February of Star Calendar 754.
The Iron Family was besieged by more than a dozen surrounding forces. The allied forces attacked the Iron Family's sea area, but were hindered by Tie Ao's power, and the battle was unfavorable, suffering repeated setbacks.
The Shu Clan just conquered Yan Family Island, and Chu Yun needed to overcome the Spirit Demon Tribulation, so they had no choice but to give up the great opportunity to advance on the Iron Family. However, through negotiations with allies, Hua Ying was appointed to lead a Hua Family fleet to participate in the allied offensive.
Hua Ying joined the Allied Forces and began to shine. He used various tricks to gradually turn the tide and reverse the Allied Forces' disadvantage.
Tie Ao lacked the Long Daozhi and fell into Hua Ying's traps many times. Tie Ao gradually lost patience, and Hua Ying saw through his scheme and set up an ambush from all sides.
Tie Ao, relying on his bravery, was lured into an ambush. The allied forces attacked from nine directions, unleashing their full firepower and annihilating the isolated Iron Family army. Taking advantage of their victory, they then routed the Iron Family's reinforcements. Finally, for the first time in the battle, they gained the upper hand.
The Iron Family fleet suffered heavy losses. Although Tie Ao alone was brave enough to defeat many generals, he could not turn the tide. He had no choice but to retreat and take out the ingenious Divination Immortal Ingenious Strategy Pouch.
This Ingenious Strategy Pouch, resembling a sachet, is small and exquisite. Made of red silk, the front reads "Ingenious Plan," and the back reads "Pouch," all four large characters embroidered with gold thread. The characters resemble dragons soaring above and snakes coiling below, shimmering with golden light and possessing a unique Daoist charm.
Don't underestimate this brocade pouch; it's just Demon Weapon. It's extremely precious and incredibly difficult to forge. Only someone with the dual identities of a fortune teller and a master weapon refiner can successfully create it.
Ordinary Demon Weapon, such as swords, spears, axes, and halberds, excel in combat. However, the Ingenious Strategy Pouch takes a different approach, excelling in wisdom. It can grasp a trace of mystery in the great principles of heaven and earth and generate ingenious plans and strategies.
Tie Ao calmed his mind and used his spiritual light to summon it. The spiritual light in the brocade pouch responded immediately, searching for his soul's memories and capturing the mysterious trajectories of heaven and earth. After a while, the pouch opened and exhaled a gentle breeze.
A gentle breeze blew in, automatically entering Tie Ao's nostrils. Tie Ao instantly felt refreshed, and a plan spontaneously formed in his mind.
He followed this plan, pretending to be injured while setting up an ambush.
The allied leaders were overjoyed upon hearing this. Their army was strong and well-equipped, but their only concern was the lack of a great general, making them no match for Tie Ao. Although they had won a great victory, many of their generals had been slaughtered. Hua Ying sensed something was wrong and tried to dissuade them, but to no avail.
The allied forces launched a rash attack and were ambushed by the Iron Family army, suffering a major defeat.
The Iron Family army pursued the enemy for hundreds of nautical miles, capturing many prisoners and sinking dozens of warships. The allied forces were routed and reached an Nameless island. Hua Ying noticed that the tides on the island were unusually high. She devised a clever plan, using herself as bait, abandoning her ship and going ashore to lure the Iron Family into attacking.
Tie Ao laughed heartily, mistakenly believing that Hua Ying was panicking and courting death. He deeply hated Hua Ying and launched a full-scale attack on the island. However, unexpectedly, the tide suddenly dropped, and many of his warships ran aground on the island, unable to sail.
At this moment, the allied warships turned around and attacked. The Iron Family fleet, lacking any maneuverability, became easy targets, suffering fierce firepower and inflicting a crushing defeat.
Left with no other choice, Tie Ao used the second secret plan. He devised a plan to divide his forces, ordering his general to lead one fleet directly away from the main battlefield, accompanied by loud gongs and drums, announcing that he was going to attack the main islands of the allied forces.
The allied leaders were thrown into a panic. The war had progressed to this point, and both sides had suffered heavy casualties. If the main island were to be captured, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At this time, news spread that Chu Yun had been pursuing Shui Ruolan, traversing half of the All-Star Archipelago, and causing havoc on Rain Island. Within the allied forces, some unfortunate forces had their generals killed for obstructing Chu Yun.
Chu Yun's prominence completely overshadowed Tie Ao's for a time. The Shu Clan's power was already immense, but after this incident, it became even more formidable, making all other forces wary.
The allied forces thus crumbled. Helpless, Hua Ying had no choice but to return to Hua Family Island.
" The Heavenly Fox has successfully transcended its tribulation. Chu Yun pursued it for thousands of miles, killing Shui Ruolan, severely injuring the Shui Lineage patriarch, and causing chaos on Rain Island..." Tie Ao put down the intelligence report in his hand, his brows furrowed. The joy of defeating the allied forces had vanished.
How could this happen?
He was completely baffled. As one of the five ancient clans, he knew the Water Family quite well. Shui Ruolan's strength was no less than his. The Water Family's island lord's combat power was even greater than his. Chu Yun had only recently acquired his second Spirit Demon.
At the very least, they could have repelled Chu Yun and protected Shui Ruolan's life. But the result was that Shui Ruolan was killed and the Water Family island lord was seriously injured.
"Just how strong is Chu Yun?" The image of Chu Yun flashed through Tie Ao's mind, and his brows furrowed even deeper.
He was also a genius, but his youthful arrogance and subsequent hardships had matured him. He would never again underestimate Chu Yun without reason.
On the contrary, he has come to regard Chu Yun as his greatest enemy.
Chu Yun has repeatedly created miracles, and this time his achievement is equally unbelievable and astonishing. Even if it were Tie Ao, he would not be able to do so.
Unbeknownst to him, Chu Yun had become like a mountain weighing on Tie Ao's heart.
"Let's set aside Chu Yun's combat strength for now. The key is the impact of this incident..." Tie Ao sighed inwardly. "The prestige of Rain Island has been completely destroyed. The five clans were actually driven to their doorstep by Chu Yun, and even the Holy Maiden couldn't protect them. Now, the power of the Shu Clan has surpassed that of my Iron Family. I originally planned to march on the Shu Clan after the war ended, but now it seems that's impossible."
This battle to defend the Iron Family was extremely fierce. Although the Iron Family won, they suffered heavy losses and had no strength left to attack the Shu Clan in the short term.
The enemy of my enemy is my ally. Tie Ao considered joining forces with the Water Family. But the Water Family was cunning and treacherous; how could Water Family Tie Ao not know about their underhanded dealings over the years? If they joined forces, could he defend himself against their scheming and plotting against him?
"Daozhi, if only you were here!" Tie Ao sighed again. The heavy pressure Chu Yun brought him made it difficult for him to fall asleep.
He predicted that after the Shu Clan absorbed the Yan Family, they would inevitably launch a major offensive to expand their maritime territory. If such a golden opportunity were missed and allowed to soar to new heights, it would be truly difficult to contain them.
But now, he was truly willing but unable. He felt a serious crisis. Involuntarily, he took out the third brocade pouch, and after a fierce internal struggle, he finally decided to use it.
The brocade pouch can absorb his memories as intelligence and steal a trace of the Dao of Heaven and Earth, fusing them into a brilliant plan. The only drawback is that it is a consumable item; it will be destroyed after one use.
The previous war had already demonstrated the immense power of Ingenious Strategy Pouch. Without Long Daozhi's assistance, Tie Ao wished he had an inexhaustible supply of such strategies.
But in the end, only one item remained.
A refreshing breeze entered his nostrils, and Tie Ao's eyes lit up. This plan was no longer a cunning scheme, but a perfectly legitimate and open one.
" The Iron Family needs to rest and recuperate; they cannot launch a reckless attack. Rainbow Island will open soon, brimming with talent. We can recruit from there to bolster the Iron Family's ranks. The Shu Clan is growing stronger and will inevitably attack surrounding forces. There will certainly be Anti-Shu Alliance; when that happens, we can seize the opportunity and achieve great things."
Shu Family Island, night sea and beach.
The moon is bright and the stars are few, the Night Curtain is like a brocade. The full moon shines its clear light on the white sand beach, the tides come in and out, and wisps of smoke rise. The seawater laps against the shore, the sea breeze blows on your face, making you feel refreshed and your heart is at ease.
Under the moonlight, Chu Yun and Jin Bihan walked side by side.
"When I was little, I would often come here alone to look at the sea when I was bullied and feeling down. The sea is so vast that it always helped me forget my unhappy things." Chu Yun gazed at the sea and said with emotion, "Now, as I stand here, I feel like I'm in a dream. Stepping on the soft sand feels like walking on clouds, a kind of empty, unreal feeling."
Jin Bihan glanced at Chu Yun and smiled understandingly, "Brother Chu, are you worried about the Shu Clan's current situation?"
Chu Yun sighed, "That's right. The higher you climb, the greater the risk. Right now, our Shu Clan is at the height of its power. If we fall, we'll be doomed. Everyone is watching the Shu Clan, waiting for us to make a mistake. Actually, I really want to keep a low profile, but the situation is forcing me, and I have no choice. Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Jin Bihan stared intently at Chu Yun for a long while before shaking her head and sighing, "Brother Chu, sometimes I really can't understand you. At your age, if it were me with such achievements, I would inevitably become arrogant. But you don't care at all, as if you've caused a ruckus on Rain Island, stealing the limelight, and it's not you who's shaken the world, but others. Perhaps that's where you're superior to me. Tell me, what are you really thinking?"
"If you had my past life experiences, I'm afraid you would have done the same," Chu Yun thought to himself, but outwardly he chuckled and shifted the focus of the conversation, "Aren't you really going to stay a little longer? Are you returning to the Dunhuang Kingdom tomorrow?"
While Chu Yun was causing chaos on Rain Island, a group of people from the Dunhuang Kingdom arrived and found Jin Bihan. This was a contingency plan laid out by her father, and it had now been activated.
"Hmm." Jin Bihan nodded. " Dunhuang Kingdom chaos, which is a good time to fish in troubled waters. Moreover, there are indeed quite a few people who are loyal to the royal family..."
Jin Bihan hesitated slightly. Before parting, she felt an impulse to reveal her identity to Chu Yun.
Chu Yun nodded, then suddenly said, "I have an absolutely sound piece of advice for you: find Princess of Dunhuang Jin Bihan of Dunhuang and pledge allegiance to her. She will be the hope of your royal family."
"Huh?" At this moment, Jin Bihan's eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at Chu Yun in surprise and doubt. For a moment, her heart pounded, and she almost thought that Chu Yun had seen through her disguise.
But when she managed to calm down and saw Chu Yun's serious expression, she immediately realized that Chu Yun had not seen through her true identity.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up with a strange light, and with a curious and secretly delighted expression, she asked, "How strange, Brother Chu, why did you suddenly mention that... that Princess of Dunhuang?"
Chu Yun had anticipated Jin Bihan's question, but he couldn't very well tell her the truth. He couldn't very well say that this Princess of Dunhuang, Jin Bihan, was actually incredibly fierce and would one day become the Dunhuang Queen —should he cling tightly to such a powerful figure?
He touched his nose and solemnly said to Jin Bihan, "Actually, I've noticed the Princess of Dunhuang for a long time. She's intelligent and ambitious from a young age. She's stronger than her elder brother, but she's patient and considerate of the bigger picture..."
In front of Jin Bihan, Chu Yun praised the other woman extensively. He concluded, "I believe that the one who will be able to clean up the mess in Dunhuang and reclaim the King of Dunhuang will be this person!"
Jin Bihan was speechless for a long time after hearing this. She just stared intently at Chu Yun with her bright eyes, not letting go.
"Hey? Why are you staring at me like that?" Chu Yun couldn't help but take a step back, feeling a little guilty. A question began to form in her mind: I'd prepared this explanation for a long time, just to answer her question. Why is her reaction so strong and strange?
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