Chapter 2191: Openly Making Things Difficult for Others

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, declaring, "I'll set off tomorrow!"

He Lingchuan beckoned, and the gyrfalcon, which had been perched on a screen, landed beside Dong Rui. "This is Blood Demon," he said. "Its perception of danger is exceptionally keen, and it possesses several forms, capable of combat, reconnaissance, and ambush. Let it guard you on your journey; it will prove immensely useful." Blood Demon itself was immensely powerful, with countless abilities. Even True Monarch Thousand Illusions found it difficult to eradicate, choosing instead to suppress it beneath a shrine to slowly wear it down.

Though He Lingchuan spoke casually, Dong Rui respectfully bowed to the creature, showing deference to a powerful being. "Thank you, Demon Lord," he said. The gyrfalcon half-closed its eyelids, looking as if it were rolling its eyes. "Is this magnificent Blood Demon really supposed to be a babysitter?" it seemed to convey.

"Here are the files for Thousand-Eyed Cavern; use them well." He Lingchuan handed over a thick stack of documents, reiterating, "Be extremely careful. If you're unlucky enough to get caught, the Heavenly Palace will have hit the jackpot." Dong Rui's mind contained knowledge desired by the gods.

"Don't worry," Dong Rui said, having long understood the situation. "As long as I don't go with you, I'll probably be fine."

Early the next morning, He Lingchuan summoned Madam Zhu and True Monarch Jieshui, giving them detailed instructions. With these three immortal-level masters protecting him, the chances of anything happening to Dong Rui should be minimal. The two demons agreed.

As True Monarch Jieshui was about to shrink and transform into a gecko, He Lingchuan, watching it, had a thought and remembered a question he had never asked before. "Wait," he said, "I have something to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"Back then, before entering the Upside-Down Sea, Myojing Tian descended in its true form into True Monarch Zangxi's body, right?"

"Yes," True Monarch Jieshui replied, "I saw it with my own eyes." It had been conscripted by Myojing Tian to suppress the Illusion Sect. Later, it was captured in the Upside-Down Sea, and after Myojing Tian and other Heavenly Demons suffered a great defeat, it pledged allegiance to He Lingchuan. Having traveled with Bai Ziqi, it had witnessed the entire process of Myojing Tian's true form descending up close.

"What was the descent of Myojing Tian's true form like? Tell me about it." He Lingchuan had witnessed divine descents more than once, but they were always avatars of Heavenly Demons descending to the lower realm, never a complete descent of a true form.

"Uh..." True Monarch Jieshui recalled, "There wasn't anything special. Just a purple orb of light flew down and crashed into True Monarch Zangxi's body. Oh, and the orb was about the size of your head." Its ability to describe the scene was even more unadorned than He Lingchuan's. True Monarch Jieshui thought for a moment and finally came up with a suitable adjective: "Let me put it this way, it was like a purple fluorescent spore!"

"Anything else?" He Lingchuan asked, curious. "It was the descent of a true god, after all. Was the commotion really that insignificant? Just like a purple fluorescent spore, that's it?"

The large lizard tilted its head, meticulously recalling the process once more, ensuring nothing was missed. "Its speed was incredible," it said, "but other than that, there didn't seem to be anything special."

Madam Zhu remarked coolly from the side, "Did you expect them to make a grand show when they descended? Who would they be showing off for? If they had power, why wouldn't they save it for after they've taken control of the body?"

He Lingchuan snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Good point! Trust Madam Zhu to see it!"

Madam Zhu added, "My sister also witnessed a Heavenly Demon's true form descend, about a thousand years ago. You can ask her."

"Alright." He Lingchuan nodded, then called for Dong Rui and personally saw them out of the city.

Time passed quickly. About half a month later, He Lingchuan received three more dispatches and summoned Du Shan.

"Three pieces of intelligence, two major developments," He Lingchuan said, handing him the secret reports. "What's your take?" One of the perks of being an emperor was the ability to, from time to time, openly put others on the spot.

The first was a battle report. Three days prior, during the Battle of Eight-Foot Platform, the Ya army suddenly fielded unprecedented numbers of powerful demonic beasts and mighty cultivators, whose formidable combat strength stood out on the battlefield, directly reversing the outcomes of several local engagements. Not to mention, He Lingchuan had an old acquaintance here: the Wind-Piercing Beasts, taller and more robust than ordinary warhorses, with sharp horns on their foreheads that could kill anyone they charged, were now rampaging across the battlefields of Ya and Mu under the leadership of General Ling. Needless to say, this was support from Beijia. A vast Mu nation separated Beijia and Ya, but the war had dragged on long enough for Beijia to leisurely dispatch reinforcements. This was a shot in the arm for Ya, telling it: "Hold on tight; I'm here to help."

The second was also a battle report. Mu had again sent 40,000 additional troops to the western Beijia front and achieved a resounding victory in the Battle of Newburg, significantly boosting their morale!

The third was a secret report from Mudou, detailing a conversation between Mei Wuniang and Grand Chancellor You Huan. Mei Wuniang made no judgments herself; she simply gathered intelligence for the "big boss behind the scenes" to interpret. Du Shan read her secret report word for word, then fell into deep thought. He Lingchuan waited patiently.

After a long while, Du Shan finally spoke: "Beijia's deployment of support to Ya also indicates it doesn't want the Mu-Ya war to end quickly. Currently, the Ya front is going well, while Mu's performance there is somewhat weak; however, on the Beijia front, Mu has recently gained more of an upper hand."

He Lingchuan nodded. "Mu is a vast country, and fighting on two fronts makes the allocation and deployment of military resources very difficult for it. If more are allocated to the western Beijia front, it's inevitable that fewer will be available for the eastern Ya front."

"This isn't what Beijia wants to see. Beijia hopes Mu will expend more energy and lives on the Ya front." Du Shan picked up Mei Wuniang's secret letter. "The horses in Mudou might be conscripted, and if so, they can only be sent east. The early resale of Datong Carriage and Horse Station is a merchant's way of avoiding risk, an uncertain factor; but coming from Grand Chancellor You, it's practically set in stone, meaning the eastern front will definitely continue fighting! Therefore, the Mu-Ya war won't end anytime soon; our initial estimate was a bit too optimistic."

"As for You Huan asking 'Poison Flower' how to swindle the 'Rich Old Man' out of all his assets..." Mei Wuniang's code name with them was 'Poison Flower.' "I believe he's still talking about the war against Ya. As Grand Chancellor, You Huan controls too many secrets; sometimes he lets them slip inadvertently." If a person deals with secrets all day, it's easy to accidentally blur the lines between classified and ordinary information. This is why intelligence work is difficult. You can't be on high alert twenty-four hours a day.

"Who is the 'Rich Old Man'?" He Lingchuan needed a sharp mind to help him confirm.

"That would be Ya," Du Shan said gravely. "The Rich Old Man's assets are money. Ya's assets, naturally, are—" He paused, then finished: "—territory!" When it came to the words "swindle out of all," he gave a thumbs up.

He Lingchuan then posed a second question: "If that's the case, why does Mu always negotiate with Ya?"