Deliberations

"Not bad, 2040 points, ranked first."

Shen Qingwu glanced at the token at Su Ying's waist, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What a pity! He's just a little bit worse than me."

The token on her waist clearly showed 2048 points.

Su Ying did not answer.

She was thinking of Lu Feng.

I wonder what the situation is like at Severed Cloud Pass?

Was he injured?

There are also scout warriors on Starfall Plain who can transmit battle reports back to the rear.

But at other checkpoints, it takes anywhere from three to five days to a week to get news.

Meanwhile, in a council hall in the rear city.

Great Grandmaster such as Xiao Tianqi, Song Xuanji, Qin Bailian, and Zhao Changgeng sat on either side.

At the head of the table sat a burly middle-aged man.

What's remarkable is that this person, in the prime of his life, had a full head of white hair.

He is none other than Wu Qingfeng, the head of the Western Demon-Slaying Bureau Si Zheng, who recently broke through to the Celestial Person Realm.

"Now that Starfall Plain and Severed Cloud Pass have the support of talented disciples from various departments, these two passes are not only impregnable, but the pressure on other passes has also been greatly reduced," Qin Bailian said loudly.

"But relying solely on defense will ultimately lead to a passive position."

Song Xuanji picked up the conversation, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"No one can say for sure when the monsters will launch a large-scale attack, or even cause a beast tide."

"If we do not find a way to improve our strength and take the initiative, we will suffer incalculable losses once the beast tide arrives."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"Brother Song is right."

Wu Qingfeng nodded, his gaze falling on Song Xuanji.

"What suggestions does Brother Song have?"

Song Xuanji didn't say much, but took out a map of Yongzhou from his bosom and spread it on the table.

Large areas were marked with cinnabar on the map; those were lands already occupied by demonic beasts.

At the boundary between this vermilion and the white that has not yet fallen, there is a thin blue line, which is the entire defensive line that the West City Demon-Slaying Bureau is currently relying on.

The checkpoints were marked on the blue lines in tiny, neat characters.

"Please take a look, everyone."

Song Xuanji's finger traced across the map.

"Canglan City, Yangshang Town, and Lenggu Town have fallen into the hands of demonic beasts. From there, we have five passes that need to be defended."

His finger stopped at the very center of the blue line. "Other passes, even if breached, would only result in the loss of a portion of the outer perimeter. But Severed Cloud Pass is different; behind Severed Cloud Pass lies Shouyun City."

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing.

The three characters "Shouyun City" are clearly marked on the map, located less than a hundred miles behind Severed Cloud Pass.

Further south lay vast stretches of undefended plains and towns.

"Once Severed Cloud Pass falls, Shouyun City is lost, the demonic beasts will be able to advance unimpeded into the heart of Yongzhou."

"At that point, they can attack in any direction, and our defensive line will become nothing but a piece of paper."

"By then, even if other states send reinforcements, it will be very difficult to drive them back."

The group crowded forward to examine the map closely, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

Only Wu Qingfeng above remained expressionless, clearly indicating that he already knew the answer to this question.

"Brother Song is right," Wu Qingfeng said slowly.

"Not only Severed Cloud Pass, Fallen Star Plain is equally crucial."

His finger landed on a plain west of Severed Cloud Pass:

"Once Falling Fallen Star Plain, the demonic beasts can bypass Severed Cloud Pass from the flank and strike directly from behind. At that point, they will attack from both sides, and Severed Cloud Pass will fall without a fight."

Everyone looked at the map again, and it was indeed so.

Fallen Star Plain and Severed Cloud Pass are strategically positioned, and if either one is breached, the other will be unable to withstand the attack.

"So that's why Si Zheng divided the disciples of the five cities into two places," Qin Bailian said with sudden realization.

Wu Qingfeng didn't reply, but turned his gaze to Song Xuanji:

"Brother Song, you've brought your junior apprentice Zhao along today; you must have something on your mind. Why don't you speak frankly?"

Song Xuanji did not refuse, and said frankly, "Very few people know that Zhao Changgeng has broken through to the Great Grandmaster level, and the demonic beasts on the other side are even less likely to know."

"I want him to secretly launch a surprise attack on a territory occupied by a demonic beast."

"It's not sustainable to keep getting beaten down; we have to take the initiative and throw a punch eventually."

Upon hearing this, a hint of interest appeared on everyone's faces.

Continuing to defend passively will only lead to increasing casualties. If we can destroy one of the enemy's strongholds, it will not only relieve the pressure but also disrupt the monsters' deployment.

However, Qin Bailian shook his head. "Brother Song, you are unaware of this. The leader of this invading demonic beast is a sixth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor. Its strength is unfathomable."

"Si Zheng fought it once after breaking through to the Celestial Person Realm. According to Si Zheng's assessment, at least two to three Celestial Person Realm would need to attack simultaneously to suppress this White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor."

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious. "Even if we manage to seize a territory through a sneak attack, we won't be able to hold it. If the monsters retaliate, we'll be bogged down there."

Silence fell over the hall once more.

Everyone stared at the map, their brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"We do have two Celestial Person Realm," Song Xuanji said thoughtfully.

"The real fear is that the demonic beast may still be hiding a trump card, or there may be more than one sixth-tier Demon Emperor."

"If we get bogged down on the front lines, the other battlefields will be even more dangerous."

"No need!"

Wu Qingfeng stood up and walked to the map.

His gaze fell on the forest outside Severed Cloud Pass, paused for a moment, and then turned to the crowd.

"I have a solution."

"Brother Wu, please speak," everyone said in unison.

"As far as I know, that White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor has a legitimate son. He has a fourth-level cultivation level and is currently outside Severed Cloud Pass."

Wu Qingfeng lightly tapped his finger outside Severed Cloud Pass.

"Si Zheng's idea is to have the people at the front find a way to lure out this fourth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger."

Everyone was taken aback.

Lu Qingshan was the first to come to his senses, and frowned as he said:

"Does the Si Zheng mean to use this fourth-tier tiger demon to blackmail the White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor?"

Not entirely.

Wu Qingfeng shook his head, his gaze turning cold.

"I intend to kill it directly."

His tone was calm, but everyone present could sense the weight behind it.

Killing the direct descendant of the sixth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor would be tantamount to thoroughly enraging that tiger king.

This is a risky move.

"Kill him directly? Wouldn't that drive the White-Foreheaded Tiger Emperor mad?!"

Qin Bailian blurted out, his tone full of disbelief.

"That's exactly what we want—for it to be crazy," Wu Qingfeng repeated, his voice not loud.

Before anyone could ask further questions, he raised his hand and pointed to the location of Severed Cloud Pass on the map, his finger slowly tracing the mountain range outwards.

"According to my information, the fourth-tier White-Foreheaded Tiger outside Severed Cloud Pass is waiting for an opportunity to break through the Severed Cloud Pass."

"Once Severed Cloud Pass is breached, it will definitely enter the fray in person. At that time, have Junior Nephew Zhao lie in wait inside the pass. When it appears, kill it in one fell swoop."

The hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at each other, their expressions grim.

"To kill a fourth-tier demonic beast, you're willing to sacrifice the entire Severed Cloud Pass?"

Xiao Tianqi had remained silent until now, finally frowned.

"Brother Wu understands the importance of Severed Cloud Pass better than anyone. I'm afraid I don't see how this price is worth it."

The others remained silent, but their expressions clearly conveyed the same meaning.

To trade a crucial point that could determine the survival of the entire defense line for the life of a fourth-tier demonic beast.

This is a bad deal no matter how you look at it.