Chapter 3044: Before the

Duanmu Heng came from the Heavenly Palace and had long been accustomed to the marvels of the floating islands of Lingxu City and the solemnity of the Star-Plucking Pavilion on Mount Xushan; human architecture could hardly compare to them in splendor.

Yet the Vermilion Sky Golden Hall of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's palace likewise struck him with awe at first sight.

This golden city stretched from the ground to the mountains behind, the palace complex ahead grand and magnificent, displaying the mighty wealth of Cangyan, while the pavilions and terraces behind flickered in and out of view amidst clouded mountains and misty waters, ethereal and elusive.

It is said that this was originally the treasure that sealed the sect of the Illusion Sect.

Duanmu Heng let out a soft snort: Qianzheng True Person and Miao Zhantian both perished, yet the Nine Abysses Great Emperor became the greatest victor, taking over Qianzheng True Person's sect and treasures entirely, and even Ling Mountain offered no objection.

In Duanmu Heng's view, whoever benefited most was most suspicious. As for what truly happened back then in the overturning of the seas within, he did not believe the circulating information restored the full truth; the He family surely stirred up trouble within, and perhaps Qianzheng's death was also related to him.

Ironically, Ling Mountain lost such an important True Immortal/helmsman and silently swallowed the loss, and afterward still had to maintain good relations with the Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

He then gazed at the Vermilion Sky Golden Hall for a while before returning indoors.

Not long after, someone entered.

This was a middle-aged man, slender and dark-skinned; if dressed in coarse cloth, he would look like a farmer just come in from the fields.

Yet Duanmu Heng's attitude toward him was respectful, first bowing in salute:

"Wei Jia God Sovereign."

He too was a heavenly deity, and after his descent he used an immortal's mortal form, not the body of the Hidden Hidden God Monarch.

"Is the plan settled?"

"Basically settled; we are still awaiting the final piece of intelligence." Duanmu Heng replied, "Our target area is too vast, the hierarchy strict, and those who have entered the core are few and far between."

"Heavenly deities have been descending one after another these days; I will act as intermediary for coordination." Wei Jia God said coldly, "The Holy Sovereign is merciful, granting you a second chance; I hope you do not repeat the mistake of the Dragon-Trap Abyss."

Duanmu Heng bowed even lower: "I will surely accomplish the mission."

The Dragon-Trap Abyss battle was his own scheme, from layout to opening, originally proceeding very smoothly, until the Nine Abysses Great Emperor appeared and the situation changed abruptly. But this failure cannot be blamed on him; no one expected the Nine Abysses Great Emperor to be so formidable as to slay three great immortals and demons in succession, nor did anyone expect the Great Square Vessel to take advantage of that opportunity to return from the void to substance, and incidentally push all the Coiled Dragon spirits back into reality.

Though the Holy Sovereign of Lingxu was furious, he did not blame Duanmu Heng, for the changes far exceeded his expectations, and Duanmu Heng could hardly have known in advance.

This is called an irresistible force of circumstance.

Thus, before the descent of the heavenly deities, the Holy Sovereign once again employed Duanmu Heng and assigned him another important task.

This time too it is high-difficulty, but at least easier than assassinating the Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

Hence only success is permitted, failure is not.

Duanmu Heng asked again: "When will the various deities descend?"

"They have already descended."

Duanmu Heng was slightly surprised, but then realized: yes, although the Holy Sovereign announced the time of the deities' descent, he never said they could not come early. All is fair in war, as they say.

"The deities will arrive at Ju City within three days. You also know the time of action." Wei Jia God looked at him and said, "You will carry out the specific plan. Following the Holy Sovereign's instructions, we will obey your command."

Having said that, he produced a scroll from his bosom and handed it to Duanmu Heng:

"Obtaining this was not easy, but we still found it."

Duanmu Heng received it with both hands, opened it, and exclaimed in surprise and delight: "This is the method of using the Nexus!"

"The Illusion Sect's sect-sealing treasure was originally taken by Qianzheng True Person from elsewhere." Wei Jia God's tone held a hint of mockery, "More than three thousand years ago, not only Qianzheng True Person knew how to use it."

"With this, our chances of success increase greatly."

"Hopefully that is indeed the case." Wei Jia God said coldly, "If we cannot move it, we will destroy it."

Since the Holy Sovereign of Lingxu appointed Duanmu Heng as commander of the operation, he no longer held back: "By the way, where is the Earth Mother now?"

"Hao Ling State."

"And what about the Nine Abysses and the Red General?"

"Also in Hao Ling." Wei Jia God showed a hint of impatience, "You don't know that?"

"Their whereabouts are important; please trouble yourself to confirm again."

Duanmu Heng's previous attempt to assassinate the Nine Abysses Great Emperor at the Dragon-Trap Abyss relied on his ability to return directly to the Earth Mother Plain; thus this time, to act, he must first rule out the Earth Mother's interference.

If the Earth Mother does not cause trouble, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor will likely also be unable to.

"Very well, wait."

Wei Jia God closed his eyes in place; Duanmu Heng knew he was communicating upward.

After a long while, he opened his eyes: "They are indeed still at Between Between Between Beijia; someone witnessed them on the battlefield just yesterday."

"Good, good." Duanmu Heng did not relax his vigilance, "On the day of our action, please trouble yourself to confirm once more."

Having suffered a great loss at the hands of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, he now treats any matter concerning Cangyan with one hundred and twenty percent caution. ￥￥￥￥￥

No matter how anxious and fearful the world may be, time flows like water and cannot be turned back, and the "final deadline" set by the Holy Sovereign of Lingxu will eventually arrive. As for the War Alliance, after destroying Hao Ling State, internal discord has noticeably increased. All sides wish to take advantage of these few days before the descent of the heavenly demons to attack more, seize more, and monetize more battle results; some advocate attacking Shan Yu State, some advocate attacking Xu Luo, some advocate dividing forces to attack the small states around Between Between Between Beijia controlled by the Heavenly Palace, lest these small states become lackeys and claws of the deities after their descent...

Fortunately, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor enjoys the highest prestige within the alliance and can still suppress the clamor of many voices.

His decision is:

First, the War Alliance must arrange over ten armies to sweep everywhere and eliminate the external garrison forces of the Heavenly Palace. For in just these few days, the alliance has received various reports about the Heavenly Palace, true and false mixed, weighty and trivial indistinguishable.

Second, the War Alliance's main force shall simultaneously attack Xu Luo and Shan Yu, two states under the Heavenly Palace, and fight to the death.

Only children make choices.

He Lingchuan has his own calculations. First, the War Alliance's momentum has already grown; immortals and heroes from all over the world have come to attach themselves, its might unmatched for a time, and having gained the alliance of three powerful monster-vassal states, morale and confidence rise steadily, troops elite and commanders fierce.

Second, the people's hearts of the Heavenly Palace's vassal monster states are unsettled, their spiritual energy weak; the past six hundred years of glory are gone.

For every point by which we weaken the Heavenly Palace's vassal monster states, the aid we gain after the heavenly demons' descent will decrease by one point.

Conversely, the War Alliance's difficulty in facing the heavenly demons will certainly increase greatly.

Thus, before the heavenly demons descend, the Between Between Between Beijia battlefield has early become a flesh-and-blood grinding mill, with both sides locked in mortal combat.

Under the War Alliance's successive fierce assaults, Shan Yu State has already lost thirty percent of its territory, Xu Luo State's two major rivers and two overland transport arteries have been severed, and the scales of victory are tilting heavily toward the War Alliance.