Chapter 63 Imminent War

Chapter 63: 63 Imminent War

63

Imminent War

A beam of light pierced through the darkness of the mausoleum and struck Yun Che’s masked face.

He remained standing for several seconds, allowing his eyes to adjust once again to the brightness of the outside world.

His mind still held the images of the library, the herb garden, the furnaces, the spiritual crystals, the formations, the treasures, and above all, the knowledge left behind by the Great Alchemist Rafael.

Yun Che cast one last glance at the mausoleum before walking away. No one knew that the mausoleum now belonged to him.

To the Medusas and the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect, he remained the mysterious masked man who had saved the Medusa Princess and entered the mausoleum.

It was better this way.

The moment his feet touched the ground again, his expression changed slightly. Something was wrong.

The Medusa territory no longer looked the same.

In the distance, columns of dark smoke rose between the mountains. Some structures had been destroyed, parts of the defensive formations had been broken, and there were deep marks left behind by a battle.

Yun Che raised his eyes. When he had entered the mausoleum, everything had seemed to be under control. Now, however, it looked as though a war had swept through the place.

He observed the position of the sun.

"How much time has passed?"

While Yun Che was receiving Rafael’s inheritance, the outside world had continued moving, and the Medusas had fought a battle.

Yun Che began walking through the mountains, and the farther he went, the clearer the extent of the destruction became.

A stone platform had collapsed. Houses built into the mountain walls were partially destroyed, and some passages between the different levels of the territory had been blocked by rubble.

Empty spiritual crystals were scattered across the ground, signs that the defensive formations had been used to their limits.

Corpses were scattered around as they were being collected. Dead Medusas were being removed from the battlefields.

There were also the corpses of Lizardmen and Beastmen. Many of them had been turned into stone, resembling numerous broken statues scattered around the area.

As for the bodies of the Medusas, some were covered with cloth before being carried away. Others were still receiving their final care from their companions.

No one had time to mourn. The survivors continued working. One Medusa carried medicine.

Another helped a wounded warrior walk, while two young women removed stones from a destroyed passage and other female cultivators attempted to repair a defensive formation.

Yun Che remained silent.

When he had first arrived in that territory, he had been aware that the mountains were far more than a simple fortress. There were houses, plantations, storage areas, production areas, and defensive routes.

He passed through an area where spiritual herb fields had once existed. Much of the plantation had been destroyed.

Some plants had been burned, while others had been crushed during the fighting. The few that had survived were being carefully removed from the soil and transported to a protected area.

Yun Che narrowed his eyes.

Those plants were not merely cultivation resources for the Medusas. They were essentially future medicines.

The loss of the plantations meant fewer medicines, and fewer medicines, in turn, meant more deaths among the wounded.

And without enough farmers to restore the fields, food production would also decrease.

The consequences of that battle would not end that day. They could last for months, perhaps even years.

Yun Che continued observing.

Storage facilities had been damaged, and part of the food was being transferred to safer structures. The reserves of spiritual crystals had also decreased.

The formations protecting the territory needed to be rebuilt precisely when their use would be most necessary.

There was something even more concerning. It did not matter how many resources remained. The greatest problem was that there were not enough hands to do the work.

The same survivors had to fight, rebuild, cultivate, transport food, and care for the wounded.

Every death increased the burden on those who remained alive. Yun Che stopped in front of an improvised treatment area for the wounded.

The place was crowded.

Wounded Medusas lay on pieces of cloth spread across the ground. Some had deep cuts, others burns, while alchemists worked to stabilize the most serious cases.

The smell of blood mixed with that of medicinal herbs. A woman ran past carrying a small box.

Another shouted:

"We’re out of recovery herbs! We’re also running short of pills!"

"We have some reserves!" someone replied.

"They’re few. They won’t be enough for the number of patients we’ve received."

"Are more wounded coming?"

There was silence.

Then came the answer:

"Yes, but another group is on its way. We’ll have to prioritize the most serious cases."

Yun Che remained standing for a moment. That conversation said everything. The Medusas had won, but the price they had paid was far too high.

He continued walking until he reached the area where the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect were gathered, though not all of them were there.

Yun Che recognized several of those who had remained behind to help the Medusas.

This could no longer be treated as simple temporary cooperation.

The agreement they had made with the Medusas stated that the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect would assist in defending specific points of the mountains. However, the conflict had turned into something much greater.

In the distance, some of the cultivators were talking, their faces showing concern and irritation.

Five of their companions had been killed during the attack, and that would certainly change the Profound Flower Sect’s attitude.

Yun Che did not need to hear the entire conversation to understand that the circumstances had changed completely.

He turned his eyes back toward the territory. Although they had emerged victorious, they were not celebrating. There was no sense of victory.

Only survivors trying to rebuild what had been destroyed. And then Yun Che understood something.

The Medusas were not simply rebuilding. They were preparing. Warriors ran between the mountains.

Messengers crossed the passages, spiritual crystals were carried to strategic positions, weapons were being distributed, and damaged formations were being repaired in haste.

Yun Che narrowed his eyes. They were not preparing to rest after the battle.

They were preparing for another battle. At that moment, a warrior ran past.

"Call the elders!"

Another immediately replied:

"The Queen has called for a meeting."

"Then inform the cultivators of the Profound Flower Sect as well!"

Yun Che followed the movement. Something had happened, or was about to happen.

He walked toward the center of the territory. With every step, he found new evidence of the violence of the confrontation.

Parts of the mountains had been destroyed. The outer defenses had been used to their limits. The supplies were being reorganized.

Yun Che finally reached an elevated area. From there, he could see a large portion of the territory.

The mountains still formed a natural fortress, but now they were covered with the scars of battle.

Thousands of Medusas worked without rest. Yun Che remained watching until he heard a voice behind him.

"Human."

He slowly turned his head. A Medusa was standing several meters behind him, her expression serious.

"You should go to the council hall."

"Me? Why?"

The warrior hesitated.

"The elders have called a meeting. The presence of the humans has been requested."

Yun Che narrowed his eyes.

"What will this meeting be about?"

"About the attack... and about what comes after it."

"What comes after it?"

The warrior looked toward the mountains, and her beautiful face turned pale.

"The Lizardmen and Beastmen did not completely retreat after being defeated."

Yun Che remained motionless.

"They are gathering their forces."

"How many?"

"We still don’t know, but you will be properly informed about everything at the meeting."

She took a deep breath.

"I’ll take you to the meeting."