Chapter 494 - 303: Distant Old Friends, Predicament

Chapter 494: Chapter 303: Distant Old Friends, Predicament

Main Camp, Dragon Ridge Mountain.

Here, the mountain range had been leveled into tiered terraces. The summit was completely flattened. Simple barracks, built on foundations of giant logs, were arranged in a neat, staggered pattern.

Leading down from the summit were four ten-meter-wide main roads. Martial Artists prepared for war, waiting in strict formation.

More people continuously arrived from the distance—some in battle groups, others alone. After reporting to the central command, they were assigned to various encampments.

Three weeks ago, the camp at Celestial Sword Gorge was attacked. During the crisis, six Celestial Pride Classes, composed of juniors and seniors from Shenhan University, fought desperately to intercept the enemy, covering the main army’s successful retreat. But every class suffered casualties, and some of those prodigies fell on that battlefield, never to rise again.

For the average Martial Artist, this news was almost unbelievable. Those were precious prodigies, every one of them a candidate for the Grandmaster Realm, with the potential to one day become a Martial Saint.

So long as they didn’t perish, they were all but guaranteed a smooth and successful life. Yet, to cover the main army’s retreat, they had risked everything to hold the line. With power equivalent to the fifth and sixth realms, they had somehow held off a 6th-tier Spider Demon army led by the Yuanmo Royal Clan.

And the Yuanmo Royal Clan’s combat power was equivalent to that of human Grandmasters!

Many of the old veterans on watch couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration as they looked toward the cluster of tents in the central section of East Mountain.

Forget the idea that all men are created equal; the gap between one person and another can be wider than the one between a man and a dog.

An enormous chasm separated the prodigies from ordinary Martial Artists. But the fact that these prodigies had died to protect them eased the resentment in the warriors’ hearts.

However, in the East Mountain encampment, the atmosphere among the five junior and senior Celestial Pride Classes from Shenhan University was incredibly oppressive. Many of them had red, swollen eyes.

"Stop moping! We’re prodigies, yes, but we’re also Martial Artists. And we’re human. In a war against another race, no one can guarantee they’ll win every time.

What we need to be thinking about now is how to strike back and avenge our fallen comrades!"

Feng Hua stood in a red, armored robe still stained with blood. Her aura was incredibly sharp—dangerous and lethal.

At Jiang Nianwei’s waist hung two unusually shaped blades: one was broad and heavy with a short blade, while the other was a thin, sharp longsword.

Her expression was composed, and the inch-long scar on her forehead only added to her air of battle-hardened ferocity.

Jiang Nianwei stepped forward, her voice low. "I’ll be the vanguard for this battle!"

Her voice was firm and resolute, her determination unwavering.

Li Jueyin immediately followed. "I’ll go with you!"

In truth, Li Jueyin was the better choice for vanguard. Her attacks were more ferocious, and her stamina was greater, making her more likely to create an opening.

Feng Hua nodded in agreement and gave her instructions. "Then Zhang Xunyi will lead the experts in guerrilla tactics across the battlefield, assassinating the Yuanmo Royal Clan squad leaders!

"Qingshan and I will lead our forces to intercept the main Yuanmo army. You must create an opening as quickly as possible!"

"Our priority in this battle must be to break through Arrow Bamboo Ridge. It’s the only way to wash away our humiliation!"

Zhang Xunyi seemed to have a different opinion, but after opening his mouth as if to speak, he simply agreed to the tactical plan.

When the Celestial Sword Gorge camp was attacked, a thousand members of the Yuanmo Royal Clan had swarmed them at once, which meant facing nearly a thousand Grandmaster-level experts. Below them, they commanded countless elite Spider Demons.

The garrison here was the B-rank Celestial Tiger Corps, which had only two Great Grandmasters and over a hundred Grandmasters.

Even with the warning from the support-class Martial Artists’ psychic network, it was already too late.

At the critical moment, the commander of the Celestial Tiger Corps, Jee Yang, ordered the Celestial Pride Classes to intercept the enemy while the rest of the army retreated. Simultaneously, Jee Yang led his headquarters’ elite—all Martial Artists at the Gang Qi level or higher—to fight to the death, which was how they finally managed to halt the Yuanmo Royal Clan’s advance.

Against an elite army led by the Yuanmo Royal Clan, any of his Martial Artists below the Gang Qi level would have been nothing more than cannon fodder. Yet if everyone had retreated at once, it would have turned into an absolute slaughter.

In a battle between two armies, the worst mistake is to flee without putting up a fight. A rout and pursuit would have meant few would survive.

In truth, Jee Yang was making a gamble. He was betting that the Guardians assigned to the Celestial Pride Classes would intervene.

And sure enough, everything went according to Jee Yang’s script.

The Guardian teams protecting the six Celestial Pride Classes included two Great Grandmasters and nearly fifty Grandmasters. With this new force joining the fray, the battle lines didn’t collapse instantly.

With support from the Celestial Tiger Corps’ elite units, all six Celestial Pride Classes attacked as one. Each of them possessed astonishing strength and the ability to fight opponents in higher realms.

Combined with the intervention of the Guardians, they managed to hold off the enemy for a difficult half-hour.

After that, the casualties began to mount relentlessly.

Their own side lacked top-tier fighters, so members of the Yuanmo Royal Clan frequently targeted the prodigies. No matter how ridiculously talented the students were, it was nearly impossible for them to fight against opponents who so vastly out-powered them.

Then, at the height of the crisis, Yu Wen Baji—a recent addition to the Celestial Tiger Corps—arrived from the rear. Despite being only in the Grandmaster Realm, he cut down two Yuanmo Commanders, who were 8th-tier demons. He went on to slay dozens of 7th-tier Yuanmo Royal Clan members, allowing everyone else to survive.

Unfortunately, many prodigies still lost their lives, as they couldn’t be saved in time.

Jee Yang bore the undeniable blame for the defeat at Celestial Sword Gorge. Consequently, the Celestial Tiger Corps was placed under the temporary command of Yu Wen Baji, with all six Celestial Pride Classes falling under his jurisdiction.

Just as Feng Hua and the others finished confirming their strategy and were about to discuss the details, an incredibly arrogant voice cut through the air.

Feng Hua and the others jumped in alarm. They all had exceptional perception. ’Someone got this close without any of us noticing?’

"With garbage tactics like that, you call yourselves combat leaders for Shenhan’s Celestial Pride classes?"

The makeshift tent flap, hastily put up by ordinary Celestial Tiger Corps warriors, was kicked open. Yu Wen Baji swaggered in, the gaudy assortment of metal chains on his body rattling and clanking.

He glanced sideways, blowing a lock of purple hair out of his eyes, and said with contempt:

"Feng Hua, some girls are all chest and no brain, but what’s your excuse for being so stupid? You’re letting a nobody who isn’t even a squad leader act as the vanguard?"