Chapter 290: Chapter 217: Chess Players Make Their Entrance

To prepare for the unexpected, Li An left behind another puppet within the original borders of Yan Country—

After reaching the late-stage Golden Core, his puppet control limit was just five at most. Normally, he was reluctant to create puppets as their presence would affect his cultivation.

But in this game of strategy with someone like Shangguan Shengxian, how could he hold back!

On the way back to the Celestial Killer Mountain from Yan Country, Li An heard the news of the demon army conquering Yue Kingdom!

This news was astonishing and, within a day, had spread throughout the entire Xiling Origin Continent.

“The demon army is attacking, the war has already begun!”

“What’s happening… Why did the demon race come so suddenly?”

“Clearly, they want to take advantage of Princess Gu Hong’s royal wedding to give the Great Li Empire a blow, flattening the entire Yue Kingdom on the first day… I’m afraid a great war is inevitable!”

All at once, many major powers in Xiling Origin Continent were watching closely, while weaker sects and the like were filled with fear and anxiety. Some sects that were close to Yue Kingdom began to migrate directly, temporarily leaving to avoid being seized by the demon race.

The effect Li An wanted had already begun to show.

In fact, it was even more intense than he had desired!

…

Upon returning to the Celestial Killer Mountain, Li An went immediately to see Shee Anqi and General Jia Man.

“Friend Lin, we were just looking for you.”

Shee Anqi smiled, “The next battle plan still needs you to refine it further—”

Li An cupped his hands towards the two of them and said, “I went to the Great Li. If there’s no problem on that side, the people of the Immortal Talent Hall will definitely come to the Celestial Killer Mountain.”

“This is our best opportunity. Eradicating the Immortal Talent Hall is more important than taking ten Yue Kingdoms!”

Both of them nodded.

“I would like to ask General Jia Man to guard the Celestial Killer Mountain—”

As Li An spoke, he handed an array map to Jia Man. “This details the array set up by Lin. General only needs to wait for the enemy to enter the net and activate the entire formation to annihilate them—”

This array map was partially concealed by him. On the surface, it seemed like just a killing formation, and ordinary people, even Rank Three or Four array masters, couldn’t see the real details.

Jia Man was somewhat surprised and instinctively glanced at Shee Anqi.

This important task was entrusted to him? Wouldn’t such a major success, like eliminating the Immortal Talent Hall, appeal to Lin An?

Shee Anqi was also slightly surprised and said to Li An, “Friend Lin, with your painstaking planning and strategy, aren’t you going to carry it out yourself?”

Li An just smiled, “Lin’s cultivation is too low to support this grand array. For the rise and fall of the entire demon race, how could I care about personal glory and shame?”

“Now, dealing with the Great Li Empire is paramount. Please, General Jia Man, do not decline—”

Though Shee Anqi still harbored some doubts, she asked nothing more and immediately nodded to Jia Man.

Jia Man stood up, saluted Shee Anqi, “Please rest assured, General. I will not fail my mission!”

…

With everything arranged.

In his own territory, Li An entered Yunqi Valley.

This was the center he selected!

After the mother-child array exploded, all who came would be obliterated, and the demon blood of the Immortal Talent Hall members would be drawn by the array and converge here.

A stone cave extended deep into the ground, several thousand meters down, and at the end, Li An placed a Spirit Lock Jade Box—

The Spirit Lock Jade Box could isolate Divine Sense detection, shielding the energy emission of items inside. Generally, it was used to store Heaven and Earth Spiritual Medicines and Spirit Pills that had developed self-awareness.

Li An silently deduced in his mind that after the mother-child array smashed the Immortal Talent Hall members and the demon blood was drawn here, the entire Celestial Killer Mountain range would turn into a ruin, and Yunqi Valley would be razed to the ground… This Spirit Lock Box deep underground, being hard to detect by Divine Sense, should be safe.

Li An returned to the palace, quietly awaiting.

Time passed bit by bit.

Finally, the last day arrived—

Today was the day when Gu Hong, the first princess of Great Li, would marry Fei Tianqi, the Saint Child of the Immortal Talent Hall!

…

Great Li.

Fei Tianqi had already arrived in the Northern Territory’s Celestial Yang City of Great Li yesterday, accompanied by five hundred geniuses from the Immortal Talent Hall.

For such a grand event, everyone naturally wanted to participate.

In Celestial Yang City, people from all major powers were present, including the Blood Essence Sect from Xiling Origin Continent, the Taiyi Sect, East Wind Pavilion from East Tribulation Continent, Celestial Sword Sect from Central Celestial Continent, and so on. All were overlords ruling a region.

This royal wedding was rarely seen even in the history of the Emperor Origin Realm—

“The auspicious time is here, the groom sets off to fetch the bride—”

Under the direction of the master of ceremonies, Fei Tianqi boarded the Spiritual Boat. This Spiritual Boat was a Rank Four Magical Artifact, hung with red ribbons and lanterns, spacious and luxurious.

On both sides were as many as a hundred Rank Three Spiritual Boats complementing it, creating a grand spectacle.

The Spiritual Boat started its journey towards Moon Tempering Valley’s Moon Tempering Palace, to meet his bride today—Gu Hong.

On the Spiritual Boat, with the wind howling past his ears, Fei Tianqi’s face showed little joy. On the contrary, he kept pressing his lips together—

He seemed quite anxious.

But repeatedly, he could ultimately only sigh. As things stood, there was no other choice—

The Spiritual Boat moved swiftly, and in no time, they had crossed the Cloud Illusion Mountain Range and could see Moon Tempering Valley in the distance—

“Stop the boat!”

Fei Tianqi suddenly spoke up—

Everyone looked at him.

“This place is less than thirty miles from Moon Tempering Valley. To show sincerity, Tianqi will walk to meet Princess Gu Hong!”

He announced loudly.

Immediately, the Spiritual Boat landed, waiting on a clearing.

He then proceeded to walk forward.

On the nearby Spiritual Boats, the other members of the Immortal Talent Hall seemed to ponder over something inexplicable at the moment—

…

“Report—”

Beidu of Great Li.

“Report! The demon race’s army of one hundred thousand has penetrated deep into the interior. Jiang Country has fallen, Lin Country is in danger—”

“Report! Lin Country can no longer hold on, the country has fallen, and the entire royal family of Lin Country has been massacred—”

“Report! Qiong Country, Bei’an Kingdom, and Li Country have all been invaded, the number of the Demon Race’s army is unknown—”

The battle reports from the frontlines poured in frantically!

Just a few days ago, news of the Demon Race’s army emerging from the Celestial Killer Mountain and capturing Yue Kingdom had already spread throughout the Xiling Origin Continent, drawing continental-wide attention. Now, with battle reports coming in continuously, all the major forces who had come to Beidu for the wedding were even more shaken!

“How many troops have the Demon Race sent…”

“At this speed, do they intend to annex the entire Xiling Origin Continent?!”

“Could it be that they have launched a full-scale attack?!”

Many people were bewildered and suspicious.

Initially, everyone thought that at most, the Demon Realm would take advantage of Great Li hosting a marriage event to harass the borders, but would not dare to mount a full-scale attack.

After all, although everyone was aware that the Demon Realm and Great Li would likely battle sooner or later, their conflicts had not yet escalated to the point of life and death struggle.

But now, with so many battle reports…

“The troops deployed by the Demon Race are at least around five hundred thousand!”

“No, it can’t just be five hundred thousand, or they wouldn’t advance so quickly… It’s a million-strong Demon Army!”

“What should we do…”

The people discussed fervently, while the cultivators who had come to this grand event from Bei’an Kingdom, Lin Country, and others could no longer sit still and hurriedly stood up.

“Your Majesty, the Demon Race is rampant, please dispatch troops to eradicate them—”

“Your Majesty, our country has pledged allegiance to Great Li. Now that we’ve been breached by the Demon Realm, please save my country from this crisis!”

“I dare to request, Your Majesty, to dispatch a million troops to wipe out the demonic scourge!”

They went to the hall to petition the White Tiger Empress.

However, the White Tiger Empress sat majestically in the grand hall, the White Tiger Master of yesteryears now exuding even more imperial authority. She calmly said, “All matters shall be addressed after the princess’s wedding—”

No response!

This left the group of cultivators exchanging looks with no options but to step back for now.

The White Tiger Empress beckoned, and immediately, an elder emerged from the shadows. She quietly inquired:

“What’s the situation in Xiling?”

The elder respectfully replied, “Informing Your Majesty, as you expected, parts of the Demon Race’s army have been detected in Xiling. The Demon Realm is using a tactic to attack the east and strike the west, and our army is waiting in Xiling, ready to confront the Demon Realm at any time!”

The White Tiger Empress nodded, waved her hand, and the elder vanished instantly.

The primary reason for not aiding the various countries… is because she has already deployed the main force elsewhere!

Just as the elder disappeared, another person quietly appeared, “Your Majesty, we have discovered a person, who first wandered near Beidu, and then went around the Moon Tempering Valley… It should be a puppet!”

The White Tiger Empress was momentarily startled, her eyes slightly narrowing, “It seems Li An is about to show himself?”

“Don’t alert the enemy, keep a close watch.”

She immediately rose from the jade throne and headed to the back.

In a very serene chamber, a frail young girl was playing the guqin.

“Master, as you expected, traces of the Demon Race’s army have been found in Xiling, Li An’s traces have appeared in the Northern Territory, while a large army has appeared in the Celestial Killer Mountain, aggressively seizing cities and lands…”

The dignified White Tiger Empress, before this plainly dressed frail young girl, unexpectedly showed deep respect.

The frail girl stopped playing the guqin, raised her eyes, and smiled slightly, “How interesting, that Demon Queen wants to attack the east and strike the west, to take something from Xiling, while Li An also wants to use the Demon Queen’s diversionary tactics to rescue someone from Great Li… These two seemingly have an understanding, as if devised together.”

The White Tiger Empress said, “The Demon Queen is no simple figure. She also plotted against Fei Tianqi, trying to obtain the Daoist Scripture. Had it not been for Fei Tianqi’s foresight to report proactively, we would have truly been kept in the dark…”

—Unbeknownst to Li An, Fei Tianqi directly reported it out!

But perhaps what consoled Li An is that his various detailed arrangements were effective, as the White Tiger Empress also believed that it was the Demon Queen who dealt with Fei Tianqi, and not Li An.

Mainly because Li An did not have such influence!

The deployment of a million-strong Demon Army from the Celestial Killer Mountain, and then laying plans in Xiling… all of this could only be orchestrated by the upper echelons of the Demon Realm.

Moreover, the Evil Crystal used by Fei Tianqi for cultivation, upon investigation, was identified as the Celestial Demon Evil Crystal!

Such scattered clues led them down the wrong path—

“Let it be, let him go, I’ve already arranged someone to follow.”

The frail girl spoke calmly, “Hmm, during the wedding procession, Fei Tianqi should proceed to the Celestial Killer Mountain to perform, and the act here in Great Li must continue.”

The White Tiger Empress nodded.

…

In the depths of the Demon Realm, atop a mountain, a colossal Demon Palace stood majestically.

“Report to Your Majesty, the two Demon Kings, Cyan Dragon and White Tiger, have led our main forces to Xiling.”

Shee Anrong reported.

Tan Qingxue sat on the imperial throne, contemplating, “Has Great Li not dispatched troops from the Celestial Killer Mountain yet?”

Shee Anrong shook her head, “There has been no resistance encountered so far. Anqi has led the army to successively conquer seven nations!”

Tan Qingxue pondered for a moment and then mused, “It seems our tactic of attacking the east and striking the west might have been seen through by Great Li… Have the Cyan Dragon remain stationary and conduct careful reconnaissance. If I’m not mistaken, the main force of Great Li should also be in Xiling.”

—This deployment beyond the Celestial Killer Mountain wasn’t solely because of Li An.

She too had other ambitions!

Xiling!

Attack the east and strike the west, seize Xiling.

But now, since there has been no large-scale resistance encountered by Shee Anqi, she instantly keenly realized…

Her strategy had been discerned!

“Great Li certainly has capable individuals…”

She softly murmured, “Where might this skillful person be at this moment?”

After pondering for a long time, she suddenly said, “Keep a close eye on the Celestial Killer Mountain. Report to me immediately upon receiving any news.”

Shee Anrong nodded and promptly departed.

“My strategy has been exposed, Xiling has likely turned into a standoff situation, the method to break the stalemate lies in the Celestial Killer Mountain… Li Lang, what exactly are you scheming?”

“Can you cause any changes?”

Her beautiful eyes seemed to hold questions, as well as a hint of expectation.

…

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