Chapter 1741: New Contention

To conceal his true battle objective, Bai Ziqi employed many feints, even dispatching demonic immortals to move back and forth between various locations.

Why was He Lingchuan able to see through this? Why were others, including Xiao Wencheng and Dong Rui, unable to analyze or summarize the situation, even though they saw the same images in the mirror as he did?

Without a clear understanding of the situation, an ability to untangle the chaos, or a way to break through the illusion, one cannot make sound decisions.

He Lingchuan didn't bother to explain to them. In the Dragon Coiling World, he had commanded battles large and small without the aid of an omniscient artifact like the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. All intelligence had been gathered manually, and the scenes were several times more chaotic than here, yet he had still prevailed.

None of his past hardships or mistakes had been in vain.

"No matter how dazzling his tactics, you can defeat them with one strategy: reinforce these three locations. You must become stronger against their strength and, in turn, eliminate their powerful cultivators!" He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Hmm, you don't need to attack all three places simultaneously. First, try to defeat them one by one. Send four immortals to each location!"

What was once a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio instantly became 4:2 or 4:3, giving the Illusion Sect the advantage.

This strategy also relied on a crucial premise:

The Illusion Sect's immortals were stronger, individually outclassing the Heavenly Palace's experts by a significant margin.

This was based on Madam Zhu's observation and conclusion: the average strength of the Illusion Sect's immortals and elites surpassed those brought by the Heavenly Palace. After all, they had cultivated carefree in the lesser grotto-heaven for many years, never lacking spiritual energy. Therefore, by simply increasing the number of people assigned to each group, one-on-one fights would turn into group assaults, more than doubling their chances of victory.

This approach would allow them to both dismantle the lighthouse barriers and effectively eliminate the enemy's high-tier combatants, achieving two objectives at once.

"As long as one or two lighthouse barriers are destroyed, the Heavenly Palace forces will no longer dare to act so presumptuously, nor will they dare to scatter their personnel. They will have to revert to their original, steady approach, and the expansion of the lighthouse barriers will slow down." This would initially achieve the Illusion Sect's strategic goal.

In this critical moment, Xiao Wencheng had no choice but to set aside his pride and consider the situation pragmatically.

"Alright, I'll coordinate it immediately!"

Taking the advice, he immediately recalled the three teams that had been attacking the decoys. After reorganizing them, he deployed them to Baizhi Mountain!

The Heavenly Palace forces were racing against time on Baizhi Mountain. With only two immortals opposing them, they had more than enough resources to construct the lighthouse, and the spectral 'Eye of Truth' at its apex was almost open.

However, after Xiao Wencheng's readjustment, four immortals led their disciples through the mirror and stormed into Baizhi Mountain!

This was almost the strongest lineup Xiao Wencheng could deploy. The effect was immediate; the east wind quickly overcame the west wind.

Just as the lighthouse barrier lit up, the image in the Haoyuan Golden Mirror blurred, obscuring the activity within.

He Lingchuan remained calm and told the others, "It's fine, just wait a moment."

A five-on-two battle, especially with a powerful figure like Elder Liu involved, left little suspense.

After about half a *zhan cha* (a short period of time), the golden single eye on the lighthouse barrier suddenly vanished!

Elder Liu was overjoyed: "It's down!"

As soon as he spoke, the scene within the barrier suddenly cleared:

The area was full of potholes, marks left by powerful divine abilities.

The lighthouse had toppled, cut into four or five sections. Clearly, whoever struck it harbored intense hatred for it.

He Lingchuan was secretly astonished. While the Illusion Sect's immortals might not be skilled in military strategy, their individual power was truly formidable.

Furthermore, most of them were survivors of the ancient war, highly adept at self-preservation. Elder Du, who had died earlier, would not have fallen so soon had his mind not been corrupted by the Sky Fiend.

He turned to the sand table and saw that Baizhi Mountain on the display had updated, indeed appearing riddled with holes.

The great demons guarding the lighthouse were caught off guard; one died and one fled.

The Heavenly Palace's third lighthouse, just erected, was destroyed in less than fifteen minutes.

He Lingchuan clapped his hands: "Excellent, to the next location!"

The immortals and their disciples then moved to the second lighthouse barrier, which was also taken down in less than half an hour.

Simultaneously, however, the three decoy locations, left unattacked, had already completed and activated their lighthouses.

This had been well within He Lingchuan's expectations. He immediately re-divided the Illusion Sect's elites, resuming the two-person group attack method, launching three-pronged assaults to eliminate the lighthouses as quickly as possible.

At this point, his strategy changed again; he no longer prioritized concentrated attacks. Although the immortals had questions, seeing He Lingchuan's complete focus, they refrained from speaking.

The opposing Heavenly Palace forces also reacted, re-deploying powerful combatants.

Both sides were rapidly arranging their troops.

This battle appeared to be between the Illusion Sect and the Heavenly Palace, but in reality, it was a game of chess between He Lingchuan and Bai Ziqi.

However, He Lingchuan and the Illusion Sect side held the advantage, because the Haoyuan Golden Mirror was truly a divine artifact for troop deployment!

After each battle, the immortals could summon the mirror on the spot and lead their teams directly into the next combat zone. It was like a "door to anywhere"; as long as energy consumption was not a concern, it could open anywhere in the Upside-Down Sea.

Silver Pearl Island was not large, but whether traveling by land or air, the Heavenly Palace forces always took time to move, unlike the Illusion Sect, who could arrive instantly.

The world of Myriad Illusions had already forbidden teleportation spells to outsiders.

Time was their advantage.

Given the Illusion Sect's remarkable mobility, He Lingchuan truly felt it was a pity that they had previously suffered losses under Bai Ziqi's command, even losing an immortal.

Fortunately, he had taken over now.

Within a few more minutes, all other lighthouse barriers on Silver Pearl Island had been cleared, leaving only the tough stronghold by Upside-Down Lake.

Even with Bai Ziqi orchestrating from the other side, his attempts to direct his subordinates to chase the immortals put him on the defensive.

Of the two crucial points He Lingchuan had mentioned, only one remained:

Destroying the Heavenly Palace's lakeside stronghold.

On the main battlefield, victory would essentially depend on the raw power of each side in a head-on clash.

By this point, the Illusion Sect's immortals had significantly changed their impression of He Lingchuan.

How had their predicament, once in his hands, been resolved so quickly, clearing the clouds to reveal the moon?

Just then, the lower-right corner of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror flashed, suddenly displaying a scene: A group of about seventeen or eighteen Heavenly Palace personnel emerged from the lakeside lighthouse barrier, crossed through the forest, and headed northwest.

Not far ahead of them lay a small town.

This town was located northwest of Upside-Down Lake. He Lingchuan found the buildings somewhat familiar, especially a three-story official residence. Upon reflection, he realized—

Oh, wasn't it the same town they had passed through when Lu Jing drove them away from Upside-Down Lake in the Intai goat cart?

Simultaneously, several groups of distinctively armored Heavenly Palace guards also rushed out of the barrier. This latter group, heading in a different direction, was quite inconspicuous.

Dong Rui pointed casually: "This group doesn't seem to have any powerful cultivators; maybe they're also a decoy... Wait, no, isn't that Master Diyun?"

Previously, the Haoyuan Golden Mirror had shown a top-down view, and everyone was looking down while hurrying, so nothing seemed particularly noteworthy. When Dong Rui spoke, the mirror switched to an eye-level perspective, revealing their faces.

One person, wrapped tightly in a cloak, had a familiar face—it was indeed Master Diyun, who had previously killed Elder Du.

What were they doing, sneaking into this civilian town amidst the immortal-demon war? He Lingchuan frowned and asked Xiao Wencheng, "Is there anything special about this town? Or does it conceal any unusual treasures that the Heavenly Palace might need?"

Xiao Wencheng looked at Elder Liu, who was also deep in thought.

"It doesn't hide any treasures, ah..." Elder Liu struck his fist with his palm. "Wait! This Yu Village wasn't special originally; they usually transported ore to Stone Dragon Peak. But it seems they also excavate the spirit mines on Silver Pearl Island and transport them to the town."

"What are spirit mines?" He Lingchuan sensed an ominous implication.

Xiao Wencheng didn't answer, instead turning to Elder Liu and saying, "Get Old Lu from the Immortal Light Cave, now!"

Elder Liu offered no explanation, simply patted the Haoyuan Golden Mirror and said, "Immortal Light Cave!"

The mirror surface indeed shifted, displaying a mountain cave with an exquisitely carved gateway at its entrance.

Elder Liu stepped into the mirror, crossing into the Immortal Light Cave in a single stride.

Witnessing such instantaneous travel, He Lingchuan once again envied the Haoyuan Golden Mirror's abilities. No wonder his Soul-Snatching Mirror had reacted so dramatically upon seeing it; its wondrous uses were indeed limitless.

As if sensing his thoughts, the Soul-Snatching Mirror mumbled, "There are so many more uses to discover for this treasure mirror! If only we could take it back with us, sigh!"

"That's a good idea," He Lingchuan mused, touching his nose.

"Mines were what they called 'Profound Crystal veins' in ancient times!" Xiao Wencheng finally explained. "The Upside-Down Sea is encased by a storm, preventing us from leaving normally. However, the great formation outside continuously channels spiritual energy inward, depositing it onto Silver Pearl Island! As the island is nourished, the spiritual energy also settles underground, forming Profound Crystal veins near Yu Village!"

He Lingchuan and the other two understood. The Heaven-Defying Grand Formation gathered spiritual energy from the Glimmering Gold Plains and channeled it into the Upside-Down Sea. Over the past 150 years, who knew how much spiritual energy this immortal cave dwelling had accumulated! In any case, there was a substantial surplus beyond what was needed to sustain Myriad Illusions. Stone Dragon Peak benefited the most, but a portion of the spiritual energy also dissipated throughout the entire dwelling, eventually settling underground to form mineral veins.

He Lingchuan immediately asked, "Why wasn't it mined promptly?"

"Our Profound Crystal reserves were sufficient, so we hadn't mined it yet," came the reply. In this small realm, what didn't belong to the immortals? Whether it was people on the surface or minerals underground, it was always timely enough to excavate them when needed.

"Who could have predicted that as soon as the storm wall opened, the Heavenly Palace would enter?"

They hadn't been in a hurry; after all, there had been no need to rush for over 150 years. Of course, it was also possible they simply hadn't prioritized it after the war began. He Lingchuan's concern was: "What are the estimated reserves of the mineral vein? Is it enough for the Heavenly Palace forces?"

"I'll get someone," Xiao Wencheng said. As the Illusion Sect master, he wasn't responsible for specific affairs; this question required an expert.

Soon, Elder Liu returned through the mirror, accompanied by another person.

"This is Manager Lu from the Immortal Light Cave's intake room; he liaises with Yu Village." Within the sect, such mundane matters were handled by designated personnel. Elder Liu, as a high immortal, typically focused on pure cultivation and rarely concerned himself with worldly affairs.

Manager Lu, possessing a touch of worldly pragmatism and a quick wit, immediately spoke before He Lingchuan could even ask: "Yu Village holds a special permit issued by our Immortal Sect, specifically for mining Profound Crystals for Stone Dragon Peak. They deliver the ore to the Temple of the Wind God every fifteen days, from where we transport it up the mountain ourselves. This arrangement has been in place for over twenty years."