Chapter 1961: The Soft Spot of the Nine Abysses

Yuan Xuan explained calmly: "Just a little immortal trick. Our Heavenly Palace is located on Mount Xushan, which used to be the territory of the Great Return Sect. This sect would erect a boundary marker on the border, and the runes on it resemble this black flood dragon mark—cannot be scraped off or washed away, and can even glow. Once foreign enemies invade, it serves as a warning within the sect. The Nine Abysses Great Emperor exploited this, pretending to be divine and playing tricks to deceive the world."

Seeing him speak so casually, the others were half-believing, half-doubting.

Another person said: "Even if the Dragon God is fake, the army built by the Nine Abysses Great Emperor is truly imposing in scale. We heard that when they first rose up, each unit had only a few thousand men, but they rolled like a snowball, absorbing new recruits along the way, and eventually grew tenfold."

They worried, because this is also their method: after capturing a place, they recruit soldiers locally, then move on to the next position.

As long as they win battles, their army keeps growing.

This is the problem facing all forces today: wake up, and your former neighbors have all become the Dragon God's army!

It's like standing on a lonely reef in the sea, with huge waves surging all around, and even the small patch of ground beneath your feet is as precarious as a stack of eggs.

If the waves grow a little bigger, won't I just be knocked into the sea?

This anxiety and fear now keep every force from resting or eating in peace.

Qingyang raised his cup, took a sip of warm tea: "If the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's army is like a flood, why hasn't it swept away all the lords present?"

Someone replied: "The Dragon God's army takes the easy way and avoids the hard; it's not about head-on clashes. From what my lord has seen, the Dragon God's army hasn't touched a single tough target."

Another messenger added: "No. The force coming from the west, led by Qiu Hu, is also particularly fierce. The Dragon God—uh, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor himself leading that army—is even more ferocious and sharp; taking cities and strongholds is no problem. He destroyed Luo Dian in less than a month!"

"The fact that you can all sit here and talk with me shows that the Nine Abysses' army is strong on the outside but weak within—true elite troops are few! Otherwise, he would have swept everything away like wind through clouds. Why would he still miss your territories?" Qingyang said softly, "This I see clearly, and your lords are equally perceptive. Otherwise, you'd have surrendered already—why send you here to listen to an old woman's nagging?"

The messengers exchanged polite remarks, then got down to business:

"Protector Qingyang summoned us here—surely you have a strategy to share?"

"Of course." Qingyang gave an affirmative reply: "The Nine Abysses' mighty advance is actually a bluff to cover its weaknesses. You just need to use your strengths to attack its shortcomings."

"Please, Protector, give us your guidance."

"The Nine Abysses' army looks vast, but in reality it's made up of absorbed local surrendered troops, bandits, and peasants, snowballing into rapid expansion. True elite soldiers and warriors? Not one in a hundred." Qingyang's voice rang clear: "And never mind whether he can control them—does such a force even have combat capability? Hearing drumbeats, they only know to rush forward in a mob, unaware of signal flags and orders, ignorant of formations and ranks, and can't even tell retreat from flight—what's the difference between this and a rabble?"

Someone immediately agreed: "Exactly, these raw recruits can only win when they have the wind at their backs; once stuck in a stalemate or showing the slightest sign of defeat, they collapse instantly, with no fighting spirit whatsoever."

Qingyang smiled faintly: "Then, what kind of troops do your lords command?"

"My lord was besieged at Huxi Rock for three days and nights, repelled the enemy several times, finally broke through, and even killed two enemy generals in return."

"My elder brother captured Qian'an City in seventy-six days, literally exhausting the city's arrows and grain, forcing it to surrender upon opening the gates."

"When our General Guo served the Yi State, he once led troops on a seven-day, seven-night rush, even passing through the countless man-eating black sand marshes, racing to the front to support Xue Zongwu, and defeated the Luo Dian army!"

The messengers straightened up, began reporting their lords' military achievements. As long as Heavenly Palace takes notice, they can get more resources later.

"Your lords' troops have at least trained for a year, right?"

Everyone laughed: "One year? Those who follow their lord into life and death are at least three- to five-year veterans."

"Then look again at the Nine Abysses' army—isn't it just big and hollow, wasting supplies?" Qingyang casually summoned a sand table, lightly tapping a few spots on it: "He knows his own weaknesses, so he's begun gathering troops to these few places for drilling. Take Duo City—my scouts reported back that at least over a hundred thousand have gathered there."

"The Nine Abysses already control a large territory, and now they want to drill on a large scale—I think you all understand what this means."

The lamplight made everyone's faces look grim.

Why is the Nine Abysses Great Emperor still drilling? Obviously, there's a tough battle ahead.

Where will it come from? Naturally, from the various forces present today!

Given the posture the Nine Abysses Great Emperor has adopted, he won't rest until he swallows the entire continent!

"Nonsense!" the Guo family's messenger muttered, "Where did this madman come from?"

Someone else said: "Could it really be... under the Nine Abysses?"

Everyone glared at him—would he even dare to speak?

"If he really finishes training his troops, what do you think he'll do next? Anyway, the first battle definitely won't happen in Yi State."

No need to guess—it'll be using those present as the cutting edge.

So everyone immediately asked: "Protector, what good plan do you have?"

"Whatever he wants to do, we do the opposite—just cause massive destruction." Qingyang pointed at the sand table: "He isn't trying to train properly? Short term: three months; long term: half a year. Then during this time, he won't only have no energy to deal with you, but also won't be able to hold onto the territory he's already taken. I said before—his army is big but hollow. Holding onto such a large area he conquered early on is now quite difficult! Why don't you all add fuel to the fire, stir up some chaos?"

The messengers glanced at each other: "Protector, you mean we should harass the enemy's rear?"

"You've also studied the Nine Abysses' territory, right? The Dragon God's army, every time it takes a place, must take the local troops with it, leaving only a portion as garrison. That means the cities they've captured are now defenseless, lacking elite troops to guard them."

"The large territory he took early on has now become his soft spot! Attack it, and it's like reaching into a bag to take something out; if you all present are still willing to join forces, it won't take much effort at all."

A messenger said: "Taking a single city isn't hard, but what's in it for us? Once the Dragon God comes out, he'll first come looking for us to settle scores!"

"If only one or two forces do this, the Dragon God can easily crush them; but if all of you act, his territory will be engulfed in war, and he won't be able to save it—let alone stop it." Qingyang calmly replied, "This is the power of collective wisdom and strength, and also why we're meeting today."