Chapter 163: Snow in Tianyang

It seems we still have a way out. As long as the enemy’s strength is not overwhelming, we can hold our ground until the main force returns.

I thought it over carefully and shared my plan with Elder Yan. "How many people are left in the sect in total?"

Elder Yan, who had clearly already looked into this, did not hesitate and replied, "A little over a hundred, but their strength varies greatly. Some are only at the Spirit Leaf Realm."

It seemed Elder Yan was at his wit's end. A perfectly ordinary duty elder, he had suddenly found himself caught in such a mess.

"There isn't a better option. I will lead a team to intercept them, and you hold the main gate."

Right now, I was the strongest in the sect, and since I wasn't very familiar with the others, it was better for Elder Yan to hold the rear. Elder Yan, being a man of tact, hesitated for a moment before saying, "This... is that really appropriate?"

I interrupted him proactively. "It’s fine. If I can't beat them, I’ll just run back. I still have you all, don't I?"

Elder Yan was not a man of indecision and quickly agreed. I then summoned all the disciples remaining in the sect and addressed them: "I believe you all know what we are about to face. This is the most critical moment of your lives."

"Defend the sect and wait for the main force to return—that is our only mission. Do you understand?"

My reputation had already spread among the disciples of Tianyang Mountain, and they had implicitly accepted me as their leader.

"Understood!"
"Understood!"
"Understood..."

Although there were not many of them, the sound was deafening, and even Elder Yan’s eyes grew a shade more resolute.

As Elder Yan had said, their strength was indeed uneven. There were over thirty at the Spirit Leaf Realm; I assigned them to the walls to man the bows. As for the rest, I selected ten to act as my vanguard, leaving the remaining disciples under Elder Yan's command to guard the sect.

Our vanguard consisted of thirteen people. Excluding Chen Chen, Li Zijian, and myself, these disciples were at the fourth or fifth stage of the Spirit Flower Realm, which was quite decent.

There was only one path up the mountain, allowing us to set an ambush and wait for them to take the bait. After assigning the tasks, everyone went to prepare. I truly admired this; even though this might be a desperate hour for Tianyang Mountain, no one shrank back, and everyone remained united.

"They are worthy of being a righteous sect..." I muttered to myself.

At that moment, Chen Chen suddenly sat down on the spot, eyes tightly shut. I didn't know what he was doing.

"What's wrong, Chen?" Li Zijian, standing nearby, was startled. He reached out to help Chen Chen up, but I stopped him.

"I think Chen is about to break through to the Spirit Lotus Realm," I said.

Li Zijian nodded and stood by my side. Through my frequent interactions with him, I had realized that he was not a person who pursued fame or fortune. He often joked around, but even when our strength or cultivation levels surpassed his, he only felt happy for us, never jealous. When I once asked him about it, he said, "Because we are brothers."

Li Zijian and I stood there for over ten minutes. I had feared Chen Chen might face obstacles in reaching the Spirit Lotus Realm, but the process was remarkably smooth. Shortly after, he slowly opened his eyes, though I could see he was intentionally suppressing his excitement.

"Old Chen, when are you going to take me under your wing? You're both at the Spirit Lotus Realm now," Li Zijian joked, maintaining his carefree attitude as he hurried to help Chen Chen up.

Perhaps because he was too happy, Chen Chen's legs were weak, and he nearly collapsed as he stood. I caught him just in time. "Well done, you've reached the Spirit Lotus Realm."

It took a while for him to process it, and he looked as if he were about to cry.

"Be happy when we get back. Don't forget why we're here," I said.

Chen Chen nodded heavily. I gathered the ten men I had selected for the vanguard.

"Listen to me, everyone. You are very likely to lose your lives in this operation. Do you have the courage?"

I expected someone to desert, but the reality was the opposite. They said, one by one:
"My life was saved by Tianyang Mountain. I swear to serve the sect until death!"
"I was an orphan picked up by the elders of Tianyang Mountain. I decided long ago that I would spend my whole life here!"
"Just give the order, Elder. We won't hesitate."

I felt a surge of emotion and clenched my fists. "Good. We will split into two groups of six and seven. Chen Chen, Li Zijian, you two lead a group of five. The others will follow me. We move out now and find our ambush spots when we reach the destination."

With me leading, the strongest force currently in Tianyang Mountain marched toward the main gate. All the disciples had changed into their iconic white robes—the first time I had seen them worn this way, with layers that were distinct and orderly. On the back of every robe, the characters "Tianyang" were embroidered, creating an aura of great authority. Everyone felt a degree of tension; after all, this was a matter of life and death.

Once outside the gate, I signaled for everyone to run to save time and relieve some of the pressure. I was fast, so I had to intentionally slow my pace; otherwise, the disciples behind couldn't keep up. As I ran, I scanned both sides of the path, looking for a spot for the ambush at a distance from the gate. We needed to buy time, so the further away, the better, but it couldn't be too far.

Soon, we ran past the iconic stone-paved path. Further ahead, there were no places to hide. I decided to set the ambush there and beckoned the disciples over. "Find your own positions. Try to keep one person per spot. Whatever you do, do not expose yourselves. One group on each side. Go."

My group of six chose to set our ambush on the left. I quickly found a thick tree. As usual, I gathered some branches to cover our surroundings so that we would be completely hidden from view. The others were clever and knew how to conceal themselves, so I didn't worry too much.

The sky had turned overcast, and the cold wind hitting my face was refreshing. It seemed the Summer family wouldn't arrive for a while. I leaned against the tree, bored, and gazed at the sky. I truly didn't know if I could stop them this time, but even if I couldn't wipe them out, I just needed to hold on until the elders returned.

Time passed slowly. I was closing my eyes to rest when I felt something cold land on my face. I touched it gently—it was water. I opened my eyes.

It had started to snow.