by Fang Xiang
Lin Qian's eyes lit up. "We will secretly support Ming Yue Ye?"
Chao Xin smiled and then shook his head. "No! Ming Yue Ye's wings are not grown yet. Our benefit from supporting her will be limited, and once she is in power, the first thing that she will do is to reorganize the Council of Elders in order to get them to be of one mind, and then bite us."
"Then we will suppress Ming Yue Ye?" Lin Qian asked in response.
"We will support a third faction." Chao Xin was bright with light. "Three factions fighting is a state of equilibrium, and the one able to cause sustained infighting. Also, both the Chief Elder and Ming Yue Ye will need to fight to gain support of the new faction. Most importantly, the third faction would be the weakest faction, and cannot break free of our control."
"Great plan!" Lin Qian sighed.
Chao Xin's excitement settled slightly and he said with a light laugh, "We cannot rush this, and need to plan this slowly. It will probably take five to ten years for it to be effective."
Lin Qian laughed out loud. "I am still young. Ten years, I can even wait even if it is twenty years!"
Chao Xin nodded. "It is not easy for Daren to have such a state of mind."
"Mo Cloud Sea has challenged the Mo Marshal Alliance, Mister, what do you feel they desire?' Lin Qian mentioned another topic.
For some reason, he felt danger from Mo Cloud Sea. He always had a feeling that this little power that was just a few dozen jie would one day become his archenemy. This indescribable feeling of danger always made him extremely wary of Mo Cloud Sea's every move.
It was unexpected to many that Mo Cloud Sea had suddenly started to attack Mo Marshal Alliance.
Chao Xin's brow also furrowed. "It is slightly puzzling. This time, the main commander is Bie Han. This shows how much importance they place on this campaign, it means that it is a big one. Also, it is Bie Han and not Gongsun Chao. This also implies that their aim in the campaign this time is not to attack cities and take over territory, but more akin to rapidly destroying or capturing something. Bie Han's battalions are also puzzling in their movements. Bie Han is definitely disguising their intentions. We most likely will know the aim of a battle general of Bie Han's level only when the battle is finished.
Lin Qian was silent.
———
"Intentions! We need to find their intentions!
Inside the conference hall, Hai Jin Yun's voice echoed. His figure was tall yet thin, his complexion faintly gold, his eyes narrow and long. His cheeks were sunken inwards, his gaze as sharp as a sword and seemed able to penetrate people.
His voice was thin and high pitched, giving people a feeling of metal grinding. At this time, it was filled with great fury.
Hao Jin Yun's temper was easy to set off and he quickly became violent. The subordinates trembled, and the conference room was deathly silent.
Hai Jin Yun forced down the fury inside. He rubbed his forehead. His anger was not directed against his subordinates. He knew their skill level. He was angry at himself as he could not identify Bie Han's intentions.
When he learned that the enemy this time was Bie Han, an unprecedented pressure filled him. However, this had not caused him to collapse but rather stimulated his strong fighting spirit. He felt his blood boil at the thought of fighting against such a top level battle general.
Yet as time went on, the movements of Bie Han's campaigns became even harder to understand.
If they could not find Bie Han's true intentions, he would end up the reactive party. Facing a battle general of Bie Han's level, it was enormously dangerous to be the reactive party.
Several hours passed, and he received an insect message from an old general, Quan Pei. They had encountered Bie Han!
This was not of great surprise to him. He would not be surprised at any action that a battle general like Bie Han would do. Also, from the location of the encounter, Bie Han seemed to just be attacking the reinforcements.
Was Bie Han's goal really Bright Mountain Jie?
He didn't believe it!
But what reassured him slightly was that old general Quan Pei said in the insect message that they were delaying the other by using guerilla tactics against them in order to drag on the battle for them to arrive.
General Quan Pei's seemingly conservative strategy was actually the best in his view. They were fighting on home territory. If they could take up enough time, their advantage would increase like a snowball rolling off the mountain.
Yet eight hours passed, and Hai Jin Yun did not receive any more insect letters from old general Quan Pei.
This unusual situation caused Hai Jin Yun to have a bad feeling. If the situation was normal, Quan Pei's second in command would send an insect message every four hours to report on the state of the battle. There were only two possibilities when there were no messages after eight hours. One was that the battle was so intense that they didn't even have the time to send insect letters. The other possibility was that they had been completely eradicated.
Based on convention, the first possibility was most likely.
Quan Pei was skilled in battle formations. If he decided to enter a battle of attrition by relying on guerilla fighting, he definitely would not be destroyed so easily. It was extremely difficult to exterminate a battalion that had decided to fight in a guerilla fashion, much less finish it in eight hours.
However, as time advanced, Hai Jin Yun's bad feeling increased.
His emotions started to become restless. He tried to put his attention on searching for Bie Han's target. So many dazzling and spectacular actions proved that Bie Han had a clear goal in mind. He was only disguising it.
"Where is Shang Daren?" He suddenly stopped walking and asked.
"Shang Daren has already reached Bright Home Jie, and is about three days away from us," the subordinate hurriedly said.
Hai Jin Yun suddenly stopped walking. There wasn't any restlessness to be seen in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "Set up base here, and wait for Shang Daren!"
Ten hours had already passed … …
Hai Jun Yun knew that the situation he had thought most unlikely probably already became reality.
Translator Ramblings: Politics and more politics.
Chapter 764: Nine Great Dhyana Sects
"Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect!" Zuo Mo's expression was full of unfriendliness. He didn't have any good feelings about this sect who had suddenly attacked them and was said to be completely infiltrated by Tian Huan.
While Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect had taken out a great amount of evidence to prove that the dozen people who had attacked had been expelled from the sect long ago, anyone with eyes could see that this was just an excuse.
"Our goal his time is Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect! It is mission is to settle the accounts from last time. No matter the time, Mo Cloud Sea is not one that would swallow and remain silent when someone bullies us."
Zuo Mo's words immediately aroused similar feelings in the group.
"Motherf***er! A little Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect dare to target us? They don't want to live!"
"We will beat them up! Beat the up completely! Beat them until they kneel and beg for mercy!"
The large hall was immediately full of fury. People from Mo Cloud Sea never feared anything. They had fought against Kun Lun and Tian Huan. They were proud and found it hard to tolerate a little faction like Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect attacking them.
"However, since they dare scheme against us, then we will play with them. Everyone, prepare, we will depart tomorrow. We will make them understand why we dare to challenge Kun Lun and Tian Huan while they can only play with mud in the corner!'
Zuo Mo's domineering announcement caused everyone's blood to boil.
Soon, Zuo Mo started to pick people. The ones chosen were happy and the ones that weren't had displeased expressions. Soon, Zuo Mo picked out an elite team of about fifty people.
It was not an exaggeration to say they were elite. Just looking at the membership of the team, it was possibl
e to see how grand the composition was.
Zuo Mo, A Gui, Wei Sheng, Zong Ru, Luo Li, Ceng Lian'er … …
He had picked almost all of the top experts of Mo Cloud Sea. The other people were also ones that had followed Zuo Mo for many years. They were loyal to the point they could use their bodies to block a blow for Zuo Mo. Other than this, Zuo Mo also took along the Lil' Ones that had just finished levelling up.
Zuo Mo did not worry about the safety of Mo Cloud Sea at all. Lil' Miss was in charge of Cloud Sea Jie, and the great majority of the transportation formations were closed. While it had affected their business activities, it also caused Mo Cloud Sea's security to reach an unprecedented level. Right now, Mo Cloud Sea was truly a turtle hiding in its hard shell.
The ambush from Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect caused Zuo Mo to be full of anger.
On the surface, Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect's attitude was very friendly. They apologized and also agreed to recompense them. If he led battalions to attack Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect when they had this kind of attitude, it was easy to cause all of the Nine Great Dhyana Sects to start fighting with Mo Cloud Sea.
Zuo Mo was still hoping that the Nine Great Dhyana Sect would be Mo Clous Sea's shield. It was not profitable to start fighting due to one Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect. Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect was fearless because they knew this. There was nothing to criticize on the surface.
Little Mo Ge was never one that was generous. His style was to always retaliate for any slights.
Since they could not fight in the open, they would fight in the shadows.
For the leaders of the other factions, they could not avoid feeling slightly repulsed by these types of schemes. But for Zuo Mo, this was what he was truly skilled in.
Purely based on power, Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect was not a match for Zuo Mo, but this time, they were playing in the dark. Wei Sheng, Zong Ru, Luo Li, they were all astoundingly powerful, and each of them could do things like kill people and defeat cities, but it was difficult for them to scheme.
The one that was most skilled in scheming was undoubtedly Zuo Mo. Without his direction, this would not succeed.
The Nine Great Dhyana Sect had always had a close relationship to Mo Cloud Sea and the two sides had active business activity. The Nine Great Dhyana Sects had vast territories, and were abundant in resources. Mo Cloud Sea's shen equipment was something that the Nine Great Dhyana Sects needed.
The transportation formations between Mo Cloud Sea and the Nine Great Dhyana Sect were one of the few transportation formations that were still in use.
The inspection at the transportation formation was strict, but for Zuo Mo and the others, people that could see through their disguises would definitely not appear at the transportation formation.
Without needing any great effort, they successfully entered the Nine Great Dhyana Sects.
When they entered the land of the Nine Great Dhyana Sects, the scenery was completely different than that of Mo Cloud Sea. Both the buildings and the people around gave them a different feeling.
Dhyana xiu revered secret paradises and little islands could be seen floating everywhere. They were also some Dhyana xiu that built the temples on top of lucky clouds. There were many temples, and the sound of bells and chanting were everywhere. In the streets, what was most common were the Dhyana xiu dressed in robes of all colors, walking about barefoot and bald. They held staffs, wooden fishes, had peaceful expressions. Some were half-naked, their bodies like metal. These people usually had stern expressions, and their steps were powerful.
Dhyana xiu were rare in Mo Cloud Sea. It was the first time that everyone had seen so many Dhyana xiu and all of them found it interesting.
The group disguised themselves as a merchant group. In order to not attract any attention, the manager and attendants were all real and experienced ones. They frequently entered the Nine Great Dhyana Sect and were experienced.
"When Xuan Kong Temple had been here, this place was even more prosperous." The steward next to Zuo Mo said emotionally, "In that period of time when Xuan Kong Temple fell, all of Xuan Kong Realm was quiet. They have just recovered some vitality after development in these years. This place only became prosperous again because it has a transportation formation that is connected to Mo Cloud Sea."
"Which sect does this place belong to?" Zuo Mo asked curiously.
"Thunder Sound Temple," The steward hurriedly responded. He knew that Zuo Mo did not know much about the Nine Great Dhyana Sects and introduced in detail, "The Thunder Sound Sect is first among the Nine Great Dhyana Sects. The best battle general of the Nine Great Dhyana Sects is Yang Yuan Hao, also of Thunder Sound Sect. The development in its territory is the best, and it is the safest."
"Yang Yuan Hao!" Zuo Mo couldn't help but still when he heard this name. Yang Yuan Hao was the strongest battle general that the Nine Great Dhyana Sect created in recent years, and was the true pillar holding up the Nine Great Dhyana Sects.
The reason that Zuo Mo thought that the Nine Great Dhyana Sect qualified to be the barrier that could stop Kun Lun was the existence of Yang Yuan Hao. The Nine Great Dhyana Sects that had Yang Yuan Hao was not at the same level as a Nine Great Dhyana Sects that did not have a Yang Yuan Hao. If they did not have Yang Yuan Hao, Zuo Mo would be the first to attack the Nine Great Dhyana Sects and swallow it before Kun Lun and Tian Huan.
Zuo Mo suddenly had a thought. If there was a chance, he wanted to meet this person that was one of the most important pillars of the Nine Great Dhyana Sects.
He did not worry about Yang Yuan Hao's enmity and wariness of Mo Cloud Sea. That could not be avoided. Yet Zuo Mo believed that Yang Yuan Hao could see the dilemma that the Nine Great Dhyana Sects were under. Compared to Kun Lun and Tian Huan, Mo Cloud Sea was undoubtedly a better ally.
The Nine Great Dhyana Sect did not have many choices.
"Where is Yang Yuan Hao now?" Zuo Mo asked.
The steward had a strained expression. "This one does not know. We do not dare to search for information like this."
Zuo Mo smiled. The steward was right. He had assumed too much. He changed the topic. "How much longer until we can reach Heat Leaf Dhyana Sect's territories?"
The steward said respectfully, "If we use transportation formations, it will be about twenty or more days."
Zuo Mo couldn't help but gape. More than twenty days even with transportation formations, that was really far. Zuo Mo decided that before they got to Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect, they would not make any trouble.
But after flying for two days, Zuo Mo and the others detected people keeping watch over them.
The observers were well concealed, and they had switched people in the process. If it wasn't that the people present were all experts, it most likely would be difficult to detect it.
Zuo Mo did not attack. He pointed at the secret observers and asked the steward, "Do you know where they are from?"
The steward made a careful examination. His expression changed slightly and he said in a low voice, "They are from Thunder Sound Sect!"
"Thunder Sound Sect!" Zuo Mo was slightly surprised. Had they exposed themselves somewhere? Otherwise, Thunder Sound Sect would not have found them no matter how strong they were. Zuo Mo was very confident in his disguises.
"Definitely! Daren, notice the thunder scripts at their wrists, that is a trait unique to Thunder Sound Sects. Only those that cultivate the Thunder Sound Shen Methodology will have this kind of thunder script." The steward introduced in a low voice, and then asked, "Daren, what do you want to do?"
Zuo Mo thought and then said, "Pretend not to have found them, we will continue to do what we do."
"Yes!" The steward responded. Then a hint of worry rose in his eyes. He had travelled this path countless times and it was the first time he encountered a situation like this.
The observers changed shifts several times. Zuo Mo and the others pretended to be ignorant, and travelled as usual.
Only five days later, when Zuo Mo and the others were about to leave the t
erritories of Thunder Sound Temple were they stopped. They were not the only ones. Many ships had been stopped at the border.
"Disciples of Thunder Sound Temple are here on orders to do an inspection. Many thanks for your cooperation."
The voice of a Thunder Sound disciples spread.
Dozens of Thunder Sound disciples danced in the air. They wore shen equipment and seemed as though they were facing a great enemy. Some of the disciples had staffs that flashed with light and could attack at any moment.
"Big Brother, what has happened here, this has never occurred before!" The steward was smart and immediately went over to inquire.
"Who knows! It started a few days ago, I heard that thing was lost. That person's really daring to dare to steal from Thunder Sound Temple." The one that spoke was a middle-aged person who had a weathered face.
"Yeah, but we are the ones that lose out, this delays us," another person said.
The middle-aged person shook his head and said, "Just cooperate and it will be fine. The disciples of Thunder Sound Sect are slightly domineering but they are disciplined. They won't take anything or delay us unnecessarily. If this is on Heart Leaf Dhyana Sect's territory, don't think about getting out unless you bleed a bit."
"Oh, the disciples of Thunder Sound Temple are this disciplined?" Zuo Mo inserted.
"The bigger sects like Thunder Sound Sect, Lotus Sutra Temple, they are all disciplined. Those little sects are not," the middle-aged person explained.
At this time, the Thunder Sound Temple disciple that stared at Zuo Mo flew towards another disciple in the air and whispered.
That disciple immediately turned to look at Zuo Mo's group. He beckoned to a few others that landed around Zuo Mo, and surrounded his group.
