Chapter 2025: Qingyang's Dilemma

**Chapter 2006: Qingyang's Predicament**

Dongye Jun quickly finished reading it. After a moment's contemplation, he said, "The Nanrong family is very good at seizing opportunities. Five years ago, Pei suffered a rare flood, with corpses floating for a hundred miles, not just livestock. The five cities of Yundong immediately organized large quantities of medicinal herbs to be sold to Pei. As expected, an epidemic soon spread after the disaster, and the herbs sold by Yundong, even at five times the price, were still in short supply."

"Pei even had to thank them, otherwise more people would have died."

"Indeed," Dongye Jun said with a wry smile, returning to the topic. "Our sovereign personally expressed his gratitude. Nanrong He is very shrewd; perhaps he wants to take this opportunity to engage with you and gauge your intentions. After all, you can't strike a person who extends a smiling hand, so it would be difficult for you to turn your blade against him."

Yundong and the Black Armored Army once fought side by side. Would the Great Emperor Jiuyou really turn against them so easily?

Just like Helingchuan and Situ He, Yang Shan and the Allied Army, there were personal relationships and mutual interests. Therefore, the Great Emperor Jiuyou's conquest of the Allied Army was not as straightforward as his attacks on other territories; he had to find various excuses and justifications.

Did Nanrong He realize this, and that's why he wanted to add another layer of insurance for himself?

Helingchuan pondered in silence.

The transitional phase of the Dragon God War was difficult not only because of tough opponents like Baitian but also because of thorny moral issues involving the five cities of Yundong.

To subdue such a vast plain, the problems encountered were truly bizarre, complex, and specific—often things he had never anticipated.

"Do you intend to meet him?"

Helingchuan smiled. "What harm is there in meeting him?"

A problem left until the end remains a problem. It's better to try and loosen it now. As a famously old-fashioned person, Nanrong He's willingness to proactively approach the Great Emperor Jiuyou is a good thing.

***

Yaodu, Tranquil Lake Pavilion.

The herbal tea beside her went from piping hot to ice cold, but Qingyang hadn't taken a single sip.

Before her lay two intelligence reports, brief in words but significant in content.

One stated that Chongwu was defeated, the Vixia clan leader committed suicide, and the entire Vixia clan submitted to Jiuyou.

The other's content was even simpler: Guo Baiyu was defeated, and the divine descent failed to capture Dong Rui.

Qingyang pressed her temples and stared at these two lines for nearly half an hour, without uttering a word.

News of King Poliu's failure to capture Situ He and the Allied Army being taken by Jiuyou had reached her a few days prior, and she had immediately instructed Vixia to prepare.

Alas, it was still too rushed.

Chongwu's death was truly a pity.

The problem now facing Qingyang was very real:

What was the best way to deal with He Xiao next?

The Heavenly Palace had previously rallied the Golden Flash magnates to oppose the Dragon God. Initially, this indeed caused a significant stir on the Golden Flash Plain, with conflicts erupting one after another, and the Dragon God's rule seemed to be tottering.

But that was only at the beginning.

Subsequent progress was disappointing; resistance in the Dragon God's territory was unprecedentedly fierce, and the Golden Flash magnates' incursions were not smooth.

Qingyang had thoroughly reviewed several battles. The defending soldiers and civilians were nothing special, the cities were not considered strongholds, and the armies were not battle-hardened veterans. Yet, somehow, the Golden Flash magnates simply could not take them.

A few other cities were captured, then revolted, and were retaken.

Just looking at the battle reports, there was nothing particularly special to discern, except that the city's military and civilians resisted exceptionally fiercely.

How strong could such resistance possibly be? Qingyang could only attribute the cause to "chickens pecking at each other," as the Golden Flash magnates themselves were not of particularly high caliber.

The Dragon God's grand army was still undergoing intensive training, and yet the battles on the Golden Flash Plain had already reached this state, far from achieving her desired outcome. So, once the Dragon God's army was officially unleashed, could Yaoguo and Baitian possibly stand a chance against them?

Thinking of this, Qingyang felt a throbbing headache.

Yuan Xuan, the leader of the Azure Guards standing by, heard a few words squeezed through the palace master's gritted teeth:

"A bunch of useless idiots!"

The detailed battle report from the Vixia conflict hadn't arrived yet. She was eager to know how He Xiao had breached the "Flesh and Blood Fortress" and the Jin Du Ghostlings she had given to Chongwu.

The "Flesh and Blood Fortress" could only be activated using the brain core of an Abuser, and the Azure Palace possessed only one such artifact. After careful consideration, she still decided to give it to Chongwu.

She knew that Vixia, who devoutly believed in the Heavenly Gods, and Chongwu, who devoutly believed in her, would undoubtedly face the threat of the Great Emperor Jiuyou.

If this treasure were saved for the war between Yaoguo and Jiuyou, He Xiao would surely be on high alert, and its effectiveness would be significantly diminished.

But entrusting it to Chongwu was different.

Given He Xiao's capabilities, he might not have taken Vixia seriously at that time, making him prone to underestimating his opponents. Furthermore, he liked to lead from the front, which would make him easily fall into the Flesh and Blood Fortress's trap.

In terms of win probability, having Chongwu use the Flesh and Blood Fortress made success more likely.

To be safe, she also asked the Jin Du Ghost Mother to send out several Ghostlings.

The Jin Du Ghost Mother was a very special Heavenly God. She didn't need to descend in person; she could allow "divine children" to be born into the human world by having human mothers conceive them, a process that took very little time.

Unfortunately, no Abuser appeared in this birth. However, Jin Du Ghostlings and the Flesh and Blood Fortress were a perfect natural combination; if used properly, they could even contend with an army of thousands.

Qingyang still highly acknowledged Chongwu's military talent.

So, how exactly did Chongwu lose?

Alas, whenever she faced He Xiao, very few things went as she wished. Was this person naturally her nemesis?

The defeats of the Allied Army and Vixia cast a deep shadow over her plans.

If things continued this way, the day when the Dragon God's army would launch a full-scale invasion of Yaoguo was not far off.

Even with her myriad strategies, she felt somewhat disheartened at this moment.

Originally, she had made extensive plans. After King Poliu gained control of the Allied Army, he, along with Vixia and Baitian, would simultaneously launch attacks on the Dragon God's territory. Coupled with numerous Golden Flash magnates from the south and north, He Xiao and the Black Armored Army would at best be overwhelmed, and at worst, suffer severe losses. Most importantly, it would shatter the false pretense of the Dragon God being omnipotent and invincible, thus diminishing civilian support for him.

Humans always admire strength; once they discovered the "Dragon God" was not powerful enough, their reverence and affection would immediately wane.

How mighty was Miaozhan Tian on the Golden Flash Plain back then? Yet, it had only been a few months since his demise, and nearly all of Miaozhan Tian's temples on the Golden Flash Plain had been destroyed.

Not to mention, she had also requested assistance from the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Gods.

Logically, it should have materialized by now.

But the fact was, there had been no movement for a long time!

She believed the Demon Emperor had already taken action, meaning it could only be the other party dragging their feet and not deploying troops, perhaps to negotiate for more leverage.

Baitian did indeed deploy troops and captured several Dragon God territories. However, once he saw that the Allied Army was gone and new reinforcements hadn't arrived, he simply stopped fighting.

The pressure on Jiuyou immediately decreased.

This was not good; it was bad for both her and Baitian.

She needed to come up with another plan.

Just then, another Azure Guard tiptoed in, careful not to disturb her thoughts. He quietly handed a note to Yuan Xuan, then stealthily withdrew.

Yuan Xuan glanced at the note, then placed it before Qingyang, whispering, "This is a secret report from Nanrong He's side, Palace Master. Please take a look."