mtl008 Chapter 108: Training and Preparation, Firm Will
Chapter 108: Training and Preparation, Firm Will
The night was as dark as ink, and the cold moonlight cast a shadow on the rugged mountain road. Two figures shuttled through it like ghosts, speeding off into the distance. They were Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin.
"The Obsidian organization chose to attack at this time, clearly well prepared," Ren Xiaoyao said in a deep voice as he observed his surroundings vigilantly. "We must quickly rendezvous with reinforcements from other sects, otherwise, we will find it difficult to withstand their offensive on our own."
"Yes." Xia Lin nodded, her face solemn. "According to the intelligence I've received, the leader of the 'Obsidian' organization is a master of unfathomable strength. They also possess a mysterious weapon with immense power. We must be careful in dealing with it."
After a long journey, the two finally arrived at the agreed location the next morning—a secluded valley. Inside the valley, reinforcements from several other sects had already gathered, their expressions solemn and ready for battle.
Seeing Ren Xiaoyao and Xia Lin arrive, everyone gathered around and asked about the situation.
"Brother Xiaoyao, how's your sect doing?" a burly, bearded man asked with concern. He was an elder of the Vajra Sect, known as "Iron Tower" Li Yuanba. He was a generous and righteous man, and had a close friendship with Ren Xiaoyao.
Ren Xiaoyao briefly recounted the events of the sect being attacked and the defense map being stolen, and everyone's faces changed after hearing what he said.
"The Obsidian Organization is truly audacious, daring to provoke us so brazenly!" another handsome young man in a cyan robe angrily declared. He was the young master of the Qingyun Sect, Lin Yunfei, renowned for his resourcefulness.
"Now isn't the time to discuss this. We must come up with a plan quickly. Otherwise, when the Obsidian Organization's main force arrives, we'll have nowhere to escape," a woman in a white dress, with a cool demeanor, said in a deep voice. She was the Saint of Hundred Flowers Valley, named Hua Nongying. She was not only stunningly beautiful but also incredibly powerful, enjoying a high reputation among the younger generation.
Everyone nodded in agreement, then found an open space in the valley, sat down on the ground, and began to discuss the battle plan.
At the same time, the leader of Qingfeng Hall was standing on the sect's martial arts training ground, giving an impassioned pre-war mobilization speech to the hundreds of disciples below.
"Brothers and sisters! The evil claws of the 'Obsidian' organization have reached us. They want to destroy our homes and enslave our compatriots. We absolutely cannot allow this!" The voice of the Qingfeng Hall Master was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout the martial arts field. "For the honor of our sect and the safety of our families, we must take up our weapons and fight the enemy to the death!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The disciples were excited and shouted loudly, their voices shaking the earth.
Senior Sister Mingyue walked over to Senior Brother Tiexue and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, do you feel that something is a little strange about this incident?"
Senior Brother Tiexue frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Junior Sister, you mean..."
Senior Sister Mingyue's face was solemn as she slowly uttered four words: "Leader of the Black Obsidian." Sister Mingyue's brows furrowed slightly as she lowered her voice. "Brother, I've always felt that the leader of the Black Obsidian group is someone special. The timing of his appearance is too coincidental, as if he was specifically targeting us."
Senior Brother Tiexue nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way. I've been secretly investigating the origins of the leader of Black Obsidian these days, and I'm finally getting some clues."
"Oh? Senior brother, tell me quickly, what did you find out?" Senior Sister Mingyue asked anxiously.
Senior Brother Tiexue said solemnly, "According to the information I've received, the leader of 'Black Obsidian' isn't from any known faction, but a powerful warrior who has been in seclusion for many years. It's said that he was once an elder of a major sect, but was expelled from the sect for practicing forbidden techniques. He later disappeared, and unexpectedly became the leader of the 'Black Obsidian' organization."
"Practicing forbidden techniques?" Senior Sister Mingyue's heart trembled. "No wonder he possesses such a powerful weapon. It seems we have truly encountered a formidable enemy this time."
Meanwhile, Ren Xiaoyao was sweating profusely as he trained in the martial arts field. He knew that his current strength alone was not enough to compete with the Obsidian organization, so he had to seize every minute and every second to improve his strength as much as possible.
"Hah!" Ren Xiaoyao roared, and the long sword in his hand turned into a series of sharp sword lights, slashing at the wooden stake in front of him. Under Ren Xiaoyao's fierce attack, the wooden stake quickly became fragmented, and wood chips flew everywhere.
"Not enough! Not enough!" A hint of determination flashed in Ren Xiaoyao's eyes. He knew that he had to become stronger!
Late at night, alone in her room, Charlene studied the tactics of the Obsidian organization. She sorted through all the intelligence she knew, trying to find any flaws.
"Strange..." Charlene frowned as she looked at the Obsidian organization's attack route on the map. "Their attack route seems disorganized, but upon closer analysis, there's a hidden mechanism. What exactly are they trying to do?"
Charlene pondered the issue, but couldn't find the answer. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a small village on the map, and a light bulb went off in her head. "Could it be..."
Charlene stood up abruptly and drew a circle around the inconspicuous village on the map. The Obsidian organization's offensive route seemed disorganized, but if you took that small village as the center point, you'd see that every attack seemed to revolve around it.
"Could it be that their goal isn't to capture our sect, but..." Xia Lin suddenly had a bold guess, "but to cut off our supply lines?"
The more she thought about it, the more her speculation seemed reasonable. This small village was located on a vital route connecting the sect to the outside world. If the Obsidian Organization could capture it, it would be tantamount to severing the sect's lifeline. Even if the sect could withstand the Obsidian Organization's attack, it would be starved of food and supplies and would be in dire straits.
Xia Lin didn't dare to delay, and quickly picked up the map and her analysis results, and hurried to find the master of Qingfeng Hall.
The head of the Qingfeng Hall had been busy lately. Ever since the emergence of the "Black Obsidian" organization, he had begun to rectify the internal affairs of the sect, strengthening its cohesion and combat effectiveness. He knew that facing a powerful enemy, only unity could overcome all difficulties.
He abolished some outdated rules within the sect, promoted a group of capable young disciples, and strengthened their training. He also personally visited each hall to boost morale and stabilize people's hearts. Thanks to his efforts, the sect, which had been somewhat panicked, gradually restored its former order and vitality.
When Xia Lin hurried to the room of the Qingfeng Hall Master and reported her discovery to him, the Qingfeng Hall Master was not surprised, but instead showed an appreciative smile.
"Xia Lin, you've done a great job. Your analysis makes perfect sense. I've already sent people to investigate, and the Obsidian organization has indeed assembled a large number of troops near that small village." Qingfeng Hall Master said, pulling out a letter from his bosom and handing it to Xia Lin. "This is the news from Senior Sister Mingyue and Senior Brother Tiexue. Take a look."
Xia Lin took the letter and quickly skimmed through it, a look of surprise on her face. The letter stated that Senior Sister Mingyue and Senior Brother Tiexue had successfully destroyed part of the Obsidian organization's supply lines during a covert operation.
"This..." Xia Lin raised her head and looked at the head of Qingfeng Hall. "So, do we still have a chance?"
The leader of Qingfeng Hall stood up, walked to the window, looked at the night sky in the distance, with a determined light flashing in his eyes.
"The moment of decisive battle is approaching..." he said softly, "Whether we can protect the peace and stability of our sect depends on this time."
Xia Lin held the letter, feeling a mixture of emotions. Senior Sister Mingyue and Senior Brother Tiexue's actions were undoubtedly a shot in the arm, bringing hope to their upcoming decisive battle. But at the same time, she knew this was only a temporary respite; the true test lay ahead.
"The Obsidian organization is cunning and cunning. We can't let our guard down." The voice of the Qingfeng Hall Master brought Xia Lin out of her thoughts. "I've already sent someone to notify the nearby sects, requesting their support. I believe the reinforcements will arrive soon."
"Great!" A long-lost smile finally appeared on Xia Lin's face. "With the help of the reinforcements, we will definitely be able to defeat the 'Obsidian' organization and protect the peace of our sect!"
"I hope so." Qingfeng Hall Master sighed, "We've already lost too much in this battle..."
"Master..." Xia Lin wanted to say something, but was stopped by the head of Qingfeng Hall.
"Okay, it's getting late. You should go back and get ready." Qingfeng Hall Master patted Xia Lin's shoulder. "Tomorrow will be our most difficult day."
Xia Lin nodded and turned to leave the room. She knew that Master Qingfeng still had a lot of things to deal with, and she couldn't disturb him any longer.
Walking out of the room, Charlene took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. The stars dotted the sky, as if cheering them on.
"Brother Xiaoyao, you must come back safely..." Xia Lin prayed silently in her heart.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away from the sect, in a wilderness, Senior Sister Mingyue and Senior Brother Tiexue were leading an elite team, lurking in a valley. They had just successfully destroyed a key stronghold of the "Black Obsidian" organization, seizing a large amount of supplies and intelligence.
"Senior Sister, what should we do next?" asked a disciple.
Senior Sister Mingyue pondered for a moment and said, "The 'Obsidian' organization's action this time is clearly well-prepared. We must quickly relay this news back to the sect so they can prepare."
"But the 'Obsidian' organization has many informants. How can we send the message safely?" another disciple asked worriedly.
"I've already thought of this," Senior Sister Mingyue said, pulling out a jade slip from her bosom. "This jade slip can transmit the message directly to the Qingfeng Hall Master's study. I believe he will understand our intentions after seeing it."
"That's good." The disciples finally felt relieved.
"Okay, let's take some time to rest. We will return to the sect early tomorrow morning." After Senior Sister Mingyue said this, she closed her eyes and began to regulate her breathing to restore her strength.
A great war is about to begin...
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, Ren Xiaoyao and his men had assembled and were ready to set off. Each of them wore armor, held a weapon, and their faces were filled with determination to face death.
"Brothers, today we face an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, but we are fearless!" Qingfeng Hall Master stood at the front of the team and shouted, "To safeguard the peace and stability of our sect, and to protect our families and friends, we must fight with all our might to the bitter end!"
"Fight to the end!" The disciples shouted in unison, the sound was deafening.
The head of Qingfeng Hall nodded and waved his hand: "Let's go!"
The mighty team walked out of the sect...