Chapter 2327

Over the past many years, Mou Guo was able to develop and live steadily during wartime only because of Cang Yan's support.

Now, with the winds of change sweeping the human realm, if Between Between Between Beijia is even slightly careless or slow, it risks being left behind.

Thus, the Demon Emperor, while diligently cultivating himself and managing state affairs, has no energy left to wage external wars.

Since it refuses to cooperate, the Heavenly God has no choice but to find a solution on its own.

However, the war against Mou Guo over the past few years has unprecedentedly strengthened the Demon Emperor's authority within the military, especially as it used the war as a pretext to remove many commanders from the Tiangong faction, thereby greatly enhancing its control over the Ling Xu army.

He Lingchuan used this very tactic when developing the new city in Yao Guo—he successfully helped the Yao Wang consolidate power and sideline Qing Yang.

Afterwards, Qing Yang conducted a detailed post-mortem of this event and recorded it meticulously in the intelligence report left for the Demon Emperor, unreservedly praising it as an "excellent strategy" and recommending its use by the Emperor.

True rulers need to use "projects" to consolidate power.

Whether the project itself has actual effects is another matter; but only when a ruler holds a project can they allocate resources, and only then will subordinates earnestly devote themselves. If He Lingchuan's project for the Yao Wang was the new city's expansion, then the Demon Emperor's self-found project is naturally the "war against Mou Guo."

After all, the true controller of this state remains the Demon Emperor, not Tiangong.

Just as in Yao Guo back then, the one truly managing state affairs and distributing benefits was the Yao Wang, not Qing Yang.

After years of war, Tiangong's influence over the Ling Xu army has greatly weakened, forcing it to resort to other means—such as inducing Huang Ming Sheng to defy military orders—to achieve the goal of provoking war.

And this touches the Demon Emperor's reverse scale!

Starting war is easy, but aftermath is hard; Tiangong's reckless actions are based on the certainty that the Demon Emperor must clean up its mess and wipe its butt.

Yet the Demon Emperor cannot openly turn against it, which is truly vexing.

Nie Xiao Lou did not respond. Having served as the successor Qing Guo National Teacher these years, he gradually came to understand the Demon Emperor's temperament, knowing when to speak and when to stay silent.

The Emperor has his own views.

Sure enough, the Demon Emperor then ceased speaking and turned to ask: "Any news about those two Heavenly Gods?"

Upon hearing this question, Nie Xiao Lou's heart gave a sudden jolt.

Tiangong's complete divine descent experiment had already succeeded; upon learning it, the Demon Emperor appeared calm on the surface but inwardly exploded with Lei Ting.

Because this news did not come from Tiangong's own disclosure, but was obtained from other Heavenly Gods.

Such a shocking matter—Stone Breaking Heaven startling—yet Ling Xu City failed to obtain firsthand intelligence!

In other words, before the complete divine descent succeeded, Tiangong had consistently concealed the experiment's progress from Ling Xu City, and did so very effectively.

The two officials responsible for secretly probing Tiangong's secrets were immediately dismissed and investigated.

In the Demon Emperor's view, this is an unforgivable crime!

Does Du Yun Shi, already in the twilight of life, often drowsy more than awake, still manage to toy with the Demon Emperor's subordinates, making them spin in circles?

Over the past decade or more, the conflict between Tiangong and the Demon Emperor has grown ever greater. Yet as the Demon Emperor's governance becomes ever more flexible, were it not for Shuang Ye Guo Shi's assistance, Tiangong would have already fallen behind in their struggle.

The Demon Emperor is steadily and orderly consolidating power when, out of nowhere, Tiangong's dead snake turns over and suddenly deals it a heavy blow!

Complete divine descent has already succeeded—so how far off can the Heavenly Gods' large-scale collective divine descent be?

This explosive news is enough to utterly disrupt the Demon Emperor's entire plan.

Nie Xiao Lou said: "After assisting Fu Guo in finishing the war, the two Heavenly Gods headed northwest. Our personnel in Tiangong failed to uncover their specific target, but anomalies have repeatedly appeared near Baishawan and Dun He in Shen Guo, possibly indicating that the Wu Yao God passed through."

"What do you think?"

Nie Xiao Lou hesitated before replying: "I speculate, could their target be Pan Long Desert?"

"After Pan Long City's fall, the Great Great Great Fanghu can no longer be obtained. What else do the Heavenly Gods intend to do now?"

"The True Gods' return to the mortal realm requires an immensely powerful vessel…… or…… the Great Great Great Fanghu." Nie Xiao Lou whispered, "Currently, we do not know what kind of vessel Ling Xu Sheng Zun needs to descend into the world; perhaps the best path is to emulate Lady Lady Lady Mitian's method from before."

Lady Lady Lady Mitian's method was to store most of the divine power in the Great Great Great Fanghu, then select a suitable vessel to descend. After all, for such top-tier Heavenly Demons, where could one find a perfect vessel capable of fully containing them?

Heavenly Demons have always had two plans: either obtain the Great Great Great Fanghu, or create a demon puppet vessel to descend into the world.

Obtaining the Great Great Great Fanghu is indeed difficult—does creating a divine body usable by Ling Xu Sheng Zun therefore become easy?

So why not pursue both plans together?

"Tiangong's last attempt, sending Du Yun Shi to spy on the Great Great Great Fanghu's secret, failed because the Jiu You Great Emperor interfered; now the Jiu You Great Emperor is far away, while Pan Long Desert cannot simply grow legs and run off, and we have also received news that all anomalies in Pan Long Desert have vanished, the ghost soldiers formerly patrolling the desert no longer appear, and Pan Long Ancient City has returned to silence. Perhaps the Great Great Great Fanghu has undergone some change, yet Ling Xu Sheng Zun still believes another attempt is necessary."

"Or perhaps Ling Xu Sheng Zun has devised a new method?" the Demon Emperor mused, "Closely monitor Pan Long Desert."

"Yes."

The Demon Emperor's curved claw tip lightly tapped the pillar: "Has the news of successful complete divine descent reached Cang Yan and Mou Guo?"

"There is no wall without cracks." Nie Xiao Lou smiled, "The secret of Fu Guo's Pu Lu Qun Dao's large-scale demon puppet experimental site was leaked months ago. Combined with the spread of news that Fu Guo's battlefield victory relied on divine descent, observant people can connect the dots. According to our intelligence, Pu Lu Qun Dao has recently seen many unfamiliar faces."

The Demon Emperor's eyes brightened slightly, and he uttered two "good"s in succession.

As for how the secret of Pu Lu Qun Dao was leaked—well, that's not important.

"Are Cang Yan and Mou Guo not tasked with opposing Heavenly Demons?" the Demon Emperor exhaled a mouthful of icy mist, "I'd like to see whether they can remain indifferent to the news of successful complete divine descent."

This news, it also dislikes.

Very much so.

"Today, the Jing Ren clan presented a memorial: the vessel used by Wu Yao God is their clan's war general Lord Zhongsun Xuan! Ten years ago, Lord Zhongsun Xuan disappeared during the battle against Mou Guo's sea clan; his people believed he died heroically in battle, little knowing he was captured by Tiangong and made into a vessel!"

Being nurtured by Tiangong as a vessel for divine descent is the highest honor for minor nobles and commoners; but the Jing Ren clan, generation after generation, has been Between Between Between Beijia's old nobility, and they clearly understand that "vessel for divine descent" is merely a euphemism for "god's skin bag"—used up and discarded after the dove occupies the magpie's nest.

Moreover, Cang Yan and Mou Guo have long proclaimed Tiangong's deeds worldwide; Between Between Between Beijia's commoners may still be kept in the dark, but the upper-class aristocrats are increasingly coming to understand the true nature of Heavenly Gods.