Chapter 572: Better to Die in Battle Than to Suffer That Kind of Cowardly Humiliation Again

"What should we do then?" asked Ancestor Guisha of the Soul Refining Sect, "Should we attack Qinglong Peak directly?"

Ancestor Taixuan pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Launching a direct war is certainly possible, but we must also preserve some dignity for ourselves. I have decided to issue an ultimatum to the Reform Alliance, giving them seven days to consider."

"Seven days?" Ancestor Jianchi was somewhat puzzled, "Ancestor, is doing this being too merciful?"

"No," Ancestor Taixuan shook his head, "These seven days are not for them, but for the entire Cultivation World to see. We must let everyone know that it was the Reform Alliance that rejected the opportunity for a peaceful resolution, so that we will have a legitimate reason when we launch our crusade."

He stood up and said majestically, "Draft the ultimatum immediately, demanding that the Reform Alliance dissolve itself within seven days and disperse all its members back to their original sects. If they refuse, we will launch a joint crusade to completely eradicate this scourge!"

At the same time, this ultimatum was also delivered to the major powers of the Cultivation World, causing a massive shock.

On Qinglong Peak, the assembly hall of the Harmony Academy was bustling with noise. After receiving the ultimatum from Ancestor Taixuan, Lin Xuan immediately convened an emergency meeting of the Reform Alliance, and all core members and sect representatives rushed to attend.

"Fellow Daoists," Lin Xuan stood at the front, holding the ultimatum in his hand, "Ancestor Taixuan demands that we dissolve ourselves within seven days, otherwise they will launch a joint crusade. Now we need to discuss our countermeasures."

As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce argument erupted in the hall.

"I think we should consider compromising," a sect leader of a small sect said tremblingly, "The strength of the traditional powers is too great; fighting them head-on will only result in mutual destruction."

"Compromise?" Zhang Wuji stood up with a start and retorted angrily, "We rogue cultivators have finally seen hope, how can we retreat at such a critical moment? This is the only chance to change our destiny!"

"But Fellow Daoist Zhang, you must consider everyone's safety," the sect leader pleaded bitterly, "Once the Ancestors at the Nascent Soul Stage make a move, people like us won't be able to resist at all."

"Then what do you mean? You want us to go back and continue being beasts of burden?" another rogue cultivator questioned angrily, "We would rather die in battle than suffer that kind of cowardly humiliation again!"

The hall was immediately divided into two factions, the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction arguing endlessly, and the scene spiraled out of control for a time.

Xiao Yuan looked at the chaotic situation before her, took a deep breath, and channeled the "Harmony Dao." A gentle white light radiated from her body, gradually calming everyone's anger.

"Fellow Daoists, please calm down," Xiao Yuan stood up, her voice gentle but firm, "I understand everyone's worries and anger; these are only natural human feelings. But what we need now is rational analysis, not emotional arguing."

She paused for a moment and continued, "First, we must make one thing clear: compromise is impossible. Ancestor Taixuan demands that we dissolve ourselves, which is equivalent to asking us to abandon all our ideals. If we truly did that, all our previous efforts would have been in vain."

"Then we have no choice but to fight?" someone asked.

"Fighting is necessary, but we must be strategic," Xiao Yuan said thoughtfully, "I propose adopting a strategy of 'advancing by retreating.' On the surface, we can express a willingness to negotiate to buy more time for preparation."

Lin Xuan's eyes lit up: "Xiao Yuan is right. These seven days are extremely precious to us; we can use this time to strengthen our defenses and contact more allies."

Abbot Huiming nodded in agreement: "Amitabha, the art of war says: know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. We indeed need time to make full preparations."

Xingchenzi also stood up to speak: "I support this strategy. However, we must also consider one issue, which is how to protect the ordinary disciples in the academy. Once the war breaks out, they will face immense danger."

"Master is right," Shuiyun Xianzi echoed, "We must evacuate non-combatants first to ensure their safety."

After some discussion, the Reform Alliance finally determined its response strategy: express a willingness to negotiate to the outside world to buy seven days of preparation time; meanwhile, go all out to strengthen defenses, contact allies, and evacuate non-combatants.

After the meeting ended, everyone began to work busily and nervously.

Lin Xuan was responsible for military deployment, and he discovered that he actually had a talent for strategic planning. Years of practicing the Taiji True Art had given him a profound understanding of the concept of "borrowing strength to strike," and now he applied this philosophy to his tactical arrangements.

"Although our strength is not as great as the traditional powers, we have the advantage of terrain," Lin Xuan analyzed at the war meeting, "Qinglong Peak has a dangerous terrain, easy to defend and hard to attack. We can use this advantage to adopt a defensive-counterattack strategy."

He pointed at the map: "I suggest setting up the first line of defense at the foot of the mountain, using the numerical advantage of the rogue cultivators to conduct guerrilla warfare and exhaust the enemy's stamina. Then, set up a second line of defense halfway up the mountain; this is the only path for an attack, and we can concentrate our firepower to block them."

"Finally," a light of wisdom flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes, "If the first two lines of defense fall, we will retreat to the summit and use the academy's mountain-protecting array for a final decisive battle."

After listening to Lin Xuan's deployment, Muerxiu nodded approvingly: "Senior Brother has considered everything very thoroughly. I will be responsible for establishing an intelligence network, using the Void Path to monitor every move of the enemy."

In the following days, Muerxiu utilized the special advantages of the Void Path to establish an extremely extensive intelligence network throughout the Cultivation World. Through spatial transmission, news could spread to every corner in a very short time.

"Senior Brother, I just received news," Muerxiu reported to Lin Xuan, "The Taixuan Sect, Wanjian Valley, and the Soul Refining Sect are gathering their forces, and they are expected to march toward Qinglong Peak in three days."

"What is the specific strength of the enemy?" Lin Xuan asked.

"According to reports from scouts, they have a total of five Ancestors at the Nascent Soul Stage, about fifty practitioners at the Golden Core Stage, and over three hundred practitioners at the Foundation Establishment Stage," Muerxiu said with a grave expression, "Their strength is indeed very strong."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "It seems our judgment was correct; a pure head-on confrontation indeed has no chance of winning. We must rely on strategy and the advantage of terrain."

At the same time, Xingchenzi and Shuiyun Xianzi were also busy with evacuation work. There were many young disciples and non-combatants in the Harmony Academy, and they had to be moved to safe locations before the war broke out.

"Master, the evacuation work is more than half finished," Shuiyun Xianzi reported to Xingchenzi, "Those children have all been sent to hidden caves behind the mountain, and there are people specifically looking after them."

Xingchenzi nodded: "Well done. War is cruel; we cannot let innocent lives be harmed."