Just like that... staying still?
At this time, the highest-ranking commander of the West Sea Army, Vice Admiral Tian Yu, finally received questions from his subordinates.
But at this moment, he was completely lost and had no idea what to do.
Among the Laoda's many lieutenants, he was arguably the most indecisive; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived this long. Weren't the more decisive ones all dealt with at Tong Pass?
The advantage of having subordinates like him is that they won't cause trouble and will do whatever their Laoda says. The disadvantage is that, as things stand, once the leader is gone, he won't have any major ideas of his own. Apart from leading the soldiers back to Jiangnan, he can't think of any other ideas. But if he retreats now and abandons his Laoda, the people below probably won't submit to him.
What should we do?
Just as I was getting anxious, a familiar figure suddenly appeared from a distance.
Tian Yu glanced at the man and immediately recognized him as Chen Baifeng, the current head of the famous Chen Household family in the capital.
The monster holding Tian Heng captive above seemed completely unconcerned about his arrival, remaining motionless, like a statue, while still gripping the heavily injured Tian Heng.
" Lord Chen!" Tian Yu saw Chen Baifeng approaching and quickly ordered his soldiers to escort Chen Baifeng into the military formation. Chen Baifeng glanced at the motionless man, breathed a sigh of relief, and had some guesses.
" General Tian, how have you been?"
" Lord Chen is too kind. How could I dare to call myself a general?" Tian Yu quickly waved his hand, his eyes softening slightly. Chen Baifeng was very courteous and did not look down on warriors like other family sorcerers. Although he was a deputy general, he was originally just a servant of the Tian Household family. Even if he later received a military rank, this identity would not change at its core. Many people from prominent families did not respect him.
The other party is at least outwardly willing to give you face, though it could also be because they have troops.
"I saw His Majesty heading west, so why did Lord Chen part ways with him?" Tian Yu asked curiously.
"Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together," Chen Baifeng said with a gentle smile, without any attempt to hide his true feelings.
"Oh?" Tian Yu was taken aback. He had clearly seen that the elders of the major families in the South Sea had all followed His Majesty. This was understandable; with their lord's fate unknown, His Majesty was currently the strongest force among humans. The South Sea families lacked a military foundation; if they didn't follow His Majesty, were they supposed to follow the demons of the Northern Lands?
But the Chen Household doesn't seem to have that intention; instead, they've come to our side. What exactly are they planning?
" General Tian, what do you think of the current situation?" Chen Baifeng asked, looking at the other party.
If I knew how to read this, would I be standing here dumbfounded?
Tian Yu was speechless, but he was quick to speak, cupping his hands and saying, "Please enlighten me, sir."
Chen Baifeng nodded, glanced at the injured and unconscious Tian Heng in the sky, and said in a low voice, " The Four Saints have descended. The four chosen people will be of great value. Two of them are originally from your Jiangnan. If you can take them back, you will benefit immensely."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Baifeng clearly felt the mysterious man holding Tian Heng hostage glance at him. His eyes were cold and numb, but he made no other move. This made Chen Baifeng even more certain of his guesses.
"Does the master mean we should rob it?" Tian Yu frowned.
At this moment, Tian Heng's fate was unknown, and they were all unable to move. How could they possibly order their soldiers to abandon their commander and rush to rescue him?
"Not for now." Chen Baifeng gazed into the distance and said quietly, "Of the four directions, three have already been chosen by the armies of the major powers. Going to any of them would mean facing the enemy's army head-on. With your commander absent, doing so would be extremely unwise."
Tian Yu nodded. He wouldn't dare to fight any of the other three forces right now.
"What about the fourth direction?" He suddenly realized something. There were no troops stationed in the west. If he sent troops there to guard a region, he could at least gain some advantage, right?
But damn it, what is this monster trying to do?
Tian Yu stared upwards, utterly conflicted.
"Let's wait and see." Chen Baifeng smiled, but this time he didn't speak. Instead, he used telepathy. "The fourth side is the weak point. Commander Tian is currently under control, so you can't act rashly. But in reality, it's an opportunity. After the three forces have secured their bases, the White Tiger Palace will inevitably become a battleground. Once a conflict arises, the situation will change. Since we are currently constrained, it's not advisable for us to take the initiative. Waiting for the right opportunity is the best strategy."
"I see." Tian Yu nodded. Although he didn't have much of an idea, he wasn't stupid either. The other party had gradually switched sides to "us," clearly indicating their intention to pledge allegiance. This Chen Household was interesting; all the other sorcerer families had chosen the emperor's side, yet they represented the Chen Household and wanted to pledge allegiance to Jiangnan?
And what they said is true; given the current situation, it's indeed not suitable for them to take the initiative.
He looked up at the monster again and whispered, "Even if a good opportunity arises, we're probably too immobilized. Could you perhaps offer some advice, sir?"
Chen Baifeng smiled slightly upon hearing this. This Tian Yu was greedy but lacked the courage. He wanted to abandon Tian Heng and grow his own business, but he was afraid of damaging his reputation. He was unlikely to achieve great things. However, Chen Baifeng hadn't come to see him anyway.
"It's really not a problem. How about I go and test the waters?"
"Uh? Sir, no, that guy is formidable." But before he could finish speaking, Chen Baifeng had already flown up using his wind magic, startling Tian Yu so much that his eyelids twitched. However, the other party was going too fast, and he didn't dare to chase after him.
Chen Baifeng is Dragon Transformation sorcerer with true dragon blood, possessing Transcendent physique and ancestral techniques. His current abilities place him among the top tier of powerful individuals in the world. However, he is still far inferior to his Laoda. His Laoda couldn't even withstand ten moves from that mysterious man, albeit a sneak attack. But for someone like Chen Baifeng, going up against him would be like sending himself to his death.
As Chen Baifeng approached, he felt a little nervous. He had a guess, but it might not be right. He had personally witnessed this guy's abilities; if he wanted to kill him, he might not even have a chance to escape.
Therefore, he was the only one who came to gamble. If he guessed wrong, he would ask the head of the Nie Family family to take the rest of his Chen Household out of Cloud Capital and away from the strife.
"Interesting."
A hoarse voice, tinged with cold mockery, turned to Chen Baifeng, the face obscured. "Human. Give me a reason not to kill you."
Chen Baifeng took a deep breath. "Back in that Heavenly Palace, did you have any dealings with me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, an unprecedented chill swept over him, Chen Baifeng almost instinctively closed his eyes. He could feel the difference in their strength at that moment; he couldn't even match the opponent's aura.
How did you guess that?
Amidst the chill, a voice suddenly rang in Chen Baifeng's mind, instantly warming his heart as he stood in the icy Chen Baifeng.
I guessed right!
On the other side, the emperor took the lead and headed towards the North Palace without any hesitation. At this time, he was the only one who dared to split his forces into two groups. The other forces did not make any further moves until they were certain that they had captured at least one of the Four Saints.
This also meant that he almost unsurprisingly took over Shen Yuan, who had been chosen by the White Tiger!
Shen Yuan was still in a daze. He still didn't understand why he had been chosen. Before he could even react, he was already cornered.
Facing the emperor he once admired most, Shen Yuan felt incredibly conflicted.
"It's been a long time," the emperor said, looking at Shen Yuan with a gentle smile. "My second-place scholar, do you still remember what you said to me back then?"
Shen Yuan: "."
Perhaps he had become too comfortable in Jiangnan, and had almost forgotten that he had been instructed by His Majesty the Emperor to go Jiangnan.