Chapter 2070: Prepared in Advance

"Now?" Wu Tiju kindly advised. "The baleful qi is strong, and it's almost dark. The waters near Yangshan are not easy to navigate. You might as well wait until tomorrow morning..."

Lu Qinglin strode over, nearly colliding with him, and Wu Tiju hastily moved aside, cutting his words short.

As he watched Lu Qinglin's figure, surrounded by his personal guards, walk onto the pier, the smile on Wu Tiju's face also vanished.

Ever since Lu Qinglin led his troops into the Maritime Affairs Office, Wu Tiju had known that his position was too minor and his words too insignificant to halt the course of events.

Qing Nation could not afford to offend Mu Nation, and he himself was unwilling to offend Baile.

But now, he had an opportunity to do a favor for Xiao Nation. The Shanjing Plains were on the verge of unification, and their size and potential were astonishing. Wu Tiju himself had dealt with He Lingchuan and knew He Xiao's abilities were extraordinary.

Once the Yangshan Archipelago was occupied, and considering the ships had departed from Blade Port under his jurisdiction, could He Xiao possibly spare him afterwards?

Therefore, his strategy was to bet on both sides, offending neither.

It was just a matter of a brief notification and a few pieces of intelligence.

Who said that a minor official like him couldn't influence the overall situation?

Wu Tiju quietly tutted and returned to deal with the troublesome shipowners.

The port was already heavily garrisoned, with all soldiers wearing Baile military armor. As for their true origins, only Lu Qinglin knew.

"Set sail!"

Over forty large ships surrounded Lu Qinglin's flagship and sailed towards the Yangshan Archipelago.

Lu Qinglin stood at the bow, facing the whipping sea wind, his heart filled with resolve.

The Lord of Yangshan had clearly humiliated their Lu family terribly. Yet when his father spoke of the Yangshan Archipelago, at first it was with gnashed teeth, then with deep anguish, but recently, his expression had become blank.

Once one silently conceded that the power gap between the two sides was too great, even hatred became impossible.

But Lu Qinglin was indignant. That small upstart from the west had schemed to buy the Yangshan Archipelago at a low price, making the Baile Lu family a laughingstock to everyone. Even if he managed the Yangshan Archipelago exceptionally well, even if he could win over those uncles in the family, even if he achieved great success in the Shanjing Plains and proclaimed himself "Great Emperor of the Nine Nethers" or "Reincarnated Dragon God"...

Lu Qinglin still felt an inexplicable aversion to this "Island Lord He," whom he had never met.

He couldn't say why, but he just felt that this He fellow harbored ill intentions toward Baile and the Lu family.

So as soon as he received the order to conquer the Yangshan Archipelago, he was eager to try, filled with a heroic spirit.

Just then, someone walked up beside him and stood side by side with him.

"The wind out here on the sea is much colder than in Mu Nation."

"Lord Qi," Lu Qinglin said, immediately turning and bowing to him.

This was Qi Chuanqing, an Assistant Scholar of Mu Nation's Futai Pavilion.

Besides the Chief Scholar, the Futai Pavilion also had twelve Scholars, each with one to two Assistants behind them, who could also be called deputies. When a Scholar retired or stepped down, the Assistants would fill their place.

Though they were only Assistants, they often had audiences with Emperor Mu, offering remonstrances and advice, and providing valuable insights.

Simply put, they were strategists, and thus enjoyed high status and prestige among Mu Nation officials.

Qi Chuanqing had been sent to oversee the operation, and Lu Qinglin was exceptionally respectful towards him.

"As Lord Qi predicted," Lu Qinglin said, "Yangshan has released baleful qi to hinder us."

"This wasn't my prediction, but rather the Emperor's sagacity!" Qi Chuanqing said, bowing towards the northwest. "Blade Port has long been infiltrated by Yangshan, like a sieve. Our actions could not possibly escape its notice."

But it didn't matter; whether Yangshan discovered their intentions or not, in the face of overwhelming power, the outcome would not change.

A strong gust of wind swept through, and thick clouds and mist rolled across the sea, approaching them.

The grey mist made people feel uncomfortable and unwilling to approach.

This was the innate aversion of living beings to telluric baleful qi.

The flagship blew its horn, and all ships drew closer to the center. The fleet tightened its formation and advanced towards the grey mist!

In the blink of an eye, the fleet charged into the mass of yin baleful qi.

But it was not swallowed by the yin baleful qi, because a ship at the front, back, and middle each brought out a Dragon Punishing Pillar!

Instead, the baleful qi was swallowed whole, leaving several miles around them clear.

"Just as expected," Qi Chuanqing nodded. "The Dragon Punishing Pillars have other marvelous uses. This is the secret to He Xiao's ability to revitalize Yangshan!"

Lu Qinglin was also delighted. With this secret deciphered, once the Lu family regained the Yangshan Archipelago, they could manage it effectively.

At this moment, unwelcome guests also appeared on the sea surface:

Monsters with human torsos and fish tails emerged from the sea and swam around the ships, their faces full of malice.

As soon as the fleet entered the Yangshan sea territory via the navigation channel, they would launch a merciless attack.

This was the command of the Yin Hui King.

Lu Qinglin calmly said, "Deploy the Crimson Cloud Barrier."

The barrier's center was on the flagship; it was vast in area and, once activated, could cover the entire fleet.

Inside the barrier, even the air was faintly red, breathtakingly beautiful under sunlight, hence its name, "Crimson Cloud."

But in reality, the barrier's purpose was to maintain the concentration of spiritual powers and medicinal effects within it, preventing them from dissipating.

After activating the Crimson Cloud Barrier, each ship began pouring green liquid into the sea. Just two or three barrels could dye dozens of yards of the surrounding sea surface green.

And because of the Crimson Cloud Barrier's presence, these bile-green potions would not disperse but would continuously advance with the fleet.

The barrier extended five zhang underwater.

Wherever the fleet passed, dead fish floated to the surface.

This potion was harmless to humans but highly poisonous to marine life. It would invade their bodies through gills and skin, taking effect very quickly, with symptoms similar to humans ingesting arsenic.

It was equally effective against the Yin Hui.

Initially, seven or eight Yin Hui entered the Crimson Cloud Barrier, attempting to overturn the ships from beneath, but were unfortunately poisoned to death.

Seeing this, the other Yin Hui dared not advance.

Only a few powerful elites enveloped themselves in their own barriers. Just as they were about to try again, waves of vibration suddenly emanated from the distant seabed.

That was the command of the Yin Hui King.

After receiving the new command, they stood still, trailing far behind the fleet.

The two major barriers of the Yangshan Archipelago, the baleful qi and the Yin Hui, were now ineffective against Lu Qinglin's fleet.

The fleet accelerated and surged into the Yangshan waters.

"Based on the intelligence we have," Qi Chuanqing said, "He Xiao's generals and troops are almost all fighting in the Shanjing Plains, with less than one-tenth remaining in the Yangshan Archipelago. With your current lineup, taking the Yangshan Archipelago should face little resistance. The only concern is the Yin Hui King on Dragon Ridge Island. But it's a sentient ancient great demon; if it's sentient, it can be persuaded. And it seems to have never left Dragon Ridge Island."

He patted Lu Qinglin's shoulder. "If it doesn't know its place, we have other ways."

Lu Qinglin respectfully replied, "Yes." With the powerful Mu Nation as his backing, he would surely be able to reclaim Yangshan!

Just then, a lookout sailor suddenly ran over to report:

"Two hundred zhang ahead, a large number of ships have appeared on the sea surface!"