When the hologram-like image was finally resolved, it depicted the Fu Clan’s headquarters from above. It looked very much like the image that a drone circling the area from a few miles out would see. Of course, they didn’t have drones in this world, but they did have tiny spheres that could contain a person’s memories and swords that flew through the air to deliver messages. Even without creating a special magical device to record this hologram, a cultivator could have flown this route and copied it onto a Memory Sphere.

Sage was not surprised by the content of this hologram, but he was impressed by the hologram itself. He had no idea there was a technique that could create such a highly detailed projection. On the other hand, they could create illusionary arrays that would make a person feel they’d wandered into the middle of a swamp or were lost in the middle of an endless desert, so he realized how foolish he’d been to think they couldn’t do such a thing. I need to research what technique the Matriarch is using later.

Even if he’d become extremely interested in the hologram, the Soul Clone ensured that this momentary obsession consumed only a second of his attention. Instead of wasting tens of minutes entranced by the possibilities of the technique, Sage was able to pay close attention to the plan that the Matriarch outlined for them.

The plan itself was extremely simple, or at least the version of the plan being shared at this council meeting was. It consisted of two major parts. First, the five Chong Branches would surround the Fu and perform a series of probing attacks. Their job is to test the Fu Clan’s defenses and destroy the arrays they were using for protection. The second part of the plan was just as simple. The Chong Branches are to form a perimeter to prevent any of the Fu from escaping while the core of the Chong Clan will assault the Fu Clan.

Sage had to take a deep breath to keep from laughing out loud at this plan of theirs. The Chong Clan was ordering it’s branches to act as the cannon fodder, scouting the way for them and expending their strength to break through the Fu Clan’s defensive Formation Arrays. Then, the Chong Clan’s main factions would come in to fight the Fu Clan’s cultivators and hog all the glory of combat. Busting formations was demanding work, but it was not a very glamorous task, especially when compared to the ocean of stories depicting the valorous nature of battle.

Almost immediately, the Ci Branch raised an objection. The Ci Head was that same beautiful and mature woman with a similar fashion sense to the Chong Matriarch, except with a yellow and black color scheme. Yet, the most distinguishing feature of hers was the fact there were always a few small wasps flying around a few inches from her skin.

“We Ci being so far from the action is a complete waste! Those little ants of the Yi should be responsible for breaking formations. They can chew and chew all day without giving up, and there’s so many of them that they are happy to sacrifice themselves for the cause. We Ci are the best support for the war with the Fu Clan Cultivators.”

Having been insulted so directly, the Yi Clan Matriarch, that stocky woman who wore plain and utilitarian style clothing, was immediately riled up. She was usually a very amiable person and quite pleasant to be around, but she and the Ci Clan Head were constantly at odds with each other. Sage could only guess it was because their two clans both used large swarms of insects and were both convinced the other was constantly trying to steal their thunder.

The two women bickered for a while in the most pleasant and polite way possible before the Chong Clan Matriarch finally quieted them with an immense wave of pressure. She was not at all interested in altering the orders for the Branch Clans. The greatest generals and strategists of the Chong Clan had already spent a few weeks developing these plans and it was too late for them to change their minds. Soon enough they realized this was not so much a planning session as it was a briefing.

Each of the Branches and Factions were merely being told their part in this upcoming war, and they were expected to fulfill it. A few of the non-Elders eventually gathered up enough guts to give their opinions on the strategies and tactics they should use when the battle began, but most of them were rapidly shot down and the rest were given a single piece of advice, “You will fulfill your assigned role in this war or your people will pay for it. If you still have extra troops you wish to get bloody, then you may assign them as you see fit, but if your original duties are not properly performed there will be hell to pay.”

With an attitude like this, Yating chose to keep his mouth shut. He had shared a look with his father and now the both of them kept their lips sealed for the remainder of the Chong Clan Council meeting. When the brief was finally concluded, the Matriarch sent an attendant to pass out a set of more detailed written orders to each of the Faction and Branch heads. They had already posed their most pressing questions earlier, so everyone already seemed on board with this plan and ready to take action.

Outside of the Chong Clan Council, Sage and Yating discussed their real plans. Sage chuckled as the both of them were definitely on the same page about what should be done, but they were still on Chong Clan land so they had to keep their voices down for fear of being overheard. Sage of course had a technique to prevent others from listening in, but that would still create disturbances in the surrounding Qi flow and he didn’t want to be stuck explaining how immediately after they received their orders they were already starting to disregard them.

With the council meeting complete, Sage and Yating left Golden Cricket Cove and marched out into the wilderness where they walked up a gangplank and boarded one of many large airships. Then dozens of airships lifted into the air, surrounded by thousands of men with strange hairstyles, brightly colored armor over their hands and feet along with large faerie-like gossamer wings on their backs. The large fleet of ships moved across the provincial border and towards their prescribed rallying point. Then, the majority of the fleet peeled off, changing course and moving into the distance.

Each of the Branches had very different travel times from their home cities and counties so they couldn’t set their rally points too close to the Fu Clan headquarters for fear of alerting them. Each of the Branch Clans were responsible for guarding any and all routes leading to one of the counties neighboring the Fu Clan headquarters. That meant each of the Branch Clans were responsible for guarding a border spanning nearly four hundred miles long. It was quite a large area for the other branches to defend, but it was pretty miniscule for the Lang Clan’s current forces. The Lang Clan was not willing to let any mistakes happen so they spread their forces around the entire border of the Fu Clan’s ruling county and set up a second hidden perimeter to make sure the other branches didn’t screw up.

The Branch Clans were in place far before the main clan was, but after a few days of waiting one of the main factions of the Chong Clan linked up with each of the Branches and they started to shrink the perimeter, advancing on the Fu Clan from five different directions.