Chapter 667: Untitled

In the pitch-black night, Ye Chen walked out of the Bie Yuan, leaving behind Chu Ling'er, who had fallen into a deep sleep.

For some reason, this time as he left the Bie Yuan, Ye Chen felt a heavy heart. Just as Tai Xu Gu Long and Chu Ling'er had sensed, everything he had done for Chu Ling'er seemed like he was tying up loose ends, because he truly wasn't sure if he could return alive.

"Why do you have to do this?" Though Tai Xu Gu Long was asleep and didn't open its eyes, its words lingered in Ye Chen's Shen Hai.

"What are you referring to?" Ye Chen stood tall, his steps steady and firm.

"You are the commander of the three armies; there's no need to put yourself in danger," Tai Xu Gu Long sighed softly. "Since it's a war, people will die. As the commander of the three armies, such actions are a great taboo in military strategy."

"I am the commander of the three armies, and my task isn't to watch the soldiers die, but to do everything in my power to protect their lives," Ye Chen spoke calmly. "I hope they can see the empire we've built together, rather than toasting to their souls at a victory banquet."

"Though I admire your resolve, you should know that acting so impulsively as the commander is irresponsible to the soldiers."

"Long Ye, you're a wise one; you know I'm not acting out of impulse," Ye Chen took a deep breath. "You should realize what a heavy price we'd pay to reclaim Heng Yue with Tong Xuan and the others holding it. Our forces would be exposed, and my advantages would be wiped out. I dare say that if we fight head-on, not a single soldier of the Yan Huang army would make it out of Nan Chu."

"You see it clearly."

"So, I am the lead in this battle, but not the key to the war," Ye Chen smiled. "In Nan Chu, we are the guests, and Heng Yue is the host. Every second we delay this war could lead to the total defeat of Yan Huang. We need a swift victory, and the key to that is luring Tong Xuan and the others out of Heng Yue."

"Kid, you've left me speechless." Tai Xu Gu Long lay back down.

"Then I'm truly honored!" Ye Chen grinned and stepped into the underground palace of Qian Qiu Ancient City.

In the underground palace, dozens of figures stood solemnly, all gathered around a massive map. Though this map was large, compared to the Jiu Zhou Xuan Tian map, it was like child's play. These were all the high-level members of Yan Huang, including Yang Ding Tian and the others. They needed to anticipate any possible emergencies, including destroying the teleportation arrays within tens of thousands of li around Heng Yue Sect.

"How are the preparations going?" Ye Chen walked over slowly, first glancing at the massive map, then turning to the group.

"Over ninety percent of the Yan Huang army has been fully deployed to the nine branches of Heng Yue. At the right time, we'll use the void teleportation arrays of the nine branches to strike at Heng Yue's main headquarters," Zhong Jiang spoke up.

"The teleportation arrays within tens of thousands of li around Heng Yue Sect have all been assigned personnel," Hong Chen Xue said slowly. "If anything goes wrong, we'll destroy them immediately to avoid being surrounded."

"The problem now is that someone on Heng Yue Sect's side needs to activate the void great array for us, otherwise the armies from the nine branches won't be able to get through," Dao Xuan Zhen Ren pondered. "Moreover, activating the void great array at Heng Yue Sect's main headquarters requires the sect leader's token."

Yang Ding Tian frowned. "So, to activate the void teleportation array at Heng Yue's main headquarters, two conditions must be met: first, we need someone to infiltrate Heng Yue Sect; second, and most crucially, we need the Heng Yue sect leader's token."

"Shibo, whose hands is the Heng Yue sect leader's token in?" Ye Chen looked at Yang Ding Tian.

"In Yin Zhi Ping's hands," Yang Ding Tian said with certainty. "The Heng Yue sect leader's token controls the void teleportation arrays between the main headquarters and the nine branches, and it's never entrusted to a second person. So, whoever is the sect leader has the token."

"I see!" Ye Chen stroked his chin, falling into thought. After three to five seconds, he spoke up. "Leave the token to me. I'll send a clone to accompany you all. Once I obtain the token, I'll transmit it through the clone."

"This won't be easy to accomplish!" The group turned to Ye Chen.

"As long as we confirm the token is on him, it's fine," Ye Chen said. "Even if it costs something, it's worth it."

"Still, be careful." The group pondered.

"In that case, you all set out tonight," Ye Chen said. "After Tong Xuan and the others leave Heng Yue, they'll surely activate the mountain-protecting barrier. So, you seniors should infiltrate Heng Yue in advance and lie low. Once I get the token, we'll strike with thunderous force to control Heng Yue's high-level members."

"Before that, let's assign the tasks." Yang Ding Tian flipped out a secret scroll and unfurled it in the air. It was densely packed with names.

"These people all hold great power in Heng Yue," Yang Ding Tian said, pointing to names on the scroll one by one. "To take down Heng Yue in one fell swoop, we need to control everyone on this list immediately, especially Heng Yue's chief intelligence network master Feng Ji. Make sure he doesn't activate the enemy attack prohibition, and also Yun Shan from the Supreme Elder Council."

What followed was the time for task assignment. Yang Ding Tian was very detailed, pointing out each person and describing their cultivation and divine abilities. As Yang Ding Tian pointed out each name, people like Zhong Jiang stepped forward. This way, the assignments were clear and targeted. If they acted at the same time and everything went smoothly, they could control all of Heng Yue's high-level members in less than ten seconds.

Crunch! Crunch!

Meanwhile, Ye Chen watched the whole time, popping pills into his mouth as he did. Over the past two days, he'd expended a lot to enhance Chu Ling'er's physical strength and refine artifacts, so he needed to recover to his peak state as quickly as possible. The most effective way to restore his true essence was by swallowing pills.

On the side, Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren, who had already received their tasks, couldn't help but size up Ye Chen multiple times.

"I say, you've got quite a lot of pills!" The two stroked their chins. In just a few minutes, Ye Chen had swallowed over a hundred pills, with the lowest being three-pattern Ling Dan.

"Dan Sheng, being extravagant," Ye Chen said, popping another into his mouth like candy.

"Shall we beat him up?" Gu San Tong and Wu Ya Dao Ren stroked their beards thoughtfully, nearly pouncing on him in that instant, determined to slap some sense into Ye Chen.

"Old Gu, I've always had a question for you," Ye Chen chewed shamelessly and looked at Gu San Tong. "You're from the same sect as Du Gu Ao, and you're his senior brother, so why is there such a big gap in your combat strength?"

"Pah! Try me a hundred years ago—I could beat him senseless with one hand; you believe that or not?"

"Not really," Ye Chen said, popping another pill.

"I do," Zhong Kui sighed from the side. "A hundred years ago, Old Gu's strength was absolutely in the top ten of Da Chu, while Du Gu Ao couldn't even rank in the top twenty."

"Damn, that impressive?" After Zhong Kui spoke, Ye Chen looked at Gu San Tong with a changed expression.

"You bet," Gu San Tong adjusted his collar, striking a pose like he was the best in the world.

"You didn't know?" Wu Ya Dao Ren glanced at Ye Chen. "A hundred years ago, Gu San Tong lost all his cultivation due to his technique, and his current achievements are from the past century. If we go by his strength from a hundred years ago, Du Gu Ao was nowhere near him."

"Come on, Gu Da Ye, have some pills," Ye Chen quickly grabbed a handful of pills and handed them to Gu San Tong, his attitude shifting dramatically.

"Hmm, that's more like it."