Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 849: Chapter 627: Bright Sun and Moon, Majestic Heavenly Dynasty (Part 2)

If hundreds of powerful arrows were to be shot, they would pose a significant threat to Innate Martial Artists.

In fact, crossbows can threaten Innate Martial Artists, but the crossbow’s attack is too cumbersome, unable to shoot accurately and unable to quickly adjust shooting direction, therefore it’s difficult for a crossbow to hit Innate Martial Artists.

However, switching to powerful bows of over ten stones is different; its accuracy, shooting speed, and power are far above that of crossbows.

Of course, powerful bows also have drawbacks, which are that they must be drawn by martial artists with the strength of a thousand pounds.

Ordinary martial artists can’t do it, most martial artists below the Postnatal Sixth Layer also can’t do it; normally, only martial artists at the Postnatal Seventh Layer and above can continuously draw a ten-stone powerful bow.

However, when it comes to martial artists from Star Moon Island, those above the Postnatal Fourth Layer almost possess the strength of a thousand pounds because martial artists on Star Moon Island have all drunk Spiritual Spring Water, making their physique and strength surpass martial artists of the same rank.

And if Star Moon Island could obtain the Divine Tree of Divine Wood Island, Star Moon Island could build a terrifying army of archers.

This is the main reason Yang Zhenshan wants to capture Divine Wood Island.

”But with just our forces, it’s very difficult to capture Divine Wood Island!” Yang Zhenshan said.

Yang Minghao said: ”Then request help from the Tenglong Guard!”

Yang Zhenshan nodded. Star Moon Island only has two thousand navy, even adding the merchant fleet’s escorts, it’s only seven thousand people.

Just relying on seven thousand people to capture the Divine Wood Seven Islands is obviously very difficult.

Actually, Yang Zhenshan could also ask Earth Fire Island for help, but Earth Fire Island has to deal with Jiuxing Island, likely unable to mobilize much force.

Tenglong Guard, however, is much easier; nowadays Tenglong Guard has twenty thousand navy, mobilizing ten thousand navy shouldn’t be difficult.

If the court inquires, they can use the excuse of ocean training to brush it off.

”I’ll write a letter to Yu Tonghai to have him bring troops over, you guys prepare provisions, Tenglong Guard comes over to help, the money and provisions of course will be provided by us!”

”Moreover, investigate the situation on Divine Wood Island first, so we can formulate a battle plan!”

Yang Zhenshan instructed.

Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao immediately acknowledged.

Afterwards, Yang Zhenshan arranged specific matters and let everyone prepare.

He then sat in the study for a while, thinking, before taking up a pen to write a letter to Yu Tonghai.

...

Divine Wood Island and Divine Forest Island differ by just one character, but their positions within the Divine Wood Sect are worlds apart.

Divine Wood Island is the Holy Land of the Divine Wood Sect; only the most pious followers of the Divine Wood Sect can reside on Divine Wood Island, outsiders are completely prohibited from entering Divine Wood Island, except by force.

Divine Forest Island is just thirty li from Divine Wood Island, its area is about half that of Divine Wood Island.

Although Divine Wood Sect is rather exclusionary, they are not completely closed to external exchange; they disallow outsiders from entering Divine Wood Island, thus use Divine Forest Island as a place for communication with other forces.

Divine Wood Sect has a distinct centralized, hierarchical religious order system which can be called hierarchical sacred duties, divided broadly into High Priest, Priest, Chief Priest, Senior Deacon, Middle Deacon, Junior Deacon, Divine Sect Followers.

The first three are ceremonial holy duties, specifically responsible for worshipping the Divine Tree.

There’s only one High Priest, three Priests, these are the absolute high-level leaders of the Divine Wood Sect, as they possess cultivation of the Innate Realm, akin to the Sect Hierarch and Vice Sect Hierarch.

Except for Divine Wood Island, the other six islands each have one Chief Priest, the responsibility of the Chief Priest is not managing the populace, but worshipping the Divine Tree.

Deacons are the ones who truly work, similar to the Da Rong’s three-level county administration officials.

Divine Sect Followers are equivalent to the existence of clerks, usually assistants and companions to Deacons.

As for ordinary people, they are merely followers; they must maintain devout faith towards the Divine Wood, following all religious doctrines, paying taxes to the Divine Sect, at the service of the Divine Sect.

Additionally, Divine Wood Sect also has a navy and merchant ships, mostly classified based on this hierarchical sacred duties structure, but their soldiers are called Tree Soldiers.

Tree Soldiers hold positions higher than ordinary followers, lower than Divine sect followers.

Yet, ordinary followers and Tree Soldiers are the lowest tier of the Divine Wood Sect, pitiful people oppressed by the higher-ups of the Divine Wood Sect.

However, these pitiful people aren’t worthy of pity; if you attempt to save them, they will regard you as a heretic and bury you under the Divine Tree to purify.

Domination through faith is the most unreasonable.

It can rationalize everything unreasonable, it can distort human nature into any form.

On Divine Forest Island stands a large and impressive temple, inside worships a Divine Tree, precisely a large Banyan Tree.

All large Banyan Trees are taken as incarnations of the Divine Tree by the Divine Wood Sect, hence there are no idols in their temples, only a large Banyan Tree.

The architectural style is similar to the Jiangnan architecture of Da Rong, mainly wood-framed structures.

Divine Wood Sect Followers did not exaggerate saying everything is bestowed by the Divine Wood; their clothing, food, shelter, and transport heavily rely on the large Banyan Tree.

Their clothes are made from the plant fibers of tree bark and leaves, somewhat like linen.

They make the young leaves of the Divine Tree into tea leaves, and this tea tastes quite good.

They use the aerial roots and branches of the Divine Tree to make ships and build houses with the branches of the Divine Tree.

Currently, within the temple on Divine Forest Island, two elderly men with white hair are sitting beneath the Divine Tree, savoring Divine Tree Tea.

One elder is wearing a light green robe, his silver hair tied with a twig with leaves.

The leaves above his silver hair are vibrant green, extremely eye-catching.

Wearing green on the head seems somewhat inauspicious, but it’s the custom of the Divine Wood Sect, and the leaf-decorated hairpin is exclusive to the Priests; religious positions below Chief Priest do not qualify to use tree leaf hairpins.

The other elder wears a dark blue robe, with narrow sleeves, slit hems, pleated jacket.

The green-robed elder is Hou Fangjin, Priest of the Divine Wood Sect; the blue-robed elder named Wen Qing, from the Taro Dynasty, but he’s not one of those blue-robed warriors, he’s of the Taro Dynasty’s royal family, uncle to the current Taro King.

Actually, Yang Zhenshan and Yang Mingzhi guessed wrong; the reliance of the Divine Wood Sect is not Jiuxing Island, but the Taro Dynasty, and their aim is not to block the Yang family merchant fleet from trading with the Longdan Dynasty, but to promote peace through war.

Pleasingly called promoting peace through war, harshly it’s subduing you through warfare.

In simpler terms, they want a share in Da Rong’s sea trade, yet their involvement in Da Rong’s maritime trade relies on cooperation with the Yang family, so their goal isn’t stopping the Yang family’s maritime trade, but subduing the Yang family, using them.

Divine Wood Island has long coveted Star Moon Island’s trade, the Taro Dynasty also wishes to use Da Rong’s trade to earn more benefits in farther southern seas.

Both sides quickly agreed, striking cooperation.

”Now that we’ve intercepted the Yang family merchant fleet, shouldn’t we take the initiative next?” Wen Qing disdainfully put down the tea cup.

This Divine Tree Tea does not suit his taste at all, inferior to their own Taro Dynasty-produced tea, far inferior to fine teas from Da Rong.

Hou Fangjin drank much more delightfully, displaying a face full of enjoyment.

”No need to take the initiative. Yang Zhenshan, this butcher, acts dominantly; he definitely won’t swallow his pride. It won’t be long before he personally comes to demand an explanation!” Hou Fangjin smiled faintly and said.

Yang Zhenshan in the East South Sea Domain was also infamous as a butcher. The source of this is when Yang Zhenshan led Da Rong’s Four Seas Navy to annihilate the Star Moon Sect, back then, all the populace and pirates on Star Moon Island and surrounding islands were slaughtered completely.

As for the notorious name of dominion, that naturally comes from Yang Zhenshan going to argue with the High Priest of Divine Wood Island.

Yang Zhenshan is always most skilled in arguing with a spear.

”So, you’re saying we just need to defeat him to make him yield?”

Wen Qing didn’t know much about Yang Zhenshan, only knowing Yang Zhenshan’s strength is strong, nothing else.

”Of course not, we also have to hurt Star Moon Island, to let Star Moon Island know this sea domain isn’t a place for them to act arrogant!” Hou Fangjin said with great confidence.

Divine Wood Sect considers Yang Zhenshan’s former trespassing on Divine Wood Island a humiliation, they’ve always wanted to wipe away the disgrace, but they are deeply aware of Yang Zhenshan’s prowess, so they’ve been enduring for years.

With the assistance from the Taro Dynasty now, they not only want to fiercely bite off a large chunk of meat from the Yang family merchant fleet but also to wipe away the disgrace, venting all the previous indignations suffered.