"Report!"

At that moment, a messenger rushed in, announcing loudly:

"Twelve thousand troops from the southern tribes, along with disaster beasts of various clans, are advancing toward Greenwood City. They’re moving fast—no more than half an hour until they reach the city walls."

Qu Sheng furrowed his brows. "Notify all battalions to man the walls immediately. Dispatch logistics troops to deploy weapons and equipment—every last one of them must go."

Orders were swiftly relayed by dozens of personal guards.

Defense Commander Wu Lang voiced his confusion:

"Commander, do we really need that many people to transport the equipment?"

Maintaining Greenwood Camp’s basic structure was already a struggle, let alone handling the weapons—some more precious than human lives. Without imperial support, they couldn’t possibly afford to use them.

"Young Hero Li sent—"

Ahem!

An unknown, wife-fortune-boosting battle spirit coughed pointedly.

Qu Sheng corrected himself, "Ah, I mean, Young Hero Li led me to accidentally discover an arsenal from the previous dynasty. It’s filled with pristine killing tools, all gleaming like new."

"?"

A flurry of question marks popped up above the generals’ heads.

Commander, are you even listening to yourself?

A previous dynasty’s arsenal? Gleaming like new?

But seeing Young Hero Li’s dead-serious expression, none of them were fools. Even if Li Mo had provided the weapons, was that something to admit?

Found. They had to be "found."

"Young Hero Li is truly heaven’s chosen, stumbling upon such treasures!"

"This is divine will—the heavens themselves wish for our victory!"

"Fine weapons are one thing, but the enemy is almost here. Can we deploy them all in such a rush?"

Weapons weren’t so easily arranged. Take the Skyward Barrier Stones, for instance—even with enough mystic crystals, covering the entire wall would take at least two hours.

"Should I lead a few battalions out to intercept them?"

Wu Lang stood up, his face set with grim determination.

"General Wu, you’re a true hero!"

"You do our Greenwood Camp proud!"

"Brother Wu, go ahead. I’ll be right behind you."

Intercepting outside the walls meant near-certain death. Without absolute resolve, Wu Lang wouldn’t have volunteered.

The atmosphere grew solemn, reminiscent of "the wind howls, the Yi River runs cold; the brave set forth, never to return." Cups of farewell wine were already being raised.

"Wait."

Young Hero Li Mo’s voice cut through the solemnity, drawing all eyes.

Li Mo studied the generals’ resolute expressions and found it odd.

Do people in the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands not use tactics in war?

"Soldiers shouldn’t be sacrificed needlessly. If it’s just about buying time, I have a... somewhat unconventional suggestion."

Leading troops wasn’t his forte, so he’d stayed quiet. But as everyone knew—Young Hero Li was a genius!

Qu Sheng nodded slightly, urging him to continue.

Li Mo rose, scanning the room with calm authority.

"Based on my encounters with Han Zhen, he’s a cunning, paranoid old fox—deeply calculating and hard to outmaneuver."

Nods all around. A centuries-old monster possessing a new body? Of course he’d be scheming.

Against such a foe, conventional tactics would fail—hence Wu Lang’s willingness to trade lives for time.

"But this is exactly how we handle his kind. What’s a schemer’s greatest weakness?"

"Overthinking!"

"Someone who plans ten steps ahead? We do the opposite."

"He expects us to fortify? We act completely unprepared."

"Throw the gates wide open. While we secretly deploy weapons, have the soldiers on the walls barbecue and sing. How would he react then?"

"???"

The generals leaned back in unison, question marks multiplying as they sucked in sharp breaths.

This... this could work?

Isn’t it too reckless?

But the sharper minds—Qu Sheng and Wu Lang—pondered, then slowly brightened.

What do schemers fear most? The abnormal.

Where things defy logic, there’s always a trap. Han Zhen was no fool.

"What if Han Zhen sees through it and charges in anyway?"

"Then we’d still have to defend, same as sending troops out now. Either way, we lose soldiers."

"A stroke of brilliance! Young Hero Li knows strategy too? What’s this tactic called?"

The generals marveled, gazing at Li Mo with newfound awe.

A wife-fortune-boosting battle spirit who also knows warfare? Unstoppable.

Silently thanking the legendary Zhuge Liang, Li Mo grinned.

"The Empty Fort Strategy—Barbecue Edition!"

......

Three hundred li beyond Greenwood City.

Under the night sky, grotesque bronze totems of ancient witch-spirits lurched forward, dwarfing the warriors around them. Dozens of these statues pulsed with accumulated mortal energy.

Behind them rolled siege engines—battering rams, arrow towers—hauled by burly soldiers.

At the center, carried atop a palanquin of warriors, was Han Zhen’s temple from Senluo Valley—now a mobile war shrine.

"Prince Helian, you share your ancestors’ valor. I once shared wine with the Helian War God himself. How times change."

Han Zhen glanced at the man drinking nearby—tall, clad in living black vine armor, with a hooked nose and an air of arrogance.

This was no ordinary figure.

The Helian Clan, much like the Zhong Family, had once guarded the southern borders. When the frontier armies withdrew, the Helians remained—thriving long after Great Shang’s fall.

Now, millennia later, they led the southern tribes anew.

Helian Wu, a prodigy ranked sixteenth on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, was uniting the tribes under his banner.

"Grand Tutor flatters me. The Great Yu emperor promised me his youngest daughter, then claimed she ‘ran away.’ A blatant insult!"

Helian Wu slammed his cup down.

Han Zhen chuckled. "Once we reclaim the Jade Phoenix Spirit—one of our ancestral deities—and restore Great Shang’s glory, even the beauties of the Flower Ranking will be yours for the taking."

Helian Wu’s lips curled, eyes glinting red.

"How long to break Greenwood City, Grand Tutor?"

"Seven days. At most."

Helian Wu arched a brow.

Eight thousand defenders, all under the Southern Suppressing King’s banner—far tougher than scattered garrisons.

Han Zhen’s eyes narrowed. "Emperor Jingtai long intended to abandon the southern pass, hence his constant interference with the Southern Suppressing King. Without imperial support, seven days is generous."

"And if the Southern Suppressing King arrives?"

"After the city falls, let my clansmen slaughter freely for days. Once Nan Pass is bathed in blood, I’ll wield the Profound Dominion Dao in full."

"The Southern Suppressing King... is no true Seventh Realm."

Silence followed his words.

Numerous sinister figures within the hall grew excited, transforming the temple into a realm of ghosts in the blink of an eye.

Half an hour passed in an instant.

Before long, the towering verdant city loomed close ahead.

A biting wind howled.

Hmm?

Han Zhen furrowed his brows and sniffed the air.

What’s that smell?

It’s... actually quite fragrant.

.....