Chapter 1243: Great Fool Sometimes Wise

Simultaneously, as the intense battle erupted in the war zone on the gods' right flank, between the Fourth and Fifth Star Rings, in the boundless starry sea, the starry sky suddenly warped. A massive rift, accompanied by echoing cracking sounds, abruptly materialized in the void. It seemed as if an unseen hand had fiercely torn it open from the inside out.

From within the formed rift, two figures flew out. Judging by their appearance, the two figures were a man and a woman. The female figure had a pale complexion and wrinkled clothes; their original blue now a stark white, as if the ocean within her had completely dried up. Although she wore a phoenix crown, the phoenixes and mythical birds within it seemed to have perished, and even all the eyes that had transformed into pearls had turned ashen.

Beside her stood an old god, exuding an aura of decay. His cultivation seemed extremely unstable, with numerous cracks visible on his body, as if he had been barely repaired.

The moment they appeared, both figures spat out large mouthfuls of blood. This blood was golden, and the moment it gushed out, a dense alien substance dispersed from within it, threatening to spread in all directions. However, the old god's eyes flashed with golden light, and he abruptly raised his hand. He squeezed fiercely. Instantly, all the alien substance was erased, and even their aura and traces were completely concealed in that instant.

After doing this, the old god looked at the woman beside him and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Starry Phoenix... this isn't your fault. Clearly, it was all a scheme by the cultivators!"

These two were none other than Starry Phoenix, a descendant of the God Lord, and her last remaining protector. Previously on the right flank battlefield, when Spirit Glimmer made her move, her three apparent protectors by her side suffered ultimate injuries. All of them died in battle. Only she, by using a life-saving method granted by her father god and employing a divine lamp as a substitute, managed to escape the calamity of life and death.

But due to the overdraft incurred from accelerating the commander's return, her cultivation had plummeted, and though she had avoided death, injuries were inevitable. If not for another True God protector she had secretly, who acted for her at the critical moment and saved her, she might still have been unable to avoid the subsequent calamity, even with the divine lamp as a substitute. So, escaping to this point now was already a stroke of luck.

However... compared to the weakening of her realm and divine essence, what the goddess found most unacceptable was the scene fixed in her memory. That scene was Spirit Glimmer opening her eyes!

"Why wasn't it the commander who returned, but a cultivator...?" This matter was an enormous shock and blow to her, and even though she was far from the battlefield, confusion still lingered in her eyes.

"And the battle situation in the right flank war zone..." Seeing the Phoenix-like figure beside him in such a state, the old god spoke in a low voice. "Phoenix, that Low Immortal was already at the peak of the Low Immortal realm and possessed a True God Great Perfection divine body, so his combat power is terrifying, ranking among the strongest beneath the God Lord level!"

"Such a powerful being appearing on the battlefield as an unexpected variable means the outcome of the battle in the right flank war zone can already be foreseen. Therefore, you must not remain distracted."

"My injuries are severe, and death's embrace is strong. I can barely maintain my True God realm now, and I cannot protect you, Phoenix, for much longer. But this place... is not the Fourth Star Ring; it's the border between both sides, and clearly leans towards the cultivator's left flank war zone, where the Immortal Spirit aura is dense. The pressure it creates will make our injuries difficult to recover from."

"Furthermore, we are highly likely to encounter search parties from the cultivators! Therefore, Phoenix, we are now surrounded by danger and must fully conceal ourselves and proceed with caution. While needing to return to the Fourth Star Ring, we must not reveal ourselves in the slightest! This concerns your own safety, Phoenix, and also the God Lord, so please compose yourself!" The old god's hoarse voice echoed around them.

Upon hearing this, the Starry Phoenix goddess fell silent for a moment. The confusion in her eyes dissipated, replaced by indifference. "I promise you," she said, "if you fall, your future revival will be personally guided by my father god!"

As soon as she spoke, the old god nodded. When he opened his eyes again after closing them, his entire body flashed with golden light, then became transparent. This transparency further spread, enveloping the goddess. Subsequently, the bodies of these two gods vanished.

Time flowed on, and several days passed.

Several days ago, the battle in the Fourth Star Ring's right flank war zone, with the return of Immortal Lord Spirit Glimmer, immediately brought the pace of that large-scale war to its peak. Like towering waves, it was fully unleashed. The morale boost this battle brought to the cultivators was unparalleled.

Similarly... the appearance of that scene also inflicted an indelible shock upon the gods. In fact, before this... revival was a capability unique to gods, a blessing from the upper star rings to them. It was also the very foundation for why the gods were gods! True Gods would not truly die; as long as their true names were remembered, they could eventually return.

But everything that happened in the Fourth Star Ring's right flank war zone overturned the gods' understanding! Clearly... their goddess was supposed to revive their commander, but what awakened was actually a cultivator! This signified that some fundamental rules had actually been shaken by the cultivators! And if there was a first time, there would inevitably be a second... Once cultivators mastered this ability, it would mean they truly possessed the inherent ability to stand on equal footing with gods in terms of destiny! Its impact was immense! Even in the future, any True God undergoing revival might encounter similar occurrences: being usurped, serving another's purpose.

Therefore, for the gods in the right flank war zone, the internal turmoil was unprecedented. Because this also represented that... the originally eternal law of True Gods being imperishable had been altered! Since it was a cultivator who returned, then the original owner of this divine body, that right flank commander, what had become of him now? His path to return was stolen, so could he still come back? All of this was unknown. And gods... loathed the unknown most of all.

Therefore, this battle in the gods' right flank war zone, although it merely determined the outcome for this specific war zone, its significance was profoundly far-reaching. It can be imagined that as this matter gradually spreads, it will stir up a vast, god-shaking hurricane across all war zones and even the entire Fourth Star Ring! The strategic significance of this upheaval was even comparable to the emergence of a God Lord-level entity!

And this, in the eyes of others, was precisely the plan of Immortal Lord Zhanlu! The "Guiding Lamp" was the first step, assassination was the second, luring out the goddess was the third, then utilizing the goddess's hand to revive a True God, all while using the outbreak of a major war as a cover. Everything, looking at it now, seemed to be for that final moment of revival!

"So that's how it is!"

At this moment, on the front line of the cultivators' left flank war zone in the Fifth Star Ring, Xu Qing and his group had just finished scavenging bodies and had not immediately left, but were instead shocked by the battle report they received. The battle report from the battle several days ago had already been transmitted back to this left flank war zone. The content of this report revealed everything, greatly exhilarating the cultivators. In the eyes of Xu Qing and the others, this report also resolved their confusion.

"As expected of Immortal Lord Zhanlu," Li Mengtu exclaimed, "beings of this caliber, even if not renowned for strategy, still possess astonishing minds. And Immortal Lord Spirit Glimmer... I've never heard of this senior before."

Beside him, Star Ring Child and others also showed strange lights in their eyes, their thoughts all revolving around Spirit Glimmer's incredible and imagination-defying usurpation. Xu Qing, meanwhile, had the stone tablet from the Immortal Burial Ground appear in his mind, recalling Immortal Lord Spirit Glimmer's inscription.

"He succeeded," Xu Qing murmured to himself, a strong ripple in his heart. However, he understood gods, so regarding this success, he had his own guesses and judgments. He didn't think this was something that could be widely replicated, but rather an anomaly under special circumstances.

Zhou Zhengli also spoke at this moment. "Within our Fifth Star Ring, the one actually renowned for strategy is Immortal Lord Nine Shores... Perhaps Immortal Lord Nine Shores was also among those truly planning this matter."

"Furthermore, for something like this... to succeed, there must have been various obstacles, and it's likely an isolated incident. Otherwise, if it could truly be done on a large scale, then why would only Immortal Lord Spirit Glimmer have returned for this battle?"

"If this could truly be achieved, then if I were in charge of planning this battle, I would have already, beforehand, allowed a large number of cultivators to return by possessing bodies, then concealed themselves, and finally, at the same time, fully erupted. Overthrowing everything in one fell swoop! Instead of just one appearing, which, while achieving victory, also made the gods wary, gain interest, and naturally begin to research it."

Zhou Zhengli's words attracted the attention of everyone around. Xu Qing looked up and glanced at Zhou Zhengli. The other's judgment was consistent with his own.

And the success of this usurpation... After the content of the battle report appeared in Xu Qing's mind, he immediately grasped a key point. "The goddess..."

At the same time, Zhou Zhengli's voice also echoed. "Why was the goddess lured in?"

Star Ring Child and the others seemed thoughtful, but the two brothers, Qianjun and Piyue, spoke indifferently. "What you're saying is too complicated, too messy. If you ask us, it's very simple. Maybe Immortal Lord Zhanlu and those great figures wanted this very incident to draw the Fourth Star Ring's attention. Didn't you say the left flank war zone is like a guiding lamp? Doesn't this make the lamp even brighter?"

These two brothers usually didn't seem very intelligent, but the moment their words came out, Xu Qing sharply looked at them. Zhou Zhengli and the others were also inwardly shocked, all turning to look at them simultaneously. Under the gaze of everyone's eyes, Qianjun and Piyue were startled. They had only said it casually...

"If that's truly the case," Zhou Zhengli gasped, "then the ultimate plan for this war must be... earth-shattering!" He muttered to himself, and instinctively looked towards Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with a strange light, just as he was about to speak. But at that moment, suddenly, the mission jade slips on their bodies vibrated simultaneously. A decree covering the entire front line of the left flank war zone, at that instant, spread throughout all legions and cultivator teams on the front line.

"All parties, heed the order: immediately disperse into small units, spread out to the maximum extent, and fully search all areas of the front line, whether Immortal Spirit or alien substance zones... Search for... the descendant of the God-Slaying Empress, the goddess Starry Phoenix! Do not kill her! Whoever obtains her traces will be awarded one million military merits and ten units of Source Essence! Whoever captures her alive will be awarded ten million military merits and one hundred units of Source Essence, be granted the True Lord Daoist title, and furthermore be bestowed... an Immortal Lord Dao Artifact!"