1182 Preparation Before the Battle (1/2)
The hazy distant mountains were as though covered with a thin layer of muslin that made it faintly discernible, along with the ethereal clouds that were seemingly neither close nor distant around it. The dark lines in the scenery that separated the blue horizon and the aquamarine sea were as though they had been lightly painted with a paintbrush.
A closer look at the mountain showed the sea to its east with pasture on its west side, while the northern and southern sides were guarded by the winding and undulating mountain corridor with precipitous rocks and steep forest. Thanks to the vigorous wintry Wintersweet plants and the tenacious tall green bamboos, the mountain still had some spots with lush greeneries even in the cold winter.
Whoosh…
A cold current lingered in the blowing wind at the mountain summit and, suddenly, a ghostly figure appeared all of a sudden and leaned against the pine tree in the summit. The figure was Tang Xiu. There were faint small beads on the tip of his nose as his intelligent and nimble eyes scanned the surroundings. His mind, however, was wandering and full of the churning contents of spells and arrays.
It was the place designated to be the battlefield for a full-blown battle between the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp. He rushed to this place with Tang An after learning its location and then began to lay out a huge array as he arrived. The chief purpose of his coming to Japan was to propel Kuwako to be the most powerful person in Japan and thus, either the Joyous Palace or the Gene Camp would affect his plan. It was then he decided to resort to killings so as to remove all the obstacles and pave the way for Kuwako.
”Four men are climbing fast about 2km eastward, Grand Master.” Tang An emerged out of nowhere and reported in a low voice. ”They should be Gene Camp's genetic warriors.”
Moving like a flash of lightning, Tang Xiu threw a pierce of jade into the ground and covered the traces with soil and leaves. Then, he grabbed Tang An's wrist and their figures vanished at the same time.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four figures quickly arrived. Wearing black exercise clothes and a katana on their back, with faces covered by masks, they vigilantly scanned the surroundings unceasingly.
After a while and not noticing any abnormality, the four people then dashed to the other end.
”What a cautious and careful bunch.”
Tang Xiu slightly sneered after he and Tang An reappeared again.
Tang An's expression, however, was solemn as she whispered, ”It's very likely both the Joyous Palace and the Gene Camp have been truly stimulated by us, Grand Master. I can tell that their next battle should be quite serious.”
”Yeah, else my painstaking efforts of laying out this huge array would've been for naught should they just sit their asses off,” commented Tang Xiu.
”But… do you really not need us to come with you on the day of the fight, though?” asked Tang An hesitantly. ”I'm afraid they would cease fighting once both of them suffer huge blows.”
”Ah, you never participated in the battle between cultivators, An. You have no idea about the scene where huge crowds of people kill each other at all times. It's extremely bloody, brutal and literally won't end easily. No matter which side shows any fear, they will immediately be in a weak position, and what greets them afterward is a crazy pursuit from their adversary. What do you think is the most important issue in a large-scale war between cultivators?” Tang Xiu chuckled.
”Strength?” Tang An hesitated for a moment and probed.
”Strength is but only a minor factor. The most important thing is momentum.” Tang Xiu shook his head and smilingly explained, ”Individual prowess does have its own role in large-scale wars, yet it's significance in the overall picture of the war isn't as big as you might think. To make it clearer, let's make you the comparison. You're now a Golden Core cultivator, but do you have the confidence to win against tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Foundation Establishment experts?”
”This… I'm not confident about that.” Tang An shook her head.
”True powerhouses may be able to escape, but the weaker ones wouldn't have that luxury.” Tang Xiu went on with a smile, ”The momentum of any side will weaken once their powerhouses begin to run. The rest will lose their fighting spirit, leading to a drop in their combat power.”
Having said that, he took out the prepared shovel from the interspatial ring and dug a six-and-a-half-meter wide and two-meters deep pit next to the pine tree. After putting six fist-sized jades into the pit, he covered the pit with soil and erased all traces as he clapped and said, ”Well, the array is done and this pine will be its core. When both sides finally battle, they will be trapped inside the array once I activate it.”
Tang An, who really admired Tang Xiu's knowledge and mastery in arrays, nodded and said, ”Are we going back now, Grand Master?”
”Let's go back!”
Tang Xiu calmly smiled and grabbed her wrist again.
****
The next day finally came.
Thousands of genetic warriors from the Gene Camp along with hundreds of cultivators occupied a side of the mountain peak under General Fukuda's leadership. The radius of several kilometers around the entire camp was under tight surveillance by a lot of genetic warriors with hidden and open guard posts literally everywhere around the camp.
As dusk came, a large number of Buddhist cultivators from the Joyous Palace also arrived under the leadership of the Joyous Palace Master, Dragon Vanquisher Sage. Descended with him on the other side of the mountain were tens of detection experts, whereas 500 Buddhist cultivators of the palace marched forward to approach the Gene Camp's encampment.