Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 932 The war begins
The Netherworld Sect has long coveted the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

From the few Divine Soul Realm warriors and Foundation Establishment cultivators to the numerous disciples and stewards, as well as the aristocratic families and clans that depend on the sect, all of them coveted the abundant resources of the Spiritual Beauty Sea.

In fact, the Netherworld Sect also has many spiritual veins and treasure lands. The sect's headquarters is not much worse than the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, but the Netherworld Sect is simply too large.

Before, the Netherworld Prison had four Divine Soul Realm warriors, eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, and more than twenty Golden Body Realm warriors. So many powerful figures built a strong Netherworld Prison, but they also emptied the Netherworld Prison's coffers.

Each of them requires a lot of resources to cultivate, and the more powerful they are, the more resources they need.

People only know that there are many powerful people in the Netherworld Sect, but they don't know that there are many conflicts within the Netherworld Sect due to the issue of resource allocation.

In order to acquire more resources and resolve internal conflicts within the sect, the higher-ups of the Netherworld Sect had no choice but to embark on a path of expansion.

Over the past century, the Netherworld Sect has absorbed many surrounding forces, and its sphere of influence has spread to the Southern Wilderness. However, this still cannot meet the Netherworld Sect's resource needs.

Therefore, they set their sights on the beautiful and serene sea.

Although Mo Xuanyu had instigated the last war with the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, the main reason was that the Netherworld Prison Sect really wanted to annex the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

Mo Xuanyu's instigation led the Netherworld Sect to launch an attack on the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty ahead of schedule, but Mo Xuanyu's exposure also brought the war to a complete end.

This time, Lingxiu Sea was severely tricked by Zhang Mo, and its strength was greatly reduced. Naturally, Youyu Sect could not hold back and wanted to take this opportunity to seize Lingxiu Sea in one fell swoop.

The reason was readily available: although Han Jiangche's disappearance angered the higher-ups of the Netherworld Sect, they wanted to use it to seize the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

As for finding Han Jiangche or avenging him, they will do it, but they won't expend too much effort or energy on it.

……

Three days later, the vanguard of the Netherworld Prison arrived at the gates of Wuxiang City.

On the city wall, Yang Zhengshan, Jian Changhe and others looked at the camp of Youyumen outside the city.

The temporary camp of the Netherworld Gate was arranged in a very orderly manner, with tents arranged in a staggered pattern, seemingly according to some kind of formation. There were also many early warning formations set up around the camp.

Even though Yang Zhengshan didn't know much about the Dao of Formation, he could still see that there were many energy nodes operating within it.

The vanguard of the Netherworld Sect numbered only five thousand, which was not a large number, but their camp occupied a large area, presumably for the subsequent troops.

"Could we go out of the city and fight them first?" Jian Changhe asked.

Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, "There's no need. Going out of the city to fight at this time will not only fail to repel them, but will also expose our strength!"

"So we're just going to wait like this?" Jian Changhe frowned slightly.

Yang Zhengshan laughed and said, "Just wait and see. We have to fight a tough battle. Only in this way can we make the Netherworld Sect back down!"

The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities. Siege warfare should only be used as a last resort.

Although the Netherworld Sect appears aggressive at the moment, they have actually relinquished the initiative.

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances." The Netherworld Sect neither used any strategies against the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, nor did it engage in any diplomatic negotiations with Hidden Sword Mountain and the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

They chose to attack directly, but now Yang Zhengshan is forcing them to besiege the city.

Jian Changhe's eyes flashed, "I sensed the aura of Ming Shuzi!"

"Ming Shuzi, how strong is this person?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"It's alright!"

“If the mountain lord says so, then this person is very strong!” Yang Zhengshan said.

Jian Changhe is a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, and not just any ordinary cultivator. He is a sword cultivator and possesses the accumulated resources of Hidden Sword Mountain over three thousand years.

No one knows how much hidden strength Hidden Sword Mountain possesses, nor does anyone know just how terrifying Jian Changhe's power is.

The fact that Ming Shuzi was praised as "not bad" is enough to show that Ming Shuzi's strength should not be underestimated.

Jian Changhe said, "The Netherworld Sect still has three Divine Soul Realm warriors!"

He didn't care about Foundation Establishment cultivators; what he cared about most were the Soul Realm experts from the Netherworld Sect.

Yang Zhengshan's mind stirred slightly as he recalled the information about the three Divine Soul Realm experts from the Netherworld Sect.

Originally, the Netherworld Sect had four experts at the Divine Soul Realm, but after Han Jiangche disappeared, only three remain.

These three experts at the Divine Soul Realm are Wang Henglie, Sheng Youhuang, and Li Xuanxiao. All three are well-established Divine Soul Realm martial artists, and their power surpasses that of Han Jiangche.

The reason why Han Jiangche has been so active in recent years is because he is the youngest Divine Soul Realm martial artist in the Netherworld Sect.

It's unclear how Jian Changhe will handle the situation against three martial artists at the Divine Soul Realm.

……

Three more days passed, and the central army of the Netherworld Sect finally arrived outside Wuxiang City.

The massive army marched in, its chilling aura instantly changing the very fabric of the world. The once clear sky turned gloomy in an instant, as if a downpour was imminent.

This is not a normal weather change, but a weather change caused by the change in the aura of martial artists. One martial artist cannot affect the weather, but if a thousand, ten thousand, or even tens of thousands of martial artists gather together, and each of them only leaks a trace of aura, the combined aura is also very terrifying.

The massive army surged forward, its terrifying aura gathering between heaven and earth as if it were a tangible force, as if a majestic mountain was pressing down on the hearts of everyone in Wuxiang City.

A chilling wind howled, and Wuxiang City, which was originally in the sweltering heat of summer, seemed to have entered the dead of winter overnight.

A tense atmosphere immediately filled everyone's hearts, and even Jian Changhe became serious.

Dong Dong~~
Amidst the sound of war drums, a massive flying ship appeared out of nowhere, carrying an awe-inspiring power.

This flying boat is a hundred feet long, and instead of exquisite pavilions and towers, it is a sturdy fortress.

It was a fortress, a completely black fortress, with countless runes visible amidst the shimmering light.

On the city wall, Yang Zhengshan narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the flying boat that appeared out of nowhere.

Large flying boats are not only magical artifacts for flight, but also magical artifacts for war.

A large airship is large enough to carry a large offensive formation, therefore each large airship represents a large, mobile offensive formation.

Of course, the formations on large flying ships also have flaws; they cannot connect with the earth's veins or respond to celestial phenomena, and are merely the most ordinary artifact formations.

Even so, the formations on a large airship might be second-tier formations.

The cold wind howled, and Yang Zhengshan's eyes shone brightly as he stared intently at the flying boat above.

He could clearly see the two figures standing on the fortress atop the flying boat.

She was dressed in a moon-white long dress with dark snowflake patterns embroidered on the hem. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyebrows were thin and long like icicles, and she wore a silver frost flower-shaped hairpin in her hair. Her long hair reached her waist, and she was as cold and beautiful as frost and snowflakes.

A man wearing a tattered black cloak, thin as a bamboo pole, with pale skin, deep-set eyes, and dark gray pupils that seemed like bottomless pits.

These two are Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao, both experts at the Divine Soul Realm of the Netherworld Sect.

"Reporting to the two esteemed elders, the army is ready and can launch an attack on the city at any time." On the deck, Jiang Taishu, the leader of the Youyu Sect, respectfully reported to Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao.

Li Xuanxiao gazed down in the direction of Wuxiang City and said calmly, "Hidden Sword Mountain, Senior Sister, how much strength do you think Hidden Sword Mountain still has?"

"We'll find out how strong you are once we try!" Sheng Youhuang's voice was as clear and melodious as the tinkling of an ice spring.

"Hehe, I've heard that Hidden Sword Mountain has unfathomable depths, and the master of Hidden Sword Mountain, Jian Changhe, may very well possess a spiritual sword left behind by Heavenly Sword True Monarch!"

"That's a spirit sword belonging to a Golden Core cultivator; I'm afraid neither of us can withstand it!"

Li Xuanxiao smiled sinisterly.

"The Spirit Sword!" Sheng Youhuang's eyes shone like black gems. "Doesn't that mean that as long as we can take down Jian Changhe, the Spirit Sword will be ours!"

The spiritual strength of a martial artist in the Divine Soul Realm is no less than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Any magical artifact that a Foundation Establishment cultivator can use, a martial artist in the Divine Soul Realm can also use. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator can wield a spiritual weapon, a martial artist in the Divine Soul Realm can do the same.

Of course, the premise is that the spirit of the artifact must be willing to be controlled by others.

Simply put, martial artists at the Divine Soul Realm are not much different from immortal cultivators; their level is between the Foundation Establishment stage and the Golden Core stage.

Therefore, Sheng Youhuang and Li Xuanxiao coveted not only the resources of the Lingxiu Sea, but also the profound heritage of Cangjian Mountain.

"Order the attack!"

Sheng Youhuang's clear, melodious voice resounded throughout the heavens and earth.

The next moment, thirty-six bronze war drums were arranged in three rows on the deck of the flying boat. The warriors holding the drums had bulging veins on their bare arms. The air waves generated by the vibration of the drums stirred up sand and gravel into the air, and the thumping sound was like the heartbeat of an ancient behemoth.

"Kill!"

Nearly a thousand innate martial artists clad in iron armor surged toward Wuxiang City like a black tide.

These elite warriors, clad in black armor, held square shields with tortoise-shell patterns in their left hands and twelve-foot-long broadswords in their right. The wolf-head spikes inlaid along the edges of the shield formation gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

Clearly, this should be the true army of the Netherworld Prison, the Wolf-Headed Black Armor Guard.

The Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards number only a thousand, but each one is a Heavenly Gang stage martial artist, and they have a fearsome reputation within the Netherworld Prison Gate.

For a century, the Netherworld Sect has continuously expanded outwards, with the Wolf-Headed Black Armor Guards always serving as its vanguard, invincible in every battle and making outstanding contributions to the Netherworld Sect.

In the last war between Youyumen and Lingxiu Sea, the Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guard was also the most terrifying army on the battlefield, causing many casualties to the three sects of Lingxiu.

Unfortunately, the Wolf Head Xuanjia Guard only had a thousand men. It was an elite force, but only a small-scale elite force.

However, due to the fearsome reputation of the Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards, when they charged, the tens of thousands of innate martial artists under the command of the Youyu Sect were also in high spirits and charged forward fiercely.

Under this terrifying aura, the magnificent city of Wuxiang City actually looked incredibly fragile.

On the city tower, Yang Zhengshan stood with his hands behind his back, the biting cold wind making his robes flutter.

He stared at the surging enemy army without changing his expression, his eyes as calm as still water.

However, Jian Guyun and the others standing next to him couldn't help but show solemn expressions.

"The arrogance of the Netherworld Sect is indeed not to be underestimated!" Jian Canghai said in a deep voice.

“Compared to the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty, the Netherworld Sect has undoubtedly become much stronger in recent years!” Jian Suxin agreed.

This attack clearly demonstrates the immense killing intent of the Netherworld Sect, far surpassing that of the Sea of ​​Spiritual Beauty.

Although the three sects of Lingxiu were very powerful in the past, they did not have this kind of fierce arrogance.

"Elder Yang, if you need our help, please just give the order!" Jian Guyun said in a deep voice.

A faint smile appeared on Yang Zhengshan's lips. "Senior Guyun, please don't be impatient. Everything has only just begun!"

He was not intimidated by the fierce aura of the Netherworld Gate. To be honest, he even thought that the army of the Netherworld Gate was just a bunch of ragtag soldiers. Apart from the Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards who charged at the front, the rest were just a mob.

Seeing that he could still laugh, Jian Guyun couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"I don't know where this guy gets his confidence from!"

Yang Zhengshan's confidence naturally came from the Three Guards of Yujing.

Below the city gate, Qu Changkong watched the approaching enemy troops, his expression unchanged.

He had seen many such scenes. Although the enemies before him were all innate martial artists, far superior to the ordinary soldiers of the past, the nature of war was the same.

The enemy troops were getting closer and closer, and were slowly coming within 300 zhang of the city wall.

Just then, Qu Changkong suddenly raised his halberd and commanded, "Cloud-piercing crossbows, fire!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of a bowstring vibrating immediately echoed from the city wall.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~~
One after another, crossbow bolts as thick as an arm flew out with a sharp whooshing sound.

Three hundred crossbows, operated by the soldiers, were firing bolts at an extremely fast pace.

Arrows flew, flashing with a cold light under the gloomy sky.

On the castle airship, Sheng Youhuang looked at the crossbow bolts, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What are those?"

“It seems to be a crossbow bolt!” Li Xuanxiao said.

"Crossbows? Can these things pose a threat to innate martial artists?"

"Perhaps it's a spirit weapon!" Li Xuanxiao said softly.

As the two were talking, the first volley of crossbow bolts had already fallen.

The thick crossbow bolts crashed to the ground, and the charging disciples of the Netherworld Sect easily dodged them. Even with the addition of the Gale attribute, such crossbow bolts still posed no threat to innate martial artists.

But just as the disciples of the Netherworld Sect were finding the crossbow bolts somewhat amusing, the bolts that had fallen to the ground suddenly erupted violently, with snow-white ice crystals shooting out like sharp swords, piercing their armor and tearing through their flesh.

"Ah~~"

Screams rose and fell, and in the blink of an eye, the battlefield was filled with wails.

Yang Zhengshan looked at the scene of the exploding crossbow bolts and nodded slightly, "Not bad, they were able to penetrate the armor of spirit soldiers. It's a pity that we only have three hundred of them available right now!"

The Cloud Piercing Crossbows were quite powerful, but because there were too few of them, they did not cause too many casualties to the Netherworld Sect. However, the momentum of the Netherworld Sect's charge was slowed down by the sudden attack.

The Wolf-Headed Xuanjia Guards continued to approach the city wall, but the other disciples of the Netherworld Sect slowed down, creating a fairly good distance between them.

In a short while, the Wolf-Headed Black Armor Guards arrived at the city walls, but the troops behind them were becoming increasingly sparse and disorganized due to the attack by the Cloud-Piercing Crossbows.

Upon seeing this, Qu Changkong revealed a cold smile.

"Are you scared?"

(End of this chapter)