Chapter 653: Chapter 193: Divinity Transformation Scheme
Thousand Peak Forest.
Alliance Army front camp.
“Stop!” Chen Lingfeng grabbed two cultivators who were trying to sneak away and questioned harshly, “Are you also going to scavenge for spoils of war?”
The two who were caught were flustered for a moment and then their expressions turned hard.
One of them directly denied, “Of course not! We are going to scout the battlefield and look for opportunities to strike at the other armies coming from Liangzhu Country.”
The other said, “Chen Lingfeng, you have no evidence, stop making baseless accusations!”
Chen Lingfeng sneered and was about to speak.
At this moment, a cultivator’s figure appeared like an ink painting soaking into paper, quickly solidifying, becoming a graceful Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Seeing this Nascent Soul Cultivator, the two cultivators blocked by Chen Lingfeng couldn’t help but show a tense expression.
“Army Division Lu,” one of them greeted.
The other gritted his teeth and said, “Great Cave Master Lu, the two of us are about to launch an attack, but Chen Lingfeng is stopping us. Are you here to stop us from fighting too?”
Chen Lingfeng, seeing the two shifting the blame, was instantly furious, “You bastards…”
Lu Hongtu, however, stretched out his hand to stop him, then smiled and looked at the two leaving the camp, “You can go ahead and take action.”
Chen Lingfeng glared, “Army Division Lu, how can this be allowed? This is already the seventh group trying to leave. If you don’t stop it, there will be no one left to manage the camp.”
Lu Hongtu smiled slightly and shook his head slowly, “I am only valued by Lord Long to provide advice. I never intended to impose orders on others.”
“Everyone here is part of the Thousand Peak Forest, either distant friends or close neighbors. Since Lord Long has not given any orders to restrain everyone, why make things difficult now?”
These words made the two cultivators breathe a sigh of relief and praise Lu Hongtu, reiterating their intention to go into battle.
Lu Hongtu had no interest in hearing their lies and waved them off.
The two left the camp immediately.
Chen Lingfeng looked at their departing backs, his eyes ice-cold, “I bet those two are surely going to the battlefield to scavenge for spoils of war.”
Lu Hongtu remained silent, smiling.
Chen Lingfeng was furious, “If Lord Long returns and sees that most of our strong warriors have run off, how do we explain that?”
Lu Hongtu laughed, “Calm down, calm down.”
Chen Lingfeng shook his head repeatedly, unwilling to say more and turned to leave.
Lu Hongtu’s eyes gleamed as he slowly strolled away from the camp and walked up a nearby hill.
The distant mountains lay silent, their ridges rolling and overlapping, layers of greenery bathed in the soft glow of sunlight.
The mountain wind lightly brushed by, rustling the leaves, and occasionally a few mountain sparrows flitted through the forest, breaking the fleeting silence.
He took a deep breath. The mountain air was fresh but carried a trace of inexplicable oppression.
In Lu Hongtu’s mind, scenes from the great battle six days ago surfaced.
The fierce battle between Ginseng Whisker Dragon King and Du Tiechuan was deeply etched in his heart.
Lu Hongtu’s eyes gleamed, “The Ginseng Whisker Dragon King’s small defeat didn’t shatter the alliance, but it made people’s hearts waver. Some have started seeking their own paths.”
Many cultivators risked sneaking into the battlefield to scavenge for spoils, each looking to advance their fortunes.
“It’s fine when things are going well, but the moment we face adversity, the flaw of disunity and the selfish desires within the alliance become apparent.”
At that moment, a figure silently appeared.
The stranger bowed to Lu Hongtu and began to report the intelligence he had gathered.
Lu Hongtu furrowed his brows slightly after hearing the report, “Still no trace of Old Monster in Stone?”
The reporting cultivator looked embarrassed, stating that their team of dozens had been fully investigating and searching, but Old Monster in Stone seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace at all.
Lu Hongtu nodded slightly and dismissed the reporting cultivator, “Go back and continue the investigation.”
Alone again, he remained on the hilltop.
A piercing mountain wind brushed past his tense face.
His gaze was fixed on a patch of clouds hovering over the distant mountains, lost in thought.
“The erratic movements of Old Monster in Stone are the most troublesome.”
“He is at the Transforming Spirit Level, the greatest variable in this battle.”
“Will he appear on the battlefield next?”
“Based on his recent actions, numerous Transforming Spirit Level treasures have been left behind on the battlefield. This must be a huge temptation for Old Monster in Stone.”
When Lu Hongtu returned to the camp, he saw the twin ghost cultivators, Heaven Shroud and Earth Ash, boasting about their findings.
“We snuck into the battlefield and gathered quite a few ginseng dragon whiskers.”
“Look, this ginseng dragon blood is extremely rare. Each drop is an excellent ingredient for making Healing Pills!”
White-robed ghost cultivator Tian Shuang and black-robed ghost cultivator Earth Ash were displaying their spoils in front of the other warriors.
Seeing this scene, Lu Hongtu immediately stepped into the discussion tent.
He smiled slightly, “Fellow cultivators from the Soul Devouring Sect, you have come to announce something special. Please speak openly. Perhaps we can cooperate.”
Other cultivators, seeing Lu Hongtu, smiled or nodded in greeting.
At the beginning of the Alliance Army’s formation, it was Lu Hongtu who recruited people. During conflicts, he often came up with strategies that achieved results. Just now, by not listening to Chen Lingfeng and letting the two cultivators leave to scavenge for spoils, he had gained the goodwill of many.
Heaven Shroud and Earth Ash nodded slightly at Lu Hongtu, having a good impression of him as well.
The two ghost cultivators exchanged a glance. Earth Ash, more impulsive by nature, said, “Lu, you are straightforward. We will be direct as well.”