Chapter 718 - Guang Chengzi’s Strategy

What do you mean by time crawls by?

To Ling’e and the Chaos Bell, time passed extremely slowly.

He did not dare to leave the Little Qiong Peak. He did not dare to discuss or shiver or breathe…

Ling’e, who was originally calm about the Dao Ancestor’s arrival, began to feel anxious after sensing the pressure that came from the Dao Ancestor.

However, the Dao Ancestor and his senior brother seemed to be fighting in their minds. After eating a meal, they remained motionless in the forest.

The atmosphere was a little peaceful.

Under the Chaos Bell, Ling’e looked at the transparent wall of the bell in front of her and asked softly, “Senior Brother, are you alright?”

“He seems to be fine.” Zhong Ling’s voice was filled with uncertainty. “However, he also seems to be troubled. From the looks of it, it’s between something and nothing. If we don’t go over, we can’t be sure if he’s fine.”

Ling’e could not help but support her forehead with one hand. “How long has it been?”

“Hundreds of days and nights. He seems to be waiting for something.” Zhong Ling clicked her tongue. “I can’t tell. Your senior brother is really powerful. Even a ruthless person like the Dao Ancestor has to be amiable to him.”

Ling’e whispered, “Could it be that Grandmaster likes Senior Brother a lot?”

“Impossible.” Zhong Ling hummed softly. “Your senior brother’s Great Dao of Equalization has destined him to be the most basic enemy of the Heavenly Dao.”

“Alright.” Ling’e pondered for a while. “Why don’t I ask the Jade Emperor to come once?”

“Don’t cause too much trouble,” Zhong Ling reminded him. “The Jade Emperor is just a disciple of the Dao Ancestor. What’s the point of looking for him? Do you need him to plead with the Dao Ancestor? At this moment, the Jade Emperor’s position is very awkward. His authority was given to him by the Dao Ancestor. If he falls out with the Dao Ancestor because of your senior brother, that would be the biggest joke in the world. Therefore, it’s better to invite the Grand Pure One instead of the Jade Emperor.”

“Then, can we look for Teacher Taiqing?”

“Are you stupid? The Grand Pure One is so powerful. Of course he can see that the Dao Ancestor is here.”

The Chaos Bell reached out a hand formed from spiritual energy from the inner wall and knocked Ling’e’s head.

“Just wait. They might move later.”

“Yes.” Ling’e continued to look at the transparent bell wall in front of her. She stared at the situation in the tea room in the forest and was a little lost in thought.

Without any warning, Li Changshou and the Dao Ancestor moved at the same time.

Li Changshou opened his eyes and looked at the sand table in front of him. The Dao Ancestor smiled faintly, but he did not open his eyes.

As the sand table appeared, light spots gathered from all directions in the central region of the South Continent.

The matter of Zhou and Shang had already begun.

The mighty passes of the Great Shang Eight Directions were heavily guarded. A large number of elite Shang troops were currently attacking the various vassals of the East. They had almost destroyed the Jiang Family’s power.

Jiang Huanchu’s son, Jiang Wenhuan, asked the Zhou Nation for help. The King of Zhou Nation, Ji Fa, summoned the vassals to meet in Chaoge City. The Shang Nation was on all sides, and the pressure increased.

Li Changshou stared at the checkpoints of the Shang Nation on the sand table and quietly observed the various movements.

Half a month later.

Most of the vassals of the various sects had failed. There were even internal conflicts among the vassals of the north. Some of the vassals were loyal to the Shang Nation again and were accepted by the king of the Shang Nation.

On the Western Road, although the Zhou Nation had the help of a large number of immortals from Chan School, their troops were not strong. Although they had broken through two checkpoints, their troops had been severely exhausted. They could not continue advancing.

The immortals of Chan School valued their “reputation”. Most of them only attacked the Qi Refinement cultivators who were mixed in the Shang army.

Even the disciples of Chan School, like Yang Jian, Nezha, and Lei Zhenzi, who had their positions, only fulfilled the duties of a mortal general when they charged into the array.

At that moment, the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor and Princess Long Ji, the disciple of Taibai Jinxing, had already entered the Zhou Camp. They were in charge of assisting Yang Jian and taking care of Little Nezha. They usually participated in the pre-war meetings. Due to their terrifying reputation, no one usually dared to provoke them.

Tu Xingsun, the disciple of Ju Liusun, Huang Tianhua, the disciple of Perfected Lord Qingxu, and Yang Ren had already entered the Zhou Army camp.

Sun Shan had used Earth Escape, but his character was a little improper. Previously, he had taken a liking to a female general in the Shang army camp and used an immortal spell to capture her. He wanted to live happily at night.

Yang Jian, Nezha, and Lei Zhenzi frowned when they heard that.

This was not the first time Tu Xingsun had done that.

Princess Long Ji was even angrier. She directly used her master’s teachings and persuaded Yang Jian and Nezha to attack together.

Yang Jian used a transformation technique to transform a wooden statue into the appearance of an enchanting woman. Nezha knocked out Tu Xingsun and placed him together with the wooden statue. Princess Long Ji took out two pills given by her master.

The Flame of Heart was given to Tu Xingsun to consume internally and externally. The Immortal Beast Determination Pill controlled the medicinal properties and released them.

That night…

It was hard to say. It was very complicated. The light of human nature and the darkness of beast nature intertwined. In the end, the evil flowers that bloomed quickly withered.

After that, Tu Xingsun seemed to have changed his temperament. When he saw the female enemy general, he directly killed her without any mercy. When the army saw Princess Long Ji and the other female immortals, they did not even look at them.

The eternal version of the Sage.

Due to the death of the Grand Tutor, Wen Zhong, the Shang Army seemed to lack the support of the immortals of Jie School.

However, in the past few years, Shen Bao had been constantly persuading the immortals on various Immortal Islands to not fight with Chan School. This had caused many immortals of Jie School to rush to the South Continent and gather a large number of ashes.

In order to stop the Zhou Army from advancing, Di Xin transferred the hundreds of thousands of troops in charge of defending Chaoge City to the west.

Di Xin rode the East Expedition and wanted to end the East Expedition as soon as possible and deal with the Zhou Nation.

The Shang Dynasty was like a death tribulation. The Marquis of Ping Dong and Xi Bo were the key to the Shang Dynasty’s tribulation.

The flames of war burned in the mortal world. The power of the Great Tribulation was destroyed by the immortals one after another. It slowly but continuously dissipated.

Di Xin’s expedition to the east greatly boosted the morale of the Shang army. The vassals of the east kept retreating and defending. It seemed that they would be completely subdued by Di Xin in a year or two.

The path of the Shang Dynasty was getting wider and wider. The path of the vassals was gradually getting blocked.

On Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou stared at the various situations on the sand table. There was a hint of contemplation in his eyes, but he did not feel that victory was in his grasp.

On the contrary, Li Changshou had already seen the huge pit in front of Di Xin.

It could only be said that although the expedition to the East seemed brilliant, it actually made Di Xin stay away from the core of the Shang Nation’s power. Uncle Wang, who was temporarily in charge of the country’s affairs, would naturally be the best if the case was closed. However, the deterrence was slightly insufficient.

At that moment, there were many undercurrents in Chaoge City. The undercurrent almost reached the surface.

For some people who were sincere, it was their last chance.

If Di Xin calmed the eastern region, the power of the vassals would decline. Even if the Zhou Nation had the support of external immortals, they might not be Di Xin’s match.

Unless the immortals disregarded the rules and killed the mortals.

“Why is Changgeng not happy at all?”

The Dao Ancestor smiled and asked, “The current situation is good for the Shang Nation. You seem to be winning the second round. Do you feel that something is wrong?”

Li Changshou smiled and sighed. “The Shang Nation’s chances of winning are only 30%.”

“Your predictions of victory are too negative,” Dao Ancestor Hong Jun said warmly. “You can be optimistic about many things. There’s no need to plan for the worst.”

Li Changshou suddenly asked, “Grandmaster, what do you think of the human emperor, Di Xin?”

The Dao Ancestor answered, “In the mortal world, they are indeed dragons and phoenixes among men. If they were born in the ancient times, such as the battle between Xuanyuan and Chi You, they could also showcase their abilities. I have watched him for 99 lifetimes. I know his nature and temperament very well. Unfortunately, he was born in the mortal world. Changgeng, what do you think of Di Xin?”

“Average.”

Li Changshou said, “From the perspective of the Shang Nation, although there are not many mistakes, there are not many achievements. For example, when you want to cleanse the influence that Jiang Huanchu has on Chaoge City and instruct Fei Zhongyou to cooperate with Daji to frame Queen Jiang, you want to be ruthless and kill all the eldest and second sons of Queen Jiang. However, you hesitated in the end. You wanted to give Yin Hong and Yin Jiao a chance to be saved. Due to the environment, you couldn’t be ruthless. Of course, you’ve lost your benevolence. I’m just analyzing from the perspective of the internal and external difficulties of the Shang Dynasty.”

“Look.” The Dao Ancestor smiled and said, “You’re just too strict.”

Li Changshou smiled and continued to stare at Chaoge City on the sand table. Soon, he said, “However, I admire Di Xin in one aspect.”

“Oh? What is it?”

“Backbone.”

Li Changshou smiled and said, “Although the human emperor, Di Xin, is indecisive and arrogant, he has low standards when he does things. He gets complimented by others. However, ever since he ascended to the throne, he has always had a prideful personality. I turned into the emissary of Chaoge City back then and found out some things but he turned me down once. Even when those at Nuwa Temple saw me, they only greeted me. Now, Da Ji must have already told Di Xin about the battle between Chan School and Jie School. However, Di Xin did not take the initiative to seek help from Jie School. What made me admire him even more was that he was still adhering to the teachings of his ancestors. From the beginning to the end, he did not mention to his teacher that he had cultivated and consumed pills to extend his lifespan. This is the pride of a mortal human emperor.”

The Dao Ancestor nodded slowly and smiled. “I’m just conceited.”

“Perhaps.”

Li Changshou smiled and continued to observe the situation. He asked, “If I lose in this array formation, will you take General Dongmu’s life?”

Dao Ancestor Hong Jun said, “Of course not. I will only arrange some calamities after the Great Tribulation. Hao Tian is now the ruler of the Three Realms. I’m living in seclusion behind the scenes. I naturally have to take into account the pride of the Heavenly Emperor, Hao Tian. I won’t touch his beloved officials directly.”

“I’m relieved.”

Li Changshou cupped his hands and happened to see the golden light spot that represented Di Xin. It quickly returned to Chaoge City from the east. He could not help but sigh softly and close his eyes.

He was 90% sure that he had lost.

…

In the starry night, the sound of galloping horses sounded from the east side of Chaoge City, disturbing many sleeping mortals.

The lights of the Great Palace, which had been cold for months, were lit. Bright lanterns were hung on Zhai Xing Lou again. The most favored concubine in the palace was packing her makeup in front of the dressing table.

Not long after, a maidservant reported, “Goddess, the King went to the hall to gather the ministers for a meeting.”

“I just came back.”

Daji pursed her lips and could not help but complain. She threw the piece of paper in her hand to the side. “Call me when the King is coming. I’ll sleep first.”

The surrounding maids agreed and served Daji to rest on the couch.

In a side hall of the royal palace, Di Xin sat on the throne and raised his hand to support his forehead. His face was filled with fatigue, but he forced himself to focus and listen to the ministers below talk about military affairs and government affairs.

After Bi Gan finished explaining the situation in Chaoge City, he hesitated.

Di Xin said, “Uncle Wang, just say it.”

“Your Majesty, should we deploy some troops from the border?”

Bi Gan said seriously, “There are not many guards in Chaoge City now. If something happens, the defense will be tight.”

“Aren’t there still many guards in the palace?” Di Xin frowned and said, “Now, there are vassals causing trouble everywhere. The Zhou Nation is relying on those outsiders to repeatedly attack. If they don’t have enough troops, I’m afraid they won’t be able to hold on. Chaoge’s city walls are tall and sturdy. There is no need to worry. In that case, let Fei Lian recruit some young merchants and commoners to fill the city defenses.”

Another minister said, “Your Majesty, the Ancestral Worship Ceremony will be ready in half a month. Are you going to return to the east immediately?”

“That’s right,” Di Xin said slowly. “I’m going to fight personally. The soldiers of the Shang Dynasty fought bravely and won every battle. The situation is great. In another half a year, the East would be settled. At that time, the only one in danger of the Shang Dynasty would be Ji Fa, who is not a threat. This time, I returned to Chaoge City to stabilize the situation and to offer sacrifices to my ancestors. However, there is no need to pay respects to the ancestors. He just needs to kill some cows and sheep to sacrifice. He wanted the witches to not idle and use them when they should. Now that the Shang Dynasty is fighting with the traitors, the ancestors will definitely not mind.”

“Yes.”

“Ha…”

Di Xin yawned. The old officials below were about to take their leave when they heard Di Xin say, “Those ministers in charge of mobilizing the rations and armor, stay behind and report to me about the use of the past few months.”

The old officials bowed. Bi Gan and the ministers left.

The candles in the hall flickered continuously. Although the old King on the throne looked tired, the light in his eyes did not fade.

On the Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou was still sitting with his eyes closed.

On the other hand, Dao Ancestor Hong Jun’s eyes were half-closed. He was watching the situation in the South Continent with interest, as if he was watching something joyous.

In the middle of the South Continent, Zhou Nation’s East punitive army was in the middle camp.

The generals with the surname Ji bowed and left. The tent that the Wu King Ji had issued was once again deserted.

At the side, the maid walked forward and removed the armor for King Wu of Zhou. The middle-aged “King” quickly lay on the bed, his eyes filled with worry.

Why is the situation different from what the immortals of Chan School said?

Didn’t they say that the Shang Dynasty does not have many years of luck? Why is there a revival now?

The speed at which the Jiang Family of the East Road collapsed is far beyond the expectations of the vassals.

Now, most of the vassals have doubts. If the Shang Dynasty could subdue the six hundred cities in the east in a short period of time, many vassals would definitely be loyal to the Shang Dynasty again.

Ji Fa was already used to such situations.

He was now the head of the Ji family. Both the Zhou Nation and the outside world were controlled by the Ji family. Almost all the vassals were in the same situation.

His relatives believed him.

When necessary, many large families could sacrifice their elders in exchange for the glory of the entire race.

If these vassals were to join the Shang Dynasty again, they would naturally have their own methods…

“Ah.”

Ji Fa sighed softly.

There were too many rules for the immortals of Chan School. He had begged for a pill but did not give it to them. He said that he would not even let the immortals participate in the battle. He even had many requirements for King of Zhou’s words and actions.

He had really invited a group of ancestors.

Ji Cheng only said those words in his heart. He understood that the Zhou Nation was currently supported by Chan School.

The previous power of the country had been reduced by half by the Marquis of the North, Chong Houhu, and more than half by Wen Zhong’s continuous westward expedition.

If the expedition makes me lose this time, the Zhou Nation would not be able to bear it.

It’s my last chance.

“King, King!”

A few shouts came from outside the tent. Ji Fa sat up and raised his hand to grab the sword beside his pillow.

“What is it?”

“King, the immortal cultivator of Chan School, Guang Chengzi, requests to see you!”

Guang Chengzi?

Ji Fa immediately perked up. “Please!”

Guang Chengzi answered from outside the tent and rode a cloud into the tent. There was an old man in a brocade robe on the cloud.

Ji Fa tidied his clothes and quickly walked out. He cupped his hands and bowed to Guang Chengzi.

Guang Chengzi got straight to the point and said seriously, “Your Majesty, it’s time to attack the Shang Dynasty. Di Xin has already returned to Chaoge City to prepare to sacrifice to the ancestors. You may ride a light mount to attack Chaoge City. At that time, the city gate will open on its own. You can directly make your way to Di Xin’s Palace and stabilize the situation.”

Ji Fa could not help but frown. He looked at Guang Chengzi’s serious expression and wanted to see if the immortal was joking.

A surprise attack… on Chaoge City?