactly the moment for Nanzhou to use troops. With the edge of Nanzhou's army, can Dingzhou's forces stop us? If His Highness can still lose under these conditions, then I don't think Nanzhou is worth preserving either.”

“To the north, Han watches like a tiger. To the east, Song is itching to move. Does the court really dare tear its face completely with us now?”

“The meat is already at our lips, there for the taking. If we don't eat it now, when will we?”

[End of Chapter 596]