Regardless of other events, the conflict with the Sovereign Primacy continued. After so long of focusing on defense and restricting their spread onto the continent, the continental alliance was ready to push back. Some of that had been an unclear understanding of their power- they had more than a few Ascending Soul Phase cultivators, which was discovered early on. Careless attacks would be risky.
Remaining on the defensive was also the most efficient, as they were able to fight in friendly territory where sects were familiar. Furthermore, during the early parts of the war they simply hadn’t had the manpower available. Some groups had been easier to convince than others. Certain sects were simply further away or otherwise less able to mobilize quickly. That was something that could be worked on in the future, although John didn’t think the overall results were terrible.
It would have been somewhat more problematic if they had been responsible for the defense of all of the Muted Crags, though. The response they organized probably wouldn’t have been good enough to protect them. In some ways the attack on the continent was only so successful because they had attacked the unallied patch. In other ways, the continent would have suffered greater early losses trying to hold onto territory.
They needed to detect incoming fleets earlier. The southern coast was more prepared with their recent trouble, but the northern coast- even their allied sections- simply didn’t have sufficient patrols. Founding some water element sects- or establishing branches- along the coast should be a good start. They would just need to be supported by the alliance as a whole though the local sects would likely benefit the most directly.
But all that would have to come after they drove out the Sovereign Primacy. And they would. If the Primacy had much greater forces to bring to bear they already would have. Alternatively, they were too slow to bring them to bear.
The continent had finished preparing their multi-pronged attack. They would be pushing into the Muted Crags from all sides, including along the northern coast. The plan for their fleets was to leave a line of retreat while at the same time preventing any reinforcements from arriving. Fleets from the Shimmering Islands carrying cultivators from varied elemental regions would be responsible for that.
To the west, the Shadowed Union would be launching their own assaults, with their aid coming primarily from the Boiling Springs, Blustering Peaks, and Shining Coast. With some cultivators from the Viridia Wildlands, they had a full elemental complement, well rounded forces that should be able to take on anything.
From the south, the Rolling Dunes were prepared to make a direct assault- with support from many of the central continental forces. That was the main bulk of the assault, as it was the easiest route of approach. They also had to push the intruders out of the deepest parts of their foothold while also covering a wide area. That was where John would be participating, which he found quite reminiscent of the trouble with the Black Peaks.
Except this time, it wasn’t the Muted Crags themselves causing trouble. The terrain still made marching armies suboptimal, but without experienced local cultivators leading things the tactics used would be less problematic.
From the east, the Frozen Heights would be increasing their own pressure. The Encapsulated Flow, with which they had some longstanding grievances, would be working separately along the coasts. Relevantly, the Burning Delta had agreed to provide some forces to aid the alliance, even if the sect’s connection was more tangential. Of course, other cultivators from the Breathless Plains and surrounding areas would be joining as well.
Overall, the continental forces would be taking advantage of their elemental diversity. The Sovereign Primacy also possessed diverse elemental forces, but the cities and sects they had taken over were generally governed by a small group. With proper intel, the counterattack could take advantage of certain elemental strengths.
Each front would have Ascending Soul Phase cultivators- though the continent didn’t have so many that they were with every army. However, they had enough that unless the invaders gathered all of their Ascending Soul Phase cultivators in a single place, the continental forces should be able to match them with proper maneuvering. Keeping track of where said cultivators were moving was nearly as important as watching the movement of full battalions of weaker troops.
John and some portion of the Six Elements Crossroads would be fighting alongside the Succulent League, as well as others from the Rolling Dunes such as the Grasping Sands. The Summer Sun Sect and Astrid joined as well. Next were the Sweeping Inferno, mercenaries from the Molten Sea that were fire cultivators focused mainly on combating those with their own element. Whether it would have been better if they were water cultivators John couldn’t judge. Either way, he was glad to have slightly more contact with the Molten Sea that wasn’t hostile. Though he knew that a little bit deeper in were the sects that Gesine had mobilized.
They weren’t the problem for the moment, though. The Sovereign Primacy was the current threat.
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Moving through the Muted Crags when senses were just ‘naturally’ dulled was almost pleasant. Obviously they still had to keep alert for enemy ambushes, but it was far less of a slog than his last visit. For the most part, their foes were concerned with their defensive positions in the nearest large city. There were various skirmishes along the way, but they rarely happened when John was actually nearby. His job was not to hide his cultivation but to display it openly as an intimidation tactic.
Besides, that would make people more surprised when he did disappear. The Primacy wouldn’t be as familiar with his tactics as the natives of the continent. Though some of that would depend on how much they gleaned from what the Black Peaks had.
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According to their information, Asawell, the first city on their list was currently occupied by the Last Gasp, an air sect, as well as a minor water sect. It was the Last Gasp that were important, as they were led by an Ascending Soul Phase cultivator. One at the late phase, even, though ‘just’ the forty-third rank. Two steps below the peak, but still somewhat higher than John himself.
However, those around him weren’t particularly impressive. They barely had any late Consolidated Soul Phase cultivators, for example. Perhaps his sect was unbalanced with him as the head, or that was simply the representation they brought along with them for their continental conquering.
Either way, John intended to take advantage of it. He had with him several individuals near the peak of the Consolidated Soul Phase, so they simply had to look for advantages where they could. First, that meant getting people out of Asawell. Even if the current occupants had overcome many of the defenses, it was still best to avoid fighting people in fortifications they controlled.
Fortunately, they had the Succulent League with them. Their forces looked out on the walls of the city, and the people standing atop it.
“Yeah,” Anna said. “We can make them not want to be on the walls.”
John thought that was an odd way to say ‘force them off the walls’, but when he saw them in action he understood. A row of Succulent League cultivators lined up, facing off against the cultivators positioned on the wall. They launched attacks together, spheres of earth elemental spiritual energy. The air cultivators on the walls simply created a unified wall of wind, scattering the attacks to the side.
Anna didn’t look bothered at all. Instead, she prepared her own attack next to the others, only taking a brief moment to defend against a rain of arrows from the walls. Air cultivators were perhaps the deadliest archers, but attacking at long range weakened every sort of attack.
That was why John was curious precisely what the Succulent League intended. As they took more time to gather power, he assessed the form of their energy. He only got about half the picture before they launched their attacks.
Once more, the air cultivators created a wall of wind. However, rather than allowing their attacks to be deflected, the earth attacks exploded- scattering shrapnel in all directions in the form of thorns. Only perhaps a third made it onto the walls, and the defenders avoided most damage, but another set of attacks was on the way. And the compressed earth element thorns still remained.
There were water element cultivators on the walls too, but their defensive wall wasn’t much better. The caltrop-like thorns lost momentum as they passed through water, but they landed on the walls, solid.
Of course, the enemy could individually crush them or wash them away after they landed but they clung to the surface of the wall. Soon, the middle section was filled with caltrops. John was already leading people closer, allowing those with long ranged attacks from the Crossroads and the Summer Sun Sect to attack. The Succulent League moved in closer behind them.
Dodging attacks from a distance wasn’t hard, unless half of the places you wanted to step were dangerous traps. Nobody would die from stepping on some thorns… but they had to gather excess defensive energy under their feet instead of using it for attack or movement purposes. The alternative was risking injuries to their feet for the duration of the battle. Some people chose wrong.
More cultivators moved to reinforce the area, but the Succulent League didn’t let up. As they grew closer, they combined their efforts to grow thorny vines up the walls, vines that sprouted cacti of various sorts from them. John was fairly certain that wasn’t based off of any real sort of plant, but the spiritual energy projections were powerful enough.
Seeing an actual assault, half of the defenders moved forward, while others fell backwards. It seemed a fairly clear split between the water cultivators who thought they should defend their positions and the air cultivators who just wanted to retreat.
John kept his energy under wraps, making only small attacks as they approached the wall. Various Rolling Dunes cultivators rushed the isolated water element cultivators, trapping them against the walls behind them and swiftly overcoming the section under assault.
When they reached the walls, they were receiving only awkward and distant barrages from the sides instead of being fired on directly from above. Then the Succulent League twisted the thorns of the vines climbing the wall, forming ladders.
Neat. John was considering flying up, but he’d be less exposed that way. Besides, he didn’t want to waste spiritual energy. He could feel the approach of Akash.
The few defenders on the wall were swiftly dealt with, but the air cultivators that had retreated launched attacks up above. Some wielded lightning, others shot their bows, but most of them called upon a different power- the power of the vacuum, trying to draw air away from their foes.
John had used similar methods himself, though not formalized into a technique. Either way, it was well known how the Last Gasp fought. Six Elements Crossroads cultivators counteracted the technique with a combination of air and earth, the latter to disturb the flow of energy and the former to replenish what was still being lost.
Akash flew in, full of confidence. John had wondered if they would need to do more to draw him out, but apparently not. He landed some ways down the wall, and John charged towards him- allies at his sides, of course. Akash was not alone… but his coordination was only effective with those of his own sect. The water element cultivators were effectively bystanders.
Astrid and Anna charged on either side of John. Even if Anna didn’t seriously seem to be pursuing him, they had improved their battle coordination and as sect leaders it was appropriate to fight side-by-side if they were effective that way. Astrid disrupted their enemies with a flash of light, but could do little more. Anna was focused on countering their techniques drawing air away from her.
John did the same… but less obviously. He was impressed at the control Akash had, sliding through his defensive energy and even reaching inside his lungs to pull out air. Not directly, but it was pretty close. Of course, John had lined his body with a bit of earth element, but he still staggered forward as air left his lungs, his sword nearly clattering to the ground just a single step from Akash.
