He sat up straight, his tone turning serious after his earlier nonchalance.
"Have Duke Spirit Cat lead a hundred thousand troops to the border and make camp there."
As Dai Mobai spoke, he lightly tapped a finger on the tabletop, as if placing a piece on a chessboard.
"The goal isn't to start a war, but to build momentum and keep the Heaven Dou Empire's attention firmly fixed on the main battlefield, making them think we're preparing to attack head-on."
"That way, Heaven Dou's troops, provisions, and attention will all be pinned down around Nuoding City."
He paused and glanced at Zhu Song.
"As for whether we launch a follow-up attack, Duke Spirit Cat only needs to wait for my signal."
"A signal?"
A curious look crossed Zhu Song's face as he leaned forward slightly.
"Your Highness, may I ask what the signal is?"
Dai Mobai's lips curled into a faint smile. His handsome face practically spelled out, "I'm up to something."
"You'll find out when the time comes."
Zhu Song froze for a moment, then gave a helpless laugh.
The Crown Prince was good in every way. He just loved keeping people in suspense.
Still, he never disappointed.
Thinking this, Zhu Song shook his head and didn't press the matter.
"Do as Mobai says."
The Star Luo Emperor looked at Zhu Song, his voice steady.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Zhu Song rose and bowed, his back straight and his expression solemn.
He stepped back three paces, then turned, pushed open the door to the Imperial Study, and strode out.
Outside, golden sunlight flooded the bluestone floor of the corridor, stretching his shadow long behind him.
Zhu Song disappeared at the far end of the corridor. His footsteps faded into the distance until they could no longer be heard.
At the same time, a thousand miles away.
After an entire sleepless night of travel, Tang Hao finally stood in the familiar valley.
His eyes were bloodshot and sunken, and his unshaven face was weather-beaten.
He had raced all the way from Suotuo City to Nuoding City, then left through its southern gate and crossed countless mountain peaks. He had barely stopped to catch his breath.
The muscles in his legs trembled faintly, and most of the Soul Power surging through his meridians was spent, but he didn't dare stop—not for a single second.
He stood at the entrance to the valley, chest heaving as he gulped down one breath after another.
He scanned the surroundings. The landscape had barely changed since he'd left.
The heart lodged in Tang Hao's throat finally eased somewhat.
Thank goodness.
He silently breathed a sigh of relief.
He had encountered plenty of Soul Masters on the way—wandering cultivators traveling alone, as well as mercenary groups of three or five, all streaming toward Nuoding City.
But at least they hadn't set foot here yet.
The valley was hidden deep in the mountains, shielded by layer upon layer of dense forest. No one would discover it anytime soon.
There was still time—enough for him to move Ah Yin and the Soul Bone she'd left behind before anyone could find them.
He made the calculation in his mind, but his feet didn't dare pause for even an instant.
He drew a deep breath and sprang forward, shooting toward the waterfall like a cannonball.
Water exploded around him. The icy mountain spring drenched him, but he didn't notice as he passed through the curtain of water and landed firmly on the slick stone platform before the cliff face.
The moss underfoot was slippery, and there were faint signs that someone had stepped there.
But Tang Hao was frantic with worry and didn't notice the details.
He looked up at the cliff face. The stone door he had made with his own hands—
It was gone.
Only a pitch-black opening remained in the rock, its edges rough and rubble scattered across the ground.
Someone had smashed the stone door apart by brute force. Even the rock around the frame had cracked in a ring.
The opening gaped wide, like a grinning mouth silently mocking him.
Half the blood in Tang Hao's body turned cold.
He stood frozen, his eyes fixed on the dark opening.
A chill shot up from his feet, climbed his spine, and crept to the back of his head.
He could hear his heartbeat: thump, thump, thump, each beat heavier and faster than the last.
The next second, he moved.
His body stiff, he mechanically squeezed through the opening.
His steps were heavy, each one like a stomp on his own heart, yet hurried. He stumbled forward through the stone passage.
His ragged breathing echoed through the narrow, cramped passageway. He covered the dozen or so steps in just a few strides, rounded a bend, and emerged into a wider space.
The stone chamber he had carved with his own hands lay before him.
Then he saw what was inside.
The Blue Silver Emperor seed on the mound of earth—its whole body a deep blue, its veins gleaming gold—was gone.
Only a shallow hole remained in the center of the mound, its edges smooth. Someone had gently pulled it up roots and all, leaving not a single rootlet behind.
The other half of the blood in Tang Hao's body turned cold, too.
He stood there for a long time, like a stone statue, his breathing halted.
The stone chamber was terrifyingly quiet. Only a few specks of dust drifted silently through the shaft of light falling from the skylight above.
Then his whole body suddenly jolted, as if something had yanked him violently awake from a nightmare.
He spun around and strode to the stone wall.
His palm landed precisely on an inconspicuous bump in the wall, and he pressed hard.
"Click—"
The crisp sound of a mechanism echoed through the chamber.
Tang Hao jerked his head up, looking hopefully at the ceiling.
That was where he'd hidden the Soul Bone, inside the true secret compartment. The location was concealed, and the mechanism was cleverly designed. Even someone who searched every inch of the chamber might not find it.
Yet nothing happened.
The ceiling remained still. No compartment sprang open, and nothing changed.
Tang Hao refused to believe it.
He released the bump, then pressed it hard again.
"Click—"
Still, nothing happened.
After that mechanical click, there was no follow-up.
Tang Hao's eyes began to redden.
His large palm pressed the bump again and again, each movement rougher, each press harder than the last.
"Click!"
"Click!"
Gravel began to fall in a steady trickle from the cracks in the stone wall. The veins on his hand bulged, and his knuckles turned white.
Then—
"Bang!"
In his agitation, Tang Hao crushed the bump in the wall beneath his broad palm.
Gravel flew everywhere. Sharp fragments sliced across the back of his hand, and blood dripped between his fingers.
The mechanism was completely wrecked. Its remains clattered from between his fingers and fell to the ground.
Gone! Everything was gone!
The seed formed after Ah Yin's sacrifice was gone, and even the most important Soul Bone was gone.
"Huff—huff—"
Tang Hao's breathing grew heavier and heavier. His chest heaved, and each breath he exhaled burned hot.
In an instant, his whole body was enveloped in a layer of blood-red light. The glow was thick and violent, warping the air within a radius of three zhang.
"NO!!!"
The Soul Power-wrapped shout became a tangible shock wave and blasted wildly in every direction.