NOVEL WEB Chapter 801: Round
Because of the favorable impression of the Hundred Battles Gate Cultivator, Meng Zhang singled them out and made separate arrangements. Among these refugees, there are disciples with cultivation backgrounds. Once they find a safe place, they will actively seek opportunities to reestablish sects or clans and carry on their legacies.
The Demon Wind Gobi is vast, and so far, the Taiyi Sect has not fully developed it. If these cultivators demonstrate enough value and willingly pledge loyalty to the Taiyi Sect, Meng Zhang might consider giving them the opportunity to rebuild their sects. They can serve as vassals in peacetime, helping Taiyi Sect open up the Demon Wind Gobi, especially those less valuable or more troublesome areas that can be assigned to them. In times of war, they will be the best cannon fodder under the command of Taiyi Sect.
Of course, these matters can be discussed later. The current priority is to deal with the attacks from the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. The identified cultivators have been organized into teams and Taiyi Sect has sent cultivators as supervisors to ensure these teams follow orders.
These teams have been arranged in front of the Yellow Sand Ridge, acting as the vanguard against the invasion of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. Regardless of their willingness, facing the dominant Taiyi Sect, they have no room for resistance. Taiyi Sect's patrol teams are closely monitoring the edge of the Endless Sea of Sand, leaving almost no cultivators who escaped into it uncaught.
In addition, cultivators like Shocking Thunder Spirit General and Extreme Sword Spirit General, known for their speed and power, have been sent by Meng Zhang to explore the movements of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan, advancing to the Yuan Tu Great Prairie, and even delving deep into it. With their strength, as long as they don't run into the Barbarian King head-on, they shouldn't encounter any insurmountable dangers. Extreme Sword Spirit General and Shocking Thunder Spirit General are experienced enough for such reconnaissance work.
The southwest direction of the Endless Sea of Sand leads to the Yuan Tu Great Prairie, which should also be the marching route of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. Even if the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan moves swiftly and stealthily, it would be challenging to escape the attention of the scouts.
As time passes, fewer and fewer cultivators are escaping from Yuan Tu Great Prairie, and Taiyi Sect's patrol teams have gradually lost their gains. On Taiyi Sect's side, they are intensively preparing for a big battle, fortifying and laying down formations. However, the large army of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan is yet to appear.
Meng Zhang is patient and doesn't show impatience. He is a bit worried about the movements of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan. If they don't come out from the border of Yuan Tu Great Prairie and the Endless Sea of Sand but break into the territory of Jiuqu League and enter the Endless Sea of Sand from a different direction, that would be troublesome.
Fortunately, that situation has not occurred. Extreme Sword Spirit General, who has been scouting ahead, finally reported back with intelligence. The large army of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan has appeared in his field of view and is marching toward the Endless Sea of Sand. Their army is numerous, but their pace is slow. If they maintain this speed, it will take at least half a month before they can enter the Endless Sea of Sand.Finally knowing the precise movements of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan, Meng Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. During the time they were waiting for the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's arrival, Taiyi Sect cultivators strengthened their defense, and Sect Master Meng Zhang also took the opportunity to cultivate and improve his combat strength.
Among the Fourth Rank Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects he obtained from Elder Beast Fury, two of them were particularly useful for his native spiritual tool, the Yin Yang Spirit Gourd, which he integrated into it. After years of careful nurturing, the Yin Yang Spirit Gourd had almost accumulated enough power to be upgraded. Once Meng Zhang's native spiritual tool, the Yin Yang Spirit Gourd, becomes a Fourth Rank magic tool, his strength will experience another rapid improvement.
The tool spirit of the Rainbow Dawn Glow Robe, Cai'er, who had fallen into slumber after suffering serious damage, finally awakened a few days ago. Upon waking, she loudly complained and blamed Meng Zhang for his rough actions that caused her immense pain. Since the birth of Cai'er as a tool spirit, she had never experienced such agony. After being severely injured, she entered a state of slumber for self-preservation.
Meng Zhang had to carefully appease her, saying many kind words and promising numerous benefits to calm her down. After Cai'er's awakening, she could independently control the repair of the Rainbow Dawn Glow Robe. Through her efforts, the Rainbow Dawn Glow Robe was now more than half repaired, and the original cracks had disappeared. It wouldn't take long for this Fourth Rank magic tool used for defense to be fully repaired. When that happens, with the protection of a Fourth Rank magic tool, Meng Zhang's full strength will be further unleashed.
Although Meng Zhang had been stationed at the Yellow Sand Ridge and had rarely left the place, he received all sorts of external news, especially about the movements of the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan, which came to his attention without missing any detail.
After more than half a month, the massive extraterritorial Barbarian Clan army finally crossed the border between Yuan Tu Great Prairie and the Endless Sea of Sand, entering the Endless Sea of Sand. Upon receiving this news, Meng Zhang quickly ordered all patrol teams to retreat to avoid encountering the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan army.
However, what happened next was beyond Meng Zhang's expectations. This vast extraterritorial Barbarian Clan army didn't follow the typical rules of engagement in the Cultivation World and attack the Taiyi Sect at Yellow Sand Ridge. Instead, they took a large detour, seemingly bypassing the Yellow Sand Ridge and heading straight for the heart of the Endless Sea of Sand.
When Meng Zhang received this information, he was stunned for a while before realizing the situation. The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan came from outside the Cultivation World and had no connection with the Grand Dust World. Naturally, they didn't need to abide by the standard rules of engagement and chose the most advantageous approach for themselves. Although they were called "Barbarian Clan" and might seem somewhat impulsive and reckless, they were definitely not foolish. On the contrary, years of battles had given them rich combat experience, enabling them to make accurate judgments on the battlefield.
Taiyi Sect had prepared a tight defense at Yellow Sand Ridge with meticulous arrangements. The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan would never be foolish enough to ignore their advantage and clash head-on. By bypassing Yellow Sand Ridge and heading for the vast area behind it, which was virtually defenseless, the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan had found a way to avoid the heavily fortified Taiyi Sect.
As Meng Zhang thought about this, he couldn't help but glance outside. It seemed that the extraterritorial Barbarian Clan's main army hadn't arrived yet, but they had sent reconnaissance forces to investigate Taiyi Sect's arrangements. The extraterritorial Barbarian Clan had employed a tactic to evade the real strength of Taiyi Sect, bypassing the heavily guarded Yellow Sand Ridge and heading straight for the deeper, less defended areas of the Endless Sea of Sand. This situation posed a bit of a dilemma for Meng Zhang.