Chapter 1752: 惜身

The rakshas who had left the lake and not entered the lighthouse barrier were wandering aimlessly on the rocky beach, weapons in hand, looking around confusedly, as if they had forgotten their mission.

The disciples of the Illusory Sect behind them felt shivers of dread upon seeing this scene.

Inside the lighthouse barrier, the rakshas were still fighting on the front lines, fearless of death, and their numbers remained vast. However, the problem was that their supply chain had been cut off behind them. If they did not receive reinforcements from their kin in the lake, they would no longer pose the gravest threat to the Heavenly Palace.

Xiao Wencheng, who was in front of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, also noticed this anomaly. He couldn't help but pound the table and curse, "Damn it!"

He understood immediately: the rakshas outside the barrier had lost their target.

More precisely, Miao Zhantian had improved the lighthouse. The barrier now blocked the perception of "enemies" within this area.

Qianhuan's order to the rakshas must have been to eliminate the great enemies of the Heavenly Palace. But as long as the Heavenly Palace team hid within the barrier, they would be as good as invisible. If the rakshas couldn't find their "great enemies," they naturally couldn't attack!

Miao Zhantian's sudden alteration of the barrier could only point to one terrifying truth:

She knew!

She had discovered that the rakshas were created and controlled by Qianhuan and did not directly obey the Illusory Sect!

Even the sect leader of the Illusory Sect had no direct control over them.

However, Qianhuan had been behaving abnormally for a long time. He had been in a state of both "awareness" and "unawareness," unable to make clear judgments on the battle situation.

If the Illusory Sect lost the rakshas as an asset, could they still fight against their enemies for long?

At this moment, a disciple returned to Stone Dragon Peak through the mirror from the front line. He reported the Heavenly Palace's recent misleading words and stated that their own morale was visibly plummeting. Xiao Wencheng felt a deep headache upon hearing this.

The Heavenly Palace's claims were a mix of truth and falsehood, but the Illusory Sect had no way to refute them on the battlefield.

The situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable. Should they seek a quick decisive battle?

On the lakeside lighthouse, the grey parrot spoke in human words: "I have improved the barrier. As long as you don't charge into the lake, no more rakshas will be released from there."

"Divine Venerable's magic power is boundless," Bai Ziqi said, a small smile appearing on his face. "This battle will be much easier."

The conversation Bai Shiqi had just amplified using the sonic projection spell echoed across the battlefield, heard by every person from the Illusory Sect. To say they were unaffected and without doubt would be impossible.

Indeed, the Heavenly Palace's team was facing significantly reduced offensive pressure.

Bai Ziqi murmured, "At this point, the Immortals of the Illusory Sect should take the lead, charge this lighthouse, and boost the morale of the entire sect."

If it were him, he would do exactly that.

The grey parrot seemed to have heard an outrageous joke. It cackled, creaking:

"Immortals? Hahaha, these few Immortals possess the ability to fly. They know perfectly well that you, the Heavenly Palace commander, are on top of this lighthouse, yet they refuse to come up and launch a preemptive attack themselves. Why do you think that is?"

Bai Ziqi was not surprised. If he had anticipated great personal danger, he wouldn't have ascended the tower either. "Cherishing their lives?" he mused.

"Exactly, cherishing their lives!" The grey parrot's tone was full of malice. "Once they charge the lighthouse, they'll have no backup. They'll have to face the Heavenly Palace alone! They have no confidence at all; they just like to hide in the crowd, giving orders, sending these disciples to their deaths first."

It scoffed twice: "Immortals with backbone, Immortals daring enough to charge and brave, all died out three thousand years ago!"

Bai Ziqi's thoughts had already moved on to the next problem. "We've managed to turn the tide in one round; now we need to focus on solving the shortage of Profound Crystals."

Earlier, the Illusory Sect had suddenly changed tactics, destroying all the outer lighthouses that the Heavenly Palace had painstakingly built, leaving Bai Ziqi in a passive position for a time. However, he had used a few captives to destroy the morale of the Illusory Sect's disciples. Then Miao Zhantian improved the lighthouse barrier, and the great tide of rakshas ceased to surge.

The scales of battle between the Illusory Sect and the Heavenly Palace swung once again and tipped in favor of the Heavenly Palace.

What Bai Ziqi needed to do now was to consolidate and expand.

This meant dealing two more severe blows to the Illusory Sect. The moves didn't have to be numerous, but they had to be heavy and directly strike at vital points.

"Speaking of which, how did the Illusory Sect suddenly break my strategy earlier?" Bai Ziqi pondered. "Could it be because of He Xiao?"

In the capital of Yao Nation, He Xiao had constantly caused trouble for Qingyang. Now here, Bai Ziqi knew He Xiao would definitely target him.

At a time when he bore such heavy responsibilities, especially with Miao Zhantian overseeing the army, clashing with He Xiao was not a pleasant prospect.

Miao Zhantian said in a low voice: "How much power could He Xiao possibly have here? Have you heard his name mentioned today?"

Among the Illusory Sect captives they had taken, indeed no one had heard of He Xiao.

On this vast battlefield involving thousands of people, how much influence could a mere outsider, not even an Immortal, have?

Bai Ziqi also knew that Miao Zhantian's analysis was objective, but deep down, he was still somewhat concerned.

But this concern could not be explicitly stated. The goddess did not like being contradicted.

Finally, she concluded: "What you are meant to do, He Xiao cannot obstruct."

Once these words were uttered, Bai Ziqi, regardless of his own thoughts, could only obey. He was first and foremost the Cloudy Emissary serving the Heavenly God, and only then the commander of this army.

He Xiao, whether in Lingxu City, Yao Nation, or even within the Upside-Down Sea, had not demonstrated extreme attack power or destructiveness against the Heavenly God. Miao Zhantian merely found this person annoying and somewhat troublesome. However, it wasn't to the extent that she felt she absolutely had to eliminate him regardless of the cost, especially when she needed to focus all her energy on dealing with Qianhuan.

This must have been He Xiao's deliberate act. This person was truly too clever, too adept at remaining hidden. Therefore, Bai Ziqi became even more convinced that He Lingchuan was a harbinger of disaster. If he wasn't eliminated soon, he would eventually become an immense catastrophe.

He suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind and composed himself. "The Illusory Sect captives just mentioned that the Haoyuan Golden Mirror can detect the movements of enemies outside the lighthouse barrier. It would be best to invite Goddess Fenghe back; I will need to borrow her divine power later."

He could mobilize large armies, but to deploy a Heavenly God, he still needed to go through Miao Zhantian.

"Even if she doesn't return, you can still borrow it," the grey parrot said. "The Illusory Sect's Immortals are mostly held in check by us, and they have no power to threaten her."

Bai Ziqi could only respond with "Yes."

Goddess Fenghe's mission was too important, and Miao Zhantian did not want to abandon it halfway.

And if Miao Zhantian interfered, it would disrupt Bai Ziqi's plans, preventing him from acting as he wished.

He could sense that the goddess was also getting anxious.

After a few moments, Miao Zhantian said gravely: "Honestly, what surprised me most about this journey to the Upside-Down Sea is this illusion. Compared to ancient times, or even just a few centuries ago, Qianhuan's skill has advanced even further. The True Sight, which used to be able to see through his illusions, has achieved nothing this time."

Bai Ziqi remained silent.

Indeed, Qianhuan's illusions were integrated so seamlessly with the real world of the Upside-Down Sea that it was impossible to distinguish between illusion and reality. If their environment was simultaneously real and fake everywhere, then True Sight indeed couldn't be very effective.

Sometimes, how could the line between truth and falsehood be so clear?