"Senior, are we really going to charge through?" In a dense jungle, a group of Taoists dressed in black and white robes were lying in ambush. One of them, a young Taoist who had just come of age, trembled as he asked an old Taoist beside him. The young Taoist's lips, covered with fine down, quivered uncontrollably.
This young Taoist was one of the Taoists from the Chao Tian Palace on the summit of Tianzhu Peak in Wudang Mountain.
The survivors on the summit of Tianzhu Peak in Wudang Mountain had formed their own unique social system over the past two hundred years. First, because the land on Tianzhu Peak and its slopes was not very suitable for farming and had very low yields, the population had to be kept below 1,000. Through strict birth control, the population on Tianzhu Peak never exceeded 800 over the two centuries.
Secondly, it was essential to ensure that Tianzhu Peak had its own fighting force. The survivors would select the strongest male infants from those born and send them to Chao Tian Palace from a young age, where they would be trained by the ancient martial arts Taoists. They would practice martial arts and sword techniques from a young age. By the time they reached adulthood, their martial arts skills were formidable.
However, due to the full-time martial arts training, the number of Taoists in Chao Tian Palace was strictly controlled to no more than thirty. These Taoists were equivalent to the army of Tianzhu Peak. Once the number exceeded thirty, the remaining labor force could no longer support these non-productive Taoists.
Of course, with just thirty Taoist soldiers, they were powerless to resist the waves of Yuan invaders. Their greatest trump card was the Wudang Sect leader who had successfully synchronized with the Zhenwu Sword. It was under the full protection of this Wudang Sect leader that Tianzhu Peak enjoyed a relatively peaceful two hundred years. However, this good fortune ended a few days ago when the powerful Dark Dragon King Xiunaide set his sights on Wudang Mountain. The Wudang Sect leader fought with all his might but ultimately fell in battle.
With the death of the Wudang Sect leader, there was no one left on Wudang Mountain who could synchronize with the Zhenwu Sword... to be precise, there wasn't even a single sword wielder left on Wudang Mountain, making it impossible to resist the Dark Dragon King after he recovered and returned.
After deliberation, the Taoists decided to make a desperate attempt to break through the Dark Dragon King's blockade and lead the remaining humans to a safe haven. Thus, the scene we see now: these twenty or so Taoists are all lying in ambush in the grass, waiting for the right moment to charge through the blockade.
Behind these Taoists, the remaining 700 survivors had packed all their belongings and taken up weapons. Once the Taoists broke through the blockade, they would follow closely behind and fight their way down.
"Yuan Kong, pull yourself together!" The old Taoist harshly rebuked the young Taoist named Yuan Kong. "We have no other way out. We must fight with all our might! Wu Liang Tian Zun!"
"Wu Liang Tian Zun!"
"Wu Liang Tian Zun!"
The other Taoists in ambush chanted in unison, their hearts fearless. Behind them were their parents, wives, and children. To ensure their survival, these Taoists had put their lives on the line.
"Wu Liang Tian Zun!" Yuan Kong also chanted, feeling a bit braver, and his legs no longer trembled as much.
"Senior, look, the skeleton mage has left the post!" Yuan Kong, being young, had sharp eyes and immediately noticed that the skeleton mage, who had been standing guard, had suddenly left the post, heading somewhere unknown.
"Yuan Zhen, Yuan Gu, you've been watching for two days. Are you sure this skeleton mage won't return within half an hour?" the elder asked the two other Taoists of the Yuan generation.
"Senior, we swear to Zhenwu Emperor. Each time the skeleton mage leaves the post, we cause trouble at the blockade entrance, killing many skeletons, but the skeleton mage takes at least thirty minutes to return!" the two Taoists, one fat and one thin, replied.
"Wu Liang Tian Zun!" The elder slammed his fist on the ground. "This is our best chance. The skeleton mages need to spend half an hour each day to recharge their energy. This is our best opportunity. Without the skeleton mages' fireball spells, we have a fighting chance. I'll count to five, and we'll charge together!"
"One, two, three, four, five... Charge!" The elder was the first to rise from the grass, leading the charge with a fierce and brave spirit. Under his leadership, the remaining twenty or so Taoists surged out, raising their long swords and following the elder into battle.
The skeleton warrior at the entrance became the first target of the Wudang elder. His long sword struck the skeleton warrior's shoulder with great force.
The green soul fire in the skeleton warrior's skull flashed, and it raised its iron bone long knife to counterattack. However, it was caught off guard as a dozen swords simultaneously struck its body. The green soul fire instantly extinguished, and the skeleton warrior collapsed into a pile of bones.
Following the fate of this skeleton warrior, the other skeleton warriors guarding the entrance could not withstand the assault of the twenty or so Taoists and were quickly cut down, their soul fires extinguished, leaving only piles of bones. The Wudang Taoists suffered no casualties and successfully occupied the entrance to the blockade, achieving their first victory.
"Everyone, listen. There are at least eighty skeleton warriors and a few skeleton mages inside the camp. Once we enter the camp, form groups of seven and use the Zhenwu Seven-Section Formation to clear out all the skeleton warriors!"
"Yes!" The Zhenwu Seven-Section Formation was a formation created by the founder of Wudang Mountain, the Immortal Zhang Sanfeng, based on the two generals, the tortoise and the snake, under the Zhenwu Emperor.
The Zhenwu Seven-Section Formation required seven different martial arts, each with its own unique skills, which could be used for both individual combat and combined attacks. If two people worked together, they complemented each other, enhancing both offense and defense. If three people worked together, their power doubled. Four people were equivalent to eight experts, five to sixteen, six to thirty-two, and seven to sixty-four experts working together.
(Ps: The above is copied and pasted from Baidu Baike. The author is so honest!)
These Taoists had been trained in groups of seven from a young age, living and practicing together, and had reached a level of默契 (mòqì,默契 means默契, which can be translated as "telepathy" or "unspoken understanding"). At the elder's command, the remaining twenty-eight Taoists quickly found their fellow disciples and immediately formed four Zhenwu Seven-Section Formations, charging into the enemy camp.
Seeing his disciples charge in, the elder stood at the entrance, sighing sadly. "The number of skeletons far exceeds that of my disciples, and each one is hard to kill, requiring at least ten to twenty strikes. If they are surrounded by skeletons and the skeleton mages attack, even with the Zhenwu Seven-Section Formation, I don't know how many of my poor disciples will survive!"
Tears streamed down the elder's eyes. "Well, well, I can only hope that their sacrifice will ensure the safety of our loved ones!"
The elder stood at the entrance, tears streaming down his face, waiting for a few minutes but hearing no sounds of battle from the camp. Curious, he looked up and saw Yuan Kong running back alone.
"Bad! Bad!" The elder slapped his thigh in pain. "It seems Yuan Kong's formation has been broken, and only this coward has returned!"
When Yuan Kong ran to the elder, the elder slapped him across the face. "Wretch, how dare you abandon your fellow disciples and run back alone!"
"Senior... Yuan Kong didn't run back!" Yuan Kong, holding his face, felt extremely wronged. "The senior disciples sent Yuan Kong back to report that there are no skeletons left in the camp!"
"You wretch, running away is running away, and you dare to lie!" The elder, enraged, wanted to hit Yuan Kong again, but Yuan Kong dodged nimbly. "Really, Senior, if you don't believe me, come and see for yourself. The entire camp has been searched, and not a single skeleton can be found!"
Seeing Yuan Kong's determined and wronged expression, the elder believed him to some extent.
"Yuan Kong, are you sure?"
"Absolutely, without a doubt!" Yuan Kong turned and immediately rejoiced. "Senior, look, the senior disciples are all back!"
The elder looked in the distance and indeed saw all his disciples return to the camp entrance. Counting with his old eyes, there were exactly twenty-eight.
"Strange! Where did all the skeletons go?" The elder was puzzled, and his disciples also looked bewildered, unable to understand what had happened.
"Never mind, let's just say Zhenwu Emperor has protected us and destroyed these accursed skeletons!" The elder waved his hand, making a decision. "Disciples, go back and gather our loved ones. Let's leave this place and find a safe haven!"
"Yes!" The Taoists followed the order and headed back. On the other side, the survivors who had been observing the battle also noticed that the blockade camp had been breached and ran out of their hiding places to join the Taoists.
"Wait!" At that moment, a voice shouted, startling everyone. Could there be another intelligent Yuan invader?
"Who is it?" The Taoists immediately reformed the four Zhenwu Seven-Section Formations, surrounding the elder and vigilantly observing their surroundings.
"I helped you clear out those skeletons, and this is how you treat your benefactor?" As the voice spoke, Gu Han jumped down from a tree, followed closely by Yue Wang, who also jumped down.
The elder looked closely and saw that this man was extremely fierce, with four ugly scars on his face, but from his physique, he was clearly human. Behind this human was a woman holding a long sword, looking heroic and beautiful.
Seeing these two, the elder couldn't help but recall the two figures, one male and one female, who had once protected Wudang together.
"Who are you?" The elder signaled the Taoists to lower their weapons, showing a friendly attitude.
"I am Admiral, a Sword Wielder of the Ancient Sword level!" Gu Han smiled and introduced himself. "The lady beside me is my Sword Maiden, the Sword of Yue Wang Goujian!"
"Sword Maiden?" The elder let out a long sigh of relief, his body relaxing. "Heaven has shown mercy; Wudang Mountain is saved!"