Conspiring to Strike First!
"The Giant Bear Clan, Shan Yue."
Shan Yue led the group to a clearing at the bottom of the valley, and bowed to all directions as a greeting.
The three Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation, Chi Gang, headed straight for the Kui Lang Clan and whispered a few words to the leading Nascent Late Spirit Transformation.
Shi Jian stood with his hands behind his back, his purple-gold vertical pupils sweeping over the crowd in the valley.
Forty-two Nascent Spirit Transformation, from various forces including the six royal families and the Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan; this is the Spirit Transformation power that the Beast Realm has invested in the Dao Realm.
Among the Nine Realms, various forces have been laying out their plans in the Dao Realm for many years; but the only one capable of investing forty-two Nascent Spirit Transformation in one go is probably the Beast Realm.
The reason is simple: the Beast Realm is guarded by the Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan, which has one Dao Embryo and three Dao Venerable. Its foundation is unparalleled in the Nine Realms, making it one of the top forces in the Nine Realms.
Each of the six royal families possesses Dao Venerable lineage, and their number of Spirit Transformation is among the highest in the world.
Although the Human Race occupies the Human Realm, the lineage of Dao of Refinement is scattered, with each race and sect not subordinate to the others; moreover, this great path of Dao of Refinement only has four stages.
It is naturally weaker than the Five Elements and Yin-Yang.
The Great Way also has different levels; the more branches a path has, the more complete it is, and the stronger its influence on the world!
The strongest is the Yin-Yang Dao, which has a total of six fruit positions.
Secondly, there are the Five Elements, each corresponding to one of the Five Paths of Enlightenment.
Next is the Great Dao with four stages of fruition, and finally, there is the Void Dao with only one stage, or two or three stages of fruition.
If we were to truly compare strengths, the Beast Realm would undoubtedly rank among the top in the Nine Realms.
At that moment, the giant, earthen-yellow ape in the center of the valley slowly opened its vertical pupils.
The Shan Yue once mentioned this demon, named Yuan Bugui, who was Late Spirit Transformation of the Ape Emperor Lineage. He was a famous general under the Ape King and cultivated the [Heaven-Shaking Strength] Immortal Foundation, which was below the Ultimate Force Dao Fruit. He had three Immortal Foundation in his body.
He belongs to the same path as Cang Wuji, and even their cultivation of Immortal Foundation is quite similar.
Yuan Bugui's voice was deep and resonant, like a drum. "Now that everyone is here, I, Ape, will take it upon myself to speak on behalf of the Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan."
He stood up, his Dao of Strength slightly radiating outwards; though restrained, it still caused several Early Spirit Transformation around him to subtly change their expressions.
"You all know why we've gathered here today." Yuan Bugui's gaze swept over the crowd in the valley, unhurried and composed.
"The origin of Dao Venerable Liyuan is declining, and the Giant Beast Clan is shrinking its forces to protect its core; its outer territories are empty, and its Spirit Transformation troops are extremely thin."
"The intention of the Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan and the various royal families is to take this opportunity to eliminate the Spirit Transformation on the outer perimeter of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan one by one, weakening their strength as much as possible."
"The more they kill, the fewer bargaining chips they'll have to compete for when the Treasured Earth Dao Fruit becomes vacant."
Yuan Bugui speaks very directly, without beating around the bush at all.
The valley fell silent for a moment.
The giant wolf of the Kui Lang Clan, a Late Spirit Transformation, spoke, its voice hoarse. "How many Nascent Spirit Transformation remain on the outer perimeter of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan?"
Yuan Bugui raised his hand, and a light screen appeared in his palm; on the light screen was a rough map marked with several light dots.
"It has been learned that nine Nascent Spirit Transformation are currently stationed on the outer perimeter of the Giant Beast Clan, guarding four key locations."
"There are two Nascent Spirit Transformation each in the east and north directions; three Nascent Spirit Transformation in Fang Yi; and finally, two Middle Spirit Transformation in one area on the south side."
Yuan Bugui to the nearest point of light on the map.
"The closest stronghold to here is in the west; three Nascent Spirit Transformation are stationed there, one of whom is in the Late Spirit Transformation, guarding the Treasured Radiance Mountain Range."
"With the combined power of our forty-two Nascent Spirit Transformation, devouring these three is merely a matter of turning our hands."
Cang Wuji sneered from the corner, "Forty-two against three, that's just too much of a bully."
Yuan Bugui's expression remained unchanged. "Killing someone isn't a martial arts contest, what's the point of fairness?"
Cang Wuji grinned, but didn't say anything more.
Shi Jian, however, had other plans in mind. With forty-two Nascent Spirit Transformation coming out in full force, the commotion was bound to be significant; no matter how much the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan retreated, they couldn't possibly be completely oblivious to the surrounding area.
The real question is, how will the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan react after this battle?
He didn't ask the question aloud. Because what Yuan Bugui next provided the answer.
"Yuan Bugui with a grim expression. "The Peak and Mountain Imperial Clan's intention is to launch a simultaneous attack from four directions."
"The forty-two Spirit Transformation are divided into four groups."
"Each group of ten will launch a simultaneous surprise attack on the four outposts of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan at the same time."
"Attack and retreat quickly, don't give them time to reinforce."
The atmosphere in the valley suddenly became more tense.
A simultaneous attack from four directions—this tactic is ruthless, but also risky.
This attack is far more complex than simply an attack.
If a particular route encounters resistance exceeding expectations, it may become embroiled in a fierce battle; and if the dozen or so Nascent Spirit Transformation from the core area of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan were to come to its aid in full force, the route that is held back would be trapped like a turtle in a jar.
Secondly, the number of Spirit Transformation in the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan should be more than this; there should also be hidden Spirit Transformation and vassals.
Finally, there are other forces from various sectors that may be lurking in the shadows.
Therefore, it seems that each route is overwhelming in numbers, and when it comes to the final operation, there will likely be many difficulties.
With a calm expression, Shan Yue asked, "How should we split up?"
Yuan Bugui's gaze swept over the crowd, his finger pointing at each point on the map.
"The first route, led by the Ape Emperor Lineage, consists of eight Nascent Spirit Transformation, attacking the north."
"The second force, Kui Lang and Red Scale, joined forces, with eleven Nascent Spirit Transformation, to attack the eastern waters."
"The third force, consisting of the Tiger Emperor and the Black Eagle, with twelve Nascent Spirit Transformation, is attacking the fortress to the west, which is guarded by three Nascent Spirit Transformation."
His finger finally landed on the light spot to the south.
"And the fourth route..."
Yuan Bugui's gaze fell upon the group of people from the Shan Yue.
"The Giant Bear Clan, leading eleven Nascent Spirit Transformation from its vassal clans, is attacking the south."
Shi Jian's purple-gold vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
The stronghold to the west is overseen by two Middle Spirit Transformation.
Of the four routes, the western route had the strongest opponent, consisting of a Late Spirit Transformation and two mid-stage cultivators. Therefore, twelve Nascent Spirit Transformation joined forces with the Tiger Emperor and the Black Eagle clans.
On the southern route, there are two Middle Spirit Transformation, which doesn't seem to be the most dangerous.
However, among the Giant Bear Clan, only Shan Yue and Cang Wuji Late Spirit Transformation, while the rest are mostly at the early stage. Overall, their strength is not the strongest among all the clans.
Shan Li frowned slightly.
This division seems fair, but in reality, it puts the Giant Bear Clan in a delicate position, neither the safest nor the most dangerous path.
Just the right amount of time, making the Giant Bear Clan exert themselves and bleed, but not so much that they were swallowed whole.
The scheming among the various royal families was everywhere.
Shi Jian didn't think much of it, and simply asked, "When will we make our move?"
Upon Yuan Bugui looked over.
"Three days later, at dawn."
"The four routes will depart simultaneously, arriving at their respective strongholds by Chen Shi (7-9 AM), and will launch their attack at the same time."
He surveyed the crowd in the valley, his voice deep and resonant.
"The Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan has occupied the Dao Realm for ten thousand years, and all the Nascent Spirit Transformation in the clan are extraordinary individuals; you must all go all out and finish this battle quickly."
"The longer it drags on, the greater the variables will become."
The forty-two Spirit Transformation in the valley remained silent in response.
Shi Jian withdrew his gaze, his purple-gold vertical pupils looking towards the southern horizon.
In the far distance, the extremely weakened aura of Dao Venerable Liyuan was slowly pulsating; like a heart about to be extinguished, each beat weaker than the last.
Surrounding this dying heart are countless hungry mouths.
Shi Jian transmitted his voice to Yuan Bugui, asking, "Have you found out what kind of Immortal Foundation those two Middle Spirit Transformation to the south are cultivating?"
Yuan Bugui unmoved and calmly replied, "One cultivates [Vast and Broad Earth], the other cultivates [High Ramparts and Peace]; both are at the Immortal Foundation below the Treasured Earth Dao Fruit."
Shi Jian's lips twitched slightly.
The Treasured Earth Immortal Foundation are perfect; as long as we kill them, the Dao fragments we seize can be used by Shan Li.
Three days later.
Shi Jian muttered to himself, hoping that everything would go smoothly in this battle.
The situation in the world is unpredictable, and he doesn't want to be caught off guard; moreover, various races are secretly watching, and this time the Beast Realm took the lead in launching an attack.
It's uncertain how many will emerge unscathed.