Chapter 2445: Simple and Clear Combat Plan

Lu Ye was, of course, looking forward to it.

Five Hegemons… even if he didn't have the chance to kill them, Shen Shuang commanded a full two hundred Incarnations! At that point, even if he didn't kill too many, just taking out a few would be enough to gather the Star Abyss Coins needed to exchange for an essence treasure, assuming his luck wasn't too bad.

This would allow his next plan to unfold!

For Liao, promotion seemed to be fine for now. Once it awoke, Lu Ye could continue nurturing it. However, according to information provided by Qin Feng, it wouldn't be easy for Liao to overcome the second hurdle. While the first and third hurdles primarily depended on Liao itself, Lu Ye, as its master, would need to exert significant effort for the second. Moreover, compared to the preceding and subsequent stages, this second hurdle required a prolonged period of accumulation.

An essence treasure was indispensable for this.

Lu Ye was very fortunate to have the identity of a Son of the Star Abyss; otherwise, he wouldn't have such convenience.

This meant he had to kill many enemies and collect a lot of Star Abyss Coins.

"The plan is for me to maneuver Hegemon City to a suitable position and stop it there. Then, I, the City Lord, will personally provoke them, lure the snake out of its hole, defeat them one by one, and then strike directly at their core!"

You Die listened attentively, afraid to miss a single detail, then noticed Yuan Xi's voice had stopped.

She looked at her in confusion, only to find Yuan Xi had no intention of continuing.

That was it?

What kind of battle plan was this?

Wasn't this just a reckless charge, without any regard for consequences?

"What do you all think?" Yuan Xi asked, appearing very serious, as if she would genuinely consider others' opinions.

You Die couldn't help herself and was about to speak when she saw Lu Ye across from her nod and say, "The City Lord's plan is simple and clear. I have no objections!"

You Die immediately looked as if she was questioning reality.

'How could he have no objections? Brother Ye, you should have strong objections! In the Splendor Realm, you weren't so thoughtless. I still remember our years of battling wits. How could you suddenly change your personality here in the Inner Realm?'

"As expected, the Grand Marshal understands me!" Yuan Xi was delighted. "Since that's the case, Vice City Lord You Die, heed my command!"

You Die quickly snapped back to attention and stood up, saying, "Your subordinate is present!"

Yuan Xi stated solemnly, "When I go out to battle, Shen Shuang will certainly send people to attack our city. At that time, everything in the city will be in your hands. You only need to do one thing."

"Please instruct me, my lady!"

"Defend if you can. If you're outmatched, simply steer Hegemon City away!"

You Die was startled. "But my lady, if our city is too far from you, it won't be able to provide you with a power boost."

"It's fine. Even without the city's boost, it won't be easy for them to kill me."

You Die opened her mouth, unsure how to persuade her, and could only accept the order.

"Grand Marshal!" Yuan Xi then looked at Lu Ye.

"Present."

"You... wait for the opportune moment!"

"Understood!" Lu Ye nodded in agreement.

Yuan Xi clearly had great confidence in him. The last time they attacked Flowing Radiance City, she had personally witnessed Lu Ye's ferocity. Her Grand Marshal could not be viewed as an ordinary Incarnation. To merely have him remain in the city to assist with defense would be an absolute waste, which was why Yuan Xi didn't assign him any specific tasks.

"Then it's settled. Everyone, prepare yourselves," Yuan Xi said, waving her hand.

Leaving the council hall, You Die pulled Lu Ye back to the Grand Marshal's Residence, muttering "this is too childish" and similar remarks all the way.

Not to mention how rudimentary Yuan Xi's battle plan was, what truly puzzled her was Lu Ye siding with Yuan Xi. She genuinely couldn't understand what Lu Ye was thinking.

"Brother Ye, we need to come up with a more detailed battle plan," You Die said, looking seriously at Lu Ye in the Grand Marshal's Residence.

Since Lu Ye had joined their side, she harbored no ill will and would do her part. With the City Lord seeming unreliable, she naturally had to take matters into her own hands.

Lu Ye casually asked, "On what do you think all plans are based?"

You Die thought seriously for a moment. "The comparison of overall strength between us."

Lu Ye nodded. "That's correct. Overall strength certainly needs to be considered. But what if one side has someone whose strength far surpasses the enemy's?"

You Die said, "Of course I know Sister Yuan Xi is very strong, but as the saying goes, 'two fists can't fight four hands.' Shen Shuang has five Hegemons. If they manage to pin down Sister Yuan Xi, we won't be able to withstand the siege of so many enemies."

"Five, yes, but if Yuan Xi attacks, Shen Shuang's City Lord will inevitably have to face her personally. Other Hegemons wouldn't be her match, nor would he be able to defeat her alone. So, it's highly probable he'll bring one or two other Hegemons to assist him. By my estimation, Shen Shuang will need to deploy at least three Hegemons, and even then, they might not gain the upper hand!"

Last time, Yuan Xi City was only a Yellow-grade city, while Flowing Radiance was Earth-grade. With only a 10% power boost, Yuan Xi fought two opponents, one of whom, the Flowing Radiance City Lord, received a 30% power boost from his Hegemon City. Even then, Yuan Xi gained a significant advantage.

Now, Yuan Xi City is Earth-grade, allowing Yuan Xi to receive a 30% power boost. Don't underestimate this 20% difference; given Yuan Xi's formidable inherent power, this boost is far greater than what the Flowing Radiance City Lord had previously.

Therefore, if the enemy only deploys two Hegemons, they would likely be no match for her; at least three would be required.

"This means Shen Shuang will only have two Hegemons left. One will certainly need to stay behind to guard their Hegemon City, just like you. So, I deduce that once battle erupts, Shen Shuang will deploy one Hegemon to lead numerous Incarnations to attack us!"

You Die's expression grew solemn. "Honestly, I can't hold them off! I've been familiarizing myself with the city's protective grand array these past few days. Sister Yuan Xi's formation is excellent, and its strength is sufficient, but we have an undeniable problem: we are severely understaffed. I can guarantee the protective array won't be breached within an hour, but what happens after that, I can't say."

"One hour is enough," Lu Ye reassured her. "Don't worry too much; just do your part. Since Yuan Xi has made her decision, we just need to cooperate well. Besides, she also said that if you're outmatched, you should take Hegemon City and leave. You don't need to worry about her."

"Is this truly the only way?"

You Die remained somewhat worried, though this also showed her genuine commitment to Yuan Xi City. If she truly didn't care about this Hegemon City, she wouldn't be fretting so much.

Everything in the city was calm, but all preparations for the upcoming battle were complete. You Die led the many Incarnations within the city to their respective positions in the array, ready to activate the protective grand array's power at any moment.

Unfortunately, because Yuan Xi City was only Earth-grade, it lacked the ability to forge its own Dao Pool. The grand array's overall power relied entirely on the support of the cultivators within it. This was also why You Die said she could only hold out for an hour, as maintaining the array's operation consumed a significant amount of Dao power from all cultivators involved.

It was a pity that the Dao Power Flasks Lu Ye obtained during the Star Abyss Son's competition were left in the Starry Sky; otherwise, he could have given them to You Die as a backup.

Two days passed in a flash.

Yuan Xi's voice once again echoed in Lu Ye's ear: "Grand Marshal, there's an outpost on the rear flank. It's yours."

The next instant, Lu Ye's figure shot out of his Grand Marshal's Residence and directly towards the rear flank of Yuan Xi City.

Many Hegemon Cities with sufficient resources would set up hidden outposts around their perimeter to monitor movements in all directions.

Shen Shuang was a Celestial-grade Hegemon City, so it naturally had its own hidden outposts. Unfortunately, while this particular outpost was well-concealed, it still couldn't escape Yuan Xi's formidable power.

She wasn't keen on using her overwhelming power against a lesser opponent, so naturally, she assigned this task to Lu Ye.

Not long after leaving Yuan Xi City, Lu Ye saw a streak of light flash through a nearby asteroid field, swiftly moving into the distance.

Clearly, the hidden outpost operator had realized their location was compromised. He didn't know who was stronger, himself or Lu Ye, but in such a situation, with someone daring to charge alone, anyone with common sense would flee.

The opponent's speed wasn't slow; their strength was clearly not to be underestimated.

A burst of blood mist erupted around Lu Ye as he activated the Blood Escape Art, instantly increasing his speed.

The fleeing outpost operator sensed this and, activating some unknown secret art, also boosted their speed. However, Lu Ye was undoubtedly much faster in comparison.

In an instant, realizing he couldn't shake off his pursuer, the outpost operator suddenly turned, conjured his Dao Weapon, unleashed Dao power, and cast a barrage of spells directly at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye raised his hand and pressed it against the Dao Weapon, the Mountain-Slaying Blade, instinctively preparing to draw it.

Then he suddenly remembered that Liao was currently undergoing promotion, and it wouldn't be good to use it casually, lest it be disturbed, so he restrained himself.

A normal cultivator facing such a concentrated assault would undoubtedly first seek to evade it. However, doing so would give the enemy space and time to escape.

Lu Ye currently had no intention of continuing this chase and evasion with the cultivator; he just wanted to quickly deal with the opponent. Therefore, facing the dense onslaught, he simply disregarded it entirely, charging forward like a large ship cutting through waves.

Lu Ye's posture simultaneously astonished and delighted the opposing outpost operator. His original intention was merely to delay Lu Ye's pursuit, but he hadn't expected Lu Ye to be so foolish. They were both Incarnations, and even if there was a power difference, he didn't believe Lu Ye could emerge unscathed from such a situation.

With a thought, he stopped fleeing and unleashed even more powerful spells, determined to seize this opportunity and completely take down Lu Ye in one fell swoop.

However, just two breaths later, he felt a chill from head to toe. The enemy, who had been pursuing him, had brazenly broken through his concentrated assault, emerging unscathed.

What astonished him even more was that his opponent appeared completely unharmed!

He thought he was seeing things, as this was clearly impossible. Even if the enemy was an Incarnation at its peak, they shouldn't have been completely unharmed in that situation.

But that was the reality!

He suddenly realized something: the power gap between him and the enemy was simply too vast, which was why his proud offensive had had absolutely no effect.