Chapter 136: What's Going On

Chapter 136: What's Going On

Once again, it was late at night, and the Great Temple of the Sea God in Anshui City was quiet.

"Brother Changshou?"

A voice echoed from the side, emanating from a jade statue encrusted in gold.

After a moment, the main statue responded, and Ao Yi saw the figure standing under the statue.

Ao Yi hurried forward, his eyes shining with youthful vigor.

"Brother Changshou! My father, the king, has started to mobilize troops! Those Western... Those people have been eyeing our Dragon Clan for a long time! This time, we must let them know that our Dragon Clan is not to be trifled with!"

Hearing this, Li Changshou didn't show much reaction, as it was within his expectations.

The Dragon Clan, proud as they were now, was unlikely to retreat without a fight. But the events that followed must be carefully planned. They couldn't afford to hit the Western Church too hard, to avoid stirring up bigger trouble, nor could they cause too much harm to mortals, adding to their own karma.

Li Changshou said, "Don't be too pleased. Dealing with our enemies this time won't be ordinary. Furthermore, if there's a battle, there will inevitably be casualties. It's not something to be happy about."

"Yes, Brother Changshou, you're right."

Ao Yi immediately restrained his smile, bowing apologetically.

Then Ao Yi spoke of his actions in the past few days. He hurried back to the East Sea Dragon Palace to meet his father, as Li Changshou had instructed, and reported the matter.

After some consideration, the East Sea Dragon King convened the elders of the Dragon Clan for discussion. Except for one or two old turtle immortals who thought they shouldn't confront the Western Church head-on, the other elders were indignant and all asked for battle.

Ao Yi said firmly, "This time, the king has decided to dispatch thirty thousand dragon soldiers, over six hundred Dragon Clan experts, and twenty Golden Immortals! If the situation becomes urgent, several elders in the clan are also prepared to join the battle at any time!"

Li Changshou... felt a slight sense of guilt. It was because the Dragon Clan... was really too sincere. Every time they mobilized, it was like this—twenty Golden Immortals, over six hundred Dragon Clan experts, and thirty thousand dragon soldiers! This force, without considering other factors, was enough to wipe out a major immortal sect!

Whether they moved or not, the consequences would be significant. The Dragon Clan had indeed survived to this day, showing their unique strengths...

Li Changshou couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. With the Dragon Clan so openly mobilizing, if the opponents were only a dozen or so True Immortals... it would be embarrassing.

"Ao Yi, do you have anything else to instruct? I'm going to meet with some uncles and uncles now and head to the South China Sea from the sea."

"Brother Yi, your cultivation level is still shallow; you shouldn't participate in the battle..."

"I am the Grand Guardian of the Sea God's teaching. How can I be absent from this battle?"

Ao Yi's gaze was firm. "I have gained so much merit for no reason. I cannot let my people bleed and fight for me! The king has ordered me to lead this battle, and I must strike the enemy hard this time! As for Brother Changshou, you don't need to worry about this battle or rush to come."

"How can I not worry? In that case, take care of yourself and don't be too aggressive."

Li Changshou said, "In these few days, I have prepared a retreat plan for the enemy. It's placed behind our statues in Anshui City, wrapped in blue cloth. You can let a skilled expert secretly take it away, and there's a letter for you inside. I'm just talking big; as long as you can follow these strategies, the Dragon Clan can advance or retreat. Unless there are experts beyond the realm of heaven and earth, there won't be too many casualties."

Ao Yi blinked, suddenly realizing something, and whispered, "This retreat plan... is from above..."

Li Changshou smiled mysteriously and didn't say much. He waved his hand, dispersing the dream.

On the top of the Mount Qiongfeng of the Transcendence Gate, Li Changshou calmed his mind and began the next step.

Meanwhile, in the East Sea Dragon Palace...

Ao Yi acted as instructed, inviting a skilled flying dragon expert to immediately rush to Anshui City and secretly take away the retreat plan.

When the dragon expert returned to the East Sea Dragon Palace, the thirty thousand dragon soldiers of the Dragon Palace were already prepared in the sea.

Prince Ao Yi raised the flag of command, changed into a suit of jade armor, and was accompanied by several high-level experts with formidable auras behind him.

A high-level expert transmitted his voice from a distance, "Your Highness, it's here!"

Ao Yi's eyes lit up as he hurried forward and said, "Thank you, Uncle, for your efforts!"

The dragon expert transformed into human form and pulled out a square wooden box, about two feet long, from his sleeve. The wooden box was indeed wrapped in blue cloth.

Ao Yi and many Dragon Clan experts were stunned. Ao Yi quickly enveloped the wooden box with immortal power to prevent it from being crushed by the sea water. After opening the wooden box, they saw several neatly arranged bamboo slips inside. Above the bamboo slips, there was also a jade token for transmitting messages.

Taking the jade token, Ao Yi's divine sense penetrated into it and quickly saw a few simple sentences:

"In urgent matters, act according to circumstances, unable to elaborate on the reasons; the steps to follow are all inside, a total of twenty-six steps; the first step 'Marching', must be read before departure, and after reading it, you will understand the second step."

Ao Yi put away the jade token, lowered his head to search, and soon picked up a bamboo slip; he slowly unfolded it, and the clear writing on it seemed to possess some kind of magic power, allowing Ao Yi to quickly become absorbed...

After a while, Ao Yi finished reading the first chapter.

After some contemplation, Ao Yi decided to act according to this plan and immediately took out the "Nine Dragons Proud Heaven Seal" bestowed by the king and said loudly:

"Uncles, fellow clansmen, immediately split up and advance! One group of soldiers and horses will travel on the sea surface, entering the South China Sea by waterway, but they must conceal their aura, not raise banners, and not attract attention! The rest of the main army will hide their tracks and travel northward; pass through the veins of the earth, traverse the East Victory Divine Continent to enter the southern part of the South Continent, avoiding the detection of various immortal sects, and heading to the southwest of the South Continent!"

A Dragon Clan expert frowned and said, "Why does Your Highness split the troops?"

When Ao Yi heard this, he immediately remembered the sentence on the bamboo slip he had just read: 'If someone asks why you are splitting up the troops, just think about the enemies we're facing.'

Ao Yi said calmly, "Uncles, think about the enemies we're facing."

The Dragon Clan expert furrowed his brows, and immediately stopped speaking further.

Another old dragon said, "When have we, the Dragon Clan, who roam the Nine Heavens, ever engaged in such underground activities?"

Ao Yi was slightly surprised, wondering if the experts behind Brother Changshou could see the future?

This question was also recorded in the bamboo slip.

At this moment, Ao Yi remained calm, and said, "The earth is the body of the Great God Pangu. The clouds and mist are just the breath of the Great God Pangu. How can we not use the earth's veins to travel?"

The old dragon pondered for a moment, bowed respectfully, and didn't dare to say more.

The Dragon Clan's high-level experts no longer had any objections and put away their disdain for Ao Yi.

Immediately, the Dragon Clan troops split up and headed to the southwest of the South Continent, one to the south and one to the north, one visible and one hidden.

Ao Yi instructed again, "Please ask the elders of the clan to help cover the secrets of the Dragon Clan's army."

"Your Highness, rest assured," a white-haired old dragon head smiled, "it's already in progress."

Ao Yi nodded, glanced at the bamboo slips in his hand again, and quickly put away the many bamboo slips below.

A dragon carriage arrived, and Ao Yi and several Dragon Clan experts got in. They traveled by sea, attracting the attention of the enemy.

As they headed to the South China Sea, Ao Yi began to read through the twenty-six bamboo slips.

After the "Marching" chapter was the "General Introduction" chapter, followed by "Battlefield Selection," "Ambush Part One" (Part Two and Part Three), and "Baiting."

After "Baiting," there were three branches according to the opponent's response, choosing corresponding strategies, followed by various subdivisions.

In no time, Ao Yi was engrossed in reading the bamboo slips.

"This is indeed the work of a skilled tactician from the human race. These strategies are so meticulous; it's truly amazing!"

Soon, Ao Yi followed the instructions in the bamboo slips and took out the complete set of "Ambush" chapters, letting the various experts understand these tactics first...

"Uncles, come and take a look at this ambush tactic; it's rarely seen in the world!"

Several Dragon Clan experts nodded with smiles, not paying much attention at first, but after taking these three bamboo slips and observing them, they all showed serious expressions.

"Breaking into pieces, scattered but not dispersed..."

"Surface-level ambush to lure the enemy, making it impossible for the enemy to determine the situation; shallow-level ambush for injuring the enemy; followed by mid-level, deep-level ambushes, and reserve troops... every detail is meticulous, truly formidable."

"Is this the method the human race used to surpass the witches and demons back then?"

However...

Although they felt good about these ambush tactics, they didn't suggest that Ao Yi use these somewhat cunning strategies.

But Ao Yi said in one sentence:

"With two armies facing each other, how can we talk about deceit? I care more about the lives of my people than this meaningless facade!"

The Dragon Kings and high-level Dragon Clan experts each nodded and followed suit.

The Dragon Clan had very strict rules and regulations, and in this battle, Ao Yi held the seal of command and had complete decision-making power.

As a result, a few days later...

Three thousand Dragon Palace soldiers and dozens of high-level experts "sneakily" arrived in the South China Sea, hiding in the sea near Anshui City.

Their movements naturally couldn't escape the surveillance of several black mosquitoes that had been watching the waterways.

This Dragon Palace army had long been closely monitored by several "enemies" who had been watching the waterways.

A few days later...

In the depths of the earth, batches of immortal soldiers gathered one after another, hiding underground without showing themselves.

Even if the Dragon Clan experts were cautious and concealed their tracks, even if they had mastered the most advanced concealment techniques...

The traces of these immortal soldiers were still detected by someone.

However, what surveilled them was a certain South China Sea Sea God who had already arranged everything in a short time.

And how many could imagine...

The Dragon Clan, who had always been somewhat arrogant, would be so cautious and come digging into the soil before anything happened?

When Li Changshou saw:

Nearly thirty thousand Dragon Clan troops began to "spiral" forward, and under the continuous barren mountains chosen beforehand, they set up a shallow-six-deep ambush, a total of seven layers of ambush circles!

And they were covered by many experts working together to conceal their tracks...

Finally, a large stone in Li Changshou's heart fell about one-fifth.

...

Li Changshou hadn't been idle these days either;

In several sea temples where conflicts among believers were most likely to erupt, he arranged reliable divine envoys and paper Taoists, and had the divine envoys pacify the believers in advance.

The other party was most likely to start with conflicts among mortal followers...

As expected.

Just six days after the Dragon Clan's ambush circle was set up, several sects adjacent to the South China Sea Sect gathered a large number of believers and began to surge toward several major cities of the South China Sea Sect...

It turned into a real mess of city-wide brawls.

The forces of secular kingdoms also sent troops to monitor, but they dared not provoke these believers.

These groups of believers naturally intended to smash the sea temples.

In fact, most of them were poor people, and most of them participated in this because of material motives...

Li Changshou didn't want to incur karmic debts, so naturally, he wouldn't go heavy on them;

In the strategy he gave to the Dragon Clan for retreat, he repeatedly emphasized not to harm mortals.

Several days later, thousands of believers from other sects first found a sea temple outside the city...

At noon, the sky darkened.

In front of the sea temple, a young man held up a long stick and shouted loudly:

"The South China Sea Sea God is a deceptive evil god! Destroy this place and let more people believe in our Li Ma God! Smash it!"

Immediately, thousands of mortals followed one after another, in a mighty rush!

They wielded hoes, carried wooden sticks and hatchets, shouted slogans, and surged toward the closed gates of the sea temple...

But as these thousands of people surged forward together, they had only gone ten yards when the gate of the sea temple suddenly swung wide open!

Two burly men in full armor leaped out, roaring in unison:

"Hold on!"

The dense crowd was instantly frightened by these two ferocious-looking gatekeepers, each not understanding, but quickly stopping their steps.

A few black shadows lurking among the mortals, ready to make a move, also frowned slightly at this moment, observing for the time being.

The big man on the left asked the crowd, "Are you... here to smash our sea temple?"

The young man who led them just now, braced himself and shouted, "That's right! You fake gods, evil gods!"

"Please!"

The two big men roared in unison and made a side-inviting gesture at the same time; One of them pulled out a small drum from his arms, held it in his hand, and lightly tapped it.

The other big man shouted with a loud voice, following the rhythm, beginning to shout sentence by sentence:

"Everyone is our fellow countrymen, listen to what we have to say! Smash the idols in the temple, but don't hurt people! The gate is only two yards wide, don't rush! Before smashing the door, first tear down the walls, then smash the idols in the hall! Don't panic, just one blow each! The idols are worth only a few coins, but crowding can cost lives! We'll leave quickly, you all rest after smashing, there's another round to come!"

After finishing speaking, these two big men bowed to the crowd below, and the drumming stopped.

"Great!" "Give us another one!" "What are you waiting for! Are you here to listen to music?"

Amidst the noisy crowd, the two big men hurried back into the temple, and under everyone's gaze, they disappeared into the backyard of the temple...

They climbed over the wall and ran away...

The group of mortals was immediately confused, but some people rushed in first, and a group of believers from other sects immediately broke through the walls and surged into the sea temple.

Underground, the paper Taoist, who housed Li Changshou's consciousness, smiled slightly.

As long as karma wasn't increased, even if the temple was smashed, it was just a loss of wealth for the South China Sea Sect.

...

At this time, in a cave on the border of Xiniuhezhou, Wanjing Taoist, who had secretly observed this scene through blood mosquito puppets, also had a slightly puzzled look in his eyes...

What does this mean?

But soon, the blood mosquito puppets secretly arranged by Wanjing Taoist found dozens of Dragon Clan auras rushing toward the temple that was being smashed; And the "army" of the Dragon Clan in the South China Sea had also begun to emerge from the sea.

"Hmph," Wanjing Taoist sneered, continued to watch the show, waiting for the best time to release his little ones...