Ice Lake

Although the Star Luo Empire army was equipped with Hidden Weapons, relying solely on the disciples of the Strength Clan working day and night to forge iron, coupled with the extremely cumbersome process of manufacturing Hidden Weapons, meant that production remained slow. Moreover, the army also needed to allocate a portion of Hidden Weapons for routine training, leaving very few that could be directly deployed to the battlefield.

For the time being, the border battlefield remained a close-quarters struggle with no clear victor. Of course, if the conflict dragged on and the entire Star Luo Empire army was equipped with Hidden Weapons, the situation on the battlefield would change.

Not long ago, the Clear Sky Sect held Elder Council to discuss this matter.

However, the Five Elders held their own opinions and it was extremely difficult to reach an agreement. Tang Xiao then thought of Yu Xiaogang and wanted to find a solution from the latter.

Unfortunately, Yu Xiaogang had long lost his initial enthusiasm and was indifferent to Tang Xiao's arrival.

"Since this war has nothing to do with your clan, it's best not to get involved. Mu Bai hasn't returned yet; the Star Luo Imperial Family should be the ones with headaches."

Tang Xiao understood the other party's resentment, but unfortunately, although he was the Sect Master, there were many things within the sect that were beyond his control.

The expulsion of Yu Xiaogang from the Clear Sky Sect was arranged by the Five Elders.

Furthermore, he was already overwhelmed with sect affairs at the time and had no time to spare for anything else. By the time he had the time, the matter was already settled.

"Grandmaster, there are some things that the Clear Sky Sect has done wrong. But I hope you can understand that the Clear Sky Sect is not like an ordinary sect. The nepotism within the sect is far too serious. Even I have to be extremely cautious when dealing with these issues."

"But don't worry, once Little San and the others return from Sea God Island, I will personally clear your name."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiaogang's expression softened somewhat.

He was never a tough guy, so when the other party spoke kindly to him, his attitude naturally softened.

Tang Xiao noticed the change and immediately took out the battle report from the border from his Soul Tool.

In the past, the Star Luo Empire's military strength had always been superior to that of the Heaven Dou Empire. Now, without using Hidden Weapons, the Star Luo Empire has actually won several battles against the Heaven Dou Army.

Based on the intelligence provided by Tang Xiao, Yu Xiaogang immediately realized, "The Heaven Dou Empire's army has gained fighting spirit and its strength should not be underestimated, while the Star Luo Empire side..."

First, Dai Mubai secretly went to sea, then Dai Weisi disappeared, and with the strong anti-war sentiment among the people, the combined effect of these factors ultimately impacted the army's combat effectiveness.

Yu Xiaogang had no idea what role Bibi Dong was playing in this, and following his habitual thinking, he immediately said, "The morale of the two sides in this battle is not on the same level; it's simply impossible to win."

"If the fighting continues, the Heaven Dou Empire will surely overthrow the Star Luo Empire."

Could Tang Xiao not see this problem?

However, he currently lacks the leverage of Dai Mubai, making it impossible for him to have a voice in the Star Luo Empire's Imperial Court.

It wasn't that he wanted to protect the Star Luo Empire, but rather that he worried the other side might use the Clear Sky Sect as a political bargaining chip to sell to the Heaven Dou Empire if they suffered a defeat in the war. After all, they were still suspects in the assassination of Xue Ye, and that was a significant bargaining chip.

Only if Star Luo Empire remains undefeated will Clear Sky Sect have a chance to catch its breath. Only by supporting Dai Mubai to take the throne in the future can they truly turn the tables and become the Master of their own destiny.

Tang Xiao's starting point was to address the current survival situation of the Clear Sky Sect. Therefore, he asked Yu Xiaogang, "Grandmaster, if my Clear Sky Sect sends a powerful expert to the front lines, can this situation be resolved?"

Yu Xiaogang shook his head. "Sect Master Tang, the Clear Sky Sect has always been at odds with the Heaven Dou Empire. When the Clear Sky Sect's experts appear on the battlefield, they are very likely to become the focus of the Heaven Dou Army's fire."

"Of course, with powerful figures from the Clear Sky Sect holding the front lines, the situation can at least be stabilized, and the Star Luo Empire won't collapse quickly. It all depends on whether Sect Master Tang is prepared to make sacrifices."

"Furthermore, the Spirit Hall's attitude is unclear. If a powerful member of the Clear Sky Sect appears on the front lines, it's hard to guarantee that the Spirit Hall won't intervene. In that case, the Clear Sky Sect's losses might be even greater."

There's one more thing Yu Xiaogang didn't say.

When the powerful figures of the Clear Sky Sect appear on the front lines, regardless of how the war progresses, it at least demonstrates their determination to stand with the Star Luo Empire. Even if the Star Luo Empire suffers repeated defeats, it won't be so easy for them to betray the Clear Sky Sect.

Sacrificing the powerful members of the Clear Sky Sect in exchange for public support would be too costly for the Clear Sky Sect, and Tang Xiao might not be able to accept it.

What will happen in the border war next is beyond human prediction, and Tang Xiao can only gamble. He is betting that the Star Luo Empire will not be completely defeated, and that the Clear Sky Sect's experts will not suffer heavy casualties.

As expected, the one sent to the front line was the Seventh Elder of the Clear Sky Sect — the Blazing Sun Douluo.

With a Titled Douluo in command, the soldiers of the Star Luo Empire, who had suffered repeated defeats, were finally able to stabilize their morale.

However, as a result, the Six Great Sects had previously supported the Heaven Dou Empire also openly sent their respective experts to the front lines.

This only escalated the situation further, which was exactly what Bibi Dong wanted.

After traveling for more than a month on the Great Ice Plains, Wu Qi and his group arrived near a Ice River.

Beneath their feet lay thick, transparent ice, and looking down, they could even see the flowing river below.

Wu Qi, scouting from the air, could easily see the terrain. He said, "There's a huge Ice Lake ahead, and the water from this Ice River is flowing into Ice Lake."

"Let's go check out the Ice Lake first; maybe we can catch some fish to improve our meals."

The group only had dried meat on them. Although Yan and Qiangu Changkong could start a fire out of thin air to reheat the dried meat so that it wouldn't be dry, the taste was monotonous and they would easily get tired of it.

Catching fish in the Ice Lake can greatly enhance everyone's palate.

Before long, the group arrived near the Ice Lake.

Although it's called Ice Lake, it's more like a Heavenly Pool, surrounded by towering Snow Mountain- capped mountains, with only a Ice River connecting it to the outside world.

Along the way, the group encountered only a handful of Soul Beast, and most of them were low-level Soul Beast, leading them to instinctively believe that there were no Soul Beast nearby.

Qiangu Changkong stood on the frozen lake, wielding his Coiling Dragon Staff, and smashed a hole in the Ice Lake.

The next moment, everyone's eyes turned to Yan.

His Martial Soul is the Flame Lord, and the Fire Attribute Soul Power within him is far stronger than that of the Qiangu Changkong. Letting him go into the water will prevent unnecessary casualties due to accidents.

Of course, going deep into the ice would cause problems, so Wu Qi tied a rope around his waist so he could come out of the water at any time.

Yan didn't hesitate and jumped directly into the lake.

The group had come to the Ice River Ice Lake by following the glacier. Now that they had retreated to the outer edge, they could start a fire directly on the shore.

To avoid any accidents, Wu Qi extended his senses to survey his surroundings.

Suddenly, he frowned.

Qiangu Changkong hurriedly asked, "Wu Ge, is there a problem?"

Wu Qi said in a deep voice, "It's too quiet around here, but I have a vague sense of unease in my heart; there might be potential danger."