Chapter 614: Chapter Six Hundred Eleven: Tomb Guardian

Hidden deep in the North Mountain, the Fuling ridge is where the ancestral temple of the Tang Clan is located and also serves as the clan’s burial ground. For a thousand years, the benevolent forefathers of the Tang Clan have been laid to rest here.

As the most solemn and sacred place of the clan, a perpetually burning fire is always lit in the ancestral temple of the Tang Clan.

This perpetual flame is a fire that is continuously kindled and maintained. This kind of flame subsists on a unique spiritual power, and the longer it burns, the deeper the color of the flame becomes.

To maintain this ever-burning flame, strong protectors are needed to guard it day and night, ensuring the spiritual fire continues.

The Tang Clan’s perpetual fire has been extinguished twice in the long span of a thousand years, but for the past few centuries, the clan has remained stable and the ancestor worship has gradually expanded from its initial three participants.

An eternal flame, an eternally respectful person, a forever guardian – this is the impression given by the Tang Clan’s ancestral temple and also the role these people assign to themselves. If one were to paint their portrait, loyalty, righteousness, bravery, and love would be the defining traits of this group.

Not only do they guard the final peace of the departed, but they are also ready to stand up in defense of the honor of the living at any moment.

“Junior Tang Zu, respectfully requests the honored ones of the temple to come out for the sake of resolving the great crisis of the Tang Clan!” In front of the family tomb, Tang Zu, the clan’s head, knelt solemnly. With hands holding his forehead, he shouted towards the serene and cold ancestral temple.

…

At the southern foot of North Mountain

Great Elder Tang Siyuan and Second Elder Tang Hongjun were currently organizing the clan’s martial artists to take inventory of the seized goods from yesterday. Seeing the excitement on the faces of their clansmen, both elders felt genuinely pleased.

This surprise attack marked the Tang Clan’s first major victory since the war began. Led by several top martial ancestors, they managed to break through the stronghold of the Mi Clan swiftly and decisively. They killed or severely injured more than twenty defenders, seized a large amount of supplies and Elixir of Life, and even captured many craftsmen.

This victory was worth celebrating. If it weren’t for the fact that the allied forces of Mi Clan were still menacingly stationed at the Yuxiling, everyone would like to hold a grand feast right on the spot.

“After this battle, the forces of Mi Clan’s allied army will be greatly reduced. Our clan will have a good chance to recuperate for a while. We can hold out till Spring without any issue.” Second Elder Tang Hongjun stood with his left hand behind his back, while his right hand stroked his long beard, speaking with a sense of pride.

Ever since he had received the information from Tang Luo, he had planned this surprise attack. Now that they had achieved such a significant victory, he was greatly satisfied, and as such, his words naturally carried a touch of arrogance.

“Let’s hope so.” Compared to the optimism of Tang Hongjun, Great Elder Tang Siyuan was not as comfortable. Even with the loss of more than twenty martial ancestors, the allied forces of the Mi Clan still have the advantage in terms of numbers.

Given his understanding of the tribes aligned with the Mi Clan, the current personnel of the allied forces is far from being their limit.

Let’s hope that the seven major clans can be more self-interested and play their own cards, allowing the Tang Clan to defeat them one by one. With two to three more victories like this, North Mountain will be worry-free.

However, ideal is plump, but reality is harsh. Before even finishing the tally of supplies, a senior member of the Wind Media rushed into the command center, followed by several frontline commanders.

“Great Elder, Second Elder, Commander Tang Yi, the Clan Leader has issued an order: all martial warriors on the rotation must be dispatched to the frontline; all lightly wounded martial ancestors must be healed with elixirs immediately. They must hold off the attack of the allied forces to buy time for the clan’s evacuation from North Mountain!”

“Did the Clan Leader explain why?”

“The Mi Clan and the seven clans have gathered another team of top martial ancestors with a strength of over fifty. They are currently on their way to assist the Mi Clan’s allied forces.” The Wind Media quickly answered Tang Siyuan’s question, then stated another crucial piece of information, “The head of our clan, Tang Zu, has gone to the ancestral temple to ask for help from the shrine’s protectors. They will come to the front line to assist us soon. So please summon any defenders on rotation as quickly as possible to resist the attack of the Mi Clan’s allied forces.”

“How long do we need to hold off?” Second Elder Tang Hongjun asked, his voice heavy.

“The Clan Leader said…” The Wind Media swallowed, and stuttered, “The longer the better. At least until the fourth sequence has retreated to the depths of North Mountain. Only then will we be allowed to abandon the southwestern defense lines.”

It was actually a full clan evacuation. Upon hearing the Wind Media’s report, both Tang Siyuan and Tang Hongjun turned pale. The front four sequences of the clan included all artisans, martial researchers, clan relatives, as well as the relatives of all subordinate clans, totaling no less than two hundred thousand people. To hold off until such a large group of people have evacuated means keeping the Mi Clan’s allied forces outside North Mountain for at least a month.

No wonder they wanted to call back all rotational warriors. No wonder they sought help from the shrine’s keepers. Tang Siyuan could almost foresee how many of the Tang Clan’s elite would perish in this upcoming arduous defense.

But since Tang Zhi had made such a judgment, he definitely wasn’t shooting blindly. Tang Siyuan and Tang Hongtao exchanged a glance. Both of them gave orders to the Wind Media assigned to them, “Summon all the clan’s warriors to the southern foothills. Order the housekeeper to prepare the untamed beasts from the stables. Call out all Blood Slaves in the clan treasury. Have all the guests with Fierce Realm cultivation stop their retreat and come to the southern foothills to assist!”

There is no small home without a big home. Up until this point, if Tang Siyuan had been using the combined power of the clan to resist the Mi Clan allied forces, upon hearing the Wind Media’s orders, he finally began to use his own resources.

Strong warriors like to purchase untamed beasts. These beasts, equal in combat power to the average Fierce Realm creature, are premium assets for offensive and defensive battles. Blood Slaves are top-tier puppets exclusive to Longzhou. Along with these years of cultivated guests in the Fierce Realm, as the Great Elder of the Tang Clan, Tang Siyuan has revealed a deep foundation at this moment.

The Second Elder, Tang Hongjun, didn’t want to be outdone either. He also brought out his own resources. As a mainline that produces outstanding martial researchers every generation, though Tang Hongjun’s accumulation might not be as bountiful as Tang Siyuan’s, it is still not to be underestimated.

On the contrary, Tang Yi, the Commander of the Divine Martial Army, was the poorest. He could only order his subordinates to bring a few untamed beasts from his mansion to the battlefield, enough to stall two or three Fierce Realm opponents.

Upon receiving the orders from the Wind Media, the three of them pulled out all their resources. Similarly, those martial ancestors guarding the southern foothills followed their example. Here one beast, there one old friend, everyone wished they could empty out their homes.

The three Great Elders didn’t request more contributions from everyone, but the martial ancestors all began to follow their method voluntarily, without any hesitation. This spirit of solidarity and unity raised great hope in everyone’s heart.

“Go back and tell the Clan Leader that I, Tang Siyuan, the Southern Commander, will complete the assignment to repel the enemy. Before spring arrives, we will not allow the Mi Clan allied forces to breach the defense line!” Tang Siyuan, high-spirited, announced to the Wind Media that came to pass the message.

However, in comparison to the unity seen at the southern command headquarters, the atmosphere at the western headquarters seemed rather gloomy.

“If only your esteemed wife had gone to visit her family later… We’d have her four-horse golden chariot and several untamed beasts with bloodlines of divine beasts. Wouldn’t our western defense line be unbreachable then?” Third Elder Tang Zhenghao said helplessly to Head Tang Sen.

As the Third Elder of the clan, Tang Zhenghao commanded the Wind Media to return to his mansion with his marker and mobilize his resources as soon as he heard of the orders. But Tang Sen, who held the highest position in the Western region, seemed indifferent.