Chapter 1761: Useful Intelligence

"Yes."

Bai Ziqi asked him again: "How did you figure it out?"

Others listening didn't understand. Wasn't this person just persuaded by Bai Seventeen with reason and emotion? But what Bai Ziqi wanted to know was, among the thirty-something captives below, why was he the first to surrender.

Everyone was hesitating; what reason made him the first to make a decision? This reason would determine how Bai Ziqi would use him.

Wu Shidao was also stunned by the question, his gaze fixed on his own toes: "Your subordinate's words made some sense. I manage secular affairs in the sect, so I see more than ordinary disciples."

Over the past many years, he had also harbored some doubts in his heart. But the benefits he received from the sect, such as cultivation and status, were real, so he hadn't thought much about it.

"And what else?"

Wu Shidao said in a low voice: "I, I am from Baiya Village."

Bai Ziqi raised an eyebrow, expressing confusion.

"Baiya Village is a small village on the northeast coast of Silver Pearl Island."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ziqi understood.

Wu Shidao nervously licked his lips: "Before we set out, I heard news that the ground at the northeast corner of Silver Pearl Island suddenly rose, turning from a flat beach into a high cliff! There were many rumors, and everyone thought it was your doing, but I, I knew it was the sect's doing!"

"How did you know?"

"Thirty years ago, I was still doing odd jobs in the sect." Speaking of this, Wu Shidao suddenly remembered that he was actually still doing odd jobs until now, "One day, I went to clean the Wenhui Pavilion on Stone Dragon Peak. I worked too late and accidentally fell asleep in a niche. Later, Sect Master Xiao and Elder Liu came in and stood in front of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to discuss matters. They didn't know I was there, so I held my breath and didn't dare to make a sound."

Bai Ziqi gave a hum, waiting for the rest.

"I saw with my own eyes that Sect Master Xiao made a light cut on the sand table, and a valley on the southwest corner of the island was cut open and deepened. Then the entire Silver Pearl Island had an earthquake, and the tremors on Stone Dragon Peak were also very obvious. Before that, I had been cleaning the Wenhui Pavilion for several years and always thought it was just an ordinary sand table." Wu Shidao secretly looked up at his expression, "The next day, I heard that there was a big earthquake in the southwest, and the valley had really split open. I didn't dare to tell outsiders, but from then on, I knew the Immortals had great divine abilities and could change the terrain and landscape of Silver Pearl Island, and I became even more in awe. B-but—"

"But my mother and relatives still lived in Baiya Village! Earlier, I took the opportunity of transporting Profound Crystals to sneak into the Wenhui Pavilion to look at the sand table. The northeast corner of Silver Pearl Island had indeed become a cliff, and my village was, was gone!" Wu Shidao's gaze was still somewhat dull.

The impact of today's events was too great for him; he had been trying to recover for so long, but he still couldn't.

He had not yet reached the realm of forgetting emotions, still being a secular person. That his closest relatives died at the hands of the sect, rather than being killed by the Tiangong, made him hold a grudge.

With several factors combined, and taking the opportunity of Bai Seventeen's persuasion, he took the lead in surrendering.

"In the eyes of Qian Huan and the Immortals under his command, you, your relatives, and your fellow disciples are all grass and fuel, either to be used at will or buried at will." Bai Ziqi looked toward the battlefield, "The Tiangong has no grudge or enmity with you Silver Pearl Island people, so there is no need to kill everyone. If you can help me end this war sooner, it is a great kindness, and it is a good thing for you and for these Silver Pearl Island people."

Wu Shidao lowered his head: "Yes."

He understood; Bai Ziqi was distinguishing them, the disciples from Silver Pearl Island, from the Immortals and Elders of the Illusion Sect.

At this point, did he have any other choice?

Wu Shidao steadied himself, his demeanor becoming proactive: "Please give your instructions, Lord Bai."

Wasn't it just being a subordinate? Where isn't it the same? Before today, he also saw the Tiangong as all-evil; but now he understood, how much difference was there between the Immortal Sect he had served for over thirty years and the Tiangong? Bai Ziqi then asked: "Have you ever seen Immortal Qian Huan?"

"No, the Immortal Venerable has always been in seclusion. We heard that for such Immortals, secluding themselves for three to five hundred years is nothing." Wu Shidao added, "But in the Wenhui Pavilion, Sect Master Xiao often burned incense and performed divination to ask the Immortal Venerable for guidance. A few years ago, I even heard Elder Xu complaining to Sect Master Xiao, saying that the responses given by the Immortal Venerable were becoming fewer and fewer."

Qian Huan was paying less and less attention to his own sect? Bai Ziqi stroked his chin, thinking that the Goddess's guess was very close to the truth. Although it could be seen from today's battle, getting confirmation was also great news.

Immortal Qian Huan was a True Immortal who had survived from the ancient war, and he must have a unique understanding of combat. With this soul figure missing, the Illusion Sect was a toothless, weak tiger.

Now what he had to do was to pull out the claws of this tiger as well.

"The spiritual energy in the Upside-Down Sea has been weakening recently; how is the Illusion Sect responding?"

"The sect issued dozens of decrees, requiring the Illusion Sect to cut down on consumption. For example, flying magic treasures that could be used before are now strictly forbidden; there are a large number of spiritual fields on the west slope of Stone Dragon Peak that originally needed spiritual pulp to nourish, but later they were no longer planted." Wu Shidao's expression shifted, "By the way, I also heard Elder Jin mention that the consumption of spiritual energy was still too fast, and a 'major item' needed to be removed, which could be implemented when the storm wall disappeared this time. I happened to be delivering things inside at that time, and Elder Liu ordered me to go out, and they set up the barrier again to discuss."

He muttered: "I didn't take it to heart when I heard it at the time, but after hearing your subordinate's words today, I think it's terrifying, wondering if..."

"Correct." Bai Ziqi affirmed, "The so-called 'major item' that consumes spiritual energy is people; there are too many people on Silver Pearl Island."

No matter how little spiritual energy a single mortal consumes, the quantity is there, and there are tens of thousands of people in the Upside-Down Sea. The spiritual energy in this small cave heaven is all sent in by the Great Inversion Array, and every bit is the property of the Illusion Sect, while the mortals of Silver Pearl Island living here are sharing the spiritual energy that originally belonged to the Immortal Sect.

In the past, spiritual energy was abundant, and the Immortal Sect needed their services, so they could reluctantly share a little; now that the Illusion Sect is tight on their own hands and needs to cut spiritual energy expenditures, how could they not have ideas about the mortals?

"In the eyes of Qian Huan and the Illusion Sect, the reason mortals can multiply and grow on Silver Pearl Island is thanks to the spiritual energy they provide. Now that there isn't enough spiritual energy for themselves, how can they still support you?" Bai Ziqi pointed down, "Who do you think those Yakshas were originally prepared for? If we hadn't come in, they would have bloodbathed Silver Pearl Island tonight!"

Wu Shidao shuddered.

These Yakshas could fight back and forth with the Tiangong's team, so killing nine out of ten mortals in the Upside-Down Sea would only take half a night! The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was possible; he had been in the Illusion Sect for so long, and he knew very well what "Immortal family is heartless" meant.

"Tell me about the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. What spiritual energy does this treasure have, and how does the Illusion Sect use it?"

The Illusion Sect disciples captured by the Tiangong earlier were of low rank and only knew the name of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, unable to speak of specific details.

"Yes, yes." Wu Shidao did not dare to hide anything and told all the wonderful uses of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

After listening, Bai Ziqi realized: "So, the Illusion Sect uses it to control the entire cave dwelling!"

He had known earlier that the Illusion Sect controlled this world, from fleets to mustard seeds, none could escape the Illusion Sect's eyes and ears; he also knew that the Illusion Sect could transport troops and arrive in an instant.

But he really didn't expect that so many functions could be achieved with just one Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

Bai Ziqi confirmed again: "As long as it is within the Upside-Down Sea, you say it sees everything and knows everything?"

"Yes." Wu Shidao explained, "The Haoyuan Golden Mirror will automatically identify and display suspicious or threatening people and events on the mirror surface."

"I don't believe it." Bai Ziqi chuckled, "If a disciple in the sect steals a little property or takes advantage of something, can it also discover it?"

"This... no." Wu Shidao shook his head, "It cannot determine whether a disciple in the sect is taking things normally or stealing property, unless they violate the prohibitions. Its surveillance of enemies is stricter."

Human behavior is too complex, and no matter how miraculous a magic treasure is, it cannot empathize or experience it.

Bai Ziqi nodded: "You may step down."

After Wu Shidao walked away, Bai Ziqi turned to face the battlefield and let out a long breath.

The gray parrot didn't know where it flew from, flapping its wings and landing on the edge of the tower.

Bai Ziqi immediately said: "Divine Venerable, these Yakshas are not under the command of Xiao Wencheng or the Illusion Sect."

"Oh?" Miaozhantian asked him, "How so?"

"The Great Inversion Array has been stopped for almost a year. Since the Illusion Sect feels sorry for the mortals of Silver Pearl Island sharing too much spiritual energy, when could they not have raised their butcher knives? Why did they have to wait until the storm wall disappeared?" Facing the Heavenly God's questioning, Bai Ziqi spoke quickly, "That is to say, they have no way to summon the Yakshas out of the lake in advance; this is not within their control, even if they use the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. They can only wait for the specified time as before, which is today, for the Yakshas to come out of the lake!"

"The one who truly controls the birth of these Yakshas and influences their actions is Qian Huan!" Bai Ziqi could feel Miaozhantian's joy even from a parrot, "Your analysis is reasonable, and I can make corresponding adjustments. Let's do an experiment."

Bai Ziqi immediately ordered the front line to retract to within two li of the lighthouse center.

The lighthouse was built on a ridge two and a half li away from the lake surface, and the original barrier diameter was about five li. When the Tiangong team fully retracted, the Eye of Truth above the lighthouse suddenly blinked twice quickly, then suddenly widened!

It was wider than the tower body, which made people feel especially terrified.

A red light flashed on the surface of the barrier, and it actually shrank.

With the lighthouse as the center, the diameter was only two li.

That is to say, the barrier no longer included the Upside-Down Lake surface, only covering the stone beach by the lake.

Something even more terrifying happened: the Yaksha tide coming out of the lake stopped! The reason they were difficult to deal with was that they were endless and came one after another.

With the help of these powerful cannon fodder, the Illusion Sect could continuously wear down the strength of the Tiangong army.

However, after the lighthouse barrier retreated to the stone beach, the Yakshas coming out of the lake visibly decreased.

After fifty or sixty breaths, not a single one came out. ===== CHAPTER 1762 =====