Chapter 1927: A Country Bumpkin Lacking Experience

And the Luo Dian people were half-mad, large numbers affected.

Yuan Xuan, standing nearby, had a flicker of doubt in his heart: Could it be poison?

The poisons in the world are myriad and strange; who knows which one might work? The anti-poison effect of Yuan Li is not absolute.

Qingyang seemed to hear his inner thought, shaking her head: "Not poison. Besides, which poison could bypass Yuan Li to take effect? The terrain of Su Yuan is open, with fierce winds blowing in one's face—everyone knows this environment is unsuitable for releasing poison."

Her heart stirred, she flipped open the battle report's beginning, her fingertip tapping twice on the desk:

"Indeed, it happened at night!"

"The Palace Master means?"

"What He Xiao used—neither poison nor divine ability—is very likely the Three Corpses Worms!" Qingyang said solemnly, "I recall, this phenomenon appeared once before, 160 or 170 years ago, on the Panlong Wasteland!"

Yuan Xuan blurted out: "Panlongcheng!"

"Exactly. Back then, the Red General appeared out of nowhere, victorious in every battle; enemy troops were mad and delirious, unable to distinguish friend from foe." Qingyang's impression of those old events was deep, "Xian You and Ba Ling were equally baffled; in the end, they had to summon deities from below to unravel this secret: the Red General deployed the Three Corpses Worms against enemies."

"The Three Corpses Worms originate from the human body; Yuan Li and Zhen Li have no effect on them." Qingyang knew, few in the present age understand the Three Corpses Worms, "Once separated from the human body, they cannot survive in this world, yet the Red General could indeed disperse them widely—so the Heavenly Gods inferred, the Three Corpses Worms might dwell within that supreme treasure."

Yuan Xuan understood: "The Great Square Vase?"

"Yes. The former State Preceptor of Qing Palace, my master, once said the Great Square Vase itself is a supreme divine object existing between the real and the illusory." Having grasped this key, Qingyang found it easy to deduce, "Given He Xiao's connection with the Great Square Vase, being able to release the Three Corpses Worms is not surprising."

Yuan Xuan raised a question: "But isn't the Great Square Vase in the Panlong Desert?"

After He Jing, Envoy of the Heavenly Palace Clouds, died in Panlong Ancient City, the Heavenly Palace stationed guards in Heishuicheng, specifically to monitor the movements of the Great Square Vase.

Qingyang gave an "hmm": "Uncertain. It's said the raging sand season, which used to occur regularly, has ceased for several years; the Panlong Desert has grown grass, and lakes, streams, and birds and flowers have appeared. As for the 'Raging Sand Season,' besides yellow sand in the biting wind, the most terrifying thing is the Three Corpses Worms."

She sighed: "When I attacked Panlongcheng back then, the Heavenly Gods discovered the Great Square Vase was vastly different from when it was in the Yuan State—it had already evolved many new abilities. If He Xiao could also trigger the Great Square Vase to continue evolving—well, that is very possible—then he could rely on the Great Square Vase to display even more 'miracles'!"

Yuan Xuan suddenly understood: "No wonder he conquered Luo Dian in less than a month—he had the Three Corpses Worms assisting him."

It was just bullying these country bumpkins who lacked experience.

"The aid the Three Corpses Worms give He Xiao is tremendous; otherwise, how could he gather the northern demon tribes and eastern wandering tribes in such a short time to serve as his vanguard? After returning from overturning the sea, He Xiao landed on land not long ago; relying solely on his own strength, he could not have swept through Luo Dian." Qingyang nodded, "So he had to recruit troops locally, gather enough manpower before attacking Luo Dian."

She exhaled lightly—now things had become troublesome.

The Three Corpses Worms were being used by He Xiao as a surprise force; at first, no one knew he could release them, so he conquered cities and plundered lands, recruiting troops with astonishing speed—turning his head, he had already taken Luo Dian.

Luo Dian's soldiers were strong and their horses sturdy; in the entire Shanjin Plain, their troop quality was high. After He Xiao gained Luo Dian's forces, his trump card truly hardened; only then did he have the qualifications to contend with powers like Yaodi.

For Qingyang and Bai Tan, this was nevertheless major bad news.

"You know, why is He Xiao in such a hurry to take Luo Dian?"

Bai Tan shook his head.

He is young, and his knowledge of the Three Corpses Worms is limited.

"Because, the Heavenly Gods long ago gave a method to counter the Three Corpses Worms—there is fu shui, there are formations, there are incantations." Qingyang said earnestly, "Such things can only catch people off guard."

Upon hearing this, Bai Tan relaxed: "Then we need not fear him."

"But he has taken Luo Dian, the situation is already half-formed, we are left passive. He Xiao truly excels at seizing opportunities." As Qingyang's words fell, another Qing Wei entered to report, "General Bai Tan requests an audience."

Bai Tan strode in, while Qingyang was vigorously wielding her brush.

Before he could speak, this Heavenly Palace Grand Guardian placed down his brush, pushed the paper forward: "Here."

"What is this?"

"Methods to counter the Three Corpses Worms." She wrote it in great detail—at least three or four approaches, "He Xiao could take Luo Dian precisely by using the Three Corpses Worms to drive enemies mad and delirious."

"Ah, now I understand!" Bai Tan suddenly enlightened, carefully storing the paper, "Palace Master truly knows my heart!"

One purpose of his visit to the Youhu Cottage was to discuss the Great Emperor of Jiuyou with Qingyang.

Upon first hearing of Luo Dian's fall, he too was greatly shocked.

No mistake, no error, no omission, no excess, no lack—every single one examined!

In his youth, Bai Tan, like Xue Zongwu, led troops against Luo Dian, also guarded the frontiers, and thus had firsthand experience of the Luo Dian people's tenacity.

The Great Emperor of Jiuyou destroyed Luo Dian in twenty days—this news terrified the Yao people.

If the Great Emperor of Jiuyou could easily take Luo Dian, how long would it take him to destroy Yaodi?

What people fear most is still the unknown.

Now hearing Qingyang's explanation—oh, originally the Great Emperor of Jiuyou took a shortcut, used some dishonorable means to win—Bai Tan's anxious heart eased by half.

Fortunately, fortunately, the Great Emperor of Jiuyou is also not irresistible.

Qingyang continued: "You should devote some thought to building the walls of Shuishui City."

"Build walls?" Bai Tan's expression changed, "You think so little of me?"

Building walls is inherently a passive defensive measure. He Xiao just took Luo Dian, and Qingyang already ordered him to build walls—this is tantamount to assuming He Xiao will certainly attack Shuishui City?

"Even if he takes Luo Dian, at most how many elite troops does he have? Wanting to swallow us, he'd choke on a single bite!"

"Reinforcing the walls naturally takes several months." Qingyang ignored his displeasure, "One hundred fifty years ago, Panlongcheng could attack and defend well; it also managed its own city like an iron barrel—if you had visited Panlongcheng, you'd surely marvel at the grandeur of its gates. Back then, we sought to break through Panlongcheng's great gate..."

Not good, I almost fell into reminiscence. Qingyang swiftly turned the topic back:

"He Xiao harbors great ambition, wanting to annex the entire Shanjin, wanting to truly deserve the title of 'Great Emperor'! Then, this land beneath our feet, he is certain to take it."

She sneered: "If even you cannot defeat him, what face does he have to boast he is the incarnation of the Dragon God?"

Is he really that weak? Bai Tan was dissatisfied, but dared not show it on his face, only saying: "Good, I will today order the walls to be built."

The Yaodi war was in full swing; he and Chen Chuhua fought fiercely, hating to pour all resources forward, to crush this opponent.

Yet at this time, he had to additionally allocate manpower and wealth, to build a high wall that would be of no use for a while!