In the temporary temple of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect in Qinglan Martial Capital, Sect Leader Jian Qianxiong, whose face was still exceptionally pale, was browsing through a pile of Talisman Communications, a hint of delight occasionally flickering across his face.
"That boy Ye Zhen, how cunning he is in his actions! Who would have thought he’d wait until the very end to kill Luo Shanhan, and it was the Punishment Hall Law Enforcement that made the move, even publicly declaring the charges!"
"And that boy, he went ahead and dished out over a million mid-grade spirit crystals to reward the martial artists of the Red Fire Subdivision, and he did it in the name of this Sect Leader of ours. Should I charge him with issuing a fake Imperial Edict or praise him for his clever maneuvering?"
Looking at a secret report he had just received, Jian Qianxiong burst into laughter but hardly laughed a few times before aggravating his old injury, causing a violent cough.
The Commander of the Shadow Moon Guard, clad entirely in black like a ghost, silently appeared behind Jian Qianxiong, his sinister voice ringing out again.
"If the Sect Leader wants to reward Ye Zhen, why go about it so indirectly? The spirit crystals he distributed and the loyalty he secured were all on behalf of the Sect Leader!"
Jian Qianxiong stroked his black beard and laughed, "What I appreciate the most is precisely this about that boy. I know full well he’s squandering my wealth, yet I let him do so with great joy!
I now increasingly fancy the son-in-law Qingyue chose for me! Though young, he is ruthless and decisive, acts with poise, and strategizes with foresight. This crisis in Red Fire Martial City might be resolved without our help!"
"It’s quite normal for Ye Zhen to act this way! Has the Sect Leader forgotten the intelligence we previously bought at a high price from the Stars Tower? Ye Zhen once served as the Supreme Commander for the Eastern Expedition of a million strong in the Black Dragon Domain and emerged victorious!" said the Shadow Moon Guard Commander.
"A commander of a million men? Does that mean assigning him merely as an altar master is a waste of his talent?"
"Whether it’s a waste of talent or not, I don’t know. But I know, even if he took your place as the Sect Leader, it would probably not be an issue at all!"
At these words, Jian Qianxiong’s face slightly changed, "Alright, old ghost, if it wasn’t for him using my title when rewarding the martial artists of the Red Fire Subdivision earlier, your words would have been dangerously flattering!"
"Hehe, I’m just stating the truth."
"Alright, you should act tonight. If not, I reckon those guys from the Longevity Sect will be sending a large force soon!"
"Yes!"
The impact of Ye Zhen’s execution of Luo Shanhan was much smaller than everyone anticipated, causing hardly a ripple, closely tied to the rewards Ye Zhen had issued.
In just half a day, through personnel placements and Vice Hall Master Hong Jiyin’s proactive allegiance, Ye Zhen had completely taken control of the Red Fire Subdivision.
Although many martial artists in the three main defense zones had yet to see Ye Zhen, the commanders of these zones wouldn’t dare to defy Ye Zhen’s orders in the short term.
Having taken over the Red Fire Subdivision, Ye Zhen now had to start addressing the current crisis the subdivision was facing.
The threats to the Red Fire Subdivision came from three main sources.
The first threat was naturally from the Flying Tiger Hall.
According to intelligence accumulated within the Red Fire Subdivision regarding the Flying Tiger Hall, Ye Zhen discovered that the Flying Tiger Hall was not simple. It wasn’t merely as it appeared—the Flying Tiger Hall of Red Fire Martial City—but had the shadow of a powerful force behind it, possibly extending from a powerful entity beyond a million miles of Qinglan Martial Capital.
The Flying Tiger Hall occupied fifty percent of Red Fire Martial City’s territory, which, in the past, was a chunk of super-fat meat that drew envy from all around.
Not only the Sun and Moon Divine Sect but also the Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect had their eyes on the Flying Tiger Hall, especially the Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect who had no territory there and had several times in the past decade planned personnel to launch surprise attacks on the Flying Tiger Hall.
However, not only did they fail, but also suffered heavy losses. The worst was eleven years ago during a night raid by the Longevity Sect; that night raid involved three hundred martial artists from the Longevity Sect with two Establishment Realm Kings accompanying them.
Initially, the Longevity Sect had great success; in the first three days after the war commenced, they occupied twenty percent of the Flying Tiger Hall’s territory, killed over thirty Vein Forging Realm experts, injured countless others, inflicting serious damage on the Flying Tiger Hall.
The battle was extremely fierce, to the extent that even the Heavenly Net Sect and the Sun and Moon Divine Sect secretly prepped personnel to seize victory at the critical moment and completely annex the Flying Tiger Hall.
Unexpectedly, the fourth evening saw a reverse of fortunes, as four unidentified Establishment Realm Kings jointly attacked the Longevity Sect camp.
They severely injured two Establishment Realm Kings from the Longevity Sect who fled for their lives, with one King’s injuries yet to heal.
Subsequently, they nearly wiped out the Longevity Sect’s camp at the time, killing over fifty Vein Forging Realm martial artists from the Longevity Sect, more than a hundred Soul Sea Realm martial artists, with everyone else sustaining injuries.
In this battle, more than half of the three hundred elite martial artists from the Longevity Sect’s long-distance raid remained forever in Red Fire Martial City, leaving the Sun and Moon Divine Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect planning to act trembling in cold sweat.
Since then, the Flying Tiger Hall rose to fame, becoming the undisputed overlord of Red Fire Martial City, holding half of the territory without anyone daring to provoke.
It was also after this battle that the Longevity Sect’s power severely dwindled, resulting in years of being suppressed by the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, only recovering somewhat in strength over the past three to four years.
Under these circumstances, among the three threats, the threat from the Flying Tiger Hall was the strongest, but precisely because they occupy such a large chunk of fat, they dare not engage in an open battle with the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
If they clashed with the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, the best outcome would be a pyrrhic victory!
After such a costly victory, with their primordial energy severely depleted, it would be the end of the Flying Tiger Hall, as forces with eyes on them would undoubtedly pounce without hesitation, consuming the Flying Tiger Hall.
Under these circumstances, the threat of the Flying Tiger Hall is significant; however, if this strategy is grasped accurately, dealing with it isn’t too hard.
The second threat is the current allied army of the Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect.
The Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect have been coveting the Red Fire Martial City for more than just a few days; they will definitely not miss this opportunity.
In truth, they pose the greatest threat, for they know the Sun and Moon Divine Sect very well; once they take action, it could be a fight to the death!
But currently, the Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect, like the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, are seizing the territories of the Stars Tower everywhere, lacking manpower.
However, in many places, the Sun and Moon Divine Sect has taken the lead and secured the benefits, while their deployed forces can only return empty-handed. Once these empty-handed martial artists gather at the Red Fire Martial City, it will be a decisive battle.
Since the night raid yesterday, the Longevity Sect and the Heavenly Net Sect have not moved, likely waiting for reinforcements.
The third threat arises from the various factions and halls within the Red Fire Martial City.
The Red Fire Martial City is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and abundant cultivation resources abound all around; it is truly a city rich in resources. Numerous martial artists here eke out a living, but solo warriors are always bullied, gradually forming small groups and factions.
Even though these are small halls, they seek survival amidst the seams of major forces daily, their grievances soaring to the sky.
This time, however, is a rare opportunity; many small forces are secretly forming alliances. If they could snatch even a fraction from the jaws of a tiger, occupy even just a fraction of Red Fire Martial City’s territory, they would benefit greatly.
This part of the populace is the most turbulent, but in Ye Zhen’s view, they are the only ones within the Red Fire Martial City who could be utilized.
"Altar Master, subordinate Hong Jiyin has an urgent matter to report!" Suddenly, Deputy Altar Master Hong Jiyin’s voice came from outside the door.
It was already deep into the night, and Ye Zhen presumed something significant must have happened, and with a casual gust of wind, Ye Zhen opened the door.
As he stepped into the room, Hong Jiyin first noticed the cat the size of a palm perched on the beam, its gemstone-like eyes fixed menacingly on him, glimmering with a chilling light.
With just a glance, Hong Jiyin trembled; anyone daring to ambush the altar master would die a mysterious death.
"Vice Hall Master Hong, what has happened?" Ye Zhen inquired.
"Altar Master, according to reports from secret spies, our Red Fire Subdivision’s defense map and deployment numbers have started circulating among the many factions in the Red Fire Martial City since this afternoon, with copies numbering in the hundreds, occasionally sold cheaply by shady individuals. It seems all factions in the Red Fire Martial City already have one!"
"What?"
Ye Zhen suddenly stood up, "Have our internal defense maps been leaked? Is there an insider?" This was Ye Zhen’s first reaction.
Hearing this, Hong Jiyin smiled wryly, "If it were so, it would be easier to deal with; I asked someone to purchase three copies and compared them carefully. It should not be leaked from our inside.
The defense map is somewhat similar, but there are many errors; the highest similarity is only sixty percent, and the deployment numbers marked above greatly differ!
Most places have deployment numbers that are over thirty percent less than our actual deployment numbers, or even more." Speaking here, Hong Jiyin frowned, "Subordinate is unsure of this person’s intentions.
If the halls obtaining these defense maps attack us based on them, due to the error in deployment numbers, wouldn’t they suffer great loss?
The person who sent out these defense maps, could they be helping us to trap those factions large and small?" As he spoke, Hong Jiyin handed three identical defense maps to Ye Zhen.
With just a glance, Ye Zhen’s countenance changed.
"Such a vicious setup, the mere difference in deployment numbers can plunge our Red Fire Subdivision into catastrophic ruin!"
"How is that? Altar Master, I think these erroneous defense maps are actually beneficial to us. If anyone attacks, wouldn’t they suffer massive loss?" Hong Jiyin expressed his doubts.
"Vice Hall Master Hong, your perspective is too narrow; look at the entire situation! Let me ask you, why have those hundred small halls within the city dared not to strike against us thus far?" Ye Zhen asked.
"Because our Sun and Moon Divine Sect is strong, because the strength of our Red Fire Subdivision is formidable!"
"If they suddenly discover that the strength of our Red Fire Subdivision is not as strong as they assumed, and the deployment numbers are three to four tenths weaker than expected, what would they do?" Ye Zhen asked.
Now, Hong Jiyin’s face changed dramatically, "Altar Master, the person behind this is deliberately weakening our Red Fire Subdivision’s strength, encouraging the small factions and halls in the city to have the audacity to fight us!
Then, once both sides suffer heavy losses, they would come out to pick up the crumbs...."
"It’s good to understand; the person behind this could be none other than the Flying Tiger Hall or the alliance of the Longevity Sect and Heavenly Net Sect! Vice Hall Master Hong, get me a detailed map of the Red Fire Martial City!" Ye Zhen suddenly stated.
"Altar Master, are you going to?"
"I’m planning to scout the Red Fire Martial City by night!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Jiyin’s countenance changed again, "Altar Master, isn’t that too risky? Wouldn’t it be better to leave reconnaissance to the secret spies?" (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly ballots. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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