Chapter 2874: The Sable Clan

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan’s spiritual sense entered the space, and thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces.

According to intelligence, the Sable Clan has at least five Integration cultivators, and their lineage spans over 100,000 years. Their patriarch, Bian Xiao, is at the mid-Integration stage. The Lizard Clan has sent an Integration cultivator, Che Yang, to assist the Sable Clan.

The Sable Clan has consolidated its forces, abandoning many territories. They now control an extensive area spanning tens of billions of li, centered around the Sable Mountain Range, with fifteen outlying strongholds forming a defensive perimeter.

To invade the Sable Mountain Range, the human race must first capture all fifteen strongholds. Humans have currently secured three, leaving twelve remaining.

Among the cultivation resources controlled by the Sable Clan, the most valuable are a medium-sized spirit stone mine, a medium-sized Dry Thunder Crystal vein, and a medium-sized Five-Light Jade vein. Both Dry Thunder Crystal and Five-Light Jade are Tier-7 refining materials.

Dry Thunder Crystal is, of course, well-known; the Dragon family's treasured artifact, the Dry Thunder Demon-Slaying Pagoda, was primarily forged from it. Five-Light Jade can enhance the resilience of treasures, and when incorporated into defensive artifacts, it significantly boosts their protective capabilities.

Upon seeing this, both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan felt a stir of interest. If they could acquire these two Tier-7 mineral veins and the medium-sized spirit stone mine, the Wang family's financial pressures would be resolved, and supporting several more Integration cultivators would no longer be an issue.

However, if securing them were that easy, Xie Ying and the others would have done so already, leaving nothing for them.

Most members of the Sable Clan are adept at Earth-attribute divine abilities, especially Earth Evasion. When they find themselves at a disadvantage, they immediately use Earth Evasion to escape, refusing to engage in prolonged combat with human cultivators.

The Sable Clan has established formations at all fifteen strongholds, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack. When one stronghold is assaulted, reinforcements quickly arrive. The spirit stone mine, Five-Light Jade vein, and Dry Thunder Crystal vein are all protected by Tier-7 formations, with Integration cultivators stationed there.

Xie Ying and Lin Yiyi personally led an attack on one of the Sable Clan's strongholds. Integration cultivators from the Sable Clan quickly arrived, but even when they gained the upper hand, they did not pursue the human cultivators.

They launched separate harassing attacks, paying a significant price to capture three strongholds. In one such battle, the Nine Flames Sect lost an Integration cultivator, and they also severely wounded an Integration cultivator from the Sable Clan.

"If we capture a stronghold, will it then belong to our Wang family?"

Wang Changsheng asked, needing a definitive answer.

"That is Senior Martial Uncle Lin's promise: whoever captures a territory owns it, provided they can defend it. If it's recaptured by foreign races, then whoever reclaims it with organized forces will own it. You've just arrived, so please rest for a while first. We'll discuss a stable strategy to slowly dismantle the Sable Clan's outer strongholds before invading the Sable Mountain Range. Haste makes waste."

Fairy Xuanyue suggested.

"Exactly. The Beastmen were too impatient. Five Integration cultivators directly attacked the Fire Cricket Clan's main lair and, using their clan-protecting formation, the Fire Cricket Clan annihilated one Integration cultivator and severely wounded two others."

Lin Yiyi strongly agreed. Major powers typically conceal their true strength: firstly, to keep enemies guessing and wary; and secondly, to avoid having too many high-level cultivators conscripted when called upon.

If a force has ten Integration cultivators, revealing seven is usually sufficient. For a race war, conscripting five Integration cultivators is the limit. If all ten were publicly known, far more than five would certainly be conscripted.

The Fire Cricket Clan publicly claimed to have one Integration cultivator, but actually possessed two. When five Beastmen Integration cultivators attempted to infiltrate the Fire Cricket Clan's main lair, they were discovered. The Fire Cricket Clan's patriarch activated their clan-protecting formation, annihilating one Beastmen Integration cultivator and severely wounding two others. Both Integration cultivators of the Fire Cricket Clan were also killed.

Of course, this was the Beastmen's public announcement; their losses might not have been so severe. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and if they didn't portray their situation as dire, they would surely be forced to lead more charges.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan nodded in agreement.

Fairy Xuanyue then briefed them on the front-line situation, helping them understand the battle conditions.

The Human, Spiritfire, and Yaksha Clans appeared to have reached an understanding, forming an alliance against the Lizard Clan. Cultivators from the three clans formed a vast net, gradually encroaching upon the Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range, slowly annexing Lizard Clan territories and seizing their cultivation resources. It was clear their aim was to eradicate the Lizard Clan. If a Lizard Clan Grand Ascension cultivator were to appear, perhaps the clan might not be annihilated. However, without a Grand Ascension cultivator to lead them, the Lizard Clan would likely follow in the footsteps of the Xutian Clan.

The Lizard Clan relied on ten allied races to form successive defensive lines, aiming to deplete the enemy's strength. While the Human, Spiritfire, and Yaksha Clans suffered considerable losses, the Lizard Clan's casualties were even greater.

Now, it remained to be seen which clan would first break through the Lizard Clan's defenses. The clan that first reached the Heavenly Lizard Mountain Range would undoubtedly gain the most, but also suffer the heaviest losses.

Lin Tianlong, Huang Yilong, Layman Feixue, and other veteran Integration cultivators were stationed at another stronghold, responsible for confronting the Golden Crow Clan. The Golden Crow Clan, possessing Golden Crow bloodline, had as many as eight Integration cultivators. They were staunch allies of the Lizard Clan and the toughest adversaries to overcome.

"Fairy Yang, is Senior Lin also on the front lines?"

Wang Ruyan asked.

"Revered Master Tianhe is on the front lines, but I'm not aware of his exact whereabouts."

Fairy Xuanyue stated truthfully. A clan annihilation war certainly required a Grand Ascension cultivator to be present, as this would ensure the full mobilization of all major human forces.

Revered Master Tianhe's movements were unpredictable; he occasionally appeared at various strongholds, partly to boost morale among those below him, and partly to intimidate the Lizard Clan.

"Revered Master Tianhe!"

Wang Changsheng nodded. Xuan Qingzi was likely in secluded cultivation; otherwise, he should have appeared. Or perhaps Xuan Qingzi had other plans, which were not for Wang Changsheng to worry about.

After chatting for over an hour, Fairy Xuanyue announced the meeting's conclusion. Wang Changsheng and the others returned to their respective residences to arrange their disciples.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan arrived at a vast estate spanning ten thousand mu, where all the cultivators they brought resided.

In addition to twenty-five Void Refinement cultivators, Wang Changsheng also brought Wang Xiao, Wang Shen, Wang Chan, Wang Chan, and Wang Xiangrong, who were his direct subordinates.

As they entered the estate, Wang Zhongchen quickly approached them; he had already advanced to the Void Refinement stage.

The Dark Hall currently had four Void Refinement cultivators, all at the early stage. They were dispersed among different strongholds to gather intelligence, ensuring a more comprehensive collection of information.

Wang Zhongchen was in charge of this particular stronghold. Besides him, there were over twenty Nascent Soul cultivators under his command.

The Wang family was now well-equipped and powerful, with many clansmen eager to make their mark and achieve great deeds. This was one of the quickest ways for them to obtain cultivation resources, provided they survived.

"Greetings, Ancestor."

Wang Zhongchen bowed respectfully.

"Which stronghold is Chuan Ming in? How much do you know about the Sable Clan?"

Wang Changsheng asked.

"The Hall Master is leading a team to gather intelligence in Lunar Rhino Valley. The cultivators in Lunar Rhino Valley are commanded by True Monarch Qingyuan, primarily responsible for dealing with the Blood Frog Clan. This is the intelligence I've collected."

Wang Zhongchen took out two green jade slips and handed them to Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Wang Changsheng scanned them with his spiritual sense and nodded with satisfaction.

The intelligence provided by Wang Zhongchen was even more detailed. Besides information on the Sable Clan, it also described the cultivation resources held by forces such as the Nine Flames Sect and the Cold Flame Sect, and included details of past attacks on the Sable Clan.