Outside Bianhe Mountain

"That woman Yang Haoyu wouldn't be so unwise. The Yang Household must have a backup plan. Right now, the most urgent task for the Zhao Household isn't to engage in pointless arguments, but to come up with a concrete strategy!"

Zhao Leicong slapped his thigh, looked around, and his voice, like a tiger roaring in the mountains, echoed in the Discussion Hall. In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

Seeing this, Zhao Leicong's expression softened slightly. He looked at the Clan Chief, Zhao Zongbin, his expression becoming more amiable, and said softly, "Zongbin, what should my Zhao Household do next? What are your thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zongbin nodded, then stood up, his voice low and undisguised, and said, "I believe that the most urgent task at present is, firstly, to perfect the defensive Formation of Bianhe Mountain, deploying all the available Tier 2 Formation from the Clan Treasury to reinforce the defenses!"

"Secondly, we must leave ourselves a way out! In recent years, my Zhao Household has been developing well and has accumulated a lot of wealth, which has attracted the envy of some Lineage."

Furthermore, given the current chaotic situation in Dragon Valley County, where demons are running rampant, if anyone were to make a move, it might incite the greed of other forces, leading them to also target my Zhao Household. In such a critical situation, leaving ourselves a way out is absolutely essential to ensure we can survive!

"Third, immediately send people to investigate the Yang Household's schemes. If necessary, we can sacrifice Lineage own spies. We must find out what cards the Yang Household has up their sleeves that would lead them to such a suicidal plan. Knowing our enemy and ourselves will allow us to better respond!"

"Fourthly, we should seek aid from the Three Rivers Sect, stating that our Zhao Household is willing to offer the inheritance we obtained from the Dragon Valley Hall in exchange for their protection. Furthermore, this plan can be released as news now; it should deter some people from their greed!"

"These four points are my complete opinion. I leave the final decision to you, Uncle!" Zhao Zongbin said, then slowly sat down, his face still grim.

However, after hearing his words, the Zhao Household elders' originally turbulent hearts gradually calmed down, and they gained more confidence.

Seeing this, Zhao Leicong nodded in satisfaction. Zhao Zongbin had not disappointed him. He had analyzed the current situation clearly in just a few words and stabilized the emotions of the clansmen. It was worthwhile for him to have strongly urged Zhao Zongbin to become the Lineage.

"However... this crisis may not be so easy to overcome!" Zhao Leicong sighed inwardly, feeling quite helpless.

Normally, this Cold Tide would have been the time for him to break through to the Golden Core stage, but who could have imagined that the Demon Sea would suddenly invade, completely disrupting his plans.

Now, let alone advancing to the Golden Core and bringing glory to the Zhao Household, Zhao Leicong has little confidence in even protecting the Lineage and ensuring its safe passage through this calamity.

The news of the Yang Household's claim to the Dragon Valley Hall inheritance is unclear, but one thing is certain: they will not do anything futile. Given the ruthless nature of this Lineage, once they take action, they will never engage in petty squabbles.

But now that things have come to this, we can't guess what the other party's intentions are, so we can only take it one step at a time.

There's always a way out. As long as Zhao Leicong alive, the Zhao Household will never be destroyed!

Clenching his fist tightly, Zhao Leicong's aged eyes suddenly blazed with fury. "Do as Zong Bin says. From now on, except for me, all of you will obey Zong Bin's orders without the slightest disobedience. Do you understand?"

"We obey!" The Zhao Household elders all stood up and bowed in agreement.

In Border River Town, Yang Tianyou and a dozen members of the Yang Household landed by Flying Boat.

Of these Yang Household members, apart from Wolf Ancestor and Fifteenth Brother Yang Tianwang and six others, the rest were all members of the Shadow Hall. Thirteenth Granduncle Yang Danglong was not among them; he decided to act alone, and Yang Tianyou did not stop him.

After landing, Yang Tianyou put away the Flying Boat, then took out a Communication Talisman and activated it with Spiritual Power.

Not long after, a bluish-brown Flying Boat flew in from the northeast; it was the same one that Liu Changqing had used when he ventured deep into the Foreign Races territory.

As the Liu family's flying boat landed, Liu Changqing's familiar face came into view. Behind him was an unfamiliar Foundation Establishment cultivator and fifteen Qi Refining cultivators from the Liu family.

Most of these Qi Refining cultivators were unfamiliar faces. Liu Siyu, whom Yang Tianyou was most familiar with, was not among them. However, there were two members of the Liu Household who had fought alongside him before. Upon seeing them again, Yang Tianyou couldn't help but nod slightly in acknowledgment.

"Young friend Yang has become Daoist Friends in the blink of an eye. Such talent in cultivation is truly enviable to this old man." Liu Changqing stroked his beard, his words revealing his affability.

"That's easy. If you'd like, Senior Liu, I'll still call you Senior Liu from now on," Yang Tianyou said with a mischievous smile, jokingly.

Liu Changqing quickly waved his hand, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "I wouldn't dare. If other Daoist Friends heard this, they would say that I, Liu Changqing, am arrogant. From now on, let's address each other as Daoist Friends."

"Then I've met Daoist Friends!" Yang Tianyou said with a smile, clasping his hands in greeting.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Friends!" Liu Changqing said in return, and then the two exchanged a smile.

Then Liu Changqing introduced the unfamiliar Foundation Establishment beside him to Yang Tianyou.

This person is named Liu Lingyu, a member of the Ling generation of the Thousand Wood Liu Family. He had been kept hidden by the Lineage and kept secret, but due to the critical situation caused by the Cold Tide wave, he was brought to the forefront to enhance the Liu Household's deterrent power.

Liu Lingyu was not old, just over fifty, with Foundation Establishment Second Layer cultivation. He practiced Fire Attribute Cultivation Method, which gave him a rather cheerful and straightforward personality.

He clasped his hands in a generous salute, then laughed heartily and said, "I've long heard of Yang Tianyou, the Great White Blade. Meeting you now, I can confirm your reputation is well-deserved; you have an imposing presence!"

"Not at all, Daoist Friends, you flatter me..."

After exchanging pleasantries, the three Foundation Establishment and the Wolf Ancestor sat down together to discuss the attack on Bianhe Mountain.

"This operation is spearheaded by the Yang Household, so I'm sure Daoist Friends already had a plan in mind. Let's hear your insightful opinion first!" Liu Changqing stroked his beard and said.

Yang Tianyou did not refuse and took out a topographical map of Bianhe Mountain, spreading it on the ground.

"I don't have any brilliant ideas. The main force in this operation is the Dragon Valley Sect. Our mission is simply to fish in troubled waters, plunder resources, and at the same time, inflict as much damage as possible on the Zhao Household's forces."

Liu Changqing and Liu Lingyu nodded slightly. The former asked softly, "The Zhao Household family has more than one treasure trove: the Lineage treasury, the Spirit Medicine Garden, the Spirit Fields, the Scripture Repository... Where should we start?"

"This is the largest of the three Spirit Medicine Gardens of the Zhao Household. I don't need to elaborate on its preciousness. Let's start here." Yang Tianyou pointed to a location on the map and looked up at Liu Changqing.

The latter nodded slightly and did not object. Although he preferred to attack the Zhao Household's Scripture Repository, the operation was ultimately in the interest of the Yang Household, and the final decision would depend on Yang Tianyou's wishes.

"Based on the information I have, this Spirit Medicine Garden is surrounded by Second-Tier Middle-Grade defensive array— the Six Directions Returning to Origin Formation."

"Once the battle begins, we'll seize the opportunity to break through the Zhao Household's Clan-Guarding Array as quickly as possible, then head straight for this Spirit Medicine Garden. The others aren't as well-prepared as us. As long as we're fast enough, this treasure trove will be ours!"

"Daoist Friends seems to be very familiar with Bianhe Mountain." His eyes flashed, and his words were full of profound meaning.

"Hehe, it was nothing more than bribing a few unworthy descendants of the Zhao Household. It's a low-level tactic, and I'm afraid Daoist Friends will find it laughable," Yang Tianyou explained casually, without saying anything more.

Seeing this, Liu Changqing wisely refrained from asking further questions. The two then began to discuss the specific battle plan, and for a moment, it seemed as if they had returned to the time half a month ago when they were jointly conquering the Foreign Races territory.