After this bloody battle, the Forest Spring Watch faction was completely wiped out, and even their mountain gate was occupied. The Second Rank spirit vein of Forest Spring Watch had already collapsed, and spiritual fields and springs would gradually become barren and depleted. Before going to battle, most of the items in the sect's treasury were distributed among all disciples.
Among the spoils of war, there were few cultivation resources. The most valuable gain was the Hidden Scripture Pavilion of Forest Spring Watch. Due to the collapse of the spirit vein and the hurried attack by Daoist Guang Hui, they did not have time to evacuate the Hidden Scripture Pavilion. Thus, it fell intact into the hands of the enemy.
Forest Spring Watch had a heritage of several hundred years and had been in a standoff with Twin Success Valley for many years. It even cultivated a Gold Core Daoist Master named Daoist Guang Zhi. The sect's heritage and scriptures were still very valuable.
Both Foundation Building cultivators from Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect had more or less suffered injuries and were now busy recovering. The Refining Qi stage disciples were organizing to assess casualties and gather spoils of war.
In this grand battle, both Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect lost many Refining Qi stage disciples. Especially Qiaoshou Sect, without a Foundation Building cultivator like Wen Qiansun overseeing the situation, suffered more casualties than Taiyi Sect.
Of course, despite the sacrifices of the disciples, the great victory was worth the cost. Their sacrifices were not in vain.
After the victory, there were many things to handle. The disciples of both sects were busy with post-war tasks. As the victors, they had not yet enjoyed the fruits of victory and were immersed in various complicated affairs.
Meanwhile, in Firewell Market, at Earthfire Sect, Shangguan Longyan received the news of Forest Spring Watch's precarious situation only after Daoist Guang Hui took the initiative to attack.
Although Shangguan Longyan was somewhat indecisive, he was still clear-headed. He knew that Earthfire Sect and Forest Spring Watch were natural allies against Flying Swan Sect. They couldn't let Forest Spring Watch be defeated and annihilated .
This time, Shangguan Longyan didn't consult the elders but made a rare decisive move, fully exerting the authority of the Sect Master and exercising his powers. He began to mobilize cultivators from the sect to form an expeditionary force to support Forest Spring Watch.
As Earthfire Sect prepared to set out, bad news kept coming from Forest Spring Watch, which annoyed Shangguan Longyan and left him puzzled. From his perspective, with the protection of the carefully cultivated mountain defense formation of Forest Spring Watch over the centuries, and with so many cultivators assisting in the defense, they should be able to hold out for at least three to five years, if not longer.
Who would have thought that the people of Forest Spring Watch would be so useless? Facing the former vassals Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect, they not only suffered repeated defeats but even their mountain gate was about to fall.
Despite his complaints and disdain for Forest Spring Watch, Shangguan Longyan had no choice but to dispatch troops for rescue.
However, just as Earthfire Sect began its mobilization, Land Walk Sect also started massive mobilization, whether coincidentally or intentionally.
Due to Land Walk Sect's actions, Earthfire Sect was delayed for a lot of time, finally breaking free from Land Walk Sect's entanglement and sending a relatively strong force to reinforce Forest Spring Watch.
By the time Earthfire Sect's cultivators flew on their flying boats and arrived above Forest Spring Watch, the battle had long since ended. Forest Spring Watch had been completely annihilated, and their mountain gate had fallen. The cultivators from Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect, upon discovering Earthfire Sect's fleet, immediately stood prepared in battle formation.
Although the major battle had recently taken place and the vitality of both sects had not fully recovered, Earthfire Sect was equally pressed for time in their mobilization, so their forces couldn't overpower the other side.
Moreover, Forest Spring Watch had already been utterly defeated. There was no longer a need for Earthfire Sect to insist on fighting against the joint forces of Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect. Even if Earthfire Sect won, Forest Spring Watch could not be resurrected. Furthermore, the strength of the two sects that could wipe out Forest Spring Watch must be formidable, and Earthfire Sect might not have a guarantee of victory.
Thinking about the confrontation with Land Walk Sect and especially the Flying Swan Sect, which had been manipulating everything from behind the scenes, Shangguan Longyan decided to retreat and extinguished the intention of going to war.
As a result, the fleet of flying boats from Earthfire Sect seemed to have come specifically to witness the annihilation of Forest Spring Watch and returned dejectedly.
Seeing Earthfire Sect retreat without a fight, everyone, including Meng Zhang, finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Earthfire Sect had launched a surprise attack at this moment, everyone's situation wouldn't have been good. Even if they managed to repel the enemy successfully, they would likely have paid a hefty price in casualties.
Earthfire Sect's voluntary withdrawal was the best outcome. Having fought hard and emerged victorious, it was now time for everyone to enjoy the fruits of their triumph. After this battle, Taiyi Sect had no rivals in this region. They were no longer a vassal of anyone but had attained an independent status.
The former regional powerhouse, Twin Success Valley, had long been destroyed, and the forces of Liu Family, Green Bamboo Mountain, and Forest Spring Watch had all perished. Now, it was Taiyi Sect's turn to become the overlord of this region and reign supreme.
If they wished, Taiyi Sect could even annihilate Qiaoshou Sect and rule the entire area. Of course, Meng Zhang would not let this victory cloud his judgment or harbor such irrational thoughts. Not only did they have a longstanding friendship with Qiaoshou Sect, but they were also allies at the moment. Additionally, the mysterious background of Qiaoshou Sect and its tenuous connection with Flying Swan Sect made Meng Zhang wary.
After the victory, Meng Zhang did not break his promise; he shared the spoils of war with Qiaoshou Sect as agreed upon earlier. The captured cultivation resources were distributed proportionally, leaving everyone satisfied. Qiaoshou Sect received a small share while Taiyi Sect, being the major contributor and possessing greater strength, naturally received the lion's share.
The territory of Golden Blade Sect, which had been occupied by Forest Spring Watch, now belonged entirely to Qiaoshou Sect. Similarly, the territories of Twin Success Valley and Liu Family, along with Forest Spring Watch's own land and that of Forest Mountain School, were now all part of the spoils shared between Taiyi Sect and Qiaoshou Sect.
Taiyi Sect gained control of Singing Sand City, and the interests of Shi Family and Qiaoshou Sect were both ensured. Additionally, Meng Zhang gave away some barren peripheral areas as a gift to Shi Family, Taiyi Sect's first vassal family, to win them over.
Green Bamboo Mountain had been destroyed by Flying Swan Sect, and its territory and mountain gate were now under the control of Flying Swan Sect, so there was no need to discuss it further.
Indeed, the current territory controlled by Taiyi Sect far exceeded that of the former regional powerhouse, Twin Success Valley. In this region, there had never been such a behemoth as Taiyi Sect before.
While Meng Zhang was delighted with the vast territory they now held, he also had hidden worries. Taiyi Sect would undoubtedly face numerous challenges in the future with such an expansive domain.
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