Chapter 527: War Council
The turmoil triggered by the incident involving the Three Generals Camp quickly spread throughout the entire Forward Camp.
Military Supervisor Zhao Xi, with almost flawless justification, directly removed the Quartermaster from his position, drawing the attention and awe of countless people.
As the saying goes, a new official lights three fires upon taking office.
Zhao Xi’s first fire could be said to have burned beautifully, establishing his authority in a single stroke.
As one of the key actors in the affair, the Three Generals Camp also gave others a new understanding of them.
“These outsiders actually managed to secretly hook up with Zhao Xi.”
“They even managed to scheme against the Quartermaster. That hybrid Liu Er really isn’t simple!”
“Come on, how could they possibly have that kind of courage and foresight? Zhao Xi must have planned everything behind the scenes and secretly instructed them.”
“From now on we’d better treat the Three Generals Camp carefully. They’ve climbed up to Zhao Xi. Not easy to provoke.”
For a time, the name of the Three Generals Camp spread widely.
Of course, it was not a good reputation.
First, Liu Er was a Human-Demon Hybrid, Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei were outsiders, and the Three Generals Camp itself was a newly established army with very few connections in Liangzhu Kingdom.
Second, Zhao Xi himself had never had a good reputation. The two being associated together made them appear, in everyone’s eyes, like birds of a feather.
Regardless of the gossip, the Three Generals Camp had now stood out among the dozen or so armies, becoming a force every soldier had to treat cautiously.
The generals, meanwhile, paid even more attention to Zhao Xi.
Zhao Xi’s next move came much sooner than others had expected.
Just one day later, Zhao Xi publicly announced that, after his patient negotiation—appealing to reason and emotion—the strategist of the Three Generals Camp, Ning Zhuo, had agreed to share his three Mechanical Constructs so the army could clear the battlefield more quickly.
These three Mechanical Constructs could be exchanged using Military Merit.
Naturally, the soldiers immediately developed great interest.
After trying them out, the soldiers all praised Ning Zhuo’s creations. As a result, they also developed a strong favorable impression of Zhao Xi, who had facilitated the arrangement.
“I never expected the strategist Ning Zhuo of the Three Generals Camp to have such ingenious ideas.”
“Yes, he’s truly skilled in Mechanism Arts. These Mechanical Constructs are incredibly effective against the Dragon Ginseng Root. They’ve reduced our harvesting time by at least eighty percent!”
“No wonder he could marry Mu Lan.”
“Hiss… Is he really only sixteen years old? At such a young age he already became the son-in-law of Grand General Mu’s Mansion and possesses such skill in Mechanism Arts. Compared to him, I might as well have lived like a dog!”
“More than that. I heard the entire military budget of the Three Generals Camp is funded by him. He even funded the Red Flower Camp. Back in Woodwheel Town, he spent lavishly and bought heavy armor in bulk, buying out the entire quota of the Three Generals Camp at once! Otherwise how could they possibly afford so much heavy armor?”
“Young, wealthy, talented, and handsome…”
“And from a great clan too.”
“The only flaw is that his cultivation is too weak—only at the Foundation Establishment stage,” someone said jealously.
“That’s already excellent! He’s only sixteen. Cultivators that age are usually still in the Qi Refining Stage.”
“Then his only flaw is that his head is a bit big,” the jealous person refused to give up.
“That’s a flaw? A big head means he’s smart. No—he really is brilliant. Otherwise how could he achieve such extraordinary mastery?”
“Then his flaw must be his combat strength—” the critic stopped mid-sentence, remembering the Golden Core–level combat strength Ning Zhuo had displayed in earlier battles.
As the Mechanical Constructs became widely popular, Ning Zhuo, the inventor of them, saw his reputation spread throughout the army.
Golden Core and Nascent Soul–level generals frequently mobilized to sweep the battlefield.
Their Military Merit earnings soared, yet none could shake Liu Er’s position at the top of the Military Merit Leaderboard.
The reason was simple: there were not many Dragon Ginseng Roots left on the battlefield. With too many monks and too little porridge, even though the generals’ harvesting efficiency had greatly increased, there were far fewer targets to compete over.
While everyone scrambled for Dragon Ginseng Roots, the Three Generals Camp began intensive and active training.
Thousand Peaks Forest, Alliance Forward Camp.
Inside the council hall, the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts performed a spell in public, displaying the images of three great treasures before everyone.
The first was the Glazed Heartblood of the Dragon Ginseng King.
It was neither a pool of blood nor a smear of blood, but a crystal cluster buried among broken stones.
The outer layer of the crystal cluster was almost completely transparent, while inside it contained a mass of yellow-brown liquid.
Every seven breaths, the liquid trembled like a heartbeat, producing ripples.
Each outward ripple caused fluctuations in the surrounding Earth-Element spiritual energy.
The second was the Root Wall Soil where the main body of the Dragon Ginseng King had rooted itself.
The soil was not loose. It was crystalline and moist, resembling a honeycomb. Each grain of soil had a hexagonal shape and was tightly connected with neighboring grains, forming a stone-like mass.
The soil had a tender yellow color. Just its appearance gave people the sense of extreme fertility and abundant vitality.
Strangely, the surrounding stones—like the rest of the rubble—had not produced thick weeds or vines despite this strong life force.
This was because the Root Wall Soil contained profound Earth-Element meaning. Its vitality was extremely deep and restrained. Only things rooted within it could absorb its surging nourishment.
The third was a massive dragon-shaped talisman.
It resembled a dragon shadow roaming deep underground. Looking carefully, every line of the talisman was full of motion, like dragon tendons pulsing, ready to soar into the sky at any moment.
The talisman seemed to contain boundless power, bringing pressure that reached deep into one’s heart, making people instinctively revere and fear it.
This was one of the Dragon Vein Writings!
The gazes of the cultivators were irresistibly drawn to the images of the treasures.
Tian Shuang of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts said excitedly, “The two of us discovered these three treasures purely by chance.”
Di Hui continued, “Luck was there, but our strength was insufficient. This time we invite all capable individuals to cooperate with us and excavate these three treasures together!”
The cultivators of Thousand Peaks Forest were generally tempted, but none immediately agreed.
Someone hesitated. “All three treasures are located on the battlefield. Previously, among the cultivators who went to scavenge there, only one or two out of ten survived. Retrieving these treasures would be gambling with our lives.”
“Exactly! The war machines of Liangzhu Kingdom are terrifying. How many people have died on that battlefield?”
“Treasure is good, but life is more important!”
Tian Shuang snorted coldly. “We’re not looking for cowards.”
Di Hui added, “Anyone confident in their abilities can contact us.”
The cultivators discussed among themselves.
Lu Hongtu observed coldly from the side.
At that moment, a strong wind burst in, and the curtain at the entrance was violently lifted.
A gaunt old man slowly walked in.
Though his figure was small and thin, he carried an imposing presence that made it impossible to ignore him.
In fact, when the cultivators present—including the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts—saw him arrive, they all rose to greet him.
“Grandfather Long!”
“You’ve finally returned.”
“With you here, our alliance has its backbone again!”
Chen Lingfeng and the others were the most delighted.
Grandfather Long swept his gaze across the room and slowly nodded.
Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he walked to the front and sat in the main seat that had long been left empty.
Looking around, he said meaningfully, “While I was away, quite a few people have disappeared.”
The hall fell silent.
Grandfather Long then looked at the three treasure projections in the air.
Tian Shuang smiled. “Grandfather Long, you are the temple priest of Lord Dragon Ginseng King. Are you interested in recovering the Glazed Heartblood and the Root Wall Soil?”
Grandfather Long replied, “My lord would not value such trivial blood and soil.”
“According to my lord’s temperament and magnanimity, this is simply His gift back to heaven and earth, left for those destined to obtain it.”
“If we made a big fuss to reclaim it, we would only make ourselves a laughingstock.”
“If you are interested, you may try.”
When Chen Lingfeng heard this, he was so anxious his eyes widened. He had despised Lu Hongtu’s inaction and hoped Grandfather Long would return to restrain everyone, yet Grandfather Long had said such words instead.
Grandfather Long continued, “Right now, Dragon King Giant Tree Mountain still stands and has not been destroyed by the enemy.”
“Rescuing the believers on Dragon King Mountain is the most important military matter at present.”
“You must all obey my command. From now on we will gather our forces, intensify training, and prepare fully to attack the enemy’s Forward Camp.”
Everyone responded in unison, “Yes!”
Next, Grandfather Long began issuing orders one by one to every cultivator present.
The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts returned disappointed.
Di Hui said, “That old fox Grandfather Long allowed cultivators to try retrieving the treasures, but he also issued strict military orders restricting everyone. Our plan has failed.”
Tian Shuang replied, “Someone appointed by the Dragon King as the coalition’s supreme commander cannot be simple. He probably already saw through our plan to lure people to their deaths and refine sacrificial death ghosts. He’s just pretending not to notice.”
“Forget it.”
“We already incited many cultivators earlier and collected plenty of cultivator souls. That’s enough for us to refine a batch of death ghosts.”
Di Hui nodded. “Our first sect mission has already been completed.”
“It’s time to find an opportunity to complete the second mission.”
The two missions of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts were: first, to help Thousand Peaks Forest construct the Ghost Gate to counter the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains. Second, to capture Ning Zhuo.
Tian Shuang said, “Previously, Ning Zhuo was part of Iron Flow Across the Plains, so we couldn’t make a move. Next, the armies of Liangzhu Kingdom will likely spread out in all directions. We should lurk at the edges of the battlefield and wait for an opportunity.”
Di Hui nodded. “Agreed.”
Liangzhu Kingdom, Forward Camp.
A Golden Core–level warhorse carried a gravely wounded general, galloping desperately toward the camp gate.
At the gate, the Golden Core warhorse collapsed and died from exhaustion.
The demonic spell sustaining it ended, and the dying general Xu Dali fell to the ground.
The gate guards rushed forward to check.
Xu Dali was unconscious and could not be awakened, so they immediately reported the situation.
Soon several military doctors rushed over. After performing emergency treatment, they brought him into the camp to settle him.
A dignified Nascent Soul cultivator had ended up in such miserable condition. When the soldiers heard about it, many sighed in sorrow.
Since its establishment, the Barbarian-Demon Camp had suffered repeated setbacks, and now it had been completely wiped out.
In recent days, not only Xu Dali had returned. Many other armies had marched long distances, breaking through blockades and ambushes before finally reuniting with the main force.
Their casualties were generally severe.
Xu Dali’s annihilated Barbarian-Demon Camp was simply the most extreme example.
Military Supervisor Zhao Xi oversaw military affairs, reorganizing many understrength armies by breaking them apart and merging them. Some soldiers were allowed to choose freely.
The Three Generals Camp became a popular choice among many soldiers.
The first place on the Military Merit Leaderboard made them see the strength of the Three Generals Camp.
After learning that the Three Generals Camp was aligned with Zhao Xi—and that Zhao Xi now held great power—even more soldiers chose to join Liu Er.
Liu Er had already greatly reduced the number of times he left the camp to harvest Dragon Ginseng Roots. Each action was merely to maintain his position at the top of the leaderboard.
Reputation was also extremely important for the Three Generals Camp.
The Military Merit Leaderboard only displayed rankings and did not reveal each person’s exact merit total.
But Military Supervisor Zhao Xi knew the confidential numbers and secretly informed the Three Generals Camp, allowing them to precisely control their points and firmly maintain first place while maximizing soldier training.
“These intelligence reports—study them carefully and choose suitable attack targets. Remember, destroy them after reading,” Zhao Xi said, sending trusted aides to deliver numerous intelligence documents to Ning Zhuo.
The map was marked in great detail.
With Dragon King Giant Tree Mountain at the center, the surrounding strongholds were clearly displayed.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo gathered around the map, engaging in secret and heated discussion.
While most soldiers were scavenging the battlefield, they were already selecting their next offensive target.
Zhang Hei said, “Among the cultivation arts, alchemy ranks first! The first target doesn’t even need thinking—it’s the Curved Root Hundred Herbs Cave.”
Guan Hong stroked his beard. “Though Hundred Herbs Cave has alchemy chambers, pills are extremely easy to transport and damage. If we attack there, the gains may be small. It’s better to attack Ten-Li Burning Forest. That place is the best artifact-refining site in Thousand Peaks Forest. Magical artifacts and treasures—especially large ones—are hard to move or destroy. The rewards would be more reliable.”
Zhang Hei paused. “Oh… that makes sense, Second Brother.”
Liu Er pointed to another spot on the map. “This place is Thousand Vines Talisman Sky Corridor. According to intelligence, vines grow intertwined there, forming corridors outside the mountain and even forming living talismans.”
“Every vine leaf is a different type of talisman.”
“If our army could obtain that batch of talismans, with Lord Zhao Xi’s connections we could reserve a large portion in advance and offset it with Military Merit afterward.”
“That would greatly help our army in future battles.”
Zhang Hei nodded in agreement. “Big Brother’s idea is good too.”
Ning Zhuo pondered. “Cloud-Shoulder Dragon-Homage Platform is a flying peak created through modification. If our army could seize it, we would instantly become like the Fire Cloud Army, able to fight from the air.”
“In the future, if we continue modifying the flying peak—building a military camp or even a city on it—it would become the foundation of our army.”
Zhang Hei widened his eyes. “The strategist’s idea is even better—brilliant!”
Liu Er and Guan Hong were also captivated by the future Ning Zhuo described, momentarily stunned.
Zhang Hei lowered his head and stared at the military map.
“These are all good places. Which one should we attack?”
The other three fell into deep thought again. For the moment, even they found it difficult to decide.