Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 458: 223. Battle of Longguan Prefecture

In the year 1322 of the New Yu Era, the second day of the tenth month, late at night,

to the east of Longguan Prefecture, an enormous army stretching for dozens of miles sped westward. Nearly seventy percent of the soldiers were clad in silver armor, resembling a long silver dragon stretching along the Official Road.

At the forefront of the silver dragon, there were also soldiers in gold and green armors. Although fewer in number than those in silver armor, their attire and aura were far more imposing.

The soldiers in gold and green armors each rode a warhorse, with those in gold holding a spear about eighteen feet long, while those in green had a shiny silver sword hanging at their waist.

Their gazes were sharp, their vital energy clearly a level above that of the silver-armored soldiers. Just by looking at their marching pace, it was evident that their military discipline and bearing also far surpassed those in silver armor.

Marching through the night was supposed to slow them down, but this army moved at a shocking speed. They covered a distance of five or six miles in merely a quarter of an hour, and those in the frontmost ranks of the gold armor could already faintly see the outline of Longguan County City.

At the vanguard of the army, a flag bearing the bicolor of blue and white, representing the Wanjian Holy Sect, fluttered in the wind. Below the flag, around a dozen powerful martial artists gathered; Gu Tianyun, who clearly led this group, was at their head.

"With five hundred thousand Silver Armored Army, two hundred thousand Jinjia Army, plus one hundred thousand from the Academy's Qingyang Army, my eight hundred thousand-strong force descends upon Long Guan. Even if the Demon Sect has the power to reach the heavens, today they shall meet their defeat at Long Guan!"

Gu Tianyun rode his warhorse, glancing back at the following eight hundred thousand-strong army, and then turned his gaze toward the burgeoning outline of Longguan County, caressing the Melting Heaven Sword at his waist with an expression of pride and high spirits.

Closest to him were Liu Boyuan and Xun Qianjue. Upon hearing his words, they both nodded slightly. Liu Boyuan chuckled softly, "Using one hundred thousand of the Brahman World Purifying Army to attack Yuyang as a distraction, attempting to tie down our forces; Zhan Taiqing's plan is too simplistic.

"The Demon Sect has crossed the river, with the rear army not yet in place. According to the Lu Family's information, only these eight hundred and thirty thousand men have arrived. If we can break Long Guan in one go, the only land the Great Jin struggled so hard to secure in Hedong for the Demon Sect will be lost.

"Then the upcoming Battle of Hedong, unless the Demon Sect dares to send in more troops, will hold no suspense!"

Xun Qianjue nodded and whispered, "However, the fact that these one hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Army units could brazenly traverse the wilderness to raid Yuyang, suggests that the Rakshasa Holy Sect has dispatched a Mystic Realm Master. The Battle of Hedong hasn't started yet, but with the arrival of a Mystic Realm Master, it's clear how seriously the Demon Sect is taking this battle."

Upon hearing about the one hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Army units' surprise attack on Yuyang through the wilderness, a shadow flickered in the eyes of Gu Tianyun and the others. The loss or gain of a mere Yuyang Prefecture could not affect their mood, as the conflict concerned two provinces and two major Holy Lands.

What truly worried them was that the Demon Sect's one hundred thousand-strong army could brazenly traverse the wilderness.

The wilderness is known to be the domaine of demons, a consensus among all people of The World.

If it's a lone martial artist, as long as their cultivation has surpassed the Gang Qi Realm, barring exceptionally bad luck, they generally only attract low-tier lesser demons. With sufficient vigilance, there would typically be no problems.

However, the situation changes with numbers. When tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of soldiers travel through the wilderness, it's like a mass of flesh emitting an enticing scent to demons. This can lure in powerful demons of the Third or Second Rank; if a First Rank apocalypse-level ancient demon appears, it becomes a catastrophic disaster.

Therefore, whether it be disputes between Holy Lands or wars among major powers, a rule is always followed: combat is best conducted within cities or on Official Roads.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule!

Peace has only reigned for four hundred years. Four hundred years ago, during the Thirteen Prefecture Wars, the ten major Holy Lands were blinded with bloodlust, unwilling to limit themselves to straightforward combat, and people soon found a way for armies to traverse the wilderness.

The Mystic Realm was a method that emerged in response to those times.

The Mystic Realm is also a Barrier, an Array, based on the powerful energy within Mysterious Gold. It's a method of using the forces of heaven and earth to create a special space, which, depending on the method of operation, results in distinct rules.

Such as the Rakshasa Barrier from Yongzhou and the City-Protecting Sword Array from Wanjian Holy Sect; these are types of Mystic Realm. Those who mastered these techniques were referred to by the people as Mystic Realm Masters.

Initially, the main purpose of Mystic Realm Masters was not to set up these strange and powerful protective Barriers, but to craft concealed Barriers to hide the aura of the army, enabling troops to move unimpeded, and providing assistance to great powers in their military endeavors.

More than four hundred years ago, with the emergence of the Mystic Realm Masters, the scale of wars grew larger, and the casualties increased. This led to more and more demons breeding in the wilderness, with ever more terrifying strength.

The major Holy Lands eventually took action, and together they centralized all the Mystic Realm Masters from the various states into their own domains, while strictly ordering that none under the Holy Lands may harbor Mystic Realm Masters, which to some extent alleviated the chaotic situation in The World.

That the one hundred thousand Brahman World Purifying Army units could travel unfettered through the wilderness, bypassing the Ling Dong and Jinxing Prefectures to raid Yuyang, in the eyes of Gu Tianyun and others, naturally indicated that the Rakshasa Holy Sect had made use of a Mystic Realm Master.

Moreover, the use of a Mystic Realm Master meant the importance the Demon Sect placed on the Battle of Hedong was far beyond their expectations.

"Sword Leader Gu, may I ask when our Mystic Realm Master will arrive?"