A Grand Play

In the abandoned ancient temple, deep underground.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

Five crisp sounds echoed in succession in the command room. Five jade life tablets, which had been neatly placed on a stone pedestal, simultaneously developed cracks and then shattered into pieces.

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze, turning as cold as ice.

Black Shadow, the Early-stage Golden Core commander, was sitting on a stone throne, his eyes narrowed, staring at the pile of fragments. An invisible killing intent radiated from him, making the surrounding subordinates not dare to breathe too loudly.

Wiped out!

An elite "Night Shadow" squad, including an experienced captain like Blood Fang, had been completely annihilated in just a few hours. They hadn't even managed to send back any information.

"Dammit!" Black Shadow growled, his hand clenching the armrest of the throne, causing stone fragments to fall. "Who the hell was it?"

This incident was not just a loss of forces, but also a grave insult to the reputation of the "Night Shadows."

"Sir," a subordinate said, trembling. "The enemy... is too strong. Should we report this to the elder?"

"Report?" Black Shadow glanced at him, his eyes as sharp as knives. "Report what? That an elite squad of mine was slaughtered like chickens by a mysterious 'human swordsman'? Do you want me to be flayed by the elder?"

The subordinate bowed his head in fear, not daring to say another word.

Black Shadow stood up and paced back and forth in the room. He was not one who only knew how to use brute force. He was an assassin, a commander; he thought a lot.

"This person... acts very strangely," he muttered. "He deliberately left tracks, as if to provoke us. But when Blood Fang gave chase, he was able to easily eliminate the entire team. This proves that his strength far exceeds what we imagined. He is not a Peak Foundation Establishment. It's very likely... he is also a Golden Core."

This thought sent a chill down Black Shadow's spine. A Golden Core cultivator of the human race, who was also proficient in the art of assassination, operating alone outside the Great Wall? This was a huge threat.

"But why would he do that?" Black Shadow continued to analyze. "If he is a Golden Core, he could have directly attacked our base. Why go through this game of cat and mouse? What does he want?"

He couldn't understand Lam Minh's thinking at all. Because he didn't know that Lam Minh's goal was not to destroy the base, but to "farm points" and "level up." Every action Lam Minh took was to optimize his personal gain, a logic that Black Shadow could not grasp.

The mystery of his opponent made Black Shadow extremely cautious. He knew that if he acted rashly, he could very well fall into an even bigger trap.

"He's waiting," Black Shadow said, his eyes glinting. "He's waiting for us to walk right into his net. He wants to eliminate more of our people."

After a moment of thought, he made a decision.

"Pass down my order. Temporarily halt all outside activities. All members in the base are to raise defenses to the highest level. No one is allowed to leave the base, not even for a single step. At the same time, send another reconnaissance team, the best of the best, to investigate the scene where Blood Fang's squad was killed. I want to know every detail, no matter how small."

"Sir, but wouldn't that make us look weak?"

"This isn't weakness; it's the wisdom of a hunter," Black Shadow said, his voice cold. "When a python faces a hungry tiger, it doesn't attack immediately. It coils up, observes, and waits for the opportunity to deliver a fatal strike. We are that python."

He decided to "stay put," turning the base into a tortoise shell, waiting for Lam Minh to reveal himself.

Meanwhile, in the valley.

Lam Minh had finished cleaning up the scene. He was sitting on a high rock, enjoying the Peak Foundation Establishment inner cores he had just obtained. Each inner core contained pure spiritual energy, helping him to further consolidate his realm.

He sensed that no more enemies were coming.

"Oh? Tucked into your shell already?" he sneered. "Smarter than I thought."

He knew his "fishing" plan had been seen through by the opponent. The commander had decided not to take the bait.

"But that's fine," he shrugged. "If the fish won't come out of its cave, then the hunter will have to find a way to 'smoke' it out."

Plan A had failed, so he immediately switched to Plan B.

He wouldn't attack the base directly. He knew it was a heavily fortified fortress. Rushing in would just be a waste of time "dying and reviving" for nothing.

He would create chaos. A chaos big enough to force Black Shadow out of his tortoise shell.

He looked towards the surrounding jungle, where many other low-level Madakaros packs lived.

Another bold and somewhat... crazier idea popped into his head.

"If I'm not enough to apply pressure alone, then... I'll just borrow a few 'friends'."

He stood up, no longer lazy, but filled with the excitement of a child about to play a big game.

The game of "leading beasts to siege a city."

...

The idea of "leading beasts to siege a city" sounded crazy, but for Lam Minh, it was an extremely viable plan. He couldn't attack a fortress protected by a Golden Core cultivator alone, but he could create a big enough disturbance to force the enemy to show themselves.

However, "leading" a herd of monsters was not a simple matter. He needed to prepare thoroughly.

He spent the next day surveying the surrounding area. He wasn't looking for enemies, but for unwilling "allies." His Peak Foundation Establishment spiritual sense was expanded to its maximum, scanning every forest, every mountain.

Finally, he found two perfect targets.

The first target was a pack of "Poison-Tusked Boars," numbering in the several hundreds. Leading them was a sow as big as a small truck, its cultivation having reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm. This species was ferocious, stubborn, and had an extremely strong herd mentality. Once enraged, they would ram everything in their path.

The second target was even more interesting. It was a troop of "Demon-Faced Monkeys," living on high cliffs. Their numbers weren't large, only a little over a hundred, but they were extremely intelligent and cunning. They were good at throwing rocks, using poisonous plants, and especially hated anyone who trespassed on their territory. The alpha was an old, white-furred monkey, also at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Realm, famous for its cunning.

"Perfect," Lam Minh murmured, committing the locations of the two groups to his mental map. "A 'melee' army and a 'ranged' army. A perfect combination."

But how to "lead" these two groups, who were natural enemies, to attack in the same direction?

This was the hardest part of the plan.

Lam Minh once again began his work as a "director." He didn't use strength, but his intellect and cunning.

First, he went to the territory of the Poison-Tusked Boars. He didn't show himself, but stealthily collected some of their... droppings. Although it was a bit "unsanitary," it was the most effective way to mark territory.

Then, he went to the cliff area of the Demon-Faced Monkeys. He did the same thing.

Once he had enough "props," he began to act.

He went to a trail located right between the territories of the two groups, a path they usually avoided to prevent conflict. He began to scatter the monkey droppings on the boars' side of the territory, and vice versa, scattering the boar droppings on the monkeys' side.

This was a blatant act of provocation in the animal world. It was like one country planting its flag on another's territory.

He didn't stop there.

He stealthily captured a few stray boarlets, killed them, and then threw their carcasses right at the foot of the monkeys' cliff.

Then, he captured a few mischievous young monkeys, also killed them, and threw their bodies into the middle of the boars' feeding area.

This act of "adding fuel to the fire" would surely make the two herds, who already disliked each other, go mad with hatred.

Finally, the most important step: how to direct their anger towards the ancient temple?

Lam Minh resorted to "scent" again. He knew that both species had very sensitive noses. He needed a scent strong enough, special enough, to lead them.

He remembered from the memories of the two "Night Shadows" that they often used a special incense to conceal their aura on missions. This incense was made from a rare flower and had a very distinctive, pungent smell.

He believed that the "Night Shadows" in the base were surely using this incense as well.

"Alright. As long as I can get that scent and spread it along the path leading to the temple, the two enraged herds will surely mistake a 'third party' for causing all this, and will attack that direction together."

A perfect plan, one arrow, three birds. He would make the two monster herds kill each other, borrow their power to attack the "Night Shadow" base, and be able to sit back and "watch the tigers fight from a mountaintop."

The final problem, how to get that incense?

"Looks like... I'll have to pay a little 'visit' again," Lam Minh smiled.

This time, he wouldn't attack. He would act like a thief. He would sneak into the outskirts of the temple, where the guards were, and find a way to "steal" some incense from them.

This was a mission that required absolute subtlety and stealth.

That night, Lam Minh once again disappeared into the darkness.

He didn't know that his upcoming act of "petty theft" would inadvertently cause a huge misunderstanding, giving Black Shadow, the commander who was "hiding in his tortoise shell," an even bigger headache and more confusion.

The grand play was about to begin.