The Snake of Mount Chang?

Amid churning seas of clouds, immortal warships stretched on without end.

Their hulls were all fashioned from ten-thousand-year thunderstruck wood, densely engraved with defensive formations.

The Heavenly Court's army mobilized at the news, advancing toward the waters of the Heaven-Reaching River in a mighty tide.

The commander of this campaign to suppress the rebellion was none other than the Great Heavenly Venerable's own nephew, Yang Jian, the True Lord of Manifest Divinity. Behind him, Taibai Jinxing presided over the Bright Hall, drawing in an unending stream of resources from every quarter.

However one reckoned it, the Heavenly Court held the advantage in sheer military might.

The more discerning immortals had long since seen through the workings behind it.

Before the fighting even began, victory was already assured.

With a venture guaranteed to turn a profit and never a loss, how could the immortals of the Heavenly Court sit still?

Each displayed their powers, sought out connections, and called in favors, cramming their sons, nephews, and younger relatives into the army to gain experience.

Aboard the Flying Boats, young immortals in sumptuous enchanted robes could be seen everywhere, gathering in little groups to boast to one another.

After reaching the Heaven-Reaching River, the heavenly soldiers and generals did not rush to attack.

Instead, they made camp among the clouds, furling their banners and stilling their drums.

Each day, they sent out only scouts, leisurely gathering intelligence on the waters below.

Yang Jian knew that the demonic menace below consisted of two ferocious factions: three great demons occupied the inner river, while five Demon Sages hemmed them in from outside. If the Heavenly Court's army rashly advanced and launched a fierce assault, those two demonic forces, normally as incompatible as fire and water, would unite under the pressure of life and death and turn against their common enemy.

In a head-on clash, the Heavenly Court's army could still win through its deep reserves, but it would likely take considerable trouble.

The solution was simple.

Hold position.

Let the three demons and the five Demon Sages fight over control of the waterways first, battling to the death and bloodying one another's heads.

Once Demonkind below was utterly exhausted, the Heavenly Court could beat its drums and strike, winning without bloodying a blade and reaping the fisherman's reward.

Within the council chamber of Yang Jian's Flying Boat, the prebattle meeting began each day as usual.

Chen Wei and Ma Muzhi tucked themselves into the most secluded corner, eyes half closed and minds wandering far beyond the heavens.

While the mighty figures at the front discussed military affairs, they never offered an unnecessary word.

Whenever the commander's gaze swept over their corner, they would salute in perfect unison, their faces brimming with reverence. "Your insight is profound, True Lord! You command every move from within your tent!"

They had come along merely to coast through, after all. Keeping a low profile was the surest way to stay alive. As for how the battle unfolded, who won or lost did not matter at all.

What mattered was making a profit and keeping their lives.

Yet one immortal refused to heed the warning and insisted on showing off. Li Yin could have simply remained safely in the rear coordinating affairs, but instead he had volunteered himself to Taibai Jinxing, sharpening his head to squeeze his way into the army.

He had worked it all out in his heart.

If he could make an impression on the True Lord and present an ingenious strategy, would that not be killing two birds with one stone?

He resolved to offer his plan at a critical moment and steal the limelight!

I wonder what the Third Holy Mother is doing at home? Li Yin could not help recalling her figure, and his heart burned hotter still.

At the center of the hall floated a spiritual-power sand table depicting the waters of the Heaven-Reaching River.

Clad in silver armor and holding a jade tablet, the deputy general had just finished reporting on the standoff between the two factions of Demonkind below and stepped aside.

Yang Jian rested his chin on one hand and raised the other. "You are all exceptional talents of the Heavenly Court. Now that the situation is clear, speak up. What thoughts do you have? Let everyone offer their views."

It was a routine courtesy.

All the divine generals knew the True Lord's real reason for delaying battle. Not one spoke, and silence filled the hall.

"True Lord!" A loud cry broke the silence. Li Yin stood and strode to the river's sand table. "This humble official has an idea! Two demonic factions currently control the waterways, with three demons inside and five outside. Look, True Lord-the Heaven-Reaching River's channel is flat and broad, without any obstructions! Such terrain is ideal for our heavenly soldiers and generals to descend from the skies and launch a frontal assault!"

The divine generals exchanged looks across the hall.

A frontal assault?

Those were all ferocious demon kings. Were the heavenly soldiers supposed to march in and fill their bellies?

Utterly oblivious, Li Yin grew more excited as he spoke. "This humble official has a plan! We shall muster our heavenly soldiers and deploy the One-Line Long Snake Formation above the river! Head and tail linked, each protecting the other. If the enemy attacks the snake's head, its tail will coil around them. If they attack its tail, its head will bite them! Truly, it is the snake of Mount Chang!"

"With this wondrous formation, supported by immortal arts, we can crush the demonic fiends in a single stroke. Victory is certain!"

"True Lord, this humble official has finished!"

Neither cringing nor overbearing, Li Yin lifted his chin slightly, as though he could already see the True Lord clapping his hands, laughing, and praising him again and again.

Even Chen Wei, whose mind had been wandering far away, was jolted back by the words "One-Line Long Snake Formation." Against peerless great demons capable of swallowing heaven and disgorging earth, they were to deploy a One-Line Long Snake Formation from mortal military manuals?

A single gust of black wind could tear that long snake apart from head to tail, leaving not even scraps behind.

Battles between immortals were contests of magical treasures, divine abilities, cultivation realms, and the fruits of the Dao.

Troop deployments and formations certainly had their uses, but that hardly meant copying the rigid formations of mortal generals wholesale.

"The One-Line Long Snake Formation?" Yang Jian raised a swordlike brow and chuckled. "An excellent idea, Official Li. Very good, then. How about you lead fifty thousand heavenly soldiers, set up the formation, and engage Demonkind?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Li Yin's smug expression froze. Offering strategies was something he was delighted to do.

But to actually take up a blade and go into battle, squeezing himself between the teeth of a peerless great demon? Even a hundred measures of courage would not have made him dare.

Faced with the commander's assignment, Li Yin could only steel himself and give a dry laugh. "You jest, True Lord. Though this humble official's heart is full of zeal, my cultivation is shallow, and I am unfamiliar with battle formations. I fear I cannot shoulder the great responsibility of leading troops in a charge. It would be better for me to remain in the rear and offer counsel."

"If you lack the ability to command troops, then stand down." Yang Jian swept him a brief glance.

Li Yin felt a chill creep around his neck. He hurriedly clasped his hands in apology and slunk back to his place.

Having rebuked the capering clown, Yang Jian fell into thought. Suddenly, he recalled the exceptional talent Third Sister had so strongly recommended before he departed for the campaign. His gaze passed over the generals in the front rows and settled on the hall's most secluded corner. He asked slowly, "Where is Chen Qingquan?"

Hearing the commander call his name, Chen Wei's wandering mind snapped back, his heart giving a jolt.

I hid this far out of sight, and he still managed to call on me?

Grumble inwardly as he might, his movements did not lag in the slightest. He immediately rose. "This humble official is here!"

"What ingenious plan do you have for breaking the present deadlock on the Heaven-Reaching River?" Yang Jian looked Chen Wei up and down a few times, finding the young man perfectly ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about him.

Facing the question, Chen Wei's expression remained unchanged.

Within his sea of consciousness, he rapidly weighed his response. Stealing the limelight was a cardinal taboo, and the cautionary example had just slunk back to his place.

Playing dumb and steering with the current was the way to live a long life.

Chen Wei cleared his throat and answered respectfully, "True Lord! This humble official believes the best way to break the deadlock is to follow your current deployments to the letter and remain unmoving as a mountain! With our great army suspended high among the Cloud Heights, we can manifest unparalleled heavenly might and first overawe the demons below! Given time, they will inevitably throw their own ranks into disorder and tear at one another, without us having to lift a hand! Your foresight reaches far, True Lord, and your calculations are divinely inspired. This humble official can only bow in admiration and has no other thoughts!"

There was not a trace of ingenious strategy. He was simply repeating what had already been said.

He delivered it at length, every word crisp and clear.

After hearing him, the divine generals throughout the hall regarded him more highly, each marveling inwardly, This lad is a rare immortal talent! He knows not to steal the limelight and has the wisdom to preserve himself!

Everyone knew better than to recklessly show off. Only that idiot Li Yin had done so.

Sure enough.

At his words, Yang Jian chuckled and waved a hand. "All right. Meeting adjourned."

[Dear brothers and sisters, this new volume has only just begun, and it cannot do without your care. If you would spare a thought for all our old affection, please do me the kindness of leaving some five-star reviews and a few free little gifts, and accompany me on this journey once more, will you?]