This Chessboard Is Mine to Command!

Yun Du smiled bitterly, quite unwilling, and paced back and forth by the Thunder Pool.

"Brother Shi, in the northern part of Abundant Prefecture, we have spent decades developing, establishing branch altars, setting up immortal cities, building thirty-six wards, and several third-tier Spirit Vein."

"With this commotion in the North Sea, are we really just going to hand it over like this?"

"The Nascent Soul True Lord of the Supreme Purity Sect are determined to abandon us. What can a Golden Core Abbot do?"

Yun Du was unwilling to accept this, muttering to himself, "That was a massive amount of resources. This time, the sea monsters have swept through, leaving nothing but barren land."

"Once they retreat, that area will probably take decades, even centuries, to recover. It's truly... sigh~"

"That's enough, that's enough."

Shi Jian, however, didn't seem to care, saying, "We can find ways to obtain resources later; it's just a temporary loss."

"If you lose your life, you lose everything."

"Now that the Supreme Purity Sect has set the tone of sacrificing the pawn to save the king, we should follow suit."

Yun Du was speechless, opened his mouth, but was unable to refute.

"Pass down the order."

Shi Jian gave him no time to think, "Contract the defenses of the branch altars in various places, activate the sect's protective formation, order all disciples to stay home, inventory the warehouses, and prepare for war."

"Go forth, for the national war is about to begin."

Yun Du opened his mouth, then finally sighed, cupped his hands in farewell, and left, his back slightly hunched, his spirits greatly diminished.

As soon as Yun Du left, Shi Pan said, "Ancestor, Yun Du is still just a human; you can't see through him completely."

"It's not that he can't see through it, it's that he can't bear to let go."

Shi Jian stood up, his massive body crackling with lightning. "Among Human Race cultivators, there are those who are righteous and awe-inspiring, and there are those who are selfish and self-serving."

"Yun Du, on the other hand, takes the gains and losses of the White Cloud Temple's lineage too seriously. A difference in spiritual level naturally leads to a different perspective."

He understands a lot, but he never says it out loud.

"He cared too much about White Cloud Temple and was too protective of his reputation. Such a person's life ends here."

Shi Jian walked to the edge of the cliff, stood on the peak, and looked down at the entire Cloud Sword Mountain Range.

This beast tide was exactly what he had been seeking.

He wished the chaos would intensify, ideally causing a complete upheaval, so he could use it to reshuffle the deck and gain further advantage.

The White Crane is about to Nascent Soul Formation, and the commotion is immense.

If the world is at peace, the Nascent Soul monsters of the Human Race will surely notice and obstruct our progress.

Now, the sea monsters have launched attacks from three directions, plunging Liang Kingdom into chaos. Wei Kingdom is preoccupied with its own problems, and all thirteen Nascent Soul of the Supreme Purity Sect are pinned to their respective chessboards.

Who has the time to deal with a bird that's breaking through deep in the mountains and forests?

At that time, all parties will hinder it.

Perhaps the Nascent Soul monsters all have their own chessboards to manipulate, and Shi Jian is simply opening another game among many chessboards.

To secure a glimmer of hope for his Demon Race race!

"Shi Pan."

"Exist!"

"Order all demon factions," Shi Jian said in a chilling tone, "Dark Gold, Lightning Bear, Boulder, Frost and Snow, and Primordial Five Demons, enter battle preparation."

"The Wind Rat and Black Dog Line have deployed all their spies, and simultaneously sent messages to their hidden agents embedded within various Human Race factions."

"Wait for the right opportunity to turn against them."

"A separate message was sent to the thirty-six tribes of Beast Pasturing Mountain, instructing them to be on standby at any time, when the beast hordes rise from the mountains and take over the Ming Province Northern Protectorate."

"The world is about to descend into chaos; the time for feasting is fast approaching."

"I will obey the ancestral decree!"

Shi Pan accepted the order and withdrew, his eyes burning with fervor. For so many years, this great chaos was about to erupt, and it was also the time for his Bear Clan to rise to power!

A storm is brewing; heaven and earth grieve together.

Abundant Prefecture, the Evil Water Marsh.

What was once a prosperous place has now been transformed into a blood-red swamp.

The towering waves crashed against the coastal cities and towns, and tens of thousands of sea creatures surged onto the land.

Before mortals could even scream, they were dragged into the water by the serrated monster fish, their blood staining the rivers red, and severed limbs bobbing up and down with the waves.

Damn it!

"My life is not meant to end!"

A Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was flying away on his sword when a strange serpent with wings suddenly leaped out of the water before he had flown more than a hundred feet.

He bit it in half at the waist, chewed it in mid-air, and blood rained down.

Corpses lay strewn across the fields, and for miles, not a single rooster crowed.

This is the plight of ordinary people under the crushing power of the world. In the struggle between the Nascent Soul stage monster and the Shapeshifting Demon King, mortals are like weeds, and low-level cultivators are like ants.

No one cares about the cries of ants.

In the eyes of those in power, this was merely a trivial war of attrition, a number that could be settled with blood and flesh...

Humans use demons as elixirs, and demons feed on humans; both are food.

Half a month later, a transfer order was issued from the Supreme Purity Sect and flew into the various protectorates of the Clear Blue Kingdom, conveying the order to all forces.

White Cloud Temple, Main Peak Hall.

Yun Du held the Jade Slip that emitted a purple light, his expression shifting constantly.

"Abbot, what did the Supreme Purity Sect say?"

Lu Xun stood to the side and asked in a deep voice. He was now Golden Core True Person and had come to discuss matters on behalf of the Azure Light Gate...

Yun Du's voice was hoarse, and his face was full of helplessness. "The upper sect has issued an order, commanding all the protectorates within the Clear Blue Kingdom to immediately dispatch 70% of their elite disciples to the eastern front and garrison troops on the Liang Kingdom's border."

"As for my White Cloud Temple, it needs to send two Golden Core cultivators to the eastern front."

A commotion broke out inside the main hall.

"The eastern front? The sirens are in the south and north, what would they do on the eastern front?"

Some elders below asked in confusion, but Lu Xun, seeing through everything, sneered, "Don't you understand yet?"

"The Supreme Purity Sect is trying to take advantage of the chaos. Liang Kingdom is in complete disarray, with the three major sects being held back by Devil Cultivator, and the East Sea Demon Race putting pressure on them as well."

"The Supreme Purity Sect's move is an attempt to swallow the Liang Kingdom whole!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and their expressions varied.

Yun Du gripped the Jade Slip slip tightly and turned to look in the direction of Purple Firmament Peak.

For such important matters, he had to consult Shi Jian. The White Cloud Temple was no longer his personal temple; all major decisions required his approval.

Half an hour later, Yun Du ascended Purple Firmament Peak.

Upon hearing the transfer order, a glint of shrewdness flashed in Shi Jian's Dark Gold eyes.

This is truly divine intervention!

"Since it is the decree of the Supreme Purity Sect, White Cloud Temple should naturally comply."

Shi Jian said calmly, "Brother Yun, you will personally lead the team, taking all 70 Human Race disciples in the temple, as well as Golden Core cultivators like Sun Chengzu and Lu Xun, to the eastern front for garrisoning."

Yun Du was taken aback. "Me leading the team? Then who will guard the sect?"

"I will take care of it."

Shi Jian stared at him. "What, Brother Yun, don't you trust me?"

That faint, almost imperceptible Nascent Soul Divine Sense suddenly pressed down, causing Yun Du to catch his breath and quickly lower his head:

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

"But with this departure, the sect is left empty..."

"The sect has a protective formation, and I myself am stationed to oversee all directions."

Shi Jian said without room for argument, "Go. Perform well on the eastern front, seize as many resources as possible, and use them to make up for the losses in the south."

"But please remember, Brother Yun, don't be the first to charge in and become cannon fodder."

Yun Du a bitter smile, having no choice but to accept the order.

Three days later.

Above the Cloud Sword Mountain Range, ten enormous psionic flying boats were lined up in a row.

Yun Du stood at the bow of the main ship, looking down at the mountain gate, feeling uneasy, sensing that something big was about to happen.

Moreover, this withdrawal almost took away all of White Cloud Temple's elite Human Race.

Those left behind, apart from a few old, weak, sick, and disabled, were all from various Demon Beast races. How could he feel at ease with this situation, yet he was helpless?

"Set off!"

At Yun Du's command, the flying boat soared into the sky, transforming into ten streaks of light that disappeared into the eastern horizon...

At the Purple Firmament Peak.

Shi Jian stood on the edge of the cliff, watching the flying boat disappear into the distance.

The entire Cloud Sword Mountain Range fell completely silent. With the Human Race cultivators gone, this place became the true stronghold of the Demon Race race.

"Ancestor, they've gone far away." Shi Pan walked up behind him.

Let's close the mountain.

"Yes, Ancestor!"