Duke Yuan was in charge of guarding the valley outside. It didn't seem like much, but in reality, he felt like cursing.
Now? The clan's spies were all over the place, keeping a close watch on the Black Dragon Swamp. The men sent by the Xiahou family couldn't get close to him without exposing themselves. This meant that if anything happened to him, the Xiahou family wouldn't be able to rescue him in time.
The Sixth Master of the Xiahou family was in such a dangerous situation. Duke Yuan could only chuckle at his decision to apply for the Phantom City's headquarters. There was no use regretting it now.
After Yang Zhaoqing came out of the cave to find him, he relayed the Domain Chief's orders. Duke Yuan didn't say anything and immediately did as he was told. There was no need to hide anymore. He could use the Star Bell to contact the Xiahou family.
Inside the cave, the Purgatory Great Generals looked at each other. In the end, it was General Ao Tie of the Boundless Path who transmitted his voice to Miao Yi, "Milord, a person of Ying Jiuguang's status is extraordinarily powerful. It won't be that easy to 'frame' him. At least for now, he won't dare to make a move against you. If you stop now, you might still have some leeway with the Ying family. If you go against them openly in front of the world, the consequences will be severe. I'm afraid Virtue Assembly Hall won't be able to hold on for much longer."
Miao Yi was silent for a moment, then transmitted his voice back, "If he doesn't let me have it easy, then he shouldn't have it easy either. Worst comes to worst, we'll just have to fight to the death. I can't care about that now."
Ao Tie asked, "What do you get out of doing this?"
At that moment, another general came in with a report. "Milord, there's a situation." He walked up to the compass and pointed at five locations on the star chart. "Our spies in these five locations have been wiped out. We've lost almost all of them. At the same time, a hundred thousand troops are patrolling the starry sky! "
Miao Yi waved his hand to dismiss them, then stared at the compass for a while. Finally, he pointed at the five locations that the general had just pointed at. He looked around at everyone and asked, "Did anyone notice anything?"
Mo You and the others looked at Miao Yi's group, waiting for an explanation.
The Demon General Chang Hong said, "From the area of the Black Dragon Swamp, no matter what happens in the swamp, as long as the troops are stationed in these five locations, they can arrive within an hour. It seems Ying Wuman wants to ambush his troops in these five locations."
Miao Yi nodded. "That should be the case."
The Immortal Path Great General Meng Ru stared at the compass, muttering to himself, "Blocking the entrances, intending to capture hostages, scattering a million people to act as spies, setting up stakes in all directions in a short period of time, and then sending out a lone army to patrol the area. It's fine if they don't make a move, but once they do, it's like a thunderbolt. This Ying Wuman isn't simple!"
Miao Yi nodded and said, "I underestimated this guy. It looks like Ying Jiuguang sent him here for a reason."
"If the opponent does this, coupled with the opponent's absolute strength, it will be very difficult to fight! The millions of spies he planted beforehand are a very important backup plan. It makes it inconvenient for us to run around. If this drags on, the enemy will find this place sooner or later. Once our main force is exposed, it will be hard for us to get out. It will be troublesome if we get caught by the enemy. The forces the enemy has planted at those five points can attack from all directions. When that happens, it will be impossible for us to escape, "Ao Tie said as he tilted his head to look at Miao Yi.
Mo You and the others looked at each other.
Then, Miao Yi transmitted his voice to Ao Tie and said, "This is why I didn't hesitate to release the news to the outside world and blow this matter up. We can't let the enemy come in an orderly manner. We must disrupt their rhythm and force Ying Wuman into a panic. Only then will we have a greater chance of defeating them."
Ao Tie understood. Once the news spread, the Heavenly Court would definitely send people to investigate. How could Ying Wuman stop the Heavenly Court's people from entering the Black Dragon Swamp? At that time, there wouldn't be much time left for Ying Wuman. He nodded and said, "Milord, if you don't want the Assembly Virtue Hall to suffer too much damage, I suggest that you immediately inform the Assembly Virtue Hall to immediately go into hiding after releasing the news. Try not to show your face again."
Miao Yi immediately turned around and ordered Yang Zhaoqing to do as he was told. He then pointed to the compass and said, "There are millions of soldiers stationed at each of the five points. I estimate that there are at least three hundred thousand soldiers at each point. Otherwise, they won't be able to hold out against us for long and won't be able to play their role as reinforcements. On top of that, there are a hundred thousand soldiers patrolling everywhere … I wonder if the original ambush point is still there. If they aren't, then they are most likely hidden among these one hundred thousand soldiers. If they are, then the original ambush point should not exceed five hundred thousand."
Ao Tie and the others nodded.
Miao Yi placed a finger on the compass and said, "If these one hundred thousand soldiers are real, then they will be my primary target."
Ghost Dao Great General Leng Zhuoqun coldly said, "Milord, in my opinion, these one hundred thousand soldiers are just bait. If Milord attacks, I'm afraid you will fall into Ying Wuman's trap."
"Don't worry. Since I dare to attack, I naturally have a way to deal with it. The problem now is that I don't know if there are any hidden troops among these one hundred thousand soldiers. If there aren't any, then they will be a piece of meat in my mouth. If there are hundreds of thousands of soldiers hidden, then I'm afraid we won't be able to bite them. It's not good to fight them head-on. If we get entangled, then once the reinforcements arrive, then we will be in trouble. That's why we need to confirm the number of people in this army." Miao Yi looked at everyone and asked, "I wonder if anyone has any good methods to determine the number of people in this army?"
Everyone hesitated for a while. Devil Dao Great General Shan Qing said, "It's not that there isn't a way, but I'm afraid it's a little risky."
Miao Yi immediately said happily, "What advice does the General have for me?"
Shan Qing said, "Send a bold and meticulous person to negotiate with Ying Wuman on behalf of Milord. Find out where Ying Wuman is. If Ying Wuman is still at his original ambush location, then with his status, he will surely have a large army of guards by his side. It would naturally be better if we can see the number of people present. However, the person who goes to negotiate might be in danger. We'll have to see if he can handle it."
This was indeed dangerous. Miao Yi and everyone else fell silent. Anyone who went would be suspected of sending someone to their death. Furthermore, this matter wasn't something that just anyone could handle. One really needed to be bold and meticulous.
"Who is willing to go?" Miao Yi raised his head and looked around him as he slowly asked. After waiting for a while and seeing that no one replied, he asked again, "Who is willing to go?"
"Your subordinate is willing!" Seeing that no one replied, Yang Zhaoqing, who was listening at the side, suddenly stood up and cupped his fists.
"You!" Miao Yi turned around and was stunned. The corner of his mouth twitched. Xu Tangran had already gone in. How could he let Yang Zhaoqing join in?
"I think I should go." Yan Xiu's eerie and hoarse voice rang out.
Dan Qing and the others exchanged glances with each other when they saw the two of them volunteering. It was only at the crucial moment that they could tell if they were trusted subordinates or not. Their loyalty towards Miao Yi was clear evidence that they were willing to take on this kind of mission.
However, when the two of them spoke up, Miao Yi was put in a difficult position. He didn't want the two of them to take the risk, but they had already volunteered. If he were to reject them and replace them with someone else, what would the others think of him? Not to mention that this kind of matter had to be voluntary in the first place.
After hesitating for a while, Miao Yi finally made a difficult decision. He looked at Yang Zhaoqing and said, "Zhaoqing is more suitable. Zhaoqing, you go."
This wasn't a lie. Yang Zhaoqing's adaptability was obviously much stronger than Yan Xiu's. Yan Xiu really wasn't suitable for this kind of task. Yang Zhaoqing himself was well aware of this fact.
Yan Xiu didn't say anything else. Since Miao Yi had already said so, he also retreated to the side. In short, he would do whatever Miao Yi said.
Meanwhile, Miao Yi secretly transmitted his voice over to Yang Zhaoqing, reminding him again, "You must be careful. Ying Wuman is a proud man. Don't go against him."
"I understand." Yang Zhaoqing cupped his fists, then turned around and left.
Miao Yi stared at the compass with his lips tightly pressed together. Meanwhile, the others all looked at Yang Zhaoqing's departing figure.
Mo You and the others exchanged glances. Cang Hai pursed his lips. 'Miao Yi didn't give them any leeway at a time like this? He sent his own trusted subordinates to take the risk. If they said anything else later, wouldn't he just let them have their way? It wouldn't be appropriate for them to speak up about sending their own clansmen to their deaths.
After this, Mo You and the others once again understood Miao Yi's words. 'How can there be no deaths in war?'
"Elder Mo, have your men cover up. Don't let them expose our hiding place." Miao Yi suddenly broke the silence.
Mo You immediately turned around and said, "Hurry!"
Not long after, Yang Zhaoqing finally revealed his emotions as he flew through the starry sky. His expression was solemn as he thought about how to deal with the situation later on. He knew that this trip would be very dangerous. Halfway through his journey, he suddenly frowned. He looked around and took off the storage bracelet on his wrist. As he passed by a celestial body, he quietly flicked his hand and embedded the storage bracelet into the meteorite-shaped celestial body.
After that, Yang Zhaoqing, who had nothing on him, increased his flying speed once again.
In the area guarded by the six stars, Ao Fei, Wang Yuanqiao, and Kong Han were gathered in front of the compass, discussing the upcoming battle. What if Niu Youde had really found a suitable place to hide? Or if he had already escaped into the Astral Wilderness to hide? They fell silent. It was impossible to seal off the Black Dragon Swamp here forever.
Just then, someone came to report, "Great General, we caught a spy outside. He claims to be Niu Youde's subordinate, Yang Zhaoqing. He says he's here to negotiate with Marquis Ying on behalf of Niu Youde."
"Yang Zhaoqing?" Kong Han narrowed his eyes and said, "He should be Niu Youde's trusted subordinate. That Xu Tangran has already been captured. What's the meaning of sending another one over?"
"What the hell?" Ao Fei also frowned and muttered. He looked up and said, "Bring him over. I want to see what Niu Youde is up to."
Not long after, the restrained Yang Zhaoqing was brought out of the cave and shoved inside. Along the way, Yang Zhaoqing kept looking around, hoping to find some clues.
When he arrived at the cave hall, he saw the three red-armored generals standing at the head of the star compass, all of them exuding an extraordinary aura.
The three of them also sized up Yang Zhaoqing. Seeing that he did not panic at all, Ao Fei said in a low voice, "You're Yang Zhaoqing?"
Yang Zhaoqing was neither servile nor overbearing. "That's right!"
Ao Fei said, "Tell me, what does Niu Youde want to talk about?"
Yang Zhaoqing said, "You're not Marquis Ying. I've met him in the Imperial Garden."
Ao Fei said, "Is Marquis Ying someone you can meet whenever you want? Tell me what's the matter first. Let's see if it's worth Marquis Ying coming out to meet him. "
Yang Zhaoqing said, "Our lieutenant said that as long as Marquis Ying can guarantee his safety, the lieutenant is willing to surrender. I wonder if this is worth it for Marquis Ying to come out and meet him?"
The three generals looked at each other. Ao Fei said, "I can make the decision on this matter. Contact Niu Youde now. As long as he shows his sincerity in surrendering, we can guarantee his safety here."
Yang Zhaoqing spread his arms and said, "I don't have any star bells with me to contact the outside world, so I can't contact the lieutenant. Let me talk to Marquis Ying first, then I'll go back and pass the message."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
