Scattering and Disappearing

They were as spirited as they were at the meeting a few months ago, and now they are just as Despairing Qi.

In the Spirit Realm, in the exclusive venue for Eastern Victory, Zhan Guo tapped the table and said, "Defeat is only temporary. We must pull ourselves together. Although we have suffered many defeats, our fighting strength remains, and the outcome is still uncertain."

That's correct. In order to pursue efficiency, Taiheng did not choose to annihilate the Eastern Victory soldiers' manpower.

Of the 2,500 people, 18 million remain after the fighting, still a formidable force.

The low morale of the Eastern Victory Army was only temporary, after all, it wasn't like they hadn't suffered defeats before.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages have fought three Ninja Wars, with virtually no victors.

The Navy has been suppressing pirates for over twenty years, but in the end, they only managed to suppress four Pirate Emperors. Moreover, they failed to achieve their objectives in the Summit War, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they suffered a defeat.

The Demon Slayer Corps Seireitei are even more infamous; the former were humiliated by the Demon King, and the latter by Aizen.

So what if my hometown got raided? I'm used to it.

Moreover, the person didn't really die; they just returned to the Spirit Realm. The Spirit Realm isn't a pure land, so there's a chance for resurrection later.

After some adjustments, the expressions on everyone's faces became more acceptable.

Next, they studied how to counter the Taiheng Army that had stormed into the core of Eastern Victory.

"First of all, a head-on confrontation is definitely not going to work. Even if we have some experts, they will be restricted by ordinary people and unable to unleash their full potential!" He said.

In their words, those at the Body Refinement Realm are already ordinary people.

"Should we also reorganize our army and switch to the Qi Refining Stage?" someone suggested.

He shook his head. "Reorganizing the army takes time. Will Taiheng give us that time?"

"Then use a hydrogen bomb to kill Tian Dao Yi?"

Crane continued to shake his head, "We still don't know where Tian Dao Yi is. Is he among the five armies? Or is he not even on the front lines?"

Upon hearing this, the Eastern Victory Branch of the Spirit Realm immediately fell silent.

Why is this person so difficult to deal with? He even assembled a special forces unit composed entirely of Qi Refining Stage cultivators.

They are no match for each other in a head-on battle, and they are even less of a match for each other if they are divided and attacked.

Is this what a vast fortune looks like? It's terrifying!

Ultimately, there were still some clever people on the Eastern Victory side.

A pale arm rose up. "I do have an idea, perhaps we can give it a try."

"Orochimaru!" Upon seeing the speaker, everyone's confidence surged. Orochimaru led the Konoha ninja army to victory in the Second Ninja Wars, and his personal strength, intelligence, strategy, and military command abilities were widely recognized.

However, he later switched to scientific research, and even when he was in a meeting, he rarely spoke, appearing indifferent to the war.

The fact that he's willing to speak now suggests that the war has likely affected his scientific research.

"I ask you, what is the Tai Heng Army here for?" Orochimaru asked.

"They quelled the rebellion!" someone said, shrugging. Did that even need to be said?

Orochimaru licked his lips, his voice deep and sexy. "Yes, they've come to quell the rebellion. In that case, let's quell it for them. Once the rebellion is suppressed, the Tai Heng Army will naturally leave!"

"What are you saying? Are we going to willingly offer our necks up to be killed?" someone immediately objected.

The speaker was a middle-aged man with white hair and an oil-colored headband. Orochimaru Jiraiya, "Jiraiya? A brainless idiot, no need to pay him any attention."

"What I mean is, we can break up into smaller groups and disappear into Eastern Victory!" Orochimaru laughed. "Unless the Tai Heng Army is willing to search city by city, village by village, and mountain by mountain, how can they find us?"

"You must understand, the current Tai Heng Army is not three hundred million, but only three million!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits immediately lifted; it seemed like a good idea!

Despite massive troop reductions, Taihang's strength has actually increased.

But you can't have all the benefits.

The price of reduced troop strength and increased power is a decrease in the number of people to do menial tasks. When faced with tasks that require a large amount of manpower and resources, they are left helpless.

"Moreover, many of us have never shown our faces to the Tai Heng Army or even the world. If you simply change your clothes, you could walk right past Tian Dao Yi and he might not even recognize you, so how could he possibly capture you!"

"The Tai Heng Army can't afford to waste time in Eastern Victory either; they still have Western Splendor and Northern Plains to suppress!"

Orochimaru's strategy is the same as his usual fighting method: if he can't win, he transforms into countless small snakes to escape. As long as he doesn't die, he will always have a chance to make a comeback.

This is a strategy employed by many rebel armies: surrender when they can't win, and then re-appeal after the main punitive expeditionary force has left, effectively exhausting the imperial army.

Of course, this strategy also has a drawback: it fails to win people's hearts.

You must understand that the path of rebellion is one of only advancing, not retreating. If you retreat, there will be successors who will kill you.

Furthermore, if you go into seclusion, how do you know if your subordinates have also gone into seclusion?

What if he doesn't go into hiding, and when you emerge, he actually takes advantage of you? How will you deal with that?

Or perhaps you're living a peaceful life in seclusion, but he reports you to the authorities and sells you out!

Besides, they'd surely make money by rebelling, right? What if they went into seclusion, enjoyed the life of a wealthy man, and then forgot all about home?

Ten people initially went into seclusion, but when the seclusion ended, only one remained. What's the point of continuing?

Fortunately, the Eastern Victory Army was not a true righteous army, but rather people from the Spirit Realm disguised as righteous forces, which was the basis for their plan.

The Eastern Victory Army communicated through the Spirit Realm, so there was no possibility of them feigning seclusion and turning into genuine seclusion, let alone betraying the government.

With just a single command, as many people who went into seclusion back then will rise again, and their strength will not diminish.

After discussing it, everyone determined that the plan was feasible, so they promptly began to implement it.

The flags and clothes were burned.

Move the supplies that can be moved; burn the supplies that cannot be moved.

As for gold, silver, and jewelry, take what you can, and leave what you can't take to the Tai Heng Army. With trade around, the gold they receive will eventually flow back to them.

Those with high profiles change their appearance, while others leave the military altogether and blend into the mountains and rivers.

While fleeing, he did not forget to send intelligence about the Tai Heng Army to the rebel armies in Western Splendor and Northern Plains.

They didn't have time to regroup, which is why they suffered such a crushing defeat.

But the rebel armies in Western Splendor and Northern Plains are different; they still have time.

In mid-September, the Tai Heng Army could still feel sporadic resistance, but by the end of September, Tian Dao Yi suddenly realized that he could not find an opponent!

He led his troops to the new naval base, only to find the entire base empty, like a newly built, unfinished house that hadn't yet been decorated.

They found the stronghold of Four Emperors, but apart from the insulting graffiti left on the walls, there was nothing else.

The same was true of other forces; they vanished completely, as if they had never existed.

He wasn't completely oblivious; there were quite a few Body Refinement Realm cultivators who weren't very fast, but aside from a superior instructing them to retire, they knew nothing else.

I don't know where my boss went, I don't know what happened to my company, and it went bankrupt without even offering N+1 compensation.

After Tian Dao Yi understood the Eastern Victory Army's countermeasures, his face immediately darkened.

If the people of Eastern Victory could think of the disgusting nature of this plan, he could naturally think of it too.

The idea of searching house to house was something Tian Dao Yi only briefly considered before abandoning it. Such methods were time-consuming, laborious, and not necessarily effective.

Moreover, he genuinely didn't have the time; the Western Plains were still waiting to be conquered.

However, in the blink of an eye, Tian Dao Yi also came up with a solution.

If you throw the problem at me, I'll just throw it at someone else.

You asked me to quell the rebellion, so are there still rebels left?

That's all, right?

"Then, sect leader, I'll leave the rest to you. If any more rebel armies emerge under your rule, that's none of my business."

Of course, he also knew that whenever those in power wanted to shirk responsibility, they would always find a reason.

So Tian Dao Yi told Qu Heng the whole story about the situation, urging him to prepare for the righteous army's resurgence.

I've already told you in advance, so you can't possibly cause me any more trouble.

Next stop, Northern Plains!