Chapter 460: Chapter 447: War Wolf’s Strategist, Shen Lang’s Plan
The terms Shen Lang laid out were simply too incredible; practically no one could refuse.
Besides, Shen Lang’s demands weren’t particularly stringent.
When the two of them walked into another canyon, the Elder Ancestors present were all taken aback, not understanding why Shen Lang had brought Chen Tianci with him.
The five Commanders were already waiting, and the fifteen most powerful Elder Ancestors were assembled and ready for action...
They were prepared to implement Shen Lang’s plan against the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace.
"I’ve already told Tianci about War Wolf. From now on, he will be War Wolf’s strategist."
Shen Lang’s words immediately startled everyone present, and all eyes turned to Chen Tianci.
A strategist was someone who participated in planning and devising strategies.
To be able to serve as War Wolf’s strategist, assisting the five Commanders and Shen Lang himself with planning—such a person was clearly no ordinary character.
Black Death stepped forward dubiously, tapping Chen Tianci on the head. "Kid, the Young Master wants you to be War Wolf’s strategist, so you must have a few tricks up your sleeve. That head of yours must be pretty sharp... But you sure hid it well, huh? You even managed to fool us and all the Elder Ancestors."
"Um, hello everyone. Greetings, Elder Ancestors... Commander Black Death, please don’t hit my head. You’ll knock me silly," Chen Tianci said, swallowing nervously.
You Yue drifted over, her every movement exuding charm, and spoke in a melodious voice, "We would never object to the Young Master’s decision, of course. But, little fatty, if you want to find your footing in War Wolf and earn our approval, you’ll have to show us what you’re really made of."
"Since the Young Master has brought you up to speed, why don’t you share your thoughts on our current plan? All of us, including the Elder Ancestors, are listening."
You Yue’s words carried a clear message: ’You want to be our strategist? Fine. But you have to prove you’re capable. Consider this plan against the Holy Light Sect your test.’
Sweat streamed down Chen Tianci’s face. He still wasn’t quite used to facing these people.
The five Commanders possessed extraordinary auras, and the assembled Elder Ancestors were naturally imposing, their authority palpable even without a hint of anger.
Even though they weren’t deliberately trying to intimidate him, the sheer weight of their collective presence pressed down on him. At his current level of Cultivation, it was truly suffocating. It felt as if a great mountain was crushing his chest, and his breathing grew heavy.
He was no match for Shen Lang in this regard. Shen Lang possessed an Emperor’s Will, an unrivaled Battle Intent, and a body so powerful it was monstrous. He had remained perfectly composed even when facing Emperor Martial Realm experts; this kind of pressure had no effect on him whatsoever.
"Um..." Chen Tianci fell silent for a moment before saying with a very serious expression, "I personally believe that Young Master Lang’s decision to take the initiative is absolutely correct!"
A dark look fell over everyone’s faces.
’What kind of nonsense was that?’
’It was pure flattery, completely unconstructive—just empty words.’
’And this was what their so-called ’strategist’ had to say?’
Chen Tianci gritted his teeth, steeled his nerves, and continued, "I’ve broken down the entire situation. First, the inciting incident is that Shui Tianji wants to deal with Young Master Lang. Young Master Lang learned of their plans and decided to strike first, which brings us to the current plan."
"Their move against the Profound Dao Sect wasn’t a foolish one. In fact, it was more like trying to lure a snake from its hole. They want us to make the first move so they can gauge our strength before delivering a fatal blow."
At this, Evil Song spoke up doubtfully. "You say they’re trying to lure a snake from its hole. If we take the initiative now, aren’t we just doing exactly what they want? It sounds like we’re walking right into their trap. So why do you still say our approach is ’absolutely correct’? Isn’t that a contradiction?"
"It’s not a contradiction. Allow me to explain," Chen Tianci said, shaking his head. "First, to announce an attack on the Profound Dao Sect with such great fanfare suggests one of two things: either their people are absolute geniuses, or they’re complete morons."
"If they’re morons, then none of these theories matter; we could deal with them any way we please. But they are obviously not morons, which makes it seem more likely that they are trying to lure us out, to make us strike first so they can find an opportunity to counterattack."
"But after analyzing the situation, I believe there’s a third possibility..."
"This third possibility is one that I suspect Young Master Lang has already figured out... It looks like they’re trying to lure us out, but it’s actually more like a warning. A warning that someone is plotting against us. In a way, it’s a gesture of goodwill."
Black Death was completely baffled. "The more you talk, the more confused I get. The Young Master killed Shui Tianji’s clone, and because of him, her physical body was also destroyed... That’s a blood feud that only ends in death. It would be perfectly normal for them to be launching a suicidal attack on our mountain right now, yet you’re saying they’re expressing goodwill?"
Chen Tianci nodded. "Open war between Profound Iron Level Sects is no simple matter. It’s not just a battle between a few King Martial Realm experts. Once a plan like this is set in motion, anomalies are bound to appear within the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace, no matter how well they’ve hidden their intentions. The Beast Emperor Palace is one thing—it’s too far away. But the Holy Light Sect... If I’m not mistaken, the Profound Dao Sect must have spies embedded within their ranks, correct?"
"Therefore, there’s no way the Holy Light Sect could hide their movements from the Profound Dao Sect for long. Even if Young Master Lang hadn’t run into Fu Chen, you all would have learned of their plot soon enough."
"Using such a clumsy method to provoke us into attacking so they can find an opening... that explanation sounds grand, but it’s utterly idiotic. If they wanted to probe our strength, there are hundreds of ways to do it. Why use a method that is so foolish and creates such a huge commotion?"
"They want to deal with us, but they’re being cautious because they fear Young Master Lang has powerful backing, possibly involving sects like the Imperial Dragon Sect. That part makes sense. But making such a big spectacle of it is completely abnormal. Any sane person in this situation would know that the correct choice is to strike silently and go for a one-hit kill. All this fanfare means they have an ulterior motive."
"So my theory is this: their strategist, knowing how extraordinary Young Master Lang is, doesn’t actually want to make an enemy of him. But, being unable to refuse his orders, he devised a plan that both satisfies his superiors and serves as a warning to Young Master Lang."
"This method kills several birds with one stone."
"First, it appeases Shui Tianji and her group, keeping them in check. Second, it warns Young Master Lang to be on his guard and reveals the treacherous ambitions of the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace. Third, it prompts Young Master Lang to take the initiative against the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace."
"This essentially creates an opportunity for us to eliminate two hidden threats: the Beast Emperor Palace and the Holy Light Sect. And fourth, it’s a message to Young Master Lang, showing him that this strategist is no pushover and that he has the situation under control, perhaps hoping that Young Master Lang won’t be too ruthless with Shui Tianji."
"So, according to this strategist’s calculations, the final outcome would be that while we would kill several King Martial Realm experts from the Holy Light Sect and Beast Emperor Palace, we wouldn’t gain a decisive advantage thanks to Shui Tianji’s two helpers. It would most likely end in a bloody struggle."
"However, as brilliant as this strategist is, there are still many things he failed to account for."
"He couldn’t have calculated that the Five Sects have now merged into one, and that right here in the Profound Dao Sect, we have a total of twenty-two King Martial Realm experts. He also couldn’t have known that in just the last few days, several Elder Ancestors have used the Life and Death Reincarnation Array to raise their Cultivation to the King Martial Realm Fifth Heaven. And he certainly couldn’t have predicted that Young Master Lang possesses a Magical Treasure capable of concealing all of you Elder Ancestors, allowing you to evade their detection."
"That’s why I say Young Master Lang’s plan to strike first is excellent. It turns their own scheme back on them, and it’s flawless."
"Step one: they’re searching for something around the Profound Dao Sect, right? According to our information, not even Grand Elder Fu Chen of the Holy Light Sect knows what it is, let alone the other disciples. So, we plant a treasure somewhere, lay a Killing Array, and leave just enough clues for their disciples to find and report back. I guarantee the old geezers from the Beast Emperor Palace and the Holy Light Sect will come scurrying over to investigate."
"It doesn’t matter how many of those old geezers show up. When all of you Elder Ancestors attack at once, they won’t stand a chance."
"In reality, those two sects won’t send all of their King Martial Realm experts. We don’t need them to. The number of King Martial Realm experts in those sects is limited. If we take out just a few, it will be a devastating blow to their strength and Primordial Qi. Then, we can leak the news to their rivals and just sit back and watch the show."
"The Beast Emperor Palace is a little trickier, but if we eliminate all the experts they’ve dispatched to the Celestial Profound Mountain Range, along with any King Martial Realm experts who come with them, that Profound Iron Level Influence will be so crippled they’ll no longer be able to cause any trouble."
"As for the Holy Light Sect, after we deal with their King Martial Realm experts, we can wipe out their forces on the outskirts of the Profound Dao Sect. Young Master Lang can then handle their people inside the Yumu Cave Blessed Land, killing every last one of them. With the Holy Light Sect crippled, you Elder Ancestors can then strike when the time is right and crush them completely overnight!"
"As for Shui Tianji and her group, without the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace, they’ll have lost their right and left hands. You Elder Ancestors can hide inside Young Master Lang’s Magical Treasure, he can act as bait to lure them in, and then you can annihilate them all. It’ll solve the problem once and for all."
After finishing his speech, Chen Tianci couldn’t help but wipe away another bead of sweat, looking timidly at the crowd.
The entire crowd held its breath. The way they looked at Chen Tianci had changed dramatically.
Ying Huo couldn’t resist asking, "Young Master, did you already tell him about this plan?"
Shen Lang leaned against the canyon wall and grinned. "No. I only told him we were going to strike first. I didn’t mention a single word of the actual plan. All these strategies for dealing with the enemy... he came up with them all on his own."
Everyone gasped.
Because everything Chen Tianci had just said—using Shen Lang as bait, planting a treasure to lure the Holy Light Sect, killing a few of their experts and then leaking the news—all of it was exactly what Shen Lang had told them earlier!
’This Chen Tianci... he only knew the premise, yet he managed to deduce the entire follow-up plan, down to the last detail?’
Shen Lang cast a satisfied glance at Chen Tianci and said coolly, "Their strategist is no ordinary person. He seems to know me inside and out, yet I know nothing about him. If I’m not mistaken, he must have gone to Celestial Phoenix City to investigate me some time ago. So, what Tianci said is correct. Us taking the initiative against the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace is likely part of his plan too. And I’m still going to do it. We’re just turning his own scheme against him."
"I had Tianci explain all this just so everyone could get a measure of him. As for the plan itself, we don’t need to discuss it further. A direct approach is best for dealing with the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace. Those fifteen ore veins happen to need a lot of miners. If the people from the Holy Light Sect are willing to volunteer, that couldn’t be better."
"Now, all you Elder Ancestors, come with me. We’ll take care of the Guardian Arrays for the ore veins and deal with the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace at the same time."
"There isn’t much time before I have to leave for the Imperial Capital. In the meantime, let’s solve this problem with the Beast Emperor Palace and the Holy Light Sect, and while we’re at it, have a little encounter with that ridiculously persistent Shui Tianji..."
With just that one sentence, the collapse of two Profound Iron Level Influences was sealed.
If the people of the Holy Light Sect and the Beast Emperor Palace knew they were facing such an enemy, perhaps none of this would have happened.
But Shen Lang clearly had no intention of giving them a chance for regret.
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