Chapter 671: Planning the Strategy

Chapter 671: Weaving the Scheme

When Xue Canghai was met, the scene was even more steeped in the jianghu.

Snow fell heavily, piling on the battlements; the setting sun was like blood, slanting its light upon the city wall. Xue Canghai sat cross-legged on the high rampart, sharpening his blade with rhythmic strokes.

The blade itself was as red as blood, reflecting the dying sun in a mutual glow.

The north wind howled, and the sound of sharpening spread in a measured rhythm, heard by a thousand troops across half the city.

Zhao Changhe stood behind, watching without disturbing. Xue Canghai, ignoring the "Holy Son," continued sharpening his knife as if no one else were there.

Zhao Changhe found himself perversely enjoying the scene—it would be better if the man weren't Xue Canghai, for Xue always had a way of breaking the immersion...

But Old Xue had turned over a new leaf, hadn't he? In the hearts of Puyang's soldiers and civilians, and in the eyes of the jianghu, he was now a true master on the Chaos Rankings, worthy of posturing...

"Clang!" With the final stroke, Xue Canghai slowly ran his finger along the blade's edge. A bloodthirsty aura gradually rose in his eyes, resonating with the blood-red longsword. The blade hummed and trembled, and suddenly a streak of blood energy shot forth, piercing the clouds. In the next moment, the sun set, and the sky turned pitch black.

It carried the lingering meaning of a single slash that had cut down the setting sun.

Zhao Changhe felt that Old Xue's imaginary opponent for this strike was Yue Hongling...

Like Cui Yuanyong, Xue Canghai couldn't care less about Zhao Changhe, who darted about faster than a monkey. When the gap between people reached such a level, there was no point in chasing—only looking up in awe. But both men still held a lingering obsession with Yue Hongling, who had once stood before them.

Zhao Changhe missed Yue Hongling too. She had been without news for a very long time. Amid this great upheaval of heaven and earth, he wondered where she had wandered. But he wasn't as worried as before; several times had proven that Sister Yue didn't need anyone's concern. Better worry about yourself.

Xue Canghai finally sheathed his blade and turned to bow deeply to Zhao Changhe: "Holy Son."

In his heart, he felt the same as Cui Yuanyong: this Zhao Changhe was truly strange. Even now, he had no airs about him and was willing to stand behind and watch him show off. Well, of course, he wasn't showing off—when a swordsman sharpens his blade, there's always insight, and he couldn't stop. Zhao Changhe was also a swordsman; he understood that heart.

The more this was the case, the more Xue Canghai respected him. Following such a man was not in vain.

In truth, the Blood God Sect was Zhao Changhe's direct personal army. Just yesterday, Elder Sun had sat in the seat of honor at the Zhao King's wedding... Yes, Sun the instructor lay back and became the Grand Elder for no reason at all—a true winner in life.

Zhao Changhe said, "The Blood God Blade has been through many battles. Are there tiny nicks and wear?"

"Yes." Xue Canghai sighed. "After so many years, any other blade would have been unusable long ago. The Blood God Blade isn't a spiritual treasure; it's already remarkable that it's lasted this long..."

Zhao Changhe said, "Lie is also quite strange—a swordsman who values formations but neglects forging. If I have time, I'll help you recast it... Damn, before I learned forging, none of this was my business. Now that I know how, it feels like all the work lands on me."

Xue Canghai laughed. "That's why the one who can cook always ends up doing more in the kitchen. If you don't want to be a cook for life, never learn."

Zhao Changhe roared with laughter. "A truth for life!"

Xue Canghai smiled and said, "Speaking of formations, the formation disk has been repaired further."

Zhao Changhe nodded. He had repaired the main body of the formation disk earlier, but where would he find the time to slowly search for all the inlaid components? Obviously, the Blood God Sect had to find them themselves. This time, the Blood God Sect had supported the Cui family chivalrously, and the Cui family naturally repaid them. Over the past few months, even war hadn't stopped the Cui family from sending people into the jianghu to search for the inlays of the Blood God Formation Disk. With the Cui family's help, such tasks were far easier than the Blood God Sect doing it alone. It wouldn't be surprising if they had already gathered everything.

According to the patterns of secret realm formation, a shattered formation disk wouldn't scatter into different realms; it should all be scattered across the land of Shenzhou, relatively easy to find. Of course, if it had fallen to the bottom of the sea, it would be lost forever. But rivers, mountains, and fields were fine—those beads were dense with baleful energy, and no matter how buried, they would show signs, easily collected by jianghu wanderers everywhere.

"How many are missing?"

"Just one last bead, and we have news of it."

"Where?"

"Most likely in the Hall of the Eternal Heaven God." Xue Canghai grinned. "Our luck is good."

Indeed, their luck was good—it hadn't fallen into the sea. As long as they knew its whereabouts, it was manageable. The Hall of the Eternal Heaven God might be the final boss visible in this world, not something the Blood God Sect could handle, but it was an enemy the "Holy Son" would inevitably face—life or death sooner or later. The Blood God Sect's eyes were probably red with eagerness.

Even the incomplete holy artifact could unleash a strike on the Heavenly Ranking. Zhao Changhe had used it to repel Wang Daoning and save Cui Wenjing; Xue Canghai had used it to defeat Wang Daozhong, turning his reputation around. What a complete holy artifact could bring to everyone was self-evident. Moreover, it was tied to cultivation insights and inheritance. The more complete the formation disk, the clearer the insights. Old Xue's progress now was faster than in the past few years combined, and the entire Blood God Sect had grown much stronger.

If he could truly restore the holy artifact, Xue Canghai would become the most glorious and illustrious Holy Sect Leader in Blood God Sect history. For a thousand years, as long as the sect existed, he would be worshipped by its followers.

As for Zhao Changhe himself, his interest in Lie's inheritance had waned... He knew the Blood Fiend Blade Technique had much more content and was indeed powerful, but at his current level, it was no longer about seeking someone else's inheritance—it was about finding his own path. Lie's inheritance could be left for Old Xue to ponder slowly.

Zhao Changhe said, "The Hall of the Eternal Heaven God isn't something we can tackle anytime soon. First, we need to unify."

Xue Canghai asked, "No need to say more. Who do we cut?"

"Of course, the Wang family."

"When?"

"Rest for one night, set out at dawn."

"We could launch a night raid. No one would expect us to attack a city on a snowy night. At least the first city to the east would be no problem. But we can only surprise them once; after that, we'll have to wait until spring. This icy, snowy weather..."

"No night raid. We need to make a big noise, let the whole world know." Zhao Changhe turned his head northward and said softly, "This battle isn't mainly about taking cities. It serves another purpose... Do you really think I'd send our brothers to storm a city in this heavy snow? Even I, who know nothing about military tactics, know that's not how you fight..."

...

In the capital.

Back when Zhao Changhe had gone south to Puyang early that morning, the capital was also holding a rally. Huangfu Shaozong, who had just returned with his troops not long ago, stood on the drill ground outside the city: "Brothers! The Wang family rebelled nearly half a year ago! We've been defending the Cui family all this time, feeling stifled. Now that Wang Daoning is dead, it's time for us to attack! Don't fear the cold—we'll spend the New Year in Langya!"

He spoke loudly, but the soldiers' response was cold and indifferent.

Damn it, in the middle of winter, can't you see how heavily the snow is falling?

Marching out now? Screw that.

But Huangfu Shaozong still had decent control over this army. Reluctantly, the troops finally set out, causing no major trouble.

In the distance, Lu Jianzhang and others stroked their beards, exchanged glances, and a thought arose in their hearts.

"A little girl emperor, a general who spent his youth cockfighting and horse-racing in the capital, a venerable master who only knows how to use cult sacrifices and jianghu killings... Truly an unreliable makeshift team. Unexpectedly, the most reliable person in this court is a bandit from the Northern Mang Mountains, who pacified Qinghe on a single horse—quite impressive."

"I don't think it was a single horse, but a single whip."

"But don't underestimate Cui Wenjing. That whip could tame Cui Yuanyang, but not Cui Wenjing. This Zhao King certainly has his ways. But precisely because of that, has His Majesty gotten carried away? Thinking that with the Cui family's help, she can easily take Langya? Marching out at this time is ill-advised, and on top of that, she's emptied the capital's defenses—extremely unwise. If the first battle goes poorly, there might be a mutiny."

"Didn't Chief Tang advise against it?"

"This expedition came out of nowhere. We didn't know about it beforehand. Chief Tang probably didn't either, but by now, he should be storming into the court to curse someone out."

"Heh... Let's go too. It's time for court. Watching Chief Tang and the little girl emperor argue is also a spectacle of this new dynasty."

Everyone laughed and slowly walked away.

They said they were going to court, but in truth, they all went home first to change clothes... Before long, many people in various households secretly left, vanishing into the wind and snow.