Preparations

"Second, Senior Brother Faxiang of Heavenly Sound Temple will lead the next force. Their Buddhist Dharma is profound, and they excel at defense and purification. They can harass the enemy from the flank and break the Demon Sect's restraints, creating an opening for us."

"As for our Green Cloud Sect," Li Xiaoyu said, a glint flashing in his eyes, "we'll be the surprise force. We'll circle around behind the Demon Sect and strike straight at their logistics and command center!"

"The Demon Sect may seem numerous and powerful, but the three factions each have their own schemes. They're far from united."

"As long as we cut off their command and throw them into chaos, they're sure to collapse without a fight!"

Li Xiaoyu's plan was bold, meticulous, and tightly interwoven.

He had not only considered each faction's strengths, but also taken advantage of the divisions within the Demon Sect.

This was no ordinary disciple's insight. It was the talent of a commander who could master the situation from behind the scenes!

The great tent fell briefly silent.

All the Chief Seats were weighing Li Xiaoyu's plan, and the more they considered it, the more feasible it seemed.

Even Daoist Cangsong, who had long harbored resentment toward Li Xiaoyu, furrowed his brows without finding any reason to object.

"Good! Now that's turning their own plan against them!"

Tian Buyi was the first to slap the table and cheer.

He looked at Li Xiaoyu, his eyes full of admiration.

"This kid has made astonishing progress in cultivation, and he's just as brilliant at strategy and troop deployment. He's a monster!"

Master Shuiyue nodded slightly, a rare smile appearing on her cool, composed face.

"This plan is feasible."

Daoist Daoxuan looked at Li Xiaoyu, his eyes brimming with pride and relief.

He knew he had not been wrong about him.

Perhaps the future of the Green Cloud Sect truly would bloom with a different kind of brilliance in this young man's hands.

"Good. We'll follow your plan!"

Daoist Daoxuan made his decision without hesitation.

"Pass on my order. The whole army is to make ready. At midnight, we strike along all three routes and crush the Demon Sect fiends in one decisive battle!"

"Yes!"

Everyone in the tent answered in unison, their morale soaring.

Night deepened.

The sea wind keened, and dark clouds veiled the moon.

All of Liubo Mountain lay shrouded in oppressive darkness.

Yet the Green Cloud Sect's camp blazed with lamplight, figures moving to and fro.

Every disciple was eager for battle, making their final preparations for the fight to come.

Li Xiaoyu stood outside his tent, gazing up at the night sky, his heart calm.

He knew that although tonight's plan was meticulous, the battlefield could change in an instant, and anything might happen.

Li Xiaoyu had to stay calm to deal with any sudden turn of events.

Just then, a figure quietly came up behind him.

"Senior Brother Li."

It was Zhang Xiaofan.

"What is it, Xiao Fan? Can't sleep?"

Li Xiaoyu turned around and asked gently.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded, worry written across his face.

"Senior Brother Li, isn't tonight's operation too dangerous?"

He looked at Li Xiaoyu and said softly, "I just can't shake this uneasy feeling."

Li Xiaoyu smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"War is the way of deceit, and it is a dangerous path as well."

"How could we hope to win without taking risks?"

"Don't worry. I'm here."

Li Xiaoyu's words seemed to hold a strange magic, easing much of Zhang Xiaofan's tension.

Looking at Zhang Xiaofan, Li Xiaoyu suddenly remembered something. He took a jade talisman from inside his robe and handed it to him.

"Take this."

"What is it?" Zhang Xiaofan asked curiously as he accepted it.

"It's a protective jade talisman I made in my spare time. It's not some powerful treasure, but in a moment of danger, it might save you from disaster."

Li Xiaoyu explained.

The talisman had actually been made with a trace of Geng Metal Qi refined from the Immortal-Slaying Gourd and etched with a defensive formation.

It was a life-saving treasure he had prepared especially for Zhang Xiaofan.

Of course, he had also prepared several hundred such life-saving treasures for Lu Xueqi and had practically forced her to take them.

Zhang Xiaofan knew nothing of this. He took it as a sign of his senior brother's concern, his heart touched as he carefully put the talisman away.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Li."

"All right, go get ready. The battle is near. Don't let yourself get distracted."

Li Xiaoyu waved him off.

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and turned to leave.

Li Xiaoyu watched him go, then raised his gaze toward the main peak where the Demon Sect was entrenched, his eyes deep and unreadable.

Time slipped by. Midnight approached.

Under cover of darkness, the three forces set out quietly.

Leading the Green Cloud Sect's elite disciples, including Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan, Li Xiaoyu moved like a leopard in the night, slipping soundlessly through the forest as they circled toward the rear slopes of the Demon Sect's main peak.

They moved swiftly and made not a sound.

Soon, they reached the foot of a cliff behind the main peak.

The terrain here was treacherous and easy to defend, hard to attack. The Demon Sect's defenses were relatively thin, with only a few patrols of disciples.

"Deal with them. Don't make a sound."

Li Xiaoyu ordered several Heaven-Reaching Peak disciples behind him.

They were all direct disciples of Daoist Daoxuan, with profound cultivation and nimble movements.

At his command, they darted forward and melted into the darkness like ghosts.

A few stifled groans sounded. Then silence returned.

The Demon Sect patrol had been eliminated without a trace.

Li Xiaoyu gestured, leading everyone up the steep cliff.

Their target was a cave halfway up the mountain.

According to their intelligence, it was where the Demon Sect stored its provisions and pills.

If they could destroy it, they would cut off the Demon Sect's lifeline and throw its troops into disarray.

They climbed in silence, everyone suppressing their presence to the utmost.

But just as they were about to reach the cave, Li Xiaoyu abruptly stopped.

His keen spiritual sense had detected something unusual.

On the mountain path ahead, besides the auras of the Demon Sect disciples, another presence was concealed.

Its owner was doing their utmost to mask it with a secret technique, but its essence still carried the faint resonance of the Taiji Profound Clarity Path!

Someone from the Green Cloud Sect!

The thought flashed through Li Xiaoyu's mind.

Without changing his expression, he signaled for everyone behind him to stop and hide.

Then Li Xiaoyu quietly moved closer, taking cover behind a boulder as he peered toward the cave.

More than a dozen Demon Sect disciples stood guard at its entrance.

Among them was an average-looking young man of middling build, leaning against the cave wall as if dozing.

His cultivation seemed unimpressive, only at about the fourth or fifth layer of the Jade Purity Realm. Among the Demon Sect disciples, he was utterly inconspicuous.

But Li Xiaoyu's gaze remained fixed on him.

It was him!

That familiar aura of the Taiji Profound Clarity Path came from him!

It was faint, but there was no mistaking it.

This man was a disciple of the Green Cloud Sect!

And judging by the restrained yet pure Spiritual Energy within him, his true cultivation was far beyond what he let on.

He was at least a high-level Jade Purity Realm expert!

A high-level Jade Purity Realm disciple of the Green Cloud Sect had disguised himself as an ordinary Demon Sect disciple and infiltrated this place. What was he planning?

Li Xiaoyu's mind filled with suspicion and wariness.