The Ashes Sovereign

Chapter 14

With the suppression relics destroyed, the full natural strength of Azure Ruin Valley returned.

Silver‑grey mist surged. Domain barriers glowed bright once more. The sect host could no longer drain away their protective magic. But the council elders refused to abandon the invasion. They still had thousands of seasoned cultivators. They would rely on sheer numbers to grind the valley down.

Fresh attacks came again the next dawn. Without the relics to weaken the shield, the sect soldiers suffered far heavier losses when charging the walls. Wave after wave was repelled. Yet they kept sending troops forward.

The toll on the fragment‑bearers remained severe. Even without relic‑assisted pressure, the old sovereign’s ghostly whispers continued to wear at their minds. More had to step back from battle. The pool of warriors who could wield shared legacy power shrank further.

Lin Yue understood they could not keep holding passively. The enemy would simply keep throwing bodies until something broke. They needed to force the high council to reconsider this war.

He formed another plan. A part of the valley’s forces would hold the defensive lines. A second mobile strike force would sally out. Hit enemy supply lines, raid camp positions, disrupt their logistics. Force the sect army onto the back foot. Make the cost of this invasion too high to sustain.

Lira worried. Sending fighters outside the mist‑shield meant they lost the valley’s protective advantage. Risk was great. But she could see no better alternative.

So mobile units were assembled. Mixing ash‑warriors and regular fighters. They would launch fast, hit‑and‑run strikes. Do not try to win large open battles. Strike supply depots, communication posts, then hurry back to safety inside Azure Ruin.

When night fell, these raiding groups departed. The wider mountain war expanded.