Chapter 1740: Confusing Blossoms Dazzle the Eyes

Elder Liu couldn't help but ask, "Have you fought Bai Ziqi? What was the outcome?"

"I've been on the Celestial Scroll as the number one most wanted for four years, and I'm still perfectly fine and able to enter this place. What can the Celestial Palace do to me?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "What do you think, Elder Liu?"

Beyond his strategic brilliance, Bai Ziqi's greatest weapon was actually power—he was already the second-in-command of the Celestial Palace. If even such a powerful figure couldn't defeat He Lingchuan, then He Lingchuan's capabilities spoke for themselves.

Even if he couldn't outright defeat Bai Ziqi, their strength must be evenly matched.

He Lingchuan then asked, "Has the Illusionary Sect never produced any worldly military commanders?"

Observing the battle today, these immortals were indeed individually powerful, but when it came to deploying troops in battle, they seemed a bit too casual. Against well-trained and expertly commanded armies, they appeared somewhat helpless.

"Many have, but with Beijia pressing relentlessly, disciples of the Illusionary Sect eventually venture out into the mortal world and rarely remain within the sect," Elder Liu replied. "More than a hundred years ago, Old Xu and Old Jin were sent by the Immortal Venerable to the newly established Kingdom of Mou, where they fought several major battles against Beijia."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. No wonder. In the Panlong World, Spirit Mountain had also sent many sect disciples to support Panlong City, including powerful fighters, masters, and numerous logistical talents, likely all trained similarly to the Illusionary Sect.

However, having been in the army and being capable of commanding and fighting are two different things. He Lingchuan had felt this deeply in Panlong City: young sect disciples, with their excellent basic aptitudes and youthful vigor, could easily be trained into outstanding warriors, and some even into excellent generals.

This was completely unlike the immortals before him, who seemed unyielding to advice, reluctant to take the lead in major battles, and very unsuited for large-scale group combat.

How did immortals in the outside world resolve this issue?

By emulating the Celestial Gods.

The Celestial Gods also found it difficult to directly intervene in mortal wars, so they supported Beijia. Later, Spirit Mountain also helped establish the Kingdom of Mou, entrusting military campaigns and warfare to professional generals.

Elder Liu glanced at Sect Master Xiao, who, after a slight hesitation, tentatively asked:

"If it were Island Master He, how would you play this hand?"

He wasn't desperately trying a last resort; he merely wanted to invite broader perspectives and hear how outsiders thought.

Bai Ziqi came from the mortal world, and the immortals were not adept at his methods of marching and deploying troops.

So, it wouldn't hurt to let his adversary, He Lingchuan, also an outsider, try.

With the crisis at hand, these haughty immortals finally had to humble themselves and seek advice from He Lingchuan.

The Illusionary Sect indeed had some trump cards, but they preferred not to use their ultimate reserves unless absolutely necessary. If this young man could turn the tide of the battle with just a few strategies, that would be ideal.

Hearing him say this, Madam Zhu, standing nearby, felt a bit of admiration for He Lingchuan. What had the young man said earlier? That immortals would only bow their heads when forced by circumstances?

The timing was just right now. Any earlier, they wouldn't have believed him, and it would have been a waste of words; any later, it would have been too late, and even He Lingchuan would have struggled to reverse the decline.

He Lingchuan pointed at the image in the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and said, "The battle by the lake actually has two key points. First, for the Celestial Palace to build a cluster of lighthouses, they need to expend vast amounts of spiritual energy. Therefore, you must find a way, at all costs, to destroy their spirit-absorbing formation. If you want to strike at the Celestial Palace's foundation, this is the absolute priority."

The energy consumption of the lighthouses must be staggering. If Bai Ziqi wanted to build several more, the consumption of profound crystals would be astronomical. Apart from the profound crystal reserves brought in by the Celestial Palace's forces from the outside world, the most crucial source was likely the spirit-absorbing formation.

Vigorously drawing spiritual energy from the Thousand Illusions Cave was a win-win: it allowed them to use the energy for themselves while simultaneously weakening the immortal sect.

Xiao Wencheng nodded slowly. "We are already planning for that, but it will take time."

He also understood that the spirit-absorbing formation was the foundation for the lighthouse barriers. As long as the formation was destroyed, the lighthouse barriers would likely become unsustainable.

Otherwise, how much effort would it take to destroy them purely with manpower?

He Lingchuan mentioned "at all costs" because that rocky beach was the focal point of contention for both main forces, and also a key defensive priority heavily guarded by the Celestial Palace and the Celestial Demons. For their side to dismantle the spirit-absorbing formation and the lighthouse barriers, given the current intensity of their attacks, it would be extremely difficult.

"How long?"

Xiao Wencheng estimated in his mind, then replied, "About half an hour."

"Alright, the second key point is that your arrangements for intercepting the Celestial Palace's lighthouse construction are somewhat problematic." He Lingchuan casually tapped the sand table. "Currently, the Celestial Palace appears to have divided into nine teams, each selecting a location to build a lighthouse. Five have been completed, with four more to go, and personnel are assigned to guard them all. Your sect, regardless of importance or scale, pursues them everywhere and sends people to eliminate them everywhere."

Having observed for so long, he had already noticed a multitude of flaws.

Xiao Wencheng and Elder Liu exchanged a look, remaining silent, but both thinking, "Are we supposed to just let them build the lighthouses?"

"Look," He Lingchuan said, casually circling three spots on the sand table, "the teams Bai Ziqi just sent to these three locations have sparse configurations, with no demon immortals or celestial demons guarding them. These are merely decoys, meant to trick you into dispersing your forces. Even if you destroy them, the Celestial Palace won't suffer any significant loss; at most, they'll just move and rebuild the lighthouses elsewhere."

In terms of tactics, patience, and shrewdness, he did not believe these immortals were a match for Bai Ziqi.

Xiao Wencheng's eyebrows twitched.

"Furthermore, in these other three locations, the enemy clearly has two or more powerful figures guarding them, yet you only send one. They gain a huge advantage by fighting three against one... like at Honggang." He Lingchuan circled three more spots. "So, these three places are meant to trick you into attacking, allowing them to outnumber you and eliminate your sect's high-end combat power!"

Elder Liu frowned. "But our forces encountered strong enemies at every single lighthouse."

"That is the result of Bai Ziqi's excellent maneuver and deployment," He Lingchuan said with a serious expression. "These lighthouse barriers are almost connected, so you cannot see how he moves his troops through the Haoyuan Golden Mirror."

This was one of the Celestial Palace's reasons for diligently building these lighthouse barriers: to prevent enemies from easily acquiring crucial intelligence.

"In fact, judging from the clues, there must be empty lighthouses among them!" he stated, emphasizing each word. "Since the start of the war, the Celestial Palace has lost many people; not just ordinary soldiers, but even their elites have suffered significant casualties. Their manpower is simply not that abundant."

Don't be fooled by the seemingly endless stream of Celestial Palace masters or the apparently head-on clashes beneath the lighthouses. In reality, Bai Ziqi is simply moving and redeploying his limited forces in various deceptive ways.

"The enemy commander, Bai Ziqi, just wants to create an illusion of chaos. You would eventually figure it out if you fought long enough, but by then, the casualties would likely be immense."

Both immortals realized it with a jolt.

He Lingchuan's explanation was straightforward and easy to understand once revealed, but the real question was how he managed to discern these patterns amidst the complex and chaotic scenes of battle at multiple locations.

That was a chaotic battle across six different locations!