Chapter 1949: You see these three pancakes are so round

Tao Ran stood up, his face serious, and said, "This subordinate admits his guilt!"

The other generals were also awestruck.

He Lingchuan nodded in satisfaction: "Is that clear to everyone? From now on, correct your attitudes and manage your subordinates well. Meeting adjourned!"

Everyone here had heavy responsibilities; the right path was to have fewer meetings and do more work.

He Lingchuan had meticulously refined his war strategy for Flashgold, and he had indeed considered other approaches. It couldn't be denied that some methods might be more fundamental and thorough, but they would require a very long time and an unwavering army, both of which were precisely He Lingchuan's current weaknesses.

The Dragon God War, which he personally initiated, had to be compressed into a single year.

Once the internal strife among the Celestial Gods ended and they launched effective interventions against Flashgold, or once problems arose with logistical supplies and rear stability, the difficulty of taking Flashgold would increase by several levels.

More importantly, the next year or two would be the peak period for the concentrated outbreak of Imperial Dew. He absolutely had to capture this vast plain before Flashgold recovered.

What is a year? It takes more than a year for an ordinary person to walk from the easternmost to the westernmost point of Flashgold.

For him, time was more precious than money.

As for the quality of the army... alas, it would likely begin to be exposed in the second phase.

Therefore, the strategy he chose had to be the most suitable for Flashgold's current situation, allowing most forces to be used for his own benefit and minimizing resistance against the Dragon God Army.

At this moment, Du Shan came up from behind and whispered, "My Lord, we have received intelligence that factions within the Allied Forces are communicating with the Sky Demons."

The Allied Forces had seven members and occupied a significant area in the central and western parts of the Flashgold Plain.

Both the Allied Forces and the Dragon God Army knew clearly that the Dragon God would not let go of that area; the only difference was whether it would be taken sooner or later.

"As expected," He Lingchuan smiled. "The Sky Demons will not sit by and watch me take Flashgold; they will definitely try to stop me. Currently, they have many forces they can use in the Flashgold Plain, and all of them will become obstacles in our second phase. Ha, while the Gods of Lingxu are busy with their internal strife, they still have to make trouble for me; they must be exhausted."

As the Dragon God War entered its arduous phase, the difficulty would undoubtedly escalate sharply. This was also the best time for the Sky Demons to cause trouble. Even if the Gods of Lingxu were incredibly busy, they would still have to spare a hand to deal with him.

Du Shan nodded: "It's not impossible for an unexpected force to emerge in between, but I deduce that no matter how many tricks the Gods of Lingxu play, their final point of attack will be either Baituan or the Allied Forces."

So far, if the Celestial Gods wanted to influence the human world, they still had to use human power.

"Which one do you intend to take first? Or... both at once?"

He Lingchuan stretched: "It depends on whether they give me the chance to eliminate them one by one."

The Celestial Gods, Baituan, and Qingyang were not foolish; they wouldn't just wait for him to eliminate other obstacles before seeking a decisive battle with them.

"I, on the other hand, believe they will take the initiative to attack precisely when we are overwhelmed," Du Shan suggested. "Therefore, it would be best for us to preempt them and control the timing."

He Lingchuan nodded.

In the meeting hall, the water stains on the table were almost gone. Weng Xing grinned as he looked at the circles on the table. Weng Su asked him, "What are you laughing at?"

"Brother, look how perfectly round His Lordship drew these three circles; they look like pancakes."

"You don't know a thing!" Weng Su gave him a rap on the forehead. "Hurry up, what are you being silly for!"

Sometimes, he really didn't know how his brother's mind worked!

Three days later, Fang Canran came to find He Lingchuan.

Duo City and its surrounding villages had been transformed into several large training camps, where soldiers drilled tirelessly, day and night.

When Fang Canran occasionally strolled through the countryside, he would always hear training chants, shouts of reprimand, and sometimes even screams.

He Lingchuan was not in the city, so Weng Xing volunteered to lead Fang Canran to Liudai Town, saying that His Lordship was inspecting troops there today.

When Fang Canran entered the town, the troop inspection had already concluded. He didn't see the large-scale training, but he found a huge crowd around the martial arts stage, with cheers thundering—

On the stage, a fierce battle was in full swing.

The Great Emperor of Nine Hells also stood with his hands clasped behind his back on the high platform, watching a group of burly warriors wrestling!

"These are strongmen from Kasha and Luodian," Weng Xing explained from the side. "The arena opens every afternoon at this time. If they successfully defend their challenge for seven consecutive days, they receive very generous rewards, including cultivation techniques, weapons, provisions, mystic crystals, and the privilege of three days' rest."

The Great Emperor of Nine Hells' army was like a massive war machine; every soldier was constantly on the move, and even a single day of rest was a luxury.

Three days? That was definitely a bonus.

Fang Canran knew that martial arts contests on the stage were also a way to select strong individuals in the army. For many soldiers, watching the matches was also a rare form of entertainment, which could help maintain mental well-being during high-intensity training.

Just then, with a "bang" on the martial arts stage, the winner was decided.

The victor raised his hands high, roaring. He looked to be under twenty, both young and defiant.

"This kid's surname is Luo, and His Lordship brought him back from the Upside-Down Sea," Weng Xing said, stroking his chin. "But he's different from other Phantom Sect disciples; he gets along better with us. He was also very brave in the past battles against Kasha and Luodian, earning several major commendations."

As he spoke, Luo Xie actually turned to He Lingchuan, extended a fist towards him, and then patted his own chest!

Weng Xing was startled: "This kid!"

This kid actually dared to challenge His Lordship?

The area around the martial arts stage fell silent, stunned by Luo Xie's action, but immediately afterward, deafening cheers erupted!

"Great Emperor!"

"Great Emperor!"

"Great Emperor!"

"This insolent kid! The Great Emperor will teach him a lesson!"

The calls from below were too loud, so He Lingchuan, being straightforward, braced himself on the railing with his left hand and jumped directly into the arena.

The rules of this martial arts stage were one round to decide the winner: whoever fell to the ground first lost.

Also, no use of true power was allowed.

He Lingchuan stood firm, his right hand clasped behind his back, and crooked a finger at Luo Xie with his left hand.

He was giving the kid a handicap.

Laughter erupted from the crowd below the stage.

Luo Xie rotated his shoulders and neck, making a few cracking sounds, then charged forward fiercely.

He swung twice and missed, and was hit twice on the joints, feeling both pain and itchiness.

He Lingchuan's moves were simple and clear, seemingly visible to everyone on and off the stage, yet somehow, Luo Xie just couldn't evade them.

The third time, He Lingchuan's movements suddenly accelerated, creating a blur. Fang Canran only knew that He Lingchuan finally grabbed Luo Xie's neck and flung him outward, sending such a large person flying through the air to land heavily on his back on the stage.

With a thud, the nearby spectators felt a strong tremor.

The victory was decided, the fastest match of the day.

Fang Canran, like the others, couldn't help but shout "Good!"

Luo Xie tried to shake his head, but the muscles in the back of his neck were numb, making even breathing a little difficult. This was only because of his robust physique; an ordinary person, if grabbed by the neck and thrown like that, would have been knocked unconscious.

He Lingchuan stepped forward, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him up from the ground. "Stand firm," he said.