Chapter 184: The Layout
As the Wuhun Hall Soul Masters began a large-scale rout, the entire battlefield had been completely turned around.
In the center of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's plaza, Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo were still in charge of the situation, occasionally directing various actions, including chasing down the fleeing Wuhun Hall Soul Masters, sorting out the casualties of sect members, and summarizing the losses within the sect. Of course, due to Wuhun Hall's extensive use of fire in the earlier stages of the attack, even extinguishing the fires had been a difficult task.
Lin Gong stood by Yang Xiong's side, surrounded by numerous Purple Bamboo that had formed a protective barrier around them. Yang Xiong's condition was currently unusual, and no one knew how long it would take for him to fully recover. If interrupted by others, there could be real danger.
Meanwhile, others began pursuing the fleeing Wuhun Hall forces, even surrounding and attacking from both sides.
The single-attribute three major families, under the leadership of Yang Wudi and Niu Gao, were like tigers released from their cages, fully unleashing their power to hunt down the Wuhun Hall members.
The three major single-attribute families had a deep-seated grudge against Wuhun Hall. Now, with such a good opportunity, how could they not pursue?
Sword Douluo also chased after the two Title Douluos from Wuhun Hall, but unfortunately, both the Magic Bear Douluo and the Ling Yuan Douluo were incredibly fast in their escape.
If Title Douluos used all their power to flee, it would be difficult to catch them without surrounding and trapping them completely.
Ling Yuan Douluo's Martial Soul, the Flaming Eagle, was incredibly fast, and even though she was severely wounded, she pushed her flying speed to its limit, fleeing at an extraordinary speed.
Magic Bear Douluo also disregarded his injuries, using all his strength to fly back toward Wuhun Hall, looking like he was fleeing for his life.
Sword Douluo, after realizing he could not catch the fleeing Title Douluos, decided to kill more of the ordinary Soul Masters that came to attack.
He summoned countless sword energies, and it seemed as though the sky was filled with a massive sword rain. Many black-clad Soul Masters were killed on the spot.
The battle lasted for two full hours before the remaining Wuhun Hall members had mostly escaped, leaving behind countless bodies.
However, after the war, Ning Fengzhi listened intently to the various reports with a grave expression.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had achieved an unprecedented victory, there were no true victors in war, especially when facing a surprise attack from Wuhun Hall's Soul Master army.
Despite receiving early warnings, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's preparations were rushed, and many members died in the initial wave of attacks.
The number of Soul Masters lost was between seven hundred to eight hundred, which accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total sect population. Even more troubling was the frequent bad news about the one-fifth of the disciples who were away on missions.
Given the situation, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had around five thousand Soul Masters in total, and their losses were estimated at just over a thousand, meaning their total loss was more than 20%.
The thousand Soul Masters lost were only part of the casualties; the loss of common folk was even worse, with many women and children killed.
Not to mention the massive destruction caused, with the entire sect resembling a sea of fire. The financial losses were astronomical.
In contrast, the losses on Wuhun Hall's side were even more exaggerated. In the early stages, Dugu Bo and Sword Douluo had killed many of their Soul Masters, and later on, Sword Douluo continued to chase them down. From the number of bodies alone, over six thousand were accounted for, with many of the bodies completely shattered or turned to ashes, not even considering the heavily wounded escaping Soul Masters.
Despite all this, Ning Fengzhi spent the entire night without sleeping, handling the sect's various affairs.
The reason he remained in the plaza was twofold: first, to give everyone confidence as the sect's pillar; second, the sheer number of post-battle tasks needed leadership and control. Otherwise, the sect could easily fall apart, especially given that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a support-type sect.
After a whole night, Yang Xiong's body seemed to undergo a gradual transformation. His killing intent became more intense, as if he were a demon emerging from hell.
His body quickly absorbed the energy from the air, and the three shattered soul bones that had been broken began to grow back.
When Yang Xiong woke up again, it was already the next morning.
He looked around, and aside from Lin Gong, Sword Douluo was sitting beside him, meditating, with his parents and older brother nearby.
Yang Wei, his older brother, was overjoyed. "Little Xiong, you've finally woken up! You look terrifying."
Yang Xiong felt immense pain throughout his body. It felt as though every bone in his body had been crushed, but it was rapidly regenerating.
As Yang Xiong observed his body, he realized he had broken through a certain limit, and his soul power had reached level seventy. He seemed far stronger than before.
"Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Teacher Lin, Teacher Sword Douluo, I should be fine now. Thank you all for your concern."
After comforting him, Sword Douluo and Lin Gong carefully checked Yang Xiong's body, and they finally sighed in relief.
Yang Xiong's condition after yesterday's battle had been extremely strange, as though it defied the normal rules of soul masters.
When Ning Fengzhi saw that Yang Xiong had recovered, he finally felt a sense of relief.
Yang Xiong immediately asked, "Sect Master, what was the damage to our sect yesterday?"
Ning Fengzhi sighed, "Although we achieved a great victory, we lost over a thousand disciples, including those who were out on missions. Additionally, we lost countless common folk and children, and the financial losses are incalculable. Given the extent of the damage, it will take more than ten years to fully recover."
Yang Xiong was shocked. He hadn't expected that, despite all the preparations, the battle for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would still be so brutal.
However, no matter what, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had won the battle, and it had not been completely crippled.
Especially since Sword Douluo didn't suffer the same fate as in the original story and didn't lose an arm, he hadn't been set back in his cultivation. There was hope for him to continue advancing in the future.
Yang Xiong thought for a moment before speaking, "Sect Master, though we suffered some losses, Wuhun Hall likely suffered even more. They won't have the ability to launch a large-scale war for some time."
Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Indeed. Just counting the bodies of the black-clad attackers, we've already accounted for more than six thousand. Including those killed by soul techniques or reduced to ashes, their casualties are likely over seven thousand."
"Even if Wuhun Hall is strong, they can't organize such a large force anytime soon. They'll need a long time to recover."
"Moreover, Wuhun Hall has lost two Title Douluos in this battle, which is truly a crippling blow to them."
Yang Xiong was puzzled. "Sect Master, which two Title Douluos from Wuhun Hall were killed? Magic Bear Douluo should have escaped, right?"
Yang Xiong secretly hoped Magic Bear Douluo had survived. Though he lost to Magic Bear Douluo yesterday, if he trained harder, he could surpass Magic Bear Douluo within three to five years and even defeat him without any assistance.
It was true that if not for Ning Fengzhi's extreme support and Oscar's Beyond the Limit Dark Green Sausage, Yang Xiong's 69th-level soul power would never have allowed him to fight a Title Douluo.
In normal battles, Yang Xiong considered himself barely at the level of a Title Douluo, but when it came to life-or-death combat, Title Douluos showcased terrifying power. As his teachers had told him, each Title Douluo had exceptional talent, top-tier Martial Souls, extraordinary willpower, and countless opportunities—everything had to come together.
Ning Fengzhi smiled slightly, rare for him. "Don't worry, Little Xiong. Magic Bear Douluo escaped. Although Sword Douluo chased him relentlessly, he ignored the army surrounding him and managed to flee back to Wuhun Hall."
"With time, you'll surely defeat Magic Bear Douluo and avenge today's defeat."
Yang Xiong clenched his teeth. "Sect Master, Teachers, don't worry. Next time, I will personally slay Magic Bear Douluo and take revenge for the humiliation I suffered today."
Ning Fengzhi hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Little Xiong, what do you think we should do next with our sect?"
Yang Xiong looked puzzled. "Sect Master, didn't we already drive off the Wuhun Hall attackers? What else needs to be done?"
Ning Fengzhi let out a bitter smile. "This battle has been too devastating for us. If it weren't for you, Yang Wudi, and Niu Gao's help, along with your previous strategies, we would have suffered even more."
"Right now, we are in a weakened state. Although we still have four thousand Soul Masters, if Wuhun Hall remains a threat, our days won't be easy."
"That's why I'm thinking of relocating the sect to Heaven Dou City. By aligning ourselves with the Heaven Dou royal family, we can recover our strength more quickly."
Yang Xiong's mouth twitched at the thought. How could the situation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect be so much better than in the original story, yet Ning Fengzhi still wanted to move the sect to Heaven Dou City?
In the original story, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had suffered immensely during the Wuhun Hall soul hunting operation and had been further weakened by the attack from Qian Renxue. The remaining Soul Masters were severely diminished, and the sect's strength had taken a drastic hit.
Yang Xiong carefully thought it through before speaking, "Sect Master, have you considered that our sect is so large? If we really move to Heaven Dou City, we may not get along well with the Heaven Dou royal family."
"The Heaven Dou royal family doesn't have top-tier Soul Masters right now, which is why they rely on us. But if one day they develop multiple Title Douluos, we might end up in conflict, and even suspicion could arise between us. At that point, we could be in trouble."
"You know the Heaven Dou Empire has been training Soul Masters for years. While they lack top-tier Soul Masters, their ordinary Soul Masters are no less than ours. If they ever turn against us, we may not be able to escape."
Yang Xiong's words were carefully thought out. Historically, while sects and royal families had some ties, no sect had been as closely connected to the royal family as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was currently wealthy and thriving, if it ever faltered, the royal family could easily swallow it up.
Ning Fengzhi became extremely serious when he heard this, and his expression changed drastically after hearing Yang Xiong's next words.
(END CHAPTER)
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