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In just over ten days, seven or eight mountain strongholds have been wiped out. Wherever the allied forces went, evil forces retreated with ease, causing quite a stir.

The Tang Clan was not far behind, sending several teams of Martial Ancestors to conquer several mountains in the north.

After recuperating for several months, the two prominent clans of Xiling finally revealed their fangs causing a sense of crisis among all the forces in Xiling.

Some headmasters who were still dreaming of ruling the mountains woke up under the military pressure of the two clans, with many directly pledging allegiance to the two clans.

The Tang and Mi clans did not reject anyone and absorbed them all, readying their troops for battle as if preparing for war.

Indeed, the terrain of Xiling was not complicated. The original city had turned into a river, and gullies became lakes. Although the floodwaters were raging, people had realized that Xiling would never return to its previous state.

The plains no longer existed, and the future boundaries of Xiling were a combination of lakes and mountain cities with distinct borders.

To the north were continuous mountains spanning for hundreds of miles, now under the control of the Tang Clan, facing the Beast Valley of South Ridge with the once Lingjiang River course in between, making it quite challenging terrains.

The east was where Red Cloud Mountain was, but most of it was controlled by the neutral clans led by the Xiao Family. Almost half of Xiling’s medium and small clans were there, making the Xiao Family unparalleled in influence for a time.

The Wu Family, with the most robust momentum, now occupied the treacherous terrain in the west, where all the most warlike and barbaric clans of Xiling were. They were the most potent power in Xiling before the two clans showed their military might.

Simply put, the current battlefield in Xiling was a group of mountains gathered from all directions in the center. Whoever held more mountains and had earlier built fortified positions held the initiative.

After all, no one wanted the battlefield in their homes. It would be best if fortifications could be built all the way to station troops at the enemy’s doorstep.

No wonder everyone focused their discussions here, as the situation, initially thought to be tense only after the New Year, had suddenly worsened.

Having pieced together this much information, Tang Luo realized how much excitement he had missed with his isolation. However, his attitude was not much different from that of the big shots.

He thought that people’s talk was overly alarming. The so-called mountain stronghold stationing was just to accelerate the advancement of the cultivation squads. Because in modern martial warfare, fighting is about front-line soldiers and positions.

The so-called front-line soldiers refer to top martial artists or small guerrilla harassment teams of Martial Ancestors. The position is the large-scale joint attack by squads of cultivators.

Front-line soldiers establish the advantage, positions solidify the advantage, and finally kick-start an unstoppable snowball effect, crushing everything in its path.

Victories with fewer over many or weak over strong are often acts of desperation. Throughout history, no good warrior achieves great merit because there is no need to take risks in a situation where you can overpower through accumulated advantages.

But the two clans had a unique situation, which was that they had too many front-line soldiers, making the changes in the battlefield difficult to grasp. The current and active Martial Ancestors of the two clans say nothing of the reclusive elders and clan worshippers.

With the flood waters raging, even by capturing the bridgehead, small warships could not ferry troops back and forth. The so-called advantage is just a false one – it just looks powerful on the surface and does not fundamentally affect the two clans.

That’s why the big figures remain unperturbed while the branch clan chiefs worry. Both see different worlds, so the latter sees the end of the world by Mi’s capturing several bridgeheads, while the former sees no issue.

So far, neither clan has found a way to break the other’s base.

After all, it’s only when boxed in at the base that the front-line soldiers of the two clans have to choose to fight to the death, and even adding the seven major clans, the Mi Clan still hasn’t reached the stage of establishing an overall advantage.

Having understood this, Tang Luo withdrew his mind from gathering information, and almost simultaneously, a lingering melody of pipa resonated.

The buzzing discussions in the banquet hall suddenly quieted down, and everyone’s gaze was attracted to the high platform in the middle of the hall, where a woman in a pink veil sat playing her pipa, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The pipa girl’s fingers danced on the strings, fast and slow at times, the deep sounds loud and the high sounds soft and murmuring.

The melodious sound touched the hearts of people, causing many to become immersed in the musical mood, forgetting the time and place, and some guests even shed tears of emotion.

Tang Luo really liked music because he had spent many of his most tedious martial training sessions accompanied by songs.

But seeing the fascinated expressions on everyone’s faces in the banquet hall, he couldn’t help but doubt his appreciation level because many people became lost in the sound of the pipa, looking overly ridiculous with foolish smiles on their faces.

However, since most people seemed immersed, why should Tang Luo dampen the mood by expressing that he didn’t find it appealing? So, he pretended to join them, swaying his head and body.

The short piece ended, like a drop of water falling into a tranquil pond. With the last musical note, all the enchanted guests were awakened, and cheers and applause broke out.

Just to blend in, Tang Luo also clapped vigorously, which provoked laughter from the Second Elder Tang Hongjun, “Minister Luo must be wondering why this pipa melody caused people to shed tears and lose themselves in it.”

“I’m too ignorant about music. I apologize for making the elders laugh.” Tang Luo, feeling exposed, had no choice but to admit he had been pretending.

The elders looked at Tang Luo’s expression and couldn’t help but smile at each other. Tang Luo was puzzled until his master, Tang Hongtao, explained, “This is a piece called ‘Cleansing the Heart’ created by Master Yun. It immerses those with weak will, hence, given your cultivation level, you naturally would not be affected and only hear the melody itself. Although the pipa player’s technique is excellent, the piece itself is mundane; no wonder you are confused.”

“So, is it a kind of mind-controlling Spirit Art?”

“Correct.” Clan Head Tang Zu said, “The effect of ‘Cleansing the Heart’ is to clarify one’s will and strengthen one’s spirit. Depending on the level of the musician, the range of martial artists it affects varies. Master Zhao may be young, but she’s more skilled than her master. This ‘Cleansing the Heart’ covers almost all martial artists below the unity of spirit and intent, truly remarkable!”

The impact of spiritual strength on a martial artist is self-evident, and most people in the world are mediocre. Most martial artists have various distractions, and many even doubt themselves.

The purpose of ‘Cleansing the Heart’ is to remind these people of their initial purpose in martial arts and to purify their beliefs. For many who cannot achieve the unity of spirit and intent in cultivation, this music is Heavenly!