novelraw Chapter 909 771: Lenient First, Strict Later
Chapter 909 771: Lenient First, Strict Later
Shi Chun, crouched within a misty cliff on the surface of the Extreme Abyss after receiving his support mission, was left bewildered, pondering the situation in a daze.
He was hiding here to buy time, hoping the Command Center would contact Dongguo Shou.
Now it turned out that the East Victory Command Center had the same idea as him. The whole East Victory Team was hiding here to stall for time, all aiming to contact Dongguo Shou.
Upon reconsideration, it seemed they hadn't merely aligned their thinking with his, but instead, he had inadvertently reminded them.
He felt like cursing, but from the Command Center's perspective, their choice seemed sensible.
However, the problem was that he would no longer be at ease, as accommodating hundreds of thousands of troops became a colossal headache.
But he couldn't afford not to cooperate. Whether or not Manxi would pressure him with authority was secondary; the main point was that he also had motives. He hoped that the damned Heavenly Court Team could claim victory, making the tokens he was guarding worthwhile.
Trying to buy time for the Command Center to contact Dongguo Shou was all about expecting him to lead the Heavenly Court Team to victory.
After a thorough evaluation of the pros and cons, he realized that although he had initially abandoned the tokens and armor to avoid being logged and maneuvered by the Command Center, he was now surprisingly willing to be mobilized by Manxi despite his reluctance.
This statement felt contradictory even to himself.
Considering the current situation of the Heavenly Court Team, it was highly probable that they would be targeted as the weakest link by the Four Great Royal Court Teams. If they wanted to claim victory, whether or not they established contact with Dongguo Shou, preserving strength for now was undoubtedly the best strategy, at least allowing those four factions to clash first.
Once the thought cleared in his mind, he immediately began to actively and proactively assist in solving the problem.
After deliberating, he quickly responded to Mulan Jin: "I am willing to serve the Commander with my life and will immediately scout safe paths in the Extreme Abyss for the army, facilitating multiple entry routes into the abyss."
Willing cooperation did not mean disregarding his own interests.
Personally leading the troops at the frontline was impossible; firstly, it was too busy, and secondly, too dangerous.
He could chart the paths and create a route map, then place it at certain points for the approaching Heavenly Court troops to collect and navigate into the Extreme Abyss.
Seeing this response, Manxi's eyes lit up as he leaned in beside Mulan Jin, observing the situation closely.
Finding more entry routes into the Extreme Abyss for the army was certainly a great thing. It allowed the army to avoid concentrating at one point, provided greater flexibility, and significantly reduced the enemy's ability to predict their marching routes.
However, Manxi couldn't help but be suspicious, "Finding a safe path in the Extreme Abyss was already no easy task, let alone scouting out more routes. Could this be an exaggerated claim? After all, the army doesn't entertain such words lightly."
Mulan Jin had similar doubts and immediately expressed them in a response, questioning: "Shi Chun, the safety of hundreds of thousands of troops is no trivial matter. It doesn't allow for reckless words. Are you sure you can indeed find more safe paths in the Extreme Abyss?"
Shi Chun clearly informed them: "This is no empty talk. I have a steed capable of sensing danger zones within the Extreme Abyss, thus daring to chart courses for the army."
If not for concerns over the bigger picture, and wishing to validate the value of the tokens in his hands, he honestly wasn't ready to expose Qilin A San's capability just yet.
After weighing the pros and cons, he couldn't worry about it any longer. After all, eventually, Qilin A San would have to be unveiled.
A steed? Mulan Jin and Manxi exchanged glances, puzzled, as they looked back at each other.
Manxi tried to ask, "The Commander didn't know he owned such a steed?"
Mulan Jin admitted, "I've neither seen nor ever heard of him owning such a steed."
Manxi, stroking his beard, muttered, "I was puzzled about how he managed to hide deep within the Extreme Abyss before. Now that he mentioned it, it seems a bit more explicable, but…even the Commander is unaware of the steed? This seems a bit implausible."
Mulan Jin thought for a moment and concluded, "It should be true; he likely wouldn't bluff about matters of such significance. The consequences are not something he could afford to bear."
He was confident in his influence on Shi Chun, knowing that if he could retrieve Shi Chun from the Life Prison, he could send him back. This was no child's play, and he believed Shi Chun understood this point as well.
Manxi nodded, "Then we'll have to wait and see. If the opportunity arises, I'd like to see what kind of steed it is."
Mulan Jin nodded slightly, equally intrigued about when that fellow had concealed such an undisclosed steed and curious to see what it was.
After repeated communications between both sides, Manxi agreed to Shi Chun's proposal and ordered its immediate execution.
Shi Chun, once given the order, was diligent in his efforts. The task was urgent, so he got to work quickly. He summoned Qilin A San, rode A San to scout paths, and remained alert while personally drafting route maps, resulting in a remarkably high cooperation efficiency.
Having been cooped up in the Qiankun Bag for so long, Qilin A San was thrilled to be out and about. With no reluctance, it joyously shouted "Fortunate to meet a wise master" and galloped away, its battle armor still intact, resembling an abyssal ghost.
Making good use of the complex terrain of the Extreme Abyss, man and mount formally commenced an excellent coordination exercise...
On the high platform of the Nanshan Team Command Center, Pu Gong, who was busy assisting with the deployment of troops, compared the light spots on the Mountain River Map and switched the images on the Heavenly Mirror. Suddenly, he pointed to the Mountain River Map and announced: "Senior Brother, the movement of the Heavenly Court Team isn't right; several routes seem to be heading toward the Extreme Abyss."
Commander Ming Chaofeng swiftly focused his attention to observe.
Pu Gong further indicated the mirror images for collaborative comparisons, ensuring senior brother understood while offering explanations.
After brief contemplation, Ming Chaofeng's face shifted as he remarked, "They seem poised to head directly toward Shi Chun's location. See if any nearby troops can intercept them on that route."
Similar judgments and interception intentions were reflected in the actions of other teams as well.
East Victory Commander Wei Mo was no exception. After all, hundreds of tokens were in motion, and intercepting them would naturally be optimal, though no direct action was taken against Shi Chun in the Extreme Abyss.
Though his rage toward Shi Chun wasn't mitigated, at this critical juncture, when the five teams were to determine a victor, he was mindful not to let personal emotions overshadow the larger picture. The focus was wherever the tokens were plentiful.
As long as they claimed victory, dealing with a mere Shi Chun could wait for another day, ensuring ample opportunity to settle old scores later on.
After detecting signs of troop movements from all sides, the Heavenly Court Commander, Manxi, coldly snorted, "Indeed, they all recognize that the people from the Extreme Abyss are Shi Chun's group."
He turned to his subordinates and said, "Order all units to advance at full speed to the Extreme Abyss. If obstructed along the way, disperse the tokens and maintain close contact with all central divisions."
"Yes." The subordinates responded in unison.
At this moment, Mulan Jin's voice also sounded in Manxi's ear, "Commander, the first path Shi Chun discovered has been drawn and concealed."
Manxi turned back, surprised, "So fast?"
Mulan Jin didn't specify the exact location, indicating for him to look himself.
Manxi quickly approached to examine it closely, simultaneously taking out a Jade Scroll to record the spell. After that, he nodded happily, turned around, and went with the Jade Scroll to secretly discuss with his subordinates, pondering which unit to send first.
Mulan Jin watched with folded arms; these matters were not his concern.
When Shi Chun sent the next hidden path map, he again summoned Manxi to come and see.
Boom!
A fierce chase and skirmish ended, leaving demon riders with brutal expressions among hundreds of corpses. The demon cultivator jumped off, ripping off the Qiankun Bag from a convulsing, blood-vomiting individual, poured out a heap of items, and picked out over ten Centurion Tokens from them.
After quickly clearing the battlefield, a group of demon cultivators rode away on their demon riders, swaying heads and tails.
The fallen were all members of the Heavenly Court Team.
Similar losses by the Heavenly Court Team appeared in several places, with Manxi's face somber while watching the Mirror Image. Such losses didn't surprise him; he knew from the start that not everyone would successfully reach the Extreme Abyss, and various pursuits were inevitable.
Fortunately, more people managed to reach the edge of the Extreme Abyss, and upon finding the path maps hidden by Shi Chun, they plunged deeper into the abyss.
Also fortunate was that Shi Chun's efficiency in exploring paths was incredibly high, faster than the Heavenly Court Team's various divisions reaching the Extreme Abyss.
Seeing every team arriving at the Extreme Abyss could hide promptly, Manxi was quite pleased and proactively transmitted to Mulan Jin, "Shi Chun is undoubtedly talented; reward him with two hundred Tokens of achievement!"
Mulan Jin glanced at him but didn't say a word, clearly indicating Manxi should handle it as he saw fit.
In his mind, he calculated a bit for Shi Chun, afraid it might be close to a thousand; Shi Chun could remember eight hundred alone, while a team coming in only had three thousand tokens in total.
Of course, achievement Tokens carry the same merit as actual tokens.
The Xuanji Token Master was only worried that if Manxi continued like this, should Shi Chun truly win, his Tokens of achievement might outnumber the actual tokens of the first place, leading to an embarrassing situation.
It's him who would be embarrassed, not others; others would surely suspect that the Xuanji Token Master had opened a back door for Shi Chun.
"Is there really a path map for safely entering the Extreme Abyss?"
At the Beiju Command Center, Lan She, who was constantly dispatching troops, suddenly turned to inquire.
Xiao Ruomei nodded and transmitted, "The spies placed on that side report so. Sir, I suggest activating all spies over there, leaving prepared tracking clues along the way."
Lan She turned to look at the Mountain River Map, then observed the Mirror Image screen, decisively saying, "It's time; activate them!"
"Yes." Xiao Ruomei immediately took the order to implement.
With tens of thousands of troops, whose teams could resist planting some spies in the hostile camps ahead of time?
Though the Extreme Abyss is perilous, finding a safe path eliminates fear. Thus, under clear command, the teams discreetly dispatched elite troops to pursue secretly in the Extreme Abyss.
Spies were also planted in other teams by the Heavenly Court Team. Manxi, upon receiving the secret report, did not panic, as this was also within his expectations. Preparations were made with the stage leaders entering the Extreme Abyss: leniency upfront, strict monitoring afterward.
After entering the depths of the Extreme Abyss, each team member was drastically monitored, denying any tracking clues, so that trackers reaching the low within might suddenly lose trails.
He's planning to drag part of the Four Great Royal Court personnel into the abyss, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Kill!"
In dim light, two groups suddenly clashed fiercely, battling with all their might.
The chaos orchestrated by Manxi partially manifested.
Two different Royal Court teams attracted by one Heavenly Court team collided at the tracking endpoint. In ignorance of each other's identity, they fought chaotically, mistaking each other for Heavenly Court men carrying tokens.
"Report, Sect Hierarch, a group of people appeared seven to eight miles southeast."
Within a cavern in the depths of the Extreme Abyss, a demon cultivator flashed from outside to report urgently.
The Sect Hierarch of the Demon Path Three Lineages was somewhat uneasy under the gaze of various demons.
No wonder, hiding here, they could vaguely hear the sound of fighting. In the Extreme Abyss? How could it be so lively?
With a large number of troops from the Five Teams rushing around in the Extreme Abyss, the hiding demon hierarchy grew anxious. Getting exposed wouldn't be a joke; the Xun Gate exit outside could snap shut instantly.
This situation was entirely unexpected for them, worrying whether this was related to the mysterious hand engaging with the outside of the Demon Altar.